But the world of a photographer is colourful and worth sharing, especially if it involves Roller Derby! Sure there are hours and hours of editing which is not worth writing about, but then there are those time when you think 'I am just so happy to be here and involved in this amazing world!'
This weekend just gone New Zealand witnessed history. Palmerston North saw over 400 derby girls and their supporters descend for a day of competition and comradere at the first ever NZ National Roller Derby Tournament 'Derby Royale'.
13 teams from across the country and I had the priveledge of photographing it!
The Swamp City Roller Rats (SCRR) hosted this event and they did a fabulous job. With 11 elimination rounds, quarter finals, semi finals and then the final all to be played in one day, by the end of the day the programme was only 10 minutes behind time. The feedback from players and support couldn't be more positive. Was it a perfectly run event? Of course not! This was the first of it's kind in NZ and there will always be things that can be done better next time. But the beauty of this is that in all likelihood there WILL be a next time solely due to the great organisation of the first.
So as their main photographer and sponsor of the Rats, how did I find this event? Amazing, tiring, challenging, frustrating, exciting... all of these and more!
Obviously with two tracks I couldn't cover both so I had 3 fellow photographers (one being my ever-patient husband) join me for the day. We had a lockable media room which became a haven throughout the day, somewhere we could close the door and sit for 10 minutes while changing batteries and uploading images. And somewhere we could store our equipment so we didn't have to lug bags around all day.
The best parts: *Simply being a part of this event was incredible. The buzzing atmosphere and watching this whole event turn over with only a few minor hitches was a joy. A bit like a duck in a pond, all calm on top and paddling like mad underneath.*Capturing the perfect image, not once or twice, but right throughout the day. This was helped by the league uniforms. What a joy to photograph. *The crowd and their support at each and every bout. *Sharing images with other derby photographers. Nice! 
The not-so-best parts: *Badly spraining my ankle 2 days before the event and having to hobble around all day. *Seeing so many injuries (but only one ambulance had to be called). *Photographers not signing the correct paperwork and not following the rules. *Almost capturing the perfect image and being 'Zebra bombed'. *The media thinking they can sit anywhere because they are the media then writing a story in the paper that was so inaccurate it became a joke (to balance that was the unsolicited public backlash toward the newspaper for their waffle).
What would I do differently next year: *Have better control of the photographers and media, but also loosen up a bit and not stress so much about people taking the 'wrong' photo. *Not sprain my ankle beforehand. *Take a wider range of images and not stress about capturing everything everywhere. *Encourage more strongly for leagues to bring their own derby photographers. It is so much fun having other togs to talk to and share ideas. *Have a better briefing at the beginning of the day for media.
This was just such an incredible event that I wish you could have all been there to join in and truly witness history in the making. There really will never be another 'First' National Roller Derby Tournament. I was there, and I have the t-shirt to prove it!
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