Single Photo Friday:: Roller Derby Love

I am not a sports photographer. I am, however, a people and life moments photographer. I would also say I’m not really an athlete, but at Roller Derby tryouts this past fall our trainer told us to own our athleticism.  Wait. Really? I didn’t know I had any to own, but ok this is what I have to do if I want to enter into this world…

Fast forward 4 months, and I’m a sidelined member of Maine Roller Derby while I recover from a minor injury and think about how far my athleticism has come. How far it has to go. Being on the sidelines watching your teammates get stronger, faster, better is not easy. So I emailed a few people asking if I can bring my camera to practice. Can I do something with my time and still feel like I’m contributing somehow? Pretty please.

Besides, being an insider has its advantages.

So, I’m not a sports photographer. And I’m still a derby girl in the making. I don’t have the standard gear to shoot fast action – I’m a lover of prime lenses because I know what they will get me in the world of portrait & documentary photography. BUT I know how a derby practice unfolds and I know one thousand times over how hard all of them work both in practice and out of it to run a league based on people volunteering their time and skills. It’s pretty amazing what a bunch of good minds can do.

So, enter one of my favorite moments from Monday night’s practice. I love this image and many of the others because 1) playing with shutter speeds and blurred motion is fun 2) skates always look cool in photos 3) I have tons of respect for the people who do this sport (skaters, refs, volunteers…) and 4) because it let me experiment with my gear and show pieces of how I see roller derby. No lie, there are times when I get off the rink and literally feel like the whole thing was a blur. How did that jammer get by me so quick!?!?! What just happened?!

Maine Roller Derby practice and all its awesomeness.

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But this is because I am still learning. I have miles to go, and many hours of working ahead of me. In the meantime, the visual eye candy that is roller derby is providing me with an outlet and another learning tool. This down time is making me learn more about the sport AND more about my gear and vision.

And maybe I really needed that right now.