Spring's all wrapped up and in the books, giving me a chance to look back at photographs from my first two-and-a-half months as a PJ for the Ashland Times-Gazette (Ohio).
One in particular. My favorite photo comes from the track (err, the field) during the Ohio state championships down in Columbus at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. This one's a personal favorite for a few reasons, but first, the photo:
Discus. Yep, out of baseball and softball and tennis and all those fun spring sports, I've come to love a discus photo the best. Here's why:
1) I knew this discus thrower was going to be one of our top finishers, so I wanted to get something GREAT. The difficulty (and isn't it always like this?) is that I had another athlete competing 300 yards away in high jump. Simultaneously. So running from one spot to another in a pinch and still finding a great photo makes me happy. Lemonade with elusive lemons.
2) Finding something different. Discus is the worst for photography, especially when the longest lens at my disposal was a 300mm. The officials (for your own safety) weren't allowing you anywhere near the throwers. All the photographers were huddled well past the throwing area, shooting back into the throwing area. Giving them photos exactly like this one (from one of our competitors):
No way I was submitting a shot like that. No. Way. So I meandered to the side of the thrower's area, probably 15 or 20 feet from the near mesh. Found a cool angle, that -- if all went well -- would make for a cool photograph. That leads to No. 3 ...
3) Settings. This was the finals, so I had three throws from Mariah to get it right. And I had all the other girls to fiddle with settings. But one problem. AF kept getting locked up on near mesh. It must've been just beyond the limit switch on my 70-200. So I had to do the unthinkable for a modern PJ ... I had to switch to manual focus.
And I had to do it at 2.8, so the near mesh wasn't too obtrusive (I didn't mind it at 2.8 ... I think it gives it a cool 3D frame.
Luckily, the discus throwers basically finished their throw from the same spot. I tried a few different methods (focusing on that spot on the ground, trying to manually focus on a another girl just after she threw) to nail down the focus, but I was still playing with fire.
So when Mariah finally threw (I think this was her second throw), my heart was probably beating as fast as hers was. I knew my exposure was right ... it all came down to the focus. (OH! Also, I was shooting on silent because I had a feeling the normal shutter might catch the ear of the officials).
So Mariah threw, and I layed on that silent shutter (that's probably 3 frames per second, if that). And I hoped and I prayed. And I chimped -- yes, I chimped! And I got it! Focus was dead on. And even better, Mariah looked right into the sunlight for me, casting this beautiful glow on her face.
And again, I think the mesh on both sides gives it a cool atmospheric look. And it's different. And it was manually focused! And taking a step back, I think the pose is pretty heroic, giving it a cool nod to the Greek history of a throwing event like discus.
That's why this is my favorite photo of spring.
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