DAN RANDON, Randon Photography
PBUK Issue 48
Dan Randon is the team captain and manager of Dye Hard so he knows paintball from the inside out, which is a massive advantage in his role as official photographer at both woodland and sup’air events across the country. Dan talks to PBUK about his passion for the game and equally for getting that great shot.
PBUK: How long have you been working as a photographer?
Dan: I've always been a keen photographer, having brought my first SLR at the tender age of 8! I have always been more interested in sports photography but have covered weddings and done portrait shoots. But sports photography is where my heart really lies. I have been a registered Nikon Pro for the last seven years when I took the plunge and moved from 35mm to Digital. Nikon equipment gives me the reliability and consistency that I need to make my images stand out, with the colour and speed of sports photography.
Working with film for so many years and spending hours in the darkroom has helped with understanding of lighting and editing images in my digital darkroom.
Digital has really pushed my limits as a photographer. I pride myself on having images available on my website within 24 to 48 hours after the event has finished, and spend many hours during the closed season redesigning my entire website to make it easier for the players, organisers and teams to view the images.
PBUK: How did you get into paintball photography?
Dan: I used to play quite a lot, and I took up paintball after having raced BMX, Motocross and Downhill Mountain Bike for many years but as my body took more knocks than it could handle I had to find a new sport to drive me. Paintball really only came along after I played an afternoon at one of my local rec-sites at Hinckley, and thanks to Chris there who noticed something in me, I got signed to their team, Team Ni Ban. After that we had a bit of a name change and went back to Dye Hard the team’s former name.
The photography really came along when my daughter Olivia was born and money really needed to come in rather then go out (they cost loads more than playing paintball). Axion Images who used to cover the UK-Masters stopped attending the events over a period of time and I asked Wendy if I could cover the events and that’s where it all started out. I'm now a series sponsor of the UK-Masters and have also been the official photographer at Warped Sports big game for two years.
PBUK: What’s it like to photograph sup’air games?
Dan: Well this is where I stated out, with the fast paced, go any which way point of balance games, which is what I love about sup’air. The play is very easy to take pictures of, and being able to read the next move that a player is going to make, makes life more simple. The colours are vibrant and the action pretty much non-stop. Having played for sup’air for a couple of years helps as you know the refs and the players and how certain people react to certain situations.
PBUK: What about woodsball?
Dan: I mainly cover the big games where there can be a lot of static times. It's hot and hard work though and carrying 30 kilos plus of camera gear on you at all times, along with up to 10 litres of water makes the long walks through woodland tough. The photography skills needed to cope with the different lighting conditions are totally different, slower shutter speeds and smaller apertures are needed to capture the scale of the field of play but these things combined make getting the shots harder. Camera shake can start to creep in, and try getting the shot you need for a two page spread in a magazine when caught in a cross fire of 250+ players per side. Woodsball is a test on my skills, pain threshold and general fitness. Warped’s big game for instance this year had 1100 players battling to take the title set in a huge wood and I probably walked at least 10 miles that day with over 40 kilos on me. It's hot, tiring but damn good fun!
I don't really have a preference on which format of paintball I’d rather photograph as it’s challenging in both formats to get the right images in the bag.
PBUK: What are the secrets to getting a great action photo?
Dan: Only one real word comes to mind and that’s perseverance, Sup’air demands high frames per second with high shutter speeds and wide open apertures to get the background out of focus while getting the player in focus, while woodsball is totally the opposite. I have time to compose shots better in woodsball, where in sup’air it’s really about getting the maximum number of images and sorting the wheat from the chaff. Once you have a method of getting great images time and time again, you employ the same method every time. It's a bit like snap shooting, practice makes perfect and repeatability is the key.
Some images like the ball breaking on a player with spray everywhere is more or less down to luck. With a camera that shoots eight frames per second, there is a good amount of time that the camera is cycling and they normally always break just before or after the shutter has opened or closed.
PBUK: What else do you photograph?
Dan: Loads of pictures of my daughter - they grow up so quickly, so make sure you get loads of pictures of every stage of their development, as you'll never get the chance again. I also shoot weddings - it’s a huge responsibility to capture everything first time, and be polite and professional. Wedding photography is a very stressful job and most of the time I'm more nervous than the people getting married, but once I start shooting, experience and confidence come flooding back and you relax into the day and take some great images.
One wedding that I covered was like being home from home. A paintball tourney in the morning for family and friends and the wedding in the afternoon. The wedding in question was Lump and Lemon’s, a great day with lots of fun to be had.
PBUK: Who do you find are the best players to photograph?
Dan: I love taking images of everyone on field whether a seasoned veteran of paintball or the new guy at his first tourney. We all love to see images of us playing and perhaps the new guy will have fonder memories of their first event when they sees the image on the website.
Front players and back players get the same treatment - they all get images taken, the point players for their killer do or die moves and the back guys for helping them get in there to take the kill. Snake players are always fun to get images of, paint everywhere - getting drilled when stood behind the snake guy, it’s all part of the job.
Cetain players come to mind when looking at individuals who have the certain something for good photos. Al France and Pebble from Disruption always love to play ball and the images that I take show their passion for the game. And right down to the roots of the sport the likes of Nathan and co from XPD are great. No matter where in the sport you play, Div 1 right down to King of the Hill, you all play for the love and spirit of the sport, and I'll always take images of you.
I have the great pleasure of supporting Dye Hard, Alpha 1 and Kitsune with imaging at the UK Masters events. You guys are the true gents of paintball.
And there always characters who stand out from the crowd and for many varied reasons, whether it’s the fun they have or their moves or some just seem to possess Jedi powers in avoiding paint - Olly from Kitsune, Tash and Charlotte from Wolf City Union, Tony and Kimi from Halo, and of course Lump and Lemon to name but a few. I had the great honour last year to work for the Fat Ladies Charms, which was one of the high points in my career.
See you at the 50! Dan
