Lens choice

Back when we first started Trimm Photo I used to give a lot of photography advice. I didn't think anyone was reading it so I quit, but let's give it another try.

I want to talk about lens selection when it comes to taking photographs. Obviously this pertains to using a DSLR and not your camera phone although most camera phones come with software that mimic the look of a digital single lens reflex camera.

Most people who shoot DSLR use the 70-200mm lens that comes with the package. That is a good choice for most sports photography since most parents are restricted to the bleachers and that is the only way they can get half decent close ups. The problem with those kinds of lenses is that the pictures you get often look flat. That is because you are condensing all the foreground and all the background into one shot and that's a lot to pack in. Here is an example.

In this picture all the cheerleaders are on an even plane even though in real life they are staggered from front to back. (or side to side) The long lens condenses them into a flat plane that makes the picture look flat as well.

If you were to use a 24mm wide angle lens and get as close as you can the picture (although a 2D image is still flat) will look less flat and give the illusion of the dimension of distance. Here is an example of a 24mm lens close up.

I was probably 2 feet from Domenic's face when I shot this picture, surprised he didn't punch me, but as you can see there looks to be some distance between him and #4 Seth who is standing behind him to our left. It is an illusion but you can tell there is a space between them.

In the next example the football players also look compressed like there is no space between them. This was shot with the telephoto lens F4 (which accounts for the short depth of field)

In this last example again I used the 24mm wide angle as close as I dare get to get the shot of the coach's huddle.

You can see the coaches and players have some distance between them and don't look smooshed flat like you would get with a telephoto lens.

So lens choice is important if you want to convey a certain kind of look. I prefer the wide angle lens for many shots and if you see me out covering games you will notice I alter between two camera bodies, one with a 70-200mm telephoto and the other with a 24mm wide angle. I do this most at volleyball and basketball games where I need a variety of shots.

If this article goes over well I will consider starting up writing more photography articles in the future. Let me know what you think.

Keith

Don't give up

I don't have a sport that I follow, I don't know what channel ESPN is on, never been to a Nebraska football game and barley know the rules to most of the sports I cover but somehow run a reasonably successful local sports page. The last sport I went out for in school was 5th grade football where I played guard and although I'm 6'4" never played basketball.

Even I find this odd.

But I have learned a lot over the last 3 years and I know a lot more than I used to about the games, matches and tournaments I cover. Over the last 3 years I basically posted photos and let the world tag whoever and that seemed to work out pretty good. At the beginning I only covered Fairbury and didn't shoot photos of the opposing team unless they happened to get in the shot by accident.

Things have changed a lot since the first time I covered Fairbury football 3 years ago and now I do interviews, cover both teams, (now there was a marketing move), and have tried to build Trimm Photo into something that people would take seriously.

My background is in journalism, photography and videography and that is where this all came from. The sports came second and has been a struggle. I remember talking to someone asking about why there is 1 volleyball player who is dressed different that the others. When I was in high school I didn't recall that and learned that volleyball had a few changes since the stone age.

Now that the NSAA is also taking me seriously I feel like I have to step it up another 3 notches so I can maintain the press pass. I know I have a different perspective than the other media sites when it comes to sports coverage because I know nothing about sports reporting. I don't know the lingo, I don't want to know the lingo and have found a way to get around it that I am comfortable with. I think as long as I give the score of the game and a lot of photos for the parents I'm probably doing it right. (and a few interviews along the way.)

So why am I writing this? It's because it's Wednesday and nothing is going on. I try to post something new each day and today I got nothing. Well, except for this. Sometimes I think I over do it because I don't have a staff to rely on and want to be taken seriously but all in all I'm having fun.

So encourage your friends and family to follow the page and see what else I come up with in the future and thanks for supporting Trimm Photo.

The importance of being humble

A while back I stopped over to do some pregame coverage of the Lady O volleyball team when I heard head coach Melissa Carper address the team to discuss the importance of being humble. At the time I didn't understand why this was that important to stop practice to talk about the subject but she was adamant that the team act with some dignity and respect and not make fools of themselves acting out.

So why do I bring this up now?

I follow many sports teams on Twitter and have noticed a lack of humility in some if not many of posts of at least one of the teams I cover. I'm not going to name the team and it's not even volleyball but now I understand what Carper was talking about. If you're good at what you do that's great, just don't brag about it online.

I've been guilty of a lack of humility on this page and catch myself and try to tone it down. We've had a few good things on the page that I'm very proud of but bragging and arrogance just looks bad. We need to practice what we preach.

But back to being humble. I think teams need to be aware of what they are posting and how it looks to the public. If you are good at what you do that is awesome, but let people on the outside be the ones that brag on you, don't do it in your pictures, videos and comments. If that's the sort of image you want to portray then fine, it's your team. But I probably won't be back to cover you again.