The Week In Sports

We are not even to crossover season yet, but it is starting to feel a little like that. This week I photographed softball, volleyball, and soccer. No football this week for the first time in a while. I also took a couple of days off midweek to see a concert and then a touring broadway show. I love photographing sports, but it is also nice to get a break from them every once in a while. Of course a break to me is just a couple of days and then right back into it. By the time this post goes live I will be on the field at Ross Ade ready to see a rivalry game.

Softball Season Again

I have already been photographing softball for my little one, but it was kind of fun to get back to Bittinger to photograph softball again. The last time that I was in the stadium I was watching Michigan clinch the Big Ten title. This time it was to watch a little fall ball. It seems like lately I have become more of a softball photographer than anything else. That is definitely the case in the spring. I have been really enjoying it though.

A Familiar Face

When I first started photographing Harrison softball games they had a shortstop with a name that stuck out to me. Her last name is the same as my daughter’s first name. I used to come home from the games and tell my little one about this shortstop with her name. It was cool to see her playing ball again. The cool thing about fall ball is that I get to see some athletes that I have covered in the past playing for their college teams. If everything works out I will get to do this again in a couple of weeks.

More Volleyball In Mackey

For the second time in a week I found myself in Mackey photographing volleyball. This time it was for the wire though and not for a team. That meant covering both sides of the action. That could get hard on the Purdue end. The only places to photograph the action on the Purdue side were from behind the action. That is not a great spot for volleyball photos. I tried to move a little to change things up a little. The plus side of Mackey games is that you can get a higher viewpoint than you can in Holloway Gym. I tried to use that a little extra because I don’t get that angle much in volleyball.

Using The Lights

I have either been photographing concerts lately or thinking about how to photograph concerts. With a few in a row I have been immersing myself in that world. Maybe that is why when the volleyball matches at Mackey came up I was immediately trying to figure out ways to get the TV lights into my photos. Years ago Purdue had a photographer that was from the rock concert world. I always thought his photos had a little rock to them and I don’t think that it would be a terrible thing to try and think that way again.

Mackey Looking Good

There were quite a few people in Mackey for the second volleyball match. The midweek game didn’t have that great of a crowd so I never bothered with a wide photo. For this game I wanted to make a wide. I picked this spot to still be able to make some tight images while I waited for the wide image to come. A nice after point celebration gave me the wide that I was looking for.

A Huge Comeback

This match was going five sets. Purdue had a huge lead in the fourth set, and I was already thinking about how I would cover that fifth set. Then Illinois made a huge run that won them the match. I love this celebration photo from the celebration that followed.

Senior Night For Harrison Volleyball

Four years ago I met Della Bossung with my little one. Right away she was super kind to my little one and has been ever since. It is amazing how even saying hi to a kid coming to a game can make them feel special. That kindness was something that I never forgot. When Della asked me to cover her senior night it was an immediate yes. This is a fun group, and it was awesome to cover their senior night.

An Amazing Moment

The first serve of the night for Harrison was one of the cooler moments that I have seen in sports. Senior Layla Hodgen missed her entire senior season after an injury in the preseason. On senior night she was suited up to make one last serve. Disney couldn’t have planned it better how things turned out. The serve went across the net and found its way to the floor. The gym erupted, and the team ran to Layla to celebrate with her. It was a great way to start senior night off.

At The Net

These types of photos are my favorite to make. Usually it is the setter making a play like this, but here it is not. I love the confrontations at the net. They are usually quick moments, but they show off the athleticism of the players on the court.

Playing For The Boot

Last night I had a tough choice. I could go to a local high school football game, or I could head to Purdue to see Indiana and Purdue play for the Golden Boot. The boot game has always been a good one so I decided to head that way. The game was an absolute battle that ended in a 0-0 tie. With no winner on the day IU kept the boot in their possession.

Folk Field Sunsets

For the last thirteen years I have had fun making photos of sunsets at Folk Field. It is orientated perfectly for the last light of the day. In a couple of weeks I have three night games in four days here where hopefully the sky will really put on a show for us. With rain just off to the north this was a pretty good warm up for those games.

Headers Under The Lights

A header under the lights can look a little cooler because any sweat that comes off the player will be illuminated by the lights. Here everything worked really well for me to make a nice photo. I have a few photos of this player making a header on the day. This tight photo was my favorite.

More Photos From The Week

I think I say this every week, but this was another fun week making images. Below are some bonus images from the week. Again bonus points if you make it all the way to the bottom.