A Little News

This is a guest post by Richard Hamm, a recent grad of the University of Georgia. Any enterprising photo editor might think of hiring this young man who is presently freelancing due to the dearth of new jobs in the photojournalism industry. Richard was also the subject of the very first reader profile because I really liked some of his work which he was kind enough to share with me. I hope you enjoy reading about his visit to the infamous Redneck Games.

Sometimes you just need to shoot something. You hear about some event and say, “Wow, I gotta shoot that.” For me, the “that” was the Redneck Games in East Dublin, GA on July 5, 2008. The Redneck Games are an annual event started in 1996 as a parody of the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta that year. The games feature a strange assortment of activities from seed spitting to bobbing for pigs feet. The event culminates with the mud pit belly flop contest which is loaded with visual potential, to say the least.

I wasn’t shooting this for anyone so I had no deadline nor did I have any particular focus. I just wanted to show a glimpse of what goes on in this strange little place. The lack of credentials might have limited where I needed to be to shoot pictures but I have found it better in these situations to apologize than to ask permission. If something was happening in front of the stage, I just took my camera and got on stage. Usually no one will say a thing as long as you don’t get in the way.

The biggest problems I had were getting pictures of the VIRs (Very Important Rednecks) who are more media savvy, and getting a good vantage point amid the sea of thousands. There were tons of photogs at the event along with a film crew from CMT on hand to film a sequence for “My Big Redneck Wedding.” Indeed, someone did pledge their undying love at the Redneck Games.

I always learn a lot from a shoot and the Redneck Games were not exception. For one, ask more questions and expect the unexpected. I shot the Redneck Wedding and got some interesting information but I missed the big picture. I never thought the couple would dive head first into the mud pit which is exactly what they did. I got a picture but it was not my best work by any means.

Other than that, the challenge was to watch for clean backgrounds (pun intended?), watch out for harsh lighting and stay in front of the action. Oh, and try and keep the new camera dry against the barrage of rain and mud splattering from the pit. Next year I will take some plastic bags and a poncho.

About the photos: The first picture if of “Elbow,” one of the VIRs at the games and is a good example of finding a clean background. The second shot is of the bride and groom taking their post nuptial dive into the mud. The third shot is one that I thought just summed up the whole day. All the photos were shot with a Canon 40D and either a 17-40 or 70-200 lens.

Photos copyright Richard Hamm. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any redneck either living or dead. I don’t reckon they reflect those of my employer either; although, I don’t know anyone who could possibly object to a head first dive into a decent mud pit.