For three days starting today I am covering the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at UT. 10 different schools have hired me to provide photo coverage of their athletes. This is very exciting – not only because I enjoy the work, but also because it shows that my sports event database is doing its job. Tracking down all the proper emails can be a pain, but weekends like this make it worthwhile.
I don’t usually cover swimming – even less diving – but I always enjoy doing so. It seems simple enough – the swimmers follow a predictable path and rarely do anything out of the ordinary. There’s no ball or opponent to keep in frame, just a single athlete. Its not really about the action in swimming – its the reaction and intensity.
Timing is important with swimming and diving. You have to get the right moment mid-flip or -twist; the right moment between splashes. Rapid fire shutters help. Paying attention helps even more – blink and you might miss that fist pump.
