September 22, 2007 - In the editing room at Aloha Stadium after the UH football game against Charleston Southern. Clockwise from left, Andrew Shimabuku, The Honolulu Advertiser, Ronen Zilberman, Associated Press, Marco Garcia, Getty Images, Jamm Aquino and George F. Lee, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

The Bulletin sends three photographers to cover UH football games at Aloha Stadium. And that makes for a lot of pictures.

We have two edit sessions during a game, one at half-time, the other at the end of the game. And all that editing is done deep in the bowels of the stadium — in the Women’s Officials Locker room, of all places.

There are never any women officials during the UH games, so the stadium lets a bunch of surly photographers take over and sift through the photos in there. It’s always pleasant when we get in there a few hours before the game, but for some reason, it turns into a seedy locker room soon thereafter. I guess if you put a bunch of stressed-out guys who have been running all over the field with 50 pounds of equipment into a small room, things are bound to turn rank.

This is pretty much the party place, most of the local photogs join in, and sometimes visiting photogs from the mainland are subjected to whatever goes on. It is a handy place, though, since we can lock the door, allowing us to keep our computers running while we’re on the field, so when we get back we can get our photos out as soon as possible.

We used to transmit using telephone lines right from the room, but now that we all use cell-cards, we have to run outside to transmit our photos since the room is nearly devoid of a useable cell phone signal. Maybe someday we can get a wi-fi set up in there. Then we’d probably never leave.

September 14, 2007 - Kamehameha’s Popo Walker is brought down by Punahou defenders Siu Tafuna (7), Nick Kido (2), and J.J. Autele (99) in the first half at Aloha Stadium. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 400mm f2.8, Manual, 1/500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, Fluorescent balance

Working for a newspaper can be a lot of fun, since everyday is different. A new day, and there are new things to shoot. And lots of sports. Which I love to shoot for the same reason. Sure, it’s football again, but every game is different, and the action is always different, too.

There was some good action to be had at the Kamehameha/Punahou football game at Aloha Stadium Friday night. The players were really going at it, and the guys were taking some hits. When I saw the play above, all I could think was, “whoa, that’s gotta hurt.”

**EDIT** Got an e-mail regarding Popo Walker. Turns out he suffered a concussion on the play. I hope he’s doing okay.**

September 14, 2007 - Punahou’s Kameron Steinhoff can’t get a handle on the pass ahead of Kamehameha’s Chaz Bajet in the first half at Aloha Stadium. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 400mm f2.8, Manual, 1/500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, Fluorescent balance

I love those “right-on-the-fingertip” catch photos. So when I saw the Punahou QB air out the ball in my direction, I immediately started getting my hopes up. The receiver was headed straight to me, and I started tracking him. Plus there was a defender right on him… added drama. And yeah, it was on the fingertips, alright… but just out of reach. Oh well… there’s always the next game, right?

The next day, I was pegged for the mixed martial arts affair at the Blaisdell. Love shooting the fights, but hate it when they’re in a cage. Last time I shot a cage match, I was right up against it, so I could shoot right through it no problem. But when I arrived at the venue this time, I was, to put it lightly, not thrilled to see we were a few feet back.

Ringside before the MMA fights. Far, far away from the cage…

So I bellied up to the edge of the catwalk thing surrounding the cage, and found that my autofocus was useless - dazed and confused by the fence. Now it was time to rely on the old-school “manual focus” technique (cue sinister music here).

Hrmph.

Luckily there were a number of undercards and other fights before the good stuff, so I could get a feel for the action (read: uh, practice).

September 15, 2007 - Robbie Lawler, left, gets some hits in on Murilo Rua during the EliteXC Middleweight Title Match at Blaisdell Arena. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 70-200mm (at 110mm) f2.8, Manual, 1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1250, Tungsten balance

By the time the Lawler main event came around things seemed okay. Bodily fluids from the ring were minimal (aside from some guy who spit water all over us… “gross” is a kind way of describing it).

And I was able to make my photos, although some were a bit (ahem) softer than I’d like.

September 15, 2007 - Robbie Lawler, left, goes in for a kick on Murilo Rua during the EliteXC Middleweight Title Match at Blaisdell Arena. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 70-200mm (at 70mm) f2.8, Manual, 1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1250, Tungsten balance

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.

August 03, 2007 - UH Warrior quarterback Colt Brennan for the Warriors Report magazine photo shoot. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF 50mm f1.4, Manual, 1/250 sec at f/7.1, ISO 400, Daylight setting, Canon 580EX speedlights

University of Hawaii football starts play this weekend, and that means it’s time for another episode of the football preview magazine saga.

This is the third magazine the Star-Bulletin produced for which I was responsible for the photo shoots. I got involved a few years back with the QB and Warrior 3D magazines.

Previous magazines I’ve shot

This year I was again tapped to shoot the photos for the player profiles as well as something for the cover.

I met with the magazine’s designer Michael Rovner and photo editor George Lee back in July to find out what the game plan was.

The theme was going to be a pseudo-Consumer Reports type deal, and the pictures needed to be clean and relatively simple. After looking at some mock-ups of the magazine, I started thinking how I would approach shooting it. It looked like a simple white backdrop and a couple of lights is all I would really need.

I prefer the less-is-more approach, and decided I wouldn’t need anymore light than I normally use, or perhaps a few more strobes to get the background really white.

George secured a day for us to go to UH and shoot all the players in one fell swoop. It would be kind of an assembly line deal, since the players were coming in on their lunch break, and I didn’t think they’d be in the mood to sit through some photo shoot.

So Mike and I drove up to Hale Aloha cafeteria and set up about an hour before the players would arrive. I brought a roll of white paper and a bevy of 580 strobes just in case.

We had no idea where in the cafeteria we’d be, but were pleasantly surprised to find that there was a large room we could use. Lots of space, and the ambient light (basically dim fluorescent light) was easily controlled. I set up two umbrellas on stands equidistant from each other, and taped a couple of strips of white paper to the wall (which was an off-white color).

August 14, 2007 - Michael Rovner, assistant editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin stands where the football players would for the Warriors Report magazine photo shoot. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm (at 10mm), Manual, 1/250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400, Daylight setting, Canon 580EX speedlights

I was worried that the background might not be lit enough and had brought a couple of extra strobes borrowed from Jamm Aquino, but it turned out there was enough spill from the umbrellas that they weren’t needed.

Mike knew essentially what kinds of poses and pictures he needed, so as the players came in, we put on their pads and uniform, and ran them through a series of poses, looking left, right, looking tough… whatever. They were all really nice guys and were great to work with.

August 03, 2007 - UH Warrior WR Davone Bess for the Warriors Report magazine photo shoot. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF 50mm f1.4, Manual, 1/250 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400, Daylight setting, Canon 580EX speedlights

A few players couldn’t make it that first day, so we had to return a week later to get them. I drew a quick diagram of the set up, noting exposure, ISO and all that, so it would be easy to replicate what I had shot already for seamless continuity.

For the most part everything went smoothly, and we got the look we had wanted for the photos.

August 17, 2007 - Kahuku’s Jray Galeai coughs up the ball after being sandwiched by St. Louis’ Kalani McLaughlin, right, and Steven Donohue in the first half at Aloha Stadium. Exposure details: Canon EOS-1D Mark II, EF 400mm 2.8, Manual, 1/500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, Fluorescent setting

Well, we’re slowly getting back into the swing of football season here. Preps started this weekend, and I was assigned to games Friday and Saturday.

I’ve always enjoyed shooting sports (even though I don’t follow much sports in real life), and football is one of my favorites. I think it’s the thrill of the hunt of trying to get one of those classical “sports photos” that keeps me going. And since those photos are so elusive, I love going back weekend after weekend, trying to get something good.

Of course, not every game, or weekend, or month, is going to produce a winner, but I try to keep a few things in mind when shooting football.

I always shoot with a long lens. For prep sports I use a 300mm or 400mm f2.8. For UH games I like to use the 600mm f4. High school stadiums are usually dark pits of doom, and it’s a stretch to get 1/500 sec at 3200 ISO. Aloha Stadium is nice for UH games (I can get away with shooting at f4), but they don’t turn on all the lights for preps.

There are a number of ways to shoot football. Ask any photog how they do it and you’ll probably get a different theory on how they approach the game. For me, it depends on the type of shot I want. For the above photo, I was looking for a defensive play, so I was behind the goal line hoping for a sack. Luckily it happened… and even luckier the ball popped out for added effect.

August 18, 2007 - Waianae’s Justin Kauwalu tries to fend off Farrington’s Mark Stowers in the first half at Waianae High. Exposure details: Canon EOS-1D Mark II, EF 400mm 2.8, Aperture Priority, 1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 640, Daylight setting

For this photo, I was looking for offense, and was again in the end zone. I like shooting from the end zone because more often than not your background is going to be clean. I like as little as possible in the frame aside from the actual subjects, and with shallow depth of field, this effect is maximized. Even in broad daylight, I’ll shoot wide open so I can get as little depth of field as possible. This Waianae game started early, so there was still some sun when the game started, so I could shoot at a lower ISO.

August 18, 2007 - Farrington’s QB Alefesio Iu is sacked by Waianae’s Wade Keliikipi. Exposure details: Canon EOS-1D Mark II, EF 400mm 2.8, Manual, 1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, Fluorescent setting

This photo was again me looking for defense. Just hanging back in the end zone and waiting for something.

I’m looking forward to shooting UH in a few weeks, and these prep games are a nice warm up.