MAC East Champions!

November 17th, 2012; Bowling Green, OH, USA; Second year head coach Darrell Hazell gets a Gatorade bath after his team defeats the Bowling Green State Falcons and clinch the MAC East Championship.The Golden Flashes defeat the Falcons 31-24.

The last five years has been great having the privileged to shoot KSU Athletics. However, this year has been special. Even though I have not been able to make it to as many games as in the past I finally got to witness the Flashes football team compete for a Mid-American Conference Championship. I’m hoping to make the trip to Detroit to watch the Flashes try to win a MAC Title. This is most likely the last season I will have shooting KSU sports and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to make a trip to Ford Field.

November 17th, 2012; Bowling Green, OH, USA; Kent State Running Back Dri Archer runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Bowling Green. The Kent State Golden Flashes defeat the Bowling Green State Falcone 31-24 and clinch the MAC East Division Title and will play the West Champion at Ford Field in Detroit.

 

The first image of Coach Hazell was probably one of the best “Gatorade Shower Shots” I’ve ever got. Most of the ones in the past you couldn’t see much of their face. But this one seemed to work out a lot better as the Gatorade hit him just right. However, another photographer got an even better shot. He was in front of coach and shooting up at him. I learn a lot from watching other photographers and most are willing to lend a hand and share tips and tricks…especially when it comes to celebration shots (which are far and away more intense then an action shot).

What A Game!

Kent State second year Head Coach Darrell Hazell on the sidelines late in the fourth quarter as his team has just taken over the lead.

This may be a short post but it is worth for a couple reasons. 1) I have not posted in a while, and 2) today’s game featuring the Golden Flashes of Kent State and the Cardinals of Ball State was probably the most exciting game I have ever shot. KSU drove done the field to kick the winning field goal just seconds to go in the game. This is after a tipped pass late in the fourth caused their lead to slip away.

Kent State Senior Kicker Freddy Cortez celebrates after kicking the game winning field against Ball State

It wasn’t the best game I have ever had shooting football, but was still able to walk away with some great action shots and celebration material. My favorite, however, is of Coach Darrel Hazell on the sidelines just after the Flashes took the lead at the end of the game.

Almost Forgot I Had A Blog…

April 14th, 2012; Wicklliffe, OH, USA; The Women's Bowling Teams of Vanderbilt and Fairleigh Dickinson square off in the semifinals match of the 2012 National Championship Tournament. The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 4-3 and advance to the Championship game against Maryland Eastern Shore.

So, it has been a really really really long time since I posted anything. Although there are many reasons to why this is my first post in over 7 months I need to learn to keep up with it more often…at least once a month. The main purpose of this post was to say ‘Hi’ to the blogisphere again and just make sure I remember how to upload everything. I’m sitting in a bowling alley right now…yes, a bowling alley! Why, you ask? Well, I was hired to shoot for three school for the NCAA 2012 Women’s Bowling Championship held at Freeway Lanes in Wickliffe, OH. When I was first contacted to shoot bowling I was a little excited, but then I was thinking is there anyway to shoot bowling.

April 13th, 2012; Wickliffe, OH, USA; Maryland Eastern Shore Junior Anggie Ramirez with her approach during match play the 2012 Women's Bowling Champioship Tournament at Freeway Lanes.

I will get into the details of my thoughts in my next post which will probably be after the Championship Match is over. As of now, I am am waiting on the start of the match between the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson University and the Lady Hawks of the University of Maryland – Eastern Shore. The match will be on ESPNU live this evening at 8pm. I always love when the folks at ESPN show up for the simple fact that they bring their phenomenal lighting with them (later on that as well). I just hope I don’t get in anybody’s way and just get all the shots I need and then some.

April 13th, 2012; Wickliffe, OH, USA; Vanderbilt Junior Jessica Earnest reacts during match play of the 2012 Women's Bowling Champioship Tournament at Freeway Lanes.

More to come later and hopefully I can actually post more often.

Football…High School Style

September 2nd, 2011; Rimersburg, PA, USA; A Golden Knights Defender breaks up a pass in the third quarter against Redbank Valley in the season opener at Vidunas Stadium. The Redbank Valley Bulldogs defeat the Union Golden Knights 20-14.

After spending the first eight months of the year sitting on a gym floor, near a dugout, behind a backstop, or posted up in a ground blind, I finally get to photograph some football. It’s not that I don’t like shooting basketball, baseball, or softball (actually at the top of my list of favorites) it’s just that there is something unique about photographing football. In most sports I will be standing or sitting in one spot for a third or even half of a game. During football games I get to move around. Carrying upwards of 40 pounds of gear up and down the field can equate to a small workout…and sometimes vigorous depending on how good the offense is. After shooting the high school football game this past Friday featuring the Union Golden Knights and the Redbank Valley Bulldogs my quads were a little sore or the constant hurrying up and down the sidelines and standing a kneeling. Of course this starting to occur at about 48-72 post activity due to delayed onset muscle soreness (shout out to my fellow Exercise Physiology peeps!).

           September 2nd, 2011; Rimersburg, PA, USA; A Golden Knights receiver reaches for a catch in the first quarter against Redbank Valley in the season opener at Vidunas Stadium. The Redbank Valley Bulldogs defeat the Union Golden Knights 20-14.

September 2nd, 2011; Rimersburg, PA, USA; The Golden Knights bench reacts to a catch during the first quarter against Redbank Valley in the season opener at Vidunas Stadium. The Redbank Valley Bulldogs defeat the Union Golden Knights 20-14.

I’ve had the privilege of being Kent State’s sports photographer for the past few years so I’m no stranger to shooting football. I love the atmosphere of Division I College Football. But there is something about high school football (and all sports) that seems different. Even though there are less fans, smaller players, smaller stadiums; there are less people on the sidelines. During college games there seems to always be those people who make every person trying to do their job (i.e. photographer, videographer, writer, etc.) ask “what is this guy doing?” I’ve even had a guy step in front of me while I was trying to get a shot and as he stepped over the dotted yellow line (a big NO NO) right in front of my lens I stood there stunned at notion that someone actually let this guy have a field pass. This does not happen at high school games. In fact, at Friday’s game there were a few local newspaper photographers and a writer for one of the papers. I guess it just feels more comfortable being able to move into position without having to squeeze between a crowd of people who are simply in the way. And actually these can be some of best times to chat with the few fellow photographers during downtime, as I did at Friday night. There’s never usually a lot of us at small town high school games so when we see each other there’s usually a friendly conversation full of camera and lens talk that occurs.

Another thing I enjoy about shooting the high school games is that I’m not actually working. As a graduate of Union High School (nearly ten years ago) I still go back to photograph when I get some spare time. I also have cousins that are playing sports so that does make it more exciting that I get to watch them play. Much of what I’m doing at these games is photographing the cousins, practicing and refining my techniques, and posting the photos on my website to sale to the parents of the players. I think it’s more relaxing for me than the college games because I can usually be by myself just doing my job and that reduces the chances of missing a shot.

September 2nd, 2011; Rimersburg, PA, USA; Golden Knights receivers make a tackle after an interception during the first quarter against Redbank Valley in the season opener at Vidunas Stadium. The Redbank Valley Bulldogs defeat the Union Golden Knights 20-14.

As for the game, it did not end well for the Golden Knights. After a mistake made on the sidelines by which the down marker and the scoreboard read 3^rd down and was actually 4^th down the game ended as Senior QB Taylor Smith’s run fell short of the first down marker. The referees conversed and made the correct call of turnover on downs. As the Bulldogs were taking the only kneel down they needed to run the clock out you could feel the sense of downright heartbreak within the Union crowd.

September 2nd, 2011; Rimersburg, PA, USA; Golden Knights QB scrambles from defenders late in the fourth quarter against Redbank Valley in the season opener at Vidunas Stadium. The Redbank Valley Bulldogs defeat the Union Golden Knights 20-14.

One thing that I have learned in photography is that no matter what always keep shooting. I could have simply started to leave because my team didn’t win, but I know that there are still great shots to get when the game ends. In most cases, these are the best ones. Photos like the one below also give rise to the main reason I enjoy photographing high school sports. There is always emotion. It shows itself in victory and defeat. Quite often the raw emotions aren’t seen in high levels of sports. It may be that at the college level it is more of a job than an activity or sport so the athletes may be emotional attached to their respective sport they may act as though it’s just another day at the office. For high school athletes, most of them know that these will be the last games they will ever play and the realization of a proximate end will always fuel the way they play the game and emotions on their faces.

September 2nd, 2011; Rimersburg, PA, USA; A Redbank player celebrates the victory against Union in the season opener at Vidunas Stadium. The Redbank Valley Bulldogs defeat the Union Golden Knights 20-14.

I’ve been using Photoshelter to power my photography website. If you are a photographer looking to sell photos online you can use the link below to save some money on sign-up.

http://www.photoshelter.com/re​ferral/MA4BL3EU57

I’ve been using photoshelter for a few months and I have had more traffic to my website due to their search engine optimization and clean layouts. This is not your ordinary photography website. They have forums that will help you build your site and photography business as well as videos for support on customizing your website.

Shooting the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships: Part III

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Oklahoma gymnast Megan Ferguson during her Balance Beam routine in the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Ferguson finishes with a score 9.8125.

This is a post that is long overdue. I’d like to thank all the visitors to the blog that commented and emailed about the first two posts regarding the Women’s Gymnastics Championships. And a special Thanks to Gymnastics Coaching.com for the ping back to the blog posts…Much Appreciated!!! Hopefully, this blog post will give more insight into my experimentation during the Individual Event Finals on April 17, 2011 at the Wolstein Center.

Following the autograph session I was able to walk around the arena and photograph the signs, artwork, advertisements, media room, and floor layout for the meet. The workspace the photographers, writers, and SIDs had in the media room was probably the largest I’ve been in. It was in the auxiliary gym so there was a lot of room for tables, conference space, and the most important part…snacks!

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; A view of the media and hospitality room in the Wolstein Center for the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center.

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; A view of the media and hospitality room in the Wolstein Center for the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center.

I was also able to get in position to photograph the giant gymnastics symbol hanging from the ceiling with the NCAA Gymnastics Logo (on the projection screens) in the background. Snapping a few quick photos of the floor layout and arena was also an important item on my list. Since I was not hired to shoot any of the athletes I was mainly working on getting these types of shots along with trying to expand my portfolio and experience in photographing gymnastics. To give you some idea of what it’s like on the floor I included a shot of some fellow photographers in one of the designated areas between the floor exercise and uneven parallel bars.

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Gymnastics Symbols on display in the Event Finals of the 2011 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center.

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; A view of the setup for the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center.

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; Photographers working the 2011 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center.

 

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Georgia's Kat Ding during her Uneven Parallel Bars routine in the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center. Ding wins the Bars with a score of 9.9125.

Starting off the Individual Events were the finals in the Uneven Parallel Bars and the Vault. With the position I was in I wasn’t able to capture many great shots of the athletes on the Bars. However, I was able to capture Kat Ding of the University of Georgia during her winning Bars routine. For the Vault, I was looking for more of an artistic/abstract shot. Instead of the normal ‘frozen’ action shots I decided to dial down the shutter speed and get a motion shot of the athletes on their approach as they ran down the runway towards the vault. The exposure on my 1D Mark IV was set to ISO-250, f/3.5, and 1/30 second using the Canon 24-70 f/2.8L. These are tough shots to get (especially indoors and not having image stabilization). But when these types of shots hit they are beautiful. The key is to start shooting before the athlete is perpendicular to the camera and continue shooting past that point while keeping the camera as steady as possible. One problem that will occur when photographing a runner is their head will tend to move sporadically and the face can be blurred a bit, but it can add to image. One thing you may be asking is what is the purpose of the motion shot? Well, other than breaking up the monotony of frozen action shots it will also create a sense of motion in the photo and give the observing more sense and feel of the moment. Some like, some love it, some hate it. Either way it is a great way to mix up the feel of the photographs.

  

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; UCLA gymnast Brittani McCullough running down the runway during her first attempt in the vault during the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center. McCullough finishes with a score of 9.6125.

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oklahoma Gymnast Madison Mooring running down the runway during her first attempt in the vault during the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center. Mooring finishes second with a score of 9.8250.

 

Gymnastics can be a great sport to photograph those unique photos that give a sense of how the athletes prepare for competition. Items like chalk and wrist straps can add to a gymnastics album because they are very much a part of the experience. Instead of shooting the athletes blowing the excess chalk away from their hands I was able to get them in the process of applying chalk.

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Arkansas gymnast Amy Borsellino chalks up before her first attempt in the Vault during the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Borsellino finishes with a score 9.6938.

 

After the first cycle of athletes competed I decided to move to a higher position in the stands just to get a different perspective. Although there were some decent shots of the athletes competing in the Bars, the best shot I got was on the other end of the floor where the Gymnasts would end their Vault. The shot below shows Florida’s Marissa King in her pose after her winning Vault. A shot of just the athlete would be a plain, boring image, but having the fans in the background cheering makes an otherwise mediocre shot more powerful to the viewer’s eyes.

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Florida's Marissa King poses after her vault routine in the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center. King wins the Vault with a score of 9.8750.

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Illinois gymnast Melissa Fernandez during her Balance Beam routine in the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Fernandez finishes fifth with a score of 9.8375.

Once the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise Finals were going on I focused mainly on the balance beam because there was a better opportunity for a portfolio shot. As I had done in the semifinals on that Friday, I took advantage of the American Flag hanging from the rafters of the Wolstein Center and tried to get that into the background while shooting the Balance Beam. Again, I may have spent a few too many minutes trying get as good of a shot as I did on Friday but since I was shooting mainly for myself at this point I was willing to take more chances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Alabama gymnast Kayla Hoffman during her Balance Beam routine in the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Hoffman finishes second with a score 9.8875.

 

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Alabama gymnast Kayla Hoffman during her Balance Beam routine in the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Hoffman finishes second with a score 9.8875.

Even though Old Glory was a great addition to some of the photos I did try to get different perspectives and feels for the shots. One thing I like about shooting under natural light is that sometimes you can get the athlete to stand out in a black background. I know that the blur or bokeh of fans can make an athlete stand out from the background but when there is nothing behind the athlete beside black vacuous looking space it can give a certain look to the image that natural lighting cannot come close to.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; UCLA's Sam Peszek during her Balance Beam routine in the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center. Peszek wins the Balance Beam with a score of 9.9000.

From this angle, however, I was only able to get a few decent photographs of the Balance Beam Champion, UCLA’s Sam Peszek. There were a few of Peszek I got with the flag in the background but none of them stood out as much as the photo to the left showing her in the midst of her routine looking toward the judges. This is one thing I really love about shooting gymnastics. Even though the images of the athletes in an aerial or performing a backflip are great, the shots where they have their hands and arms in unique ‘model-like’ positions are eye-catching as well. This is one reason I will usually take about 1500-2000 photos for one gymnastics meet. There is so much to photograph other than the action that I am constantly reacting to each moment and pressing the shutter without thinking about how many photos I need to take. I just shoot whatever I can and sort it out later. Although the file sizes can put a significant dent in my hard drives I would rather have too many than come away without that one key shot or two that defines the meet. One of these shots can also be one that depicts emotion. As it was the biggest meet all season for the athletes anytime the gymnasts new that had performed well there would be a sense of accomplishment on their faces. In the photo below, the reaction of Alabama’s Kayla Hoffman after her dismount on Balance Beam shows how hard each of the athletes work to get to a moment like this. I can only imagine how long they have dreamt of having the opportunity perform at their highest during the biggest competition. 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Alabama gymnast Kayla Hoffman reacts emotionally after her Balance Beam routine in the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Hoffman finishes second with a score 9.8875.

One other photo I was hoping to get was one where a gymnast on the balance beam would be in the middle of the same pose that is on the gymnastics symbol hanging from the rafters. I will have to admit that I just missed this ‘perfect shot’ by a few nanoseconds but the photos I got from attempting it were pretty close to what I had imagined beforehand. One thought running through my mind (after the meet and as I’m typing this blog post) is that I should have gone up into the stands to shoot some of the Floor Exercise. What I came away with was great stuff but I think a wide action shot from a higher perspective and the entire arena in the photo would have been a great addition to the many photographs from the Individual Finals. That is one great thing about photography…if you are critical enough of your work you will always learn and grow from what you have done right and more so from what you have done wrong! 

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Utah gymnast Mary Beth Lofgren during her Balance Beam routine in the Event Finals of the NCAA Gymnastics Championship at the Wolstein Center. Ferguson ties for fifth with a score 9.8375.

To finish up the 2011 Women’s Gymnastics Individual Championships I worked my way into position between dozens of fellow photographers and got some shots of the awards being handed out to the winners.

1April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; Left to Right: University of Florida's Marissa King wins the Vault with a score of 9.8750, University of Georgia's Kat Ding wins the Uneven Parallel Bars with a score of 9.9125, UCLA's Sam Peszek wins Balance Beam with a score of 9.9000, and University of Alabama's Geralen Stack-Eaton wins Floor Exercise with a score of 9.9375.

 

After the meet, I also got a couple shots of the Individual Event winners talking to reporters in the conference room. Photographing a press conference is a completely different ball of wax! There is no true action shot, but you have to be patient and ready for that right moment where the person being interviewed is showing the true emotion of the moment. This moment is fleeting, but (as in all of sports photography) preparation is the key to capturing the right moment in history that will never be repeated!

April 17th, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; University of Florida's Marissa King talking to the media after winning the Vault in the 2011 NCAA Gymnastics Championships at the Wolstein Center.

 

If you have any comments, questions or thoughts about this post or any other post please feel free to leave a comment or contact me at matt@mvblissphoto.com or blog@mvblissphoto.com. Thanks for reading and viewing the photos!

 

Most Exciting “Play” in Baseball

May 26th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Bowling Green Head Coach Danny Schmitz argues balls and strikes at an umpire during the sixth inning of a game against Northern Illinois in the second round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Northern Illinois Huskies defeat the Bowling Green State Falcons 4-2.

 

If you ask 10 people what the most exciting play is during a baseball game you will most likely get 10 different answers. Some of the most common replies are a close play at the plate, a double play, inside-the-park homerun, a bases loaded double, and an unassisted triple play. However, there is one that I admire most. It’s not exactly a play, but it contains as much action as any double play or play at the plate can divvy up. Yep, you guessed it…Coaches getting in the face of an umpire after a bad call!

May 27th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Head Coach Scott Stricklin argues a call at first base in a game against Eastern Michigan in the semifinals of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Eastern Michigan Eagles defeat the Kent State Golden Flashes 4-2.

Baseball was my favorite sport to play and it was also the one that I played most. In the many games I participated in there was at least one time throughout each game I just wanted to walk up to an umpire and ask him “Are you serious!!!” However, I knew that I would most likely be thrown out for that game and the next. The other bad part about it was I was the catcher and I had to keep the peace to try to keep the strike zone to our favor. So any chance I had to do some brown-nosing I jumped at it. If an ump was missing strikes I would turn around and kindly ask “was that a bit low”, “did that just miss outside”, or another polite variation. I would even introduce myself and shake the hand of all the umpires before the game started. It may have got me a few more calls than normal. Having said this, there were definitely times I just wanted to slap him upside his mask! From this I can understand why coaches can get a little fired up after a bad call or a consistently bad strike zone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 27th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Central Michigan Head Coach Steve jaksa argues an umpire's call at second base in the 5th inning against Miami in the semifinals of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Miami Redhawks advance to the championship game by defeating the Central Michigan Chippewas 5-2.

 

 

You won’t see many high school baseball coaches getting in the face of an ump, but it will happen in college baseball. Every time the coach makes his decision to leap onto the field and make a B-line towards the victim of what will be a verbal bashing, there is always an intense and exuberant mood with the crowd. Fans from the coaches team are cheering and there is a Duke’s mixture of boos and “throw em out” from the other fans. The excitement of it all is almost too much! You get yelling, action, cheering, booing and celebration all at one time. With all that emotion wrapped up into one argumental package that is why I consider it the most exciting “play” in all of baseball (and possibly all of sports)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love looking at other photographers’ work and since the Golden Flashes are playing their regional games in Texas I get the chance to see how other photographers shoot the baseball team. One of the best shots I’ve seen of a coach arguing was taken by Eric Gay of the Associated Press where KSU Head Coach Scott Stricklin was tossed from their game against Texas in the semifinals of the Austin Regional (link). The faces the coaches make are what makes the shot and Eric nailed it on this one. I will end this post (meant to be light and a look at the humorous side of a sometimes serious situation) with another argument captured from this past baseball season.

May 10th, 2011; Kent, OH, USA; Xavier Head Coach Scott Googins argues a call in the 6th inning of a seven inning game (second of a doubleheader) at Schoonover Stadium after Xavier's first base coach was thrown out of the game for arguing the call. The Kent State Golden Flashes defeat the Xavier Musketeers 3-2.

 

Photographing the 2011 MAC Baseball Championships

May 27th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Bliss relaxes by the scoreboard between innings of a game featuring Western Michigan vs. Central Michigan in the third round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Central Michigan Chippewas advance by defeating the Western Michigan Broncos 13-12 while the Broncos are eliminated from the tournament.

May 27th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Eastern Michigan Sophomore Pitcher Kristian Calibuso (9) celebrates with Junior Catcher Matt Hitt (8) after defeating Northern Illinois 12-11 in ten innings in the third round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium.

Similar to last years MAC Baseball Tournament, I shot most of the games. The Conference hired me to shoot the awards ceremony and the championship game, but since I was already there for the entire week I decided to get more experience and went ahead and shot everything I could. The only games I wasn’t able to photograph to their entirety were the 9 a.m. games. Most of the days I was downloading and backing up photos in the hotel room until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Since I knew that I was going to be there all day I got as much sleep as possible and arrived to catch the last inning or two of these games. As luck would have it, a couple of these games ended in walk-off hits. The celebrations that ensued were excellent opportunities to get great celebration shots, which can be more powerful images than action shots.

The artillery that used for the 2011 MAC Baseball Tournament were: 2 Canon 1D Mark IV Bodies, Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, Canon 17-40mm f/4L and a Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. Other items in my Think Tank Airport Security bag were the Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Lexar Card Reader, 2 Canon 580 EXII Flashes, extra batteries, numerous Lexar CF Cards and my Dell XPS Computer. How do I manage all this? The Think Tank modular belt system is the best way I have found to carry much of the extras around while I’m shooting. The 70-200mm is hanging off my shoulder with the 400mm as the main lens.

Now, back to the action. Baseball (and Softball) is one of those sports where peak action shots (plays at second, diving catches, etc.) don’t happen all that often. However, when it happens it will be fleeting so a photographer needs to be as prepared as possble so that when these situations pop up they can get the shot. One example are plays a home. This is where knowing the sport will help in your preparation. If a there is a runner on second and that team is down by a run or the game is tied I will prepare myself for a close play at home by positioning myself behind home plate up against the backstop netting. I will also pre-focus, set the exposure, and zoom length necessary to get the play at home. One of the questions I’ve been asked many times before from fans and other photographers is “Doesn’t the netting get in the way”? The answer is ‘No…well kind of”. If you are close enough to the net it will not show up in the photos nor will the camera focus on the net. However, depending on the length of the lens, if you step back a bit it will start to cause problems in the autofocus and show up in the photos. With the 400mm I’ve can usually be about 20 feet or so away from the net with no problem. A wide angle lens cannot be used this way unless, as I do every so often, you create an artistic style shot. Here are a couple close plays from the 4 day tournament.

May 25th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Central Michigan Senior Infielder Brendan Emmett (12) is tagged out at home plate by Western Michigan Sophomore Catcher Dustin Ditsworth (20) during their first round matchup of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Western Michigan Broncos defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas 9-7.

 

May 27th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Central Michigan Senior Infielder Robbie Harman (20) is tagged out by Western Michigan Sophomore Infielder Patrick Duncan (17) while attempting to steal second base the third round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Central Michigan Chippewas defeat the Western Michigan Broncos 13-12.

 

 

May 26th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Miami Junior Outfielder Ryan Brenner (7) slides under the tag of Western Michigan Junior Infielder Zach Thoma (4) in the second round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Miami Redhawks defeat the Western Michigan Broncos 12-2.

Another type of photograph I like to get sometimes is the profile shot. I usually use the 400m for this shot. The profile shot is usually concentrating on one player or coach and I frame the shot so they are on one side of the photo looking into the rest of the photo (which is usually blurred). I see this type of photograph used by other photographers and I think it is an important shot to get. Even though KSU doesn’t usually use these photos I never know when or who will need a shot like this. Besides I think it’s a great way of capturing someone in a portrait without it being a portrait…I know it sounds confusing! Let me put it this way, it’s the best way in my mind to look into the soul of a person with a portrait shot without them knowing they are being photographed. You will get the true expression.

May 26th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Pitching/Assistant Coach Mike Birkbeck during a game against Eastern Michigan in the second round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Kent State Golden Flashes defeat the Eastern Michigan Eagles 5-4.

May 26th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Head Coach Scott Stricklin looks on while his team bats in the second inning of a game against Eastern Michigan in the second round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Kent State Golden Flashes defeat the Eastern Michigan Eagles 5-4.

May 26th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Junior Outfielder Joe Koch (11) prepares for his at bat in the third inning of a game against Eastern Michigan in the semifinals of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Eastern Michigan Eagles defeat the Kent State Golden Flashes 4-2.

May 25th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Western Michigan Junior Brian Stroud (26) delivers a pitch at Central Michigan Sophomore Infielder Reid Rooney (2) during the seventh inning of their first round matchup in the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Western Michigan Broncos defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas 9-7.

As with any baseball game the pitchers are an important part to photograph. I always get shots of the all the pitchers for each team. You never know when a perfect game or no-hitter will show up so it’s good to have a couple shots of the most popular player on the field, no matter which team you are photographing. I usually started each game along the 3^rd baseline and worked my way over to the first baseline. This is very common among baseball photographers. Much of the action is coming towards first base so later on in the game that is where you want to be. However, since I had the freedom to move around without any trouble at VA Memorial Stadium I would go back and forth for a couple games just to change it up a bit. I would also shoot behind the backstop quite of bit. I got some of my best shots of the pitchers behind from behind home plate and I also got a couple diving plays shooting from this position. From behind the backstop there is less chance of someone getting in my way…this happens more often than most people may think. Even though I came away with great images there were many instances where another player or umpire stepped in my way of the shot. And although it can be discouraging I just keep shooting as this is one of the things a sports photographer must learn to deal with.

I wouldn’t be able to finish this post by talking about the celebration shots from the Championship Game where Kent State defeated Miami 11-0. Last year I goofed up a bit on the celebration on the mound and luckily I got one good one. But this year I prepared myself for the moment. Once there were two outs I positioned myself along the 3^rd base line and put my 400mm away and put the 17-40mm on one of the Mark IVs with the 70-200mm on the other Mark IV. Since the sun was shining with no clouds I was able to set the aperture to f/7.1 on both cameras while keeping a 1/1250 shutter speed and an ISO of 500. That way if my focus was off a bit the shot would still be usable with a deeper depth of field. Getting the players dumping the water and ice on Coach Strickland was lucky in that I just happened to see him being interviewed following the win and decided to get a shot or two of the interview.

May 28th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Junior Catcher David Lyon (36) and Senior Pitcher Justin Gill (19) celebrate after defeating Miami in the Championship Game of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Kent Stat Golden Flashes defeat the Miami Redhawks 11-0 and marks three consecutive MAC Championships for the Flashes along with a regular season title in 2011.

May 28th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Senior Ben Klafczynski (30) and Senior Pitcher Kyle Hallock (5) shower Head Coach Scott Stricklin with ice after defeating Miami in the Championship Game of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Kent Stat Golden Flashes defeat the Miami Redhawks 11-0 and marks three consecutive MAC Championships for the Flashes along with a regular season title in 2011.

May 28th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Junior Pitcher David Starn (37) congratulates Sophomore Pitcher Andrew Chafin (39) for receiving MAC All-Tournament Team Honors. The Kent Stat Golden Flashes defeat the Miami Redhawks 11-0 and marks three consecutive MAC Championships for the Flashes along with a regular season title in 2011.

May 28th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Junior Pitcher David Starn (37) and Junior Pitcher Kyle McMillen (23) celebrate their third straight MAC Tournament Title with teammates after defeating Miami. The Kent Stat Golden Flashes defeat the Miami Redhawks 11-0 and marks three consecutive MAC Championships for the Flashes along with a regular season title in 2011.

I’m not sure if I will be around to photograph another MAC Baseball Championship but I am thankful I was able to shoot the past two tournaments. Having KSU win both of them made it that much better. I can’t even begin to explain everything I have learned in the past two years and I am positive that it will lead to more sports photography gigs and hopefully, one day, shooting bigger events like a the College World Series or MLB.

Another Showdown Against Eastern Michigan

May 27th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Kent State Sophomore Center fielder Evan Campbell (14) dives for a fly ball against Eastern Michigan in the semifinals of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. The Eastern Michigan Eagles defeat the Kent State Golden Flashes 4-2 and the two teams will play an elimination game with the winner advancing to the Championship Game.

As I sit here awaiting the start of an elimination game featuring Kent State and Eastern Michigan in the MAC Baseball Tournament in Chillicothe I feel tension in the air. The Golden Flashes and the Eagles have will be facing each other for twelfth time in the past two season. Three games each regular season and three times each of the past two MAC Tournaments. The tension doesn’t seem anger but more of an anticipation. The two teams know each other and they know what to expect. They just have to go out a play ball…nothing more! As in last years MAC Tournament this game will decide who advances to the Championship game set to play later this afternoon and the loser drowns their sorrows in the back of a bus seat. I’m hoping for a great game and exciting plays; which is all I ask from any game. I’m here do a job and it will help if there are a few diving plays, plays at second, and close calls at home. I’m also a fan though and I love seeing well played baseball no matter who the winner is. Good Luck to the Flashes!

Learning to Shut My Mouth!

May 26th, 2011; Chillicothe, OH, USA; Rain clouds cover the sky above VA Memorial Stadium in the 5th inning of a game featuring Eastern Michigan vs. Kent State in the second round of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament. The winner will move on to round three  while the go against Northern Illinois in a losers bracket game tomorrow morning.

So…just as I made a post about how the severe weather did not arrive in Chillicothe, it did! As of now I’m sitting in the press box waiting for the rain delay to end here in the top of the 6th inning. Kent State is due up when the game resumes and are trailing 4-2. It hasn’t rained a lot but enough to mess the game up. Even though the entire surface is field turf there is no way to play in heavy downpours or when there’s lightning in the area. I’m just hoping that Kent has some lightning in their bats as they need to get a few more runs on the board to pull this game out.

As I look around the mood seems light with the fans! This is the one great thing about a rain delay. I get to partake in one of my favorite activities…people watching! It’s always interesting to see how people pass the time.