Army - Navy Basketball (again). West Point, NY 11•Feb.•12

I've been quietly waiting a year to get back into Christl Arena at the United States Military Academy in West Point to work another Army - Navy basketball rivalry. Since I didn't have to opportunity to cover what would've been my fifth Army - Navy football game in FedEx Field last December in Washington, DC, I knew this assignment yesterday was going to be big. For the past few days I'd been playing out different scenarios in my head, and my mind's eye on how to go about covering another big basketball day with two games. Hauling in a full set of arena strobes was a given. (5) Five cameras bodies was also an easy item near the top of the checklist. (I work with four throughout the day.) Enough lenses ranging from a fish-eye to the 'long' 300mm f/2.8AF easily make the cut too. Besides, I'd worked last year's matchup between these two service academies, so I felt a little more comfortable knowing I had a good reference point for logistics in the venue, complete gear selection, shooting positions, strobing the arena again, and of course utilizing at least one remote camera. You can see last year's post on how I covered the games by clicking HERE. Arriving a little more than 3 hours before the start of the women's game at noon, meant at least 4 trips to the top rows of the empty arena to securely install the strobes in each corner. Since both games were on national TV, I hesitated in attempting to install a remote camera behind the backboard glass without a helper, and since the TV guys were still using a large ladder to install their audio equipment on both baskets, I decided not to waste too much time waiting for them and even dismissed the idea of installing a low angle remote camera on the backboard stanchion as I'd done last year. It'd have to be a remote camera from the stands with a telephoto zoom on this day (at right). My "ah-hah" moment didn't come until almost tip-off of the women's game at noon when a fellow photographer took his position on the floor nearby and asked, "Hey Chet, Where's your remote...?" I reminded myself that I'd already been in the building before 9AM... ~cg.

"Another One in the Books..." 19•Jan.•12

A favorite sports photograph of mine (above right) was published again, this time in sort of a how-to book presented by the editors at Popular Photography Magazine: "TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT: Essential Tips & Tricks For Shooting Amazing Photos" It's actually a pretty decent looking soft cover book, easy to read, nice simple diagrams, and edited for everyone from serious amateurs to working pros. ~cg.

*This image has truly "grown legs" as we say in the business about a story or photograph. Below are the earlier posts again on the background history of the image and what it took for me back then to make the picture in 2008... ~cg

In all the craziness of this year's HS playoff basketball tournaments the past few weeks, I've just gotten around to writing about the above piece in Popular Photography magazine. A photo of mine with an accompanying story was published last month. (March 2010 - page 42.) Click HERE. It was actually a file photo from a HS basketball playoff game here in my coverage area made 2 years ago, and I've previously written extensively on the preparation and execution in making the image here on the blog. Click HERE to view those earlier links. (now posted below as well.) The real interest in the image itself was that not only was the image made from a remote camera mounted behind the backboard glass - that camera also fired the arena (studio) strobes a colleague and I installed the night before in the college gym for the weekend's playoff games. Professionally for me and extremely gratifying was the exposure of one my images in a national magazine. I began receiving emails from photographers around the country who'd seen the piece as subscribers, when I couldn't find a copy of it here in any of the big retail bookstores in my area. A couple of local photographers teased me about the piece at a big HS basketball game (where else?) one Friday night in late February; that due to scheduling, I wasn't even working. It was a big deal game between two local rivals and I still sat along the baseline to watch the game from what would've been my normal working perspective.

In all seriousness, it all began by answering what looked like a generic or possibly even a junk email after Christmas, which materialized into a series of phone interviews with the senior editor at the magazine, subsequently followed up by email submissions of the images from me.

*A final word on having a photograph like this not only seen by other editors, but the rights purchased for publication (from the paper) and a decent fee paid to us both. Proves again that you never, ever know who's looking at your work from afar...

Big fun. Nice tearsheet(s). I'm looking forward to hanging this piece on my office wall sometime soon. ~cg.

Sebastian Valdez, #41, left, and Cory Quimby, #44 right, of Minisink reach for rebound during their Section 9 Class AA Championship game against Newburgh Free Academy at SUNY Orange in Middletown, NY on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Minisink defeated Newburgh 60 - 57. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

Strobist info & other tech talk: Nikon D-1X *(yea, I still use my old digital Nikons) with a 14mm F/2.8 Nikkor AF, mounted with a Bogen Magic-Arm & Superclamp behind the backboard glass for this championship series game. Four Dynalite Uni-Jr.'s lit the gym, that were clamped to the top corner railings of the bleachers the night before for earlier games. The whole rig was fired by Pocket-Wizards. I also shot from the floor with 2 other bodies, one short, with an 70mm - 200mm f/2.8 AF & the other with a 300mm f/2.8 AF to shoot the other end of the court. Game time exposures were: ISO 800 1/250th. sec. @ f/3.2 - 3.5. Note: This image was from the marquee game at 5PM. There were three other championship games played prior to this game, which meant I was in the gym actually turning on the house lights myself, and up on a ladder, 8 hours before tip-off of this game. Breakdown time of the strobes & remote rig was about an hour & this image still made deadline for the paper. -cg.

*This image took ONE YEAR, 3 DAYS & 8 HOURS to produce. Here's the Why & How: After we'd lit up the gym at SUNY New Paltz (NY) with four strobes for last year's HS Sectional Playoffs, I knew I wanted to make the effort to mount a remote camera "behind the glass" for this type of image, and have been talking about doing just that with a colleague at work for a year. *(that's the One Year part). I've been mounting remotes for basketball for years, both at the pro, college & even HS level, but those cameras were all making images under the venue's available light at high ISO's. This was the first game where I actually had the full assortment of gear & probably just as importantly - time - to mount a backboard remote, and also have this camera separately fire the four studio strobes mounted up in the corners of the gym. Last Thursday afternoon I met with the college's Director of Communications, and the assistant Athletic Director in the their gym to explain what I hoped to accomplish. Showed them samples of my earlier strobed sports & images made at NBA games with remotes & handed out business cards, etc. The DOC (communications guy) formally worked at West Point for years in their SID (sports information dept.) and understood immediately the importance of strobing arena games. (that's the 3 Day part). Finally, I had to arrive at the gym approximately three hours before the start of the first noontime playoff game in the gym. This image was from the marquee game played at 5PM. *(that's the 8 hour part), as I was in the gym at 9AM, literally 8 hours before tip-off of this game. I shot a few tests with this camera from the earlier games, and grabbed a ladder at halftime to pull the card to make sure everything looked OK on my Mac. The college maintenance guys, HS Tournament officials, coaches & fans who arrived early to see me up on a ladder, working behind the backboard to install the remote camera were all supportive and enthusiastic. That meant a lot during my set-up time.

*Oh yea, "Go (very) early. Stay late. Get the uniform dirty..." -cg.

"Class of 2011 - Dismissed...!" West Point, NY. 21•May•11

(3) - Newly commissioned 2nd. Lieutenants toss their covers skyward in the traditional "hat toss" during Army's Graduation and Commissioning ceremony in Michie Stadium at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff delivered the commencement address as 1,031 cadets received their diplomas and were commissioned as 2nd. Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record


"Army Graduation by the numbers..."

Working this year's graduation down at West Point was no easy matter. It never is and shouldn't be looked upon as any mere graduation day. Ever. Not even after working the four previous events, including POTUS (Obama) on station for last year's ceremony, I still had a ton of intricate details to prioritize in my mind and more importantly - in my mind's eye. There are again too many variables to anticipate and to sort out in any cohesive order, so I'll try to put some of the challenges in perspective here a little.
In no particular order: 4:30AM wakeup call, begin packing the car at 5:30AM departure (above left) to stadium. 5 - camera bodies. lenses - 10.5mm fisheye to 600mm (the 300mm f/2.8 + a 2x tele-extender attached at times during the ceremony), 1 - Gitzo monopod, 1 - heavy duty luggage cart, 4 - SuperClamps, 2 - Manfrotto Magic-Arms, 7 - Pocket-Wizards, 1 - pair each: pliers, wire cutters, channel locking pliers, half dozen zip lock freezer bags, 1 - bag 24" black locking plastic ties, 1 - rain poncho, 1 - full rain suit, 1 roll of black gaffer's tape, 1,031 graduating cadets, 1,241 frames shot before first edit, 88 - frames on second edit, 30 - (selects or "keepers") frames...

Secure areas literally in the shadow of the stadium itself on post forced me to actually leave the base, drive out the back gate, and head through the small village of Highland Falls to the main gate. That brief detour cost me nearly 30 minutes, for what would be on a normal day, probably a 6 - 8 minute drive. Keep in mind, all vehicles had to be re-inspected at the gate and I still had to make my way up to the press parking lot, near the opposite end of the stadium were I was only 45 minutes earlier a little after 6AM. Imagine arriving for an assignment literally 4+ hours early, and still worrying that you're late. Although I didn't get into the stadium (more security checks, hand-wanding metal detectors, and bomb sniffing dogs) and finally on the field with my cart full of gear until nearly 7:30AM, things worked smoothly in installing the first remote camera (above left) on one of the aluminum benches for the graduating cadets. Even as a few very brief early morning rain drops fell, and a fog hung over most of the academy, I'd decided while waiting in traffic again to enter the main gate, that I'd install at least the main remote camera. Besides, I loaded up on both zip-lock freezer bags that would fit over the camera if needed and I could easily add another plastic grocery bag over the rig if needed too. Unless there was going to be a downpour, I was intent on installing this #1 remote for the third time. This was the year to make it all work since there weren't going to be any top level dignitaries on the dais, like a POTUS or even a VPOTUS. (Vice - President). In fact, First Lady Michelle Obama had addressed the graduating cadets the night before in a brief ceremony, and luckily I hadn't drawn that assignment. Once the main remote was securely installed and sort of locked into place with the help of two black heavy duty plastic locking ties, I got permission from the West Point PR folks right on the field to place the second low angle remote mounted on a black metal finished floor plate under the stage, and pointing back toward the cadet seating. I knew this camera would probably give me a good picture as well, depending on how the lighting conditions evolved during the morning. I'd thought all week how this second remote camera would provide an additional view of the cadets marching into the stadium, seated and standing during the ceremony, and finally a second unique view of the "hat toss" to end the ceremony. Fortunately I was able to borrow the metal floor-plate from a freelance colleague here in town. It was only a matter of minutes before I had this camera aligned under the main podium at field level. I'd also thought alot about lens selection on these two remotes, and had even briefly wondered how things would've worked out if I had placed the Nikon in this position with the fisheye, and this Canon 1-D on the benches, angled straight up toward the main stadium grandstand to make the lead image. By the time both remotes are in placed, secured and confirmed to be firing from a Pocket-Wizard in my hand (and eventually on the camera in my hands) I barely have enough time to make a restroom pit stop, have a few bites of a power bar, and start looking for feature images of the audience, etc. Ironically, the Cadet First Captain walked around the field about an hour before he and his 1,000+ classmates formed up in the Foley Athletic Center to march into the stadium, and that would become my lead image below in the slideshow to officially start my workday making images... ~cg.

Here's an edited take from the ceremony:

"All for the Corps..." West Point, NY.

Today is Army Graduation Day at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. It'll be my fifth Army graduation I've covered since joining the staff at this newspaper, so obviously I've been thinking a lot about all the preparation that goes into an assignment like this. The ceremony is one of the two biggest days I work all year (the other being the Army - Navy Game in early December). Ironically, both days start about 4AM for me and involve the USMA. Here's a look some of the gear I've utilized and a few favorites from previous graduation and commissioning ceremonies in Michie Stadium... ~cg

2010.

2009.

"Back from the Dance..." Glens Falls, NY 18 - 19•March•11

Brendan Miller (#21) of Burke hangs on the rim after dunking in the fourth quarter of their NYSPHSAA Class B Championship game against Potsdam at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY on Saturday, March 19, 2011. Miller had 19 pts. and 9 rebounds as Burke defeated Potsdam 62 - 52. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Returned to Glens Falls, NY this past weekend for the NYSPHSAA Boys Basketball Championship Tournament. Four games in a little over 24 hours. My packing list of gear again included 5 camera bodies, lenses ranging from the 10.5mm fisheye (which unfortunately went unused) to the 300mm f/2.8AF, and a few other focal lengths in between. Four Dyna-Lite Uni-Jr. monolight strobe kits. Numerous Pocket-Wizard radio transmitters & receivers. Two complete sets of Manfrotto Magic-Arms, and enough Super Clamps to securely install all the lighting hardware, as well as a remote camera (left) up in the rafters for Saturday's Finals games. This would be the third remote camera I'd installed in three different venues in the last three weeks as well. The assortment of tools, gaffer's tape, black cine-foil and all the other odds and ends like a quick trip to a drug store on Saturday morning to purchase more AA batteries, and the usual various gizmos I need to have close by for this type of coverage. One game on Friday night went into double overtime.
It was the third year in a row on this early Spring weekend I'd trekked to the ancient arena in the Adirondacks for multiple game coverage of our local boys HS basketball teams that have progressed to the tournament. Not as hectic and demanding as last year's game coverage where I had five teams in the mix; although this year's preparation, installation of arena strobes and a remote camera, editing and transmitting of images on extremely tight deadlines for two nights in a row, and then breaking everything down on Saturday night after midnight proved to be just as challenging. Not to mention leaving the arena after 1AM Saturday night and arriving home at 6AM Sunday morning.


It was also good to see one of our local school's win their first championship game, as last year they came up short in a real heart-breaker. Here's a broad take on my weekend's coverage of the four games:

"March Madness is (finally) Here...!" March 2011.

More like "Maddening..."

Newburgh players (L - R, in blue): Parish Canty (#15), Antonio Harper (#2) and Dominique Jacobs (#11) reach for a rebound with Mount Vernon defenders Givvion Jones (#22) and Jabarie Hinds (#55) during their Class AA Regional Semi-Finals game at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. Mount Vernon defeated NFA 72 - 49. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

*My take of just this past week's work from seven games at various college gyms and the Westchester County Center down in White Plains, NY. Stay tuned. ~cg.

Army - Navy Basketball (Doubleheader). West Point, NY 22•Jan.•11

A large American flag is unfurled behind the cadet color guard during the playing of the National Anthem prior to the Army - Navy men's basketball game in Christl Arena at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Saturday, January 22, 2011. Several members of the American hostages who were held captive in Iran for 444 days in 1981 were also in attendance behind the flag. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

For the second time in the last six weeks or so I'd drawn the assignment last Saturday to cover two games in another Army - Navy sports rivalry. This time it'd be in Christl Arena, a fair sized Division I basketball venue at the United States Military Academy down at West Point. To say I was just as determined to work these games with a similar mindset that I do when in an NFL stadium the last four years for the football version between these two service academies is probably putting it lightly. Same mental preparation for the long hours in the arena, continually going over imaginary packing lists of all the gear I'd need to bring along, ensuring that all the gear works as planned and just as importantly, be able to move my images back to the paper on deadline. Obviously I'm very familiar with the logistics of the arena, so the basics of the all-day assignment shouldn't pose any major unforeseen challenges or distractions. Oh, one more thing: I wanted to install strobes in the arena, as well as a remote camera on the backboard stanchion, and possibly a second remote camera in the stands aimed back at this same basket. I guess there is nothing more intense than challenging yourself with all these possibilities, even days before packing the gear and begin loading the car at 9AM. The need to strobe this particular arena is mandatory (for me) because as I've learned the last four years, the available light isn't quite as good for me working with the older work cameras at high ISO's, so the only alternative is to "light 'em up..." In other words, for all this pre-game installation and post-game break down time, I guess it adds another 5 hours to the workday, which I knew would've been long to begin with.

There's something that sort of really hits home for me in now recounting all the details of accomplishing Saturday's assignment: Preparation. Pure and simple. That's the underlying factor that kept me awake nights, easily allowed for my meticulous testing & packing of all the gear - the radio transmitters had to fire the remote(s) and strobes consistently before I left the house, and I had to know instinctively where every single item was that I'd packed, including things like channel locking pliers, four safety cables with those little pesky luggage key locks, black cine - foil, enough camera & radio transmitter cords to fire the cameras & strobes, and plenty of AA batteries in case I had to begin replacing batteries in all the Pocket-Wizard remote units. Oh yea, and gum. When I pulled up to the arena, the Naval Academy bus cruised to a halt near the main entrance just in front of me. (below). I grabbed a "short" camera in the trunk - the Canon 5D-MKII with a 16mm - 35mm zoom attached, and with the car still running and the trunk open, I stepped in position to make a few frames of the Navy players exiting their bus. When I said my customary, "Hey coach, good luck today" to Navy head coach Billy Lange as he stepped off the bus, and he replied "Thanks my friend..." I secretly breathed a big sigh of relief in knowing it was going to be a good day for making images. It was 5 minutes before 10AM...

"Go Early..."9:55AM. The U. S. Naval Academy team bus arrives outside Christl Arena at the United States Military Academy prior to their game against Army in West Point, NY on Saturday, January 22, 2011. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

For the type of workday that lay ahead for me, I knew that an image like this wouldn't have a big role in the bigger scheme of things as far as game coverage went, but it was a way for me at least to sort officially begin documenting my day. Once I got the three Dyna-Lite monolight strobes (one flash head didn't make the assignment due to a blown fuse) securely mounted in the stands, with the help of a freelance colleague who showed up just to "help out", we made a few test images of both teams going through their morning walk-throughs and drills. Now it was time to get down to the nuts and bolts of installing the remote cameras - one on the backboard stanchion, and possibly one up in the stands, aimed back at the same basket. It's a technique I really like because if all goes well, and I utilize one of the main cameras in my hands from the floor position, I can potentially have a nice play at the mouth of the basket from three different camera angles, on the arena strobes no less. (I am still working on that technique to sort of get the bugs out to get three cameras to fire simultaneously on the same target.) As I'd mentioned, a freelance colleague John Meore come to the arena to help out a bit, even suggesting that I mount my main remote in an even lower position than I was accustomed to, and another freelancer, Danny Wild passed me his Canon fisheye lens during the second playing of the National Anthem so I could make the overall view of the arena before the men's game (top image.) It was with their unsolicited help that I was able to make some of the images seen below in the slideshow. Thanks again guys! ~cg.

"Go early. Stay late. Get the uniform dirty..."

Here's the slideshow of my take on the two games:

"The Fumble..." 2010 Army - Navy Game. Philadelphia, PA. 11•Dec.•10

Navy safety Wyatt Middleton (#8, left) recovers Army quarterback Trent Steelman's fumble at the 2 - yard line in the second quarter of the 111th. Army - Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Middleton ran for a 98 - yard touchdown on the play and was named the game's MVP. Navy defeated Army 31 -17. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

I've photographed a lot of great or "special" moments in my career, particularly in covering sporting assignments. Everybody from Michael Jordan & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Muhammad Ali signing autographs and HS basketball player Will Bouton's miracle basket, a last-second, three point shot (on two cameras) to send his team to the state finals two years ago. But Saturday's fumble by Army quarterback Trent Steelman (above) inside the Navy 5-yard line as Army was driving in the closing minutes of the first half, would be a play that I probably won't forget for quite a long time. I think my eyes got as a big as Navy safety Wyatt Middleton's when the ball was punched out of Steelman's hands, as the Navy defense literally stood him up again and stopped him cold. First and foremost, this was my fourth Army - Navy game I've covered since joining this paper, as I've sort of become the unofficial "West Point beat photographer" for most events big and small, and just about every game or competition at the academy in all sports. It would be my third game down at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, and a ballpark I was becoming fairly familiar with. It was fitting that I'd be back on the natural grass field in South Philadelphia for this year's traditional battle between the two service academies. (I'd missed covering the Army - Notre Dame game at Yankee Stadium a few weeks ago, due to a lower back injury) and thought that my coverage of the Army - Rutgers game in October would be my biggest thrill in covering Army football this year. Little did I know...

(Here's how it all sort of shakes out for me...) Working the Army - Navy game has sort of become my World Series, Super Bowl and Mardi Gras all wrapped up into one. Well, maybe not the Mardi Gras part as I don't get to participate in any of the pregame parties or formal balls in Center City, Philadelphia the night before the game, or of course get to tailgate hours before the game in the stadium parking lot. What I do get to do is worry. And sweat. And ache. My workday for the game usually begins with a 4:30AM wake-up, since I want to be on the road by 6AM for the 3 -/+ hour drive to Philadelphia. But all this is to be expected, especially since I'm already familiar with the logistics of the stadium, press parking, photographer's field level workroom, etc. It's good to get to the ballpark with plenty of time (approximately 5 hours) before kickoff and sort of decompress from the long drive, have a cup of coffee, set up my workspace to send test emails to the office & back to myself, and begin the routine of how I'm going to go about installing my overhead remote in a TV press box either in the end zone as in previous years or in a main press box overlooking midfield. All this of course requires riding the service elevators to the top concourse of the stadium, and climbing the stairs up to either press box. Covering this game is all about preparation for me, as evidenced by the overhead remote image I really enjoy making. It sort reinforces the idea and ideals that everything in my gear bag(s) have to be in working order. Not to mention the three trips I made to the top of the stadium to insure that the remote camera had made this image...

The West Point Corps of Cadets fill the field during the "March On" prior to the 111th. Army - Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 11, 2010. Navy defeated Army 31 - 17. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

All in all it was another exceptional experience to again photograph such an
important game between the two service academies. The weather never became a factor either, as most of us were able to work without gloves well into the second half as well. It was also good to see a few familiar faces in the photographer's workroom and meet some new colleagues as well. ~cg.

Here's a slideshow from my take on the game.

*(Use the arrow at the bottom left of the player or click the image to start the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player. Pause the portfolio slideshow in the right column by clicking the "II" pause button.)

Click these links to view my previous year's Army - Navy Game coverage in 2009 and 2008.

"Friday Night Lights..." Kingston, NY. 03•Sept.•10

The 2010 High School Football season opened tonight, and I drew the Kingston - Cornwall game up in Kingston, NY. Tonight's game was just as much about the new turf field at Kington's Dietz Stadium, as it was about Cornwall's tailback Tyree Smallwood. Smallwood is a bona fide HS star, having already signed his letter of intent last season to attend Syracuse University on a four year ride next Fall. I knew going into the game I'd want to make the overhead fisheye view of the field, highlighting their new turf. (above) And the remote gear setup for making the image. (below) The original image was shot on RAW, Aperature Priority with +1 f/stop exposure compensation. The RAW 30MB file selects were then re-sized down to working sized .jpgs. ~cg.

My remote Nikon D-1X and 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye clamped to the press box roof for the overhead view of the Kingston - Cornwall varsity HS football game at Dietz Stadium in Kingston, NY on Friday, September 3, 2010. Cornwall defeated Kingston 32 - 15. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

*More "Juice..." (Sports Photography) 1•July•2010

Poughkeepsie, NY. One of yesterday's assignments called for coverage of a few local boxers training for a night of boxing next weekend. This was sort a media event in one of their training facilities, at a local college across the river. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a boxing ring in this converted dance studio, (complete with a mirrored wall), so I had to immediately make do with what props and the location at hand. These fighters do train in a nearby boxing club here in my hometown, and I'm hoping to do a secondary shoot with a few of the fighters, including the local name fighter Luis DelValle (left). DelValle is a former NY and national Golden Gloves champion, now 9 - 0 (7 KO's as a pro), and I'd photographed him back in March during a full boxing card where he KO'd his opponent in the first minute of that fight. An amazingly fast featherweight, articulate, and just as important for me - he completely understood how to "look like a fighter", even sparring hard (at right) for a few minutes to get sweaty for the portraits, and was very patient with me in making the few portraits I needed. (My portable one-strobe & umbrella set-up is below). It was good to speak to him on a personal level for a few moments to learn about his background, growing up in Puerto Rico, training schedule, and for him to realize that I was genuinely showing an interest in him as a young athlete. I remember he kept telling me during the few poses we tried, "You're the boss..." To hear that from a young 23 year-old athlete, who's fought all over the world and just as easily could've been a prima dona, made it all pretty easy for me, considering I was perspiring quite a bit too in the stuffy second floor training room. I am looking forward to spending more time with him and other fighters out of the Newburgh Boxing Club nearby, and drawing the assignment next weekend. The sportswriter and I are already banging ideas around about possibly gaining access to the dressing rooms before their fights. Now that'd certainly make a heckuva audio slideshow. Stay tuned. ~cg.

*"Back on Track..." (or why I still get juiced shooting sports.) June•2010

There's still something sweet about arriving early to a venue, knowing you're there working a big game, no matter what the sport. Throw in some of these newer stadiums and arenas where even local high school games are contested nowadays, and when weather conditions are favorable - it's just about nirvana for me. I've written quite a few posts on this blog the past few years about (my) sports photography and have tried to highlight a lot of the intricacies on what I go through in preparation, the gear and supporting hardware I utilize, just about everything I try to do and work to accomplish in a routine manner in covering games, if you will.

The past few weeks have sort of meshed together with game coverage of HS baseball state tournament games, HS track & field state championships outside Binghamton, NY (another 18+ hour day, but who's counting), HS lacrosse state playoff games a few weeks ago at Middletown HS (top photo) and Thursday at media day & practice (I stayed later) for our local professional minor league team, the Hudson Valley Renegades - where even the simplest of images of a couple of bats in the bat rack (right) in their empty dugout sort of has meaning. It's another image that can be used anytime in conjunction with a baseball story.

Beyond all the talk, notes, diagrams, remote cameras, radio transmitters to trigger those cameras, fancy lenses and do-dads, finger-crossing, silent meditative chanting, and bubble gum chewing I could ever do, I wanted to again emphasize that making good sports images, no matter what level of play, requires an innate amount of concentration, attention to detail, and probably most of all - a working knowledge of the game. It all began for me eons ago, probably way before I gave much thought about being a professional photographer. Because way "back in the day..." I was a pretty decent ballplayer, and to this day understand the minutiae of sports and fine sports photography. In fact, I almost crave it...

Here's a slideshow highlighting recent sports work where I've brought out the small strobe kit again for team headshots of the Renegades baseball team during their media day (right), added a 2x tele-coverter to the 300mm for the pole vaulter warming up on the runway (above left), and laid on my belly a few times for low angle images for action & feature images around the ballpark or track. Still not one to be ashamed about getting a little dirty on the job. "Cheers...!" ~cg.
*Use the arrow at the bottom left of the player or click the image to start the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player. Pause the portfolio slideshow in the right column by clicking the "II" pause button. There is no audio track with this presentation.)

"Big - Dogs..." West Point Graduation Day. 22•May•10

President Barack Obama pauses onstage as he watches cadets approach the dais in Michie Stadium at the United States Military Academy for their 2010 Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony in West Point, NY on Saturday, May 22, 2010. President Obama delivered the commencement address as 1,002 cadets received their diplomas and were commissioned as 2nd. Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

7:15AM. Checking my remote Canon 1D camera with a 300mm f/2.8 + 1.4 tele-extender on the center TV platform prior to the United States Military Academy's 2010 Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony at Michie Stadium in West Point, NY on Saturday, May 22, 2010. President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address as 1,002 cadets received their diplomas and were commissioned as 2nd. Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. (Photograph by Danny Wild/USMA)

Yesterday was the fourth Army graduation I've covered here during my four years at this newspaper. "Four-for-Four..." I guess you could say. Even though President Obama was to deliver the commencement address for this year's graduating class (which topped 1,000 cadets) there was so much preparation I'd gone through in the last month or so, I was ready to step up to any unforeseen challenges that might present themselves. The last two weeks or so got to be a little nerve racking for members of the working press, particularly for still photographers and video guys, as the White House press people and "the Service" were going to be handling all logistics in assigning locations, field access during the ceremony, the whole bit. Up until Thursday and even Friday, the latest word from my colleagues in the West Point pubic affairs office was that we'd be "locked down" in position and there'd be no "roaming" for photographers. That nearly concrete rumor could've easily dampened my enthusiasm in wanting to cover this year's ceremony. But from the first day back in mid - April or so when the WH announced that POTUS (Obama) would be delivering the commencement address, I began the planning stages of covering this assignment in my mind & just as important - in my mind's eye, regardless of any restrictions that might be imposed, and of course my enthusiasm quietly grew. The first hurdle to overcome would be long glass. I began a series of email correspondence with the good folks in the Bay Area at BorrowLenses.com
Earlier post on corresponding with BorrowLenses two weeks ago here. I initially set out to rent a 400mm f/2.8AF for the assignment, as I knew I could easily add the 1.4x tele-extender or the 2x if needed, especially if I was going to be stuck on the risers for mostly podium and stage area images. I knew instinctively that this day would call for something longer than our pool 300mm in the office. It's a great lens and regular readers of this blog already know how comfortable I am with that lens; but for this day, I'd be running with the "big - dogs" and I certainly didn't want to get 'left on the porch', so to speak. Earlier in my career, I'd regularly worked with a 400mm in the NYC pro sports beat, and even used a colleague's 400mm on this very field to cover an Army football game 2 seasons ago. I am fully aware of the physical demands alone of just maneuvering a monster piece of glass like that around for an extended assignment. Due to scheduling and availability of their 400mm, I made the decision to have a monstrous 600mm f/4 (at left) shipped here. Going with this rental lens served additional options for me professionally. Obviously it's an incredible piece of equipment to have available for such an assignment, but also once I'd placed the order and began tracking it's delivery via the Fed-Ex site, I was reminded again that I'd become a valuable customer with a reliable & reputable vendor, mostly catering to professionals. Throughout my career, I've realized that it's all part of the process of anticipating & recognizing certain obstacles, and doing whatever it takes on various levels to put yourself in the right position, both mentally & of course physically for making good images. It certainly isn't everyday that you'd need to employ such equipment to cover the day to day assignments we shoot, but when an event like this demands doing things the right way, I'm all over it. It was such a rewarding feeling knowing that I'd made the right decision for this rental. With all the expected challenges looming and my experience in covering the three previous USMA graduations, as well as POTUS at West Point only six months ago, I knew I had to step it up a notch or two and add this super telephoto. Anytime you're presented with the opportunity to photograph a sitting President, I still believe you should have the professional wherewithal to step it up another level, packing your best "A-game" for the day. These are images that will have "legs" (meaning reuse in print & the web) for a long time in our archive, and of course out here in the blog-o-sphere / portfolio / lecture circuit / classroom, etc. for me.
Looking back & playing it all forward if you will, one realizes again that this is a business and it's also about building personal relationships at a lot of different levels, as the people you work with will go out of their way to help you achieve the kind of imagery you're trying to accomplish - if you're a true professional - that's extremely important in completing an assignment on this level. I made sure to bring all the appropriate remote gear to install two remote cameras, regardless of what the rumor mill was quoted all week - just in case I got permission down on the field at 7AM, just as I had for two previous graduations where I'd installed remotes. As one public affairs administrator quietly told me, "See if you can work your magic to set up your remotes..." And this while I was being escorted to the press risers on the field by his military boss, an Army Lt. Colonel no less. Bringing printouts from last year's low-angle remote rig & sample images to illustrate my intentions didn't hurt either. Thanks again guys.
Oh yea, here's a tightly edited take of graduation day. "Woof!" ~cg.
*Use the arrow at the bottom left of the player or click the image to start the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player. Pause the portfolio slideshow in the right column by clicking the "II" pause button. There is no audio track with this presentation.)