[M] BigCrook - Hello Helena, thank you very much for granting Millenium this interview. How was GamesCom?
Hi, I recently came home from shooting the season 2 finals of WCS at GamesCom. I was honored to get to be the official photographer for WCS and it was a blast working with the ESL crew.
WCS was stacked with exciting matchups and offered many opportunities for great photos. I actually edit a lot of the photos during the event.. I took roughly 4000 photos and around 10% gets published.
You've been working fulltime with photography for a little over a year now. Can you explain what led you to pass the hurdle from a passion to a profession?
I have a degree in marketing and worked with that for a couple of years but over time lost passion for it. At the same time the passion for photography grew stronger and I decided to quit my job and start my own business. When I don't shoot esport, I shoot weddings, babies and children and I have a small studio back home in Stockholm, Sweden.
Did you take lessons or is a natural gift?
I'm 100% self taught in photography. I got my first camera when I turned 10, back then it was only point-and-shoot and I used to beg my parents for more than one roll of film a month. When I bought my first DSLR back in 2008 my interest and talent grew quickly when I realized I could combine my love of photography with my talent in photoshop. I've never stopped learning since which is apparent if you look back at some of my earlier work in esports.
This art requires a lot of implication, dedication and sometimes sacrifices. What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Shooting esports I would say is different from other photography. You can't just go home and practice, you have to be at events, you have to bring your camera and you have to actually do it to get better. My first tip would be learn your camera and learn it well. You will have to push it to it's very limit to get good photos in the lighting conditions esportevents poses. Second would be upgrade your gear (I'll get to that later) and third, as I said, go to events! No one will hire you if you can't show previous work which means you will have to put some money in to trips and tickets to build yourself a portfolio before you can hope of getting hired.
What inspires you most?
My boyfriend inspires me to be a better person and to never give up. As for taking photos, nicely colored lights and good music combined with shouting casters and the excitement of the crowd makes my adrenaline pump.
Is there a cliché especially important in your eyes, an image that symbolizes more than it is? Or do all your photos convey a story in their own way?
I think all photos tell a story of the moment or event it was taken in. Whether it is you feel the excitement in a crowded arena, you see the disappointment of loss or the relief and sometimes disbelief in winning. I also think it is very important to capture that story and to know beforehand which stories might take a different turn than expected. In other words it is important to know the story of the player to be able to tell it, more so than knowing every unit in the game.
I always have three goals with my photos (besides telling the story). For people that don't know esports I want to convey the excitement and get them interested. For people that do know esports but wasn't at the event I want them to wish they were. And last but not least, for the people that was there, I strive to take photos that make them remember their exact feeling at that moment.
Can you tell us about the specific relation between a photographer and her camera?
My camera is my baby, lol. No but on a more serious note, the camera becomes a part of me, an extension of my eyes which is one of the reasons I never shoot with a tripod. I want it to move as quickly as my eyes and tilt just the way I want the second I want it. I need to push my camera into telling the stories I see.
What are the main technical constraints to realize beautiful pictures during eSports events (lack of light, speed of action, etc.)?
eSportvenues are usually very dark and the main rule is no flashes allowed, which means you have to convince your camera that it should take the photo eventhough its "too dark". I'd say it's impossible to get good esports photos with automatic settings. Lights change too fast and are too hard for the camera to read. For the best chances of capturing the moment you'll want to have a camera that is good with lowlight and performs well even with high ISO numbers. I'd also recommend the lenses 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 (the key being 2.8, in other words low f-stops which lets in lots of light). Teach yourself to keep the camera steady, I usually shoot at no faster than 1/180sek which leaves a little room for camerashake but is ok if you know your camera.
I recommend everyone (not only esportphotograhers) to shoot in RAW as you'll be able to adjust white balance and other settings in post (I use Adobe Bridge and Camera RAW as well as Photoshop). A lot of the noise that comes from dealing with high ISO numbers could be removed in those programs. After this I recommend you to practice, every camera is different and has its sweet spot and every photographer has their own style.
You’ve met a lot of people involved in eSports: players, commentators, event organizers, business men, etc. Which of them played a key role in your career?
There're several people that should be credited in one way or another for helping me to get where I am today. The very first event i ever shot esports (DreamHack Winter 2011) I was introduced by Robert Ohlén (CEO of DreamHack) to a couple of important faces. After that it's all snowballed into meeting more and more people and special thanks should go to Genna Bain, Paul “Redeye” Chaloner, Amber Dalton and Rachel “Selzter” Quirico who all helped me, introduced me and guided me into the world of esports.
In your short time in esports you've covered over 15 major events and several local ones. Could you tell us one or more anecdotes as a freelance photographer at these events?
I don't think I have any funny stories related to photography but I have one from my last event, WCS Season 2 Finals at GamesCom, when we went out for dinner Sunday night. Some production people, some blizzard people, casters, hosts and a couple of players. Apollo and JaeDong starts "fighting" (obviously only joking around and for the fun of it!) by throwing coasters with messages at each other. Me, Carmac and Kim Phan had a lot of fun teaching JaeDong bad words in English and it all came down to Apollo bowing down saying GG after JaeDong threw the message "Outside bitch".
You photograph the gamers. But are you personally a gamer?
I'm more of a casual gamer, even though I long to get home and play StarCraft after every event I shoot. I work a lot and have very little time for gaming unfortunately.
Before concluding, a little question « Top [M]odel » ([M] is the tag of Team Millenium ;)). At DreamHack Stockholm 2013, you shot the SC2 players of Millenium. Which is the best model?
I would have to say Maddelisk is the best one. She always comes up with funny poses and since she's also casted the Swedish National Championships in StarCraft 2, we've grown to be good friends.
Thank you so much for the interview. Do you have closing words, shout outs or anything to say?
Thanks to Millenium for having me do this interview and to the French esports fans for helping the community to grow strong in Europe!
Credit Photo: Oscar Aaro
