November 23, 2007 - Hawaii’s Karl Noa kisses the WAC trophy on the field after Hawaii’s win over Boise State at Aloha Stadium. Hawaii clinched the WAC title with the win. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5mm (at 10mm), Manual, 1/500 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance

That UH/Boise State game was wild. One of the best games I’ve been fortunate to shoot.

The hype leading up to the game was epic, and once I got onto the field before the game I knew it was going to be something special. It was like “real football.” The crowd was loud, the action was good, and the place was rocking.

It was nice that the game started early, giving us two hours of nice light on the field. Especially nice, since I always use the 600mm f4 at the games, which is on the dark side (of the moon) during night games.

As usual, Colt was gonna be the dude, so I wanted to try and get something of him reacting to throwing a touchdown. I usually stand in the endzone since the sidelines are so crowded during games. It’s seems every Tom Dick & Harry is on the UH sidelines, and this game was especially bad.

Wonderfully crowded sideline.

I wanted to be on the side towards the UH bench, since I figured Colt would look that way when something happens. Of course the sideline was stuffed with people just standing there. I needed the photo, and the light was nice (good backlight), so I just forced my way up front. Most were understanding, but some gave me some not-nice-looks. Sorry dude, I’m actually working here, not just “enjoying the game.”

November 23, 2007 - Hawaii’s Colt Brennan reacts after throwing the first TD against Boise State in the first quarter. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 600mm f4, Aperture priority, 1/1300 sec at f/4, ISO 800, Auto white balance

Colt threw the TD and made a small reaction, but it lit my candle. Of course it fueled the fire in the stands, and the place went nuts. It’s way cool to hear Aloha Stadium going insane. It’s been a while since the fans were this fired up.

November 23, 2007 - Hawaii’s Jacob Patek slips by Boise State’s Jeff Cavender after Patek intercepted the ball in the first quarter. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 600mm f4, Aperture priority, 1/1000 sec at f/4, ISO 320, Auto white balance

While the light was nice at the stadium in the afternoon, there are chunks of shade all over the place. So you never know what any given lighting condition is when the action comes your way. I just threw the camera on Aperture, and let it do the work. I was just shifting the ISO as plays moved down the field. Once less thing to worry about.

November 23, 2007 - Hawaii’s Jason Rivers pulls in a pass over Boise State’s Brandyn Thompson in the first quarter. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 600mm f4, Aperture priority, 1/1300 sec at f/4, ISO 800, Auto white balance

Of course, all good things must come to an end and in the second half, it was back to the darkness of an evening football game.

November 23, 2007 - Boise State’s Jeremy Childs couldn’t hold on a pass after being hit by Hawaii’s Gerard Lewis in the third quarter. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 600mm f4, Aperture priority, 1/800 sec at f/4, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance

As the game wore on, it was becoming clear that UH was gonna win the game. The tenor had changed from a nail-biter to elation. The crowd was starting to froth.

Then in came the riot police.

Huh?

I was looking at them as they filed in, wondering “what’s this all about?” Giant mace cans, zip-tie handcuffs, Kevlar helmets, shields, rubber bullet shotguns. It was bizarre. Are there hooligans I don’t know about? “They’re there to guard the goal posts,” I heard someone mutter. Darn, I always wanted to see goal posts get torn down. Oh well.

HPD at the ready

With about 3 minutes left, I took off the 600mm and got my wide stuff ready and headed over to the UH bench. During the game, we’re not allowed to shoot in that area, but once the celebration starts, it’s pretty much free game.

November 23, 2007 - Hawaii’s Jacob Patek hoists Myron Newberry as Karl Noa, right, cheers in the closing seconds of Hawaii’s win over Boise State. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5mm (at 10mm), Manual, 1/500 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance

I saw an empty water cooler, and some wet coaches and realized the “soak the coach” shot was down the toilet. Oh well, better luck next time. There was still plenty to shoot.

Then the game was over and the players all started running on the field. I took off after them shooting the fun. Then I heard more shouts and screams behind me. The fans were spilling onto the field like ants. It was pandemonium. Nobody was getting tuned up by the cops, so I didn’t have to worry about that angle. I just kept shooting the rabid fans. They were all over the place.

November 23, 2007 - Hawaii fans rush the field after Hawaii’s win over Boise State. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5mm (at 10mm), Manual, 1/500 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance

Off in the distance I saw the trophy being hoisted above the crowd. I plowed through the roiling masses to get in close. I was holding the straps of the 600mm and my Mark II (all I needed was someone yanking those off me) and one-handing my 20D. It’s times like these that it’s nice to be tall. I got in close and jammed my camera over the heads of everyone rushing the award area. It was like a mosh pit. It was sweaty and wild.

November 23, 2007 - Herman Frazier and June Jones hold up the WAC trophy on the field after Hawaii’s win over Boise State. Exposure details: Canon EOS 20D, EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5mm (at 10mm), Manual, 1/500 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance

After I got what I wanted, I plowed my way out of the scrum and went back to transmit the photos.

Good times, indeed.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 24th, 2007 at 3:02 pm and is filed under football. 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.