Games Medal Winners

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Rankbadyin

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James
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Why do all Pro Photographers tell Medal winners to bite the Medal, is that what they think is "The Money Shot"?
 
I'm pretty sure bite testing metals was a way for checking if it was the genuine article or not.

So by getting the athletes to do this they're validating the medal they've won?
 
I've only ever bit one medal, unfortunately... I found chocolate.

Anyhow, I think its just a cast of it adding a bit of something to the photo.
 
Russ77 said:
I'm pretty sure bite testing metals was a way for checking if it was the genuine article or not.

So by getting the athletes to do this they're validating the medal they've won?
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Pretty much - if it was fake you'd not leave marks on the surface. Gold medals are gold played silver IIRC
 
Rankbadyin said:
Why do all Pro Photographers tell Medal winners to bite the Medal …?
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Not 'all'. Nor 'most'. Possibly 'some'.

I've photographed dozens of Olympic athletes over the years, either returning from Olympic success or in studio shoots, not once have I asked them to bite their medals.

It only takes one photographer in a crowd [1] to request this nauseatingly cliched shot, in the hope of getting something slightly different from every other 'athlete with medal' pic. However, sometimes the request itself may produce an interesting facial reaction from the athlete.

It's become so ingrained over the years that the athletes now do it under their own volition.

Cheers,
Tony

[1] A 'crowd' of photographers isn't strictly the correct collective noun, it is in fact a "whinge" of photographers! :)

Now, why do all amateur photographers tell people to say "cheeeeeeese"! ;)
 
TonyHall said:
Now, why do all amateur photographers tell people to say "cheeeeeeese"! ;)
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I prefer to get them to shout "where's my pig" ( i picked that one up from daryl)
 
It is probably a lack of imagination, time constraint as it is not exactly a studio shoot, and getting the shot they think the public want and will sell to the media.
 
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