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So a few years ago, I got into sports photography. I got as high up as shooting the inaugural SheBelievesCup when it came through Harrison, NJ in 2017... And then I stopped.
I didn't stop taking pictures, but I stopped doing sports. Some of it was because it was hard to make every SkyBlue game. The NinjaBaby was growing and we had a lot going on, the site was expanding and we had a lot of growing pains and the "stadium" (I put it in quotes because if you know anything about NWSL and the state of the National Womens Soccer League in the US, then you definitely know about the controversy with SkyBlue FC) was about an hours drive away.
But it was also because as NWSL and SkyBlue FC gained notoriety, the photography competition grew. I started shooting alongside photographers whose kit was worth more than my car for sure, but possibly more than my house. I was intimidated and even embarrassed. I loved my little camera at the time, but I went on a "I need to upgrade" binge. And I sure did upgrade, my kit at least.
But no matter how many upgrades I got, no matter how many lenses I got, I didn't feel like I was upgrading my photography, and I went into a bit of a depression.
I stopped taking pictures, I didn't even turn on any cameras for months, and I even considered purging and selling all my kit.
But thankfully that broke, and I started taking pictures again. I started looking again at the pictures I took when I thought nothing was worthwhile, and I realized that I had taken some good photos, but maybe the depression I thought started later, had started earlier.
Fast forward to now, I have actually returned (ever so slightly) back to the world of sports photography. I'm doing a lot of recreational photography, and scene/event photography for a small hyper-local news website, but a week or so ago, when the SheBelievesCup returned to the area, I requested and received my press credentials, and showed up for pictures.
It was a blast, I had a great time. My gear was still orders of magnatude less expensive than even the "other guys" who were doing this not professionally, but I'm happy with my images.
If there is interest, I will post galleries of ENG vs BRA and USA vs JPN
-Piper
More pictures from SheBelieves and Me in general - https://cyberbrats.org/portfolio/shebelievescup-2019-chester...
Comments
Some great photos
But only one of the eventual winners?
It is going to be a great world cup later this year.
Samantha
SheBelieves2019 Gallery (Chester, PA)
More of the images, in their full sizes, can be seen here: https://cyberbrats.org/portfolio/shebelievescup-2019-chester...
Hope you enjoy!
-Piper
I caught a bit of it the
I caught a bit of it the other day...I was wondering where I heard the name before, now I know.
You aren't alone in your feelings. I've tried to do photography for the past 14 years but have struggled with it for the same reasons. I can't afford the high tech, DSLR cameras with a multitude of lenses, mono and tripods, and specialty flashes so have all but been shut out of photographing things because of not looking like a "real" photographer. Never mind that I've had pictures that turned out better than stuff sold to media outlets and have had some of my pictures used by fire departments for their own use(as a gift to them, I literally owe one my life and another my home). Even when saving up to buy a DSLR camera, you get looked down upon by the "professionals" because you rely on your eyes and timing to get your shot instead of all of the bells and whistles that the "professionals" have.
I hope that you get that one shot that makes the whole day worthwhile...and never put yourself down about your shots because you have nailed both color and night shots, nailed action shots better than some of the ones I've seen in newspapers and online, and nailed perspectives. Good luck, and enjoy the games.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Intimidation
Thank you for the compliments. I feel bad complaining about the level of my gear because it's really not bad. I have a 200mm reach @ f2.8 and 400mm reach at 4.5, that's not shabby. My a77ii SLT is a very high end crop-sensor (APS-C) camera. While it's not full frame, it's damn good at what it does.
I also have an a6000 mirrorless that I love, that is basically most the same internals as the a77ii, but Sony e-Mount lenses are so NEW and so EXPENSIVE that going with a higher end a-mount body just made sense for lens upgrades.
The one thing I noticed however when I'm shooting a game, is that people didn't really care what I was shooting with. Not that they weren't interested, but they didn't look down on me. I got some serious respect for saying I was shooting screw-drive, instead of SSM lenses. My intimidation was more my anxiety at work than anything anyone said or did. I had a great time talking to the other photographers around me.
Love the dragon pic!
I love the dragon pic! And that is so cool, the soccer pictures (they are so good, too)... big soccer fan here... Sky Blue's story has been unfortunate and I hope they finally do get their act together. How they have stayed afloat when teams in Boston and Kansas City go away is mind-boggling to me.
Maleficent's Dragon
I swear I have a better image of Maleficent's Dragon somewhere. She was pulled out of the parades till recently because one of the dragons caught fire, and burned bad. So Disney removed every copy of every float that used the same fire system just in case. I hear they are back in play again.
I fell into SkyBlue FC, and the drama that has happened since. Christie Pearce (Rampone) being an Ocean County native keeps SBFC active in peoples minds, even tho she's not with them anymore, and honestly, the Governor owning the team, probably helps keep them a float.
Wowie Zowie!!!
I don't know much about photography but I know what I like,
And it seems to me you have a really good eye...
for composition, color, the whole shmear.
~hugs, Veronica
And remember...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLqzLEB3E0
Thank you. I try hard, not
Thank you. I try hard, not everything comes out, but of course, most people only see my best. I had more than 6000 shutter activation the day of the cup. 1x 64GB U3 card for each half (so as to be sure there would be no over-heating issues). But I'm getting better :)