Sports Photography

I don't post many photos to this blog twice, but this one was submitted to a competition yesterday and I thought I would share it with you one more time. This is the photo that is currently on my home screen of my iPod and it's been there for quite some time. I love many things about this photo including the composition, the lighting, the show of talent, the show of strength, and the fact that it's my son.

Would you like to do this for a living

While on the field last week I was asked this very question "would you like to do this for a living?" The answer is an absolute yes of course. Not many people get to photograph sporting events for a living, and I was fortunate enough to meet some of those very people last Saturday. Being on the field and capturing a sporting event is exhilarating. Knowing the sport is key to capturing those pivotal moments, but finding those photographs that have not been taken is a challenge and I hope that my imagery shows this. Capturing the story of the game is a lot more than photographing the key play or the pivital event. It's the look on the players faces after they make a great play or while they watch the clock tick down. It's the capturing of the sidelines as well as what's on the field. I love sports photography and all of the opportunities that arise on the field and off.

Lake Orion Football Home Game

I had an amazing time this Friday Night at the Lake Orion Varsity Football game. Being on the field and taking pictures is an awesome experience. Below are some of my images from the game, or you can see all of the photos at the following link: Lake Orion Football 9/5/2008

I try to tell stories with my photos, so some of these images are not just the standard "guy with football" photo (although I take those shots too.) I took some amazing shots on the sideline that really tell the complete story of the game instead of just what's happening on the field. When photographing an event, it's good to shoot the game with a theme in mind. It helps me the photographer to stay focused on specific aspects of the game without getting overwhelmed with everything that is going on. For this game I had two themes. The first was called "Freshmen Quarterback" since the quarterback is a good friend of the family and the primary reason for my presence on the field. The other theme was "Sideline View." Since this was my first sideline appearance as a photographer I thought I would capture the view from the sidelines as the players and coaches see it.

On with the show:
This first image is the game ball waiting to be thrown, punted, passed, and carried.

Next we have the captivated ball boy waiting to replace the ball once Lake Orion had possession again.

These over-the-shoulder shots really strike me because they give you the perspective of the player or coach as he watches the team in action.

Ok, one more over the shoulder shot, but this one was done with a trendy lifestyle photography style in mind.

Here's the Freshman Quarterback putting his arm around my son's shoulders. My son asked if he could come on the sidelines toward the end of the game so I brought him in, but next thing I knew he was tapping the quarterback on the shoulder and saying "hi." Before I could tell hem to get back on the sidelines and not disturbe the players, I had to take a shot. This moment impressed me a great deal and showed me the kind of person that Sean is. He welcomed my Son and even involved him in the sideline festivities a bit.

The quarterback is a leader on and off the field, and here he is on the field taking charge of the game.

Notice how the ball hovers in the air in this next shot. This was a touchdown pass!

One of my better shots of the quarterback before he was tackled. By the way, I almost got run over taking this shot.

Another part of the story of this game, here's the team walking back on the field with confidence after half time.

Final score Lake Orion 24, West Bloomfield 15. It was an amazing game and a great time to shoot.

By the way, if you have read this far go ahead and check out this amazing photo that I took of "The quarterback" at the sleeping bear dunes this summer.

See all of the photos I took from this game at the following website:
Lake Orion Football 9/5/2008