In honor of Friday night football tonight I thought I would post some images from last week’s game.  Centerville traveled south to take on Lakota East High School.  It was the season opener for both teams and the first game for East’s new head coach.  It was good to see the stands full of fans for both teams.  I was amazed by the number of people there when I showed up 45 minutes before the game.  There was already a buzz in the air.  Centerville dominated the game as expected given their high state ranking in the polls.  Below are a few images from the game, all available through the Game Images link above.

Cheerleaders were out early to fire up the crowd before the game.

The Lakota East team taking the field.

Watching the play developing and planning his attack.

Group tackle by the defense.

The fans cheering and following the directions of the cheerleaders.

Escaping the tackle.

Preparing to make the block on the run play.

The band performed at half under a colorful sky.

As some of you may know, I am photographing the Lakota East Football team again this year.  Last Friday night they had their second scrimmage of the season against Anderson.  The scrimmage started at 6:30 which meant more natural light for me but it also meant there was still a lot of heat left from the day.  It was around 90 degrees at kickoff.  I can tell you the field was hotter and the breeze that seemed to exist outside the stadium was missing at the field level.  You could tell the heat was definitely taking a toll on the players.  The second half seemed to be cooler but it was also very dark by the end of the game.  Which for me is not a great thing because images tend to get a bit grainy and I use a slower shutter speed than I like.  Like last year, all images are available through the Game Images link above.  Below are a few that I liked:

Getting set for the kick-off to start the game.

Breaking through the line.

Getting some instruction from a coach.

A forearm to the face.

Trying to rest a little from the heat while the offense was on the field.

The line creating a hole for the running back.

Attempting to block the kick.

Standing on the sidelines.

A fumble into the end zone which was recovered by a teammate.

I love my job, I really do.  Sometimes it means I work early mornings or late nights.  As long as the combination of early and late do not come back to back for too many days in a row everything is great.  Otherwise my husband says I get irritable.  I would argue that but somehow I think that gives him a point in the argument:)  My favorite time though is the morning.  Things seem peaceful and most of the time start quiet.  I am working on another football project this year which means I have been a several of the 2-a-days with the players.  Yesterday I arrived before almost everyone.  The trainer and the head coach beat me.  As I walked into the stadium and started across the field I was enjoying the emptiness and stillness of the stadium.  The sun was just thinking about rising and only the security lights were on.  Stopping at the 50 yard line I took a few images.  I was so wishing for a tri-pod so I could make a longer exposure but I like the quietness of everything.  Hope everyone has a great day and finds a little quietness in their own ways.

So this post has been a long time coming.  For those of you who have been reading the blog for awhile, you know that I followed the Lakota East Varsity football team this past season.  It was a personal project and I learned so much from the experience.  I set many goals before starting the project.  They ranged from being a better photographer of football, producing a book and doing a multimedia presentation.  The book was for myself as well as a gift to the head coach for letting me do this project.  I never showed the book to anyone but the coach and my immediate family.  See, I lack confidence sometimes in my abilities.  I know what I am good at and what I struggle with.  Football was never a sport I was great at photographing so showing the book to others was kind of intimidating.  What if they hated it?  What if all my work was deemed crap?  What if I thought I improved dramatically over the season with my images but others told me otherwise?  Could I handle it?  Would it hurt my confidence?  I finally bit the bullet and showed it to a customer and they thought it was great.  Wanted to know if I would sell it to them and if they could tell others.  Wow!  I was blown away.  Why did I wait so long to show others?  Sometimes I could kick myself for lacking confidence in my abilities.  So I am sharing the book with all of you here.  The link below takes you to the site where it can be viewed and purchased.  You can preview the entire book.  I would love feedback.  Positive or negative.  It will only make me a better photographer so lay it on me.

http://www.blurb.com/user/store/trimphoto

The cover.

Lakota West was the only team left in the way of Lakota East finishing their freshmen football season undefeated.  As always when these teams play, you can throw out the season statistics.  Fans were lining up at the gate at least 45 minutes before the start of the game.  Since the game time had changed a few times I made sure I was there plenty early just in case it changed once again.  It was great to see the large turnout and all the fans decked out in their team colors.  The weather even played nice, a bit of sun and no rain.  The action was great on the field throughout the entire game.  Lakota East did come out the victors.  All images from the game can be seen by going to the Game Proofs link above.  Here are a few of my favorites from the game:

Great positioning.

Trying to get every little inch on the run.

Leaping catch.

Some sideline instruction.

Laid down to get this angle.

Dumping of the water on the coach to celebrate their win and great season.