UIL 4A Division II Championship Game

In his typical style, Lancaster head football coach Chris Gilbert was cautious about his team's chances ahead of the 4A division II UIL championship game on Friday night.  Unfortunately for Lancaster, while the Cedar Park Timberwolves were a pretty good team, it was the Tigers' own mistakes and in the second half that let the game get away.  Here are some action shots from the night.

Lancaster started fast with a quick score and tough defense for most of the first half.  Cedar Park got some momentum at the end of the first half to go to the locker rooms tied at 7.












Lancaster could not keep a drive going in the second half.  This interception ended one and seemed to demoralize the Tigers.

Some tips to make your high school football pictures better

One thing I have learned over the last five years of shooting high school football is that, for parents, a terrible picture of their own child playing is still a good picture.  That said, everyone would rather have good shots.


Some parents have bought decent DSLRs but still get blurry photos.

Unfortunately, high school stadiums are usually dim.  It is one place that spending a bunch of money on lenses really can help, but all is not lost.  Here are some things to thing about.

Choose lenses appropriately.  A cheap 300mm zoom will not let in enough light for crisp action shots.  For example, as a Canon guy, I would skip the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 and go for the Canon EF 100mm f/2.  It may seem counterintuitive, but the tradeoff will get you much faster shutter speed.

To make up for the shorter lens, Get as close as possible.  Any cropping you do afterwards will really reduce image quality, so it is important to fill the frame as much as possible.  Move to stay close to the action.

Do not rely on "Sports Mode."  Yes, the camera makers put it there for a reason, but not for low-light. Most sports mode settings will not bump to the highest ISO settings.  Learn how to force the camera out of its comfort zone.  Manual mode it is.

The built in flash is a waste of battery.  Unless you are on the sideline and the action is within 10 yards, it isn't going to do much except giving nice red eyes to everyone in the picture.  Adding a big flash can be useful if you are on the sidelines (many small newspaper photogs use them).  I don't like the look myself, but I am going to try a few tricks this year.

Here are a few example pics along with the settings used.  Note.. all of these have been brightened up and had noise reduction applied in Adobe Lightroom.

To set a standard, how about Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Of course the light is good.  Everything is good for the pros and HD television cameras.  It is roughly four to eight times brighter than any of the 3A and 4A high school stadiums.
ISO 1600, f2.8, 1/800


Terrell Memorial Stadium
Terrell's field has no track, so that lights are relatively close to the field.  That isn't enough to make up for the lack of bulbs.  It is one of the most difficult places to shoot in the area.
This is ISO 6400, f2.8, 1/500.


Crandall High School
The stadium had some upgrades a few years ago that helped a lot.  Very dark shadows, but the light is much better than it was.  You can see how much more detail you get with lower ISO.
ISO 2000, f2.8, 1/500


Kaufman Lions Stadium
New turf helps a bit, but Kaufman is still very dim stadium.
ISO 6400, f2.8, 1/320


Greenville High School
The press box may be absurdly high and the turf needs replacing (as of 2011), but the lights are decent for a high school stadium.
ISO 3200, f2.8, 1/640


Mesquite Memorial Stadium
Mesquite Memorial is a nice place to shoot.  The lights are nice enough, but also it is in a bowl at one end, giving a nice clean background at least part of the time.  Of course there is that nifty tower at one end to play with as a background element as well.
ISO 3200, f2.8, 1/800


Red Oak High School
I've only shot here once.  Not the brightest, but I still managed to get a lot of shots I liked.  There is something to be said for even distribution of light as well.
ISO 3200, f2.8, 1/500.


Forney High School
Forney's lights are nice and bright.  Even better, they are positioned at the ends of the field, giving better light in the end zones and in players' faces.
ISO 3200, f2.8, 1/800


Tyler Rose Stadium (Earl Campbell Field)
Lights aren't mentioned in possible field upgrades in Tyler, but it sure would help.  The stadium has potential to be a great little bowl, but right now it is ugly and dark.  On the positive end, the giant video board can work as a softbox at one end zone :)
ISO 6400, f2.8, 1/500


Lancaster High School
Very nice facilities in Lancaster, including good lights.
ISO 3200, f2.8, 1/640


Ennis High School
Decent lights in Ennis...
ISO 3200, f2.8, 1/640.



For any high school stadium after the sun goes down, I generally start with ISO 3200/f2.8 and see what it gives me for a shutter speed.  From there, it is all experimentation.  Often, in older stadiums especially, there are hot spots on the field that are brighter.  It is worth paying attention and waiting for action in those spots.

Good luck!

Don J.

THSCA Football All-Star game

An opportunity to freelance for the Bastrop Advertiser at the annual Texas High School Coaches Association proved to be a good football season warmup. Or, rather, proved that I was out of shape for the football season, both physically and photographically.

It is nice to have only one real 'assignment' and some time to play around when that guy isn't doing anything interesting. In this case, the target was Josiah Monroe, a standout player from Bastrop who graduated this year.

I've never met him, but he seems like quite a character.. joking around with his temporary teammates on the sidelines as introductions were made...


I had the 14mm so I tried to get a pic of him being introduced from both sides at once. Unfortunately also got myself the shot if you know where to look. Goober.


For most of the first half, I was frustrated by missed shots, other players in the way or just being in the wrong spot. Persistence does pay off though, and late in the game Monroe had a great run up the near sideline and almost ended in my lap.

With the THSCA signage as background..


Same run, as he got closer..


After the run, he flipped the ball back to the ref... Never stop when the play is over.


And it is good to get non-action action as well ... like getting a play from the coach


Here are some of my other favorites from the game...
As I said, the end of the game got better for me shooting-wise. It helps if you get nice plays right in front of you.



Touchdowns are always nice


Sideways guys are usually good too.


This was a catch. Barely, but a catch indeed.


Playing with the big screen before the game...


Sequence - QB Throws..

Completion!


Sequence 2
Receiving the Kick.. Eyes on the ball.


Do I hear footsteps? Better get a move on.


I hate when that happens..


Finally, getting a shot of a play happening along with the penalty that takes it back is a fun treat that you can't plan for. Just a gift. This would have been a big gain for the South team... opened up by that nice block in the back.


Volleyball starts this week.. football scrimmages next Friday... the fun and madness begins for another year.

Don J.