Shootin’ the Game
My wife says it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars. True enough, but I do love shooting high school sports. I sell the photos to the Progress Times , a local weekly newspaper, and I sell the photos on my own web site, RGVSportsPix.com. The money I make hardly justifies the amount of work, but its fun.
Sharyland High School is close by the house. Last night, the boy’s had a big game against a district foe. Two undefeated teams (undefeated in district play, that is) duked it out. It was a nice cool evening – perfect for a basketball game. Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for students, but I just flash my press credentials and
get in free. (No, I don’t get to eat for free. If I go to the snack bar, I pay like every one else.)
(Don’t forget – click on each photo to see a full sized version.)
I like to get there a little before the game starts so I can shoot some of the JV game to get “warmed up.” Yeah – I know that sounds silly, but shooting fast moving sports requires I get myself into a groove. The gym is still quiet – only parents show up for JV games. That’s too bad because this game itself is exciting, even if the home team Rattlers lost by a bucket that was scored by the other team with 1.5 seconds left on the clock..
As the JV game wound down, the fans begin to fill up the bleachers. This was a big game and the
excitement was high. High school students, wearing t-shirts and face paint, help put some electricity in the air. These girls made a lot of noise – I mean a lot of noise. Later in the game, when an opposing player made a shot that touched nothing, the cries of “air ball, air ball” were heard every time that player touched the ball again – and the taunting came from these sweet gentle young girls.
Before the game starts, I head over to the scorer’s table to get photos of each team’s roster. Besides taking the pictures, I have to write a “cutline” for the newspaper – the little caption that goes under photos you see in the paper. The purpose of a cutline is to identify the athletes in the photo as well as give basic information about the game. I have taken photos of the rosters so many times that most of the scorers see me coming and just slide the scorebook toward me with a cheerful “Hi Doug.”
After the warm ups, introduction of the players, and the singing of the National Anthem, the game starts.
The lenses I use on my camera are called “fast primes.” That means they do not zoom in and out and
it means they let in more light than most lenses. I use two of them: an 85mm f 1.8 and a 135mm f 2. I need as much light as possible because most high school gyms are very dark and I must shoot with a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. When I use the 85mm, I sit right on the floor at the 
baseline – far enough away from the line so I don’t get clobbered by players diving after a loose ball. I sit rather than stand so that I am look upward – that minimizes distracting backgrounds and adds an unusual angle to the photo so it will attract the eye better. Looking up, I get shots like this.
I use the 135mm lens up in the stands. This lens creates a different look. I can either get photos of
an isolated player dribbling or catch the action under the boards. Yes – this is the same guy you see in the above photo. I had to feel a little sorry for the opposing player who was a split second too late in getting his feet planted, so he not only had two points scored over him, but took a knee to the chest. He was a bit woozy getting up off the floor.
Of course, the coaches are fun to watch too. Sharyland’s coach is not a Bobby Knight type, but in this nail-biter game, he actually got a little excited.
After an overtime period, the home team lost – their first district loss of the season.
They lost by one point after one of their best players missed an easy lay-up with 1 second on the clock.
The agony of defeat as the winning team jumps in celebration.
I am impressed,- you can still sit cross-legged! Middle school games are also exciting, with only families in attendance. Daniel's team won by 1 point in overtime last week, following a game where they LOST as the opposing team threw a 3 pointer as the buzzer sounded. One of those Hail Marys that went in!! Talk about disappointment!! Felt like I was at the game while reading your entry. Keep up the good work!!
Posted by: Martha | January 22, 2009 at 07:55 AM
Doug,
That's no basketball player in your lens
Posted by: Kevin | January 26, 2009 at 10:22 PM
you should share more about technical things of photography, especially sport photography on this blog. so people like me can gain some more experience.
BTW, what is the lens reflection in the picture your shooting? its not basketball, is it? :) is it photoshopped?
Posted by: Tuan_son | February 02, 2009 at 02:22 AM