Roller Derby Photography

When I first started in photography, my very first photography steady photography gig was shooting weekly roller derby bouts at the local skating rink. I showed up at the rink, having only a very basic understanding of Roller Derby, but I was ready to make it work! What I could have never have guessed is that I was going to absolutely LOVE IT!

Find a Roller Derby Photographer

If you’re in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, then go ahead and Contact Me because I LOVE shooting roller derby. If you aren’t in the North East Texas area, Contact Me anyways I can refer you to a great photographer in your area!

how to take roller Derby photos

If you’re a photographer and you’re looking for some tips and tricks to get some great shots, check out my BLOG as I write and post often about my experience shooting roller derby.

Roller derby Photography tips

Bring lots of flashes and a remote Trigger System

Most roller derby bouts take place in some really poorly lit places or even worse, places lit primarily by fluorescent or vapor lights which give off the absolute worst color cast. We tried faster lenses at first, but we couldn’t escape the need for some powerful flashes positioned on the camera as well as around the rink to help us shape and give a more dramatic look to our photos. Plus, the flashes will help you to freeze motion better if you’re having to use a slower shutter speed!

Use a fast telephoto lens with a broad range focal length

Wider lenses just won’t cut it. You’re going to need to be a decent distance from the action anyways to make sure you don’t get killed, but if you have a lens that can reach around the rink you’ll get a lot more action shots that you otherwise would have missed. I prefer the 70-200mm 2.8L from Canon for my gear, but I’ve also used a 100-400mm with good results. I like to try to carry both to a Roller Derby match.

Bring a second photographer

Second shooters aren’t just for weddings! A second photographer positioned opposite from you on the track can really help out a lot. If you have a camera or flash or trigger battery die, at least one of you is still shooting the action while the problem gets resolved. Also, there is no way you can cover the entire rink by yourself. In Roller Derby, there is action happening EVERYWHERE! You could do the job by yourself, but you’re inevitably going to miss a lot of the action just because.

The only down side to the second shooter is that they cannot share you flash set up. In order to keep the rink area from becoming too cluttered, we have often just used one set of remote flashes and just gave our most powerful speed light to my second photographer. The strategy is the they will capture any of the close up action that happens near them (within the flash’s reach) and I can focus on getting wide shots that need to be better lit.

Stay low - Composition makes the difference

I prefer to stay close to the ground for most of my shots. The images give the subjects a more powerful look. Mid-shots or closer images this is irrelevant but for my wider shots when I’m getting the whole skater(s) it helps a lot. Plus, I can roll out of the way easier if things go south and the derby girls leave the rink and head in my direction.

A mirrorless camera might just make the difference

I’ve recently switch to using the Canon R5, which is an amazing camera btw (if you’d like to check out my review of the Canon R5, go check out my blog-post here!). The low light capability combined with the eye detection and super fast auto-focus and tracking make this camera an amazing tool for any fast-paced sport, roller derby included! If the R5 is out of your price range, consider the Canon R6 or even the Canon R. All three mirrorless cameras are amazing for roller derby! Sony, Panasonic, and Nikon have mirrorless options also, I have never used them so I can’t really speak to how well they work for roller derby.

Look for the Action hotspots

Every time I’ve shot a roller derby bout, these hot spots on the track for action almost always seem to develop. Every rink kind of has its own flow, but mostly going into the turns brings a lot of contention in the derby girls as they try to make plays. I usually position myself right at the start of the turn. It gives me the ability to get any action on the straight away as well as get close up for the action that develops on the curves.

Interact and get to the know the players

Some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met were the roller derby girls and their families/significant others. Getting to know them will help you get better photos as you get to know their personalities and personas on the rink. They will also become one of your biggest advocates and will advertise for you like crazy!

Enjoy Yourself as you work

The air is electric and the tensions are high - its one of the funnest photography gigs you could ever hope to work! Enjoy yourself and have fun. I used roller derby to try new techniques and styles, it was a great place to experiment and hone my skills as a photographer and the no one ever seemed to mind!

Bookmark this page - as its going to getting some pretty heavy updates soon!

My original Roller Derby page was deleted by my stupid website guy, who has now been fired…. So I’m in the process of rebuilding this page with lots of great info for Roller Derby teams and photographers that are interested in shooting roller derby for fun or to earn a little extra money!