Inside the Ropes

Last month at the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong-based golf photographer Richard Castka exhibited a selection of images from his 20-plus years of covering the major tours and capturing world-class courses. Alex Jenkins spoke with the well-travelled lensman, owner of the largest independent golf archive in Asia.

What's in Richard's Camera Bag?

I am and always have been a Nikon man. Currently I'm using the new D4 body, which retails for just over HK$52,000. As I always have to use two bodies I also use the D3s, while awaiting delivery of the second D4. Two bodies is the norm for event photography as you need to be ready for anything to happen – changing lenses is not an option, as it takes too long. Changing lenses is also the most common way that dirt gets into the camera and onto the sensor, so by not changing lenses the problem is reduced. I sometimes carry a third camera for wide-angle gallery shots, which I usually need for the final day of a major, for example. A 'no cameras' marshal in action at Fanling in 1995

For events I normally use a 500mm F4 telephoto lens plus a 70-200mm F2.8 zoom lens. I also have a 300mm F2.8 that I use rarely and also a 200-400mm F4 lens, which is great for events such as the Hong Kong Open where the action is very close to you. The 500mm is often too long for work around the greens at Fanling, while the 70-200mm can be too loose. The 200-400mm is great because it's so versatile.

For course photography I often use three bodies with three different lenses, which start at 14mm and go up to 200mm. The 24-70mm lens is quite a workhorse for golf course photography.

I also carry at least two flash units and a remote unit to shoot off camera, and I always need a mono pod for the long lens. In addition to this I carry filters and teleconverters and usually have a fish eye lens tucked deep in a pocket of my camera jacket.

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