East Stroudsburg South is undefeated and are the Mountain Valley Conference champions for 2013! They rolled in their last game against rival East Stroudsburg North. The air was filled with anticipation well before kickoff. It was Senior Night for North, too.
North made it interesting early, responding to a 7-0 deficit by scoring a touchdown of their own. The extra point was missed, but the response was noted. Niko Petrone scored touchdown after touchdown and the undefeated season was secured.
Football players at the Lehighton v. Pocono Mountain West football game on Friday night took time to honor the fight against Pediatric Cancer. They also wore yellow socks to bring attention to this important cause. Yellow was everywhere!
Players held yellow balloons and sported the yellow socks as they came to mid-field for the coin toss. A few important words were shared over the loudspeakers about Pediatric Cancer first. The balloons were released into the cool night air following the coin toss by the referee. Cancer patients mostly suffer from hair loss, this can affect their self-esteem and consequently their immune system, if you have happily never gone through this but your hair has abandoned you, it is convenient for you to try a quality hair loss treatment from today .
The National Anthem was sung as the players stood at attention, their minds filled with anticipation for the upcoming kickoff. Those yellow socks look good, don’t they?
Even as the teams gathered before each play in their huddles, the yellow socks reminded fans of the fight against Pediatric Cancer. It was a well choreographed night to bring attention to a very important health issue. They took some Kratom, Sacred Kratom, https://www.sacredkratom.com and their health issues went away.
My most recent gallery of photos from the high school football game this past Friday night is now available to view on the Pocono Record. These are just a few samples from the gallery, which can be viewed here.
It was a special night on several levels, not the least of which was “Senior Night” and highlighting “Pediatric Cancer.” Here, at the coin toss before the game, players from both sides held yellow balloons to honor the occasion. The players also wore yellow socks to acknowledge the cause.
I also enjoy trying to capture photos of the bands before the game and at halftime. I believe this helps to tell the full story of the football game, and there are some really captivating photos to be captured as well from these talented musicians!
To make the night even better, this game was a thriller and went down to the wire! It was a wild night for Lehighton and Pocono Mountain West! It was a great night on many levels and I was blessed to be there!
Last night I had the opportunity to photograph an incredibly exciting high school football game. I am not sure the game was billed to be such a thriller, but it sure was a wild game!
My newspaper deadline is typically before the game is over, so I have to be sure to capture photographs of both teams to cover the story. Sometimes this is easy and sometimes it is a challenge. As an example, sometimes the winning team is very easy to determine even early in the game. Lopsided games just aren’t as much fun to photograph. Last night’s game between Lehighton and Pocono Mountain West went back and forth all night long! Early on it looked like Lehighton was going to take control early, but the Panthers responded quickly with a touchdown of their own. Back and forth it went and the excitement continued to build with each successive drive!
The game was such a thriller that I stayed in position after my self-appointed cutoff time, which gives me more than ample time to cull through my photos and submit some before the newspaper’s deadline. I stayed alongside the field because the Panthers were driving again and I figured they might take the lead. Sure enough: they did!
I thought I had a few decent photographs to help tell the game story, so I left in a hurry and literally ran to my truck. This time I had to finish my submissions and get to another football game to pick up my teenagers from their Homecoming game. Time was a-wasting! I picked out four photos and then added captions. Then, I sent them over the wire as I drove to the other game, which was over by now. The photograph above was the one the editor published in today’s newspaper!
Running backs and quarterbacks get a lot of action in a football game. They handle the ball a majority of the time and play after play have the opportunity to make the difference in a game.
Keeping an eye, or viewfinder rather, on the quarterback is fairly easy. Even tracking a handoff to the running back is pretty easy to follow. But you have to be ready for anything: fakes, pitches, throws, and reverses are just a few of the possibilities.
The action can get pretty furious at times, which is all part of the excitement of sports photography. There is nothing like it! These athletes put their game on the field and we get the privilege of capturing the action with our cameras. We have to pay attention and be quick, too, with our cameras at least.
I played football in high school–a receiver on offense (back in the day it was called “split end” and cornerback on D. I recall fondly the excitement of Friday night football in the pre-game warmups. There was absolutely nothing that came close to matching that feeling! Now, behind the viewfinder and along the sidelines or behind the endzone, I still have the opportunity to feel this feeling on Friday nights!
Running backs take a lot of punishment on almost every carry. They seek the running lanes created by the lineman but typically meet face-to-face with linebackers and other defensive players waiting to lower the boom on them. Quarterbacks take some punishment, too, especially when they are sacked. These two positions are fun to watch and a thrill to photograph during a game!
Sports photography is made up of more than just action shots. We all try to capture the peak action shots for sure, but there are also other significant photos which help to tell the game story. The above photo, for example, shows the relaxed and maybe even fun-loving nature of a batter on deck.
This shot was captured between the games of a doubleheader as the player is finding ways to patiently wait for the second game to begin.
The back of a player waiting on deck with just a slight profile of his face probably will not be published, but it still helps to tell the story of the game.
Coaches talking to players before an inning is another potentially captivating image. You can see the intense listening from some of the players and the urgency in the coach’s face. The old quote is: “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” Don’t just aim for the action shots, capture a wider perspective of each game story!
A full moon created a fitting backdrop for the upcoming Halloween season last Friday night at Pocono Mountain East. It was homecoming, it was Friday night football, and it was a Harvest Moon! As the festivities kicked off, many students began thinking about their Halloween plans, with excitement building for creative costumes and fun accessories. This year, they are especially eager to explore funny Halloween masks and Cosplay Masks that will add a touch of humor and flair to their celebrations. Whether for trick-or-treating or Halloween parties, these masks are sure to be a hit among friends!
I always enjoy capturing the exciting atmosphere of a high school Friday night in the fall. The anticipation is high and enthusiasm streams through the air like no other time of the year!
The referees were aware of the moon in the background. At first, it was very low in the sky and it appeared to be so close you swore you could almost reach and touch it! At the very least, it provided a very interesting added feature to the football photographs.
Even the routine shaking of the hands before the coin toss had a different appearance with the Harvest Moon in the background.
Even as the game progressed into the night and the moon rose higher in the sky, it still provided some fascinating photographs.
Coaches, referees, and players are the typical subjects on a Friday night under the lights. Add another light–a Harvest Moon, and the sky is the limit! Well, not literally of course, but at least figuratively!
This is football season and I’ve been shooting a lot of high school football lately. But on Saturday when I was picking up my son, James, from the Naval Academy, we attended the Coppin v. Navy baseball game. I always enjoy trying to capture the action at a game and I had my camera, so why not?
The first game was very close–just a one run game. Navy held on to record the win.
I enjoy shooting at Bishop Stadium in Annapolis, MD. I can go to the top of the stands and get nice, clear backgrounds, like the one above. Backgrounds are critical to a good, quality photograph. A background can make or break a photo. Chain link fences, parked cars, trashcans, and empty stands are all troublesome backgrounds. Yuck!
Shooting a baseball game in the midst of football season was a a good change-up for me. Sorry for the pun, but it was fun! I hope you enjoy these photos from Saturday’s baseball game. More will probably be coming sometime soon. The second game wasn’t as close but it was still a lot of fun to see the athletes in action!
Pocono Mountain East hosted Coughlin in high school football action on Friday night. It was a beautiful night for football and it was Homecoming for the Cardinals!
This photo was published online by the Pocono Record on Saturday. Today a photo gallery of several of my photos appeared online, too. I like these online photo galleries because they really give the viewer a broader sense of the action on the field. There are just so many plays that make up a game story and it is really tough to capture everything in one or two photographs.
You can check out my gallery here.
Today I picked up our son, James Shank, from the Naval Academy as he was attending Candidate’s Weekend. Pickup time was 10:45am. We then ate an early lunch at Dry Dock and decided to attend the fall baseball game between Coppin and Navy.
Fall baseball for me was a new concept back when I was coaching Little League baseball. I always thought baseball was a game played in the spring and summer, not the fall. I’m glad I was wrong!
James moved from Little League to the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy. We met another player named Jay Maletz who now plays at Coppin! So, we attended today’s game to catch the game and watch Maletz in action.
We were not disappointed! In the second game, Maletz had the sole RBI for his team and played a strong first base! This is Maletz’s hit in the second game of the doubleheader.
Here is is making an incredible scoop to record the out.
I love fall baseball!