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

Referee George Adkins pulled Niko Vitale off Steve Renaud in Vitale’s TKO win on Saturday night at the Blaisdell Arena. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm (at 10mm), Manual, 1/500 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200, Tungsten setting

It was fight night Saturday at the Blaisdell Arena. X-1 mixed martial arts was the name of the game, and I was there ringside to shoot it.

The Bulletin’s been covering MMA for a few years now, and while I look forward to shooting it, there’s also a little fear and disgust lurking in the back of my foggy mind.

“Great seats!” one might think — we’re there in the thick of it, right up on the edge of the ring. And it’s true to a certain extent. Every punch to the face, or inadvertent kick to the groin, is stunningly close. There in all its painful glory.

But the drawback is that there tends to be blood. Lots of it. Sometimes it merely dribbles here and there on the mat. Other times it’s pouring like wine, and a nice punch to a bloody nose sends it showering all over us at ringside.

Tigre Marcelo is bloodied during his fight with Vernon “Tiger” White. Exposure details: Canon EOS-1D Mark II, EF 70-200mm (at 110mm), Manual, 1/640 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1600, Tungsten setting

There were a couple of nice bleeders Saturday, and thankfully I was spared most of the spillage. The photog next to me wasn’t so lucky, and after one fight I looked over and mentioned, “Uh, dude, you might want to clean yourself up.” There were drops all over his face. I just had some on my cameras and notes. Star-Bulletin writers Jason Genegabus and Billy Hull, who were sitting behind us, shook their heads. I longed for some sort of biohazard kit.

Most times, the action stays in the ring. Sometimes it nearly falls into our laps. For the most part, I like to shoot ring sports with a 70-200mm lens. I like the action a little on the tight side, always better for those classic face-distorted-by-a-punch shots.

This time, for the Vitale-Renaud fight, the finale ended up right in front of me. The fighters were on the opposite side of the ring from me and I was looking for a shot with my 70-200. Then all of a sudden they come rushing straight at me, so I switch cameras to my 10-22mm lens and when I look up I see the ref is pulling Vitale off his opponent. I was like, “Geez, where’d that come from?” Glad I managed to get a shot (top photo).

A good melee between opposing corners is always a good time, too. During the Moreno-Ebanez fight, something went south between the two fighters (see Billy Hull’s story), and the next thing I know both corners are trying to leap in the ring. Burly security dudes appear from nowhere, and HPD jumps in the ring, mace at the ready. “Oh great, mace,” I thought (my last episode with mace was at the UH/Cincinnati brawl at Aloha Stadium). One cop in the ring had the Dog The Bounty Hunter industrial-sized magnum jug strapped to his leg.

Giant Mace can

But things simmered down pretty quick before any real drama got cooking. And thankfully no mace was squirted.

A fun time had by all.