The World Series of Poker is nothing if not photogenic and today we're proud to bring you a brand-new perspective from the very talented Shruti Kapoor.
Kapoor is here at the Main Event shooting everything she sees and was nice enough to give us a glimpse of what the WSOP looks like through her lens.
Check out the photos below and make sure to follow Shruti Kapoor on Twitter and Facebook for more great images!
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One of the best things about PokerStars is their creativity when it comes to rewarding people for playing on the site.
Last year they started VIP Club Live, a series of parties for PokerStars players taking place in major cities around the world. This summer they brought the party to my neck of the woods: Vancouver.
The party was hosted by the Imperial, which is at the corner of Main and Cordova. I’ll admit that I was a little surprised at this location choice, since it is affectionately known as
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There are countless settings for various cameras so we’re just going to touch the basics.
ISO: This is light sensitivity and there’s a good chance you’re going to have to crank this for good shots in most poker rooms. Most modern SLR’s can do over 1,000 ISO with no problems.
Aperture: You’re going to want this as wide open as possible for two reasons. One, you want to let the most light in. Two, you want to get a nice background blur going to help make the background more dynamic. We’re talking f/2.8 or lower. Aperture is horribly confusing, by the way. Lower numbers essentially mean more light. F/1.8-F/2.8 is good for poker. Beyond F/4.5 is rough. The exception to this rule is group shots or pictures of the entire room.
Shutter speed: Unless you’re trying to capture cards in the air, you don’t have to worry about this one too much. Most players are quite still and you’ll be more concerned about getting maximum light.
White Balance: You can go with auto and hopefully do alright but in our experience most poker rooms are way too warm because of tungsten lighting. Your camera should have a setting for tungsten bulbs. Of course if you really want to be a pro you can grab a white piece of paper and get some custom white balance going on.
3. How to Take Photos in a Poker RoomFirst of all, let’s just assume you have media credentials because if you don’t you’re not getting past the rail and you will be hard-pressed to get close enough to the action to document it.
Poker rooms are vastly different around the world. Some are well lit and offer interesting backgrounds while others have horrible lighting and look like basements. You have to make do with what you have at your disposal.
If the tournament has a TV table that’s being utilized, by all means use it to get photos. You’re all but guaranteed to get some good shots thanks to professional-grade lighting and dramatic backgrounds.
How to approach a table:
Decide which seat you want to shoot and set up in a corresponding position (remember to stay out of the way of the tournament staff).Ideally you're going to want to be a bit lower so you get some distance between your subject and the background. Depending on your height you can either take one knee, both knees or use a monopod (tripods are a bit bulky).Take a few throwaway shots of your subject just to make sure your settings are correct.Wait until the player has cards (this makes players in late position easier to shoot).Try to catch them looking up, instead of down.It's going to be even easier if your subject is involved in a hand that goes on for awhile.Rinse/Repeat4. Examples of Poker PhotographyHere are some examples of poker photography, both good and bad, with a little bit of commentary on each one.
