Roller Derby Photography Tips, How to shoot Roller Derby

Lately I have recieved e-mail asking about tips on how to photograph Roller Derby. Here are some things to consider to improve your Roller Derby Photography.

• Know the basics of photography in and out. Learn to shoot manually
• Learn the game and movements of the players so you can anticipate where the action will be, just don't "machine gun" the camera and hope for the best.
• Use flash. Most Roller Derby Venues are quite dark and don't have enough available light to stop the action of the players. Flash photography gives you the light you need to capture the action of the skaters. Study flash photography and know your lighting tools well.
• Use Long focal lengths to get in close to the action, also use wide angles for a different perspective.
• Study compostion and learn how to compose quickly
• Don't just shoot Roller Derby, learn to excel in other areas of photography to improve your Roller Derby Photography.
• Take professional courses. Seek out professional photographers you would like to learn from and take their courses. Almost all the top pro's offer workshops throughout the year. Although they may seem pricey, they really aren't in comparison to what you will learn from industry leaders.
• Get your photographs in front of professional photographers that will critque your work. Its important that these photographers will truly critique it, and not just give you compliments. When you are taking a college course in Photography the students and teachers viewing your work are way too nice. Get it in front of pros that will rip it apart... you will learn more.
• Take a look at what Roller Derby Photographers are doing now.... and do something different.

Silicon Valley Roller Girls vs the San Diego Derby Dolls

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Took a little 7 hour drive down to San Diego this past weekend to shoot SVRG and the San Diego Derby Dolls. The bout was held at the Del Mar fairgrounds and was almost cancelled due to rain and a leaky roof. The wet parts of the track were constantly being wiped down by volunteers so no one would get hurt. I ran into B-Train from Wicked Skatewear, which is always fun and got to shoot SVRG in a whole new environment.

Engagement Session Bing Crosby's, Walnut Creek

These engagement portraits for Debbie and John were really fun to shoot. Bing Crosby's in Walnut Creek was gracious enough to allow us to shoot in their beautiful restaurant off hours.

SVRG KillaBytes vs Brentwood's Undead Betty's, San Jose CA

The Double Header here at San Jose Skate was a full house and a double win for the Silicon Valley Roller Girls. They hosted roller derby bouts vs. my hometown, Brentwood's Undead Bettys and also Humboldt's Roller Derby Team. This was a special night for my friend Aim DeKill, skating her last bout of her derby career. Aim is very much looked up to throughout the leauge, she's a wonderful person and I am glad to have met her.

Profoto Pro-8 Contest

Profoto is one of the top photography lighting manufacturers in the world, they are currently holding a photography contest which I have entered. My gallery "Down and Derby" of the Silicon Valley Roller Girls and the OC Roller Girls is currently on the Profoto website for voting for the month of October. Please go vote for the "Down and Derby" set and help me get into the finals with the rest of the monthly winners!

Silicon Valley vs OC Roller Girls

Tonight I got to shoot another one of my favorite teams.... SVRG's Dot.Kamikazes. I have to hand it to these ladies.... they run a professional leauge,well organized, hard working, fun-loving and they treat their photographers like gold. I have a lot of freedom when I shoot them and I have to say I really appreciate all they let me do. The OC Roller Girls were up here for the game and lost to SVRG 132-64. I got the opportunity to meet their Captain and Wicked Skatewear co-owner B-Train, and also test out Profoto's new generator the Pro8a-2400 Air. I would like to thank Profoto for their generosity in letting me test the Pro8 for the weekend. I was really impressed with the power it cranked out and the recycling speed of the generator. When shooting Roller Derby with flash you just can't "machine gun" it and hope for a good shot. You have to anticipate what the girls are going to do to capture the action they want to see, however action happens back to back and your equipment has to be powerful enough to keep up. The Pro8 stepped up to the plate and was ready to fire everytime I was. This night was also Juicy K.Tore's birthday bout... she cartwheeled onto the track like she used to always do when she was a little girl. Her family was out to see her play and joined everyone at the afterparty. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUICY!

Santa Cruz Derby Girls vs Tucson Roller Derby's "Iron Curtain"

One of my favorite leauges to shoot, the Santa Cruz Derby Girl's "Boardwalk Bombshells" played Tucson Roller Derby's "Iron Curtain". Candie Hooligan always makes my job of catching her in action easy. Below: Here's a shot of Candie getting a whip from Brawley Parton. Above: Jammer Lulu Lockjaw, Eden Yourheartout and Brawley Parton. This was also the last home game for Kicken Red Vixen as she goes into Derby Retirement. Kicken is great jammer, great dancer and a wonderful person. We will miss you Kicken!

Sac City Rollers vs LA Derby Dolls

The Sac City Rollers hosted a bout with the LA Derby Doll's "Tough Cookies". I've been wanting to shoot Sac City for quite some time now since a former Sac City Skater got me into shooting Roller Derby. She now skates for Sacred City so I'll have to hunt her down once again. The girls from LA were a lot of fun, check out Krissy Krash and Iron Maiven in Drew Barrymore's movie "Whip It".

Lois Greenfield

I had the opportunity tonight to attend a class with world-renowned dance photographer Lois Greenfield. It is always motivating and inspiring to hear the stories of how different photographers became who they are. Lois is an incredible photographer and an amazing public speaker. I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity. Thank you PPGBA!

Yolanda & Franklin, Treasure Island SFBay Area Wedding

Silicon Valley Roller Girls vs Angel City's Rocket Queens

The ladies from the Angel City Roller Derby Rocket Queens traveled up to the Bay Area to bout with the Silicon Valley Roller Girls in San Jose. SVRG had played a great bout beating the Rocket Queens 209 to 45. I got to meet some great girls from Angel City and hope to shoot them again soon.

New Roller Derby Website

I just created a new addition to my site dedicated to Roller Derby Photography. I appreciate all the motivation and encouragement coming from all you Roller Derby ladies and also from my fellow photographers. The site can be accessed from www.adrianvalenzuela.com.

Santa Cruz Derby Girls vs. Jet City Roller Girls

Shooting the Santa Cruz Derby Girls at their home track was very exciting tonight. It was a little different from other bouts that I have been to. The building they skate in has stadium seating and houses a lot more routy fans then I am used to. It was a close game and it got pretty loud in there. Here's some shots from that night.

Santa Cruz Derby Girls vs. the Silicon Valley Roller Girls

Tonight I shot a bout between the Santa Cruz Derby Girls and the Silicon Valley Roller Girls. The bout was hosted by Silicon Valley at San Jose Skate, the ladies did an awesome job organizing the event. It was very entertaining throughout the night... the audience was obviously having a great time. Steve Wozniak was among the many fans packed into San Jose Skate to support our two local Derby Leagues. Thank you Mr. Wozniak for the best computers I've ever owned! Check the "featured gallery" on my site and my facebook site for photographs of Foxee Firestorm,Candy Hooligan, Sheila Princess of Power, Kicken Red Vixen, Lulu Lockjaw, Pipi Hardstocking, Shamrock N' Roller and more from Santa Cruz and from Silicon Valley, Feisty Irish, Terribelle Demise, Rot Wheels, and The Smack Dahlia.

Liberty High School Senior Sam Jobe, Brentwood CA

Sam Jobe is a 2009 Liberty High School Senior from Brentwood CA with aspirations to be a singer and an actress. This young lady, writes her own music and sings beautifully. I think she'll do great in the near future. Good Luck to you Sam!

Sonoma County Roller Derby and the Chicago Outfit

This past weekend I traveled with the Sonoma County Roller Derby Leauge to Chicago Illinois to shoot a bout with the ladies from the Chicago Outfit.

Kelly Barton Fitness Portraits

Today I had the opportunity to shoot with Kelly Barton a fitness model from the Bay Area. Kelly competes in the Class C division, and recently placed 4th in the "Contra Costa Fitness " It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to achieve her fitness goals and I have a lot of respect for what she has achieved...

Down and Derby with Sonoma County Roller Derby

This afternoon I got contacted by "All on Ya" number 25 of the Sonoma County Roller Derby Leauge. Its that time again... this time around I'm covering them from the begninning of the season to the end for a "project" for the end of the year. It should be pretty fun. The first bout is on April 18th, "Wine Country Homewreckers" vs. the "Santa Cruz Roller Girls" in Ronhert Park.

Napa Fire and Police Department Charity Basketball

This evening the Napa Fire Department and Napa Police Department organized a charity Basketball game to raise funds to stop youth violence in Napa. I had a great time shooting for these guys. The police department came out on top this year, however it was a very close and exciting game throughout. The kids from the local Jr. High delivered speeches about what they have learned through the DARE program, the Chaplain delievered a touching speech honoring Sgts. Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, Daniel Sakai and Officer John Hege from Oakland PD. This was a great family event and I hope to photograph more of these community events in the future.

Midwest Model Natascha

Natascha was kind enough to let me photograph her tuesday night after one of our classes. A special thanks goes out to Penny Copeland of Twin Spring Photo for holding my lights and making everyone laugh, Andrew Bowser from Andrew Bowser Photography for also assisting in lighting, and to Craig Heidemann from Apple Studios for lending me his lighting gear.

My Springfield Work at the Elfindale Mansion

Here is some of my work from Bambi Cantrell's workshop.

Bambi Cantrell Workshop, Springfield Missouri

I have been looking forward to the opportunity to learn from Bambi Cantrell for quite some time. The opportunity came up and I had to jump on it. The workshop was held at the Beautiful Elfindale Mansion in Springfield Missouri. It was hosted by Dawn Shields of Dawn Shields Photography and she and her staff did a great job of making us feel welcome. I can't even begin to tell you how much I learned from Bambi in these short 3 days. She opened my eyes to a lot of concepts and techniques that has helped me as a professional photographer. I highly recommend professionals take courses like this one to improve their skills. Not only do you learn from the instructor but you also gain even more knowledge from the other professionals in your class. It is an invaluable experience that I will not forget. The photographers there in Missouri were not only extremely talented but wonderful people as well, I can not say enough good things about my new friends from the Midwest. (Colorado and Florida too Dory and Cindy!)