Thursday, May 15, 2008
Walking back down to Comcast from Shipley Field was pretty easy. I thought back to how many times I rollerbladed that route and how much the campus has changed since I started a short 12 years ago.
I made it back in time for the conclusion of the championship game between NC State and Virginia Tech. The lighting continued to be a challenge for the event - high level overcast with low level thicker clouds. It was very easy to overexpose the clouds while underexposing the players. I did my best...
At the end of the game I prepared my body and lens for some close up shots. I was hoping that the Hokies would lift the trophy above their heads in celebration but that didn't pan out. The celebration was pretty subdued and the players left the trophy on the ground for the most part. I used my 14-24mm lens along with an SB-800 flash. I wanted to make sure I exposed the faces of the players rather than relying on the f/2.8 lens.
I'm glad I opted for the flash. I'm usually conflicted about using the flash since I have narrow my aperture down to f/5.6 or f/6, but in the end it makes a good shot. At those smaller apertures the background is significantly less blurred but with a flash the subject pops out of the frame a lot. As a result you get a similar effect when flashing at f/6 and shooting naturally at f/2.8 - you can achieve the isolation you want.
I gave my card to the Virginia Tech coach after the game but never heard back from him. Hopefully they found the pictures online and have taken a look at them and like them. Here's a link to our article on the Virginia Tech Hokies, 2008 ACC Softball Champions.
