River Hill State Championship Game

So, last entry I mentioned River Hill's 2A win against Eastern Tech at M&T Stadium in Baltimore in football. Also mentioned was the snow we had that day. It really didn't accumulate, just fell pretty much all of the game. It has truly amazed me that almost every varsity game I covered this year involved some form of precipitation. At least this time I didn't have to duct-tape an umbrella to my monopod to protect my camera gear and self. Luckily, I had my handy "professional" gallon sized Ziploc bag in my possession. I have a precisely cut hole in the bottom and I slip it over the lens to cover the moving parts of the lens and the body of the camera. I look silly, but my camera is dry and safe and I have lots of Ziploc bags available, which fit easily into my zippered flash card case.

I did have a twinge of camera envy at some of the staff photographers of such newspapers as the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun, among others, who were covering the game. They have the gear to really get anything from anywhere. I priced a comparable Canon lens and it's not in my budget; especially for something I'm not getting paid for! A 400mm 2.8 lens (for those in the know)auto-focus, image stablizer lens is $6800. Now, Sigma has the perfect lens: a 200 - 500 auto-focus 2.8 lens, for a bargain price of $22,049 (that's with the current rebate). I like the flexibility the Sigma offers - zooming in and out with a wide aperture but that's not going to happen : ) Staff photographers are fortunate in that their employers provide their gear. Those of us who are team parents providing a service at every game, not just the "big" ones are self sponsored and are actually providing a labor of love, so we use what we have. Now, my lens isn't anything shabby, I just don't have good coverage for action on the opposite sideline - it's too far away. But, for the plays in the center and on my side of the field, I don't do too badly. It's been a learning process and I hope you enjoy.

The first picture is during practice (hence the mouthguard hanging out). I love the moment just before the catch and I like seeing the Raven logo to the side. Very clean background and simple composition.



This next one I love - the Cheerleaders had prepared a handmade banner for the team to run through as they were introduced at the beginning of the game. Usually, at home games, we have an inflatable entry the players run through. Apparently, we couldn't bring that, so they made one and here the players have just broke through and you can see the banner just starting to fall as it's torn apart.



This next one is of our quarterback, Luke Hostetler. Luke is a great player and person. During his four year football career at River Hill he has never lost a game. Pretty impressive. His mom, Lisa, is also one of our team photographers and she does a fabulous job. This show is Luke getting off a pass - always tricky to capture.



This next shot is also of Luke handing off the ball to #2, Malek Redd, who had a great game as well. What I like about this image, is not only all the action, but it really shows the peak of the snowstorm and what it was like for the players on the field.



This last shot is the kind I love to get. A player, #32, Thomas Neuberth, suspended in the air as he makes a tackle. Again, a clean image - uncluttered background and simple composition.



My family finds it kind of amazing that I'm shooting football. I did not grow up watching football and I never really played any team sports growing up. I was not adverse to sports, I just was never on a team - gym was about the extent of my participation. I don't know what most of the positions actually do in the game and I don't usually recognize a penalty unless I see someone jump offside. The support staff and volunteers on the sidelines have been very kind in trying to explain things to me this year and I appreciate it. I have to say, I haven't always noticed it during the games, but the one thing I've noticed consistently in the images is the player support these young men provide each other. I have image after image of a player running with the ball with a teammate right in front of him blocking and clearing the path. Or, a player going for the tackle and his teammate right there to back up or assist. They worked so well as teammates and pairs that even I saw it! It's been pretty impressive. There are a lot of life lessons to learn in sports and it's been a pleasure to be a small part of the team experience and watch these players grow over the past several months. I appreciate the coaching staff and their time and dedication in leading and teaching these players not only how to play excellent football, but how to be excellent people as well.

Finally, More Savannah

I have been extremely negligent about keeping up with my blog - sorry if you've been checking and not finding new posts! I will try and be better. Football has finally wrapped up - I'll post more of those images later. Our varsity team, The River Hill Hawks went to the State 2A championship game at M&T Bank Stadium (Raven Stadium) and faced Eastern Tech. We won, with a score of 31 - 6. Keeping with the theme of crummy weather at every varsity game I shoot, it snowed the entire game. It was pretty and at least it wasn't windy too. More on the state game later.

To my great delight, Savannah (and her parents) came and visited for ten days at Thanksgiving. We had trouble finding time to do some portraiture - she was usually napping when the light was the best or we were out or we had company...time was running out but we made it happen. I'm sharing some of my favorite images here. Will probably do some composites later and post them as well.

It's been a very busy fall with sports photography and all the things that go on just in regular life. Hope you enjoy!

Beth & Sebastian

I had the honor of photographing Beth and Sebastian's wedding in late October in beautiful Annapolis, MD at the Quiet Waters Park. It was a lovely day - comfortable weather and diffused lighting (clouds) outside. The grounds of Quiet Waters Park are beautiful - we got some gorgeous shots. I could have spent a couple hours shooting on the grounds alone, but there was a ceremony scheduled... The next day was a severe storm with horizontal rain, so I'm glad the wedding was when it was.

They had family travel great distances to be there; Sebastian's grandparents came all the way from South America - I think they traveled the furthest. There were a lot of thoughtful touches throughout the ceremony and reception. One of the more unusual events at their reception was a tradition of Beth's family: they have someone dressed up as a gorilla run into the room and interact with the guests and they have an Elvis impersonator visit as well. Elvis just "performs" to the adoring women then leaves. Sebastian's parents also danced a traditional dance from Chile for the guests, which was quite lovely. They planned well for their wedding, involving many of their family and it was a beautiful wedding. I'm posting just 4 of the images from the day.

Chris and Becky

The weekend before last I had the privilege of photographing Chris and Becky's wedding in beautiful Flintstone, MD. They held their ceremony at Rocky Gap Resort which was a beautiful location. It is located on a lake with large hills in the background and the leaves were changing.

They chose to have "first glance" - which is so awesome. This is when the couple sees each other before the ceremony. Aside from me, they're alone and can express their thoughts and excitement upon seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day. It is a special time to share. I stand back and just capture the emotions and allow the couple some privacy. Most couples don't realize that when they see each other for the first time at the ceremony, their thoughts are overflowing but they can't really talk at that point. First Glance is a special moment and I'm glad Chris and Becky chose to have it.

These are just four of the images I've selected to share. The first is Becky's flowers - I know it's at a different angle, but I like it. The second image is at the first glance moment. The third is Becky walking down the aisle, so to speak and the last is their first kiss as husband and wife.

River Hill at Marriott's Ridge JV Football

Perhaps you're getting tired of seeing football on the blog. It certainly seems like I spend a lot of time shooting, editing and uploading it! River Hill JV team had a good game yesterday against Marriott's Ridge - it was 51 - 6. Not so fun for the Mustangs though : ( River Hill is wearing the white jerseys. Below are some of the shots I liked best from the game. I didn't get any show-stopper "in the air" shots, but these are good too!

I've got a couple of weddings coming up in the next two weeks, so be on the lookout for something different.

This shot is as the players exit the field.  Discipline is a requirement to be on this team and they line up by twos, silently, and march off the field.  

What I like about this image is the dirt being disturbed by the kick off (Davis Grove).

Good coverage by the line allows a shot like this of the quarterback (Harry McLaughlin) preparing to throw the ball.

I love it when I get shots of the player in the air (Raamah Vaughn) going for the catch - I believe this one was for a potential interception.

This is our player going down (Connor Walsh) but I love that he's still mid-air.

JV River Hill vs. Reservoir HS

The season is winding down, about 4 more games. It has been fun learning to shoot sports. It's always fun to get home and look at what you've captured - sometimes you're looking straight at it and shooting it and you still don't know what's on there! This week it appeared that I was a magnet for sideline action. Several times, standing on the sidelines shooting, I saw the ball carrier appear to be running straight towards me. Luckily for me, I was smart enough to step from behind the camera and see that, yes indeed, they were headed my way and quickly move. Otherwise, I would have been on the ground with the player, tackler and my camera gear. Not an experience I'm eager to have.

Below are four of my favorite images from this weeks game:

Varsity River Hill Football at Long Reach HS

For the first time, since I started shooting the Varsity games, it did not rain! How delightful not to have an umbrella duct-taped to my monopod along with the balancing act that sometimes requires. Did some experimenting with my shutter speed this time around. When shooting in the dark like this, you can't have your camera on a program mode. With dark and light uniforms and moving subjects, your exposures will be all over the place. You have to shoot in manual - which means the settings on your camera do not change and you choose what they are. Below are my favorite shots of the game. River Hill won the game (they're wearing white as they were the visiting team).

JV Football: River Hill vs. Long Reach

A busy week of football for the River Hill JV team - a rescheduled game on Monday and their regular game on Thursday. Each week, the parents host a pasta dinner for the boys on the day before game day. This week was my turn to help with the dinner - parents rotate. It was fun to watch the boys and coaches eat a meal together and socialize. They're a cohesive unit and this is a great opportunity for them to further bond.

The game against Long Reach was on a beautiful day. I suspect the game days will be getting colder, but the skies were lovely and the temperatures were pleasant. I got three shots (among a LOT) that are my favorites that I'm sharing here. To see the rest of the images, go to www.riverhilljvfootball2.shutterfly.com

Montage of Savannah

I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with these montages. I might combine them with future images to make a little photo album for her or I might just print them and frame them as they are. It's always fun to create little groupings of images. I like the stories they tell.

More JV football - River Hill vs. Mt. Hebron

After 4 days of rain, the JV football team finally got to play their game against Mt. Hebron. It turned out to be a beautiful day - lovely clouds, blue skies and moderate temperatures. Daylight allows me a little more flexibility in shooting action sports and below are a few shots that captured some of the plays. River Hill did win the game, both Varsity and Junior Varsity.

It is going to be a busy football week - two JV games and a Varsity game on Friday night. Hopefully it won't rain on Friday again. I need to get a big umbrella in team colors if it does!

River Hill Varsity Football

A couple of weeks ago, before my Idaho trip, I went shooting at the Varsity game at River Hill High School, in Clarksville, MD. It was an interesting experience. I didn't do as well as I would have liked. I switched to a different focus button on my camera and didn't have much luck with that. Also, they play at night, which is trickier to shoot than daytime football. Football can be tricky enough as it is - with the fast action and moving subjects - plus you need the long lens to even hope to get close to the action. So, I returned this past Friday for round two. I have two great friends, who are mentoring me - Nancy Hostetler and Lisa Hostetler - they're sister-in-laws and great photographers on their own. You can see their work on the River Hill Unofficial website under sports. They've been very generous with advice and I really appreciate it. I don't know if they want me to keep coming though - every time I go to a Varsity game, it rains. That just adds to the drama.

This second round I was a bit happier with. I got a lot more "keepers" and generally had a much better experience. Of course, as stated, it was raining, so you can see the rain in some the pictures. These are six I wanted to post to kind of give a taste of the game. River Hill played Mt. Hebron. They won 63 - 0. Lot of great action shots of River Hill (in the yellow pants). It was a hard night for Mt. Hebron, but they never gave up and played hard all night, in the rain.





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Savannah

So, I've been away in Boise, ID for the past week enjoying my first grandchild. Seems amazing that I have one of those, but since she's such a cutie, I guess I don't mind too much! Her name is Savannah and she was born on Sept. 12, 2008 at 11:57 PM. I was privileged to spend the first week of her life with her, as well as take a few photographs. In case you didn't know, it's not easy taking images of a newborn. They are not particularly cooperative, nor are they on a schedule that you can plan around. Luckily, since I was staying there, I could just grab my camera when the time presented itself.

This first image is one I love. Actually, I love all of these... Anyway, one of the challenges I found was getting her to look at me when I was trying to capture her image and here she is - staring right at me!



This next one shows the contrast in size of her feet and her daddy's hands. Babies grow so quickly, it's always a little startling to remember how small they start.



This next one was another fortunate piece of timing. When awake, she loves to look around and I was able to catch her looking at me for once!



This last one was a fleeting sleeping smile. Being a newborn, she can't smile at will, but she would a lot in her sleep, especially when she first fell asleep. Again, I was lucky to catch the fleeting grin on her sweet face.



So I don't get to see her again until Thanksgiving - I guess you'll just have to wait for more. I know I am!

September is a Busy Month

So, I didn't take any wedding bookings for the month of September because my daughter, who lives in Idaho, is expecting her first baby and I didn't know when she might deliver and needed to keep my schedule free. She's in labor as I type.

September also marks the beginning of the school year and high school football. My son made the junior varsity team at River Hill High School in Clarksville, MD. So, I've been trying my hand at shooting football, which is a little different, but still fun. These are from their second game of the season, at Oakland Mills High School, in Columbia, MD. I shot some shots tonight at the varsity game, but don't have time to edit and post them right now - I need to pack!

When I return, I'll have baby shots!