Campus News

UB photographer uses ‘multiple’ approach to show athletics in new light

Zoom image: “When I saw that the wrestling team competed on a mat with a very large UB Bulls spirit mark, I knew I had to get this shot directly from above,” Levere says. But it wasn’t easy. It required the coordination and approval of various individuals in order to mount the camera under the scoreboard in Alumni Arena and control it wirelessly. Due to the timing of the matches, the camera had to be in position about 40 minutes before the matches started. The remote system had to stay up until the last match was completed over an hour and a half later. The camera was mounted with a 16mm fisheye lens, with Levere correcting for distortion from the lens in post-production. “When I saw that the wrestling team competed on a mat with a very large UB Bulls spirit mark, I knew I had to get this shot directly from above,” Levere says. But it wasn’t easy. It required the coordination and approval of various individuals in order to mount the camera under the scoreboard in Alumni Arena and control it wirelessly. Due to the timing of the matches, the camera had to be in position about 40 minutes before the matches started. The remote system had to stay up until the last match was completed over an hour and a half later. The camera was mounted with a 16mm fisheye lens, with Levere correcting for distortion from the lens in post-production. Photo: Douglas Levere

“When I saw that the wrestling team competed on a mat with a very large UB Bulls spirit mark, I knew I had to get this shot directly from above,” Levere says. But it wasn’t easy. It required the coordination and approval of various individuals in order to mount the camera under the scoreboard in Alumni Arena and control it wirelessly. Due to the timing of the matches, the camera had to be in position about 40 minutes before the matches started. The remote system had to stay up until the last match was completed over an hour and a half later. The camera was mounted with a 16mm fisheye lens, with Levere correcting for distortion from the lens in post-production.

By UBNOW STAFF

Published January 11, 2021

In early 2019, while thinking of different and unique ways to photograph athletics on campus, University Communications photographer Douglas Levere had an idea: He would make some creative multiple exposures of sporting events.

Multiples, as in hundreds of images.

“Putting the camera on a tripod and shooting multiple exposures of a sporting event allows the athletes, ball and fans to move and be in different places from frame to frame over the course of hundreds of exposures,” Levere explains.

“After the shoot I take these images into Photoshop and select the best ones to create a single multiple exposure composed of hundreds of images,” he adds.

The result is the completed photo illustration shown here. The images were scheduled to be published last winter, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Zoom image: Photographing diving was another challenge, for two reasons: Divers’ movements are rapid, and the natatorium is dimly lit. “I needed to shoot at a high shutter speed — 1/400 — and a high film speed at 4000 ASA,” Levere says. “Our divers were scheduled for a practice and I thought that would be an ideal time for shooting multiples since their form would improve as they continued to dive.” Photo: Douglas Levere Photographing diving was another challenge, for two reasons: Divers’ movements are rapid, and the natatorium is dimly lit. “I needed to shoot at a high shutter speed — 1/400 — and a high film speed at 4000 ASA,” Levere says. “Our divers were scheduled for a practice and I thought that would be an ideal time for shooting multiples since their form would improve as they continued to dive.” Photo: Douglas Levere
Zoom image: This was one of the Bulls’ first basketball games of the 2019-20 season. “I had first tried a shot at center court but found this location at one corner, shooting across the floor, to show more depth of the game,” says Levere. “I’m looking forward to shooting more of basketball as different points of view can make very different images with multiples like this.” Photo: Douglas Levere This was one of the Bulls’ first basketball games of the 2019-20 season. “I had first tried a shot at center court but found this location at one corner, shooting across the floor, to show more depth of the game,” says Levere. “I’m looking forward to shooting more of basketball as different points of view can make very different images with multiples like this.” Photo: Douglas Levere
Zoom image: UB has a club team for water polo. Before COVID-19, they practiced regularly and competed, also in the UB natatorium in Alumni Arena. This shoot required Levere to aim high. “They were in the main lap pool and I was photographing them from the highest of the three diving platforms, which is 10 meters up,” he says. “The 5-meter platform clearly was not good enough, so I managed to carry my equipment up to the 7.5 meter platform. Thinking that the more height the better, I dragged it all up to the top platform at 10 meters for the optimum point of view. It was a very odd place to shoot from but gave a wonderful vantage point for the match,” an intra-squad scrimmage. Photo: Douglas Levere UB has a club team for water polo. Before COVID-19, they practiced regularly and competed, also in the UB natatorium in Alumni Arena. This shoot required Levere to aim high. “They were in the main lap pool and I was photographing them from the highest of the three diving platforms, which is 10 meters up,” he says. “The 5-meter platform clearly was not good enough, so I managed to carry my equipment up to the 7.5 meter platform. Thinking that the more height the better, I dragged it all up to the top platform at 10 meters for the optimum point of view. It was a very odd place to shoot from but gave a wonderful vantage point for the match,” an intra-squad scrimmage. Photo: Douglas Levere

Levere plans to photograph other sports, such as football, soccer, track and field, fencing, softball, hockey, boxing, lacrosse, rugby and table tennis, in a similar fashion in the future.

“I continually try to find new ways to see the university and draw our community to view, consume, engage and enjoy our campuses,” Levere says. “Being able to create these photo multiples of different sports allows me to be more creative and show UB’s campuses in a new light.”

Zoom image: Says Levere: “This was the first sport I tried to shoot with this multiple exposure method. I moved to several locations shooting three different matches, making sure to photograph many instances of the ball and as many action shots of different players to paste them into the multiple later on.” Says Levere: “This was the first sport I tried to shoot with this multiple exposure method. I moved to several locations shooting three different matches, making sure to photograph many instances of the ball and as many action shots of different players to paste them into the multiple later on.” Photo: Douglas Levere

Says Levere: “This was the first sport I tried to shoot with this multiple exposure method. I moved to several locations shooting three different matches, making sure to photograph many instances of the ball and as many action shots of different players to paste them into the multiple later on.”