PhotoFX Pros Blog

2008 Doak Walker Award Winner Announced.

2008-12-30T12:43:00.002-05:00

On December 11, it was announced that Shonn Greene from the University of Iowa was awarded the 2008 Doak Walker Award beating out McDevitt graduate and current University of Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy among others.

Obviously we were rooting for our local favorite LeSean to win but our congratulations still goes out to Shonn for his achievement.

Link to the announcement HERE

LeSean McCoy News

2008-11-19T00:50:00.006-05:00

Just read that Bishop McDevitt graduate and current University of Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy is a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award. This award is presented to the top college football running back. Now while Pittsburgh is hardly the football powerhouse of yesteryear, LeSean has sure ignited the Panthers program and he's only a sophomore. We send him our best and will keep our fingers crossed.

Read more information about the award HERE and LeSean's profile and information HERE

World Class Photographer to Benefit Student

2008-11-10T00:35:00.003-05:00

Yes this is a blog about sports photography, my sports photography, but it's also about photographers doing good things to benefit the greater good. Vincent Laforet is one such photographer.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Laforet, he is a world-class photographer who shoots for high profile clients such as Vanity Fair, New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, and Life. His photo assignments have taken him all across the world.

He recently made an offer to fellow photographers. If we would agree to embed his gallery into our existing web sites and/or blogs, he will donate all profits generated by the sale of his prints to a student internship/scholarship. All but the first image in the gallery are limited edition prints. The first image, an aerial view of Times Square will be offered at a significant discount. This is an incredible offer and a wonderful gesture on Mr. LaForet's part.

I realize that many of you may find the price of these prints to be somewhat steep but keep in mind that these are much more than simple photographs, these are truly works of art. Without further adieu, Vincent Laforet's gallery:

PhotoFX Pros - Twitter

2008-10-30T14:29:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to announce that PhotoFX Pros is now "Twittering." For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter (www.twitter.com/PhotoFX_Pros) it's just a quick and easy way for us to keep you all up to date as to where we are, what we're doing, new product and services anouncements, etc. For the time being our "Tweets" (yes I do find it hard to write that) are displayed on the right side and at the top of our blog page. Hmm, something just occurred to me . . . if we're now "Twittering" does that make us, uh, "Twits?" Hey, someone had to say it right?

Phillies - World Series Champs!

2008-10-30T14:27:00.002-04:00

The title says it all I guess. Nothing to really add to that other than I wish I had been there. Oh well, there's always next year . . .

Phillies/Dodgers Conference Series

2008-10-08T11:36:00.002-04:00

On the eve of the first game of the Conference Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the LA Dodgers I'm not feeling the love. I'm sitting here still without media credentials. No credentials, no access, no access, no pictures. The company I freelance for had requested my media pass before the Phillies/Brewers playoff series but Major League Baseball (MLB) apparently decided we weren't worthy. So there I sat, at home, all geared up with no where to go.

So now with the Phillies and Dodgers series beginning tomorrow, I'm still waiting to hear whether or not I'll be able to shoot at least one of the two games in Philadelphia this week. At this point though it's not looking too good.

Day at the Ball Park

2008-09-16T13:18:00.010-04:00

Well I spent this past Sunday at Citizens Bank Park shooting the Phillies/Brewers game. It was sunny, hot, humid so what better place to be than standing in a concrete "bunker" taking photos of the greatest game on Earth! Anyway for those who may not be following, the Phillies are battling the Brewers for the NL East wildcard slot and as of today only trail the first place Mets by half a game.

Now it may sound like I'm a huge Phillies fan. I have a confession: growing up the Pittsburgh Pirates were my team and I despised the Phillies. Okay, maybe 'despised' is too strong a word but that's what you do: love your team, despise everyone else. Well, hopefully the Phillies can forgive me after all I was only twelve. Anyway, after Sunday's game I have to admit the Phil's are turning me around. They're a great team with lots of amazing talent. GO PHILS!!

Jimmy Rollins turning the double play. For all you young aspiring ball players out there, look at these closely. Despite having his leg "hooked up" and pulled along with the runner he maintains his composure throughout. The man does have style.

UPDATE (9/17/08): Since posting this the Phils won another game last night beating the Atlanta Braves 8-7 on a go-ahead homer by Ryan Howard in the eight inning. Oh, and the Mets lost. That puts Philly in first by half a game.

Night Football - 2nd Try

2008-09-07T23:50:00.003-04:00

If you read my previous post you would know that I am challenged by shooting high school football games at night using a flash. Challenged is a nice way of saying that I'm frustrated by it. However, I'm forging ahead and continuing to try and get it dialed in. With that said here are a few images from my evening covering the Harrisburg Cougars and Central Dauphin game. Before you take a look though I'd like to mention that I did finally get to meet the man, Chris Knight. Chris is a photographer for the Patriot News and I think he's shooting for the Associated Press as well. Whatever the case, I've been following his stuff for a while now and have a great deal of respect for his work. In the short amount of time I had to speak to him, he seems like a great guy. Nice to meet you Chris. Now, the images . . .

Night Football - Aaaarrrggghhh!!

2008-09-04T00:36:00.006-04:00

I do not like shooting high school football games under the lights. There, I admitted it. Done. Over. Moving along. Well, let me clarify . . . I actually love shooting high school football games. They're fun, exciting, and I can usually shoot without all the sideline obstacles one normally encounters at the college-level and higher. What I don't like is shooting high school football games at night when I HAVE to use a flash.

I freelance for Maxpreps, a high school varsity sports web site. They are an awesome company to work with but do have very specific requirements for their photographers. One of those happens to be that you must shoot with a flash. Now let me just say that proper use of flash does help create a better quality image but notice I said "proper". Truth be told, I'm flash challenged and as such have always gone out of my way to avoid the use of that tortuous piece of camera gear.

I finally decided that after 20 years it was time to shake the flash monkey off my back. Why not? I mean, don't we all need just a little anxiety and frustration in our lives? So, what better way to exorcise my demons than to dive head first into the deep end. I applied for a freelance position with Maxpreps, was accepted, and that brings us up to the 2008 high school football season.

I'm pretty confident that I will eventually get this all sorted out. Until then here are just a few (almost the majority) of usable shots that I was able to get from the Parkland vs Saint Joe's Prep game last Friday. Oh, and if you happen to be at the Harrisburg vs CD East game this week, please . . . no sympathy. However, a few words of support, encouragement, or even a few peanut butter cups would be greatly appreciated.

Web Site Re-Design

2008-08-29T03:07:00.003-04:00

Well, it's finally finished. After several late nights the new design for the web site is finished. Let me first say that although I've been in the technology field for twenty years I have no love for web page design. I greatly respect those who do it and especially for those who do it well.

The first thing you will notice is that there's a new mini slide show on the homepage. This is just a general sample of youth, college, and pro sporting events. My hope is that these images will periodically change. I've also cleaned up and simplified the "Services" page and, as previously announced, added a "Schedule" page. This will keep you up to date as to games and events we have tentatively scheduled.

Well, take a look and let us know what you think. You can leave your comments at the end of this post. Look for more improvements yet to come.

New "Scheduled Events" Page

2008-08-21T15:30:00.005-04:00

In addition to changing our companies logo, and web site design, we have also added a new "Scheduled Events" page. This allows anyone to see what events we have scheduled for the current month. The page also features our new "look" which will be rolling out to the entire site in the next several days.

Take a look and let use know what you think . . . Scheduled Events

New Company Logo

2008-07-21T11:04:00.008-04:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we are rolling out a new logo for PhotoFX Pros. The new logo is already on the gallery site and should be on the web site shortly.

Normally companies in general tend not to make changes to their logos and when they do it's usually very small changes that do not alter the basic image itself. Although we really liked our original design, we felt that since we're dealing with sports and action events most of the time we really wanted a logo to reflect that same sense of dynamic action. We also wanted something a little bolder which could easily be picked out in a crowd or on a sideline.

So right now we're busy changing everything to reflect our new identity. The new logo is already on the gallery site and should be on the web site shortly. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival

2008-04-28T11:47:00.011-04:00

Just wanted to personally thank a few fellow photographers that I had the opportunity to meet and shoot with this past Saturday. I was invited to help photograph the Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival in Wayne, PA. This is a fundraising event with the proceeds being donated to the Katie Samson Foundation which seeks to raise money and awareness for spinal chord injuries. The money goes to continued research. It's always a pleasure to work for a good cause.

The event photography was organized and managed by Mark Tassoni and he, along with his girlfriend did an amazing job. It's always awesome to meet and work with fellow photographers and this event was no exception.

Mark had organized six talented photographers to cover six fields shooting four games each. So my gratitude and thanks go out to Bryen Ford for buying me breakfast and for his recent sponsorhip of my Sports Shooter application, Jonathan Nimerfroh who lent me his spare raincover for my camera and lens although I ended up not needing it, Bryen's often talked about protoge Matt Weir, and Philadelphia Phantoms photographer and hockey fan Bob Fina. All-in-all a great group of people.

Luckily the rain held out and we had perfect shooting weather and the level of play was fantastic. These boys and girls can certainly play lacrosse. Thanks again and I certainly look forward to working with any or all of these individuals again.

2008 Here We Go!

2008-04-17T14:03:00.007-04:00

Well, there's lots of buzz around here right now. Lacrosse and soccer are underway, little league baseball is starting, and Major League Baseball is in full swing! And we are especially anxious to start shooting the Phillies and Orioles. The days are getting longer, daily temperatures are on the rise, and it's time to be out shooting all these great events. It's a busy time for us but also one which we look forward to each year.

Well after a few glitches last year with our photo printing lab, we finally have everything all straightened out. I sincerely apologize and thank anyone who may have experienced any problems or delays in receiving their photos. Our lab really does do any amazing job with the printing. All their images are clear, sharp, and almost three dimensional in appearance. Other than that we've added a couple of new products for this year including large poster prints. I've just received a 20x30 poster of my daughter printed on metallic paper and it looks awesome. The 20x30 print by itself is pretty impressive but the metallic paper gives it a three dimensional effect. Very cool indeed. Plus there's nothing like seeing a picture of your child playing a sport they love in a 20x30 poster. Well, actually there is . . . seeing that same photo printed at 24x30, 30x40, or even a whopping 30x60! Shoot us an email if you have any questions about the posters. We're also offering some limited custom posters such as adding names or multiple photos to our poster prints.

Another feature we'll be adding to our web site will be our event calendar. You'll be able to see where we'll be and when. If you'd like to schedule us for your event you can simply check our calendar for availability or just call us.

We look forward to seeing everyone out on the field again. And let me just remind everyone that you can always feel free to talk to us if you have any questions or just want to introduce yourself. We always look forward to meeting the parents, kids, and coaches.

Thanks.

Steve I.

"This blog is your blog, this blog is my blog..."

2008-01-17T13:28:00.000-05:00

First of all let me say that ONE of my New Year's resolutions is to update this blog more frequently. Unfortunately I'm not sure that my life is all that interesting but I'll do my best.

Secondly, and more importantly, this blog is for you. Read it enjoy it and by all means feel free to comment. At the end of each posting you'll see a link to leave comments as well as send me an email regarding the post. Like it, dislike it, agree or disagree . . . doesn't matter. Just keep in civil and clean please.

PA State Football Championships

2007-12-19T10:05:00.000-05:00

This has been a rather exciting week for me here at PhotoFX Pros. I was asked by MaxPreps to provide photo coverage for the PIAA State Football Championships in Hershey. While in the realm of professional photography this isn't exactly the equivalent to shooting the Super Bowl, I was nonetheless looking forward to the opportunity. Truth be told, since graduating from Cumberland Valley High School a few years ago, I haven't really kept up with high school football but thankfully photography changed all that.

I was lucky enough this year to be accepted as a freelance photographer for MaxPreps (www.maxpreps.com), a website dedicated to reporting on high school varsity sports across the country. While I hadn't covered too many regular season games, I was given the opportunity to photograph several playoff games and then the championships themselves.

My first game was the Class A game between Steelton Highspire and Serra Catholic (pictures HERE). I had been following the "Rollers" progress throughout the season but hadn't actually been to any games. Well let me just say that if I had to see one Steel High game this year, the championship game was the one to see. From everything I've read about the team this year, I honestly think that their game against Serra was probably as good a display of their strengths and abilities as any. To their credit, Serra is a good team and they put up a fight for awhile but you're just not going to beat a team that plays as well balanced as Steel High did on that Friday.

I've heard so much about Jeremiah Young, the Rollers star running back. With over 3000 yards rushing and 41 touchdowns for the season I'm not even sure that words can do justice to what a gifted athlete he is. Watching him run the ball I realized I was seeing the perfect balance of speed, power, and finesse. He's not a flashy runner nor does he run with a lot of extra motion. He just runs in a deceptively simple way, yet he found holes where none existed, caused countless missed tackles, ran over, through and around the defense. Reviewing my pictures later that evening, it appeared that he wasn't even looking at the hole in the defensive line in front of him. It dawned on me that he wasn't looking at the hole because he had already seen it long before he ever got there and now his legs were instinctively carrying him through. Meanwhile, his attention was focused on the secondary fifteen/twenty yards downfield already visualizing his route into the endzone. I think that 45 carries, 292 yards, and 4 touchdowns pretty much sums it up.

As amazing as Young was on that day, you just don't win championships without the performance of the entire team and the offensive line play was phenomenal. But offense is only half the story. While putting points on the board is critical, keeping points off the board is essential. While much has been said about Young and the Steel High offense the Rollers defense rose to the occassion and showed what it meant to play for a championship. They limited Serra to only 162 yards on 44 plays with 4 sacks and 2 interceptions. Serra's QB was 2-for-10 and held to 24 passing yards.

Truth be told, it was exciting to watch a local team win a state championship. However, it was equally exciting to watch one of the top high school football players in the country take to the field. I knew nothing of Jeannette or Dunmore other than the crash course given to me by the great guys over at Eastern PA Football News. Bottom line: Dunmore is scrappy but Jeannette is a powerhouse unlike anything seen in a while. If that were true then why did the Harrisburg Cougars almost knock them out of the playoffs a week earlier? The Cougars had that game won were it not for that bobbled ball late in the game. Am I bitter? No, just disappointed. I was really pulling for Harrisburg this year. Don't ask me why I've just really enjoyed watching them play this year and thought they might have a chance to go all the way. They have a big, strong team with lots of speed and are just plain fun to watch. Anyway, that game is in the books and there's no use in mulling over it anymore (but I'll be looking for them next year).

Having never seen him play before, it still wasn't difficult to pick Terrell Pryor out of the crowd. At 6'6" and 227 lbs. the Jeanette QB does stand out a bit. But here he was, the one that everyone came to see. I was told by a very nice Associated Press photographer that "today is going to be crazy" and when I walked out of the media trailer and heard the roar of the crowd, I knew she was right. I immediately noticed that the number of television cameras and sports photographers had doubled overnight. The bleachers had filled up and there was a level of excitement in the air that you could feel.

Much like Serra did against Steel High, Dunmore put up a valiant effort during the first quarter but then the Terrell Pryor train started rolling. Of course it goes without say that one player alone cannot guarantee a win. But when you have backs who can run, an offensive line that can block, and a defense that can shut down the opposition then your chances of victory are increased dramatically. Jeanette had all that and more. What started out as a football game quickly turned into a football clinic lead by Terrell Pryor.

Jeanette finished the game with 506 total yards. Of those Pryor ran for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns, passed for 83 yards and another TD, and was on the receiving end of a 28-yard touchdown pass. But before you think him too one-sided, he also had 7 tackles and 1 sack from the safety position. I won't bother talking about his stats as the Jayhawks kicker, I think you get the picture.

Watching Jeanette accept the Class "AA" trophy I suddenly realized that my football season was over which was a little disappointing. However, I really couldn't think of a better way to finish the season than by watching two excellent teams win their respective championships. Both Steelton Highspire and Jeanette each played a different style of game, each had their respective superstar, and in the end each team left no doubt that they were there to play for and win a state championship.

My Humbling Experience

2007-10-09T11:33:00.000-04:00

Lately it seems as if we've gotten so caught up in the fast pace of life, running from job to our child's next practice or sporting event, checking email, voicemail, and pulling out our cell phones, or dragging our laptops along looking for a wireless "hotspot" because there's always something to do. We at PhotoFX Pros have found ourselves caught up in the same whirlwind of activity, bouncing between multiple events in one day, taking upwards of 1000 pictures, and then spending hours processing and uploading those images. Somedays it's so bad that I begin to see the world as a series of still images surrounded by a black frame. However, I was recently invited to an event which in the course of one hour put it all back into perspective for me.

I have a friend whose first child has been battling various disabilities since birth. Not even ten years old yet, she's already seen more doctors, specialists and spent more time in hospitals than most people will in the their lifetime. Despite the challenges and hurdles life has presented her and her parents, she continues to progress and flourish. It was through this friend that I was invited to attend and photograph a session conducted by the Therapeutic Riding Association of Cumberland County (T.R.A.C.C). They are a non-profit organization that through the support of parents, volunteers and generous donors is able to provide individuals with special needs a "blend of recreational riding and hippotherapy--a form of physical therapy...".

Arriving at the Rocking Horse Ridge Farm in Carlisle, I was first greeted by Pat, the owner of the farm. He informed me that I was probably looking for Pat Grier or Tara Brenner who would be coordinating the session for the evening. I finally found the correct Pat (Grier) and was given the details of how the evening's session would be conducted. Turns out that this particular evening was graduation which meant each rider would come out one at a time, be presented to the crowd, then ride through a skills course before finishing up before the crowd after which the next rider would be introduced. I was also informed that there would be nine riders total that evening. Pat then apologized that she would have to leave me at that point since she still had a lot of items to attend to before they could start. Despite the incredible amount of preparation still needed, I was extremely appreciative that she took so much time to speak with me and make me feel welcomed.

I spent the next few minutes looking around for different spots to photograph from. Since Pat had so graciously provided me a map of the skills course I could determine where the riders would have the best light for me to shoot. As more families arrived and set up their chairs at one end of the corral there was an obvious air of camaraderie and friendship. Parents spoke quietly, kids played, several dogs from the ranch mingled in and around the people, and occasionally I'd hear a loud "BAAHH" from a sheep that was tethered to a fence near the house. Turns out the sheep had escaped from either a local farm or farm show several years ago and found it's way to the Rocking Horse Ranch. Pat, the owner, indicated that the sheep had found comfort in the company of his dogs and had decided to stay. It was such a warm, inviting, and eclectic atmosphere that I couldn't help feeling like I somehow belonged as well.

Finally the first rider was presented, a young boy of maybe five or six years old. He sat proudly on the horse and smiled as he was guided into the corral. After the introduction, he proceeded through the skills course, as volunteers on either side of the horse helped along the way. As he trotted back up the middle of the corral, he and the horse stopped in front of the spectators for their finale. Parents clapped and softly cheered, and the boy smiled and waved before being led off for the next rider. And this is how it went, with the sun slowly setting, for the next forty minutes or so. Riders of different ages, boys and girls, all with differing needs, sitting proudly atop a horse, playing it up for the crowd, and smiling at their accomplishments, the approval of parents and spectators, or both. Some riders had volunteers at their sides, others bravely and skillfully guided the horse through the course on their own. Snapping picture after picture a feeling of wonder and awe overcame me.

At this point it was late dusk, and night was quickly approaching. A few small lights that surrounded the corral were turned on for the last rider of the evening which enhanced the somewhat surrealist mood. As a final treat, the last rider was going to be doing a performance. She would be riding to music. As the smiling young lady rode into the corral, stopped in front of us, someone pushed the button on a CD player. And as the first few notes of Israel Kamakawiwo Ole's version of "Over the Rainbow" started to play she started her ride with arms gracefully moving and gesturing to the music. If you've never heard this version of this classic song you really do owe it to yourself to hear it once. It's a beautifully, simple rendition with a slight reggae feel to it. I don't think that I could have possibly recommended a better song for this moment.

With night now surrounding the corral, and music emanating from somewhere out of the darkness, the young lady rode through the course, lit only by those few spotlights in a scene that had the entire crowd silenced. For the first time that evening, I put my camera down and just watched. It was an amazingly powerful and humbling moment standing there as she "danced" on that horse in the dark, a big grin on her face, as if there were no one else in the world at that moment but her, the horse, and the music.

So in those very simple forty minutes of time with no cell phones, no email or internet, no computers, no television, no need to win or excel, and no other obligations beyond watching and enjoying, I realized that life is only as complicated as we choose to make it. In watching these children and their parents I've also realized how easy it can be to take so much for granted. I tend to forget that life is anything but predictable but am sometimes lulled into a false sense of security by the routine of it all. Life is full of hurdles and challenges that we sometimes avoid or escape from, challenges that don't even measure up to what these wonderful children must face daily. But unlike us, they don't have the luxury of avoidance because the challenges they face are the very life they live every day. Since this was my first time doing this I didn't really know these people personally so I don't presume to speak of their lives from any personal experience. However, I can speak from what I witnessed and the respect, admiration, and inspiration that I felt as a result.

As a photographer I've learned that sometimes the camera can act as a barrier between you and your subject giving you a sense of detachment and sometimes a feeling of security. However at other times, as in this case, the camera pulls you in and connects you to the person on the other side. When you experience it for the first time, it can be a little disconcerting and uncomfortable. But for me, that's what photography is about and each and every one of these riders had pulled me in.

Thank you to everyone involved with T.R.A.C.C. for their hospitality and for the job that they are doing. It was an amazing event and I appreciate the opportunity to have been there.

Where's the Inspiration Gone?

2007-09-19T14:19:00.000-04:00

Let me first quantify what I am about to say by letting you know that I did coach a youth sports team for twelve years, so I do speak from experience. Having played a number of different team sports for many years, I've realized that my current level of participation has changed dramatically. While I still do enjoy a number of sports-like activities, when it comes to team oriented games I've been benched. I now consider myself a spectator. A spectator with a camera but a spectator nonetheless. I've come to enjoy sitting on the sidelines though. As much as I enjoyed competing, I now get to really appreciate the game as well as the efforts and energy of the kids playing. However, being on the sideline has also allowed me to see and hear some things which aren't so heroic or admirable. This really came to light recently while photographing a local rec league football game.

Although it wasn't my sport of choice, I did play some high school football. I realize that's a very physical game that requires a very different level of intensity than some of the others. You have to be willing to hit and be hit, harder than the other team. As a lineman you want to own the guy across the line from you, and as a defensive back you want to crush that receiver coming across the middle, make him think twice next time. The coaches job is to not only out think the other team, keeping them guessing as to what's coming next, but it is to also keep the level of intensity up. Coaches yell, coaches scream, they slap helmets, and smack pads all designed to keep kids focused and intense.

What I cannot condone are coaches that push the bounds of their authority and influence over these kids beyond what I would consider acceptable behavior. Coaches are role models. Players look to these adults for instruction and guidance. When a coach tells a group of players to bite, kick, scratch, and punch the opposing players in a pileup, that's taken it too far. Unfortunately during a recent game, the coach for the visiting team did just this. What make this action worse is that the visitors were clearly being outplayed by the home team. So I guess the message is if you can't win then cheat, play dirty, and inflict as much injury as possible. I guess he felt that deliberately injuring players on the opposing team would make up for losing. As a parent, that's a coach who should be benched.

Another disturbing incident took place at an away game. A coach was warming up his team while another game was being played. As a visiting player walked by, this "coach" decided to single out this one eleven/twelve year old kid and use him to pump up the intensity of his team. After berating him for the uniform he was wearing he proceeded to tell his team that he wanted to "rip off his head and spit down his neck". He wanted to rip the head off of an eleven year old boy and spit down his neck. Disturbing. I'm sure had someone verbally attacked his son in this manner, this "coach" would not have been too happy. What kind of man derives satisfaction in verbally abusing an eleven year old kid? As far as I'm concerned he is neither a man nor a coach.

Let me say that I've never observed any of this type of behavior with my home town teams, no matter what the sport. And for that I'm proud to be associated with them and to help serve them in any way I can. Let me also add that the majority of youth sports coaches I've come across are great people. They care about the sport but more importantly, they care about the kids. They seem to want to inspire and teach those kids under their direction. Congratulations to all those who devote their time and hard work all for nothing but the satisfaction of watching their kids play their hearts out.

Friday Night Lights

2007-08-16T23:14:00.000-04:00

That's right football season is here. Teams are finishing up their training camps, making final tweaks to their playbooks, and getting ready for that first game. You can feel the anticipation and the excitement as August winds down. At PhotoFX Pros, we're putting together our coverage schedules, checking our inventory of gear, buying new equipment and waiting anxiously for the first kickoff.

This football season is especially exciting for us because this will be our first full season covering football. Luckily we've already been able to get out and shoot the Northern York (NYRA) Ponies scrimmage against West Shore and it was a lot of fun. The best part of shooting the local rec league is that we're able to watch many of those same kids we just finished shooting during the little league season take to the gridiron. For us at PhotoFX Pros that's the real benefit of working within your local community. You really get to know the athletes and their families which makes this so much more than just a job for us. It's not just an opportunity to attend and shoot some great action but to also meet some new friends and reconnect with some old.

I had contacted NYRA a few months ago. I was hoping they would be receptive to allowing us to attend and photograph the games. I received a courteous response from the Vice President, Steve Lynes. We corresponded a few more times and by the end of our "conversation" we found out that we had actually played high school baseball together! What a great surprise. After a brief face to face meeting, Steve gave PhotoFX Pros full access to shoot the 2007 NYRA season which is exactly what we were hoping for. Thank you Steve!

In addition to shooting NYRA, PhotoFX Pros photographer and owner Steve Ickes has been accepted as a freelance photographer for Max Preps, a CBS owned web site providing national coverage of high school varsity sports, including football. As a result, he'll be out covering the Mid Penn Conference which includes teams from Harrisburg, Steelton Highspire, Bishop McDevitt, Cedar Cliff, Lower Dauphin, and his own alma mater Cumberland Valley just to name a few. A busy schedule to say the least but there's nothing more exciting and fun than Friday night football under the lights.

So without further delay let's get the season started. If you happen to see Steve or any of the other PhotoFX Pros photographers out there on the sidelines, take a minute to say hello and introduce yourself. Covering a football game can be busy and hectic but we're always happy to take a moment and meet some new friends.

Role Reversal

2007-07-22T23:37:00.000-04:00

Has anyone noticed lately that the sports page and magazines such as Sports Illustrated have started to read like the daily crime page? Is it just me or is everyone tired of news reports and stories concerning the less than appropriate behavior of highly paid professional athletes? Seems like everyday there's at least one new report about some superstar athlete recently arrested for breaking the law. Come on guys, wake up! You have been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime and you are blowing it! Not only are you earning more in week than than the average American will make in a year but you have thousands of young people looking up to you, wanting to be like you, play the game like you. So either step up and do the right thing or get out.

I'm proposing an alternative, something that I think many people could get behind. How about if we start honoring, recognizing and admiring the young athletes, those who don't get paid to play but rather do it because they love the sport? Who in America wouldn't get a kick out of seeing their son or daughter on the front of a Wheatie's box? It's really not such a crazy idea folks. After all we do live in a democracy where everyone has the right to free speech. Vote bad behavior out and good sportsmanship and citizenship in. I guarantee you that if enough people write or call Nike telling them they will no longer be purchasing any Nike products that are endorsed by (insert name of latest felon here) because of his recent activity and criminal behavior, they will listen. Trust me. Who are they going to stand behind, the athlete they're paying $10 million a year to or the consumers who allow them the luxury of paying someone $10 million a year?

Okay, so once we have the sponsors on board, call or write your local newspapers tell them about this exceptional athlete that not only excels at their sport but exemplifies all those qualities in an athlete we should admire: sportsmanship, fair play, respect for fellow players, and good citizenship. Get enough people to do it and they may listen as well. If not, keep trying until you find someone who will. Create a buzz and they will listen.

Now you may be wondering why I'm writing this, why I'm proposing such a potentially far-fetched and radical idea? I started my spring by taking a lot of photos of soccer and lacrosse. Lately, I've been able to shoot quite a few Little League games. I've shot so many images that I easily recognize many of the kids I've seen on the field even when they're out of uniform maybe at the local grocery store with mom and dad. So for me they're no longer simply a bunch of kids playing a sport. They are the kids of my community and they've made me proud of where I live because of their actions on the field. Not just because they've been fierce competitors on the field, fighting and scrapping for every goal or run, but also for the dignity and sportsmanship they've shown in doing so.

Okay, back to reality. We probably won't ever see our children or the children of others adorning the cover of SI. As much as I'd like to see it, it's probably just not going to happen. Local papers do cover some local sports events but it's usually sparse and back page stuff. So what options are we left with? Well, just so happens I have a great example.

I was recently shooting a Little League game. The batter gets hit by a pitch. At this age, you know it wasn't one of those nasty, revengeful, knockdown pitches that the big leaguers throw. It was simply a young kid still learning the game and finding his control on the mound. Anyway as the runner approached first base, the pitcher runs over, apologizes and they shake hands. That by itself would've have been commendable but then something truly remarkable happened. As the pitcher was heading back to the mound, both bleachers erupt, parents, family, friends all cheering and applauding together. Now that's what I'm talking about folks! Wow, what a memorable moment.

Let me close by saying that I don't think all professional athletes are thugs and hooligans. There are some truly remarkable men and women who do so much for their sport, their fans, and the communities where they live. I also have hope that leagues are getting tired of all the bad publicity and press. They seem to be much less tolerant and more willing to punish the offenders more severely than in the past. But as for me, I'm still casting my vote for the kids.

If you haven't been to a local sporting event for a while, do yourself a favor and go. Doesn't matter if you know anyone playing or not, just go and support those kids. Besides the seats are great and the hot dogs cheap.

Photo of The Week

2007-07-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

I've decided to try and showcase a photo that really spotlights amazing athletic feats, captures a specific emotional moment, or one that I just particularly like. In this case I think that this week's photo (and our first one) meets all those criteria.

Although they've since been eliminated from the tournament, I had the pleasure of shooting the Dillsburg Youth Baseball 11-12 International All Star Team as they beat Mechanicsburg one evening in Camp Hill. Although Dillsburg had been leading the entire game, Mechanicsburg was definitely trying to scrap their way back.

At one point with Dillsburg in the field, one of the Mechanicsburg batters got a hold of one and hit it a ton. The ball was heading to deep center field and doing so pretty quickly. Center fielder, Jason Barbaretta turned and gave chase as it went over his head. Everything happened so fast that I barely had time to swing the 300mm lens towards centerfield and get my eye to the viewfinder. As I pushed the autofocus button on the Canon Mark II I could see Jason just beginning to leap with his glove hand outstretched. I instinctively pushed the shutter button and held my finger down as I continued to track him in the camera's viewfinder. I saw him go up, make the catch, come down on the warning track and, a split second later, crash into the sponsor sign hanging on the fence. Not only had Jason made an incredible catch but had held onto the ball even after slamming into the fence.

So Jason had done his part but had I done mine? I knew that I had him in the frame through the entire sequence but what I didn't know is whether or not I had locked focus on Jason. As much as I wanted, I didn't bother to check the images on the camera's lcd screen. I figured if I got it great, if not there wasn't anything I could do to change it so I just continued to shoot the rest of the game. Needless to say after I got home that evening and offloaded the images onto my pc, I was happily surprised. Here is the first frame of the sequence:

Not only was it an exciting moment to watch but I had also captured it and, best of all, it was in focus! Jason is really the one who deserves the credit though: it was his play, his moment. He made it happen.

When you take a moment to remember that these kid's are really only 11-12 years old, you begin to appreciate the catch as well as all the other heroic efforts shown out on those fields. Unfortunately I don't have the time to post and write about them all here.

I chose this photo not only because it's a good photo of a great moment but because it is representative of the way these kids played the game. They played each game with heart, with guts and with pure emotion. As far as I'm concerned each and every one of those kids deserves the All Star designation.

Nice catch Jason.

Season Recap

2007-07-11T15:12:00.000-04:00

As this was the inaugural season for PhotoFX Pros, I thought I'd just do a quick recap and jot down some thoughts. Although we're still busy with the Dillsburg Youth Baseball All Star season, things have generally slowed down enough that I can take some time to update the blog.

Let me first thank all the organizations, teams, coaches, players and parents. The cooperation, appreciation and assistance we've received has been awesome. Although a number of companies have been shooting and selling game photos for some time now, it is something that is still relatively new to our little corner of the world. Not new in the sense of someone shooting game photos. Ever since the digital camera explosion, proud parents have been taking pictures of their children's teams. These are usually posted to the team's web site or given away to the other parents. However, having a professional photography company shoot games throughout the season, upload them to a photo gallery and offer them for sale I think is what was new to most people.

Things started rather slowly but primarily because we jumped into this so quickly that we didn't have any time for pre season marketing. As lacrosse and soccer seasons progressed, again no marketing mainly because we were scrambling around trying to shoot as many games as we could while trying to still have time with our own families and children. All things considered, I think that we did cover quite a few games and matches with each one averaging about 300 images per event. That's 12.5 rolls of 24 exposure film! Imagine the cost of having to buy and process 12.5 rolls of film for each game? I doubt that there'd be a PhotoFX Pros if digital hadn't happened. That's not to say that digital photography is not without its costs. You no longer have to buy and process film but the equipment is significantly more expensive, and with so many images, it takes time to quickly edit through 300 photos and decide which will be uploaded to the galleries. So, bottom line: it's been tiring, it's been hectic, but it's all been well worth. I love what I do because I love sports and I love photography. Most of all I really enjoy watching children play sports without all the egos, money and politics involved.

So, what's next? Well we've been working on getting our web site updated. Cleaner, streamlined design, more content, and . . . a blog! We'll also be sitting down to expand our service and product offerings like designing those custom posters and magazine covers we've been wanting to do for months now. Additionally, we'll begin actively promoting our "sportraits" which puts a new, and exciting twist on the old style portrait. Plus we'll be looking for more opportunities for contract work, more special events, and corporate events as well. And finally, although our primary focus is still Dillsburg and the Northern York area, we'll be looking for work in other communities. After all, those big lenses and fancy cameras you see us with do not come cheap but they certainly do look cool don't they? Oh, I forgot to mention that we're also current speaking with several photographers, one in Pennsylvania and one in Maryland about extending the reach of PhotoFX Pros into other regions and possibly into other areas such as weddings and more freelance work. Very exciting stuff!

Anyway, we've had a great time so far. We've taken lots of pictures, seen some amazing displays of athleticism and teamwork and sold a few photos along the way. That's certainly enough for me to keep doing this for a while.

Welcome To Our New Blog

2007-07-06T21:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new photo blog for PhotoFX Pros providing the finest in sports, action and event photography services for the central Pennsylvania region.

In our first year of operation, we've had the privilege of being able to photograph games for Northern York County Lacrosse Club, Dillsburg Area Soccer Club, and Dillsburg Youth Baseball. While taking some 10,000+ images, I've been able to witness some incredible team as well as individual efforts.

As my season progressed I began to see the opportunity to provide something more than just a gallery of images for people to view and purchase. What I'd really like to do is provide a web site where all the results, announcements, pictures, videos, etc. for all Dillsburg sports teams could be centralized and consolidated. However, that's a much more ambitious project than I am able to undertake at this time. So I guess the next best thing is to add a blog to my web site. Besides I'm much better at the open rant than compiling statistics and results anyway.

My hope is to comment on games, specific plays, or just anything related to Dillsburg sporting and area events. I will also use photos in the PhotoFX Pros gallery to post or link to.

I think that people visiting the PhotoFX Pros web site will find the new blog a nice addition. I'm also hoping that people will be inclined to post comments so that it becomes more of a two-way interactive exchange of thoughts and opinions.