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!

THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS

Spring has been a busy time. I missed almost a month of taking photos. The latter part of April gave me the chance to get back onto the fields to shoot spring sports 0 Softball, soccer, lacrosse.  That kept me busy, almost too busy. Games would take a couple hours followed by two or three hours of editing. But I didn’t mind because the paper was publishing a lot of the game photos on their website. And I enjoyed it. There wasn’t much diversity in the photos other then the difference in sports. Visits to my Mother gave me a much needed break from sports only shooting. Birds! She has bird feeders, suet cakes, hummingbird feeders, Oriole feeders and a tray of sunflower seeds. Mating season, and the associated bright colors, is in full swing for the birds.  It has been decades since I saw an Oriole, but her feeder brought them in! Blue Jays, Bluebirds, Cardinals, Goldfinches, Purple Finches, Woodpeckers, Catbirds, Sparrows, and others, along with squirrels, showed up. This post is for the birds.

USING A CELLPHONE CAMERA

Good scenes can show up when you don’t have your primary camera with you. How often have you said, “I wish I had my camera with me”? A camera with the adjustments needed to fully capture the beauty or mood of the scene is great to have handy. But you can’t always lug one around. Fortunately, almost everyone today carries a cellphone with a built-in camera.

Early versions of cellphone cameras were relatively low resolution when Nokia and Sanyo introduced them in 2002. Technology has improved dramatically with every new version on cell phones since then. Today, they provide high resolution images and videos and the ability to edit in the phone’s camera app. They can provide images that are great for posting on social media or just capturing a moment.  Photo albums are now being replaced by cell phone photo libraries.

Harrisburg Railroad Bridge iPhone Image

The Harrisburg Hospital sits along the east bank of the Susquehanna River, a very scenic river. The dining area is called the Seven Bridges Café, which provides a great view of the bridges and the cityscape. My Canon was at home, so I made do with my iPhone camera. When leaving the hospital, the light of the setting sun was hitting the arches and abutments of the old railroad bridge and leaving interesting patterns of light and shadow. I had one of those “I wish I had my camera moments.” But at least there was an iPhone in my pocket to capture the moment.

Harrisburg Market Street Presbyterian Church iPhone Image

The spire of the Market Street Presbyterian Church is visible from the hospital’s café. Again, the cellphone camera provided the opportunity to capture the view.  

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

Winter is holding on. Spring flowers are hiding underground. But that doesn’t stop devotees of the beautiful game – soccer! Yes, it was very cold a few nights ago but the Tuscarora High School stadium lights beckoned. So off I went to practice my soccer photography skills. It wasn’t long and my fingers and toes were stinging with the cold. My plan was to stay for a short while just to practice. Could I stick to the plan? Are you kidding? I’m a soccer fan! Here are a few of the photos I was able to capture that frigid night.

BREAK NEEDED

It has been a long time since I posted. A very busy basketball season just ended. It seemed like I was either taking photos or editing photos every evening.  One week there were five playoff games that I shot. But that is all behind me now. As much fun as it was, it became tedious at times. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I learned a lot out of it. Now it is a wait until the spring colors come out or its warm enough that shooting spring sports is comfortable. Maybe I can use the break to develop some posts that I have been thing about. 

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.