STORM CLOUDS

We had a storm front move through last week leaving us with some interesting clouds as the last remnants passed by.

BUSY TIME OF YEAR

It's a busy time of year. All the holiday parties, events, and activities. On top of that, the winter sports seasons are getting into high gear. Now it seems like there are two games a week to sheet as opposed to only one or two during the fall. Finding time to post on this blog has been tough. 

On Christmas day, a couple Purple Finches paid us a visit. A Blue Jay stopped by also, but left before I could get a photo. There will be more to come over the winter. 

SORGHUM FIELDS PROVIDE SOME COLOR

The fall leaves left a lot to be desired this year. However, several fields of sorghum remain throughout lower Path Valley in Pennsylvania. Their rusty orange/reddish colored heads stand in sharp contrast to the pale stalks and surrounding areas of varying shade of dull. Well, except for some green in the fields. 

A FLASH OF FALL

Weather in the mid-Atlantic states was warmer than normal this year. Also a lot wetter.  This gave many people hopes for the brightest fall colors in years.  But it was not to be. As of the third week in October, the trees were still mostly green. Our dogwood trees started turning a few weeks earlier but that a frost was needed to turn the other trees. By the last week of the month there was little more that these dark red leaves and bright red seeds of our dogwood tree to satisfy my search for fall colors. Yes, there were some other colors, but not much. We took a week long trip to California and returned to find ...... Blah. Rains and wind had brought down most of the colorful leaves. Some trees had a lot of leaves that were just a weathered brownish. Better luck next year, I guess. Meanwhile, I am enjoying this little flash of fall. 

VETERANS/ARMISTICE/REMEMBRANCE DAY

November 11 is a day to remember and thank veterans who served their country. The holiday arose after World War I, the Great War as originally called, ended with an armistice between allied forces and Germany was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Allied countries began commemorating the day with national holidays named Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. Germany does not celebrate the holiday but designate it as a national day of mourning. The United States renamed the holiday Veterans Day in 1954 to honor veterans of all conflicts.

The American Legion Post 232 in Dry Run held their Veterans Day service, which included a Post Everlasting Ceremony to honor my father and the other members who passed away during the year. A very somber moment occurs when three rile bearers and a comrade with a brazier stack the rifles and the Commander says, "The Adjutant will place and American Legion cap on the rifles in remembrance of our fellow Comrades' service to our Country in the military of the United States." A single light illuminated the rifles and cap to focus our attention on the symbol of their passing.

ANATOMY OF A KICK

Football has fairly unique scoring rules. No one point for a goal or trip around the bases. For football, the big opportunity is the touchdown worth 6 points. The icing on the cake is the extra point, or a much harder 2-point conversion. Then there is a 3-point field goal, a consolation prize for failing to get the touchdown. Throw in a 2-point safety into the mix and you have a lot of scoring combinations. It is no wonder that the extra point and the field goal are so important and frequently make the difference in the outcome.

Anyone who watches much football know that the extra point is almost a given – almost. Most are made. Field goals can be more difficult because the distance can vary and start from one side or the other of the middle. Most of the pressure and attention go to the kicker, as well as the blame for a miss. But an often overlooked aspect of a successful kick is how well the kicking team works together in a matter of mere seconds.

The holder is the cornerstone. He picks the spot for the hold at just the right distance behind the center.  Once the ball is snapped back to him, he needs to catch it and quickly place and position the ball on the ground in a manner that gives the kicker the best chance for success. The laces need to be facing away from the kicker. The ball has to be held straight because a tilt one way or the other may send it off to the side. The holder's hand has to be positioned so it doesn't interfere with the kick. All this must be done while the kicker is rapidly approaching. Just a minor error and it all goes bad. Here is a series of photos showing the anatomy of a good hold.

Waiting for the snap

Dropping the ball to the ground. (Notice that the white strips are facing in the wrong direction. They need to be facing away from the kicker.)

Spinning the ball to face the right direction.

The ball is on the ground but is still being turned. The kicker is approaching.

The holder has turned to ball and put it in perfect position as the kicker is about to plant his foot. Gotta move that left hand quickly!

The kicker’s leg is in motion as the holder keeps only one finger on the ball.

And away it goes! A successful extra point!!

SUNFLOWERS

Path Valley in Pennsylvania has some beautiful farms and mountain backdrops. My earlier post showed how green it is this year. This past weekend there was an addition - a field of sunflowers near the Long-Vu hill. The bright mid-day sun brought out the colors. The shots came out nicely even though it wasn't the optimal time of day to take the photos.

HUMMINGBIRDS (AND AN ANGRY YELLOW JACKET!)

HUMMINGBIRDS (AND A YELLOW JACKET)

Fall is just around the corner and animals are getting ready. The male hummingbirds are gone, leaving the females to keep feeding before that fly south. I was enjoying taking pictures of the hummers flying into the feeder when something strange happened. One of the yellow jackets that were enjoying the feeder took great offense at sharing it. The yellow jacket started chasing the hummer away every time it tried to get back to the feeder. Here is a photo that captures one of their standoffs, along with some others of the hummingbirds. 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ARE BACK!!

The end of summer brings back high school football and with it the time-honored ritual of packing your stadium to cheer on the local team as they face the adversary from that other town. Rivalries form and increase the excitement and intensity of the atmosphere. Our local team had their first home game of the season last night in one of their toughest tests for the season. The Friday night lights were shining bright, the fans were energized, the players fighting hard. Then it came to half time and a thunderstorm decided to add its own lights! The second half had to be played this morning - I guess we can call that Saturday morning clouds.

A big benefit of being a sports photographer is the opportunity to be at field level with a closeup view of the action. You almost feel like you are part of the action. Clearly, the nuances of facial expressions are easier to see as are the shouts of the players to one another. Lots of excitement. Here are some shots from the game. (Support your local team!)

GREEN AUGUST!

August in south central Pennsylvania is always marked by a dry landscape of washed out pale greens or browns. Rain comes only in the form of thunderstorms that may drop lots of rain, but it evaporates quickly. Hay fields stop growing and the plants wither. Corn fields start losing their vibrancy and the edges of the leaves begin to turn a yellowish brown. To sum up the views in a word – blah.

This August is different! Rainy days have been the norm. They have been spread out evenly over the summer. What would normally be dull is now bright green. The different crops provide a patchwork of greens from the dark green of the corn fields to bright green pastures and different shades between.  Here are some photos of the fields along Route 75 through Path Valley Pennsylvania.

Farm near Doylesburg

Barn and silo near Doylesburg

The Knob separating Path and Amberson Valleys

View to the north between Willow Hill and Spring Run

Field south of Metal - a long term landmark in the valley

View of the entrance to Path Valley from Lemar Road

LIGHTNING!

 Lightning is an amazing phenomenon. Electric charges build up in the clouds until it can no longer contain it. A bolt of bright white energy streaks from the clouds to whatever is nearby. Destruction and injury, even death, can happen. But the jagged streaks have the potential to create beautiful images.

Several years ago, a thunderstorm passed overhead that was mostly a light show with little rain. The lightning was going from cloud to cloud instead of hitting the ground. I grabbed my camera and put on a Canon EF-S 18-55mm/f3.5 lens and set it at 18 mm to maximize the amount of sky. I stood in the opening to our deck and started shooting, hoping for the best. I tried some different settings until I settled on a shutter speed at 0.3 seconds with a low ISO of 100 at f3.5. 

Finally I hit paydirt! These bolts started in the distance and worked their way until they were almost overhead. I sent the photo to our local TV station that usually shows pictures of weather events submitted by viewers. Mine was shown and the weatherman made comments about how dramatic the shot was.  They did a little photo editing. The top photo is a truer rendition of the colors during the storm.

Canon Rebel XTi with EF-S 18-55 lens set at 18mm. f3.5, ISO 100 with 0.3 second exposure

TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS

Sports have always been a big part of my life. Soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball in high school, college, and in adult leagues kept me active through most of my playing life. Then there was distance running to stay fit. Along came children and with it came years of coaching and refereeing soccer, watching swimming and cheerleading. But the one sport I never participated in or watched was track and field. My high school was too small to have a team. My children didn’t participate in it. My wife ran track in high school, but that was long before I met her. So, it was with some excitement that I jumped on a chance to watch something new and take pictures of a track meet at our local high school.  

The events themselves were not new to me, but the sequence of events and where the athletes would be positioned were things I needed to figure out. The shot put and discus area were roped off making it hard for me to get into position so I headed to the long jump area and focused on the jumps. The low sun behind the athletes made it hard to shoot but some good shots came out. Once the hurdles were set up, I moved into position and got some great shots. Relays and distance runs came next. All in all, I enjoyed the day and captured some good images. I never did get the shot put or discus, but there is always next year!

THE EYES HAVE IT!

The eyes are the windows to the soul, they say. But in sports photography, they are the key to the action. A fellow photographer told me to try to get the player's eyes in the pictures that I send to the paper. Easier said than done when it is football season, lacrosse season, or softball season when player wear masks that hide their faces. But I was lucky enough to get some good ones. Below are some shots where the eyes play a prominent role. 

Looking for the receiver before a touchdown pass.

Catcher focused on the ball.

Catcher looking for a play at first base

Lacrosse defender tracking an opponent

Several soccer players watching for a pass

Keeping his eyes on the ball!

Looking for the goal!