Lakota West At Ursuline Academy

Yes, I am still behind on posting games. These games were the 30th of August. Which if you are keeping count, the 4th night in a row I was covering games. Both teams are very talented. They work well together with each other. And that is what I saw through my lens. I can only imagine how good the games were if you actually watching the game instead of photographing it. There was great support for both teams. The fans were great! Shots below are from both the JV and Varsity games.

Great save and a divot created.

A very focused look.




I love when the action comes close to me late in the game when the light is not so good.

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Yesterday was my birthday! Another year older and hopefully I little wiser. I did not do anything that would seem special to most people. But for me it was a huge change. I did almost nothing all day long. Watched a movie in bed when I woke up. I found some breakfast and a good book to read. Worked only about 45 minutes which is a the least amount I have worked in 3 weeks. Felt a little weird, especially since I covered 2 soccer games the night before. Proofs were done at 1:00 am so I did not have to worry about those but I did not perform my traditional backups and cleanup routine until today. Watched a lot of different sports on TV. Mike made it home around 2 from his guy golf weekend. He went and got dinner for us. It was nice to relax with him for the rest of the night. I also got a bunch of phone calls from my family which I love! So even though it might seem special to some of you it was for me. So now I start my day a little behind but very much relaxed and a little bit more rested.

Friday Night Football

Last Friday Oak Hills showed off their new stadium turf. It was a great night for football. Even though the field looks beautiful in color I thought I would show it in black and white. This is the kick-off to start the second half. I was up in the press box which is as high as I could get. Thanks to the guys who helped me get up and down from there. You have to go up a ladder and with my equipment I needed the help. I will be at the game tonight and will try to show some action shots from the game next week.

Indian Hill at Ursuline Academy

How about a little field hockey for a change of pace? Indian Hill was at Ursuline Academy on August 29th. It was a partly overcast day which had me a little worried about photographing the JV game. Since the field does not have lights the Varsity teams play first followed by the JV. Luckily the light held and I was able to cover both games. Below are the images from the games - JV first then Varsity.

I like the defensive concentration.

I am always impressed by how quick the goalies can move with their equipment on.

Rushing at the shot.
This would be my look as well.

Moeller At Lakota East

I know, I am a little behind in posting. This game was held August 28th on another hot day. I found out that standing in the shade of a pole is partially effective. Between the JV and Varsity game I tried to find some shade to cool off and drink some liquids. Since I tend to knee, crawl and sit in the grass during games I wear long pants to protect my legs. I have found some pretty thin pants but still not as cool as wearing shorts. Below I included some images from both the JV and Varsity games.

Had to show a keeper save.
"My ball, you can't have it"


Click of a larger view of this sequence.

A successful PK.

Oak Hills vs Moeller Freshmen Soccer

A late afternoon soccer game on Monday. The game started a little later than planned since there was a little problem with getting a team there on time. I know how they feel as I have gotten lost or gone to the wrong field a few times myself for various games. I found myself a small shady area until the game started and thought about the monopod I left at home. Has anyone every had that feeling you are forgetting something when you leave the house but have no clue what it is? I occasionally have those. This time I did not figure out what it was until I got to the field. Opened my trunk and just stared trying to transport my monopod to the trunk with my mind. While not critical for what I do it is a nice to have. A camera with a 300mm lens on it gets pretty heavy after awhile. I will say my arms were pretty tired by the end of the night but I did not smack myself in the face once while changing cameras - a normal occurrence at least once a game. Sometimes I wait until the very last moment to switch to the second camera with the smaller lens and in my haste to twist the 300 over my shoulder I sometimes miss or it starts to fall and I use my chin to try to catch it. I will stop boring you and show you some images from the game....

A keeper save.

Concentration.
Another keeper save.

Lunar Eclipse

I am a morning person and decided that I would get up at 4:15 to watch and hopefully photograph the lunar eclipse this morning. Not a big fan of that early. I crawled back into bed around 6:05. I did not realize it was that chilly out until I came back in. That was my excuse for going back to bed - had to warm up. Anyway, below are some of my attempts from the eclipse. Definitely need more practice at shooting at night. Most of my exposures were 8-15 seconds with f/22. Except the first one which had a faster shutter speed since the moon was so bright to start.

Moon starting to be covered. Shadows already being seen on the moon.

6 Months Session

I had a 6 month old session last Friday night. I had so much fun during the shoot. He has so many different expressions and I tried to capture as many as I possibly could. I already heard from the parents who got to see the proofs online yesterday and they are happy which makes me very happy! Below are some of the images from the session.

"Are we done yet?"
He was looking up at his dad.

The first time I got to try out my new yellow wall.
I got a thumbs up at the end:)

St. Ursula Academy at Ursuline Academy

What a hot game yesterday! I think it was hotter yesterday than Wednesday. By the end of the game you could see these girls were beat. Lots of subs throughout the game. They even broke the action halfway through each half to give both teams time to rest and get some hydration. Ursuline won 3-0. Here is hoping for cooler temperatures soon.

I love this header but hate the background. The field was right next to the parking lot so not much choice for me. The the sun was setting behind me which forced me to shoot from the side of the field looking at the parking lot.

Watching the ball all the way.
Love the expression.
Saves from both keepers.