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

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 9:58 pm and is filed under football, Mixed Martial Arts, 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.