My Ten Favorite Volleyball Images of 2014

This was the year where I really found volleyball. I had shot the sport before, but for some reason I really found my groove photographing it, and that led to some fun times. I shot for many different schools this year. It was fun to see my photos being used all the way into the NCAA Tournament. While that is nice the best was a photo sent to me by a parent of his daughters senior day frame at LSU that had her jersey as well as my photos in it. That is what I try and do every time out. I want to make photos that will last. While I don’t think that I am the best volleyball photographer out there, I do think that I started to really understand the sport which led to me getting to the right spot at the right time. I can’t wait to see what next year will bring for me. Here are my favorite ten (with a couple extra) volleyball images of the year.

10. This one gets two images. Dave Shondell is a great volleyball coach, but he also may be one of the biggest supporters of the other sports on campus. The first photo is of Dave leading the Ross Ade Stadium fans in ‘Shout’ before the fourth quarter of a game. It may have just been the best intro to the song that I have seen so far. It was part promoter and part WWE, but it was all good. The second shot is of Coach Shondell serving up breakfast before an early morning match very early in the season. I think that it is the little things that endear you to a team and a coach. Dave seems to get that very much. I never had the opportunity to shoot for his team this season. I seemed to always be there for the opponent. I would very much like to shoot for him someday.

9. For some reason I really like this image of Notre Dame volleyball player Sydney Kuhn. The black background at Mackey led to an interesting image during a match. The Boilers play one match in Mackey every season, but after I walk out of the great atmosphere and shooting locations I always ask myself why they don’t play more in there.

8. When I am not shooting the one game a year in Mackey Arena I shoot most of my volleyball in Holloway Gymnasium. I have a few different locations that I like to shoot from, but this one up high gives me some very nice photos. I wish that I was up about eight more feet, but when the players get above the net they really look high from this vantage point.

7. Very late in the season I was able to photography one last volleyball match at Notre Dame. I had shot three matches for them earlier in the season so it was nice to shoot a home match for them. I tried some of my normal angles in Purcell Pavilion, but then I moved to the side once I had my safe shots. For some reason I like the way that this image looks. The grace in the middle of all of the chaos appeals to me.

6. I like huddle photos. If you have followed me at all you have probably noticed that. I like all three of these huddle shots for different reasons. When I am shooting for the other team I always like to shoot the huddle with the logo of the home team somewhere in the shot. Sometimes though I will move to capture a moment. The first photo was a very cool moment that I like right away. The second shot I liked because I had the Purdue P at center court along with the Notre Dame player with the number one showing. The final huddle photo was one of the few Purdue photos that I made this past season. I had just shot three matches in one day, and I was getting ready to pack up my gear to go home and edit. It was then that Purdue came out to start the match. If you have not been in Holloway when they take the court it really is something. The combination of the song and the crowd can be electric. I stayed long enough to make this image.

5. I like to go up high to get the play at the net, but I also like to hang out on the side to get some of the sets. It is a part of the match that happens almost every time the ball is being sent over, but it can be a cool photo. Here is one that I liked from early in the season. It was my first match of the season, and I was happy to make this shot. Later in the year I found that I loved the photos much more because the stands were packed. One of those shots will be coming up shortly.

4. This is the same type of moment that I captured at Notre Dame for the Irish that appeared earlier in the countdown, but this time at a different angle. The mammoth spike can look great when captured correctly. The tip though almost always looks good. This was one photo that I liked early on in the season.

3. Here is a shot that I made while editing some photos at the media table. I had a great seat so I pulled out the wide angle lens to have some fun. I waiting until the serve came to Purdue, and the player came to just the right spot. I like the lines and the warped nature of the photo.

2. This is what I was talking about earlier when I talked about how the setting shots look much better with full stands in the background. Even with the fans slightly out of focus it provides a cool background. I usually make sure that I have the shot, and then keep getting tighter and tighter to make a more dynamic image.

1. I have had a few photos that really make the rounds. This past season I had a few from the various spots that I shot. This celebration shot of Ohio State might be close to the top of that list. It was used all over, and almost did not happen. The Buckeyes lost the first two sets, and they were not very excited doing it. I remember thinking that they needed to have at least one good set so that I had some emotion to capture. They ended up taking the match to five sets, and they gave me some great emotion to work with. While it is great to get the action during the match, it is a moment like this that I live for. It is why I keep coming back. I hope that I can see more of this next season.