On any given day, I enjoy the sound of a 'well oiled' drum line. The sound the tenor drums make as they are played, the tight crack of the stick as it is hits the skin. The buzz of the snare drum and the 'whamp' of the bass drum, reminds me of a 5" gun going off, you can feel the beat.
Well Saturday evening, I had a chance to photograph a Drum & Bugle competition in Kingston NY. There were 8 teams competing and 2 exhibition teams. This would have been a really cool assignment, had it not been for the weather.
The ride up to Kingston started off as a slight drizzle, and quickly turned into a downpour. When I arrived at the stadium, it again was a drizzle, so I put on my golf rain gear, pants and a rain shirt. With-in 40 minutes, I had to go back to my car for the rain poncho. It was so bad I was shooting while hiding under the poncho. My gear got soaked, so I went back for plan 'C:' the umbrella. Only, how do you hold an umbrella and 2 cameras, one with a 70-200 and the other with a 24-70. Oh yeah, its dark and you can't use a flash... why, because the only thing you'll light up is the rain right in front of you... Push the ISO and hold steady. 1/100th @ 2.8 for most images.
So I attached the umbrella to a mono-pod with a bungee cord. I am sure I looked a little weird, but I was dry, and it was easier to handle the umbrella-pod than shooting from under a poncho.
Job done, images sent... What's next!
The Children's Home of Kingston presents the 2011 March of Champions, Drum and Bugle Corps Senior Competition at Dietz Stadium on Kingston NY on Saturday, August 6, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record
