A Little News

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Oh, that one has been taken hasn’t it. Okay, a really long time ago when I was still in grad school I came home to North Alabama for a visit and while I was here I thought I would go up to Nashville and apply for an internship. I felt like I was a pretty good sports photographer so I was very heavy in sports action photos in my portfolio. Man, I didn’t realize how deluded about my own work I was but that photo editor sure shattered all my delusions. I left that brief interview with a recommendation that I find another line of work. Just before that stinging rebuke, he dropped a gem in my lap. That editor told me if I was going to shoot sports to look off the field every now and then and shoot things other than action.

Shooting the edges is not only good sports advice, it will serve you well in the rest of your assignments. Some of the most significant photos you will ever shoot are the ones that are happening on the edges of the “event” you are assigned to cover. Here are a few shots for you to peruse. This first shot is from a typical Friday night football assignment that happened to have a terrific sky to work with. This is all available light shot with a D2H and a 17-35 f2.8. You should always have your wide glass with you even when shooting sports. You just never know.

This next shot is from the Downtown Criterium. For those of you who were as ignorant of cycling as I was, this is a bike race that resembles a NASCAR event without the noise. Having never shot one of these before, the temptation was to focus exclusively on the action. My paper, however, places a premium on feature photos so we are always looking for them. I got this little jewel of a guy training on a stationery bike while talking to his wife and baby. The mural is of the Old State Bank which is a landmark in Decatur so I had a relevant feature from an event making its debut in the City. That is another tip that is free with admission. Keep you eye open for place tie ins. Anytime you shoot something that has a visual cue in it, the photo just reads that much more completely.

The final photo is a testament to getting to an assignment early. We always have to shoot features of cheerleaders and band members from each school we cover. This night, I arrived about thirty minutes early with means I was about forty five minutes before game time. (That is not normal. Most of the time my schedule is too tight for that but make the most of each opportunity.) These girls were hanging out together on the sidelines away from their cheering mates and I was able to get a shot while they were still ignoring me. Another example of having the 17-35 handy. Had I shown up with only my long glass, this shot would not have happened. Keep your eyes on the action but every now and then turn away and see what else is going down. You will find some real winners on the periphery.

Photos copyright The Decatur Daily. The views in this blog are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.