Jolesch!

[sparkle_motion14]

i have no formal pics of my winter guard from last season because the pics were AWFUL! i am quite glad they went back to jolesch!

Last year WGI used Happel Photography. Not only were the photos up almost instantly, they were great. They let you "build" posters and order various sizes of photos - including 4 x 6 and wallets. We had fun with them.

[guardnerd07]

The pics. from Nashville were already up when this post was started.

i just checked and they weren't up, only the percussion pictures were posted.

And also may I ask why the videos from the Nashville Regional arn't posted on WGI.org either? I though the last regional of the year would be a little more important than this!

[Looks Like Liquid Purple]

And also may I ask why the videos from the Nashville Regional arn't posted on WGI.org either? I though the last regional of the year would be a little more important than this!

Because the other two regionals that happened that same weekend were power regionals; they get top priority. I don't like it either, no videos (or even a review or something) were posted from any of the three regionals I attended.

Edited April 8, 2007 by Looks Like Liquid Purple

[with a k]

The pics. from Nashville were already up when this post was started.

where are they then? every time i've checked, it's given me the notice saying that they'll email me when my pics are up.

[kelcanadian]

i have no formal pics of my winter guard from last season because the pics were AWFUL! i am quite glad they went back to jolesch!

I can't say that I'm too pleased with Jolesch either. Although their picture quality is quite good they seem to focus on mainly the weapons lines and not the flag lines. There's not one good picture of my daughter from any of the regionals this year. And, you guessed it, she's on the flag line.

Doesn't make me want to run out and spend money on them.

kel

[guardjul123]

i just checked and they weren't up, only the percussion pictures were posted.

And also may I ask why the videos from the Nashville Regional arn't posted on WGI.org either? I though the last regional of the year would be a little more important than this!

sorry I must have been looking at a differsnt regional , I thought I clicked on Nashville. My mistake

[crfrey71]

Here is my take on WGI photography:

It doesn't matter too much if it is Jolesch, Bateman, Happel, or whoever else. I think asking any photography company to cover the entire USA and get consistent quality is not going to happen. there are many reason why:

1. They hire local photogs in the area, most of which never have shot a winterguard show before or been to one. No matter how good a photog might be, if he/she hasn't shot a particular subject before, then they will not get good results. It also applies if they do not shoot that type of subject on a regular basis. Take for example, a wildlife photographer. That takes a lot of patience and time. They need to study their subject. That only happens out in the field and it takes many days, weeks, if not months.

2. They can only pay so much to hire the photog. Photogs, despite many people's beliefs, do not get paid well, for the most part. Therefore, they do not get the top-of-the-line photogs to shoot these shows.

Now, I FreyPhotos.com am the official photographer for the WGASC (Winterguard Association of Southern California). I shoot just about every weekend, including multiple shows on many of these weekends. My approach is to shoot many shows during the year. I do this instead of just focusing on invitationals and championship shows. This helps me get better shots during the course of the year, instead of trying to get good shots and shots of everybody at one or two shows. I get to see the shows multiple times and I can learn and antipate shots I want to take at future shows. I am the only one who shoots these shows. I just don't trust hiring other photogs (for the most part) to shoot photos, with my name linked to their quality (or lack their of it).

I enjoy the winterguard activity. I have been around the drum corps community since the late 70's, when my brother marched. I marched marching band myself, but never in drum corps. Therefore, I have an active interest in this pageantry activity. I think understanding the activity helps me a lot.

Still, there is a lot of tough variables to deal with, when shooting winterguard shows.

1. IMO, choreography (or poor quality), really plays a huge part in getting quality photos or not, or even getting pics of your son or daughter, at all.

2. Numbers. I believe there are 317 winterguards in the WGASC circuit alone. You are talking about thousands of performers to try and get a shot of. That basically is just about impossible to expect to happen.

3. High school gymnasium lighting is pretty horrendous, for the most part. The lights phase at many of these gyms. This causes, exposure variances, color temps to change, and focus to get thrown off. This all happens under a second.

4. Photo quality is not going to be the best. I have to shoot at a very hi ISO (ISO3200), to maintain a fast enough shutter speed (using the fastest lenses), to freeze the performer (the sabers and rifles still tend to blur a little). Hi ISO make the print noisier and not as clean at all, as prints shot at ISO 100, or even ISO 800.

5. To be able to shoot without flash, I have to shoot with the lens all the way, wide open. the focus plane is a matter of a few inches. very tough.

These are not excuses folks, but reality of shooting winterguard without flash, indoors, with shoddy lighting.

Now, I love Cal State San Bernardino. This arena has banked lighting, which makes a huge difference. The pro arenas are so much better than these, as well.

Here is my solution to WGI photography. Wherever the regionals are that weekend, the local circuit photographer should be shooting the show. For example, the West Power regional, the regional at Vegas, and even the one at Phoenix, I would have been the photographer, since it is in the WGASC circuit area. I have seen most of the guards at these shows. Therefore, I know the guards shows and know what to expect. For shows in San Francisco area, it should be whoever the CCGC and NCBA circuit photogs are, because they have seen those guards on a regular basis.

I think the quality of photography would be vastly improved.

Anyways, there are more details to hack away here at, but I just want to give an idea of how i would do this.

[cmguard87]

Here is my take on WGI photography:

It doesn't matter too much if it is Jolesch, Bateman, Happel, or whoever else. I think asking any photography company to cover the entire USA and get consistent quality is not going to happen. there are many reason why:

1. They hire local photogs in the area, most of which never have shot a winterguard show before or been to one. No matter how good a photog might be, if he/she hasn't shot a particular subject before, then they will not get good results. It also applies if they do not shoot that type of subject on a regular basis. Take for example, a wildlife photographer. That takes a lot of patience and time. They need to study their subject. That only happens out in the field and it takes many days, weeks, if not months.

2. They can only pay so much to hire the photog. Photogs, despite many people's beliefs, do not get paid well, for the most part. Therefore, they do not get the top-of-the-line photogs to shoot these shows.

Now, I FreyPhotos.com am the official photographer for the WGASC (Winterguard Association of Southern California). I shoot just about every weekend, including multiple shows on many of these weekends. My approach is to shoot many shows during the year. I do this instead of just focusing on invitationals and championship shows. This helps me get better shots during the course of the year, instead of trying to get good shots and shots of everybody at one or two shows. I get to see the shows multiple times and I can learn and antipate shots I want to take at future shows. I am the only one who shoots these shows. I just don't trust hiring other photogs (for the most part) to shoot photos, with my name linked to their quality (or lack their of it).

I enjoy the winterguard activity. I have been around the drum corps community since the late 70's, when my brother marched. I marched marching band myself, but never in drum corps. Therefore, I have an active interest in this pageantry activity. I think understanding the activity helps me a lot.

Still, there is a lot of tough variables to deal with, when shooting winterguard shows.

1. IMO, choreography (or poor quality), really plays a huge part in getting quality photos or not, or even getting pics of your son or daughter, at all.

2. Numbers. I believe there are 317 winterguards in the WGASC circuit alone. You are talking about thousands of performers to try and get a shot of. That basically is just about impossible to expect to happen.

3. High school gymnasium lighting is pretty horrendous, for the most part. The lights phase at many of these gyms. This causes, exposure variances, color temps to change, and focus to get thrown off. This all happens under a second.

4. Photo quality is not going to be the best. I have to shoot at a very hi ISO (ISO3200), to maintain a fast enough shutter speed (using the fastest lenses), to freeze the performer (the sabers and rifles still tend to blur a little). Hi ISO make the print noisier and not as clean at all, as prints shot at ISO 100, or even ISO 800.

5. To be able to shoot without flash, I have to shoot with the lens all the way, wide open. the focus plane is a matter of a few inches. very tough.

These are not excuses folks, but reality of shooting winterguard without flash, indoors, with shoddy lighting.

Now, I love Cal State San Bernardino. This arena has banked lighting, which makes a huge difference. The pro arenas are so much better than these, as well.

Here is my solution to WGI photography. Wherever the regionals are that weekend, the local circuit photographer should be shooting the show. For example, the West Power regional, the regional at Vegas, and even the one at Phoenix, I would have been the photographer, since it is in the WGASC circuit area. I have seen most of the guards at these shows. Therefore, I know the guards shows and know what to expect. For shows in San Francisco area, it should be whoever the CCGC and NCBA circuit photogs are, because they have seen those guards on a regular basis.

I think the quality of photography would be vastly improved.

Anyways, there are more details to hack away here at, but I just want to give an idea of how i would do this.

UMMMMMM CAN SOMEONE PLEASE NOMINATE THIS GUY AS WGI'S PHOTOGRAPHER?!?!?!?!

[kelcanadian]

UMMMMMM CAN SOMEONE PLEASE NOMINATE THIS GUY AS WGI'S PHOTOGRAPHER?!?!?!?!

I'll second that!

crfrey71 - Thanks very much for the explanation.... We sometimes forget that it's more than just one person involved and very often don't know all the background details. I'm sure Jolesch does their best and we have had some very good pictures of my daughters in the past. I think we're always looking for perfection....

kel

[with a k]

so rumor has it that jolesch didn't come to the nashville regional... can anyone verify that?