Day 359/365

     More basketball for Wednesday/day 359, this time a regional championship. I went a little crazy on the editing with this one...

Day 354/365

     I got to shoot Arthur Hill vs. Saginaw High for the second time on Friday/day 354 during the boys basketball district finals. Words cannot express how great a matchup these two teams are. It was easily some of the best basketball I've ever seen, (again), and I have a feeling it'll be some of the best I'll ever see. Thanks Hill and High; you're one of the factors that have made this internship so great, and have reaffirmed that I made the right career choice.

Day 352/365

Another night shift. Another postseason basketball game. Another close one!

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 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 319/365

     I shot another basketball game Friday night/day 319, which unfortunately wasn't nearly as interesting as the last few I've shot. It had its moments, but ultimately I was a bit disappointed. 

Day 316/365

     Tuesday/day 316 I got to shoot a new antique store in Saginaw, and then a high school basketball doubleheader. Two local Midland rivals played each other, the girls varsity teams followed by the boys. Both games were fun to watch. One of the girls teams had a come-from-beind victory, which is always crazy, and the boys were pretty evenly matched.

Day 312/365

     It's embarrassing how much i've neglected this blog this past week. Things just got away from me I guess, and I apologize. Prepare yourselves for a slew of updates!

     Last Friday/day 312 I shot a local Bay City boys basketball team's first win of the season. Despite their lack of victories, it was a fun game to watch, and the atmosphere was incredible. The further the game went on, more and more fans and players realized that this was the night they'd finally get a win. It was a pretty cool moment to witness.

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 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 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 263/365

     I apologize for the serious delay in updates. I'm in the process of switching apartments and I won't have my internet service switched over until sometime this weekend, and I've also been working remotely more than in the office this past week so my internet access has been touch and go.

     Anyways, Friday/day 263's post is another basketball one. It capped off a pretty tumultuous week for me personally with having to deal with my volatile neighbors, so shooting the game before driving home to spend the weekend in Ohio was literally a breath of fresh air.

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.