Sports photographers have to be constantly on guard and ready to move at a moment's notice if a play gets out-of-bounds, but one camera operator narrowly missed an unexpected threat from above: a camera suspended on a cable.
During a match between Hungary and Kazakhstan on June 09, a cable camera – the spidercam TV cameras suspended above the field for a bird’s eye view of the game – started smoking. The cable then broke, sending the camera falling from more than 20 meters / 65.6 feet.
According to the BBC, the camera landed only about two meters from a camera operator on the sidelines at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary.
No injuries were reported, and the teams took a water break as the camera debris was cleaned up.
The cause of the incident hasn’t been verified, but the smoke shown in viral videos of the incident seems to hint that overheating may have compromised the camera’s cable.
As a camera lover, I had to admit, the video is hard to watch. I’ve had to jump out of the way on more than one occasion back in my sports photography days, but I never would have expected danger from above. The camera operator in the video seems to react with calm professionalism, taking a step back and then, naturally, turning the lens to the smoldering wreckage.
A camera smoking is devastating enough, but then it has to fall from about the same distance as throwing a camera out of a five or six-story window. I have to admit I winced watching the video.
It’s unclear from the reports what type of suspension system and camera were used for the match, but broadcast cameras plus the cost of a robotic camera system like those from Spidercam or Skycam aren’t cheap.
As the World Cup kicks off on June 11, fans and photographers alike will no doubt be treated to more viral soccer photos and videos in the coming weeks as the tournament unfolds across North America.
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