In 1896, the world was first introduced to photography being used in the Summer Olympic games in Athens. Ever since this debut, every Olympic games has had human camera operators photograph pictures throughout the summer, at least until the 2012 London Olympics. Now four years later, Getty Images has accelerated the use on non-human cameramen at this years Olympics in Rio.
Getty Images is not the first company to utilize robotic cameras to deliver stunning, real-time photography in sporting events, but they have certainly given plenty of attention to this technology to increase the unique vantage points available for pictures this summer in Rio. Al Bello, a 23 year Getty Images veteran, has began implementing new robotic cameras to take far more versatile photos in swimming, diving, synchronized diving, and other aquatic events.
“In the past, with a traditional submerged static remote camera, you’d have to visualize the photos you wanted ahead of time and think about what race and stroke you want to capture,” Bello told CNN Money. “It was limiting; you could only guess where the swimmer was going to be when they came into the frame.”
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Bello will be standing near the finish line in front of a live computer screen that is able to remotely operate cameras placed inside the pool to take action shots of swimmers as they pass overhead. Each camera has a Canon 1D X Mark II, an expensive yet precise camera system that ensures top-notch photography. This versatile camera system allows people like Bello to shoot at many different angles and bring their creative visions to life.
“The robots are just another tool for me to get better photos,” Bello continued. “A robot doesn’t think on its own or come up with ideas. But it can help us get photos more efficiently than ever before.”
Essentially, his new robotic camera system can revolutionize the way the entire world sees the Olympic games. The traditional system of having solely human camera operators is dwindling away due to the sheer amount of advantages robotic operators have.
With technological cameras used, human interference will be mitigated as the best shot will probably be within a robot’s line of sight rather than a human’s above water. For non-aquatic events, robotic cameras can be implemented by staying right with the action of these world-class athletes. It’s difficult to see this type of system one day supplanting leading sports content distributors with higher quality pictures of every piece of action.