Shot with Canon 200mm f/2 telephoto
Digital imaging is the greatest enabler for one of my favorite hobbies – sports photography. I’ve been taking pictures at football games since 1986, but historically the process was: buy high speed film, take a lot of pictures, get the prints made and $150 later, throw out half of them that included a referee’s head, were out of focus, were more motion blur than action, or didn’t show anything interesting. Enter digital cameras, and all cost or time problems are solved – I’m happy to delete more than half of the images I capture, I can adjust for film speed equivalent, lighting conditions and even selected focus point between plays, and the satisfaction (or aggravation) is mine within an hour of the final whistle.
I believe hobbies are cost-constant over long periods of time. When cost comes out in the commoditization of one aspect, it re-enters at the other end of the spectrum. Historically, technology has moved professional grade equipment into the consumer space with alarming regularity – digital cameras, cell phones, video cameras, even protective equipment. The professional grade gear just keeps getting better and more expensive. What I’ve discovered about sports photography is that those long lenses you see on the sidelines of football and baseball games aren’t just for show; you need light, focal length and depth of field control to be able to capture the moment.
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The picture above was taken with a Canon 200mm f/2 telephoto at an ISO 800 equivalent, about 18 yards from the line of scrimmage at the back of the end zone. I love the short depth of field; the left guard is in focus (that would be the Bubba) but the quarterback is coming under center out of focus. Specular reflections of the stadium lights give you the sense that it was very dark, very cold and very tiring game. The boys who played it will carry memories of a state semi-final, a record-breaking season and accomplishments that will stand for quite some time. Despite losing, freezing and feeling the strain of carrying that lens up and down the field (there were 11 touchdowns scored in the game) I’ll forever treasure that sense of the here and now, with a lot of field behind the play.