row2k Features
Behind the Photo: The Regatta Scene
November 20, 2020
Adam Bruce, row2k.com

One of the best parts about shooting for row2k is we get to cover more than just rowers out on the water. We get to capture what it’s like to be at a regatta. What it’s like to hang out with your teammates in the boat yard, pass out under the trailer on a hot day, make silly faces at the camera, and enjoy a meal at the team tent. We put these photos in what we call "Scene" galleries.

This week I am highlighting a handful of scene shots, but we have thousands of scene photos and hundreds of scene galleries from almost every regatta you can think of. The first image in this series is from my first year working for row2k. I was at Masters Nationals down in Sarasota in August (where the temperature was almost unbearable). One has to constantly consume as much water as possible to keep from passing out in those conditions. While most would simply use a water bottle, this rower from the Detroit Boat Club decided to be responsible and recycled his Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup bottle instead.

Often we like to take photos of the oddities we see around the venue at a regatta or just something that stands out from the rest. Often that “something” is the weather. During the John Hunter Regatta in 2017 there was a microburst of wind that kicked up near the finish tower during the afternoon session. Naturally I pointed my camera at the disturbance and followed it into the grandstands. When the wind reached the grandstands, half of the tents blew over while one decided to take to the skies. The complete series can be found here.

I have a handful of other scene shots below, but I wanted to wrap things up with costumes. At the end of the day this sport is supposed to be fun. Many of the fall regattas land on or near Halloween, so of course rowers are going to dress up. We have many shots of rowers in costumes, but I am highlighting this one because of the absurdity of the situation behind it (and they are a couple of my former rowers). Clemson Crew every year at the Head of the South wears costumes when they race. It’s 2 weeks after Halloween, no one else at the regatta dresses up… it’s just something they do. It started in 2008 as a joke when the men’s 8 wore Sesame Street shirts because they had a rubber ducky for a bow ball. Things escalated from there to full body costumes and costume changes between events. Sometimes the things that make the lease sense are the most fun to do.

If you have any favorite scene shots that we have taken over the years, leave a link in the comments below!

Bonus Photos:

Regatta shower
Regatta shower

That feeling you are being watched
That feeling you are being watched

We have all been there
We have all been there

Regatta dogs
Regatta dogs

Regatta photographer?
Regatta photographer?

Regatta alpaca?
Regatta alpaca?

Regatta?
Regatta?

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