Anyone ever shoot MMA fights?

[SuperChief]

I have a friend who is fighting his 1st pro fight and he is working to get a photographer to his corner. I volunteered to help. If I get the gig I would appreciate any tips and tricks to make this a great experience and hopefully catch a couple of amazing shots.

Shooting with an A7RIII and a 24-107 zoom.

[MakersTeleMark]

Weather sealing and IBIS?

[Supermoon]

I would find as fast a lens as possible. Indoor action is always a struggle to get useable shutter speeds, though the A7III Is solid in low-light. Large aperture will also help blur the cage (assuming it's a cage fight), and you'll be able to shoot through it easier. A zoom is probably the right call, but I would be tempted to get a 35 1.4 and just use that and then walk around the ring to get the frame right.

Other than that, I would make sure you are in whatever servo mode offers you the most frames per second. With experience shooting a specific sport you can probably get good at anticipating the peak action, and nail the shot, but I've always had a hard time with the timing shooting a new sport.

If you can get in the fight before, take a few test photos and look at them to make sure you are nailing shutter speed and focus. Otherwise, check after the first round.

Don't forget to shoot the corners and the crowd if you have a chance. Same for walk-ups, after fight reactions, etc.

Finally, keep your mouth shut if they are close to you. Blood and sweat can fly a long way.

[SuperChief]

Thank you sir, the fast prime would be nice. Hopefully this gig works out.

[ex-powderbroker]

i took my 5d2 to a mexican wrestling match the first night i had it. i was shooting up against the fence when one wrestler threw his opponent into it. the whole barrier shifted back maybe 6” and hit the camera crushing the uv filter. i took that right off and the lens was untouched, thankfully. so my advice is to use a uv filter and be careful shooting next to things that may move!

[Supermoon]

That’s awesome

[grskier]

Did you end up shooting this?

[SuperChief]

No, I didn’t get to shoot the fight just as well, hopefully the opportunity will be there for the next one.

[MakersTeleMark]

You should check out John. He's an amazing photographer in your genre of want to be.

https://www.johnbolloten.co.uk/section882042.html

[SuperChief]

Thank you, I'll check his work out. I Iike the B&W style.

I'm not sure of my genre, I'm not a huge fight fan, just a supporter of a good friend. I actually had a great time at the fight. He knocked his guy out in the 1st round with a brutal elbow. the promotion isn't releasing the video so I can't share.

I'm going to shadow a couple of his workouts and work on developing a bit of a style. The lady who the promoter replaced me with was able to capture some great images, so I was able to see where the bar is and something to try an develop my own style.