Ruined equipment - shooting at Color Runs

[terrib]

I don't do street photography but I saw this posted on a Google+ Community and thought it worth passing on. I'd never heard of a Color Run and if you know what you're getting into it seems pretty obvious it wouldn't be good for equipment but I wonder if people carrying cameras would always be aware how pervasive this stuff seems to be.
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013...-without-water

[rpcrowe]

In addition to the damage this causes equipment, imagine what it could do to a human respiratory system!

[terrib]

In addition to the damage this causes equipment, imagine what it could do to a human respiratory system!

My thoughts, exactly. Especially since those people are running and breathing heavily.

[Donald]

I had to do a search to find out what a colour run was/is.

What a stupid idea!

EDIT - Does that make me a boring old ......? Discuss!

[Andrew1]

But oh what a wonderfully colourful autopsy it would make. Lungs that look like rainbows.

[rpcrowe]

I think that the idea originated with the Holi Festival in India. Here are some excellent images of that festival shot by Poras Chuhardy:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...QEwAw&dur=1718
If I "had" to shoot an event like this, I would try to shoot it from an elevated area, use some sort of respiratory protection and have an Optech Rainsleeve secured on my camera with tape and I would use a cheap UV filter which would probably be discarded at the end of the event!
A photographer would need equal equipment protection shooting a water festival in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, etc.). But that might be easier on one's respiratory system...
https://www.google.com/search?q=wate...w=1280&bih=582

[RustBeltRaw]

Very timely, Terry. I've been hired to shoot a color run this Saturday. The organizers provide rain covers, so apparently they're aware of this problem. That said, I think I'll make with the duct tape and silicone just in case the rain cover is penetrated. As far as lung damage...

Do the kilometer “Color Zones” affect runner vision? Or breathing?
The Color Run™ explosions are basically food grade cornstarch and are 100% natural and SAFE. As with any substance, you want to keep it out of your eyes and our “certified” color throwers make sure to aim low as you pass by. Some “Color Runners” opt to wear glasses or goggles for their eyes and use a bandana or dust mask for their mouths. As shown on the “about” page the middle lane is the “low color lane,” which offers a “lighter” color experience. In summary: We work pretty hard to make it so our precious “Color Runners” get as much or as little color on them as they like.

Source: Color Run FAQ (http://thecolorrun.com/faqs/)

Regardless of what I hear, I think I'll break out my respirator, ear plugs, goggles, and already-ruined clothes. Better safe than hacking up a lung. If it was impossible to shoot events like this without ruining gear, there wouldn't be professionals who shoot nothing else.

I maintain that getting good shots sometimes means putting your gear at risk. Time to put my money where my (respirator-covered) mouth is.

[MilT0s]

Come on guys... It's just flower and food color. It can't be that bad!

I think it's totally safe for the gear only if you have a weather sealed body and lens.

It does indeed originate from India but in Greece with have a similar event in a small town in central Greece (Galaxidi), Alevromoutzouromata. In this case it is connected to the carnival.

According to the site of the prefecture of Fokida:

"Alevromoutzouromata
On Shrove Monday in Galaxidi the residents and the visitors go to the market, where “moutzouroma” and ”alevroma” take place. That is, people throw at each other soot (moutzouroma) and flour (alevroma). The beach becomes a battle field. There are clouds of flour and dense clouds of soot. This custom is very old.has deep his roots. Perhaps it dates back to the Byzantine era, that the clowns of the hippodromes colored their faces. This started becoming very popular in 1840. And this is because the vessels traveled from March up to November, thus the events of Carnival were also farewell events.
"

Photos

[inkista]

Come on guys... It's just flower and food color. It can't be that bad!

Cornstarch and food color.

I think it's totally safe for the gear only if you have a weather sealed body and lens....

Actually, if you read Cicala's article, this WAS with pro-level "weather-sealed" lenses and bodies. And it still happened. Those pictures of how pervasive the stuff is in the lens are pretty horrifying.

[jcuknz]

I had to do a search to find out what a colour run was/is.

What a stupid idea!

EDIT - Does that make me a boring old ......? Discuss!

No ... a mature and sensible person
It would be hell getting it out of our beards.

[terrib]

Does that make me a boring old ......? Discuss!

Well if it does, you have good company! It may explain, however, why we prefer landscapes and animals.

[Colin Southern]

I think I'd have my cameras totally sealed inside a plastic bag, with just the UV filters exposed to the "colour".

[rhonddas]

Come on guys... It's just flower and food color. It can't be that bad!

I think it's totally safe for the gear only if you have a weather sealed body and lens.

It does indeed originate from India but in Greece with have a similar event in a small town in central Greece (Galaxidi), Alevromoutzouromata. In this case it is connected to the carnival.

According to the site of the prefecture of Fokida:

"Alevromoutzouromata
On Shrove Monday in Galaxidi the residents and the visitors go to the market, where “moutzouroma” and ”alevroma” take place. That is, people throw at each other soot (moutzouroma) and flour (alevroma). The beach becomes a battle field. There are clouds of flour and dense clouds of soot. This custom is very old.has deep his roots. Perhaps it dates back to the Byzantine era, that the clowns of the hippodromes colored their faces. This started becoming very popular in 1840. And this is because the vessels traveled from March up to November, thus the events of Carnival were also farewell events.
"

Photos

Hi
I found this article and made me rethink it all http://petapixel.com/2013/05/08/phot...TAEuUBzfazZ.01

[rhonddas]

found this and so I think I will be using major plastic bags and duct tape
http://petapixel.com/2013/05/08/phot...TAEuUBzfazZ.01

[revi]

found this and so I think I will be using major plastic bags and duct tape
http://petapixel.com/2013/05/08/phot...TAEuUBzfazZ.01

That's the same article by Roger Cicala as in the link provided by Terri in the opening post, just different site (and the original is linked to at the end...)

[RustBeltRaw]

I'm sure my gear will be at risk. That doesn't bother me in the slightest beyond wanting to protect my investment.

I think I'd have my cameras totally sealed inside a plastic bag, with just the UV filters exposed to the "colour".

Agreed. Camera, flash, and auxiliary battery packs will be sealed with bags and tape, and I plan to tuck the edges of the hand access holes into my sleeves. I will not change lenses, and I plan to remove the glass from my UV filter, place clear silicone inside the rim, replace the glass, and when installing it on the lens, apply silicone to the filter threads as well. That should be sufficient to totally seal the front, and bags taped to the filter will take care of the rest. I'll let everyone know how it goes. And post any repair bills.

[rpcrowe]

Lex...
You mentioned "That said, I think I'll make with the duct tape and silicone just in case the rain cover is penetrated."

When working with duct tape, try to keep the adhesive away from the camera/lens surfaces because it can leave some nasty residue.

Gaffer's Tape is a better (but more expensive) choice because it will not leave any adhesive residue.

BTW: in the "old days" a "gaffer" which is slang for a motion picture electrician/lighting-person used to actually tape lights in stratgic spots for location shooting. These were Lowelight units using lightweight PAR-38 bulbs. We used a transformer to boost the voltage so that the bulbs were at 3200 Kelvin which was our standard color temperature. Taping the lights to walls and furniture would have left terrible adhesive residue except that we used Gaffer's Tape which left no residue. We also always taped down electrical cables to the floor of the area in which we were shooting so no one would trip or knock over the lights on stands..

Gaffer's tape is available online or in some camera stores which cater to professionals or high-level amatuers...

[RustBeltRaw]

You're right, gaffer's tape is awful pricey. I found a very cheap "low-residue duct tape" from Home Depot that does a decent job at about 1/6th of the cost per roll. It's not bad, but it's not gaffer's tape. Thanks for the tip - you apparently have more regard for my gear than I do!

[Glenn NK]

I had to do a search to find out what a colour run was/is.

What a stupid idea!

EDIT - Does that make me a boring old ......? Discuss!

Stupid idea - yes.

Boring old _ _ _ _ no.

The only good thing about getting old is that I don't have to do stupid things - because of my experience, I can recognize most of the things that are stupid and avoid them.

Glenn

[RustBeltRaw]

The only good thing about getting old is that I don't have to do stupid things - because of my experience, I can recognize most of the things that are stupid and avoid them.

Clearly, I haven't learned yet.

Protection for myself included tight-fitting sunglasses, a low-profile dust mask, and ear plugs. Nothing was totally impermeable, but all the color that got through washed out fairly easily.



Please do not tell me my color correction is off.

I was shooting from the finish line color bomb zone - pretty much the most powder-heavy area on the whole course. Partially because I suspected the best photos would be there, and partially to see if I could shoot in the worst-case scenario and come away without the damage detailed in LensRental.com's blog. By the end of the 1hr, 45min race, the corn starch was about an inch and a half (4cm) deep where I was kneeling.

My camera's protection consisted of three taped-together sleeves made from 2-mil contractor's plastic sheeting - one each for my camera (an unsealed Canon 60D), my lens (an unsealed Tokina 11-16mm f2.8), and my flash (a sealed Canon 580EX II with a Bolt CBP-C1 battery pack). Inside the sheeting, I'd taped over every control, large seam, and opening I knew I wouldn't use on race day. The lens's UV filter received a thin coat of clear silicone inside the filter threads to seal the front. It took about 1.5 hours to get everything buttoned up.

After removing the sheaths, this is how my camera looked (pardon the cell phone pics - I only own one camera).

Front



Rear



UV filter pre-dusting



UV filter post-dusting



As you can see, I avoided the catastrophic starch invasion that killed the LensRental gear, even with an unsealed lens. One thing I didn't consider was that my hand entering and exiting the camera sleeve would carry the corn starch with it, and that it'd turn into the gelatinous, non-Newtonian fluid so beloved by Mythbusters when it entered the sleeve's rather sweaty interior. So I have a powdery gel stuck in the textured plastic on my camera's grips, but considering the circumstances, that's not too bad. If you decide to take one of these on, I recommend using a clear plastic sheet instead of the translucent (but very tough) 2-mil contractor's sheeting I used, and operating your camera through the plastic. Or never take your hand out of the sleeve.

I think it's absolutely fair for LensRentals to prohibit using their gear at Color Runs, especially without protective sleeves. Unsurprisingly, rambunctious runners will occasionally aim double-handfuls of color at your lens (as if the environment wasn't hazardous enough). Fortunately, the silicone on the UV filter threads kept all the crap off the lens's front element. "Reckless" is a fair way to describe bringing unprotected gear you don't own into such an environment.





And yes, the shots were worth it. That's another post.