Paying Attention to Backgrounds

This is a photo of former Baylor forward Cory Jefferson, who's now in the NBA but is unfortunately just known for this play, participating in the 2014 NCAA Slam Dunk Contest. It's one of my favorite photos.

If you're going to shoot a slam dunk contest I feel like a wide angle lens is the only way to do it. For this photo event I was using my 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens. The wide angles just provide a lot context to the photo and really exaggerate the athleticism of the dunker. In this shot Jefferson is just about his peak altitude just before finishing this dunk. His body is at full extension, his face is focused on the rim and his jersey is rippling in the wind--it's stunning. BUT ... every time I look at this photo I'm devastated that at that exact moment the arm of an ESPN camera rig is right behind Jefferson causing it to look like some odd extension of his body. 

I was really careful about keeping this camera rig out of my shots but it crept in at the worst moment. Usually when backgrounds distract from the subject I toss the photo because that's one of the first rules I learned--keep your backgrounds clean--but in this case I couldn't toss this one aside. Instead I cherish it as a fantastic photo with a terrible flaw that teaches me to do better next time.

First Shooting Experience at AT&T Stadium

AT&T Stadium seems to be the hottest sports venue in the country, and I'm sure that makes Jerry Jones supremely ecstatic. The stadium is a marvel. There's not a detail that went overlooked and that even goes for the photo work rooms. 

Usually the photo work room in a stadium is glorified broom closet. At Jerry World, the work room is built like a locker room. Each photographer has their own work station and outlets. Few things are worse than trying to squeeze in trying to find a place to work then crawling under tables looking for a plug. The best part, though, the photographers have their dining area on the field level. It was nice to not have to walk across the stadium, up to the fifth level to the press box.

It was a nice change-of-pace experience but I typically don't care for those accommodations. I'm usually annoyed by members of the media who expect a certain type of food, drink or working condition. It's all superfluous. 

As for my photos, I was happy to have the opportunity to capture some photos of wide receivers working down the field for receptions. This is one of the things I told myself to work on this season instead of hundreds of photos of quarterbacks and ball carriers on the ground. It was an easy opportunity,  though, considering Baylor and Texas Tech were in a shootout, which Baylor barely walked away from. 

Of all the detail put into AT&T Stadium, there is one "glaring" flaw: The sun. This game kicked off around 2:30 p.m. and by about 5:00 p.m., the sun was about to set and a terrible glare cast through the glass of the stadium creating terrible shadows and unwanted silhouettes that were hard to avoid. In a way I'm glad it happened because I was able to learn how to work through it, which is what this season has been all about.

Shooting The Epic TCU vs. Baylor Shootout

I've only been shooting football for a little less than a year now, and in that short time I haven't really shot in typical college football environments. The first two schools I had photo credentials for last year were the SMU Mustangs and North Texas Mean Green--not exactly the premier teams of the FBS. This season, though, I've been fortunate enough to be credentialed for SMU and North Texas again as well as TCU and Baylor. 

When TCU and Baylor played each other down in Waco, TX I finally had an opportunity to experience a legitimate college football atmosphere, and it was a lot to take in. Not only was I one of about 150 photographers on the sidelines but ESPN was in town broadcasting the game to the country and ESPN will do whatever it takes to get their shots even if that means squatting right in front of your camera. 

Aside from sideline distractions, this game was a fast-paced shootout. And considering some advice I've received when shooting football about staying in front of a good team and behind a bad one, I had to hustle end zone to end zone considering these were both great offensive teams. It was tiring, but I was able to capture a wide variety of shots for both teams--one of my goals for each game.

At one point in the game, though, it seemed as if TCU was going to leave victorious considering they were up by 21 points with six minutes left in the game, but I should've known better since Baylor has such an explosive offensive and a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Bryce Petty. 

This is where my inexperience in shooting big-time college football hurt me. As Baylor began its 21-point rally to tie the game it felt impossible to keep up with the team. Even though I was staying in front of the them, they scored so quickly and usually on the opposite side of the field so it caused me to miss out on good storytelling photos. 

On the final drive the Baylor Bears worked themselves into field goal range for a game-winning kick. Finding a place to shoot a good field goal/kicker shot is something I'm still figuring out. My thought process was to get in the corner of the end zone and capture a photo of the kick then the celebration or disappointment afterward, but with the noise from the crowd and the intensity of the moment I got too caught up in the situation. I captured a shot of the kick, but I couldn't help but look to see if he made it. In that time I looked up and watched the ball sail through the up-rights and finally looked back at the kicker it was pure chaos on the field. The Baylor players flooded the field and then moments later the students were rushing the field. 

I'm learning that sports photography is not only about predicting what's going to happen next, but you also have to be able to make quick decisions about where to be and what to shoot because if you don't you'll end missing a great shot.

The Warm-Up Shots

When it comes to editing down photos for my photo essays I rarely include shots from warm-ups. For some reason they feel inauthentic -- almost cheap in a way. Warm-ups are a great opportunity to get candid photos of a star athlete, but it's such a casual shot that it hardly fits into the flow of the usually intense action photos. 

There was one photo essay in which I used two warm-up shots in a photo essay when SMU played Texas A&M because they were high-profile, impact players (Ricky Seals-Jones & Kenny Hill, who are in the gallery above) I felt deserved a little extra attention but if I would've been able to get a better game shot of the two I would've easily chosen the latter. I guess, in a way, I use warm-up shots as a crutch in case I feel like my game shots are lacking a bit.