Back in August, I couldn't wait for the season to start. Except for my trip to Việt Nam to bring back Ái Nhân, (say eye nyun) the summer was boring - not much to do photography-wise.
(Be sure to click on each photo to see a larger version.)
Of course, Texas is well known for observing the Sabbath on Friday night when the zealots leave their homes and gather in the Temples of Football to celebrate the Worship of the Pigskin.
High school football may be the last bastion of true amateur sport. Most of the players will never suit up again after their senior year, but that doesn't keep them from giving their all out on the gridiron. The kids have been pumping iron all summer long - and now it was time to put the hurt on someone in another uniform.
For me, the season begins with "factory photography" - - visiting the teams on "media day" to take "T&Is" - team and individual shots. A newspaper gets a lot of revenue from football. All those "Offensive Player of the Week" or "Lineman of the Week" spots have sponsors. There isn't much fun to those days of taking T&Is, but hey - they pay me for it, eh?
But soon enough, the season begins in earnest. Some coaches prefer to play their first few games of the season against patsie teams, other coaches want to play as tough a schedule as possible. All want those first few games - the ones played before the games against district foes - to help build their team.
I get my gear together in the afternoon - two Canon 1D Mk IV cameras, a big 300mm f 2.8 lens (held up with a monopod) mounted on one and a 70-200 f 2.8 on the other, plus a utlility belt for carrying a wide angle lens, spare batteries and the like.
This year, I began going to games on my big scooter - the cameras and lenses in the top case and the belt in the trunk under the seat. Cindy always has to rush around and get me fed before I leave at 6:30, but I need to get to the stadium early enough to go up to the press box and get a copy of the rosters so I can identify the players before sending in photos to the newspaper. Actually - I use a little point & shoot camera and take picture of the rosters. Riding the scoot makes it much easier to be on time - parking is never a problem. I just ride that thing up close to the entrance, find a striped place in the parking lot and put the side stand down. Legal as can be and easy.
Funny thing about shooting a football game - people always ask me how a certain player looked or wanted to know if Coach Schimmelpinnic had switched to the Power I formation or whether the Fighting Carp really have three fast receivers this year. I have no idea what goes on a game - in fact, I take a picture of the score board after every quarter so I will know enough later on the write decent captions. My face is buried in the viewfinder - I'm not a spectator.
But as the season wears on, my old body begins to protest running up and down the field carrying the camera with the big lens on the monpod and carrying the other camera on a shoulder strap while my hips protest the weight of the utility belt. Sooner or later, it means a visit to my favorite chiropractor. He knows what the problem is - and besides, he has purchased photos of his daughter who is the head of the dance team at her school, so we have lots to talk about while he cracks my back.
Of the six teams I cover, only one made the playoffs - and they went out in the first round. Football is over for me - time to move on to basketball, but its always a fun time. I hope I can continue to do this for years to come.
And hope I don't get hit by one of these big kids when he gets knocked out of bounds.
Having witnessed your running up and down the sidelines, I am amazed at your agility and hard work. I was totally impressed!! And......great exercise, huh?
Posted by: Martha | November 21, 2011 at 04:26 PM
Just like in "Fortune Cookie". Ask MGB. I'm impressed, as always. terrific shots. Went to four high school volleyball games of Syd's team this year. They made it to regionals. Those girls are serious!
Posted by: Russ | November 23, 2011 at 09:51 PM