Catwalk Shoot in Madrid

I was expecting to shoot quite a bit of golf this week but was not expecting to have a catwalk set up on the golf course. Gemma Mengual, an Olympic Silver Medalist and current World Champion synchronised swimmer was modeling her latest swimwear and lingerie collections after the Pro Am at the Madrid Ladies Masters. Gemma and three other models took to the outdoor catwalk for a thirty minute show that drew a large crowd. As I was allowed fairly close to the catwalk i was able to get away with using a 24-70mm f2.8 L lens and the 1Ds MkII with a 580Ex flash. I would normally also use a 70-200mm f2.8 L IS as well but in this instance I wanted to get some wider shots of the crowd and golf course to add a sense of perspective and location.

It was a bit of a scrum with several other photographers and 6 TV crews competing for the best place but I managed to take several decent frames.

Image details: 1/160, f6.3, ISO 200.

Madrid Ladies Masters

I arrived last night at Madrid Airport after a long day of traveling. This event is a limited field event of 40 players, basically the top 40 on the money list. It is a great opportunity to get some shots of individual players as you are not running around to catch all of the leaders.

The course is not the most picturesque but there are a few holes where you can make a picture.

Tenerife Ladies Open Comes to an End

The Tenerife Ladies Open finished today with England's Felicity Johnson taking the title by beating Becky Brewerton of Wales . It was "Flic's " first title so congrats to her.

The blue skies so often associated with Tenerife made an appearance on the last day of the tournament and I managed to get the polariser on for a few shots of the leading groups as they passed on holes 3 & 4. Sadly the sun was over the sea by the end of the prize giving ceremony so the shot I was hoping for, winning player with the trophy and a blue sea and sky behind, was not there.

Tenerife Ladies Open

This week I am in Tenerife, or more precisely, Golf Costa Adeje. The shot on the left was taken at this resort last year but the course owners decided to change the sand in the bunkers from the native black volcanic as on the left, to the more traditional white sand the day after this photo was taken. It is fairly overcast at the moment but am hoping for some bright sunshine ad blue skies as i managed some really nice polarized shots last year, see below. Costa Adeje is one of the most commonly shot golf courses on Tenerife due to its landscape and stunning views across the sea to the Island of La Gomera in one direction and the mountains leading up to Mount Teidi in the other. The fourth hole is indeed a beautiful hole, a par five stretching down to the cliffs above the sea. Looking back up the hole towards the tee you can see the terracing that has been left in place from when the land was used as a banana plantation.

The best shooting is to be had at sunrise and sunset, in the so called "Golden Hours" as you get harsh shadows here during the middle of the day due to the strong sunlight. This means that you have to pick the holes you shoot on carefully during the tournament to make the best of the course and its surroundings. Generally it is best to shoot towards the sea in the morning and the mountains in the afternoon / evening but this depends on the time of year and the position of the sun. Hopefully I will get some great images this week and I look forward to sharing them with you in my next blog entry.