August 2009
August 25, 2009
Arena shoots generally mean one of two things. A nice big photo pit and a very high stage, or a shoot from the soundboard requiring a very large (and long) lens. More and more I find soundboard shoots are the norm. Outside of the extra gear that's required to shoot them, I don't have anything against soundboard shoots, but it's always nice when it's clear the artist has thought about where the photographers will shoot from. Take Bruce Springsteen for example. The Boss set us photogs up with a platform all to ourselves directly beside the soundboard. We had a nice, elevated view of the show enabling us to get some hands in the bottom of the frame, but nothing obstructing our shots.
Continue reading "[Photos] Keith Urban @ Verizon Center"...
August 23, 2009
One of my favorite events to shoot in D.C. is the yearly ATP tournament, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. It's one of the first hardcourt events of the season and while the event doesn't pull in the the likes of Federer and Nadal, Andy Roddick and many of the second-tier players are regulars. The rest of the field is filled with unknowns, many of whom advance farther than the pros. As a self-proclaimed tennis geek, it's a lot of fun.
It's also a tremendous amount of work. The main draw plays Monday through Sunday and this year I made it Monday and Wednesday through Saturday. I couldn't make the final on Sunday because I was shooting the D.C. United and Real Madrid match. Ah, scheduling.
Tennis is probably my favorite sport to shoot because you have so many chances to snap a great frame. I tend to like shooting backhands because you get a more dramatic pose due to the exaggerated shoulder turn. I generally had the opprtunity to shoot three matches a day and saw plenty of players; Andy Roddick, Juan Martin Del Potro, Lleyton Hewitt, Ivo Karlovic, John Isner, Thomas Berdych, Donald Young, Benjamin Becker, Fernando Gonzalez and a few others. Gonzalez was a lot of fun to shoot, he is very demonstartive and emotional when he plays and that makes for good photos.
Shooting the same players for a week also makes you take notice of the player's tendencies. Andy Roddick always puffs out his cheeks as he exhlaes while striking the ball. Sam Querrey curls his off hand when he hits a forehand. John Isner does this weird Dr. Spock/ Live long and prosper" type things with the fingers on his off hand when he strikes a forehand. Oh, and did I mention Brooklyn Decker (aka Mrs. Andy Roddick) was there each night?
I shot most of these frames with my 70-200mm/2.8. I rented a 100-400mm for the weekend matches and that came in handy during the day. It allowed me to move up to the upper deck and get some different perspectives as opposed to sitting courtside all day.
More photos after the jump.
Continue reading "[Photos] 2009 Legg Mason Tennis Classic"...
August 10, 2009
On Sunday I braved the oppressive D.C. heat and headed out to FedEx Field to shoot the D.C. United and Real Madrid exhibition match. Real Madrid made headlines all summer by spending exorbitant amounts of money to bring in Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and many other big-time footballers in an effort to return to prominence. This was also a big game for D.C. United, a chance to prove that they can play with the best teams in the world. The final result, a 3-0 Real Madrid win, doesn't do United justice, as the locals played their more expensive counterparts to a standstill in the first half. Real scored twice in a two minute span in the second half and eventually both teams cleared their bench. But it was a thrill to shoot the last two Footballers of the Year in a stadium with 70,000+ people.
I rented a 100-400mm/f4-5.6 IS USM lens for the game, thinking that the zoom would give me a little more flexibility focal length wise. I had rented the 300mm/2.8 and 400mm/2.8 the last few weekends and quite frankly was not looking forward to lugging one of those around all day. So I went with the smaller lens and I was very happy with my results. I cropped some of these photos quite a bit since I wasn't able to blow out the background like I wanted due to the aperture I was forced to use, but overall it performed well and I would rent that lens again for a daytime event. I also used it to shoot Saturday's daytime action at the Legg Mason tennis tournament. I'll have those photos tomorrow.
More photos after the jump!
Continue reading "[Photos] D.C. United v. Real Madrid @ FedEx Field"...
August 6, 2009
Last weekend I got to experience one of the biggest thrills of my photography career when I was given the chance to shoot Sir Paul McCartney during his show at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. This was also my first-ever stadium shoot, and predictably, it was pretty tough.
We were forced to shoot from the soundboard, which, obviously, was a LONG WAY from the stage. I rented a 400mm/2.8 and needed every bit of length from it on my Canon 40D. We were given two songs to shoot and although Sir Paul didn't move from behind the mic stand very much, I was still pleased with my results.
The show was my also my first-ever trip to FedEx Field (where the Redskins play), although I will be back there this weekend for the D.C. United v. Real Madrd match and hopefully in September when U2 comes to town.
For legal reasons I cannot post any of my McCartney pictures here, so head over to DCist to see them all and to also read my concert review.
And follow me on Twitter if you want to know what I am shooting next!
