My Hightlight of Friday Night Football

ian408 · October 26, 2009

Be great to see some photos in this thread.

johng · October 26, 2009

ian408 wrote:

Be great to see some photos in this thread.

Agreed. With all due respect I lost patience with the slide show. Patience was almost gone (shot attention span) waiting for it to load but then after a few photos when the slow typing started I closed down the link. If you're looking for feedback I think you'll have a better chance of getting the feedback if you imbed a few images in this post. I suggest numbering the photos as well - helps other posters to reference a specific image number when offering their feedback.

ladykassie · October 26, 2009

it actually wasn't meant for any feedback, opinions or critque.
It was sharing my joy, laughter and pain...
~alice

nipprdog · October 26, 2009

OK, I'll be the naysayer.

1. You attempted to shoot night football with a 55-200 f4-f5.6 lens.

Not possible. Even with flash.

2. The play came straight at you(with a wide lens), and you didn't get out of the way.

I hope that they revoked your sideline priviledges.

The privilidge of shooting HS sports on the sideline is not for fun. Some of us take it seriuosly.

tjk60 · October 26, 2009

Alice this is what keeps the HS Athletic Associations from letting serious photographers on the sidelines.

I hope you learned your lesson.

momwac · October 26, 2009

Yeah, I have to agree with the others; I'm appalled. You were not the "highlight" of the game; you were a serious disruption. It's bad enough to disrupt the game and put yourself in harm's way... the players could also have been injured either running into you or trying to avoid you. And you're laughing about it?

In our league, your behavior would have been cause for penalties on your team... on the team I cover, you'd have been asked to leave if there was any indication you'd behave so dumbly.

There's a code of conduct for amateurs/parents shooting high school sports. Rule #1 is Never Interfere with the Game. Your photo ops are secondary to the game, always. If you have the privilege of being on the sidelines, you stay out of the way, pay attention to what's going on around you, and be prepared to scramble and run like hell if the action comes at you. And if your gear doesn't let you get decent shots without breaking Rule #1, you either bring different gear or put it away (or back off and limit yourself to crowd shots, reactions, emotional faces -- the kind of thing the yearbook staff never seem to have enough of later on).

Sorry to sound harsh, but you put people in danger for the sake of a few snapshots. Please learn from this experience and never repeat it.

mjpeters · October 27, 2009

Nothing like a little hyperbole.

I've seen more than one shooter get tipped, dumped, blasted, creamed, run over, etc. on the sideline at all levels - high school to the pros. Where's the outrage there? I got dumped myself last year for the first time - and I was well outside of the IHSA established setback line - full speed and wet grass makes for very long slides. Major disruption? Really - you make that assertion on the basis of that slide show?

Unless the OP was standing inside of the setback line she was where she was permitted to be. That said, there's a reason to shoot with both eyes open and knowing where you are relative to the action.

ian408 · October 27, 2009

No need for a dog pile here. Let's keep it to the photos.

Thanks,
Ian

momwac · October 27, 2009

MJ, take a look at the yard lines and tell me where she was standing with a 55-200mm lens at the wide end. Her words at the end of the video imply that she required medical attention -- perhaps I assumed too much on that count, but if she did, yes that is a serious disruption in my book.

I've seen kids break bones because someone or something was in the way. Yes, a slide can happen -- all manner of accidents can happen -- but this one sure looked preventable with a little common sense.

ladykassie · October 27, 2009

I apologize..
Yes, I had permission to be at the sidelines
Yes, I know my damn lens is not the right one to shoot for sports at night
Yes, I know from now on to be more careful
and
Yes, I know that I really don't "fit in" with most of you here....
I tried to give encouragement and just a little humor on my behalf, but hell.. how much can you slam a person..
It's all good....
I respect all your harshness, comments and knowledge.

johng · October 27, 2009

Alice,

Two major reasons for the harshness you're hearing;

1) Player injury - like many people on the sidelines your presence wasn't necessary. Your actions put your hobby above the welfare of the kids. Lots of people do it - but it's worth pointing out that there is responsibility to go along with the privilege of being on the sideline.

2) For some people shooting sports isn't just a fun pasttime. They earn money or entire living doing it. Incidents like this add up and make schools start to lock down on access and make it a bit more difficult for the working pro. So those pros tend to get upset when someone who doesn't need to be there adds to the stress of their job.

Are you a horrible person? Of course not. But shooting sports isn't just cool and fun - there's a responsibility you have to accept when you're going to be near the field of play. A responsibility to respect the players and game above yourself and a responsiblity to respect the other people working on the sidelines and how your misques can affect their ability to do their job. Are all photogs going to be barred from the sidelines? Of course not. But if this type of action adds an extra hoop the pros have to go through in your school district that's a hoop they didn't need. And no one likes having extra stress in their job. For you this is fun - for them it's a job.

I'm not piling on here. I'm just trying to explain why you're getting some of this reaction.

And to the moderators - I honestly believe this type of discussion is more important than the photos - this is a larger issue. Not the apocalypse to be sure but just something shooters need to be aware of.

ladykassie · October 27, 2009

John..
Thank you for your explanation.
I have total respect for everyone that is around me, when I am shooting sports, bands or what have you. I have a responsiblity to myself, my work, my job, and the people around me. Safety and Respect.
There are alot of photographers that do get slamed if they are at a football game, basketball game or any other sports.
I got the excitement ahead of me and wanting so bad to get a great shot, that I didn't get out of the way fast enough.
Personally, I was embarrassed and laughed it off. And if that is wrong to do, well, so be it for other people to view it that way.
I thought and thankfully,I nor the kids were seriously hurt, although they had more padding then I did.. but it was a great experience for me, and hope the hell it doesn't happen again.
It was kinda like "the Guides" telling me that I need to cancel what I was planning to do on Sunday, ( long/short story on that one)..So other words I need to pay attention more to my dreams, or else I am going to get sacked.
Shooting sports is fun for me, as well, as exciting, just hanging out, capturing expression, action, looking at these kids with so much amazement that one day, they might become pros, and its my job, it's my goal, it's my dream.
Just starting out and still have alot to learn. I shared an experience that may be funny to others, and maybe not.. but it's an experience that I wanted to share so maybe others can see what happens.

And yes, my husband did get me that lens
75mm 200mm f2.8...
Stay Groovy
~alice

My Hightlight of Friday Night Football

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