Football - Bethel @ Missouri Valley

The NAIA Football Championship Series quarterfinals were played on Saturday November 24th. The highest ranking team remaining in the playoffs are the Missouri Valley College Vikings from Marshall, MO. On Saturday they met the Bethel (TN) University Wildcats on their home field.

I had the opportunity to go to Marshall to photograph the game for the Bethel Wildcats. From the sidelines it was obvious that both teams were quality teams. The game was hard hitting but played within the rules. It was a close game with both defenses frustrating the opposing offenses.

The Vikings won the game 10-7, earning the opportunity to host another home game for this upcoming weekend's semifinals. A big difference in the game was that the Wildcats drove inside of the Vikings 10 yard line four times and the Vikings defense held, preventing them from scoring any points on those four opportunities.

The following are a few of my favorite images. My favorites from the game are found in this gallery, and the full portfolio is found here.

Enjoy!

The technical part: a Nikon D7000 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4 + TC1.4II, and a Nikon D90 w/ Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8. Post in PhotoMechanic and ACR7.3

The BIG UGLIES !

It was another great fall weekend in Kansas City. I shot the Central State Univ. vs. William Jewell College football game in Liberty on Saturday. This was an NCAA Division II game between two Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents.

One thing that quickly became apparent was that the match up between these two teams was going to be settled along the offensive and defensive lines.

Capturing these big men at their craft can be difficult. The action is often a tangle of limbs. But the communications staff from Central State had requested feature photos of many of their linemen. And I love the intensity of the images when you make a good capture in the heat of the play!

So this week's offering is a set of images of the Big Uglies at their work. Enjoy!!

These images are all D7000 / 300mm f/4 + TC 1.4. Post in PhotoMechanic and ACR

Eyes Down Field

College football continues. We were out in Central Kansas visiting family and I was able to shoot the game at McPherson vs. Friends Univ.

It was a bright, high contrast day as you can tell. But I was able to capture several images of players working the ball down field.

Like several weeks ago there are images from both of of the bodies. I'm getting better at the quick switch from the long lens to the medium to near distance.

Nikon D7000 w/ 300mm f/4 + TC 1.4; Nikon D90 w/ 70-200mm f/2.8. Post with PhotoMechanic and ACR 7.1

Friday Night Lights !!

The fall sports season begins this weekend. I will have shot three events, High School Football, NAIA Men's Soccer and NAIA Football by the time I'm finished.

The opening event was the H.S. football game between the North Kansas City H.S. Hornets and the Kearney H.S. Bulldogs.

As with most high school stadium lighting and early evening starts the best light for photography was during the first half. The action moved quickly, and there was athletic ability on both sidelines. It was a good warm-up shoot, especially since I missed the jamboree last weekend.

Here are a few images from the game and the half time pageantry!

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 300mm f/4, PhotoMechanic 5.0 & ACR 7.1

Pinkout !

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you have been watching NCAA or NFL football you have seen the Pink items in the stadiums and on the players.

This extends to the small colleges as well. I shot at the McPherson College vs. Bethel College game on Saturday and you saw these indications of support:

Game Action

High school football in Missouri kicked off the 2011 season this past Friday night. Debbie and I went to a game between two local high schools. I shot photos for a few quarters as additional practice for the college season (next weekend ! Yay !!). Here are some images from the game:

The game was at our new District Activities Center. The lighting on the field is excellent, and probably better than most of the small college fields I will shoot at. The high speed ability of the D7000 helps as well. In the second half I went from Aperture to Manual mode. The third image was shot in M mode, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/500s. ACR was used to boost the exposure (less than +1 e/v), crop and noise reduction.

I switched between .NEF and .JPG formats throughout the evening. During the first half, while the light was a mix of the natural lighting and field lighting I can see very little difference between the formats. But you definitely want the extra "space" for manipulation from the .NEF files when shooting in the deeper darkness.

Football !

It still feels like summer in KC, but the first event of the high school football season was tonight.

This weekend the schools are allowed to hold a full speed scrimmage against other schools. These events are called Jamborees.

The four high schools from the local district got together for tonight's Jamboree. The format is like this: you play 12 plays on offense then 12 plays on defense. No kickoffs or punts. Offense starts at the 40 yard line and tries to work in. One pair of teams on the north end of the field and the other two on the south.

It's full speed contact for the players and preparation for the regular season that starts next weekend.

It is also a good warmup for this photographer! Especially since this is the first football with the D7000. Here are some sample images:

The D7000 will be a great sports camera. I was happy with the results from Basketball last year, and Football has the opportunity to be great as well. This camera can be very sharp, but as many others have noted it can also point out all your shortcomings like hand shake. All of these were shot with the 70-200mm VR. The focus is speedy and accurate. It is so fast that it can pick up the nearer player that crosses into the frame. But it can quickly recover as well. The 6 frames per second is nice too!

Two of these images were shot in JPEG and two in Raw. The sun was bright and the skies cloudless so the shadows were dark and sharp. Both types of files accepted some Fill Light well. The color and white balance are as came out of the camera.

We are hoping to shoot at least six football games for McPherson this fall, along with several other athletic events for the college this fall. Stay tuned !

More Football !!

This weekend was the game of the season so far for the McPherson Bulldogs. Undefeated, they met the other remaining undefeated team in their conference the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes at McPherson Stadium.

The game was a barn-burner! The final score was Mac 56 - KWU 42. The day was another bright and warm one. The weather added to the heat of the game. The wide open action and the bright light made for great action photos.

The McPherson defense brings down KWU QB #16 Doug Webster. Corralling Webster are Bulldogs #20 Sr. DB Ginikachi Ibe, #55 Sr. DL Scott Jones, and #21 Jr. LB J.L. Gomez.

McPherson Bulldog Fr. DE #89 Tyler Richards bears down on KWU QB #16 Doug Webster. Richards completed the sack of Webster on the play.

Senior Bulldog RB Aaron Lafitte breaks open against the KWU Coyote defense. Lafitte had 22 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns. He added five receptions for a total offensive output of 188 yards.

McPherson senior QB Shane Mascarenas looks downfield vs. the KWU Coyotes. Mascarenas was the offensive star of the game: 24 for 43 passing for 498 yards and four touchdowns. Shane added a rushing touchdown.

The lighting conditions were almost identical to last week: Nikon D90, 70-200mm f/2.8, TC14-II. PP with ACR and CS5

McPherson College Football

I volunteer as a sports photographer for McPherson College. McPherson is a NAIA-affiliated school with an enrollment of about 600 students located in McPherson, Kansas. Their athletics teams are known as the Bulldogs and the Lady Bulldogs. This weekend was Homecoming Weekend. The weather was beautiful for the participants and for photography. The following photos are from the football game. The Bulldogs were taking on the Univ. of St. Mary Spires from Leavenworth, KS in KCAC conference play. Coming into the game the Bulldogs were 4-0 and ranked #7 in the country. The Spires were 0-4.

Junior DB Thomas Stauts avoids the USM tackler and celebrates a 31-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter of the Bulldog-Spires contest.

Junior WR Andy Skinner pulls in a pass reception versus the Spires despite the efforts of the USM defender

Junior DB Ronnie Miller puts a solid hit on USM receiver Fred Edison

The final score of the game was 73 - 24 McPherson. Fifteen different members of the team had carries or receptions on offense. On defense 34 members of the team participated in tackles against the Spires.

It was a good weekend for the Cross Country squads as well. Hosting their home meet, the Lakeside Shootout, the men's event was won by McPherson runner Javier Ceja and the Men's squad placed first just ahead of Fort Hays State. On the Women's side the Lady Bulldogs placed third, with freshmen runners Kelsi Beam and Payton Hartman finishing 6th and 8th respectively.

The football images were taken with a Nikon D90, 70-200mm f/2.8, TC14 II. Post-processing was done in ACR 6 and Photoshop CS5.

Friday Night Lights !

Yes !! Football season is here !

The high school season opened last night here in Missouri. Debbie and I went to the game for the local high school. We haven't been to one for a couple of years. It was a chance to see neighbors, hear the band (sounding good!) and get out to practice shooting football for the first time since November.

The following are a few images from the game:

Looking for Yards

Friday Night Warrior

Reception !

Sport Shooting - McPherson Bulldogs in the NAIA Playoffs

Saturday November 21 the McPherson College football program reached a new level in it's most successful season on record. The Bulldogs met the Mid-American Nazarene Univ. Pioneers in the first round of the NAIA National Championships.



It was a close game for three quarters, with McPherson leading by one at the end of the third. However four turnovers in the fourth quarter by the Bulldogs led to 17 unanswered points for the Pioneers. The final score was Mid-American Nazarene 40 McPherson 24.

Congratulations to the Bulldogs on a record-setting season. It was a privilege to follow the team and document the seasons successes.

Sports Update - Bulldogs in the Playoffs !!

It has been a busy week for sports at McPherson College. The fall sports are wrapping up and the winter seasons have begun. Since last weekend there have been games in volleyball, soccer, and mens and womens basketball.

The big news is that the Bulldog football squad finished their regular season Saturday with a 44-17 win at home over the Bethany College Swedes. The big plays kept coming for both the offensive and the defensive squads. On defense the team intercepted the Swede's QB's five times, returning three of the picks for touchdowns. With the win the Bulldog gridders finished with a season record of 9-1. This gives the 2009 squad the all-time record for wins in a season.

With this win, and Ottawa's defeat of Friends, the Bulldogs own sole possession of second place in the KCAC and earned the #12 national ranking in the final NAIA regular season ratings.

With a successful regular season the Bulldogs have earned their first trip to the NAIA Football Championship playoffs. McPherson College will meet Mid-American Nazarene University in the first round of the playoffs next Saturday. The game will be at NMU's home field in Olathe, KS. Kickoff is at 1:00 PM. The NMU Pioneers also finished the season with a 9-1 record. The Pioneers were runners-up in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, and hold a #8 national ranking.

Sports Shooting - McPherson Football vs. Bethel

On a bright, warm afternoon in November McPherson College traveled down the road to play the Bethel College Threshers. Bethel entered the game with a record of 2-6 and the Bulldogs entered the game ranked #15 in the country with a 7-1 record.

The game was a hard-fought contest. McPherson prevailed 34-16. The 2009 season is proving to be one for the record books for the McPherson football squad. With their eighth win the Bulldogs tied the all-time school record for wins in a season, equaling the famed 1952 squad. Another record on the day for the 'Dogs was reaching 418 points for the season, smashing the record for a single season with one game to go.



The light conditions for photography were great. Shooting at ISO 200 and a f/4 aperture allowed for great shutter speeds all afternoon. It was almost too bright, as the sharp shadows can attest. By the third quarter there was a thin veil of clouds that made photo conditions almost perfect. Another issue that came up was in the fourth quarter the grandstand on the west sideline was casting a shadow over the north end zone, putting the action in that area of the field in deep shadow against a bright background. Those image attempts were basically unusable.

Sport Shooting - McPherson Bulldog Football vs. Southwestern College

The McPherson College football team entered it's contest with the Southwestern College Moundbuilders looking to improve on their 5-1 record and #17 ranking in the NAIA poll.

The game started slowly with each team going three-and-out on their first possessions. But the Bulldogs turned the ball over on a fumble on the Moundbuilder's punt and quickly found themselves down by seven points early in the first quarter.

From that point forward the Bulldogs showed their teeth and the game was all McPherson: 48 unanswered points, five takeaways, seventeen tackles for loss, six pass breakups, three sacks, one blocked field goal.

The Bulldogs are currently tied for second in the KCAC standings with Friends, with undefeated Ottawa leading the league. Next week the Bulldog football team visits the Tabor College Bluejays in an away game at Hillsboro, KS.



It was a successful week for the Bulldog and Lady Bulldog soccer teams. The Ladies continued their string of shutouts with a 1-0 victory over Southwestern and a 3-0 win over Univ. of St. Mary. Men's Soccer extended their winning streak to ten games and an overall record of 11-1, defeating SWC 8-1 and USM 1-0. The men currently lead the KCAC soccer standings by two games over Kansas Wesleyan.

Sport Shooting - McPherson Bulldog Football vs. Univ. of St. Mary

McPherson College traveled to Leavenworth, KS to meet the University of St. Mary Spires in a KCAC Conference football game.

The Bulldogs were dominant from the beginning, holding the Spires to three-and-out following the opening kickoff. McPherson then took the ball 68 yards in five plays to score the first touchdown of the game. For the day the Bulldogs would never trail in the score.

The defense had one of their best days of the season. The Bulldog defenders held the Spires offense in check in the first half with two three-and-outs, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. All the USM turnovers resulted in McPherson touchdowns.

The first half ended 51-0 in favor of the McPherson College Bulldogs. The final score was 58-13 McPherson.

Sports Shooting - McPherson College vs. Sterling College

This past weekend was Homecoming at McPherson College, and Bulldogs met the Sterling College Warriors in football on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs and the Warriors both entered the game with identical 2-1 records. In a hard fought battle the Bulldogs defense shut down the national ranked rushing attack of the Warriors, coming away with a 21-0 victory. It was the first shutout for the McPherson defense since 1997.

Sport Shooting - McPherson Bulldog Football vs. Ottawa University

The McPherson College Bulldogs traveled to Ottawa University to play the Braves Saturday evening. Both Ottawa and McPherson came into the game undefeated and ranked nationally in the NAIA coaches poll.

It was a beautiful night for football game. The game was a see-saw battle that saw McPherson holding a lead at the end of the first half. In the fourth quarter the Braves tied the game and then scored a go-ahead touchdown. McPherson came back to tie the game and send the game into overtime.

The overtime was marked by offensive errors for both teams. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs made last turnover and Ottawa Univ. made a clinching field goal to win the game 44-41 in two overtimes.

Sport Shooting - McPherson Bulldog Football

The McPherson College Bulldogs opened the 2009 football season at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS. I had the opportunity to shoot the game from field level for the McPherson College Sports Information Department.

The Bulldogs dominated the game. It was 48-0 McPherson at half time, and the final score was 61-6. The game recap and statistics are found at MacBulldogs.com

Photo of the Week - 'Tonka Football Jamboree

The fall sports seasons are here. In Missouri they hold Football Jamborees the Friday night one week before the season starts. A jamboree is held with four teams. Each team plays a set number of plays on offense and on defense with each of the other three teams. It is a nice way to get scrimmage time with someone other than your teammates.

Winnetonka H.S. is one of the four North Kansas City, Missouri district high schools. All three of our children are graduates of 'Tonka.



The jamboree was held at the new District Athletic Complex. A very nice venue for all the high school sports. The Winnetonka Griffins (Maroon and Gold) were the hosts. The other teams were the Liberty Bluejays (White and Blue), the Platte County Pirates (Black and Orange) and the St. Pius X Warriors (Blue and Yellow).

I will be doing a lot of sports shooting this fall. I am shooting photos of small college football several weekends in September and October. We are also having an international class Bicycle touring race in Kansas City this September.