SGA2017 Only Waiting the Upload

What a trip!

I didn't get to do other sports like I originally thought I was going to do.  However, thanks to a proper lens I rented from LensRentals.com, all I had to do was a series of mass edits in light room.  I even posted one section of photos right off from the camera (Opening Ceremony).

So, right now, I'm posting everything to my LifeExposure.smugmug.com account.  I did have some priorities for certain western Wisconsin area competitors, and the photos are sorted according to the time of day I shot them.  So I can't say I got everyone, but I usually got entire competing groups.  However, after they are uploaded, I will be going through and removing the ones that aren't in focus or don't have a promising crop that you can do when you select a photo for purchase.

In short, I will thin it out.

But what is different about my photos versus the ones of the main photographers that were there?  The photographers selected by the figure skating organization hosting the competition have a primary style required by such a position.  First, they will have mostly full body shots.  And that will be about it.  And that is what you have to do when doing photos for a competition.  Those can be good photos.

I, however, wasn't there on behalf of the figure skating competition.  I'm there as a freelance photographer with permission on behalf of State Games of America.  A copy of all my photos at SGA events are going to SGA and Michigan State Games.  So this means I could be free to try somethings out.  Free to wonder the area, and get something interesting.

You will find some photos where I zoom in a lot.  On of the points of interest are the feet.  For figure skating athletes, you can find the feet in very interesting positions, helping them move, jump, and glide around the surface.

Attempted head shots.  The expressions fascinate me.  From determination, concentration, to out right enjoyment, everyone will have their own look.

Even challenging circumstances.  A fall, or unseen injury, and for figure skaters... failure of your music.  Like in the following photo, the music stopped playing, but you never knew it by just looking at her.  Julia Iovino continued on with a fantastic skate, along with a display of fantastic sportsmanship.

So take a look!  Some photos are still uploading (I really need a faster upload speed).  I so far have August 2nd through 4th up.  Opening Ceremony is already up. Then the 5th and 6th will be much faster.  If you are looking for the ISI events, I have photos from August 3rd, South Side arena up there too.

SGA2017 Update 7-30-2017

State Games of America update, 7-30-2017

This week, photos are going to start rolling in.  While I will try to talk about some of them here, please visit my Smugmug - State Games of America page.  You can browse by sport and event.  I'm not going to be able to everything, I'll be based in Grand Rapids during this week.

News organizations, please contact me about rights in your media - LEphotobytony@gmail.com

Please visit my Twitter Account @lephotosbytony to see what I'm photographing during #SGA2017.

Media Credentials

I've been told that I'll be able to get my credentials for #SGA2017.

Follow me on Twitter...
https://twitter.com/lephotosbytony/status/888180162776494080

SGA2017 Prep. 16 days to go

State Games of America

Hosted in Grand Rapids, MI

and with State Games of Michigan

Getting ready for this, it is interesting for me.  My wife has gone as a coach 2 times now, and this will be my first... primarily to support her and her students.  But also to do some photography.  

I'm going to be competing as well.  Although, not as an athlete, but as a photographer.  I've entered my request for credentials, and to be a part of their photo contest.  

So I'm getting my schedule put together, web site and digital operations prepped for presentation.  Even considering clothing options.  It's exciting.  But this kind of preparation doesn't end with these things.  

Enter scouting.

Like how some athletes will research their competition, I'm reviewing the venues... as much as I can from 400+ miles away.  I need to search out my best vantage points and then I need to keep in mind the personal opportunity and the stories.

Will I just be taking pics reflecting my area's participants?  No, but they will be a focus, as I intend to contact western Wisconsin media, centering around La Crosse, WI and including athletes from here, Sparta, Tomah, and Onalaska.  But I can't wait to find out what athletes from other sports are participating as well.

Also, I'm hoping I get a chance to photograph sports to get myself out of the comfort zone a little bit.

Can't wait!

Renting a lens, SGA2017, and Photo

This time I'm prepared. Figure skaters from this area (La Crosse,  WI) are showing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

An event known as State Games of America is hosting youth athletes from all over the country in an Olympic style week long event.  Grand Rapids will host most of the events.  And from what I can tell, they almost any sport I can think of... save alpine skiing (cause, August). 

Now, figure skating will be my priority in photography. My wife has 4 students she is putting on the ice. One of them left La Crosse just as I was getting into Photography and I've been hoping to capture him ever since.  And now he is able to do triple jumps. Nicole is going to get him on the ice as his coach from Connecticut couldn't make the trip.

Now for the photo geeky stuff.  

Up till now, I've been using a 50mm f1.8 lens on my Sony a6000.  But, now I'm renting the Sony 70-200 f4 G  from LensRentals.com.  While most sports, 70-200 isn't long enough, it is perfect for basketball and ice rink sized locations. And, since my sensor is APS-C it really goes out an effective 300 mm.  While I would like a better f2.8, it will get the job done.

Just waiting to hear back on my press credentials to cover the events. Can't wait!

FINALLY - I'll never do that again

FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY!
I'll never do that again.

Wow, oh wow, oh how I need to make sure I have the correct lens for the job.  Specially when you are doing a high volume of photos.

From February through June... I was editing photos for a figure skating competition.  If there was one thing that I could have done to not take so long, it was to have the lens for the job.  It wasn't to say I hadn't used a good lens.  But it was a 50mm prime.  What I should have used: 70-200 f4 or better.

What is the difference?  Cropping.  I wasn't going to present photos that had a relatively little spec in the center of the photo be the subject of some one's review.  So I cropped, to show what I was thinking during the photo.  And I didn't have a way to automate this process.

I use Adobe Lightroom, and it is great at taking all of your photos and (provided you have the same settings on all the photos) you can correct the color, exposure, shadows, lens flaws all at once.  It makes general editing a breeze. And I think it made me over-confident.

Then what lengthened this time... I started taking time away from other things and I started realizing I could not do this straight through.  I almost resented the job and opportunity.  I started to resent the things that took me away from the project.

So I have 2, possibly 3 major projects coming up this year.  First is a national figure skating competition in Grand Rapids, MI.  Then I have an opportunity to maybe get a shot of the Eclipse in Tennessee.  Finally, an ice show this winter.  I call these major because I fully intend on a good volume of photography.  And I'm going to start things out by renting lenses.

If you haven't heard it from other photographers... you'll start hearing it from me:  "I hate cropping!"  Does this mean I won't ever do it any more.  I'm mortal, and sometimes won't be able to help myself.  But large volume photo jobs need the right tools.  Or you are never going to get any money doing what you love.

That or you are going to burn yourself out and annoy your customers.

One done in full, competition now

So I have an Ice Show done in full.  And now the competition, over 6000 photos to work on.  But I also have another project in the pipe, a personal one.

So, the competition. I'm sepating this into the groups that took the ice.  Since the same sheet of ice can have one event on one side and another event on the other side, the groups can actually be 5 events in one group. Tonight I should have the first group done.

I'm insane, 8700 photos to go through.

As promised... some story and documentation about editing my photos from this last weekend.

So, I have this Park and Rec end of year Ice Show.  There were well over 2400 photos I took. I know, I need to be better at pairing this down before I even take the photo.  Part of this is that it is sooo easy to take 3 shots with the Sony a6000.  (I leave the motor-drive on because when it is a great jump, it makes for a great 3 or 4 shot board.)

So, after my first pass of the photos, I got it down to about a 3rd.  But who wants to go through 900 photos?  So, I'm doing a 2nd pass. Might have to do a 3rd pass.

I know part of why this is so hard is that many of these kids are also students of my wife.  Also, so many of the little ones were so cute (Yes, I'm a grown man... but I can say "cute" when describing little kids 6 years or younger.)  But, that is why I need the multiple pass process.  Each pass makes me be more and more critical of the photo's subject, lighting, composition, etc.  That makes me remove my own emotional reaction, and judge them on the level of what I would want to bring to the viewer.  Believe it or not... not every photo I take is a great shot.  So most of them never, ever, ever get released.

Oh, yeah, um... next up is the competition from last Sunday.
Over 6300 photos in that one to comb through.
I guess that was over 8700 photos in one weekend.  I'm insane.
Thank God I have the day off from my day job today.

Year in review, new camera training

Over the past year I've been working on a new camera, Sony a6000.  I don't have the luxury of the deep zoom of my old camera.  But I do get forced into being better and capable of pro-quality photos

I just have lenses that are best used for portrait and wide angle views.  Very different from the point n'shoot with a 500 mm equivalent zoom. So I am getting used to this, finally.

But, to be clear... this still is better than my old Nikon COOLPIX P510 when taking figure skating photos... even when cropping to about 8 megapixel of the 24 mp on the sensor.  And best lense I have is a 50 mm f1.8 on loan from my brother.

Think about this, I have a better picture at 8 mp cropped (original photo is 24 mp) compared to the 16 mp on the Nikon COOLPIX P510.  I still need better lenses for wildlife and sports, but for now, I can do good.  And I'm honored that some people have actually paid me for some of my shots.

In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to document some of what I have to do now for my figure skating photos.  The sorting, sorting some more, cropping, editing, sharing.  Because last Friday, there was an end of season ice show for a local park and rec, and yesterday I shot action photos for a basic skills competition.

Just a sample, I like shooting in B&W with RAW.  I find it helps me compose better.