PHOTOS - Pan Am Beach Volleyball

PHOTOS – Pan Am Beach Volleyball

Jul 13, 2015 Estonian Life No. 29 2015

Beach volleyball began at the Pan Am games on Monday July 13, with men's and women's matches featuring teams from Latin America. The venue was the specially build Chevrolet Beach Volleyball Stadium, in the middle of the Exhibition grounds (and well away from any beach). Despite the breezy conditions outside the stadium, the fully enclosed structure gave the competitors superb playing conditions, unaffected by wind. Exuberant fan participation was the norm, especially from Brazilians. Breaks in play were punctuated by a troupe of dancers as well as very loud rock music. Indeed, photographers on the field of play were advised to wear earplugs. We were also warned about water cannons being shot off periodically to cool the crowds – not something the camera really needs!

For those interested in the photographic aspects, the bright sun made an ISO setting of 100 and a fast shutter speed of 1/1250 seconds possible. Extreme close-ups were a challenge because of the fast pace of play. For three of the four matches, I shot at court level, alternating from a position behind the players to a position beside the players. For the final match, I moved into the spectator stands to shoot down onto the action. In both cases, there was a focus on action at the net. As with most ball-sport photography, it is desirable to have the ball at least partially in the photo, though there are some exceptions, such as fan and player reactions or other interesting things happening in the arena.

Peeter Põldre

PHOTO GALLERY – Potos by Peeter Põldre (2015)