Is this the last game of the season for me?

Well, it's getting near the end of October, the weather will only get colder and the daylight will diminish. I solely depended on the forgiving nature of RAW files to capture these, but the grit and muddy uniforms make for interesting photo opps.

I think I have decided my best next purchase for shooting sports of any sort is a camera that has superb high-ISO performance, where I can shoot at ISO 1600 or higher and not sacrifice quality. The Nikon 70-300mm VR is a ideal lens, the 200-400mm VR is just a dream at this point of the game.

It was a lot of fun shooting soccer in 2010, I think I have learned how to actually do it.

NGRHS senior boys vs. Shelburne

The weather was ideal last Wednesday afternoon for soccer, cool and crisp, ideal for an intense match. The visitors from Shelburne played better than the home-school Saints and deservedly won the game.

Captures were easy as the light was sufficient to use fast shutter speeds which left nothing to chance for movement, especially the soccer ball. Thankfully, the AF-S 70-300mm VR is sharp even wide-open so there is some isolation effect at longer focal lengths. I am not usualy a fan of bright sun, but it worked in this instance.

NGRHS senior boys and girls - Forest Heights (away game)

I wasn't sure about the weather and light, the games were scheduled to start at 3:30pm. I decided to go for it, and the lighting turned out to be petty decent. I was able to get some nice captures from both games, the field at Forest Heights was excellent for photos - you have to love those clean backgrounds.

There is quite a contrast between this age group and the U12 girls I shot most of the summer, these players are bigger and faster. I also noted each field is a slightly different size, this one seemed to be considerably wider than the one at NGRHS.

Home field must have been an advantage as New Germany came up empty in their visit. Better luck next time.

First attempt at high school soccer

Th fall season is the time for high school soccer, and I was hoping to do some shooting between the poor lighting and weather. The NGRHS senior girls played at 5:15pm, and the sky was already quite overcast with the pending early darkness not much later. Even using ISO 800 was a stretch since the shutter speeds were 1/500th second, tops, hardly enough to freeze the ball motion. But, the emotion and expressions were there as always - to me, that's the main point in taking such images, to get the reactions of the players as they endure during the game.

I solely depended on the forgiveness of RAW files, and I was able to record some keepers but better lighting is needed. This is one instance where a newer Nikon DSLR model with its improved high-ISO performance would have meant improved photos; I am quite open to anyone setting up a trust fund for donations towards the D7000=)

During the second half, as the light was really fading, I popped on the SB-800 flash. Neat effects with ghosting and plenty of shooting range, but these files look a bit artsy and odd. So much for that experiment.

Interestingly enough, there were a couple students who had the school camera, a Canon Rebel model outfitted with the 18-55mm kit zoom, they saw my D60 and 70-300mm VR and exclaimed that "Nikons are better cameras!" Who am I to argue? They need to invest in a telephoto zoom, they could capture decent outdoor sports images, but there is still skill required and just good old plain luck.

FWIW, the New Germany squad soundly beat their opponents (Bridgewater) - the final outcome was 14-0. Yikes. That is more like a football score.