When you love photography, you know there's something magical when the shutter clicks; you look at the window on your camera back, and you know you have something. It doesn't happen with every picture---even the best will tell you it happens maybe once in a hundred or two hundred shots. Sometimes it doesn't happen in one thousand shots. Yesterday I was a field photographer at our local high school game. I was not paid like many of the other photographers. I just wanted to be where the action was---and to be where the other photographers were not. I have learned everyone usually takes the same picture when they stand together. I had probably 7 really good pictures out of 1200 shots.
How did all this happen?
When I requested a press pass I was told I would not be able to shoot photos during the playoffs (this team is really good so the playoffs are very likely) and to stay out of the way of the other "professional" photographers. I assured her I would. I actually had to do it twice; I had to call her once again to remind her about the press pass and was given the same disclaimer.
Even though I have lived in this community for more than 7 years, I have only been to two high school football games. On the field I noticed two things right away; one, these kids are huge! (I am no shrimp but compared to some of the players you would think I was a waif.) Second, the crowd is really into the game; but as into the game as they might be, you really can't hear them very well from the field. It's easy to tune out anything but what you are doing. So that's how the pros do it when they are being booed.
When I walked on to the field about 15 minutes prior to the start of the game, I introduced myself to the photographers who already knew one another. As the new guy I got the look---it's where they wonder if you really deserve to be on the field with them. Funny, I was thinking the same thing. (This was a high school game---can you imagine the Super Bowl?) I was very aware of the need to stay out of their way---I was, after all, given the disclaimer two times. I did stay out of their way and I am glad I did.
It was amazing. I went to areas where the other photographers (newspaper photographers from several local papers and a professional who shoots for some big sports network) were nowhere to be found. In fact, I must have been 50 yards away from the closest photographer. So what happens? The plays seem to come right at me. Whether it's a 60-yard run where no one was between myself and the running back---or the sideline run where, again, no photographers were within half a field. Just me and this guy running as hard as he can straight at me, all the while looking right into my Nikon lens.
The photo above was taken during the pre-game warm up. One of the players on the opposing team saw I was taking pictures. I have no idea if he thought I was one of the pros and he
would end up in the paper or one of the "nothings" who were just there to take pictures. I guess he lost this time; his team also lost the game 41-0. Tough day. I was lucky and took about 1200 photos at the game. It was a lot of fun and I felt like I was good enough to maybe be included in the pre-game conversations with the photographers next time. Maybe.
It's going to be some time before I get the chance to shoot for SI, but for me shooting a high school football game was just fine.
Thanks for stopping by.
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