Who are the top amateur billiard photographers?

nathandumoulin

nathandumoulin

WPBL / RUNOUT MEDIA
Silver Member
There's another thread asking about high-res pool photos, for the purpose of printing. No one seemed to have much luck finding any good pics (thus far at least).

I was wondering, who are the top amateur billiard photographers? By this, I mean people who snap pictures at events as a hobby, rather than to make money from it.

I'm asking because I'd consider contacting them to buy a few photos. Maybe help support their hobby while scoring myself a nice desktop wallpaper or something, or even a printed poster.
 
Morgan Steinman takes billiard pics all time, they are primarily from the WPBA pro tour and most of them are fantastic.... She is a great photographer and it really shows in her work. Let me know if you want an e-mail address to contact her..

Erica Testa
 
William Fuentes has been documenting the New York City pool scene in his blog. (www.williamfuentes.com). A great photographer and artistically creative. I love his Los Machos team logo design.
 
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taking pictures

don"t forget about the SAILOR, Frank Stellman - Racine, Wisc.
 
Her last name escapes me. She has been on the pool trail for years. Lots of pics in all of the pool magazines.

Diane ____________
 
TX Poolnut said:
Her last name escapes me. She has been on the pool trail for years. Lots of pics in all of the pool magazines.

Diane ____________
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Diane Hoppe. She probably has a larger archive of images from the modern era than anyone. Very nice woman as well.
 
There is nothing in pool photography being done that you can't do yourself. Save some money and take your own pics. Almost every pool shot is the same with the same poses and the same angles. This is probably because every player assumes a basic pool stance and bends over some generic pool table with the same overhead lighting.

The only difference is that some photographers have access to pool celebs because that is their business. If you want generic figures, go to your local room. Getting pool shots is maybe the easiest thing to do in photography.
 
LAlouie said:
There is nothing in pool photography being done that you can't do yourself. Save some money and take your own pics. Almost every pool shot is the same with the same poses and the same angles. This is probably because every player assumes a basic pool stance and bends over some generic pool table with the same overhead lighting.

The only difference is that some photographers have access to pool celebs because that is their business. If you want generic figures, go to your local room. Getting pool shots is maybe the easiest thing to do in photography.
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I'd like to compare some of my work, Lara Rossignol's work, and Justin Collette (JCIN)'s work to yours. There's more to it than point and shoot, and that's why we get paid as much as we do.
 
LAlouie said:
There is nothing in pool photography being done that you can't do yourself. Save some money and take your own pics. Almost every pool shot is the same with the same poses and the same angles. This is probably because every player assumes a basic pool stance and bends over some generic pool table with the same overhead lighting.

The only difference is that some photographers have access to pool celebs because that is their business. If you want generic figures, go to your local room. Getting pool shots is maybe the easiest thing to do in photography.
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I had to laugh at that one, sorry. It's just that yes, the subject is always there but good photographers have knowledge about depth of field and lighting, etc., and better equipment. Case in point, when I took pics of the IPT with my Canon Power Shot 5 MP camera. Granted, I was zooming a lot under low light conditions, but some of my shots made even the top players virtually unrecognizable, due to motion/blur.

Then factor in the artistic aspect where they frame the shot with stunning lighting for effect and make judgment calls in a split moment before the player moves (or other players move in the background) and you can see that it is not just point and shoot. A great photographer can make you feel something!

I have great admiration for a good photographer's skills to document a moment in time and will admit, that I am just an amateur trying to capture a vestige of their artistry. I am not artistic..more like autistic!

Here are some examples from the IPT NAO in 2006. I am posting these pics to dispel 2 of your theories: that all pool pics are the same - of people bending over playing pool. And also, people may have access to players because they are in and around the same tournaments, not because photography is our main business.

This first one, I was zooming in on our own Colin Colenso. I thought it was a pretty good character study, but after seeing it on screen instead of in the little camera window, it appears that he has his nose up someone's behind! :eek:

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This next one is of Mark Tadd. I was all set to get a pensive moment when bam, someone almost walked in front of him.

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And this one, I actually do like of Alex P., but the red chairs are distracting. See, not so easy, is it?

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And even though most of his face is covered, there's no mistaking who this is! BTW, 99% of my photos were blurry!

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LAlouie said:
There is nothing in pool photography being done that you can't do yourself. Save some money and take your own pics. Almost every pool shot is the same with the same poses and the same angles. This is probably because every player assumes a basic pool stance and bends over some generic pool table with the same overhead lighting.

The only difference is that some photographers have access to pool celebs because that is their business. If you want generic figures, go to your local room. Getting pool shots is maybe the easiest thing to do in photography.
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Not a top photographer her but a serious hobbyist doing part-time work. For LAlouie, there is more to pool photography than just taking a camera, aiming at the player and just snapping away like crazy.

I'd like to share some of my own shots

Anxiety
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Help
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Dead Stroke
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Pool Gods Watch
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Sorry to disagree with my fellow posters :), but I will admit to overlooking one thing. The overhead lighting on a table has to be balanced otherwise there it's too harsh and you get a glare. In general there are a lot of lighting contrasts in a poolroom that have to be dealt with.

I was merely addressing the "pool pose", like "Dead Stroke" from allenjo.
 
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LAlouie said:
There is nothing in pool photography being done that you can't do yourself. Save some money and take your own pics. Almost every pool shot is the same with the same poses and the same angles. This is probably because every player assumes a basic pool stance and bends over some generic pool table with the same overhead lighting.

The only difference is that some photographers have access to pool celebs because that is their business. If you want generic figures, go to your local room. Getting pool shots is maybe the easiest thing to do in photography.
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Got to disagree with you here. I did the whole "How hard could it be?" thing. Three years later I have a very small understanding of photography and all that is possible even in a pool room setting. I would wager I have shot as much as anyone in the last few years and the key is something Mason King told me "All of the interesting stuff happens after the shot." or before in some cases. No way I could of shot these pictures three years ago without good equipment.

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LAlouie said:
There is nothing in pool photography being done that you can't do yourself. Save some money and take your own pics. Almost every pool shot is the same with the same poses and the same angles. This is probably because every player assumes a basic pool stance and bends over some generic pool table with the same overhead lighting.

The only difference is that some photographers have access to pool celebs because that is their business. If you want generic figures, go to your local room. Getting pool shots is maybe the easiest thing to do in photography.
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Photography is a skilled trade, one that requires knowledge, practice, and talent. I fully understand all the functions of the camera, and considerations that need to be made before taking a picture....and yet I still have enough respect to know that I am not a professional photographer. It's sort of like pool. Just because you know tangent lines, english, and pattern play, doesn't mean you can compete with the pros.

Like any skilled trade, a good photographer deserves respect. So many people think they can just pick up a camera and shoot amazing photos, just as many people look at my movies and think they could have produced them themselves. This is clearly not the case, for numerous reasons:

1) An amateur is untrained, and is oblivious to what makes for a quality photograph. They lack the knowledge to spot the mistakes in their own pictures, while anyone with a trained eye could easily pick them apart.

2) A good photographer has something that the rest of us lack: opportunity. They're already at the pro events. They have access to key figures and situations that I am personally unable to photograph.

3) Equipment. A good camera setup is at least $4k. Most amateurs lack proper equipment. Good equipment doesn't make for a great picture, but it certainly helps.

Now I don't mean to slam your post or anything. I realize that your intent was purely positive and I thank you for that, however I really think more credit needs to be given to anyone who specializes in anything. Photography is just one example.

On a second note, thank you everyone for your contributions to this thread. You've supplied me with plenty of good photographers whom I'll certainly look into over the remainder of the week. :thumbup:
 
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