Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I’ll be shooting a fencing event locally for a friend this weekend and was curious if anyone here might have some pointers. I suspect that my shutter will need to be in the 1/500 to 1/1250 range to freeze motion.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I'm assuming you mean swords, not painting white picket fences.

It's all in the moment. Yes shutter speed will be important, depending on whether you want to freeze motion or to show action with motion blur.

It's very similar to photographing dancers, if you know when 'the moment' is coming you can prepare and capture. If you don't, by the time you've reacted you've missed it.

If you are a fencer then you'll have a feeling for it, if not then I would suggest some practice at a local fencing club ahead of time. Lighting may be a significant consideration, and flash is probably not an option. The important stuff is lightning fast, which is one reason why it isn't a good television sport.

Choosing your angle will be important. From the side the action will be fast, behind either competitor may give some interesting opportunities if you can capture an attack. What degrees of freedom do you have?

"Body piercing while you wait"

Oh, and foil, epee, sabre, or all of the above? They're all different.

Good luck!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I would be using flash, as most likely you'll be close to the "action"!

Say Cheese Loc: Eastern PA

Peterff said, "It's all in the moment. Yes shutter speed will be important, depending on whether you want to freeze motion or to show action with motion blur."

I have done quite a bit of sport photography, Field Hockey, Baseball, track and field etc. It seemed the best pictures have some motion but not too much. Stopping action is easy compared to getting the ball coming off of the bat with a slight streak. As was said before go to a fencing studio and experiment getting the foil in motion and static.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Flash not allowed while they are fencing each other

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Quite. Otherwise you might get "the point" and deservedly!

Photocraig

A few thoughts from a long ago HS Fencer.
Try for a position facing one opponent (they switch ends between bouts). The action is confined to a long runner-like mat. Use a smaller aperture because the distance from point to body is probably 3 feet. Thus you're into a high ISO situation. They wear masks so there are no face shots during the action. BUT, this puts face shots (unmasked) at a premium, especially for the women who unmask and unfurl their hair. Also, the sideline action shows the athletes faces as they prepare and react and is again a premium and contrast to the otherwise faceless action. You will primarily be shooting the action in vertical orientation unless you have a side-on point of view. Depending on the event, there could be several matches going on simultaneously. Be early and get the lay of the land. I'm sure you will need credentials of permission for primo positions. Without a fast Tele Zoom lie 2.9 or f4, shooting from stands, if there are any, will be difficult and yield tiny subjects among a crowd of on lookers. Think a HS or College Wrestling Match

Anticipation of the motion will come after watching a few bouts. I suggest focusing on the offensive fencer's hands while keeping them in the nearest 1/3 of the frame (like a vertical landscapes) to assure good Depth of field. Pre-zooming to be sure you get the whole fencer in the frame could be a good technique-experiment with the warm ups if you can. This is a lightning fast sport--not so much in raw running foot speed, but it is all in the very fast attack initiation of the lunging feet and quick hands and arms of these athletes. Some blur might be inevitable, but should enhance the shot.

The three weapons are different and their rules are different. The Foil, the most common weapon, is restricted to more linear step by step movements, it is the easiest to photograph, but the least spectacular. Scoring is limited to the 1/2 of the torso (Spine to Sternum) facing the opponent. The foil must strike with the tip and bend to show pressure. Arms and head are fouls The Epee is the fastest moving and the fencers are allowed to cross their feet, like in running, as they advance. The entire body is a fair target and slashing and point scores (like Foil) count. Better to shoot at a shallower angle than Foil. Move your shutter to over 1/1000. Use a wider angle, if possible because the action will be more widespread through the frame. The Saber is what we envision as a movie sword fight. The fencers can cross or run (flesh--yeah I know--it's European). Scoring includes slashes to the head and arms and legs, again dictating a wider view specifically as the offensive fencer advances quickly towards you. Also largely true of Epee. Notwithstanding some side-on shots if you can get that vantage point without obstruction can be interesting.

I'd use a medium to mid range tele zoom-24-105 on A full frame or an 17-70 or so on APS-C. Again aperture 5.6 -f11, Shutter speed 1/500-1/1250. Focus in Canon AI Servo or whatever your brand calls it where the focus automatically follows the action where you put your focus point. Set fast burst mode. Anticipate action and start your bursts at the first sign of an attack. Again, this might be hard to see since the attack can start and end in 1-2 seconds.

Exposure is an issue because these athletes are "Dueling Brides" in ALL White Uniforms. That poses TWO problems. After the Mask is on they becomes essentially indistinguishable, except for, perhaps, a small crest or Club Symbol on the breast. With the main subject of your photos dressed in all white be sure to expose them to maintain detail in the whites. I'd test using an ETTR (expose to the right) approach during warm ups and switch to Manual for the action. If you have anti flicker mode on your camera use it. And since the whites will be an issue under Fluorescent or Quartz light, I'd recommend RAW. And if your camera can accommodate fast buffering, Raw plus fine JPEG. Try to match the White Balance to the facility. This MAY be a good place for Auto, but I have hardly used it, so I can't recommend from experience.

Go to the B&H Event Space archives and see if you can find Jeff Cable's Olympic Seminar, which includes a segment of Fencing. If it is your first time, I suggest searching for some videos, because fencing isn't in everyone's mainstream experience.

Have fun, these folks are entertaining and, perhaps, the most intellectual and interesting of all athletes.
C

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

flesh--yeah I know--it's European

Yes European, but the word is " flèche" - French for arrow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A8che_(fencing)

Your description of fencing rules are not the same as the ones that I learned. Foil is the torso, but not just spine to sternum, anything not including head or limbs. The épée is typically a point weapon in fencing, - triangulated blade - no slashing to score points, but the whole body is a target. Sabre is normally the only edge cutting weapon, with anything above the waist being an acceptable target. Hence the different parrys for each weapon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parry_(fencing)


Interesting to photograph!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

“Pointers”, was that a pun?!?! LoL
SS

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I don't think so, but some of our responses may be pointed! Or have an edge to them. Especially if you're a sworded kind of person.

I don't have any fencing weapons any more, but I do have some pointed and edged ones discretely secured in my house.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Subltle, but to the point.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Thanks!

LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY

I would think that a flash might effect the participates of the event.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

Two notions to keep in mind, shutter and DOF. When I do indoor sports, although never fencing, I usu manual. I would use 1/500 and a aperture such that you have both in focus(assuming you want both). This is obviously dependent on the lens and how far away you are. Then use center focus, auto ISO, AI-servo and burst mode. After a few shots you should be able tell if your DOF(aperture) is correct. From then on just shoot and concentrate on composition and not the dials. if the light changes the auto ISO will keep you on target . Use burst mode to cover the action, maybe 3-5 shots. If you try single shot, you will miss he money shot.

Have fun.

paulevy Loc: Lawrenceville, NJ USA

I have been s comoetitive fencer for more tham 60 years and have been photographing it digitally. I use a fast 50mm (equivalent) lens—flash strictly forbidden anywhere in the facility!
The referee moves up and down the fencing strip eith the fencers, so I get on the other side so as not to interfere with him. Best to get permission from the referee so he knows what you are doing. And only a very few shots for a small amount of time in each bout—you will be annoying to everyone!