Photo Competition

 

‘The Sky’s The Limit’ Photography Competition Winners

We are delighted to announce the winners, of our latest competition, to showcase British Skydiving’s amazing sportswomen. 

This is one of several initiatives we are running with a view to encouraging more women into skydiving and supporting those who are already jumping to remain in the sport and have the best skydiving journey. It builds on some of the good practice seen over recent years in other sports, which has had great results – think women’s football and rugby, and even British Canoeing!

From professional skydivers and elite athletes to those just starting out, from in-air antics to ground-based action, we celebrate the athleticism, power, skill, energy, camaraderie, spirit, determination and compassion of women in our sport.  

TOP PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS?

• FREEFALL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH SIMON BRENTFORD FROM NFTO

  

  When I’m filming NFTO, I always have the primary goal of shooting great footage which is steep, steady, consistent and shows everything the coach or judge needs to see. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to take lots of tasty shots too. I would guess that I wear my stills camera on approximately 90% of my jumps during a season and average around 750+ photos per 12 jump day.

  That might seem like a lot to process in Photoshop or Lightroom at the end of a busy day, but I can quickly go through them all in about 20 minutes. I start with a general pass weeding them down to around 30-40. Then I go through them all in greater detail within Photoshop which typically gives me between 3 and 6 shots. Some days, the weather doesn’t play ball and I get nothing.

  I have an agreement with both the NFTO girls and the coach that I am allowed to go on-level occasionally if I spot an opportunity, but this only happens a handful of times per day. It’s important not to overdo it, but the shots are always well appreciated by the team and the sponsors! So, here are some general tips:

  1. 1. If you are going on level, make sure you have the right background in place beforehand. For example, at Skydive Algarve there are amazing views of the bay behind.
     2. Try to balance the types of shots you process between – exit, completed formations, dynamic movements, on-level and portrait/group.
     3. There is always a balance to be struck between the team being formation perfect and showing the reality of teamwork. I can’t remember who said it, but the best teams are those who are adjusting and fixing continuously.
     4. If you are starting out, try putting a GoPro on and setting it to Continuous photo mode at 0.5sec intervals.
     5. When jumping with a new or inexperienced group, make sure they know and are comfortable with your plan.
     6. A good shot is often about what you can’t see. If you have a shot of the team in a star formation, you can heavily crop it until all that remains are the shoulders, heads and hands in view. It makes the shot more intimate, I think.
     7. Tracking off photos can look great, but they are inherently riskier. I would say never be directly above someone tracking off without knowing that they are consistent and that they leave the formation quickly.
     8. During a camp, I always try to choreograph something fun at the end of the day or camp. It’s a great way to unwind – we usually go to altitude on those jumps and end the serious stuff at 7,000ft. I think my favourite action shot last year was when the girls all did a synchronised backloop last
        season. I suspect it may have been many hundreds of jumps since they last did that.
     9. Look for the artist shots, such as high contrast black and white pics or leaving only the colour of the girls’ red containers behind.
     10. Last but not least, it’s all too easy to overwork the shot leaving them looking fake and saturated. After you have processed your shots, take a break, come back and look at them again with a critical eye.

• PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY WITH ROB LLOYD’S GROUND SHOTS

  Rob Lloyd is a familiar face at competitions and DZs around the country. MAy will know him from his vibrant colourful photos that are a regular feature in Skydive the Mag and across social media. 

  Rob’s Top Tips are:

  1. Turn your camera on its side – it’s called portrait for a very real reason – it covers the shape of human beings unless there’s a big group of them. People never have problems doing this with a phone but would rather gnaw their own legs off with a camera.
  2. In bright sunshine don’t let it hit faces or eyes. Squinting contorted faces are all you will get. Have the sun coming in over one shoulder or the other of the subjects in your shot. No squinting and more three-dimensional photos result.
  3. Finally, if you have a flash, switch it on whether your camera is a phone, a snapshot camera or a serious one.

  “Those three reasons are the sole causes of my popularity other than timing when to press the shutter – and that would take a complete seminar!”

  

  Rob is following his own Top Tips in this shot: the camera
  is in portrait orientation; there is blinding sun but he has
  positioned himself where the girls won’t be blinded and have
  to squint; and despite the bright sun he has switched the
  flash on “to poke some light into the resulting shadows”.

  Rob said, “The middle of the day is the worst time possible – the sun is desperate to put deep shadows over eyes to create
  zombies… but the flash going off has completely removed the
  zombie effect”.

Supporters & Prizes:

We have pulled together a great line up of prizes ‘Members’ Choice’ and ‘Judges Choice’ winners from some amazing supporters including: Free jumps at a British Skydiving DZ of your choice, a bundle of Jedi Air Wear, some Tribe nutrition, goodies from Freefall Gear Store, a mega bundle of outdoor gear from Trespass, a year’s 2022 British Skydiving Membership from Romero Insurance and some goodies from XDream Skydiving.

We know many DZs are already doing a lot to support their female members and it’s fantastic to see the progression that has flourished as a result of this, now you can help your local DZ if you are lucky enough to win one of two amazing jump ticket bundles.  Use them at any British Skydiving DZ, whether it be a fun solo, a group track or an epic flock you can geek the camera knowing that they are FREE! You can even use them for your coach’s slots and get some valuable coaching to help towards that new sticker or just help you with your progression. 

PRIZE: Jump Ticket Bundles – 2 x 10 jump tickets at jumper’s choice of British Skydiving DZ

WINNERS: Public Vote: Chris Cook  –  Judges’ Choice: Joe Mann

“Trespass has partnered with the British Skydiving campaign to celebrate both professional and beginner athleticism, determination and compassion of all women across Britain. Trespass is an outdoor clothing retailer with a strong history in supporting inclusion, diversity and equality and this will always remain a focus for our global business. With a passion for adventure and exploration, we believe no matter where you live or what age you are, you should always push yourself to #GoFurther. The opportunity to be part of the British Skydiving campaign which supports our culture and ethos, was a strong motivator for our partnership. The sky is the limit.” #trespassxbsd

PRIZE: Trespass bundles – 1 x Mountaineering outfit (waterproof jacket, outershell warm jacket & backpack) for 2 (adult x 2 OR adult & child) and 1 x Ski outfit (jacket, ski pants & accessories – gloves & hat) for 2 (adult x 2 OR adult & child)

WINNERS: Public Vote: Chris Cook  –  Judges’ Choice: Joe Mann

Jedi Air Wear is a skydiving suit & Gear Store company based in the UK with fast production times of 2 to 3 weeks on quality-made bespoke suits.

Jedi Products have articulated sleeves – knees – sides, This simply means that the construction of a joint has been manufactured to fit the natural ergonomics of your body, therefore, increasing the range of movement and flexibility.

PRIZE: 1 x Hoody and Swoop shorts

WINNER: Celebrating Newcomers: Spencer Bailey

Romero Sports and Leisure works exclusively with businesses in the Sports and Leisure sector, providing exceptional insurance coverage and award-winning service.

PRIZE: 1 x 2022 British Skydiving membership

WINNER: Best Overall Female Photographer: Emma Reynolds

Freefall Gear Store started in 2019. A modern online skydiving gear store offering the best quality skydiving equipment for the most competitive prices!

PRIZE: 1 x Freefall Gear Store packing mat, Freefall Gear Store summer gloves and a cutaway mount for G4 or Kiss cutaway camera mount

WINNER: The No Limits – Be Bold: Martin Skrbel

Tribe creates DELICIOUS everyday performance nutrition products made from 100% natural, gluten-free, vegan ingredients which are delivered straight to your door and completely tailored to your training.

PRIZE: 1 x TRIBE bundle full of plant-based energy and protein products

WINNER: The Maverik Award: Gregory Lucas

X Dream Skydiving is enthusiastic about promoting equality in all forms and are excited to be able to support this initiative from British Skydiving. There are many fantastic female role models in our sport, and we hope that this competition will serve to highlight them and inspire future generations of women in skydiving.

The second-hand rig market currently suffers from a shortage of harnesses for people with smaller frames, which disproportionately disadvantages women, who are more likely to end up jumping ill-fitting equipment or needing to invest more to buy new. We have deliberately ensured that we have more harnesses available in smaller sizes in our rental fleet to accommodate those who can’t find suitable second-hand gear.

PRIZE: 2 x 1 Month Rig Rental

WINNERS: No Limits – Be Bold: Martin Skrbel  – Celebrating Newcomers: Spencer Bailey