SUPER MOON REDUX

The new year started off with a Super Moon (or Wolf Moon), the first full moon of January. I barely got pictures of it as it was high in the sky. (See my January 2^nd post.) My second chance came on January 31^st as the second Super Moon in January, also called a Blood Moon arrived. It was the confluence of a Super Moon, Blood Moon, and a Lunar Eclipse. This was the first time in more that 150 years. This time I was prepared. With the help of a friends’ star tracking app, I was able to identify the best time and place for photos. Right around sunrise the full moon would be setting in the west. My hope was that the eclipse would be partially over the moon at a time when its proximity to the horizon would make it look even larger.  

Visions of a partially eclipsed moon looming reddish and large over the open fields of Ida Lee Park went through my mind as I crawled out of bed and faced the 19-degree weather. But it was not to be. A layer of haze hung over the horizon. Occasional breaks gave an opportunity for a few photos as the moon was descending. But the moon was not near the horizon. A dark cloud came in and the moon disappeared well before I could get photos of the moon and the landscape together. A couple shots came out okay. The first was the moon looking yellowish as it was transitioning into the reddish phase of the eclipse. The other was of the moon viewed through haze. Maybe the eclipse next year will turn out better!

NOT ALL ACTION IS ON THE COURT

Photos of players in action tell a story of the game. But that is only part of the event. Coaches, cheerleaders, and fans provide a glimpse of the drama and excitement, or lack thereof, surrounding the game. The look of anxiety or concern on a coach’s face. Referees discussing the game during breaks. Students pretending to be ESPN broadcasters. Cheerleaders with posters for the senior players. All combine to make up the tapestry that is high school basketball. 

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S GAME

More decades ago than I care to admit, our high school girls basketball games were slow and not taken very seriously. They played right after school was done for the day and used a running clock, which shortened the playing time. Participation was limited primarily to the season. They never had the opportunity to fully develop their skills. Thanks to Title VII, girls now have opportunities in sport that their grandmothers never did. The level of training and coaching has elevated their play dramatically. The level of intensity on the faces of these girls from Tuscarora High School and Stone Bridge High School earlier this week shows how serious they are about the sport. 

BUSY JANUARY

Photography usually takes a back seat in January as the winter weather turns vegetation dull and uninteresting and snow is intermittent in the mid-Atlantic. Of course, there are chances as a few storms come through and leave blankets of snow, ice, or a mixture. Maybe I am just not imaginative enough to see the opportunities. Nonetheless, January is usually a time where I don’t take a lot of photos. That is until I started shooting the girls basketball team last year. It is more of the same this year. But this January has some additional activity and success – My boss’ retirement ceremony and the annual Martin Luther King Jr. March here in Leesburg added lots of opportunities. All this has led to a backlog of photos to sort through and edit.

One of my goals for the year was to get more photos published in the paper. Lucky timing has helped to meet that goal. Yesterday’s edition of the Loudoun Times Mirror was the fourth straight edition to publish one or more of my photos. First, a shot of the football coach was used to announce his resignation. The next two weeks saw one of the photos for a blurb about a player breaking her school scoring record followed by three photos for a feature on her and her sister. Yesterday’s edition had a photo from a game where the undefeated team was upset. The pictures were good, but being at the right place at the right time was the biggest contributor getting them posted.  

Time to go edit some photos and post them later. 

WOLF MOON/SUPER MOON TO START THE YEAR

Yesterday was the start of a new year – 2018. Wow. Where does time go? It got off to a nice start with a Super Moon, also called the Wolf Moon - the first full moon of January.  I came home the evening of New Year's Day and was greeted with a nice sight of the moon looking much larger than normal. I didn't have time to set the camera on a tripod before it went behind the trees. But I was able to get a few shots. 

MY YEAR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

2017 has been a memorable year of twists and turns causing stress and anxiety for people around the globe.  The events and their implications will be debated in history books for decades. This post is not about them. It is about how photography brought me great joy. So, in the waning hours of 2017, I want to recap my year of photography.

The year began with photographing the Tuscarora High School Girls Basketball Team.  The Coach, who worked with my wife, asked her if I would take pictures at their games. One of my pictures the previous season was printed in the Loudoun Times Mirror.  He wanted the team to get more press coverage.  Of course I said I would. He gave me a pass so I could get into the games for free. In January, February, and March I spent a lot of time at girls basketball games and a couple boys games.  A few of my photos made it to the print editions of the LTM, while several others were posted on their website.

A photographer friend did me a huge favor for the last home game. It was their regional championship game. He let me borrow his Canon EF2.8 70-200mm L series lens. The jump in quality was amazing. The price tag was too high at the time. However, after having another photo published in September, my wife encouraged me to buy the lens. It has been a workhorse for me ever since.

The experiences with photographing the basketball team planted a seed of taking my hobby more seriously. This blog was a product of the heightened interest. I went into it with some hesitation because I didn’t think I had much to add to the discussion over the craft and its techniques. It began as a way of combining photography and writing hobbies to keep my thoughts together and keep track of what I accomplish. The few comments I received so far were a surprise because I have not promoted the site or let many people know about it.

After taking pictures sporadically over the summer, it kicked into high gear in the fall.  One of the seniors at the high school asked my wife if I would come out an take pictures at their first game of the season. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige. After the LTM printed a photo from the game, we bought my new lens and the school Athletic Director gave me a Media Pass. I photographed at all of the team’s football games all the way to the State championship game. Along the way, the LTM and the Alexandria Gazette Packet printed some of my photos and posted many more.

My biggest photographic disappointment of the year was the Fall colors. We had a lot of rain this year and the foliage was looking good. Everyone expected the leaves to be very colorful, but it was not meant to be.  The weather stayed warm longer than normal and made some abrupt changes. The colors were dull and inconsistent. They were so dull that my landscape photographer friends didn’t make any treks to get pictures.

My year is rounding out with the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams again. They are a very strong team with a 9-0 record so far. I’ve only been to a few games so far due to conflicts with the football schedule. But once they get started in 2018 you can bet I will be there to capture what may be a run for the State title. If so, I plan to be there.

2018 promises to be a good year for my photography. I have been tapped to take photos at my boss’ retirement ceremony. This is nothing new – I photographed three retirement ceremonies for Coast Guard – but I hope to do better with my newer equipment and skills. I will be taking more sports photos beyond basketball, including soccer, lacrosse, and maybe volleyball. Some many things to photograph!!

TOUCHING MOMENTS

Some readers may be drawn in by the headline with expectations that this entry will talk about those moments where the underdog overcomes great obstacles to finally win a championship. Or a player extends a hand of friendship to a losing player to comfort them in their moment of sorrow.  This entry is not about those moments.

The touching moments I am talking about are those rare fractions of a second where an athlete is barely in contact with the ball. It takes a lot of luck to capture such a moment. Shooting basketball and football games over the past year have produced a few. Shots of the quarterback making a pass or a receiver catching the ball generally show the ball inches away from the hand, or in firm contact.  Basketball games have a lot of contact as players dribble or shoot, but tipoffs are harder to get because they only occur once a game, or maybe twice if you are lucky. Last winter, I was lucky to capture a tipoff when BOTH players are just touching the ball simultaneously. This past Sunday at the State Title Football Game, I got lucky again and got the football just as it was leaving the quarterback's fingers. Lots of luck was involved.