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The band played on...
December 29, 2006Somebody wrote a sound-off the other day in the sports section saying how other people than the football players deserved better coverage.
Specifically, they mentioned something more than "some blurry photo of the band".
Ironically enough...that "blurry" photo is one of my faves.
The Rider Raider marching band is a blur around trombone player Harrison Longcrier Monday night at Memorial Stadium during the Wichita Falls Marching Band Festival. Bands from all over the area braved the weather and performed to a large crowd at the stadium. (Jason Palmer/Times Record News)
Most of you have probably seen this shot before. I can't rememeber if I put it on my blog or not, but I know it was one of the photographs featured on the Photo Journal website.
I'll admit, I was a marching band guy in high school. I was a trumpet player. For some folks, that may explain a lot about me actually.
Ever since those days, I have enjoyed bands. I always make it out to Memorial Stadium for their Drum and Bugle Corps. festival over the summer. And I've taken photos of marching bands at just about every football game I've shot.
This one though, was during the exhibition before the UIL contest that all the area bands would participate in. I was going for something kinda different.
I had an idea, that if I could have a slow enough shutter speed and pan the camera along with a band member that I could come up with a pretty cool shot.
You know me and my ideas...once I get one, I stick with it.
Knowing that the Rider band was coming up...I practiced a few times with some of the bands not from our area...it would work, just had to get a bit of luck on my side.
Sure enough...Rider had a particular formation with people in close quarters, moving both left and right. I just locked onto one person, and followed them, shooting at a slow speed.
1/15th of a second...that's slow. Shot at f8 with my 70-200mm lens (at about 170mm).
I wasn't sure it was really good until I got back to the office...the little 2-inch screen on the back of the camera just doesn't do it justice.
Turns out...it was really good.
Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Windthorst trumpet player Randall Long dons a Halloween mask during halftime of the Trojans game against the Munday Moguls Friday night in Windthorst. The band has a tradition of dressing up the Friday before Halloween night.
Does this photo even need an explanation?
Probably not...I couldn't resist taking a shot of this. Of course...being a trumpet player myself, I found this even funnier.
It is the little things like this shot that make Friday nights so much fun during the middle of the season.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 07:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
