Trying Something New

With an influx of photographers on the field for last weekend's home football at Towson University, I felt that another photog in the same spot was pointless. 

For baseball games I often shoot from above in the concourse but have never tried it for a football game.  

Not sure of the outcome, I headed up to the nose bleed seats (or the closest thing Towson's Johnny Unitas Stadium has to that) and began to shoot. 

The results were so-so, the extra distance made it difficult to get in close to the action. 

The above images were the best of the take. Wilkens made a great catch on my side of the field, bringing him just about as close as possible to my position.

By far not my favorite image, but it was nice to try something different. 

Until next time, take care!

Sportrait Round 2

I had the opportunity to shoot another Towson University sports portrait this week, this time the starting quarterback Peter Athens. 

Peter had started as a freshman but was soon overshadowed by the 2012 season's starting quarterback Grant Enders.

The idea of the story is to showcase the comeback of Athens, and I felt this image showcased that. 

After talking about the image with Orioles team photographer Todd Olszewski I was informed that the area this image was shot in what is called the vomitorium.  

Who knew that something so grotesquely named could create such a cool space to shoot in.   

Until next time, take care! 

Risk-it for the Biscuit

Split second decisions have often gotten me into trouble.

When I saw Steve Pearce running for a ball, close to a streak of light, I decided to expose for the pocket of light and just hope that he dove into it. 

With a little bit of planning and a little bit of luck I was able to catch him just coming into the light. I do wish he was a little bit farther forward but I really can't complain. 

This game was my final game of the 2013 season with the Orioles. Overall I could not ask for a better experience from the year. I learned a lot and really progressed as a photographer. Working with the team photographer Todd Olszewski was a pleasure and he helped push me to be a better image-maker.  

Until next time, take care! 

Beheaded

Normally cutting off a player's head is a no-no. 

Wanting to know someone's identity is key when covering a game, but taking that persona away can make the image timeless. 

When shooting this image I wanted to bring the focus to the catcher while including the dramatic light coming from the shadows on the field.  

The line from the shadow and the line from the follow through of the batter leads the viewers' eyes right to the catcher hidden in the shade. Fortunately for me the bat fell right above the catcher's head and made the image.

Until next time, take care!

Isolated

I love shooting on black.  

When I am doing studio work I tend to gravitate to a blank white or blank black backdrop. It makes the subject pop and creates a surreal space for them to live in.

Whenever I get the opportunity I try to replicate this look on assignments. Blocking out a little extra light from the camera can drop off your background when shooting under stadium lights at night.

Overall I just felt that this shot worked for who Dickerson is. Often a quite, reserved and conservative coach, this image spoke to who he was.

Until next time, take care! 

Detail

This whole season I have been taking pictures of people picking up balls.

I have still not figured out why but it is just an image that I am attracted to. It shows a small moment of the game up close. Something not many people get to see or even pay attention to. 

The claw like quality of the hand in this image is what made it for me. Taking away the personality of the hands owner only made it better. 

Until next time, take care! 

Frustrated

Making images that are able to show a players mood hold a lot of weight.

A great dive or slide into home plate are always interesting frames but to be able to capture how they are feeling is all the better.  

Many of the images I make for the Orioles showcase the great moments of the season, big wins and great plays. But when shooting sometimes my journalistic instinct takes over and I make frames of the not so great moments. 

Either way, good or bad a photographer is there to capture what is going on. And more often than not the aftermath of a play is more interesting than the play itself. 

Sportraits

Almost all portraits of athletes have a positive angle to them. 

When I was approached by an editor to make an image of Towson University's star soccer player I needed to make her look much more than positive.

Putting up goal after goal this season it only made sense to show her in the act of scoring. With a little bit of help from an assistant we were able to create the shot above showcasing her ability.

Overall I am very happy with the final product and thought that it worked well for the assignment. 

Until next time, take care! 

Pregame

When I am making images I often find that my favorite images come from the least likely places. 

I was out covering Towson University football's home opener when I stumbled upon the ROTC members practicing their presentation.  

With the sun falling quickly in the background I saw an image coming together. 

Getting low and close brought in all the members while keeping the environment an important part of the composition.

I turned to a fellow photog after I took this image and said it would be my favorite from the whole take. I was right. 

Until next time, take care! 

Reflection

I began to think what this blog was really about. 

A place to store ideas? 

A place to store random images that I do not know what else to do with? 

I figured out it is a place to reflect. 

In photojournalism, the image is so rapid. Photographed and edited so quickly that you do not get the proper time to think about why the image was made. That is until after you go back and look again. 

That is what this blog does for me, allows me to go back, slow down and really reflect on what I shoot.  

I figured it would only be fitting to pair it with an image that relates back to reflection.   

Until next time, take care! 

A Land Down Under

Vantage point is huge in photography.

Fortunately when photographing a MLB game you have access to both a high point, a low point and a ground-level point. 

This diversity in area allows for different and more interesting images to be made.  

One of my favorite perspectives to shoot from is down low as batters go to warm-up. 

With this image, I got as low as I possibly could and shot straight up. In my opinion it made a very interesting image.

Until next time, take care! 

Spray and Pray

One of the worst strategies in photography is what is called "spray and pray." 

This "technique," or lack thereof, is when you utilize the motor drive setting in the camera and just hope a picture comes out.

When I am shooting I try to stay away from this temptation, letting the camera take a little control and hoping for a positive result. Although recently I found that natural instinct took over and it is exactly what I did.  

Being only 10 yards from third base with a 300mm + 1.4x convertor on my camera shooting anyone sliding in would be very tight.  

So naturally as J.J. Hardy slid into third base and pointed the camera, I got it in focus and motor drove. Not thinking anything would come of it because of my close proximity.  

Fortunately for me, I got a nice tight frame of his impact with third base. 

Until next time, take care! 

Blocked

One of the biggest concerns for a photographer is getting blocked. 

During a recent Orioles game, Matt Wieters took home a big win with a walk-off in the bottom of the 10th inning. Unfortunately for many photographers, most of his celebration was covered by others on the field. 

Being able to adapt and shoot around obstacles is both difficult but also rewarding.  

Coming home with an image under difficult situations is much more satisfying than images that were easy to make.  Fortunately for me, I was able to make at least one frame before the block became too heavy. 

Until next time, take care! 

Heavy

Recently I have been shooting really heavy. Not heavy in the amount of images taken, but heavy with my space. 

Heavy foregrounds and heavy backgrounds all the while trying to keep them in balance. 

Covering baseball has given me the opportunity to have the time to make these different compositions. Overall I am happy with this image.

Until next time, take care! 

Relief in Sports

Athletes get relief all the time. When the roster shifts, athletes get a break.  

I found a relief last week, shooting volleyball.

Volleyball can be one of the most frustrating sports to make images of. The low lights in a gymnasium in combination with the fast paced game can stir up quite a headache. 

I did have a great time being able to shoot from different perspectives.  I decided to shoot the last set from up top at the new gymnasium. The better lighting and full 360 degree vantage point made for a whole new experience.

Until next time, take care! 

Don't Stop Shooting

One of the most important lessons I have learned is to not stop shooting.

Digital imagery is cheap, so cheap that once you have one inexpensive compact flash, you could shoot for days.

It only makes sense to continue shooting. More often than you would think, you will produce a powerful image even after the action stops. The emotion that athletes show comes after the play.  

In this circumstance, Adam Jones missed a crucial catch. In response he knelt down, and his body language said it all.

Until next time, take care! 

Repetition

When you shoot something over and over you begin to find different images. Without the different images, you'd go crazy.

Recently I have been trying to find alternatives to game action when shooting baseball.  

As simple as it gets, I was attracted to this guy's attitude. He had that old-school-baseball-coach vibe going and I felt that the conversion to black and white complemented the subject well. 

All in all I am glad to be back blogging again, and hopefully will be getting more images up soon. 

Until next time, take care!

Not Baseball

Although baseball may seem to be the only subject matter I photograph, sometimes I enjoy changing it up.

The different environment is often refreshing and allows me to try new things.  

Recently I had the great opportunity to work with an energetic young couple on their wedding day. When photographing someone's wedding, their level of enthusiasm is often half the job.

Fortunately for me, they performed incredibly. 

At the site of the reception was a beautiful scene, an old barn set back through an open field. Lifting his bride off her feet and carrying her through the field created an amazing candid opportunity.  

Unfortunately I was seeing this all happen while I was gathering all my lighting gear from my trunk. Literally dropping my lighting bag I ran over to the edge of the field with only a wide-angle lens. I snapped off as many frames as I could before running back to my car and gathering the rest of my equipment.

Luckily this one turned out and ended up being one of my favorite images from the entire day. 

Until next time, take care! 

Screaming

Every game I look for interesting images of fans to show a different side of the sport. Most of them are just kids jumping up and down hoping to get on the jumbo-tron. 

Tonight was a little different.  

At first I saw a little kid with a giant foam finger the was pretty much bigger than he was. Adorable right? But as I began to shoot I noticed that this kid was really enthusiastic. 

Starting to scream at the top of his lungs resulting in a stream of nonsense, giggling the whole time. 

I was able to make this image above and I have to say it is one of my favorite fan images to date. 

Until next time, take care!

Facial Expression

Sometimes a facial expression can ruin a picture, other times it can make a picture. For photographers it seems like the majority of the time facial expressions are just out to make bad frames.

The image above is one of the few times I have really enjoyed a bad facial expression. Now everyone likes a good laugh, but something about his eyes being covered and the almost painful expression with his mouth makes this image attractive (I use that term loosely). 

I am hoping to have a few more action images up soon but we will have to hold out a little longer to see.

Until next time, take care!