My Ten Favorite Roller Derby Photos of 2014

This last year it seems as if I have not shot as much roller derby as I usually do. Maybe it was the way that the season was split up that made me feel as if I was not around it as much as usual. This year I was not asked to do the portraits of the team so I don’t have those to post here. This will basically be the action that I captured during the limited bouts that I attended. Roller derby is a great sport that is very fun to photograph. As it grows in popularity across the country the action just keeps getting better and better. Here are ten images that I liked from this past year.

10. During one of the first bouts of the season I was playing around with my settings to try and combat the lights overhead. At one point I found a sweet spot where I could make the photos look how I want them to without adding any light to the Brawl House. Next year though I think that I will pick half of the track and just light it.

9. Part of the roller derby lifestyle is made up of doing things for your community. This past winter with the temperature well below freezing the team did just that. They participated in the Polar Plunge. Many members jumped into freezing cold water so that others could benefit. While this is not the typical derby photo, it still is important.

8. This past summer the team had a scrimmage in downtown Lafayette to bring awareness to the sport. It was kind of nice to photograph the team with the city behind them. I think that this could be something that could be a neat side project when the weather warms up. 

7. It seems like I am taking this type of photo too often. A member of the team leaves town, and has to quit the derby team. The last bout is always an emotional one that makes for great pictures, but also makes for a smaller team. New faces come in to take their place, but the group that I started photographing is dwindling. 

6. One thing that I tried this season was going in to the center of the track. It is a viewpoint that the fans do not have, and when it works it can be pretty cool. It is also very crowded in there so sometimes it does not work as well. Here was one time where it really worked for me. 

5. This season I seemed to like black and white for more of my images than ever before. I think that I view the sport as one that just looks better in black and white. It gives it a bit of a gritty edge that I really like. This was one that I think worked really well in black and white. 

4. Sometimes to combat the low light in the venue I will use second curtain synch to freeze the action at the end of my capture. It gives the photos a unique look that I like. The trick is to not use it too much. This was my favorite of the second curtain synch shots from the season.

3. During the same bout as the above photo I made this one of a lone skater near the line. I knew what I wanted to do with it right away. At this point of the bout it was just a matter of finishing the time on the clock as the score was out of hand so I started having some fun with my images. I was also shooting for fun as the Brawlin’ Dolls were the second bout of a doubleheader that night. Sometimes freedom can be fun.

2. This was my favorite action shot of the season. I was in the middle of the track at the first bout of the season which was an away bout. I did not stay in the center long, but I was able to make a few frames in there. One of my speed lights was in the shot when I made this, but I think that it just adds to the photo. 

1. This photo was made after the first bout was over. I had made too many images, but when I saw the room where the team was cooling down I knew that I had to make more. When Mad Eye was checking her phone after the bout the light from the screen just lit up her face. It provided all of the light that I needed to make a cool image. This is the type of behind the scenes image that I love to make. Right now roller derby is the place where I can make this type of image.