09-02-12 Camera Blur

I know enough about sports photography to know that this is no "money shot" because there is way too much blur. I'll leave sports photography to the sports pros.But I also know that if it's done right, blur can add a sense of motion and action to a photo and I think this photo is a good illustration of that. So, while this photo would never make the sports pages, it does make my blog. :-)For those who care, Watertown won the game. (1996 KiYi Days)Canon 5D 1/80s f/2.8 ISO1000 200mm

Saturday Night Lights

In the US football and marching bands go together. Why, I don't know. It probably has something to do with the idea of offering something for the fans to do during the half time break. Whatever the reason it's alright with me - espcially if the band is as good as the South Dakota State University marching band.Deb and I were invited guests of Watertown mayor Gary Williams and SDSU president David Chicoine. The band was great and so was the game. SDSU won their first game of the year with a last-minute touchdown.

03-17-10 Fanaticism

"Fan" is derived from "fanatic" and maybe these guys serve as a good illustration. what else would make you paint yourselves like this?

This is another photo from the 2008 WHS homecoming ritual. The interesting thing about these guys is that when they got to the football stadium, they were barred from the event because a new South Dakota High School Activities Association rule requires all spectators to wear shirts at state-sponsored events. To circumvent the rule, they put on white t-shirts that were cut in such a way that allowed the letters to show through - a true loophole. Check out the shirts here (click).

03-16-10 We're Seniors!

These girls are members of the class of 2009, which I'm sure was a great class. Every senior class is, isn't it? This photo was taken at the Powderpuff Football Game, which is part of our homecoming ritual. The seniors won. But they always do, since cheating and bribing of the referees is allowed.

On a technical note, this photo is an example of a technique I've used here before. It's a combination of "dragging the shutter" and zooming the lens at the same time. To drag the shutter, set the camera to "shutter priority," use a slow shutter speed (1/20 sec), and make sure the flash fires. To get the best result, you also have to make sure that either the subject moves or that the camera moves (or zooms). The result is occasionally an interesting ghosting effect.

Canon 5D 1/20s f/7.1 ISO500 24mm

08-12-09 It's True!

By Scott Shephard

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I was in Florence, Italy, the night the Italians beat the French in the World Cup Football Championship. Needless to say, as I tried to sleep, the Italians partied all night long. The next morning I was wandering around looking for photos, as I often do.

Around the corner from our hotel entrance, I found a newsstand loaded with papers proudly proclaiming the Italian victory. I don't speak Italian but I signalled that I wanted a photo and this was the pose that the news vendor struck. "Tutto Vero!" means "all true!" "Campioni del mondo" means "Champions of the World." Italians are passionate people but they are especially passionate when it comes to World Cup Soccer.

Here's a photo I took the night before as Italians watched the early part of the match at an outdoor bar across the street from my hotel. (click)