Sorry

I know that I missed the update last week (nothing interesting was going on anyway) but although I have a LOT of photos and news this week, I really just don't have time (as I don't need to fall behind on my homework as I am already trying to catch up some) so for now I would just say check out the flickr and look for a post to be up later this week.

NCAA Football: North Texas at Clemson

So I shot the football game this last Saturday and it was really my first event shooting something since about the middle of basketball season last year. I just got wrapped up in school work and that took over last year, but it feels good to be back and I think that I got some good shots yesterday.

I got quite a few shots from the game yesterday, and I am going to post a lot of them here, but if you want to see the full gallery you can see them over here on my flickr. (Also, if you want to see the captions for the photos then go to the flickr.)

As I started to do in a few posts last year, I want to use this blog as a way to show you not only how I see things while I am down on the field, but also as a chance to explain my reasoning behind each shot and why I choose it out of the more than 800 photos that I took Saturday.

So, let's get started:

I have never taken pictures of the Tiger Walk, so I figured that this year I would try some things and shot it from a few different angles. This week I was up on the balcony in the West End Zone and I got some pretty cool shots. I know how it works now, so when I am back up there I will know how to get a few better shots, but I will also be trying to get some shots by walking with them next time I am at a game.

I always take these shots although I don't think that anyone would run them (except the organization - ROTC) but I like taking them. I also really like the balance and sense of place that is in this photo.

Obligatory cheerleader/rally cats photo. I didn't really focus too much on the cheerleaders and rally cats Saturday (actually this is the only photo I took of them) but there is still plenty of time in the season for some pictures of them.

I was up on the hill this Saturday trying to get a shot of Dabo and the other coaches on the hill, but this was really the only shot I got. I like it though and it gives a nice sense of place, but it is really a hassle to try to take photos and fight the crowd to get back onto the field and worry about getting everything in frame, so I am not sure how many more times I will be joining the fans up on the hill.

This was my first good shot of the game, and while it isn't really an awesome shot, it is a really interesting shot of a fumble. The North Texas ball carrier got destroyed by about the whole punt return team.

Always good to have some nice stock photos of the QBs and other "famous" team members that did really well that game or that are expected to have a really good season. Unfortunately most of mine yesterday were of the North Texas QB, but there is still plenty of time in the season to get Clemson shots.

One thing to say about these "stock" photo shots is that they are the safe shots. Everyone can use a shot of the QB doing his thing (or another "famous" player from the team) because sometimes there isn't something particular that makes a game special (like a field goal kick in double over time or a game changing fumble) so it is always a good idea to take the easy shots when they come to you. Some of the first things I try to shoot are both teams QBs and the running back or wide receiver that had a really awesome game last week or is suppose to have an awesome game that day.

I am not sure if this photo would make it anywhere other than a newspaper's online gallery of the game, but I thought that it was a cool shot of the ball carrier being chased down the field.

This is a really nice shot here of the QB in action (he is being pursed by the Tigers player) and you can see his face and it has some nice emotion on it. This here is really a nice shot that shows what sports shots should be about: emotion, face, shot from the front, tight-cropped. Now of course there are exceptions to all these rules, but this is really the staple sports shot.

This is an interesting photo I think that shows some nice action.

This is a photo that I don't think would even make it into the online gallery but I thought that it was a pretty interesting shot of one of the North Texas players about to get stepped on.

Shots of the coach interacting with players are always good shots to have.

This was my favorite shot of the game; the North Texas ball carrier is sliding across the back of the Clemson player and there is a lot of intensity in his eyes. One thing that you really look for in sports shots is if you can see the player's face, because you really want to be able to feel the emotion that the players are showing. What I really like about this shot is that you can see the face of both the ball carrier and the Clemson player right beside him.

Two other shots from the sam play. I really like the action that is happening in the background in these shots.

Pictures of sacks are always a good thing to have. This one could be a little better (like say if you could see the Clemson player more clearly and if you could see the face on the North Texas QB better) but those things aside it is a pretty solid sack photo. In cases like this, the high action and the difficulty of capturing this type of shot (because there are usually other players in front of the QB, or other people rushing, or any number of things make shots like sacks and punt/kick blocks hard to get) make up for the other things that might keep a different shot out of a gallery. (Although angle is important here. In this case a side view might also be a compelling shot, but something from the back - where there is no chance at all to see the face - would make you not keep the photo.)

I find that some of my favorite shots in sports are the fouls and penalties. I have a really cool one from last basketball season of Booker fouling the daylights out of someone, and in this photo you can see that not only is the North Texas ball carrier facemasking number 36, he is ripping his helmet off.

It would be great if everyone in this photo were in focus and sharp, but the reason that I decided to keep this shot was because the intended receiver's face shows such good emotion that I thought it made up for the softness of the Clemson players and the uninteresting background. Wouldn't expect a newspaper to be interested in this shot, but you might be surprised sometimes.

Shots of players celebrating after plays are sometimes hard to capture because they will either turn to the fans closest to them (which usually leaves their back to you - or at least that seems to be the way it works for me lol) or run and interact with their teammates, which also leave them not facing you. So when you can get the shot, it is a nice one to have. A shot of a player celebrating can be the shot that best represents the game in some cases like if it is of a coach and player after the winning kick or touchdown or after the interception that seals the game. This picture here is actually after an interception in the third quarter, but it was nothing near game changing.

Tajh Boyd (our next quarterback) got to play for a little in the fourth quarter. I wanted to make sure that I got some shots of him since it was his first game, and I wanted to go with something safe. I figured that he wouldn't be doing anything too complicated, so I was fine with the positioning on the field even though I was set up a little further behind the players than I like to be.

So that is really it for this post, I have some school work to do before school today, and I might have some really exciting news coming up soon, so just stay tuned for that. I am not shooting the game this coming up weekend that I know of yet (though that may change) but I should have something else up this weekend if not football. Have a good week everyone, and until next time,

-joshua

I'm Back!

So, after taking a little break from photos over the summer I am back with new stuff, and ready to start this blog again. A few updates on what I have been doing...I am helping a friend right now with a webcomic project (called Happenstance - although we are taking a break right now since school has started up, but updates should resume within the week) and I have plans for my own comic projects that I will be putting into play in sometime. I am also working on some film projects for school in a creative/artistic/lighting director kind of role that are in stages too early to talk about right now, but I think they will be pretty cool. So, I will be using this blog as an easy way to give out updates on all of that, but unlike last time when I was keeping this blog, I will be updating once a week, on the weekends - so either Saturday or Sunday - and then maybe some other time in the week if I feel like it and have time.

(OMGOMG Felicia Day was in the season 1 finale of Dollhouse!! - sorry. I am watching netflix as I am typing this lol)

Anyway, for this first update I just wanted to though up some pictures that I have taken since school started back, some of band, some of move in day, some of the freshman stuff, some honors stuff. Sometime later this week (maybe I will do a short post tomorrow) I will update with a project that I am working on for my New Media class (ART221) but for now, here are the pictures.

These first few are from move in day. Some important people. (A new trustee and then President and Mrs. Barker.)

I really like this next picture because of the focus it brings to Mrs. Barker.

The next few are from the freshman activities.

I don't usually like the Greek orgs (just not a big fan, they like to smile and pose too much) but I really like this picture.

This next picture is of the author of the play that the freshmen had to read. It was really enjoyable to listen to her talk about her process of writing.

I also took some pictures for the Honors college. (Not much to elaborate on here lol.)

I really like the football stadium, and unfortunately it doesn't look like I am going to be there that much this semester, but we will see what happens.

So, that is all for this update. Hopefully I will have some awesome photos for y'all this year.

-joshua

Changes

So, I know that I haven't posted here in a while, but I really haven't taken pictures of many things since my last post. And for about a month of that time my laptop was broken anyway. But, to make a long story short, there is one week left in school, and after that is over there will be some changes coming to the main site, and this blog.

Really what is changing is that I no longer just do photos (and next semester I will be moving into more digital media based design projects/art) so I am changing from "Orange Hat Photos" to Orange Hat Media - which will be a kind of "umbrella title" for pictures, videos, and comics (something that I am doing more of on the computer).

School has really gotten to me this semester, but it is almost over, and when it is I will be able to get back on top of all this and I am looking forward to a good summer with everyone - if there are still any of you out there haha.

Anyway, until my next post, which should be (relatively) soon,

-joshua

A Little Overdue

So, I kinda took this past weekend off, and I know that I promised a blog at the end of the week last week, but I fell asleep and that went into the weekend (which I took off) and so you are getting the post today.

First off, for those of you who don't know I do have another blog now as part of a class that I am going to be taking this semester which combines blogging and exploring another culture which can be found here. I don't think that anything I post on that blog will make its way onto this one, but it might. We shall see.

Really what I feel is overdue with this post is some basketball pictures. So, I think that I am just going to let the rest of the blog be a bunch of basketball pictures from the past two games.

This picture just makes it look like the BC guy is going to get destroyed before he gets the shot off:


The halftime show was really cool and I don't know if I can really explain it in any other way than to say that this lady was flipping bowls off her food and catching them on her head while balancing bowls she has already caught and riding on a ten foot unicycle. It was crazy.

(I think Booker looks like a bunny in this picture. Just saying.)

Then here are some pictures from the UNC game. Which was awesome. I just hope that we can do better against Duke this weekend. That will be a fun day. Starts at 7am and the game isn't till 12 hours later...anyway.

I like this shot of the band before the game. Might try to get it again with more people in the stands.

Sadly most of my action shots this game were of UNC, but I really do like this one of Booker, even though it is just a little bit of a foul.

This is my buddy. He is at like every game, and he always compliments me on my hat. I think he knows like all the camera men and refs and is always talking to them from the stands.

Of course the court was rushed after the game, and if we beat Duke it will happen again. This was an interesting experience, and I will be prepared if this happens on Saturday.

I will probably have the next post up Thursday or so, it should be interesting and may infact be a day that I put up two posts, one with some pictures from club rugby and club volleyball and then another post where I show y'all my sculpture that I have been working on for my Intro to Visual Arts II - 3D Sculpting. I think that the project is coming along really well, and I really like what is becoming of it. I am really thrilled with how artistic I am becoming through my classes (not that I am getting snobby about it, but I am becoming more comfortable and happy with my abilities) and I hope to be able to share that with y'all more as the semester progresses.

So, until Thursday,

-joshua