Name:  Patricia Lyons 
Company:  Patricia Lyons Photography 
Website: www.patricialyonsphotography.com  
Typical customers, events:  Editorial, Weddings, Portraits…and Squash

What is your connection to squash?
My husband dragged me to watch the very first Virginia Professional Tournament about 5 years ago.  I had no idea what it was all about.  I went, watched and was hooked.  I took my first clinic the next week.
 
When did you first start taking pro squash photos?
At the Virginia Pro Tournament two years ago.  
 
Do you remember your first impressions (challenges, observations, learnings) that first event? 
It took a few matches to adjust to the players smacking the ball toward me and not being able to flinch. My first rookie mistake was putting my lens hood up against the glass to reduce the glare and I was rewarded by a knock to the forehead with my camera when the ball hit.  Even worse, it was John White swinging.

What have you done differently this event versus past events you have covered?
This time I relied more heavily on my prime, or fixed lenses (non-zoom lenses) as they offer apertures that allowed me to use the shutter speeds I needed.  Zooms can make you and your camera work too hard.  You’re zooming and trying to focus at the same time which can be tricky, and your camera likely won’t keep up. 

I also brought a stool (ok, an upside down milk crate) to sit on, which helped a lot!
 
What might the average person be surprised to know about squash photography?
The ball and racquet heads move so quickly that often you can’t completely freeze the action with less than 1/600th of a second.  If you shoot right when they pause for that split second before hitting, you can get away with maybe 1/250th.

Also, the player action moves so rapidly from the front to the back of the court that auto-focus can’t even keep up.  It can keep up side to side but not front to back at those speeds when you are dealing with the top players.  I focus manually which sounds prehistoric, but it works.

I'm guessing you don't get paid a lot to be the official photographer?  Why do you do it?
Ha. I ask myself that somewhere around the middle of the Second Round matches. 

The Virginia State Racquets Association went to great lengths to procure funds to put on this event and my standard photography fee just wasn’t in the budget.  The priority was to draw the top players with a big purse and a great venue.  But good photography is a critical element in portraying squash to people unfamiliar with the sport, and I was glad to be able to contribute as a sponsor while doing something I enjoy.  It helps that it was my slow season too.

What is the most challenging part of shooting squash versus your other assignments?
The hardest thing to get used to in squash photography is knowing you have very little control over anything but your camera and lenses.  Typically a great photograph utilizes great light and composition and in both of those cases you are at the mercy of the situation when it comes to squash.  So your job is simply to capture it the best you can.
 
Any squash photography pet peeves?
The reflective nature of glass which prohibits getting clean shots.  Typically you’d use a polarizing filter to knock out the glare, but it costs you a stop or two on your settings and you can’t afford to compromise the shutter speed.  If anyone is sitting behind you in a white shirt while you are shooting, they end up reflected in the photograph like a genie floating above the crowd. 

Vegetable puns about the game of squash in the media are pretty annoying too.

Any favourite players to shoot?
That’s a tough one, they are all so different, but equally great to shoot.  Some seem to have martial arts type movements, some have almost dancer’s movements, and some are just raw strength and power, but it’s that variety that keeps it interesting. Otherwise it would just be two guys batting at a ball in a glass box.

That said, it’s definitely easier to get good shots of the players who don’t stick their tongues out when they hit the ball.  They worry me.

Preferred style of shot?
The shots that show how incredibly hard they are working out there. 

Any tips for amateurs?
Take your camera off the automatic settings, read the instruction manual and practice, practice, practice.  There are several folks out there who have been shooting squash longer than I have who might have very different and better ways of shooting it, but this is what works for me.
 
How many photos do you take in a given match? 
Too many.  The Canon Mark 2N camera shoots an incredible 8 frames per second and that can really add up if you’re not careful.  Especially in a five game match with a lot of excitement. 

Generally speaking, what quantity is useable, publishable?
A lot, really.  The hardest part of editing is deciding which images tell the story and exhibit their intense athleticism the best.

Have you always been a photographer?
I have always been a photographer at heart but I went to school for business, achieved my Masters in Business Administration then went to work at a top ad agency as an account executive.  Over time I realized I wanted to be the person shooting the ads, not the one hiring them to do it.  It was an epiphany of sorts.

Life is too short to not be doing what you love. Once I discovered people would actually pay me to shoot, I never looked back.  Luckily it worked out.

Are you self-taught?
I am self-taught aside from a few darkroom classes early on to learn the technical side of shooting.  When you love what you do, your desire to learn is insatiable and you find endless ways to improve and continue your education.
 
What do you enjoy or find rewarding about your job?
I love creating and telling stories through my work.  I also enjoy seeing my work travel.  My web site stats show how many visitors I get to my site, and the quantity blows me away.  It’s oddly exciting.

Travel is another job perk. I have been fortunate to shoot assignments nationally and internationally. 

But honestly, one of my favorite parts about this job is making my own hours and being here for my kids when they get home from school.  I am blessed to be able to do that.

What camera do you use?  What lenses?
Canon makes incredible cameras.  I rely on the Canon Mark 2N for high speed shooting and on my 5D for it’s superb quality in low light and full-frame capabilities.  

The glass on Canon lenses is great across the board, but the 35mm/1.4 is outstanding for squash on a camera with a 1.3 conversion factor (like the Mark 2N).  I also like the 50mm/1.4, the 85mm/1.8 and occasionally the 70-200mm/2.8 IS but it can get me too close and I risk losing a wider action shot.  You can’t risk much if it’s a 29 minute, three game match.

What settings do you use?  memory cards?  software?
I set the camera on Manual and my ISO as low as the required (for squash) shutter speeds will allow me.  Above 1000 ISO gets a little grainy on the Mark 2N.  Of course my 5D can shoot 1600 grainless, but it just can’t keep up with the speed of squash.  It’s a great portrait camera though.

If the setting is dark with no ambient light, like it was for the VA Tournament, I have to use a really wide aperture which seriously limits my depth of field.  Sometimes even as wide as 2.0f to get 1/600th of a second.

I process on a Mac G5 with a nice big cinema HD display screen using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop CS3 software when I need it.  I use 4 GB Lexar cards so I don’t have to worry about running out of space in the middle of a match. 

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