*"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.)