Heading To Cincy For Musketeer Madness

When I got the email asking me if I would shoot Musketeer Madness I will admit that I was a bit skeptical. I am not really into shooting practice. I like a game situation as it is usually easier to guess where the action will be, and you get some emotion as well. Then I googled Musketeer Madness and realized that this was a bigger deal than I am used to. I live in a town where they don’t do anything special for the beginning of the season. The big shows are not something that the local team is about. That is okay as it is kind of what they are about as a whole. It was interesting to see just what I have been missing though at Xavier. It was a special deal including cool lights that would be a dream to have in the background for a season. Watching some videos before I left I knew that I was in for a treat. I was not wrong.

Waiting For The Moment

Sometimes you can sit and wait forever on something and it does not materialize. Other times you happen into the middle of something really cool. I was getting some shots of the Xavier teams signing autographs during their fan fest when I saw two women slowing sneaking up on a player. The were having fun and filming it so I knew that nothing bad would happen so I turned my camera towards the player. It was a tearful reunion full of emotion, and proof that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

The Cintas Center

One real highlight of the day was walking around the Cintas Center with Greg the SID for women’s basketball. That really is an amazing facility for college basketball. There are many highlights as you walk around, and a couple of things that maybe aren’t too well known yet. If you are a donor though you have so much there waiting for you it is unbelievable. I can only imagine this intimate venue packed and loud. Hopefully after this year I won’t have to imagine that. The bar on the upper level is pretty cool as well. It is the actual bar from a popular local bar that was torn down reconstructed down to the floor. I could only imagine walking into Mackey Arena and sitting at the TA Toms bar again. I am pretty sure that any and all health codes would not allow the filth of Toms into Mackey though so it would not be too accurate.

The Team Introductions

The team came out to start the night with a really cool intro with lights and smoke all around. I tried to move around a bit to show it from all angles. If I ever shoot this again I would like to set up a few extra remotes to cover it from a few angles now that I know what to expect. That way no player is left out as I move from position to position.

A Remote View Of The Introductions

I sort of knew what to expect with the introductions, but I still did not know exactly what was going on. I bent a lot of ears trying to get as much info as I could on the intros so I could find the best angles. I set a remote up on the far end of the stage with the thought of covering a couple of angles at once. I brought out my seldom used 24mm pancake lens and put it on my Canon 7D Mark II with a Pocket Wizard on it for a bonus view. I never fully rely on the remote for my shot. In fact if I get one or two shots from a remote I am happy. It just gives me a way of covering a little more ground.

The Three Point Contest

The three point contest was good, but it really got good down the stretch as the players battled for the win. At some point I positioned myself to make shots of the player early in the round, and then concentrate on the bench as the round ended. They were bubbling with emotion, and that is fun to photograph. Of course my favorite photo of the three point contest is this one of the fans and team going crazy.

The Action

The last time that I saw the Xavier women’s team play was in the spring when they had a great comeback to win at Butler. It is hard to tell a lot from a ten minute scrimmage, but you can always tell a playmaker when you see one. This is a team has a few on it, and I look forward to seeing them play again. Once again it was super cool to have some interesting lights in the background to play with during the action.

The Week In Photos

This past week was a fun one full of sports. I really think that I shoot much better when I am slammed so it was nice to be a little slammed this past week. You can see some of my favorite photos from last week here on my Exposure page.