The other side of the rope

THE BMW SA OPEN 2017

The BMW SA Open 2017, was the 106th Championship, which is the world’s second oldest Open Championship. Every year it is held at Glendower Golf Club. This year the tournament was hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni.

This was the first time we have received Media Accreditation for such an event, however, this was not the first sporting event I had covered. Previously I had covered events such, PSL Soccer events, Varsity Cup (Rugby, Netball, and Cricket). But this was the first time I would be covering a Golfing Tournament.

Having played golf myself and having a good understanding of all the rules and etiquette helped me with photographing the golfers and making my way around the course without causing any disruptions. I was made well-aware that the golfers and caddies can get very grumpy if a photographer gets in their way or becomes a distraction. This however, was never an issue, as I found the players to be very accommodating with were I positioned myself and how I went about photographing them.

During Round 1, I had instructions to cover and follow some specific golfers, mainly the Amateur Golfers. This was a great opportunity to get accustomed to the conditions and how the tournament would flow. Thursday was very quiet as there were not many spectators. This allowed the golfers to be more relaxed and even interact with me now and then. I was allowed to walk alongside them and have a chat in-between holes/shots.

It was quite a privilege to be allowed inside the rope. This is not something that many get to experience, except for those paying exorbitant fees for “Honorary Observers”, Marshalls, Match Officials and the players. Even as a spectator getting to stand at the front of the rope doesn’t compare to being on the other side. You don’t get caught up in the crowd, you get freedom to walk up and down the fairway following the golfers, and watching from pretty much any angle.

I was quite hesitant with where I stood during the first 2 rounds, as not to get in trouble and ruin my chances of doing this again. But as I got more comfortable I started to take a few chances and find new and interesting places to stand and take photos, my confidence obviously being left in the Pro-Golfers and hoping that they would not duff a shot, and send one straight into me, but luckily that never happened.

There is one given rule between photographers and golfers: ‘You CAN NOT and WILL NOT take photos during their backswing’. This is solely due to the fact that the golfer is in their deepest time of concentration, and hearing the mirror-slap or burst shutter at 13fps (that’s 13 clicking sounds every second) by several photographers, it can become very distracting. I was able to overcome this “Rule” and take photos whenever I pleased. This is thanks to a beautiful little Fujifilm Camera, the X-T2.

I had the privilege of getting my hands on two Fujifilm X-T2 bodies. One was paired with either an 8mm wide angle lens, or an 18-55mm. The other, my primary shooter, was sitting pretty with a 100-400mm lens. This combination was absolutely amazing. The benefit of the X-T2 is that it is a mirrorless camera. This means that there is no mirror-slap and you can shoot in silent shutter mode. No noise at all. So no matter how close or far I was from a golfer, I could take photos and not bother them with camera noises. This camera was also half the weight of your conventional SLR, which made carrying it around 18 holes rather easy.

Sunday was the fourth and final round. This was one of my best days. I got to follow some of the best golfers in world, including Rory Mcilroy, walking sometimes, no more than a couple feet from them. This was a true privilege to watch the game so close and walking inside the ropes yet again. What made It even more amazing, was there were only a few photographers. I got to follow the whole game with the 3 ball. I got to be in front of all the crowds, and witness every single shot. This was not something that spectators got to do, as they were limited by the ropes and crowd space.

This opportunity was quite amazing, and something I will gladly do any day. I was much chuffed with the photos I got, and what I had learned over those 4 days.

We are photographers and specialise in photographing celebrations, product lines, weddings, corporate events, photo booth hire, studiophotography and photography classes.

Double Vision Photography
Shop 19, Douglasdale SHopping Center, corner Douglas Road & Leslie Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa.
(+27) 011 462 7506
Marcelle Rootman
promotions@doublevisionphotography.co.za

This release was published on openPR.