September 01, 2007 - The University of Hawaii Warrior football team takes the field before the start of the game against Northern Colorado at Aloha Stadium. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-5.6, Aperture priority, 1/100 sec at f/11, ISO 800, Auto white balance

In case you missed the hype, UH football started again at Aloha Stadium this past Saturday.

Since it was the first game of the season, I thought I’d try to get a “players running on the field” shot. I wanted to get a little higher angle, with the smoke and stadium all around… something a little different than the same old field-level deal.

So I decided to try out the “camera on a stick” technique. I put my 20D with the 10-22mm on my monopod, and shot that way. It gives me the height and maneuverability to move around and adjust angles on the fly. I attached Pocket Wizard remote receiver to the camera, and triggered the camera with another Pocket Wizard transmitter which I held in my hand.

Me holding the pole-cam as the players took the field. I’m holding the trigger for the remote in my right hand. Star-Bulletin photo by Jamm Aquino.

I took some test shots prior to everything starting so I could gauge the angle I needed to hold the camera to get players and stadium in the same shot. Once I had that down, it was just a matter of waiting for them to take the field.

I’m not sure I really like the results, but pole cam was nice to have. I did like the results from the pre-game haka, as well as some other pre-game stuff. I already have some other ideas on what I can do with the “camera on a stick” and will be trying them out in the coming weeks. Photo involves a lot of trial and error, and sometimes you’ll end up with a total bust, or some wild stuff. Don’t be afraid to get out and try seemingly weird ideas. I’m sure people in the stands were looking at me thinking “whoa, what’s that guy on?”

September 01, 2007 - Hawaii’s Gerard Lewis holds up the fumbled ball he recovered from Northern Colorado’s David Woods in the first quarter at Aloha Stadium. Behind is Karl Noa, and at left is Fale Laeli. Exposure details: Canon EOS-1D Mark II, EF 600mm f4, Manual, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 1250, Auto white setting

We’re always looking to get peak action pictures, but many times, an even better picture is the celebration shot after a big play. It’s nice to see emotion from the players, and so I keep my eyes peeled after plays to see what I can find.

September 01, 2007 - Hawaii QB Colt Brennan throws against Northern Colorado in the second quarter at Aloha Stadium. Exposure details: Canon EOS-1D Mark II, EF 600mm f4, Manual, 1/640 sec at f/4, ISO 3200, Fluorescent setting

And yeah, Colt is the big thing this year. So I’ve been stocking up on the Colt shots. We can never have enough of them. It was nice to see, however, the other QBs getting some play time, too. Good time to get stock pix of them, too.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 2:37 pm and is filed under equipment, football, Photo Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.