There is often an element of risk in sports photography: flying baseballs, out-of-control cars, or in this case, a crashing skier. Swiss Skier Lara Gut slid into Photographer Sean Haffey during her second run in the giant slalom in a scary collision at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Thankfully, both skier and photographer emerged from the collision uninjured, and even more impressively, Haffey managed to capture the awesome shot below as Gut slid toward him.
It's a bit hard to tell from the video, but it appears Haffey was shooting with a Canon 1D X Mark II and EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, making for a potentially very costly repair bill. It looks like the camera gear avoided the actual collision, but it did slam into the side of the slope as Haffey came tumbling back down, but thankfully, like everyone involved in the crash, it too emerged unscathed. Haffey and Gut both checked on each other before Gut then left down the hill and Haffey continued shooting. Gut has also said that she's completely fine and will be ready to compete in her subsequent events.
Got the shot and has insurance...Worth it!
looked like out door bowling,. painfull,.
There are tumbling like bowling pins. Great shot though.
I love how their instinct right after an accident it to grab the shorter lens camera and keep shooting :)
How did none of them reach for their second camera as soon as they saw her sliding towards them? FAIL
From the EXIF it seems 1DX + 600, hence not the Mark II.
Anyway, it doesn't really matter: great shot out of a very challenging situation, good job
You can't blame me for missing the Mark version; at least I could tell the body and lens from the video. :P
Of course! I was joking ;)
Go to Iraq or Syria and you can try it out yourself. ;-(
Yeah, well. Not the most relaxing way to spend a holiday. Albeit an active one. Running away from the bigots of IS keeps you fit. Dodging bullets is good for your agility.
That's the first images I've seen from the winter olympics (if you don't include the leaked pictures of the cauldron that was lit in the rehearsal). I'd be happy to see more footage if it was like that! 😀
Only Canon lenses had to jump away or touched the ground. No Nikon harmed, I am relieved.
Joke aside, no one seemed wounded. Hope it is the case.
"it appears Haffey was shooting with a Canon 1D X Mark II and EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, making for a potentially very costly repair bill"
I read that as "... making for a potentially very nasty injury" - considering a 5kg assembly.
5 secs of shock and back to bussines
I always wondered if sports photogs took bets on who would get hit.
Maybe we should start a fstoppers fantasy league with spots shooters
So... Alex do you think when all the canon equipment comes back that it might find its way to the website for sale at discounted prices?
Thanks.
According to commentator Bodie Miller, the bigger story is not Lara Gut's crash into some poor photographers, but Matthias Mayer's crash in which he likely came much closer to severe injury due to the fact that some stupid reckless course worker left a drill poked into the snow, which you're not supposed to do, and the skier ran right into that drill squarely with their ribcage. Thankfully it went flying, instead of stabbing into the skier.
http://www.businessinsider.com/winter-olympics-2018-watch-matthias-mayer...