Catching golf's motion in a still photo

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August 11, 2018 10:18 PM

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. — Golf is a game of energy, motion and speed — three qualities that are hard to capture with a camera. Nonetheless, I spent the first couple of days of the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis trying to do just that.

The strength and speed with which the golfers hit the ball seem to increase each year. It’s hard to capture that in still photos and with the restrictions placed on photographers covering the PGA Tour.

So I took a silent, mirrorless camera with me this year, and I was free to capture golf at any given moment on the course, without any fear of distracting the players with the sound of my camera shutter. I could make photographs I couldn’t make before.

Golf photographers are prohibited from taking photos before the club head makes contact with the ball. In fact, I’ve seen golfers and caddies call out photographers who have taken photos during a golfer’s backswing.

The mirrorless camera, however, allows me to take photos silently and discreetly. And I’m not alone: More and more golf photographers are using this type of camera at this type of event.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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