Category Archives: Sports Photography

New: Sports Galleries Now Online

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I am getting there with this new blog format. I’ve wanted to make some of these changes for some time now, and, finally, it is coming together. The newest feature I just added is some online photo galleries of my recent shoots.

The idea here is to share a few more of the photographs captured at the sporting events I am shooting. Think of it as sort of a sports photography/photojournalist approach. I always say that every game has a story to tell and one of my primary tasks is to capture and tell that unique story with my camera. Many times this is the big play of a game, but I find there are some sub-stories on the sidelines, at halftime, and even before a game, too!

These photo galleries also give me the opportunity to share some of the photos, which will never make it in print. There are some great photogenic faces, expressions, and moments that are more than worthy of sharing with others.

I hope you enjoy viewing these galleries at least half as much as I enjoy sharing them with you. There are great moments at all these events and, to me at least, there is nothing more exciting than the atmosphere of a sporting event!

These new photo galleries can be viewed by navigating to the last tab to the right near the top of my main blog page. You will then see a drop-down list of the available galleries posted so far. More will be forthcoming soon.

I also dropped the most recent gallery into this blog post, which you can view below:

Two Sports Photographs Published

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Stroudsburg v. Pocono Mountain East

 

Stroudsburg v. Pocono Mountain East

Rain fell in Swiftwater as the Stroudsburg Marching Band played the pre-game ceremony. Once kickoff ensued, the action was fast and furious. Stroudsburg struck first, but Pocono Mountain East answered back in record time. The game was tied 7-7 late into the second quarter, but Pocono Mountain East was driving and knocking on the door.

The Cardinals punched it into the end zone with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Stroudsburg received the kickoff but could not drive the ball before the half ended. The second half was a different game for Stroudsburg.

Rushing and throwing seemed to come a bit more naturally, but an early muffed punt resulted in a turnover and a quick touchdown. Stroudsburg scored another follow-up touchdown to make it 28-14.

The Cardinals made it interesting by scoring a touchdown very late in the game but their on-sides kick was recovered by the Mounties who hung on to win 28-21. These two photographs of #21 Gerald Douglas crossing the goal line with the go-ahead touchdown are online at the Pocono Record. You can view the article here.

Cropping

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Pleasant Valley v. LehightonThis photograph of running back, Austyn Borre, was taken at a Friday night football game when the Bears traveled to Lehighton to take on the Indians. He is obviously running with the ball and his eyes are focused upfield. However, there is at least one distracting element in this photo–yep, the referee. His body is cut off weirdly and having him in the photograph really doesn’t add any good quality.

Cropping is a method of taking a photographing and removing unnecessary and distracting items in a photograph simply by downsizing or cutting the size of the photo. It is a tool used by many newspaper and magazine editors, and it is a tool you need to learn as well.

Cropping can be done in a variety of ways, but I prefer to maintain the proportions of the original image almost 100% of the time. Strange results can be produced when original proportions are not maintained.

Some argue that cropping should never be done no matter what. Well, this might be a good goal–to get it right in-camera, but sometimes in the heat of the moment, some distracting and competing elements are captured along with the main subject. Cropping can be very helpful when used wisely.

Pleasant Valley v. Lehighton

The crop in this photograph removed the referee. I still do not like the two bright yellow vests appearing on both sides of this running back. They are distracting to me as well, but look at what happens when we crop even further while maintaining the same proportion.

Pleasant Valley v. LehightonNotice I switched the crop to a vertical format instead of landscape. This much tighter crop was needed to avoid cutting off limbs at improper places. The rule of thumb here is to never cut off a persons limb at a joint, like an elbow, write, shoulder, knee, or hip.

As you can see in these three images, cropping can have helpful and even sometimes dramatic effects. Used wisely, cropping can be your friend to make a good photograph even better. Learn how to crop and learn how to crop wisely!

 

 

Pre-Game Portrait

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Allen v. Pocono Mountain WestAmir Blair sings his school’s Alma Mater in pre-game ceremonies this past Friday night as Pocono Mountain West hosted Allen in High School football.

The pre-game activities build to a crescendo as both teams prepare to do battle on the gridiron. Bands play fight songs, fans gather into the bleachers, and the players get wound up for battle! There is nothing quite like this pre-game experience!

 

 

Photographing the QB

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Allen v. Pocono Mountain WestPhotographing the quarterbacks in a football game is imperative. One of them, after all, could have a banner day or make the play of the game.

Some recurring problems exist, however, in trying to get good photographs of each QB. Bleachers, lights posts, and vehicles in the background are distracting features that need to be avoided at all costs. Separating the subject from the background is necessary but is sometimes difficult. This is especially true for wildlife photography because the subjects often blend into their backgrounds to keep them safe from predators. The same is somewhat true for QBs: they can blend into distracting backgrounds as their predators(opponents) try to sack them!

Shooting wide open with a large f-stop (small number) is a good first step in separating a subject from its background. What happens is the focus is one the subject but the background is blurred out of focus. The depth of field is shallow in this case and helps in separating the subject from its background.

Additionally, other players or referees can move between the QB and our camera. Keeping the QB separated from his opponents is not only the task of the linemen, but it is also the task of the sports photographer. My approach is to take some time during each game to focus entirely on the QB. Sometimes it works well and sometimes, well, I struggle. Lack of good light or distracting and overpowering light can lead to problems as well.

Focus on the subject and photograph the QB. This approach can tell an important part of the game’s story. Give it a try: focus on the quarterback!

 

Friday Night Football: Allen v. Pocono Mountain West

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Allen v. Pocono Mountain West

This photograph was deemed worthy for publication in Saturday’s edition of the Pocono Record.

A few of my photographs from Friday night’s high school football game featuring Allen v. Pocono Mountain West appeared online today. You can see the short photo gallery here.

There isn’t quite anything like the atmosphere of Friday night in the fall. Get to a game and feel the excitement!

PD Bike Ride 2013

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PD BIke Ride 2013-7 MatteToday I photographed the Parkinson’s Disease Bike Ride in Malvern, PA. This was the second annual event, and the second year I photographed the ride.

PD BIke Ride 2013-30 MatteRiders arrived early in the morning to sign in, get their cue sheets, attach their numbers, and prepare for the ride. The weather couldn’t have been better!

PD BIke Ride 2013-260 MatteThe routes departed from Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital in Malvern, PA. Riders could choose from three different ride lengths, and as is typical of Chester County most the routes included some demanding hills! The riders looked good though and persevered the hills to complete their rides.

PD BIke Ride 2013-437 Matte

 

When riders crossed the finish line, they were greeted with cheers and congrats! It was an absolutely beautiful day and even on the hot side for bike riding in October.

PD BIke Ride 2013-413 MatteB101 was onsite to provide music and Bee 101 was in attendance, too as you can see in this photograph!

PD BIke Ride 2013-454 Matte“Harvey in the Morning” also was present for the big day!

All-in-all, it was a great event to bring more awareness to Parkinson’s Disease and raise money for the cause. Next year you really need to consider participating in this great event!

PD BIke Ride 2013-209 Matte

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of the Month

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Pleasant Valley v. Lehighton

September’s Photo of the Month was likely to be a football photograph. For one thing, this is the time of year for football. After all, is there any better season than fall, and is there any better season than football season? I think not! We are definitely in the midst of football season!

It is incredible to me, but I still find myself getting butterflies on Friday nights before the games. I certainly did when I played high school football back in the early ’80s, but even now, as I am preparing to photograph a game, I find myself pacing back and forth a little bit and fighting off those nervous butterflies that fly around inside my stomach. Will I capture the moment at the exact right time with my camera? Will the photo be in focus? Will the referee run between my camera and the play? Yep, butterflies are still there flying all around in my stomach. There isn’t a feeling in the world to match it!

Some of my goals for a good, quality football photograph include: 1) the face should be showing in the frame and hopefully the eyes will be visible, 2) the ball should appear in the frame, 3) a special moment or peak action should be captured. This photograph accomplishes all three of these goals. It was a special moment in time captured by a camera so it can be recorded for all time. This to me, is the goal of good, quality photography. It is a worthy pursuit and it keeps me coming back time after time to the field to try to capture another special moment.

The next day, this photo ran six columns wide in the sports section of the Pocono Record.

You can view this new Photo of the Month and previous ones here.

The Heisman Pose – Pleasant Valley High School Style

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Pleasant Valley v. Lehighton

The classic pose of the Heisman Trophy is renowned among athletes and fans. It is an easily recognizable pose, which many tend to emulate in their own style. Quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers are known to strike the pose both for a photographer but also on game day out on the field in the heat of battle.

Such was the case this past Friday night on the high school field at Lehighton. Pleasant Valley traveled to face the Lehighton Indians, and both teams were 2-1 coming into the matchup. Austyn Borre gained 132 yards.  Brandon Leap carried for some yardage gains, too, and in this photo he is shielding himself from Lehighton’s Tyler Cann. Leap is running to the right and displaying that classic Heisman Trophy pose!

This photo and one of Borre appears in the Pocono Record today, Sept. 21, 2013. You can check it out here.

Got game? Brandon Leap and Austyn Borre did Friday night under the lights in Lehighton!

 

Sports Photograph needed for an Article

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Lehighton v. Pocono Mountain East

The sports editor gave me an assignment to capture a few photos of a specific high school running back because they were doing an article on him this week. That was Friday. The problem was I only got the message after the game!

Fortunately, I took plenty of photographs and hoped I had some of this specific player. It turned out that I had six photos, which wasn’t bad. I learned my lesson though–check messages immediately before a game!

This sports photograph is not stellar but it does tell a story and is somewhat captivating. First, the good things about this photo: It shows the eyes of the running back, which really helps our eyes focus on him. The ball is visible in the photo. The player has good lean, which shows action. The blocking in the background by the linemen helps to add energy to the photo.

Now the bad things about this photo: I should have zoomed in closer. The subject is not isolated from the background enough. It would be better to have both of the subject’s feet in the air to reveal even more action. As you can see, I still have a way to go in improving my sports photography. I will keep trying and can’t wait to be out on the field this Friday night!