PHOTOS – Pan Am Rugby Sevens
Jul 12, 2015 Estonian Life No. 28 2015
Sunday July 12 was the final day of Rugby Sevens competition at the BMO field. A few days earlier, Kai Kiilaspea had brought to my attention that one member of the Canadian Women's Team, Sara Kaljuvee (number 6) was of Estonian heritage. I altered my plans and am very glad that I did. Rugby has similarities to American football, but with continuous action like European football. The ball is akin to the American football. There a seven players to a side and the games last for only two 8-minute halves. Scoring is similar to American football, with tries (like touchdowns) and converts. Passing can only be backward or laterally. Kicking can be in a forward direction.
Many photos feature the Canadian women's team, first playing Argentina and then a few hours later, the United States. In between, there are various photos of other men's and women's games. I was fortunate to capture the sudden death game winning try by the Canadian men's team, scored by Phil Mack, who prompted lay on his back in exhaustion.
For those interested in the photographic components, the hazy sunlight made exposures relatively straightforward. ISO 100, shutter speed 1/1000 second, using an 80-400mm lens. For the photographs of children in the stands, I ask the parents' permission first and then give the parents a business card so that they may request a copy of the photo. People have also asked me how many photos I take during a session. For this 3-hour shoot, I took over 1,000 photos. About 200 undergo “in field” deletion, either because a referee got in the way or because I took many 5 frame per second shots of action sequences. Of those, typically only one is ultimately needed. Some in field deletions were out of focus because of the fast-paced action. From the remaining 800, the photos are reviewed on the desktop and a photo gallery of around 100 is selected. The very last photo is Jason Ransom, the Prime Minister's photographer and a photographer for the Canadian Olympic Committee, who provided me with advice and encouragement a year ago to apply to the Canadian Olympic Committee for accreditation to the event.
Peeter Põldre
PHOTO GALLERY – Potos by Peeter Põldre (2015)