Discussion: PNWOF

The Bend Bulletin published 2 stories about PNWOF and US Champs last week. The second one is posted here. The reporter was at the PNWOF sprints.

Unfortunately, the first article and the pictures are not online. My favorite part of the first was when they described how orienteers search for "typographical features."

I think one of the photos was the Bulletin photographer's version of this shot of Viktoria in the Sprint (we were standing together)

Here's an even larger version.

What's the deal about photographer's loving to take pictures of Orienteers standing beside a control punching. ONA used to amaze me that they would take the fasted US team members and have them standing still punching a flag. I know Viktoria looks fast and all, but wouldn't a cooler shot be of someone actually running?

In an ironic twist, the picture of Viktoria is actually taken at a typographical feature - the final 'C' of 'COCC' (Central Oregon Community College) :). A past ORCA meet also had a control on a typographical feature, a huge letter 'E' high on Skinner Butte above Eugene.

Nev, maybe you like this shot better of eddie running hard in the relay?

Nahh, I wasn't running hard...I *let* Eric beat me in the chute! :)

Nev, here's the shot just before Viktoria punched, sans control. She blinked.

Here's an even larger version.

What's the deal about photographer's loving to take pictures of Orienteers standing beside a control punching?---You get a higher percentage of good shots, meaning---focussed, sharp, well-composed. It's much more difficult to take really good photos of people running fast. Also, you need to know *where* they're going to be running fast so you can get close enough. That means either a chute or along an obvious route to somewhere. But---I do agree that there is a certain boring aspect to the "punching a control" shot. On the other hand, it's also cool, especially for the host club, to be able to post shots of just about everyone who competed, and the only way to do that is to post a photographer at a control or at the finish.

It's also hard to tell in many photos just how hard, or fast, someone is running. For instance, in the 2d shot of Viktoria that eddie posted above, she looks like she could just be jogging along, warming up. No elongated stride, high knee lift or blurring of the back ground (like in the shot of eddie in the relay), or weird facial contortions to show that she's really pushing. That's one of the downfalls of being in good shape, you can be moving along at a good clip and not look like you're working hard at all. (I haven't had that problem for a while now.)

In the shot of her punching the control, there is a sense of speed from her body position, but it would be super to have someone coming in from behind her, vaulting over the bushes, obvious sweat streaming off their face, mud up one side of them and some bloody gashes on the other, with a look of utter determination...

Add that to the standard features of an orienteering photo - runner, map in hand, at a control - and you start to capture the excitement. The control flag isn't really necessary, but it helps to reinforce that this is orienteering you're seeing, not just someone out for a Sunday stroll in the woods.