Photographing the New York Marathon

We can’t think of anything more difficult than taking steady shots in a crowded area where traditional tripods are just impractical. Photographing the New York City Marathon must be one of the most difficult places to shoot due to there being so many onlookers. Photographer Harry Chefitz was documenting the 2016 New York City Marathon and was fortunate enough to capture US hero Amanda McGrory, three-time medalist in the 2016 Paralympic games.

Harry explains that he set up his Canon Rebel T1i on a Platypod Pro and had his assistant (14-year-old daughter) take images while he manned a hand held. In post-production he stitched together three images to make the above shot, allowing him to express the motion in a still image.

Harry says “It was easy to merge in Photoshop because the background was perfectly aligned in all the photos. I simple imported each photo as a layer and masked two of the photos to show only the athlete.”

Equipment Used:

Canon Rebel T1i

Canon Lens EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM

ProMediaGear PBX3 L-Bracket

Really Right Stuff Lever release clamp

Arca Swiss Monoball P-Series tripod head

Platypod Pro Tripod Base