More hoops, here and there

On that hoop grind. Some photos from here and there:

DAILY SNAP: Pushing the limits

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: 1/640th of a second, f/2.8, ISO 10,000, 70mm

The story: Yep, ISO 10,000. That's the story. One of the dungeon-iest gyms in our coverage area, and it doesn't help that there's no light shining on faces when kids are up and looking at the hoop. That forces me into some serious compromising. Gotta do what you gotta do.

Why I like it: Honestly, this was probably the only one I was pleased with. I was shooting in an odd position because of the cheerleaders and the setup of the gym -- I was actually up on the auditorium stage, shooting from a couple of feet behind the hoop. So the 70-200 was really tight. Action right at the hoop was too close, too dark. This one was the perfect shot for me ... filled the frame, relatively sharp. There's actually some motion blur from shooting at 1/640th, and obviously lots of grain from shooting at ISO 10,000. But its good action, and also a cool background with the mascot pirate on the far wall.

Daily Snap: Posterized?

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 8000, 73mm

The story: Nothing quite like a contested high school dunk, right? It usually comes out of nowhere, and is followed by massive roar from the student section and crowd. It tends to becomes a great basketball memory for the season -- "Remember that dunk against Mapleton?"

Well, this one happened at something of an odd angle to me, but I got a great look at the defender's face.

Why I like it: Interesting narrative photo. Face of defender becomes the central point of the image, background becomes a secondary journey: players on the bench below, move from the Crestview (in white) player dunking, then the windows, banner and poster on the walls in the background. Nice moment.

Daily Snap: Big Ups

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 6400, 90mm

The story: Big time high school basketball game -- big rivalry game. Had to deal with early deadlines tonight, so I only got to shoot the first quarter-and-a-half. Managed to snap this one though.

Why I like it: Big and vertical and athletic. Fills the frame. Compact. This was actually shot horizontal with top of ball cut off, so I gave it a nice, tight crop. Sharp eyes.

Back to Basics

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/640th of a second, ISO 6400, 110mm (top) and 200mm (right)

So, I've been working on getting back to basics.

That means nailing a proper exposure, white balance and only tagging those tack-sharp photos.

Easy, right? Should be.

But the rigors of a photojournalist can wear on you. Earlier tonight was a great example. I had to get photos from two basketball games, 20 minutes apart, that began at the same time. That meant leaving the first game midway through the second quarter and arriving at the second game midway through the third quarter.

Horrific stuff. I was so worried about nailing any shot that I struggled getting any shot. You know those nights, right? You've got one eye on the clock going, "Come on, really?" And you've got nothing. No plays coming your way. No faces. Nothing sharp.

That's why the basics are so important ... when you do get a chance, you nail it. Like, take the top photo. Not great action by any means. But the white balance is dead on. Exposure is dead on. Face is tack sharp. Background is banged out of focus. I'll take it.

Second part of basics, and this one's more photojournalismy: If you don't want to miss it, get high. It's a hockey rule, but can be applied to most sports. Learned it firsthand from my chief PJ, Tom.

If you're on the floor, a big-time play can occur through a sea of people. It could occur right in front of you. It could occur anywhere. And you may or may not get it. But if you get high enough, you should be able to capture it anywhere on the playing surface. So when this game above got tight, I hiked up into the stands. Sure enough, this same player nailed a floater with 6 seconds left (picture at right). Had I been on the floor, this photo would have been a whole lot of hands and the backside of No. 10. in black and yellow. Up high, I got a pretty cool shot.

Oh, other thing. Don't be afraid to hike up ISO even higher than normal to hit your shutter speeds. I knew this rule in theory, but it has really crystallized since basketball has started. Even at 1/500th of a second, motion blur can ruin a good, sharp shot. I really like to be up around 1/800th, and in some cases (i.e. dungeons) at 1/640th. That usually means being up around ISO 6400 or 8000. Remember, you can always clean up noise, but you can't clean up motion blur.

Daily Snap: Like Mike

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 6400, 105mm

The story: High school boys basketball game. Pretty close quarters, so finding a good shot through all the traffic was tricky.

Why I like it: Great focus in the eyes, and the Jordan-esque tongue waggle makes it interesting. Always love to see the players skying above the bleachers in the background, too. HILLSDALE ADULTS.

Daily Snap: Upwards

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 6400, 70mm

The story: High school basketball season is fully kicked into gear. Definitely took me a few games to find my basketball rhythm. Still getting there, but feeling better about it.

Why I like it: This gym is one of the few where I actually have space to shoot with a 70-200mm from right behind the hoop. Love that spot. Great, sharp action coming right at me. That, to me, is the bread and butter of basketball. Big, vertical action that makes even high school players look like superheroes. Trouble, of course, is making sure to get faces -- not just elbows and chins. This was shot from kneeling, upright position.

Daily Snap: Fallin' and ballin'

Whoa. Sorry for the delay between posts. I'm the worst.

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 5000, 200mm

The story: Loose ball in a college basketball game. That old sports photography rule ... If you can make one sport look like another, you've got a good picture. This has shades of football, even baseball. And it's different in particular because it's low and horizontal, while basketball tends to be high and vertical.

Why I like it: Sharp face. Concentration. Compact composition, and it's pretty dynamic. Interesting from edge to edge with the sneaker on the left, to the hand on the bottom right that hints at another player on the ground.

Daily Snap: Runnin' Wild

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/640th of a second, ISO 6400, 200mm

The story: High school football, playoff style. Mapleton (in blue + red) rumbled to its first-ever playoff victory thanks to the ground game of this fella, who rushed for 200+ yards and 3 TDs.

Why I like it: You can feel the power of this run. Grass flying, muscle definition in the RB's arms. Shot at 200mm, you also get a sense of the atmosphere, like the blocker in front. Again, shot from kneeling position, so RB's head gets up above bleachers in background.

And a bonus shot:

Photo project: Hillsdale High School football

Caught a great football game Friday at a stadium with absolutely horrendous and spotty lights. Made for some great interplay of light and shadow, though. Here are some snaps from Hillsdale at Chippewa in Doylestown (created with Exposure):



CAPTURED: HILLSDALE FALCONS by Joe Pelletier on Exposure

Daily Snap: Close quarters

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 f/2.8L
Settings: f/4, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 1000, 200mm

The story: Ohio high school girls soccer tournament action. Six p.m. start, which was about an hour before sunset. Managed to get a good half-hour shooting at f/4 at a decent ISO, which was nice. I've taken to shooting at f/4 when I can ... get that little extra bit of depth of field.

Why I like this one: OK. Honestly, I don't love this shot. I like it ... somewhat. Good action. But it's missing something. I keep wishing I was 20 feet further to my left, shooting right into the action. There's something lateral here that I don't quite like. And I couldn't figure out the crop. And it's not as tack-sharp as I want it to be.

Processed a couple more. They all came during a cloudy sunset hour, which I always like in an edgy black-and-white tone. Dig it? (And yes, that No. 2 was all over the field).

Daily Snap: Swatted!

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/1600th of a second, ISO 200, 90mm

The story: At long last, a football game during the day! Division II, Saginaw Valley State University at Ashland University. Shot mostly with the Nikon D300S / 300mm 2.8 setup (which I now firmly believe has a back-focusing problem that flubbed the focus on most of my photos), and the 5DIII in close quarters.

Why I like this shot: GREAT ACTION. This is my first real sharp shot of good football action, ever. End zone. Ball being swatted. Receiver's hands grasping hair. Scene is set pretty well, and both players are hanging above the action, in the sky.

There's usually an internal battle for sports photogs about finding good action and making a good photograph. This photo leans on the good action side of things, but I'm OK with that. I can dig it.

Daily Snap: Dig this

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 5000, 200mm

The story: High school volleyball match. My usual process is to shoot first set from the floor, second from an elevated spot, then go with the flow after that. Wherever the volleyball spirits take me. Anywho, this was in the first set, where I try to shoot as tight as I can. Honestly, who cares about a full-body shot of someone bumping or setting? I sure don't. So I always shoot for face, hands and ball. Maybe throw the focus point off center. Maybe shoot vertical.

Why I like this one: Eyes, duh! Leading line to ball, complemented nicely by a leading line from her left arm. There's also a nice dynamism. And despite the fact that the background is a little cluttered, it's clean behind her face. And orange is the school colors, so I don't mind that.

Random additional thought. I haven't nailed down WB yet in these gyms. I've been meaning to figure out a dead-on WB with gray card on proper exposure, but I never have time before these things start. This was a RAW file, then I did a spot WB in LR off the Nike swoosh on her headband.

Random additional thought. Little cropping off the left here, but this is basically full-frame at 200mm (I was maybe 10 feet away). Notice the DOF ... her hands are out of focus, but eyes are dead sharp. Also notice the speed of the game ... at 1/1000th of a second, that ball still has motion blur.

Daily Snap: Eyes, John Cohen, Cider

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 16-35mm f/2.8
Settings: f/2.8, 1/40th of a second, ISO 320

The story: Local cider festival which showcased a hydraulic cider press that dates back to the 1890s. Serious machinery that applies about 100,000 pounds of force to masses of unwitting apples. The typical trappings of a down-home ciderfest were all there: folks serving cider, various vendors, hay rides. But I was interested in this press, and I wanted a great shot, so I kept telling myself that there is no eye.

OK, OK. I'll clarify.

John Cohen is a musician, photographer and jack of all trades who might be most famously know for photographs like this one. He published a book in 2002 titled "There is No Eye," referring to his photographic style. His photographs were vibrant, blurry, hectic, boring, engaging, disengaging and everything in between. Make sense? No? I know, it's hard. Try this from Greil Marcus:

"You can look at John Cohen's book and see through very familiar eyes: the New York City eyes of Helen Levitt and Walker Evans, Evans' country eyes, the highway eyes of Robert Frank, even Margaret Bourke-White's doubting eyes in Holiness churches….John Cohen's argument is that the picture exists outside of the photographer's intentions, or even his desires….Up against these eyeless pictures, those of Evans, Frank, Levitt, and Bourke-White can seem almost propagandistic. That is, they make arguments; you are aware that the photographer wants to tell you something, to convince you of something, to accept a certain point of view. Here there is no point of view. There is something else; I don't know what to call it, so I won't try."

Anyway. Sometimes I fear I overthink my photography. Trying to engage the subject, tell the story, build a narrative composition, find a background, find the light. Use it all correctly. It's stressful, man! So at this event, I made a point to go all John Cohen. Get in there. And engage. And see what happens. And don't worry too much about the camera ... because there is no eye.

And all of a sudden, I come across Harold here checking the hydraulics. I had just come from outside, and I knew this was a fleeting moment, so I just dropped the shutter speed until i had a fair exposure. Fired.

You know, I probably wouldn't have gotten this shot if I was thinking about faces and places and settings and light. But there wasn't an eye that day. There was just a barn, a man, and a big machine.

Cool, right?

Why I like it: I won't ramble too long. I love the motion blur of the cider press. I like the spectrum of light and dark, and I don't find the blown-out window too distracting. I like his shirt pattern harmonizing with the barn's interior. And I like the look on his face. 

P.S. Had some of the cider. Magical.

Daily Snaps: Lights, camera & good action

(Sorry I've been on and off recently. I've been working on that whole sleeping thing.)

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/500th of a second, ISO 6400, 200mm

The story: Friday night football, per usual. My long lense setup (Nikon D300S; Nikon 300 f/2.8 IS) struggles in low light, so I usually find myself bouncing around the sidelines during the second half with my 70-200. That usually means being short on mm's for most shots, but it does make me more mobile. With high school football, I'll usually make myself small, inconspicuous and walk with the chain gang for half a quarter or so. (PRO TIP: Get to know the chain gang and refs. Talk with 'em before game, between quarters. Be friendly. I haven't had anyone ask me to move off the sidelines, even when I've been shoulder to shoulder with referees). I've found that being 20 or 25 yards ahead of a good rushing team will equal good RB photos like the one above.

Why I like this shot: OK, I always shoot from a knee at the very least. Occasionally I'll go prostrate, because I'm not spending $69.95 on a right-angle viewfinder. Kneeling is something that stuck out from that Damian Strohmeyer lecture at B&H that I'll watch every once in a while. It's something to make your shots different from the guy shooting right next to you. Anyway, I got bonus points from kneeling in that the head of the Hillsdale running back here is at the same level as some of the lights in the background. BOKEH! And he's off the ground. And great expression.

Plus, how magical is the 5DIII? I'm pushing the limits at ISO 6400, 1/500th of a second, and it's still super sharp.

Daily Snap: Volleyballin'

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L

Settings: f/2.8, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 4000, 200mm

The story: Volleyball. Have definitely found more success at the net shooting from the stands/elevated location. Still trying to figure it all out. But this one worked out.

Why I like it: The net running as a rule-of-thirds-esque line is something different -- usually shots like this set the net in the middle of the frame. I also love the face, and the arm as a leading line to the ball. Her face is the brightest thing in the frame, too.

Daily Snap: Football season

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L

Settings: f/4, 1/800th of a second, ISO 2000, 200mm

The story: I didn't have any sports assignments today, so here's one from Week 2 of the Ohio high school football season. I reexamined it recently and cropped it a little tighter, and I like it considerably more now.

Why I like it: It's a touchdown reception, and you can tell from his face. Plus the defender falling off.

Daily Snap: Revvin' Up

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L

Settings: f/3.2, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 800, 200mm

The story: One of the more enjoyable assignments at this week's Ashland (Ohio) County Fair was the motocross event on Thursday evening. Great light right around sunset, and a fun adventure for me. 

Why I like this photo: You learn to appreciate the subtleties of a good expression during a sport like motocross. Most guys have shaded visors, bulky helmets, chin-guards ... the whole shabang. So you rarely get to see a full face. This racer (who just happened to be a winner as well) managed to keep the dirt off his face/helmet during this race, and I caught him at an angle where you can also see some nose/mouth action. So his face isn't very large in the frame (I actually submitted a cropped version for print), but I think it still plays a prominent role. Great coloring in his outfit as well, dirty flying, a rider in the background for perspective, and nice sunset light on the grandstand. Couple distractions in the background, but I prefer a background with fans in the stands to nothing at all.

Daily Snap: Defense rules

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 800, 300mm

The story: Big local football game, and snapped this photo in the first quarter. LOVED IT. Turns out, Loudonville (gray) pulled off a shutout (its 2nd straight). Great photojournalistic photo.

Why I like it: Great compression. I was nice and low to the ground, so no random grass or lines distracting from our subject. I'm still early in my PJ career, but I think this could be one of my signature looks. ALSO. Love the Falcon fans in the back. Face of the Hillsdale (white) QB. Loudonville defender to the right gives it some balance, atmosphere.

Bonus photo with 5DIII, 70-200:

Daily Snap: Heads up!

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 5000, 200mm

The story: Final stages of a high school girls soccer game, and a corner from my side of the net. Ball comes in, and I happen upon the right player at the right time. Definitely some luck involved. Only better thing would have been if this was the game-tying goal (it bounced harmlessly into the keeper's arms).

Why I like it: Dynamic. And great color, right? And shadows. This was long after sunset, so it was enitrely stadium lights. There's a great line between the player's eyes and the ball, and that leads you through the frame. And more simply, it's just good, athletic action, with the player standing out in front of the night-sky background.

Bonus pic:

Daily Snap: On the Farm

(Yeah, yeah. Few days off to cool my jets.)

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 17-35 f/2.8

Settings: f/4, 1/400th of a second, ISO 400, 17mm

The story: Called to a local farm to hang out with a mom who's basically managing a small "hobby farm" on her own (with the help of her two girls). Did a portrait, then hung out for a bit and snapped some candids.

Why I like this one: It reminds me of one of my favorite photographers ... Cathy Avalone. She was the chief photographer when I worked as a sports editor in Connecticut. She always focuses on faces and emotion, and loves a dutched camera with some leading lines. There's a really cool narrative here with the lively younger sister, the older sister giving her a look, and the whole setting. And it was all completely unstaged ... I was just talking with the mother while the girls were bouncing around. I saw this and fired.

Daily Snap: Friday Football

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L

Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 6400, 200mm

The story: First football Friday of the year. Good fun. Really harsh light, shadows all over the place in the first half, then no light in the second half (of course). But the camera held up pretty well at ISO 6400 and some heavy noise reduction in Lightroom.

Why I like this one: Lights fell on this sophomore QB just right. Really stands out, and has a pro-looking stance here. Clean, dark background. I caught a bunch of the QB in the first half, when there was light, but I like this picture better.

Bonus. A cool pic that just missed out on being a spectacular pic thanks to the ref. See the ball? Maybe? Yeah, it's right behind the ref's head. And below that, fan shot with a little flare from before the game.

Daily Snap: Set 'em up

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L

Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 5000, 165mm

The story: Nothing spectacular yesterday. Late running to a volleyball game, so couldn't get a rhythm. Pretty pleased with the Mark III at ISO 5000, just couldn't find the right spot to get good action.

Why I like this one: Clean. Face. Sharp (my tenets!). Framed by people below, the bottom of those Ohio championship banners above. And this is barely cropped in post, so the framing was pretty spot-on in-camera.

Daily Snap: New perspective

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8 IS
Settings: f/5.6, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 320, 300mm

The story: There's one thing that's really cool about photographing golf. Every single shot is going to be different. Every walk down the fairway. Every chip. And for the photographer, every step offers a different angle of a different shot. For this shot, I was actually just walking ahead of them to get to the next tee box. I turned around just to see their progress, and fired off this frame.

Why I like it: Layers & colors. There's a very different sense of place. The negative space up top is just odd, because the foreground and background are so far apart. I like it. And the orange stands out, and the different poses of the girls make it engaging.

Bonus pic. Trying to follow the Peter Read Miller advice that you can always crop a sports photo EVEN TIGHTER. And I find something soothing about the shaft + tree in the background forming a right angle.

Daily Snap: Kill-joy

(Kill-joy ... volleyball pun. Get it?!?!?!?)

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 4000, 200mm

The story: Rushed over to a girls volleyball game after the soccer game I was at got rained out. Showed up after second game ended, so didn't really get to settle into a rhythm. But caught this celebration after a spike.

Why I like it: Pretty energetic. Clenched fists, flying hair. Clean background. Lots of red always complements an emotive shot well.

Daily Snap: Eyes on prize

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8 IS
Settings: f/5.6, 1/1250th of a second, ISO 200, 300mm

The story: Evening soccer game. I've been disappointed with image quality at f/2.8 from the 300mm for the past few weeks, so I tried shooting at f/5.6 for a while. Quality was better, but you really see the DOF difference. I'll have to try f/4 my next time out. Boring game. One of those good light, bad action games.

Why I like this one: Two big reasons. Her eyes & the good, warm light. That said, I dislike the pole behind their heads and the coach in the background. Distracting. But I think the determination in her face, and the fact that it's so tack sharp, make up for it. Oh yeah, bonus points as a PJ ... this Mapleton girl scored a hat trick.

Bonus shot:

Daily Snap: Looking "Fore!"-ward

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8 IS
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 100, 300mm

The story: Just a standalone assignment for the club championship at a local golf course. The golf/photography gods smiled on me, because (1) the course gave me a cart and (2) I caught the final pairing as they came down 17. The guy above was the winner.

Why I like it: I'm a sucker for a photograph with an emotive face looking off frame. To me, it's a great metaphor for the vulnerability in life: looking to an uncertain future. And it works for sad, pensive faces. But it also works for hopeful, positive faces (like this guy). There's pretty good energy to this shot, too, which is sometimes tricky to find in a follow-through. Interesting lines with arms, club, eyes.

Daily Snap: Ace of Shades

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8 IS

Settings: f/2.8, 1/3200th of a second, ISO 320, 300mm

The story: Girls tennis. Employed a variety of techniques (tennis can get boring to shoot real quick), and this was with the 300mm, back beyond the baseline, focus trained on the girl at the net in this doubles match. Just stuck with her and let that shutter fly when a volley came her way.

Why I like it: The shades!! They draw you right in between the ball and the racket, putting you in the shot immediately. Yes, it's a bummer as a PJ because you can't see eyes. But if you look close enough, you can see the reflection of the court in her shades. Kind of cool. Also, I love a good tennis photograph that keeps the action in a tight space -- those stray legs, arms or balls in the corner of a shot just ruin any vibrance it might have. Also, this photo has good depth with the foreground (net) and background (top of fence).

Aside: I was also shooting with 5D Mark III + 70-200 (infinitely sharper than Nikon rig) on different courts, but nothing had the dynamism of the one above. Since I'm feeling kind, here's a few selects:

Daily Snap: Elusiveness

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8 IS

Settings: f/3.2, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 200, 300mm

The story: High school football scrimmage. Starters only played for one quarter, but I knew this QB would be scrambling all over the place. Set up right around the line of scrimmage, caught this one when he pulled a Mike Vick and tried reversing himself in the backfield.

Why I like it: This is a good example of the compression and perspective you get from shooting from a low angle. I was on both knees, shooting from monopod at lowest height (maybe 20 inches?). It has that unique quality that your typical amateur won't get from a standing position. I love using the grass as a level frame to the bottom of the image. I love the blue, red and green repeating across the image. And I like it particularly as a PJ, because this guy scored two rushing TDs. 

I hate that pole in the background.

Daily Snap: Presidential Candidate?

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/250th of a second, ISO 2500, 100mm

The story: I was called to cover the annual John Ashbrook Memorial Dinner at Ashland University, an event which has featured previous keynotes like Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Margaret Thatcher. This year's speaker was Dr. Ben Carson, a famed surgeon, author and philanthropist. When asked about a possible 2016 presidential run (his name has been tossed around here and there), Carson said: "We're laying the groundwork."

Why I like the photo: Your options are pretty limited at events like this. Low light. He's pretty distanced from the crowd. And there wasn't anything spectacular about the venue. So I had a bunch of photos that look somewhat similar. But this one stands out to me ... I'm not sure why. It might be because it looks a lot like an AP photo you would see from a politician's campaign spot, and that type of photo been embedded in my brain as a good photo to get. He's got some leading room. There's an interesting echo of the patterns in the tie and the background. The glint in the glasses draws your eyes into the shot. His eyes are on the same plane as "University."

Daily Snap: Teeing off

Gear: Nikon D300S; Nikon 300mm f/2.8

Settings: f/3.5, 1/3200th of a second, ISO 200, 300mm

Story: Caught some high school golf. This was actually one of my first shots of the day... turned out to be one of the best. Golfer was looking right into the light, shades give it a little pop, the flying grass adds some dynamism. Sharp. Good background. I like it.

Oh. Bonus shot. Kind of stock, but I love the layers to the foreground, midground, background:

Daily Snap: 50/50 Ball

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L

Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 1000, 160mm

Story: Northwestern High was dominating this game, so I set down my 300mm and shot exclusively with my 70-200 for a bit. Had to wait longer for the play to come to me, but it gave me a little more time for analysis as the play came upfield.

Why I like it: It was shot at ISO 1000, so you can see a bit of noise. But I think it complements the light (the sun had literally just set beyond the horizon) nicely. It's got a nice, gritty feel. Background is pretty clean and undistracting (Bokeh!). Good faces.