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Over the years I must have photographed hundreds of high school wrestling matches. I have tried almost every possible way of lighting the action on the mat with the exception of open flame.
I may have stumbled upon a way to get some even light and get it to fall off so that I don’t have too much light on wresting fans in the stands.
I have found that gyms that have retractable baskets not only make for a good location for strobes during basketball games, but also when it comes to shooting wrestling.
I used to drag a pair of Lumedyne heads on light stands to the gyms and cross light the mat from behind the teams. This worked okay, but I had a hard time getting both faces lit. It seems that no one told the top wrestler that he needs to look up so that I can light his face.
I discovered that when I get the strobes high and mounted at more of an angle that I get some good light on not only the guy who is losing and on his back, but also the wrestler who is looking down, and usually in a position of control.
I got two (Pocket Wizard triggered) SB-800s mounted on hoops and directed the light across and above the mat. I point them to the far corner which helps me control the spill onto the crowd. During this meet I was able to shoot at 400ASA with a 250th of a second shutter speed and an f-stop of f/3.5. This combination provided a good separation between the wrestlers and the background.
The light I get on the mat now has sure improved my opportunities for good images. That is when I don’t get distracted by thinking about how much some of those holds must hurt!
Who knows where my strobes will end up next. Those Bogen/Manfrotto 175F clamps mount to just about anything! Hmmmm.......stay tuned.
