iPhone 5s video first impressions

My phone upgrade was due, so I splurged on the iPhone 5s, upgrading from the 4S. While I have enjoyed the 4s' camera as a carry-around, it hasn't been useful for much else. I suspect the same will be true with the 5s, as I am just used to having so much control with a DSLR. Of course, the slow-mo video is a fun touch that may actually find its way into some fun music videos or other projects. Of course, the new GoPro Hero 3+ would be a better choice so maybe not.All of this is basic hand-held footage, put together in iMovie. Simple and quick. The 120fps slow-mo footage from the camera does look nice. Footage from the football game you can really see the image break up at times due to the bright lights against black sky etc. Also, the autofocus is not up to dedicated camera standards.

The footage...


Coming next, a trip to the carnival with a two-year-old and the phone... fun times.

So close ... Five seconds of playoff football

I made the drive up to Allen's Eagle Stadium to shoot Mesquite Poteet taking on Lancaster in 4A division 2 playoff action.  The $60 million facility is just as nice as you would expect.  Most importantly, the lights are very good.

Poteet had no real solution for a strong defensive effort by the Tigers, but they got the ball down by 8 points with about 1:20 left to try to tie it up and no timeouts.  After some heroics and penalties, the Pirates had five seconds to score.

Up to this point, mind you, it had been a fairly mediocre effort on my part.  Nothing dramatic or grand, just decent shots of regular football action.

So on the last play it was a gift to have QB Tanner Ramsey send the ball my way.


Receiver Nathaniel Gaines and defender Dakota Austin jumped for the pass at about the 5-yard-line, but neither secured the ball.


Gaines came down under it and willed it into his hand... a tremendous concentration effort...








As he turned to try to bull his way into the endzone, Austin got help from teammates and they finally stopped Gaines short.


With a referee coming to block my shot, of course.


And to think I had considered leaving at halftime.  Sometimes it really is the last play of the game.

Here is former Terrell Tribune staffer Cliff Gibson's game story at ionmesquite.com.

I look forward to seeing how far former Terrell coach Chris Gilbert can take his Lancaster team.

Have a great weekend.

Telling the tale of a losing effort

Action shots at sporting events can often be misleading in telling the story of the game.  Photo editors look for shots that depict how the game went, but it is sometimes the non-action shots that really tell the tale.

Such was the case last night as Terrell (the team I was covering) fell behind early.  It was clear that the teams were badly mismatched and it would be a long night for the Tigers.  After several turnovers and no offensive movement of the ball at all, Terrell head coach Kevin Wilson called a timeout in the first quarter to rally the team a bit.  A short walk to my left and I had the team, coach and scoreboard lined up...


The action shots can be telling, of course, but that becomes a bit like singling out players in one instance of bad play.. A quarterback falling untouched in the backfield for example..

Or getting tossed at the line of scrimmage..

An interception..


Or being tackled by more than half of the opposing team's players at once. Not sure how that happens. Seven West Mesquite players got to the runner.


There were three Terrell highlights, only one of which I managed a photo of.  I was in a bad spot for a fake punt that worked for a first down.  Same an interception that went back for a long defensive touchdown.

A long (81 yard) pass and run for a touchdown was right in front of me, so of course, the receiver was facing the other sideline...

He turned my way after the catch, but alas, the moment was gone. It could be any play of the game.

Still, for me, the photo at the top tells the tale pretty well by itself.

Monday Photo Roundup - Oct. 1

Settling into fall and football weather..  To follow up on last week's homecoming post, here is an interesting observation.  On Friday, the best reaction upon the announcement of king and queen winners was from the parents rather than the students.

Be a Photographer!  1946 vocational film shows that everything has changed, and not much has changed.


The cost of printer ink, relative to other liquids.  There's gold in them thar cartridges!

Big price drop on the still-impressive Canon 5D Mk II.  The dreamy look of modern wedding and family portraiture is, in part, the work of this camera.  However, the autofocus and sensor improvements of the Mk III version may be worth almost twice the price?

There are other Canon rebates as well...

Golden corporate headshot advice from The Slanted Lens is up on Strobist...

Finally... In low-light high school football, you really want the action to be right in front of you (or invest in an $11k lens).  So it was nice to be in the right place at the right time Friday.  In Terrell, the light is particularly bad, as you can see in this series....

Have a great week!

Homecoming Queens

Ahhh, Homecoming.  The wonderful high school tradition that is lost on me, but that is OK.  Maybe I will get more sentimental later in life.

I was discussing photog duties during homecoming with another photog and was reminded that this will be my fifth year doing this.  Which is a challenge now to make something that doesn't look like every homecoming shot from the last four.

Of course, the homecoming queen is the primary objective.  Football and all else may be lost, but you really need the queen :).

The real problem is that there isn't much room to take a risk.  You have to get some sort of shot for the newspaper to run.

The first year I shot homecoming was the best reaction moment of all so far.

2009 was less of a reaction, and less of a sharp photo by me. Not what I would call a success.



2010 was a switch to Terrell, but I didn't get much from the reaction.  A bonus, the queen's face was nicely framed by the previous queen's arm as she was crowned. Sometimes the arm is blocking the face instead.


Last year was a good reaction and a poor job by the photographer capturing it...

At least the crowning shot was in focus.

This year, it will be two homecoming games.  A few weeks ago in North Forney I got an OK reaction shot..


And an OK crowning/hug.  But just OK.


Hopefully an early start will mean good light and a good shot tonight.

See y'all in Terrell.

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.