Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. Football season is well under way and if you’re a sports photographer you probably find yourself each Saturday and Sunday running up and down the sidelines of various football stadiums across the country. I have been shooting college and pro football for 23 seasons and still enjoy going to the games. However, I tend to have a different way of covering a game than many of today’s photographers. Each time I go to a game I try to envision capturing images that one might see in a coffee table book……..total coverage, not just action but a total package that would make anyone who saw my images feel like they had been there with me. With this in mind let’s have a look at Game Coverage….My Way.

Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch. Football season is well under way and if you’re a sports photographer you probably find yourself each Saturday and Sunday running up and down the sidelines of various football stadiums across the country. I have been shooting college and pro football for 23 seasons and still enjoy going to the games. However, I tend to have a different way of covering a game than many of today’s photographers. Each time I go to a game I try to envision capturing images that one might see in a coffee table book……..total coverage, not just action but a total package that would make anyone who saw my images feel like they had been there with me. With this in mind let’s have a look at Game Coverage….My Way.

Saturday 9/10/2005…..United States Air Force Academy vs the Aztecs of San Diego State

Image #1      Football…..Simple enough. It is the object that everyone is focused on. Without the football, there would be no…………………..well, football game. I brought with me some Nikon SB800 Speedlights. I wanted to see if I could use the White Balance on my Nikon D2X to enhance a cool blue tone (WB 3600K) and then counter that blue by strobing my subject with the standard warming gel that comes with each SB800 unit. My subject in this image is the football. This kind of picture is simple in content but has a beautiful artistic look to it thanks to creative lighting. I used three SB800s (one as a Master on the D2X hotshoe, and two (set on the same remote group “A”) that I gaffer tapped together to act as a single Remote). The “TANDEM” Remotes each had the warming gel over the front and were zoomed to 85mm. This dual SB800 really produced a great output of power that provided plenty of light even through the warming gel. I set the power output of the tandem SB800s at -0.3. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/800 at f8 (about 1 and 1/3 stop under a perfect exposure for the environment). I did a few test shots with my “warm subject/cool environment” lighting set up on some security personnel and liked what I saw on the LCD screen. Nikon 12-24mm, WB 3600K, Tandem SB800s with warming gel at a power output of -0.3 set on i-TTL mode, I hand held the tandem SB800s with my left hand about an arms length away from the football, Lexar 4G Flash Card. This kind of image is frequently used by magazines and program publications as a two page spread opener to college football season. That will be the choice of the editors but I want them to have that choice rather than not. Both my exposure and power output were determined by “TAKE A SHOT, TAKE A LOOK” method…..using the LCD screen and Flashing Highlights to determine my exposure. (NOTE: the Nikon SB800 Speedlight allows the photographer to shoot at high shutter speeds of up to 1/4000 of a second. This feature is invaluable when using strobes in full sunshine ambient light conditions.)

Image #2      Prairie Falcon….. A real, live mascot….the Falcon and his handler are perfect for my Tandem SB800 “warm subject/cool environment” stylized picture. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/1000 at f7.1, WB 3600K, Nikon 12-24mm, the same Tandem SB800 set up as image #1, Lexar 4G Flash Card. The warming gels are lighting my subjects with a nice warm tone while my cool 3600K WB is keeping the environment a cool blue tone. Why am I doing this?…..because I think it looks great!…..I like the look…..it is inviting……it is different. Every photographer shoots a picture of the Falcon sometime during the season………well, my Falcon picture is unique.

Image #3      Game Faces…..The moment before a team takes the field can reveal attitude, character, emotion, etc. The Aztecs of San Diego State had a very intense game face prior to taking the field. Perhaps they knew they were up against a tough opponent that would not be denied victory. I am using the same Tandem SB800 warming gel set up as with the previous two images. The players waited for their introduction just inside the tunnel from the locker rooms. The players jersey closest to me is partially lit from the ambient light coming into the tunnel from the field while my Tandem SB800 with warming gels add warmth to his face and spills onto the rest of the players in the tunnel. Because my exposure is still set 1 and 1/3 stop under the ambient outdoor light, (12:00 Noon), and my WB is still at a cool setting of 3600K, I can see the cooled blue sky at the back of the tunnel. I love this stylized spotlight look that is achieved by holding the Tandem SB800 high and 3/4 to the subject. Remember that “lighting creates mood” and this lighting certainly accomplishes that. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/800 at f8, Nikon 12-24mm, WB 3600K, Tandem SB800s with Warming Gels at power output of -0.3 and i-TTL mode, Lexar 4G Flash Card.

Image #4      Fogged Player….. By the time the thin cloud cover burned off the game day temperature reached 90 degrees and players began to seek relief in front of the “BIG FOG” machines. As the game progressed and players became more exhausted I would glance over to see if a good scene was developing. When I saw this exhausted player I stepped away from the sideline for a shot or two and returned to the sideline in time for the play. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/1250 at f5.6, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens, WB 5600K, Lexar $G Flash Card. While smash mouth game action is the meat and potatoes of game coverage take the time to look around for the additional moments that will give your editor well rounded selection for potential features.

Image #5      Falcon in Flight….. I usually try to capture a few images of Pan Action at most events I cover. The perfect panned image is difficult to get. Background, speed of the player, my steadiness to follow the action at a slow shutter speed and my choice of shutter speed all must come together to create a beautiful panning motion. The real key to a successful panned image is when some elements within the image are sharp, ex: the ball, the face mask, the number on the jersey, the logo on the helmet….something must be sharp to hold the viewers interest or the image won’t work. This image has 5 sharp elements….the face mask, the players right biceps, the edge of players leading leg, the stadium railing behind the people on the sideline and the players silhouetted face. I hope for one or two sharp elements but 5 elements of edge sharpness is a bonanza. This image definitely works. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/25 at f32, WB 5600K, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens set on Normal mode, Lexar 4G Flash Card, Hand Held. The VR technology really works well and I have definitely noticed a higher percentage of successful pans with the Nikon 200-400 G VR Zoom Lens.

Image #6      Shaun Carney….. Capturing images that define the game or a player is important. Air Force QB Shaun Carney is only 5’10” and 190 pounds but a fierce competitor way beyond his size. His performance was key in the Falcons win over San Diego State. Nikon D2X, ISO200, 1/1259 at f6.3, Nikon 200-400 G VR Zoom Lens with TC 14E 1.4 Teleconverter, WB 5600K, Lexar 4G Flash Card.

Image #7      Eye on the Game….. During the final seconds of any game there is usually some emotion displayed by the players. As time was about to expire I was preparing to run onto the field to shoot images of Air Force celebrating as the team spilled onto the field when the game ended but I noticed this player all alone in the San Diego bench area…so I took a shot. I then ran onto the field with all the other players, photographers, etc. and began capturing celebration images. It wasn’t until I downloaded my pictures and took a close look at his eye…. his eye has a perfect…and I do mean perfect…reflection of the sunlit field, players and stadium. At the time I shot the picture I was drawn to the mood, the color, the background and the helmet straps, but the reflection in his eye is the best element and really makes this picture unique. Nikon D2X, ISO200, 1/500 at f5.6, WB 7500K, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens, TC 14E 1.4 Telconverter, Lexar 4G Flash Card, Hand Held.

Image #8      Fisher DeBerry….. I wanted a different picture of Head Coach Fisher DeBerry. An image of him running off the field victorious would be a nice addition to the images of him coaching from the sideline. I left my D2X and 200-400 lens with the security person I tested my tandem SB800s on when I first arrived. This will make it easier for me to run onto the field with my other Nikon D2X and one SB800 on the Hotshoe so I can work freely amongst the players and coaches. The SB800 will be used as a fill flash and will not have a warming gel. Nikon D2X, ISO100, 1/2000 at f5.6, WB 5000K (to keep the sky a deep blue), Nikon 12-24mm, SB800 on the camera Hotshoe power output -1.0, Lexar 4G Flash Card.

Well….This is the way I like to cover a game. I’m always thinking “coffee table book” in my mind and set out to find as many pictures that I can to fill the pages in the book in my mind. It has been a successful formula for me over the years and my clients have been satisfied with the variety of coverage. I was the first photographer to arrive and I was the last to leave the field. Not because I am a fan but because I love what I do….making pictures.

See you next time here at Workshop at the Ranch………………………………..Adios, Dave