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I ran across this 3 part video talking about how to become a sports photographer and almost ignored it because I’m not really into sports photography. That would have been a mistake. This is a good video.

Before you get too excited, this does not go into great detail about becoming a sports photographer, but it has some good general information.

First, here’s a pro photographer, Harry How, who works for Getty Images. He talks about becoming a professional sports photographer. He gives a little of his background, talks a little about portfolios and the advantages of coming up in the digital photography age. Then he moves on to give lens recommendations for the professional sports photographer. He caps it off with a tour through his camera bag.

Along the way, he gives some tips for shooting basketball games and hockey goals. He shows how he uses the monopod and what to look for when buying a monopod. He also shows how he secures his photography equipment for flight and when it is unattended.

All in all, this was worth the time to watch it.

For those of you that would rather see the list than watch the video, he carries:
Think Tank bag
Velbon Monopod
Laptop Computer
UDMA Card Reader

Here is his Canon equipment list:
Canon EOS 1DS Mark III (x2)
Canon 400 f2.8
Canon 300 2.8
Canon 70-200 f2.8
Canon 24-70
Canon 16-35 f2.8
Canon 15 fisheye
Canon 580EX
Canon EF 1.4x Extender

Here are the Nikon equivalents:
Nikon D3X (x2)
Nikon 400 f2.8
Nikon 300 2.8
Nikon 70-200 f2.8
Nikon 24-70 f2.8
Nikon 17-35 f2.8
Nikon 16 fisheye
Nikon SB-900
Nikon TC-14E Teleconverter

But do yourself a favor and watch the video anyway.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Here’s an interesting documentary about Diane Arbus. This is quite good. As my readers know, I love watching these biographical pieces on great photographers.

I particularly enjoyed Lisette Model’s commentary about Arbus.

Here are some Arbus resources

Canon is going to have a huge hit on its hands. They are coming out with the EOS 550D or Digital Rebel T2i.

The Digital Rebel T2i is a pretty sweet camera. So here, for very little cost is a digital SLR that can shoot 18 megapixel still pictures at 3.7 frames per second, is very good with low light, and records 1080P HD video. This is perfect for a huge segment of consumers.

The camera has one digic 4 processor in it. That’s the same processor as in the Canon 7D.
For video use, it has a port for an external microphone. That means that you can get high quality pictures, video, and audio from this camera for about $800 for a body or $900 for a body and 18-55mm lens. Taking video with this should be fun. Remember, when you shoot video with a digital SLR you have the benefit of being able to use any lens you can afford for the exact effect you want. Most consumer grade video cameras don’t let you switch lenses. You also can use selective focus and full f-stop control. Those are usually non-existent or poorly implemented in consumer grade video cameras.

Aside from being a good camera for the average consumer, the EOS 550D / Digital Rebel T2i is going to be a great backup camera for the more sophisticated shooter. I know a few pros that will use this as their main camera but yet this camera is simple enough for the entry level photographer.

Check out the Amazon writeup on this. It’s very comprehensive. Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

Click here for more EOS Rebel T2i bodies, lenses and accessories