Day 351/365

     Tonight's game was a regional semifinal, and was one that was only won by two points. Two. Points. Did I mention I love postseason basketball?

Day 350/365

     Monday night I shot a boys basketball doubleheader, made up of two incredibly good games. With the high school basketball postseason being upon us, they just seem to keep getting better and better.

Day 343/365

     Last night/Monday/day 343 I covered both a girls basketball tournament and an ice hockey tournament. The post season is approaching for winter sports, making the games more and more exciting to watch, and therefore photograph, as it approaches. 

Day 338/365

     I ended up shooting a boys basketball last night. I was a bit off; I couldn't seem to get my lighting or timing right. The game came after spending most of my day in Flint for some work training, and after not sleeping well the night before I'm just going to chalk it up to being too tired and make it end there. The game itself was interesting enough; both teams had pretty solid defense so it was close the entire time.

Day 333/365

     Friday/day 333 was another basketball night. The game was close, the team that won came from behind to do so, but the playing was a mess. It did make for an interesting night though.

Day 331/365

     Tonight I shot the local OHL team, the Saginaw Spirit. They lost pretty badly to the Plymouth Whalers, but it was still a fun game to watch. Growing up in Cleveland with only two short-lived minor league hockey teams, I'm not as familiar with hockey as I am with some sports. I'm still learning how to shoot it too, and have quite a bit of work to do. Hopefully I get a few more chances to photograph it while I'm up here to get the practice in. 

Day 329/365

     I'm working nights this week, so prepare yourselves for sports, sports, and more sports. Monday/day 329 brought me to a high school wrestling tournament. Unfortunately it was at the one school with ugly yellow matts, which cast an ugly shade of yellow on everyone's faces. Yuck! 

Day 310/365

     One of my assignments tonight was another basketball game. I didn't get to stay for the entire game since other assignments and a bit of spot news popped up. I would've liked to have stayed; the game was pretty close the entire time I was there, and both teams seemed to be playing well. Plus, it was freezing cold outside and the snow was coming down pretty steadily making the roads pretty bad. Eh well.

Day 309/365

     Tonight I shot a girls basketball game in Saginaw. There weren't very many people in attendance, which is probably due to the fact that it was ridiculously cold out today. It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow, and I'll be shooting another basketball game tomorrow night so I'm expecting more of the same. Stay warm, friends!

Day 298/365

     My boss was nice enough to put me on the night shift today since I got back to my apartment extremely late last night after spending time with Jessica in her hotel room in Ann Arbor. I was assigned to cover a boys basketball game. I tend to make a point of showing up early so I make sure I get team rosters and get a decent spot to start shooting from. When I got to tonight's location, the girls varsity game was still going, and the sports reporter that was covering both games asked me if I could get a few quick pictures of the girls game since it was turning out to be a pretty big upset. 

     

     There was some decent playing in both games, but after covering last Friday's craziness, (day 291), every other matchup just pales in comparison.

Day 292/365

     I covered a wrestling invitational this morning. A few guys/fellow photo interns and I were talking about how wrestling photos can really change into something else entirely when processed in black and white, and I realized that I had yet to attempt it. It certainly does change the impact of the photo, and I could see times where it could be effectively used or could add extra emotion to the image as well. What do you think?

Day 291/365

 

     On Friday/day 291 I got to cover the biggest basketball rivalry in Saginaw, and quite possibly the biggest in the state as well: Saginaw High vs. Arthur Hill. It. Was. Insane. At least 1,600 people packed into Arthur Hill's gym, and local celebrities like Michigan State's basketball coach Tom Izzo and Saginaw High alumni/Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley were in attendance. It's the showdown of the season, and it was easy to see why. 

     I've loved basketball for a long time. I've been to enough games and played it enough times that I've seen amazing plays made by amazing athletes. Most, if not all, of those pale in comparison to the moves I saw in this game. Incredible doesn't seem to to them justice. 

    It did get a bit dicey towards the end of the game. Both schools are in the heart of the inner city of Saginaw, where there are high crime rates and strong gang activity. Metal detectors are built into the entrance of both schools and anyone who set off Arthur Hill's Friday night was searched. Towards the end of the game, a few technicals were called on Saginaw High, and a few players from both teams almost came to blows over it. This resulted in the majority of the people in attendance trying to rush the court. Security and the police managed to keep them at bay for the most part. I ended up with an elbow to the face and my body twisted in two different directions, but it could've been much worse all things considered. All in all though, it was a great game, and made for a great night.

Day 289/365

     I worked nights this week, and it was a week filled with basketball games. I'm in no way complaining. I'd like to think my sports shooting is improving. I know I have a long ways to go, but I think I'm picking it up more and more each time I shoot.

Day 271/365

     Saturday/day 271 marked my first time shooting wrestling. I covered two different day-long tournaments, one in Saginaw Township and another in Auburn. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and photo-wise it was actually pretty interesting. It still wouldn't be my favorite sport to shoot, but definitely not my least favorite by far. I got plenty of action shots, but this one ended up being my personal favorite.

Day 267/365

     My return back to Michigan/work was met with another basketball game to shoot. It was a lot of fun, and had the first slam-dunk attempts I've seen this season. 

Day 262/365

     I got to shoot another basketball game tonight. Plus, my volatile psycho of a neighbor is out of town for at least tonight, if not longer. Today is a good day. 

Day 260/365

     I didn't have to wait too long to get to shoot an entire basketball game, because I got to Tuesday night! It was a pretty good game too; they're not always that common at the beginning of the season. Anyways, I couldn't pick just one, so day 260 gets four photos, (click on the image to view larger). I know sports photography is one of my weaker areas, but I think it's come a long way since I first started shooting sports up here in August. There's still so much room for improvement, and I'm all too happy to work on it through shooting basketball.

Day 259/365

     The day has finally come; volleyball season is over, and basketball season is only just beginning! I covered my first game tonight, and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately I could only stay for the first  two quarters, because I had to get back to the office to get the photos in by the print deadline for tomorrow's paper. Hopefully I'll get to stay for a full game at some point. I've missed playing basketball so much; I literally think I've only gotten to play once or twice since I played in high school. I was never very good, but I always had so much fun playing nevertheless. None of my friends or living immediate family share the interest in the sport with me, and shooting hoops by yourself only keeps you going for so long. There are an indefinite number of things I miss about my dad, but hanging out in the driveway playing one-on-one or playing horse or just seeing who can shoot the farthest is definitely in the top ten.

Day 239/365

     I shot volleyball tonight... it was a state quarterfinal game, so I'm hoping this means the end is near...

Day 228/365

     Friday night/day 228 was a football night. An extremely bitter cold football night. I'm starting to think I may not miss covering football all that much once the season's over either...