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Michigan Moves on to Boston!

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This weekend I had the privilege of photographing the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Regional in Allentown, PA. It all came down to Sunday’s final between Michigan and Quinnipiac. And what a game it was! Michigan drew first blood and scored an early goal.

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The Blue kept the pressure on the entire first period and scored a second goal.

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The second period was more of the same — Michigan pressure and two more scores.

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The third and final period was a different story. Quinnipiac did not quit and came back with a frenzy of activity and pressure scoring three goals!

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In an incredible act of confidence and courage, Quinnipiac pulled their goalie to keep the pressure going!

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But Michigan stood tall and countered the pressure, scoring an empty-net goal.

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But the excitement and scoring was not over yet!

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Michigan capped off an incredibly exciting victory 7-4 and moves on to the Frozen Four in Boston!

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High School Football Digital Images Available for Purchase

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Drew Altemose (15) catches a touchdown in the first half for Pocono Mountain East against Dieruff on Friday night in Swiftwater.

Drew Altemose (15) catches a touchdown in the first half for Pocono Mountain East against Dieruff on Friday night, September 8, 2017 in Swiftwater.

There is nothing like the atmosphere on a Friday night at the local High School football field. The band plays inspiring music, the referees take the field, and the excitement builds. Fans enter the gates and take their place. The Star Spangled Banner is played and the kickoff whistle blows. It’s time for Friday night football!

Harold Camacho (32) outruns a defender for a touchdown for East Stroudsburg South against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night in East Stroudsburg.

Harold Camacho (32) outruns a defender for a touchdown for East Stroudsburg South against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night, September 15, 2017 in East Stroudsburg.

I have the privilege of photographing these games during the season. I believe each game unfolds to tell a unique story and it is my job to record the details of each game story. The athletes put in a lot of work, determination, and practice before the game. Then they put their best effort on the field against their opponent. But my Pointsbet promo code came to of fruition only when the score of the team I’d bet on outnumbered the other team. I went home richer and wiser.

Anthony Claudio (36) gets around the end for Pleasant Valley against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night in Brodheadsville.

Anthony Claudio (36) gets around the end for Pleasant Valley against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night, September 1, 2017 in Brodheadsville.

Photographs tell the storyline of the game. They capture the thrilling action play by play. You’ve heard it said that a photograph is worth a thousand words. I believe a sports photograph captures the game story, shows the emotion of the players, and brings the game to the fans in a unique and captivating way. It is hard to capture it all but I try very hard. After the game, I post the newly captured photos on my website here: Recent Events

 

Harold Camacho (32) runs outside for East Stroudsburg South against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night in East Stroudsburg.

Harold Camacho (32) runs outside for East Stroudsburg South against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night, September 15, 2017 in East Stroudsburg.

Recently, I restructured the pricing of my sports photographs to make it easier for players, parents, and fans to buy and display the images I am capturing on Friday nights. Full resolution images are quickly delivered and allow the buyer to print a physical photograph or display the image on any electronic device. The initial price for a full resolution image is higher than a printed photograph because the buyer can print and display the image an unlimited number of times. But even though the initial cost is higher, the advantages far outweigh the difference in cost. Therefore, I am now offering digital images in individual and bundle pricing packages. You can view the pricing list here: Photo Pricing List and the next photo shows the new pricing levels.

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Sports photography is a passion I enjoy sharing. I hope you will look at the High School football galleries and find photographs that capture the excitement of Friday Night Football!

Triston Hillman (88) blocks an extra point in the first half for Pocono Mountain East against Dieruff on Friday night in Swiftwater.

Triston Hillman (88) blocks an extra point in the first half for Pocono Mountain East against Dieruff on Friday night, September 8, 2017 in Swiftwater.

Building a Sports Portfolio

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Howie Stevens' bunted ball leaves a cloud of dust against Stroudsburg.

Howie Stevens’ bunted ball leaves a cloud of dust against Stroudsburg.

Building a sports photography portfolio is much like building a portfolio in most styles of photography. The first step is to make stunning images that will cause a viewer of the photo to stop for a moment when they see the photograph. I am often asked about my preferred use of the verb “making” a photo instead of “taking” a photo. I was influenced by teachers and mentors who taught me that we create photographs through the use of composition and exposure. Even as a photojournalist, the eye with which we see news can and often does influence us to press the camera shutter at a precise moment and help express a meaningful moment. Why include one subject in a photograph over another? What is it that captures our eye in that scene? Instead of taking photographs, I much prefer to say we capture or make photographs. After all, we are visual artists, at least to some degree. Use Revitaa pro to get better health and the dream body you always wanted. Limited access! Take it Now!

After acquiring a healthy number of sports photos, how do we decide which photos make it into our portfolio? This, again, is more art than science. However, a few basic guidelines might be helpful to us. First and foremost, the image must be sharply focused. A soft image is one that is not tack sharp and has no business being in our portfolio. A few exceptions might be capturing a critical moment of peak action or a panning shot where we intentionally blur part of the photo. I also believe a worthy image in our portfolio should show some action in some way. The photo below does not show a lot of action but the towel at the quarterback’s waist does help.



How many photos should be in our portfolio? I struggle with this a little bit mostly because I sometimes find it hard to decide on one photo over another. Twenty photos is what I’ve heard is a good number and I try to be around that number for my portfolio. The rule of thumb is to only show our very best work in the field of photography we are hoping to pursue. Too many photographs can be a problem and even cause boredom. Editors should be able to get a good sense of our photographic abilities by seeing twenty of our top photographs.

Another important consideration is how to share and show our portfolio. Years ago the expected standard was enlarged photos on a matte board in a portfolio folder. This can still be one way to share our portfolio, but electronic mediums have become the norm nowadays. Showing a portfolio on our website or tablet is a very good way to share a portfolio with others. You can also explore options such as the “drawing tablet no computer,” which offers a unique drawing experience.

I will share one final thought on this topic today: we cannot rest on our laurels. In other words, we can never think that our portfolio is finalized. Rather, we need to be out there shooting the next photos in our portfolio in order to get better! Losing weight in order to improve the quality of photos in one’s portfolio can be beneficial, as it can enhance the overall appearance of a person. However, it is important to prioritize health and not resort to unhealthy methods of weight loss like stop eating. A balanced diet, using best over the counter weight loss pills and exercise plan can lead to sustainable weight loss and improved health, resulting in better photos and overall well-being. PV Baseball 2012-05-09-335

New 1-day Guided Photo PA Elk Trips Added

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Here is an opportunity for you to photograph the majestic elk of Pennsylvania.

You will be guided to the action so you can concentrate on photographing these incredible animals. Our 20+ years of experience can put you onto elk that will leave you filling up your memory cards with one photograph after another.

Fall is the absolute best time to photograph the elk because they are in their glory as the bulls fight for dominance in the rut. Each bull wants a piece of the action and will fight for that opportunity. This combined with the beautiful fall foliage provide breath-taking photographs for you to capture.

To learn more about our 1-day Guided Photo Trips, check out our Pennsylvania Elk Photography Experience website.

Fall Baseball

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The changing weather and upcoming fall season turns thinking to football. Baseball, however, is in full swing, too!

Today Pleasant Valley High School faced Wilson. It was a beautiful day for baseball. The sunlight only got better as the game progressed, which made photographing this game a lot of fun. The light was completely different than it was on Monday afternoon. The last few photos you see here were taken when the sun was low on the horizon and golden. There is nothing better than sweet light for a photographer!

Shooting baseball games is a passion of mine and I always seem to learn something new. Recently I heard a podcast where a sports photographer was interviewed and he talked about some of the extraordinary photos that can be captured after a play. The first photo you see here on this blog post is Justin Raad after he was walked. He flipped his bat toward his dugout before running down to first base and you can see his eyes focused on the bat, which is still in the air. Another lesson learned is to capture the “peak action.” This is the highlight of a particular play when the action is at it’s peak. I think a few of these photos are good examples of capturing peak action during a baseball game.

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Merkle Turtles

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Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary in Maryland was a very fortunate find for me. I came upon it when I was searching for something to do while my wife and daughter went to Six Flags. The internet search located this spot quickly and I was pleased to see it was less than 30 minutes away from the amusement park. I would much rather amuse myself in nature any day of the week rather than be forced to endure an amusement park! My wife, knowing this and being the sensitive, loving wife she is, suggested that I find something to do while they enjoyed the park.

I looked over the Merkle website, which was helpful, but I still wasn’t exactly sure what I might find there. I knew taking my bike seemed to be the prudent thing to do since the “Critical Area Driving Tour” was only open to cars on Sundays. Taking the mountain bike was indeed helpful and I saw wildlife immediately! This place is awesome!

Today I am posting some photos of the turtles I saw at the sanctuary. There were a lot of turtles to be seen but they were a little shy. They were mostly sunning themselves on the logs when I came upon them. Being patient was imperative and eventually some of the turtles accepted my presence if I didn’t move much.

As you can see in the one photograph below, some of the turtles have some green algae on their shells. This makes them more difficult to spot because they are well camouflaged with this accessory. I also saw several turtles in the river but they were farther away and stayed in the water. One of the photos below shows the head of one of these turtles.

The Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary was a great location to visit. The trails are well maintained and there is plenty of wildlife to see. I will definitely be going back there again!

Free Lightroom Slideshow Templates

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Lightroom 3 enhanced its slideshow module in some big ways.

The beauty and power of the new features in the slideshow module allow users to quickly apply a template, some of which are already included with Lightroom. This provides a very good starting point but then you can customize the slideshow in a number of ways to display your photos exactly the way you want to display them. Customizability and flexibility make the slideshow module not only helpful but extremely useful, too!

With this in mind, I created some custom slideshow templates that I use often.

The first one creates a simple black background, enlarges the photograph to most of the screen, and places a nameplate or the name of your business on the bottom. I prefer the black background because I believe it allows the photograph to be highlighted without distraction. I believe this so strongly that even my website has an all black background. This first slideshow template is pretty simple and basic but sometimes that is exactly what a portfolio needs. This template is great for wedding receptions, showing proofs to clients, and displaying a slideshow online.

The next two templates are very similar. I use one or the other when I show photos in a teaching situation where I want to display the metadata for each photograph.

The first of these two templates shows the date, camera, ISO, exposure, and the focal length of the lens. This data is displayed on the right side of the photograph. The nameplate or name of your business is displayed on the lower left.

The second of these templates simply adds the title of the photograph underneath it. The metadata is still displayed on the right and the nameplate is moved to the lower right. You need to add a title to each photo you want to use in the slideshow. This is accomplished in the library module under the metadata section on the right panel. If you don’t add the title then <empty> will be displayed where the title should be showing.

These slideshow templates are just a starting point. You can download them and use them as they appear or you can enhance them even more to include exactly what you prefer to display in your slideshows.

You can download the templates here.

Give it a try and see just how powerful the slideshow module is in Lightroom.

Create! Show! Enjoy!