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Track & Field

Valparaíso Regional Track Championships

Valparaiso Region Track & Field Championships
© 2018 - Dara Smith Fotografía

– Youth & Clubs –


Today, there were two levels of competitions: youth (under 17) and club teams.


– Track Is Dangerous –


I learned something new in my research that I really did not think about before. Photographing track and field can be very dangerous. There are so many things happening at the same time. Not only should photographers be careful of where they are at when shooting a specific event, but they should also keep a lookout for what is going on all around them, especially behind them. For example: did you know that there have been cases where photographers were speared by the javelin even though they were far away from the zone? Ouch!


– Photo Results –


With so many events going on, it can be difficult to decide which events to photograph. One of the more interesting events I focused on was the Steeplechase. Not only do runners have to jump over hurdles, but one of those hurdles contain a water pit! So, I thought I would give it a try and experiment photographing runners jumping and landing from different angles. I got several awesome photos, but the photo I used in this article was my favorite. This particular athlete took a very different approach than most when jumping the water pit. Once he was on top of the hurdle, he tried to jump the entire water pit. I guess he thought he could fly and avoid getting wet. Other runners just plunged in making a big splash, which is also great for photography, and then just walked out of the water pit.

International sports photographer specializing in rugby.

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