think fast and shoot

Before I attended my first Sports Shooter Academy workshop I used to shoot in Av or Tv modes. I knew how to take pictures, but I was far from a photographer. At the workshop I was asking about settings and one of the main staff members was astonished that I shot in any of the auto modes. From that moment on I was set on truly learning how to use my camera. Since then I’ve shot in Manual mode and haven’t thought once about going back. There is so much control when shooting in manual and it allows for much more creativity. Honestly, I just can’t get myself to trust any of the auto modes.

But what happens when something is happening really quickly? What if I dont have time to check my settings, meter, change ISO, etc?

When I see amazing spot-news photos, photo stories, and candids, I wonder what was going through the photographers mind when they shot it. Did they pick up their camera and put it into Av and start shooting? Tv? Or did they think fast enough to manually set everything? Was the shot composed that way on purpose? Did they try to get a silhouette effect? Or were the settings underexposed when the picked up their camera?

The ability to think fast and adjust is one of the most valuable skills in my opinion. I feel like I play it safe too much and I pass up on a ton of good photo opportunities. I know what I’m looking for and I wait for it. I want to be able to evaluate whats happening and then adjust. This way I’ll end up with a better variety of photos. I definitely have a lot to work on.

Here is a photo that I shot on the fly a few weeks ago. A friend pointed it out. I grabbed my camera. Quickly adjusted settings. Then shot. I got the shot I wanted and got it before the moment was over. It was composed how I wanted it. It was exposed how I wanted it. The shot is nothing too special, but the process helps me learn more about how to shoot.

Is this how it works?

the good life

Im not the biggest fan of beach ultimate but com’on…SoCal sun, LA, the beach, and ultimate….it doesn’t get much better than this.

Other pictures from the Lei Out beach tournament can be found here.

rainy day fun

During Presidents Day weekend I shot an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in San Diego. The last day of the tournament was moved to San Bernardino due to rain and field closures in SD. I came prepared with water-proof pants, jackets, rain cover for my 70-200mm, rain cover for my 400mm, gloves, etc.

I had shot in rain before but nothing had prepared me for this. It rained all day, from the moment I woke up till I got back home from shooting. It didn’t just rain, it poured. It was cold and wet. In between each game I went back to my car and turned the heat on full blast for about 10 minutes just so I could feel my fingers again.

It was a three day tournament, and I got a lot of good photos on each day. But its not everyday, I shoot in such extreme conditions. I know a lot of photographers shoot in conditions like this or worse everyday, but in Orange County its pretty rare.

Here are some of the shots from the rainy day.

Here are links to the full galleries:
Saturday
Sunday
Monday

bigger is not always better

Last week our Mens Volleyball team played in Crawford instead of the Bren Events Center. Crawford is more like a high school gym, which would lead you to assume is dark, smaller, and less inviting to shoot in.

Its not too bad. In fact, I like it a lot. Especially for volleyball. The lighting is pretty decent, there is a stage on one side that you can stand on, and you can get close to the action. The angle is pretty unique considering that I’m shooting with a 70-200mm. If I was shooting in the bren, I would have to shoot with at least a 300mm, which I can’t afford. Shooting in here lets me compose tight images which is something that I’m always working on.

Mens Basketball : UCI vs UCR

I’ve been pretty busy lately and haven’t been shooting much. Here are some shots from a basketball game I shot about 2 weeks ago.

UCI Mens BBall vs CSUN…Blacked Out!

Last week our school got blacked out in Eater Nation t-shirts for the ESPNU televised basketball game against Cal State Northridge. UCI beat CSUN 73-51. Here are a few photos from the game:

finding the sweet spot

Just when I though I had it all figured out, I learn something new.

Lately I realized that when shooting with my strobes, its most effective to shoot from a higher angle. Because I’m only lighting half the court, the other half disappears and I lose the “game” feeling. At a recent volleyball game I decided to shoot from as high up as I could get. It helped with the lighting but also helped a lot with getting the players faces. When shooting at net level or lower, the players faces often are obstructed by the top of the net. This problem was solved by shooting higher up. It also cleaned up the backgrounds and provided for much more focused images.

looking away from the action…looking for more

For once, I wasn’t the staff photographer covering the basketball game. I knew this was my chance to try something different. I wanted to get a new angle that I had never tried to get. Something away from the action. Something with a clean background. Something that people can’t see on their own. I had read an article about the 12-14 cameras that SI photographer John McDonough brings to an average NBA game, and came across this unique angle. An overhead remote of the players bench. I was told that I was not allowed to be up in the catwalks during a game, so I decided to setup a remote. I like how it turned out and am happy with all of the photos. The only thing was that the UCI Athletics photographer was actually up there during a game and got a shot that looked identical to mine. And his was all over the front page of the website that week…so much for a unique angle.

raining in the OC?

Since living in Irvine for the past four years I have yet to see a storm. I’ve seen maybe three or four rainy days a year down here. During winter quarter I shoot basketball and volleyball. I get the beginning of baseball, but for the most part everything I shoot is indoors. Out of all the days for it to rain in winter quarter, it rains on the day I have to shoot outside. I took a mens tennis assignment. I borrowed my friends D3 and was going to use the papers 300mm. I got to the match all ready and about 5 minutes into shooting it started to rain. Thus, lack of shots.

lights, camera, work it

My last feature-photo assignment was to shoot a portrait of UCI Womens Basketabll player Kiara Belen. The sports editor told me that Kiara was also a model and I knew immediately that this shoot was going to go smoothly. I was right.

I was hoping to get some help on this assignment but all my friends were busy.

I arrived at the gym early. I made three trips from my car and had to carry over a backdrop kit, light stands, camera bag, equipment bag, Alien Bee, umbrella, and a 9ft wide roll of paper. I then began to assemble the backdrop, which is pretty difficult to do with one person.

This was my first time shooting with a real backdrop. I had planned to use it on several other shoots but things fell through and I never got the chance.

Basically once I got everything setup I called Kiara over. I knew she had experience and wouldn’t need much direction, so I told her to just work it…and it worked out. She was relaxed and confident. She had an array of posses. The photos were turning out great and it wasn’t an accident.

Its nice to work with people who know what they are doing. As a photographer its important to learn how to work with people, make them comfortable, and learn how to direct them. I do this with just about every shoot, but its still nice to get a break.

I think for this one I might have said something to make her laugh. Usually with these types of shots you will get the subject making some weird face. I got lucky and I think it turned out pretty well.