This    article is written in an attempt to encourage taking fencing photographs and perhaps improve the results.  Will it help improve fencing skills one might ask?  Well, actually no.  But what it will do, however, is add an additional avenue of fun to your next practice session or competition, record the brave deeds of fencers for posterity, and provide a visual tool to explain to those unfortunate multitudes, who do not know what fencing is, about the incredible beauty of our sport.  However, anyone who has attempted to take photographs at their Salle or competition, quickly learns the problems associated with taking good pictures.  The problems with taking fencing photographs are:  Low light, artificial lighting, high speed action, and limited, if at all, use of flash.

To Flash Or Not To Flash                                                                       

            The biggest concern for the amateur fencing photographer is lighting.   Usually the lack of it.  Normally the easy solution for low lighting situations is to create your own light by use of a flash.  The problem is that flash photography can be very disruptive to the fencers especially in competition.  On a personal note, I recall a sabre competition in which I was fencing, and a member of the audience, actually a friend of mine, took a flash photograph during the match.  At the time, I thought the light was my opponent's blade sparking my mask so I paused, losing the touch.  Needless to say, I do not recommend the use of the flash in competitions at all.  However, with permission, I see no reason why the flash can not be used during practices.  One interesting effect of using a flash is that you can use the light to pierce the mask and capture the facial features of the fencer.  This usually only works when you shoot the fencing action from 0 to a 45 degree angle from the front of the fencing mask.

Film Speed 800

            So without the use of the flash, how does one compensate for the low lighting?  The answer is to balance the film speed, aperture and shutter speed.  Film speed is the level of sensitivity that the film has to light.  Fast film speeds (400, 800, 1000 etc.) are more sensitive to light than slow film speeds (100, 200).  The higher the film number the more sensitive the film and the less light needed.  The only draw back is the higher the film speed the grainier the image will become.  For fencing photography, an 800 speed film gives a good balance.

Aperture/ F-Stop 4

            The next factor in dealing with low lighting is aperture.  Aperture is simply the hole in the camera that lets light in.   The aperture opening can be increased or decreased in size by changing the F-Stop.  The lower the F-Stop ( e.g. f 2.8) the larger the hole and the more light.  The higher the F-Stop (e.g. f 16) the smaller the hole and the less light is let in.  It is important to note that the lower the F-Stop (larger hole) the fuzzier the background will become.   Normally not a bad effect for fencing action shots.  With 800 speed film, the optimum F-Stop is f 4 or f 2.8.

Shutter Speed 250 & Up

            The aperture setting must be considered along with shutter speed.   Shutter speed describes how quickly the shutter opens and closes exposing the film to a flash of light.  The higher the shutter speed the shorter the exposure.  High shutter speed is the primary tool for stopping action.   Direction of movement is also important.   Fencers moving directly toward or away from the camera are the easiest to stop even with a slow shutter speed such as 60 (1/60 second).  For fencing, this would mean positioning the camera at either end of the strip near the reel.  Action moving across the field of view is the most difficult to stop and requires speeds up to 500 or greater (1/500 second).  An example of this would be the view of the referee.  However, the greater the shutter speed the more light is needed, and again for fencing there is usually not much.  Given this fact, a 250 (1/250) is the shutter speed I aim for.  Also, if you use any type of telephoto, a 250 or above shutter speed is needed to avoid camera shake which can blur your photo.

 Pratice this article. 
     This web link has camera simulator that demonstrates changes in shutter speed, F-Stop and aperture:  http://www.88.com/exposure/simcam.htm

Composition

            The next step after dealing with low lighting is to consider composition.   Composition is just a general term for what's in the photograph.  This is the creative part of photography and there are volumes written on the subject.  For fencing, four tips on this subject can help.  First, for action shots try and center the photograph equally between the two fencers and position oneself and the camera so that most of both fencers will be captured in the shot when one attacks.  However, do not stay too far back.  Tightly cropped action without a lot of background looks better.  Second, given the speed of the fencing action, the picture must be taken in advance of the action to be captured.  If the you click the camera only when you perceive the action to have occurred then you will photograph what happened after what was seen that prompted you to shoot.  This is when being a fencer with good timing helps your sense of when the action is about to take place.  Third, do not always shoot at eye level.  There are many interesting angles.  On the floor, under tables, on chairs, at reel level.  Experiment.  Lastly, don't be stingy with film.  The more photos taken the higher the chance of getting something special.  One professional photographer (Roland Andes to be exact)  told me that he gets one good photo for every 100 photos he shoots.  This is true.   Don't expect every shot to be a winner.   If you want good fencing photographs, buy a four pack of 24 frame, 800 speed film and shoot them all at your next competition.  I bet you will get one or two that you will be proud of.

Film Development.

            Today with one hour development, there is not much you get to do in the development stage other than pay your money.  However, most fencing competitions will either have sodium vapor/tungsten lighting, which causes an orange tint or fluorescent lighting which causes a green tint.  If you know which is which, you can ask your one-hours developer to correct for fluorescent or sodium vapor.

            I am convinced that fencing is one of the most visually beautiful sports in its depiction of grace speed and power of the human form.  However, capturing the beauty on film is not always easy.  Using a general formula of 800 speed film, aperture of f 2.8 or 4, shutter speed around 250 and planning on using four rolls, you should acquire some nice photographs for yourself, friends, club or team.  Finally, if you get anything good or interesting, please make a submission to American Fencing Magazine or this web site.

Samuel N. Lillard      (special thanks to Roland Andes for his assistance with this page).