The Week In Sports Photos

This week I was only able to be at one and a half basketball games. I had some fun at those games though and I was trying some stuff out. At this point of every year you start to think that you are making the same photo over and over again. It is always fun to have a few tricks up your sleeve to kind of keep things fresh. This week I dusted off a couple of filters to try and have some fun with them.

The Ghost FX Filter

This is a filter that has been in my bag for a while. I just haven’t found a good use for it yet. I got it for one reason, but it never really worked for that. I have been seeing what my friend Quan has been doing with a different version of this filter at basketball so I decided to try it out. It took me a while to get things dialed in. I just couldn’t find the sweet spot on it. When Jordyn Poole sat in front of me it gave me a few seconds to try and dial in what I was doing without her moving. Once I figured things out I started really having fun with the lens. The first two photos of this post were made with the filter. I don’t want to overdo it with the filter, but it is a fun way to change things up.

Alumni Day

Saturday was a day to see some familiar faces come back into Mackey Arena. As I get older the faces that I know on the court start to grow. It is really neat seeing the players that I used to watch from the stands come back. It is also cool to see faces that I used to photograph come back as well.

I Am Not Supposed To Have A Favorite Player

Shooting for the wire I cannot have favorites of any kind. I really do enjoy making photos of Kendall Puryear though. She plays the game hard, and just makes for good photos. Here she tears the ball away from a Wisconsin player. Kendall is only a freshman. In this day of NIL nothing is a given, but it would be fun to photograph her for four years. There are parts of her game that remind me of Jeanae Terry. Terry was one of my favorites to photograph for years as well. For this game in the fourth quarter Kendall decided that Purdue was not going to lose. Every team needs a player like that.

Getting The Jube

I am really trying to get more of these celebration photos. I will miss some rebound photos but I can miss a few of them. I need to get better at staying on these shooters after a three. I was partially blocked for some of this celebration, but I was able to get most of it in.

Using The Ghost Filter For Action

My ghost filter is so thick that it is really hard to focus through. It is also heavy enough that it is not easy to move around with it. That made action hard to get with it. Here though I sold out on a play at the rim and focus there. The first play where I did that I got an attempt at the rim, and I was able to make this photo. I love getting the panning look while also freezing the action. This will be a fun toy to pull out during baseball and softball season.

That Winning Feeling

It was fun to see Purdue get that first Big Ten win. I ran back to the media room to grab my 24mm lens to capture any celebration. The team was pretty chill about the win, but I loved this moment in the post game huddle. I really think that this team has some great pieces on it. Hopefully those pieces mesh soon, and we can have more victory celebrations.

Finally!

I have had the filter to make this photo in my camera bag the entire basketball season so far. I just haven’t had the chance to get to Harrison for a game until Thursday night. I really want to try this again and use the light a little more to my advantage, but the results were pretty much what I was hoping for. The filter will stay in my bag now, but I am glad that I was finally able to see this photo through. Of course once you get to try it out then the goal becomes working on the photos to make them better.

It Has Been A While

This was the first high school game of any kind that I have made photos of since late October. I really think that high school sports can give you some of the best pictures. You have an access that you don’t have at the levels above. It has just not worked out to be at a game in a while. Luckily for me I could be at the first half of the game on Thursday night. It was cool to see the newly renovated May gym finally.

Time For The Rings

The Harrison soccer program was given their state title rings at halftime of the game Thursday night. I was only able to get to a couple of their games early in the season, but they were a fun team to watch. It was cool to see them recognized again for a great season.

Looking Ahead

Next week I only have one event on the schedule, and I will only be able to be at a half of that at best. The following week my schedule is completely empty right now. This time of year is always funny. One week you have so much going on that you cannot possibly fit it all in, and the next week you are looking for anything to photograph to stay sharp. We are to the point where I think I only have a handful of basketball games left on the season.