Getting Sideways
So much time in sports is spent photographing subjects vertically. There’s good reason for it – the subjects in sports spend a lot of time running, and in some sports are using their feet. In football, however, there’s a lot of action that happens only from the waist up – so in my mind it makes great sense turn the camera back to horizontal and shoot very tight on the upper bodies of players on opposite sides of the ball.
In this case, the wider view (horizontally) allowed me to see the defender trying to wrap up the ball carrier – where as a vertical of this shot, from the same position on the field would have lost the contact except for part of either.
Evasive Action
I thought this sequence of Sharon Springs War Eagles runner being pursued by a Midway Wolverines tackler had several great things working for it:
- Tight framing
- Great faces on the ball carrier
- A great backlight and rim light on the helmets
You Make the Call
There’s no replay in Youth Football obviously – but if this was a play in the College or Pro ranks it surely would have come under review.
The ball carrier (white jersey) is apparently stripped of the ball near the goal line.
Detail of the hands and ball:
Another detail from the above frame – looks like the ball has changed hands:
The Eyes Have It
I’ve always thought the eyes were very important in any sports image – it gives the best view of what is going on in the mind of the athlete. It’s why the photographs with the greatest impact always seem to have compelling eye contact with the subject.
Gang Tackles
Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. – Vince Lombardi
On the Line
The offensive and defensive lines in football: None of the glory of the ball carriers, but lots of hard work and contact!
Ready for attack!
In the midst of battle individually…
And as a team, the chaos of the battle.
Giving the Stiff Arm
When the lone tackler comes calling – the runner responds with a stiff arm!
And the tackler has his own response!
Undampened Spirit
While I’ve often seen the football players slug it out in the wet and other weather, it’s always impressive to see the Cheerleaders stay in high spirit even through the rain and perform the “Wolverine Growl.”
Like a Heat Wave
With Forsyth County installing artificial turf (the Sprint Turf type) type last winter on the main playing field at Midway Park, I’ve been introduced to the joys of artificial turf on a regular basis. It has been an increasing presence at the High School level over the past several years in metro Atlanta, with my first exposure to it at St. Pius X and Dekalb County’s Halliford Stadium.
The park’s fields have heavy usage during the fall – Football practice five days a week and football games Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM everyday. With Atlanta’s water usage restrictions and a county parks budget, they stand little chance of surviving deep into the season.
The Sprint Turf variety of artificial turf is more like regular grass than the old Astroturf. It has a longer, grass like fiber and is filled in with rubber “dirt” that helps make for a more cushioned, bouncy surface. The downside to the surface is the magnification of the heat level at the field surface level, which for Georgia in August and early September is significant.
For a photographer, it means several things:
- Extreme dehydration from sitting in the sun, on the turf’s surface. The actual surface of the field measured in excess of one-hundred degrees in the sun.
- Heat waves in the photos.
Go Tight….or Go Home
My philosophy for photographing youth Football? Go Tight…or Go Home.
A hole opens in the line for the tailback in a goal line play.
A defensive back attempts to beat the ball carrier to the corner.
A ball carrier advances upfield.
Football on a Smaller Scale
Following up my photography at the Lanier Bowl last fall, I’ve been invited to photograph games at Midway Park in Forsyth County. The Midway Wolverines, formerly the Midway Packers, is the largest football organization in Forsyth County and has proven to be highly successful. The name change occurred earlier this year to align the park with the local High School, West Forsyth High School.
The game is still played the same at the younger level as it is at High School, but the ratio of equipment to player mass is a lot different at the youth level. At the Kindergarten-First grade level, the kids are just beginning to learn to tackle and what’s needed to take down an opponent.
