Photographing golf courses

[Andy Levett]

I did this for the first time the other day and although the results were ok I know they could have been better.

As more of us get digital cameras and the web space to post the results here I was wondering if people had advice they would like to share, or links to good articles.

One thing I especially noticed was how my pics flattened out the contours. It seems a common problem but not insuperable - even the guy who took the old shot of Sitwell Park 80+ years ago knew how to get round it!

Thanks in advance.

[Peter Galea]

Andy,
To really show contours, use "hero" light. That is 1 hour after sunrise and 1 hour before sunset. At these times the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are the longest. To learn more go to: http://www.photo.net, click on forums, find technique and post your query there.
Pierre Kodak

[Jack_Marr]

Andy

If you want to show up the contours, it's best to take the photographs early in the morning when the sun is low. This shows up the shadows and gives a better idea the contours.

This also works when the sun is setting, but there are apeture and shutter speed issues you have to deal with to get the best results.

Also, As the "subject" (the golf hole) is distant landscape, a flash is useless.

Jack

[Tim_Weiman]

Andy Levitt:

Not to get you down, but my experience as nothing more than a not very good amateur leads me to have fairly low expectations. By that I mean that I don't expect more than 1 or 2 good pictures out of a roll of film and I am certainly not surprised if I get zero. Yes, there have been times when I've been pretty lucky and got perhaps 5 pretty good pictures but those are the exceptions.

Bottom line: it is something you have to work at and get lucky.

FYI, the single best golf course picture I've seen recently was shot by Joann Dost on the 11th hole at Pacific Dunes. Even John Henebry told me Joann came up with something pretty special.

One other thing: some golf holes are relatively easy to capture while others are almost impossible. Something like the famous cape hole #5 at Mid Ocean is easy; the long par 5 #4 at Merion has never been shot very well, in my opinion.

[Tim_Weiman]

Andy:

One other thing: I can't leave this subject without acknowledging Ken Bakst's black and white pictures of Friar's Head as perhaps the best collection I've ever seen. It would be interesting to know how much time Ken spent.

[Norbert P]

 Disclaimer - I don't know much.

Bill makes a good point about foreground involvement.  Many times, without any object or texture in the foreground, say from the middle of a fairway to green, the end result miniaturizes the green site theater with the pasture look expanse.  I like taking shots from the rough, as it gives contrast and layered texturing, and it's usually where my ball is anyway.  Finding high ground is nice to have, obviously, but low ground can give some nice variety.  Think balance.
Photographing parts, say individual bunkers is nice but getting an area or collection of bunkers tells a better story, usually.  
  If all else fails, tip the cart girl for a nasty pose saying she could make the GCA Calender.

[JakaB]

Never take pictures at anytime you would not want someone to use a phone....the use of anything with batteries during the course of a round is rude...also never take pictures without first getting permission from the proshop and then only use them for personal use....posting of pictures of an architects work without permission is both distastefull and possibly illegal....golf architecture is covered under the same moral ground as any other artistic creation....

[Mike Nuzzo]

Definately get as elevated as you can for your best shots.
Stand on the cart if you can.
Pick your favorite existing images and try to replicate their style.
During your "hero" light, make sure the sun is perpendicular to your shooting direction (directly on your left or right).
Don't be afraid to use a "real" camera with a wide angle lens.
Pick up a landscape photography book.
Try a professional slide film (fuji Velvia), don't expect the film to be able to capture as much as the human eye, especially when you have both light and dark in the composition.
Cheers

[Jeff_McDowell]

Does anyone have a tip about getting a blue sky with low light angles? Whenever I shoot at sunrise or sunset, the sky turns white.

I've been able to import a blue sky in photoshop, but I wish I could get it right the first time.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Andy,
Basically, if you are photographing copywritten holes on private property, or any where else, you need a release, not usually a big problem as long as you are not using the photos commercially. Remember to obtain the release from the owner of the copyright, not necessarily from the owner of the hole. If your photo is, say, of a tee box on a tournament venue, you may need to obtain releases from all the sponsors whose advertising materials appear in your work.  
Whether or not you feel some great moral objection to using course photos remember: You may not need permission to use photos of a copyrighted work in two circumstances:  if you are only copying the facts or copying the ideas from the work or if your use is "fair use".  
Although there are no hard and fast rules to decide when an unauthorized use is "fair use" you are pretty safe if your photos are used for "traditional" fair use purposes. This includes education, research, criticism (like we might use them here) and several other reasons. The "fair use" rule is always subject to interpretation, ergo, the obtaining of releases.

Outside of invasion of personal privacy you probably aren't going to find too many courses where the exposure causes them more harm than good.  




  

[Carlyle Rood]

I've found that creating panoramics is helpful.  I'll get close to the subject, take multiple photos, and then superimpose them on top of one another to create a panoramic.  I usually use Adobe Photoshop to paste the photos together.  Then I can create a Flash movie from the photo like below:

http://www.golfarch.com/Seaside/seaside_flash.asp

Without doing this, it's difficult to capture the entire hole.  For example, same hole but not nearly as easy to make out the details:

http://www.golfarch.com/Seaside/seaside13.asp

Of course, without the second photo, I don't guess I appreciate the first either.

Carlyle

P.S. It's also helpful to take pictures in the morning or the evening (preferably evening).  The sun will cast shadows that draw attention to contours.

[Corey_Johnson]

Jeff,
 Have you ever tried using a polarizing filter for a deeper blue sky. They work very well as long as you are not taking the picture directly into or away from the sun. It works best if the sun is at a 90 degree angle from what you are taking a picture of.

[Forrest Richardson]

Fugichrome 35mm or 2-1/4 film -- brings out greens like none other. Digital cameras can be a great convenience...but nothing compares to film as yet. PhotoShop retouching works wonders, too.

[Charles_P.]

I've often admired Tom Doak's golf pictures, so I once asked him his "secrets."  I hope Tom won't mind my sharing what he wrote:

"I learned everything I know about golf photography from Brian Morgan -- and from having a good enough memory to put myself in the same positions as other photographers on the golf course.  (Brian also told me years ago that while I was hopeless technically, I had a really good eye for composition.)

My simple rules:

1.  I used to use a 24- or 28-mm wide angle lens and the standard 50 mm issue.  The majority of my shots are with the 50 mm that came with the camera, which is optically as pure as it gets (and you can always crop and enlarge if you want a "telephoto" view).  My wide-angle lenses got stolen a few years ago and I've never replaced them, but many of my views from behind greens were taken with those.

2.  I always use a polarizing filter, which deepens the colors when shooting at right angles to the sun.

3.  The best light and color are taken at right angles to the sun, or at 45 degrees INTO the sun.  The "Photog for Dummies" mantra of having the sun behind you is to keep shadows out of people's faces, but in a landscape that will give you flat light.  Early morning and late afternoon produce far better pictures, unless a course is heavily treed.

4.  I try to keep the golfer's perspective in a photo whenever possible, unless I'd be shooting directly into the sun.

5.  Take care to frame your pictures for good composition.  I usually wind up with the flag either left-center or right-center, depending on what's around it and where I am shooting from.

Hopefully that helps a little.  As you say, good light is everything, and I was lucky in my younger years to have the time to hang around great courses until I got something good -- my schedule now is far less forgiving."

In experimenting with Tom's advice, I definitely agree that wider lenses (or, if digital, zoom out as far as possible instead of zooming in) help with perspective and contours, and a polarizer is a must (though they're tougher to find for digital point-and-shoot cameras).  I've had better luck with sun light during twilight rounds than early morning; and I'd take a cloudy day over the noon sun anytime.

[Peter Galea]

For the truest reproduction of green, use ektachrome. For really saturated colors try velvia, (aka-disneychrome) as Mike said. When shooting transparencies, meter for the brightest area in which you want detail. Do not overexpose.