My favorite photos of 2009 and what's in store for 2010

A year ago I had no idea what 2009 would hold.  Our paper had just layed off eight employees, shut down our in-house press.  I was due for knee surgery at the end of January.  A few months into the new year and we would reduce our publication schedule from five days a week to three, and reduce our staff size ever further.  Despite all of these changes, the remaining staff persevered to produce a quality product.

During the course of the year I always seem to question how good of a job I am doing--assignments I could have done better with, if I just would have looked for a different angle, used a different lens, etc.  With the end of the year closing in, I decided to pull together my favorite images from the past year.  As I looked through hundreds of photos, I realized I had a really good year.  I found photos that made me smile, either because of the moment they captured or the experience I had in capturing them.  To view the slideshow of my favorite Sky-Hi Daily News images from 2009, click here.

Now I ask the same question I asked myself a year ago, "What does the next year hold in store?"  I already know of several things I have to look forward to.  My son, Erik, has decided to enlist in the Army and leaves for basic training in two weeks.  The journalist in me wants to go along and document his journey, but I know I can't.  A few weeks after that I leave for three weeks in Canada at the Winter Olympics.  When I return, not only will I be returning to work at the newspaper, it will be time to start coaching girls soccer again.  Later in the spring I hope to travel to Georgia to witness Erik's graduation from basic training.  In the summer I am looking forward to my 30th high school reunion.  That's just half of the year and mixed in with all of these experiences I will be attempting to capture meaningful moments around Grand County for the newspaper.  Join me for the ride.

goo, goo g'joob

Same event, same time every year...different image

On Christmas Eve, Winter Park Resort holds its annual Torchlight Parade and Fireworks--a tradition that has been going on for years.  I believe that in the last 22 years that I have lived here, I have photographed at least 20 of them.  This year's had to be one of the coldest though--somewhere around 5°F plus a steady wind, which created bitter wind chill.  Fortunately I was able to park my car right next to where I was shooting and could hop in to warm up as needed.

Someone commented on my Facebook page that this is basically the same event every year, why not just use a file photo?  No way.  I am always trying to create a better and different image than I have before.  Things around the base of the resort change.  Just look at the ad the ski area used to promote its holiday events.  The background photo is one I shot more than 12 years ago.  None of the base village buildings have been built--it just doesn't look like that anymore.

I had always wanted to shoot this event from across US 40 above the Lakota subdivision, but there were too many trees in the way.  As a result of all of the beetle kill in the area, there are many views that have opened up thanks to the removal of the dead trees.  I couldn't have shot this angle five years ago.

This event happens in several stages.  First the torch-bearing skiers make their way down the Lower Hughes trail.  They are followed by the ski area's fleet of snow groomers.  And it finishes up with the fireworks display.

Back when I shot film, I would do multiple exposures on the same frame of film to capture these different pieces into one image.  That also meant one camera, one image.  So I would often shoot with three cameras to have more than one image and to increase my chances of success.  With digital I can shoot multiple individual frames of the various stages of the event and combine the ones I want to use later in Photoshop to create the final image, but I still use multiple cameras to have different framing of the scene.

This year I utilized two cameras, one shooting horizontal and one framed for a vertical.  I used Pocket Wizards on both cameras to trigger them and help eliminate any camera shake.  It also proved useful while I was sitting in my car trying to stay warm.

I take my first exposures shortly after the sun goes down, so I have a frame with detail in the sky and detail on the ski trails.  Once the skiers start down with the torches I took several frames that, when combined later, will create one long continuous streak of light down the trail.  I do basically the same thing with the fireworks, I shoot several frames during the display and later pick the best bursts to add to the final image.

One of the challenges of being a photographer is creating new and different images of what happens around us everyday or in this case, every year.  I heard it once described as "creating extraordinary images of the ordinary."  It is the challenge I am happy to take on every day.

Ships passing in the night

The International Space Station and Space Shuttle Atlantis create streaks of light in the sky as they pass over Byers Canyon on Wednesday evening while traveling at more than 17,000-miles per hour and more than 200 miles above the Earth in this 30-second exposure.  The shuttle had undocked from the space station earlier in the day, which created the two separate streaks.


I was incredibly fortunate this evening as I was able to capture the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Atlantis as they passed over Byers Canyon.  Adding to the image was the fact that the shuttle had undocked from the ISS earlier in the day, but was still in the same orbit, thus creating the two individual light trails.

I had been planning to shoot something like this for some time, but the ISS never seemed to cooperate--whenever I thought about shooting it, it would only be visible along the horizon if at all.  So I happened to check its upcoming orbits last week and, sure enough, there were going to be several days with evening orbits over Grand County.  I used Heavens Above to figure out where and when the ISS would be --it is a great site to determine when the ISS or other satellites are going to be passing over your location.

Now that I knew it would be very visible, I just needed to decided where to shoot from.  My first thought was to set up and shoot from a hill just outside of Granby, but the more I thought about it, that wasn't going to be as interesting a photo as it could be.

My next thought was to go somewhere around Lake Granby, but I still thought there was something better.  Then I remembered I had been trying to come up with something different to photograph in Byers Canyon, west of Hot Sulphur Springs.  This was the perfect opportunity.

Armed with my photo gear and my printout with all of the pertinent details from Heavens Above, I headed out to find a location in the canyon where I could show the amazing rock features with the light trails from the spacecraft.  My first pass through the canyon yielded three or four possibilities.  I soon realized there was a problem however--with the way the canyon winds, I had no reference as to where exactly the ISS would be coming from.

Fortunately, as it grew darker, I could start to make out some of the stars that I could use as reference points from the sky chart I had.  But I was still worried about where exactly the light trails would be in relation to the canyon.  I stopped and started to set up in the location that I thought would work, but the more I looked at it, the more uneasy I became that it wouldn't yield a good photo.

So I moved on to another location, pondered, then moved on to one last location.  At this point I had less than 15 minutes before the ISS would be passing over, so I decided to make the best of this spot.  My plan was to try and shoot with two cameras to double my chances of getting a useable image.  I set both up, tinkered with how I had each framed, then waited.

Suddenly I noticed a faint light crossing the sky about 30 to 45 degrees to the east of where I thought I should be seeing a light.  I basically freaked out and tried to get the cameras moved to catch it before it went out of view.  My tripod fell over, I reset the cameras and tried to click off a frame.  I was frazzled and was letting loose with quite a string of curses.

What had gone wrong?  Was I really that far off on my set up?  Frustrated and cold, I decided to start packing up.  Glancing once more to the sky, I noticed a very bright point of light appearing above the canyon wall, then shortly after that, a second bright light.  I hadn't missed them, it was some other satellite I had seen!  I scrambled to get my gear out of the car and get it reset before the space station and shuttle were out of site.  I was able to get one 30-second shot off, which is shown above, before they were gone.

It was well worth the effort and difficulties.

goo, goo g'joob

Two of my favorite images from over the weekend

The incredible colors of Saturday's sunset:


These mugs were hanging up at the Grand Lake Brewing Company and picking up the colors from the television:

All alone in Rocky Mountain NP

I went up to Rocky Mountain National Park this morning in hopes of finding an image for the front page. I did see a bull elk in the trees, but couldn't a good photo of him. I was able to get a shot of this coyote before he scampered back into the woods.



Aside from a couple of workers doing some work in a campground, I think I was the only person in this part of the park. Despite the tire tracks in the snow on the roadway, I never saw another person.

A frosty cold Coors. . .Field

On Sunday I shot my first Rockies game since the deciding game against the Phillies in the 2007 NLDS. It was nice to be recognized by several of the security folks and ushers after a two-year absence from Coors Field. I spent nearly two and a half years covering the Rockies from May 2005 to October 2007 and knew many of these people by name. It was always a pleasure to show up at the ballpark and chat with them even if it was for just a short time. I can't say the same for the stick-in-the-mud types over at Invesco Field. Take a hint folks, if I've made it through the five security checkpoints between the media entrance and the field, I'm probably supposed to be there. But I digress.

The story of the night was the weather, so the storytelling image would be something showing the players dealing with the bitter cold. I wasn't seeing what I was hoping to see, that is until the Philadelphia Phillies began to come out for batting practice. As pitcher Pedro Martinez walked through the dugout I knew I had an image I liked.

I should also mention that it's always good to see my photographer friends from Denver. I don't miss all of the driving I used to do when I was covering the Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, etc., on a regular basis, but I do miss the camaraderie with my fellow photographers.

I love this time of year

Autumn in Colorado has to be just about the best time of year--warm days, cool nights...at least most of the time. And then there are the phenomenal fall colors as the aspen begin to change.



goo, goo g'joob
t- 136

My new favorite camera

I've been in the market for an additional camera body for the past few months, but was doing my homework before I decided on which one to get. For the past few years I have been using Canon digital bodies, but have been intrigued by Nikon's D700. I still have all of my Nikon lenses, so going with the D700 wouldn't cause any problems. In talking to several other photographers and looking at samples of photos from the camera, I was impressed by the D700's performance in low light. And because I shoot a lot of high school sports in bad gyms and at dark football fields made me think this might be the right choice.

I ordered the camera last Monday, it arrived on Wednesday. I spent the next couple of days getting used to the controls and doing some test shots. But what I was really waiting for was Friday and a chance to shoot it at a high school football game.

The lighting at the football field at West Grand High School in Kremmling isn't great--with my Canon 1D Mark IIN I could get an exposure of 1/250 @ 2.8, 1600 ISO, but there was also a lot of noise. As you can see in the image above, I was able get an exposure that could stop the action and even shooting at an ISO of 5000, the noise was more of what I was seeing with my other cameras at 800 ISO--if even that much. Getting images like this, under the lighting conditions I was up against, was beyond what I could imagine before last week. What a great tool to have in my arsenal.

goo, goo g'joob
t- 138

Last day of summer, first snow in Granby

I awoke this morning to the first snowfall in Granby on the last day of summer. There was at least an inch of accumulation before the temperature warmed up enough to melt the early snow and any further snowfall. As the clouds lifted, you could see that the mountains had a nice frosting of snow. I had to turn my furnace on--the temperature in the house had dropped below 60 degrees.

There is a chill in the air

Another sign that fall is in the air, frost on the car in the morning.

goo goo g'joob
t-151

Contest time

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. Cool nights, warm days, the changing of the aspen. It also means the entry deadline for the Colorado Press Association awards is here. I usually spend a few hours each day for several days going through the papers from the past year looking for my best work in the four designated photo categories: news, feature, sports and essay. I try to find from five to a dozen possibilities in each category, which will then be whittled down to the three entries allowed for each category.

Then the fun begins.

I am usually able to find two solid entries for each category, but then it gets tough to select the third entry. I have co-workers take a look. I go away for a while, then come back and look at them again. This tends to go on for a couple of days until the deadline approaches and I just pick one and say, "this will have to do."

The process does give me a chance to review my work from the prior year and see how I did. I see images I could have done better, images I shouldn't have taken at all and ones that are very satisfying. Images that generated good feedback from either my editors, friends or the community. It's a process that makes me realize I am very fortunate to be doing what I do, where I do.

goo, goo g'joob

If all sporting events were played in light like this, the world would be a better place...

I was supposed to shoot a volleyball match in Kremmling last night, so I left soccer practice early in order to get to there in time for the 6:00 start. When I walked into the gym, all I found was volleyball practice. I then learned the match had been postponed due to a large number of players on the other team were sick.

I wandered back outside and saw that there was a pee wee football game being played on the high school field. So I thought to myself, as long as I'm here I might as well shoot it. And I am glad I did. I was able to shoot the final quarter in some of the most wonderful light I have seen in a long time. All of the high school football games I shoot don't start until after 7:00, so if I see anything like this, it only lasts a few minutes and then I am at the mercy of the stadium lights, which aren't very good at the two schools I shoot at. This light lasted the entire time.

Karma?

It has always been a dream of mine to cover the Olympics--winter or summer, it doesn't matter. The parent company of the newspaper I work for had two credentials available for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and had anyone interested submit an application and short essay earlier this year. I actually thought I had a pretty good chance of being selected, but the powers that be selected someone else.

After being excited about the possibility of going to cover one of the biggest events in the world, I found myself relieved that I wasn't chosen, because I started to realize that the logistics of packing and transporting all of the gear (photography, clothing, ski, etc.) I was going to need for two weeks was a little daunting. I was also going to be on my own for those two weeks and that was going to mean some long days, as well as likely being burnt out by the end of the event.

Fast forward to today.

Earlier today I was talking with my editor and publisher about a variety of things and we briefly talked about how I missed out on the opportunity to go to the Olympics through our company. Our publisher mentioned that she was very surprised that I hadn't been selected. It brought back memories of my dream of covering the Olympics...maybe someday.

Then this afternoon I received a call from the assignment editor at my photo agency, which took me by surprise, because, since I have been working for the newspaper, I haven't shot very much for them. He said he had two questions for me, one that was pretty simple and the other that was a little more complicated. The first was if I would want to shoot any of the Denver Broncos' games this season. When I was freelancing full time, I shot just about every Broncos home game for almost three years. The work I produced was some of my best-selling images I had with the agency, but I really don't have any desire anymore. I don't miss it, other than seeing my photographer friends from Denver. I enjoy my days off now and really don't want to use up one of them driving to and from Denver, and shooting a game. It turns into a 10-12 hour day. No thanks.

Then for the second question, he asked me if I could get two and a half weeks off in February--he wanted me to be a part of the agency's photo team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He anticipated me being one of three photographers based in Whistler, shooting primarily the skiing, snowboarding and nordic events. I was stunned and then thrilled, but then I realized I would still need to get the time off from the paper. After getting off the phone, I explained the situation to my bosses and asked if I could take the time off. They were pretty excited for me and at this point, don't see any problems.

I need to confirm everything tomorrow and then start thinking about all of the planning I will need to start doing over the next few months--packing lists for clothing, photo gear, computer equipment, ski equipment, plus get more aggressive about getting in shape. The two weeks of the Olympics can be very physically demading, so my body will have to be ready as well.

So, assuming I didn't imagine all of this today, I will be on my way to Vancouver in a little over five months. I'm sure my preparations for this event of a lifetime will be the subject of additional posts as it draws closer. Stay tuned...

goo, goo, g'joob

Just about 24 hours in LA

I had told my son Erik that as part of his high school graduation present I would take him to see one of the World Football Challenge matches this summer. The one that would work out best for us was the Inter Milan v. Chelsea match that would be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It would be a quick trip--fly in on the afternoon of the game and back out the next day.

As we waited for our flight, I became bored and started shooting reflections in the floor of the DIA terminal:


After arriving in Los Angeles, we went to pick up our rental car. I got a great deal on a full size from Enterprise, but Erik thought the Mercedes looked like the way to go...we went with the Altima...Erik, the Altima, it's behind you:


Heading to our hotel in Arcadia, we jumped on the 605 freeway. Five minutes later, this is what the rest of the drive looked like:


After checking into the hotel, I had also promised him that I would take him to In and Out Burger. Here he is experiencing his first Double Double in 100-degree heat:


From there it was on to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. It was my first trip the stadium since the 1986 Rose Bowl when Iowa faced UCLA:


We were part of a crowd of 81,000 at the game and what a great setting on a wonderful evening. It was a very entertaining game, but maybe next year Liverpool will take part:


The next morning I discovered my point and shoot was no longer functioning, so I wasn't able to get any additional photos. We found out our hotel was actually on Route 66, but I couldn't get any pix of the sign and I don't have any photos of Erik's first trip to Baja Fresh--yummy Mexican food. That was pretty much it--almost 24 hours on the ground in LA, most of it spent either driving on the freeways or sleeping.

goo goo g'joob

Fire on the mountain, lightning in the air

As I was getting ready to close my blinds last night, I noticed that clouds had built up over the Continental Divide. I didn't think much about it until, out of the corner of my eye, I saw several flashes in the clouds. A few weeks ago there had been a similar storm, but I was on my way back from Denver and I didn't have my camera with me, so I missed out on quite a show. I told myself I wasn't going to miss out this time, so I jumped in my car and headed to the Granby airport, which gave me a clear view of the storm.

I wasn't the only one who wanted a good view of the show. Not long after I got set up, one of the local police officers came by, not wondering what I was doing, but he said he was just wanting a better view. One of the advantages of working in a small community is getting to know the local law enforcement officers and having them not be surprised when I show up in strange places, at strange times.

The photo above was probably the best image I captured that showed a significant number of lightning bolts. I tried a variety of exposures trying to capture what I was seeing. As the sky got darker, the lights from Front Range cities began to light up some of the clouds along with the lightning. It took on an appearance of a massive fire or a scene from Lord of the Rings. The scene also brought to mind the Marshall Tucker Band song "Fire on the Mountain."

Stalking bicyclists

Had an assignment this week to illustrate a story we were working on about a new Colorado law that will go into effect on August 5. Motorists will now be required to give at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicycle. I had seen several other photos illustrating this, but they were all shot straight on showing a car passing a bicycle. I definitely wanted to do something different, so I thought the best route to go would be to shoot with a wide angle from a car as it passed a bicycle.

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? But I would need to mount a camera to my car and position it in a way that it would show both my car and the bicycle. And I would need to find someone riding along the highway, not on a bicycle path. Actually the first thing I did was call a couple of friends to see if they would be doing any road biking--they weren't. So I would have to rely on coming across a cyclist by chance. Here is how my set up looked:


I clamped the Magic Arm to the handle on the door and ran a safety cable through the camera strap, Magic Arm and PocketWizard just in case anything would come loose. I would rather it dangle alongside the car than hit the pavement at 45-60 mph.

I was in the western part of the county, but didn't find any bikers, so I headed back towards Winter Park where I thought there might be a better chance of coming across some riders. My only worry was that the weather looked like it might take a turn for the worse. But it didn't take long for me to find someone and I was fortunate enough to pass him once, then pull over and let him go back by, then have one more pass.

Looking at the results, I wish I would have been a little closer, but that's where I wish I was photographing someone I knew, so I wouldn't cause the rider to panic. But considering on how quickly I had to get the shot done, I'm pleased with the results.

Click here for the story.

Gearing up for the Fourth

Danny Tucker assembles sideboards for mortars that will be used for the Grand Lake Fourth of July fireworks display. Tucker was helping Chuck Barry, whose family has been putting on the Grand Lake show for the past 28 years.

When an event happens every year, it's easy to get in the habit of shooting the same thing each time. So my challenge is to come up with something different. I was fortunate enough today to come across workers rigging up the mortars for the fireworks show in Grand Lake. As Chuck explained, "Putting on a fireworks show is a lot like preparing Thanksgiving dinner. There are weeks of preparation, the dinner itself that doesn't last very long, and then the clean-up, which seems to take a couple of weeks."

It sounded like a good idea...at the time

While shooting the Mud Race during Kremmling Days last weekend, I kept trying to think of something different I could do in order to come up with a really awesome shot. It was easy to shoot straight-forward action, so as I watched the first run I noticed there were a few of the trucks that had open roll cages that I might be able to attach a remote camera too.


Between runs I approached the driver of the truck that I had noticed didn't seem to get too much mud on the driver or in the middle of the truck where I would likely be mounting the remote. I explained to Mitch Perron of Soda Springs, Idaho, what I had in mind and he said go ahead.


After clamping the camera to the roll cage and adding a couple of safety cables to keep the camera or rigging, if it should happen to come loose, from dropping into the mud, Mitch checked out the set-up:


As Mitch's second run approached I got more nervous as I thought about all of the things that could go wrong. I had double-checked to make sure everything was tight, exposure was set and Pocket Wizards were working:


Aside from my concerns about my equipment, I was also worried about if the lens was going to give a wide enough view and if I was using too slow of a shutter speed. The answers would turn out to be no and yes.


The 16mm didn't quite give me the view I was hoping for and 1/30 of second was too slow for the speed and vibration from the truck. Oh well, live and learn. As the truck crossed the finish line I noticed that the Magic Arm and camera were starting to fall over (I think the vibration the truck experienced during its run loosened the Magic Arm). Fortunately the safety cables did their job, however the rig fell over far enough to put it in line where the mud was flying.




I finally broke down and cleaned the camera and lens this morning. The only consequence appears to be that I got some moisture in the lens while I was cleaning it and the autofocus seems to not be working. However, it does show signs of starting to work this evening.

This tree is just right

Heard a call on my scanner late yesterday afternoon saying there was a report of a bear in a park in town. I was going to ignore it, but seeing as we don't get many bears here in Granby I thought I might as well check it out. He was hidden by the leaves and branches from most angles, but after moving around to the east I was able to get this shot of him. In talking to the police officers who were keeping tabs on the situation, they said the plan was to leave him alone and let him come down on his own. The wildlife officer wasn't too concerned as this bear hadn't been a nuisance before, so they would let him be and sure enough, a few hours later he came down and went on his way.

"Please keep this pass visible at all times"

As I was trying to be productive today and clean up some things around the house, I came across the bag that I have tossed all of the various media credentials and passes I have accumulated over the past 28 years into. As I looked through them I reflected back on the variety of experiences they represented--predominantly sporting events, some significant, others just another game.

Among the credentials you can find:

•my forged photo pass for the Iowa-Michigan State game in 1981 which sent Iowa to the Rose Bowl. The first college football game I shot from the field, but spent most of the time worrying I was going to get caught rather than shooting.
•my pass for Mother Theresa's 1986 visit to the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colo.
•my photo pass from the Colorado Rockies first home game in 1993.
•my Secret Service pass for G8 wives visit to Winter Park in 1996, actually it's so small compared to the others you probably can't see it.
•my media credential for the Kobe Bryant hearings in Eagle, Colo., in 2004.
•numerous Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies credentials.

Contrails

I'm not sure what it is about contrails, but they fascinate me.

Catching up, again

Surprise, surprise...way behind on posting, again.


Between work and coaching, it's amazing how fast the past two months have gone by. The Middle Park HS girls soccer team really put together a season to remember. They ended up undefeated in our new league (10-0) and lost just one non-conference game to finish 14-1 overall. We anxiously awaited the state tournament bracket to come out and see where we were seeded. Much to our surprise, we got the 9th seed and would face Aspen HS in our first-ever playoff game, which we would also host.

We came out looking very strong, dominating possession, getting shots, but we couldn't find the back of the net. An unfortunate handball in the penalty area gave Aspen a penalty kick midway through the first half and a 1-0 lead. A second Aspen goal in the second half didn't keep the girls from continuing to shoot. In fact we out-shot Aspen 15-3. We finally scored late in the half to close the gap, but just couldn't find an equalizer. Another frustration for us was hitting the crossbar five times. Just a case of outplaying our opponent, but not being able to score when we needed it.

As a coach, you really feel for your athletes when they have been working so hard all season long, but then their hard work isn't rewarded with a playoff win. This was a special season with a special group of girls. They have set the bar very high for future teams.

A very special thank you to the seniors we will be saying goodbye to at our banquet on Tuesday evening: Emily, Lindsey, Anna, Brittany, Khyla, Shelley, Kristin, and Ryndi.

Curling and soccer

With the start of the girls high school soccer season and more changes at the newspaper, I haven't had as much time to update as I would like. I continue to make progress post-surgery--the knee feels better every day. I've been able to do low-impact exercise for the last month, but I can't wait for clearance from my doctor to start skiing and running again.

In the last month I have shot an interesting variety of assignments. My favorite was easily the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials. I became fascinated with curling when it became an Olympic sport in 1998 and by the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, I easily watched more curling than any other sport. While it seems as though the sport is the butt of jokes (primarily because people don't understand it), I am fascinated by the strategy and after seeing it in person, the true athleticism of the curlers--those sweepers work up a sweat! I'm hoping to give curling a try by the end of the year and, who knows, maybe I'll be making a run at the 2014 Olympics. In any event, here are a few of my favorites from the women's final:





Another great thing was the start of the Middle Park HS girls soccer season. We have a great group of girls this season and they have been working very hard. Their hard work was rewarded a week ago at the Mesa Ridge Tournament, a tournament we have been going to for five years. Each year we have done a little better and we felt we had the players to win it this year. And sure enough, the girls rose to the occasion and defeated three 4A schools to take first place and win the first-ever trophy for the soccer program at Middle Park. The 3-0 start to the season is the best start we have ever had and the winning continued this weekend with a 7-0 defeat of the Denver School of Science and Technology, our first league game of the season.

Under the arthoscope

Two months after tearing the meniscus in my left knee, I finally had surgery. It's sore, but I can already tell that once I have a chance to rehab it, it is going to be like new.

A "new" toy

For the past few years I have wanted to put a remote camera behind the backboard for a high school basketball game. It's not a new idea by any means--if look at the major sports magazines (e.g. Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine), they routinely use backboard camera for their coverage of college and pro basketball. I had gathered all of the equipment I needed make this work and verified with our publisher that, if I went to the trouble of rigging all of this up, I would be covered by our company's liability insurance if something went wrong and any of the rigging fell. The trouble for me was that neither of the high school gyms I shoot in had anything behind the backboards that I could easily clamp the camera onto.

Fortunately Middle Park High School here in Granby had been working on a new gym during the last year. A few weeks ago when I took a peak at it as it neared completion I was thrilled to see they had installed a completely different type of support system for the backboards which would allow me to attach my camera without too much trouble and the light in the gym was significantly brighter than the old gym (this would allow me to shoot available light and not have to figure out how to rig the camera to work with the strobes I normally use--it's a long story and I won't get into it now, maybe another time when I solve that problem). I immediately checked with the school's athletic director to see if he had any issues with what I was hoping to do. He gave me the go ahead.

The school was scheduled to play its first games in the new gym last week, so I wanted to give this a try right away. The day before the game I went in to check the exposure, options on exactly where to place the camera and, most importantly, see if there was a ladder I could use. Luckily one of the contractors still finishing up some work on the gym had a 12-foot ladder he was happy to let me use. One of the issues with doing a remote of this type is that it needs to be in place before the players start warming up and, because this was my first attempt, I wanted to have enough time to make sure everything was working and be able to deal with any problems, which meant getting to the gym early enough before the first game, which was a JV game scheduled to tip-off at 4:00, so I was there at 2:45, even though I wouldn't really be using the camera until the varsity girls game at 5:30 and varsity boys at 7:00.

I think it took me about 45 minutes to get everything set up and secure, and to where I felt comfortable that I might be able to make a decent image. I checked and re-checked the focus, exposure and framing until I finally said, "If it doesn't work this time, there is always the next game," and climbed down from the ladder and got ready to shoot the games. I would occasionally fire the remote during the JV game to make sure it was working and felt like I was keeping one eye on it to make sure it wasn't coming loose or about to fall.

I used the remote some during the girls game, but the action didn't really fit with where it was set up. The action in the boys game was much more dynamic and there were several times where I felt I might have captured what I was after, but I wouldn't know until the game was over when I climbed back up the ladder to retrieve the camera.

A shot from this angle is really a crap shoot. There are a lot of factors which have to come together to make the image work and fortunately I believe I was able to capture at least one good frame from my first attempt:
This photo was made with a Canon 20D, 16-35/2.8 set at 16mm, exposure was 1/500 at 2.8, ISO 1600.

Middle Park faces their county rivals, West Grand, on Tuesday and I hope to try the set-up again. For the next 24 hours I will debate in my head what I may do differently this time, do I set the camera for vertical again, or do I try horizontal? should I raise it up a little higher?

Goo, goo, g'joob.