Tag Archives: shutter speed

Nikon TC-14E III

The Nikon TC-14E III teleconverter increases a lens' effective focal length by 40 percent. (Bill Ferris)

The Nikon TC-14E III teleconverter increases a lens’ effective focal length by 40 percent. (Bill Ferris)

Teleconverters have a long and complex history in photography. In 1833 – six years before Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype process that launched a worldwide fascination with a new artistic medium, photography – Peter Barlow invented a negative lens that, when fitted to a telescopic eyepiece, extended the effective focal length of the telescope in which Mr. Barlow’s lens was used. In so doing, the magnification of the lens and the image scale of the subject were also increased. Known simply as the Barlow lens, this optical accessory is widely used by amateur astronomers. Commonly available in 2x and 3x versions, the modern Barlow is especially popular with lunar and planetary observers.

Nearly sixty years later in 1891, Thomas Dallmeyer and Adophe Miethe simultaneously developed nearly identical optical designs for photographic telephoto lenses. Both designs featured a front achromat doublet lens system and a rear achromat triplet grouping. The rear lens grouping acted much as Barlow’s negative lens, increasing the effective focal length of the front imaging elements. Dallmeyer and Miethe had independently invented the first photographic teleconverters.

Today’s modern teleconverters are also quite popular though not without their critics. No optical lens system is perfect and the teleconverter is certainly no exception. In addition to magnifying the subject of a photograph, a teleconverter also magnifies optical aberrations, making them more readily apparent. Commonly found in 1.4x, 1.7x and 2.0x versions, teleconverters typically magnify by as little as 40% (1.4x) and as much as 200% (2x). The biggest cost of this increased magnification is a loss of image brightness. By increasing the effective focal length of the lens while keeping the lens’ physical aperture constant, the maximum focal ratio of the lens increases by an amount proportional to the increase in effective focal length. For example, a 1.4x teleconverter increases focal length and focal ratio by 40%. A 200mm f/4 lens becomes a 280mm, f/5.6 lens. The teleconverter results in a loss of one stop of light.

A teleconverter attaches to both the lens and the camera as an intermediary lens within a photographic optical system. The TC-14E III is an f-mount design that is compatible with all Nikon film cameras and DSLR cameras. Nikon teleconverters are generally compatible with longer focal length telephoto and telephoto zoom lenses. (Bill Ferris)

A teleconverter attaches to both the lens and the camera as an intermediary lens within a photographic optical system. The TC-14E III is an f-mount design that is compatible with all Nikon film cameras and DSLR cameras. Nikon teleconverters are generally compatible with longer focal length telephoto and telephoto zoom lenses. (Bill Ferris)

This increase in focal ratio has a couple of potentially significant drawbacks. Compared to an f/4 lens, an f/5.6 lens will require an exposure twice as long to render a properly exposed image. Another option would be to increase the ISO (in-camera exposure brightening) or increase the brightness of the exposure during post-processing. Either approach will introduce some additional noise into the final image.

Another potential issue that results from an increase in focal ratio, is that of compromised autofocus performance. The brighter the image falling on the sensor, the faster and more accurate the camera’s autofocus system tends to be. As the f-stop used to make an image increases and image brightness on the sensor decreases, the camera eventually will not have enough light for reliable autofocus performance.

Because the function of a teleconverter (TC) is to extend the reach of a lens, to bring a photographer nearer the subject without having to physically move closer to the subject, it is a popular accessory for wildlife and bird photographers. With my growing interest in this type of photography and the recent purchase of a Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E VR telephoto zoom lens, I decided to give the Nikon TC-14E III 1.4x teleconverter a try. Attached to the new lens, the TC-14E III would have the effect of extending its zoom range to 280-700mm. The TC-14E III also facilitates communicates between the lens and camera, including effective focal length, f/-stop, shutter speed, AF mode, burst mode…the full suite of functionality one would expect of a Nikkor lens mounted to a Nikon camera body,

The main price to be paid for the extended reach achieved with a TC is an increase of the lens’s maximum f-stop. In the case of the 200-500mm f/5.6E, the focal ratio increases from f/5.6 to f/8. At f/8, the zoom would be operating at the very threshold of my Nikon D610’s ability to autofocus. This raised two issues of concern: would the lens be sharp at 700mm and would the f/8 maximum focal ratio allow for adequate autofocus performance?

A juvenile bald eagle soars over Lake Mary on a mid-winter northern Arizona day. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/11, ISO 2500, 1/2000-second)

A juvenile bald eagle soars over Lake Mary on a mid-winter northern Arizona day. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/11, ISO 2500, 1/2000-second)

One of the biggest technical challenges of bird and wildlife photography is capturing birds in flight. It is this aspect that makes bird photography so appealing to me, the challenge of mastering my equipment and expanding my knowledge of the animals to make good photographs. Bird photography also gives me an excuse to get out in nature and to be near these magnificent creatures. When the TC-14E III arrived, I couldn’t wait to run it through its paces by photographing the eagles, hawks and other birds found during winter in northern Arizona.

The above photograph of a juvenile bald eagle in flight illustrates the challenges I’ve been working to overcome. As you can see, the photo was made on a bright, sunny day. I used a shutter speed of 1/2000-second to freeze the action. The 200-500mm is at full zoom, which produces an effective focal length of 700mm with the 1.4x teleconverter attached. The maximum f-stop is f/8 but I chose to work at f/11 to produce an image with greater sharpness. In the photo’s caption, you’ll notice an ISO of 2500 for this exposure. That’s very high for a bright, sunny day. Now, if the above were a full 6,000 by 4,000 pixel image, the level of noise at that ISO would be quite acceptable. However, even at 700mm focal length, the raptor only covers about 1/5 the surface area of the D610’s sensor. The above image represents roughly a 2500 by 1700 pixel crop, which makes the noise more noticeable. In fact, I would judge the level of noise to be at the very threshold of what I consider, acceptable.

Canada geese cruise the northern Arizona sky near Mormon Lake on a mid-winter's day. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/9, ISO 720, 1/2000-second)

Canada geese cruise the northern Arizona sky near Mormon Lake on a mid-winter’s day. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/9, ISO 720, 1/2000-second)

The above photo of Canada geese flying through northern Arizona’s winter sky is a roughly 1500 by 1500 square aspect crop. Notice the shutter speed is the same 1/2000-second exposure as used to make the previous image of a bird in flight. Also, please note the f-stop and ISO. The f-stop is f/9 or 2/3-stop brighter than the first image. As a result, the ISO is much lower. This was another bright, sunny day in northern Arizona so, lower the f-stop (increasing the aperture) allowed me to make an image with much less post-exposure brightening. At ISO 720, I was able to do an even more significant crop but without the noise penalty of the first image.

ISO, is the central issue when using a teleconverter with a moderately fast lens. Pro telephoto lenses offer maximum f-stops in the f/2.8 to f/4 range. The large apertures of these long lenses collect and deliver a lot of light to the sensor. As a result, even with a 1.4x TC in the mix, they still operate at f/4 or f/5.6, delivering enough light to the sensor to allow a camera’s AF system to be snappy and accurate. Using the TC-14E III with a lens such as the 200-500mm f/5.6E, a modestly slow zoom, immediately puts you right at the brink of acceptable performance.

The 200-500’s maximum f-stop (with the TC) is f/8. At f/8, the optical system captures images with noticeable softness and chromatic aberration. Closing down the aperture just by 1/3-stop to f/9 largely compensates for these aberrations and allows the lens to deliver crisp, true color images to the sensor. At f/9, the lens is operating outside Nikon’s official boundary for full AF performance. At f/9, you’ll no longer be able to work in AF-C, 3D mode. That option isn’t even available in the D610’s menu at f/9. However, I’ve been able to get good AF performance in AF-C, 9-point mode, my preferred autofocus setting for dynamic bird and wildlife situations.

A western bluebird sits perched atop a common mullein near the windswept waters of lower Lake Mary in northern Arizona. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor200-500mm f/5.6E at 700mm, f/8, ISO 1600, 1/2000-second)

A western bluebird sits perched atop a common mullein near the windswept waters of lower Lake Mary in northern Arizona. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/8, ISO 1600, 1/2000-second)

The above photo illustrates the price one pays when losing focus even for a moment while doing photography with an f/5.6 (or slower) telephoto and a teleconverter. Again, this photo was made on a bright and sunny afternoon. I shot with the 200-500 and 1.4x TC combo wide open at f/8. Why? It was late in the afternoon. The sun was about an hour from setting, low on the western horizon and not quite as bright as during a midday exposure. Notice the shutter speed of 1/2000-second. That’s for a photo of a perched bird. OK, the bluebirds were flitting from plant-to-plant and not spending more than a few seconds on any one perch. However, when they’re perched, the birds aren’t moving…at least, not nearly as much as when in flight. By shooting at 1/2000-second in late day light, the ISO was jacked up to 1600. I probably could have used a shutter speed of 1/800-to-1/1000-second, which would have cut the ISO to 800 or less.

What saved this exposure was the fact that I’d noticed the western bluebirds flitting about from stalk to stalk and had pre-focused on this stalk, ahead of time. It’s still a cropped final image but at approximately 3350 by 2240 pixels, there’s enough real estate on the camera sensor to mitigate the noise. If this was shot with a 500mm f/4 telephoto and the Nikon 1.4x TC, I could have shot at f/5.6 and kept every other setting the same with the camera selecting and ISO of 800 or lower. Being a professional quality optic, the 500mm f/4 would probably be very sharp even wide open with a TC. With a consumer, telephoto zoom such as the 200-500, the margin for error is much more narrow. You’ve got to pay attention to the details and look for every opportunity to balance that f-stop/shutter speed/ISO triangle in your favor.

A red-tailed hawk launches from atop a Ponderosa Pine along Lake Mary Rd near Flagstaff, Arizona. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E at 700mm, f/9, ISO 720, 1/1600-second)

A red-tailed hawk launches from atop a Ponderosa Pine along Lake Mary Rd near Flagstaff, Arizona. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/9, ISO 720, 1/1600-second)

Here’s an image that’s a product of a collection of lessons learned during my first few weeks of ownership of the TC-14E III 1.4x teleconverter. It’s a photo that was made in good light on a  clear day. The red-tailed hawk was perched atop a Ponderosa pine scanning the nearby shallow water lake. Anticipating the bird would launch within a few minutes (at most) of my arrival, I had selected a shutter speed of 1/1600-second…fast enough to mostly freeze the action of wings flapping but slow enough to catch a bit of motion and convey a hint of the dynamic action. I chose an f-stop of f/9 to noticeably sharpen the resulting image while still putting a bright image on sensor. The combination of these choices resulted in an exposure where the D610 chose an ISO of 720. In my experience, keeping ISO at or below 1000 is essential to producing noise-free images in exposures that will likely be significantly cropped.

After shooting with the TC-14E III on the Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E VR zoom lens for several weeks, I’ve learned the following:

  • The TC-14E III is sharp. Comparing exposures made with the bare 200-500 and exposures made with the combo of the 200-500 and TC at equivalent focal lengths, any differences in image quality are subtle, at most, and only discernible at the pixel level.
  • When shooting at 700mm, I prefer to stop down the combo to f/9. Even the 1/3-stop closure is enough to noticeably improve image quality. Beyond that, IQ does improve up to about f/11. However, the gain is so marginal as to be not worth (in my opinion) the associated loss of quality that comes from using a higher ISO or (for BIF) a slower shutter speed.
  • For best image quality when photographing BIF (a scenario where significant cropping of the resulting image is likely), I target a shutter speed of 1/2000-second but will slow the shutter shutter speed to 1/1000 in low light and will slow the shutter speed to 1/500 for perched birds.
  • I need to continue experimenting with shutter speed. At 1/1000-to-1/1600, the wing motion blur helps convey the dynamic action of flight. It’s not unlike prop blur in photographs of piston engine planes in flight. The prop blur conveys the power of the plane. Wing blur with a sharply focused face communicates the dynamic nature of the bird.
A juvenile bald eagle gazes intently in search of a distant opportunity for a meal or an approaching threat. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/11, ISO 450, 1/800-second)

A juvenile bald eagle gazes intently in search of a distant opportunity for a meal or an approaching threat. (Nikon D610 w/ Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E and TC-14E III at 700mm, f/11, ISO 450, 1/800-second)

I’ll leave you with one last sample image. The 200-500/teleconverter combo is great for perched birds. In good light, I can close the aperture to ensure tack sharp detail, make exposures at relatively slow shutter speeds (under 1/1000-second), and still keep ISO under 1000. These settings deliver excellent detail in a properly focused image.

With all that potential awaiting you, there’s no excuse. Get out and shoot.

Bill Ferris | March 2016

Anticipation

NAU quarterback Chase Cartwright releases a pass toward receiver Ify Umodu

NAU quarterback Chase Cartwright releases a pass toward receiver Ify Umodu. Photograph made with Nikon D610, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC at 200mm f/2.8, ISO 4500, 1/1000-second. (Bill Ferris)

Sports photography is one of those disciplines where there is just no getting around the fact that the gear you need to consistently make great photos is expensive. Scan the sidelines at an NFL game and you’ll find twenty or more photographers. Each brings at least two camera bodies and numerous lenses to the game. Many will be shooting either the Canon 1DX or a Nikon D4s. The two most common lenses are long, fast telephotos: 300mm f/2.8 and 400mm f/2.8. If some conniving super thief were to devise a scheme to steal all that gear, they’d easily walk away with over $1 million in kit.

Why is sports photography so expensive? It all boils down to one thing: speed. The sports photographer needs a fast camera and fast lenses. The top Canon and Nikon professional camera bodies have burst rates in excess of 10 frames per second. In a profession where the job is to capture the defining moment and where the players have world-class size, strength and speed, the difference a tenth of a second can make is astounding. In that brief instant, a player can go from diving for the goal line to fumbling the football. The sports photographer needs a camera capable of capturing that moment.

Because of the speed at which the game is played, a sports photographer needs to use very short exposures to freeze the action. Yes, there are situations where a slow shutter speed can allow you to make an image that perfectly captures the astounding pace of the action. But in most circumstances, the objective is to freeze action. Exposures of 1/1000-second or faster are commonplace. To shoot at 1/1000-second, you need lenses that collect available light in big, slurping gulps.

A 400mm f/2.8 lens drinks light with gusto. It focuses in a blink and follows focus even as the player with the ball is doing everything possible to elude both you and the other team. It also delivers images having a very shallow depth of field. The subject is sharply focused but the background has a pleasing, soft creaminess. This creates separation between the subject and background, making for a better photo.

To shoot at 1/1000-second in an indoor stadium or at night, you need a camera body that makes great images with a minimum of light. To accomplish this demanding task, your camera sensor needs to make clean images at ISO’s of 4000 or higher. While the lighting at professional venues is typically pretty good, the light level at a collegiate venue is often much lower. The light levels at high school football stadiums makes you wonder how the players can find the end zone without using a flashlight. There is no escape from this. If you use longer exposures to allow the sensor time to collect more light at a lower ISO, the athletes will be blurred and the detail lost. Even indoors or at night, the sports photographer needs speed.

This level of performance is unavoidable and it’s not cheap. Are you familiar with the old phrase, “Cheap, fast and good; pick any two.” In sports photography, there is no such thing as cheap…not if you want to make great images.

Having the right equipment is only the start. The most critical tool available to the sports photographer is something that cannot be bought. That critical tool is knowledge and there is no substitute. If you know the game, you have the ability to anticipate where the next play is going. If you can anticipate where the next play is going, you have the opportunity to position yourself, to focus on the right athlete or place on the field and to be there ahead of all the other photographers to capture the decisive moment in the contest.

NAU running back Casey Jahn looks to turn a run north-south

NAU running back Casey Jahn looks to turn a run north-south. Photograph made with Nikon D610, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 3600, 1/1000-second. (Bill Ferris)

I recently had the opportunity to photograph my first NCAA football game. I’ve been a sports fan – particularly football – most of my life and have been working professionally in televised sports coverage for 25 years. In other words, I know the sport and I know what makes for a great sports image.

My photographic equipment can be accurately described as pro-sumer. I shoot with a Nikon D610 digital SLR camera body. Nikon classifies this as an Enthusiast level camera. The 24 megapixel full-frame sensor is among the best available in any digital camera. I’ve shot with it at ISO 6400 and been very pleased with the quality of the images. The 39-point auto focus system is good – not great, just good – and the burst rate is a respectable 6 frames per second. The buffer allows me to shoot at continuous high burst for 2-3 seconds before the camera will start choking on new image files.

Like most of you, I’m on a budget. So, when I made the move to full-frame, I went with third party lenses to maximize both performance and value. The Tamron line of f/2.8 Di VC USD lenses deliver both. I am primarily a landscape photographer who does occasional portraiture. The Tamron glass gives me a range of focal lengths and apertures that meet the needs of both disciplines. Best of all, they deliver excellent image quality at a fraction of the cost of the equivalent Nikon lenses.

I used the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 Di VC USD zoom with my Nikon D610 body to shoot the football game. The D610 was set to aperture priority and I shot at f/2.8 throughout the game. I also used the D610’s auto-ISO feature to configure the camera to use a 1/1000-second  shutter speed and choose the ISO that would allow for the proper exposure. Auto focus was set to AF-C (continuous servo), with 9 central auto focus points selected. I did experiment a bit with offsetting the auto focus points to the left or right (top or bottom when shooting in portrait aspect) but invariably came back to the central auto focus point. I also experimented with the D610’s continuous focus lock setting, ultimately choosing a setting that is slightly more responsive to motion than the default configuration.

The first decision I had to make was where to position myself for the opening kickoff and first offensive series of the game. Now, I am an NAU employee and support my Lumberjack sports teams. That said, Eastern Washington entered the game as the 2nd-ranked team in FCS football. They were 7-1 on the season with their only loss being a 52-59 decision against the Washington Huskies. To be perfectly candid, I expected the Eagles to put up a lot of points against NAU so, I set up at the end of the field where they would be scoring. This decision paid off as Eastern Washington’s first touchdown of the game was scored at that end. Unfortunately, while reviewing the shots I’d made of the play, I realized a corridor labelled, RESTROOMS, was the prominent background element in the images. Note to self: always be aware of your background.

As the 1st quarter progressed, it was clear that NAU had come to play. They weren’t intimidated by Eastern Washington and were gradually building momentum. So when the end of the quarter arrived, I decided to stay at the south end of the field to be in position to capture a Lumberjack touchdown. That proved to be the right decision as, early in the 2nd quarter, NAU quarterback Chase Cartwright hit receiver Beau Gardner in the end zone for the Jacks’ first touchdown of the day. For that score, I was positioned to photograph the celebration with NAU cheerleaders and fans in the background.

Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp skies over NAU defender Marcus Alford to score a touchdown

Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp skies over NAU defender Marcus Alford to score a touchdown. Photograph made with Nikon D610, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC at 90mm, f/2.8, ISO 4500, 1/1000-second. (Bill Ferris)

The Eagles blocked the extra point attempt and the two teams battled to a standstill for the next 8:00 as Eastern Washington held a narrow, 7-6, lead. Sensing that the Eagles were slowly reclaiming the momentum, I hustled to the north end zone to position myself for a possible Eastern Washington score. My instincts paid off as Cooper Kupp found the land of milk and honey on a 14-yard pass from Jordan West. I was positioned at the back corner of the end zone and had a great view of Kupp leaping over the pylon for the score. NAU battled back, scoring two field goals in the final 5:00 of the 2nd quarter to cut the EWU lead to, 14-12. Recognizing the shift in momentum, I moved to the south end of the field and made some nice photographs of Northern Arizona’s final drive of the half.

During halftime, I weighed the question of which team would come out of the locker room having made the correct adjustments. I gambled on NAU and set up at the north end zone. Almost immediately, I was questioning the decision as Eastern Washington marched right down the field. But the Jacks held them to a field goal and, on their next possession, Northern Arizona quarterback Chase Cartwright led the team on a drive that culminated on a 1st & goal from the 3-yard line. Seeing receiver Ify Umodu breaking out to my side of the field, I rolled the dice again, isolating on Umodu on the next play.

As a result, I completely missed a touchdown pass to NAU’s Alex Holmes. In hindsight, I should have continued employing the technique that had been working throughout the day of focusing on the quarterback, reading his body language after the snap and breaking for the receiver on the throw. I also decided I had been over thinking the game since the start of the half. So, I returned to a mode of trusting my gut instinct on where to go for the next series and then being smart about following the development of the play.

NAU's Eddie Horn grabs a handful of facemask to prevent Eastern Washington's Quincy Forte from reaching the end zone

NAU’s Eddie Horn grabs a handful of facemask to prevent Eastern Washington’s Quincy Forte from reaching the end zone. Photograph made with Nikon D610, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC at 112mm, f/2.8, ISO 5600, 1/1000-second. (Bill Ferris)

This strategy paid off on EWU’s next possession. I had gone back to the other end of the field, setting up on the Eastern Washington side. Running back Quincy Forte powered his way to the 1-yard line before being tackled by the face mask. I had a perfect angle on and view of the face mask tackle. On the very next play, Forte forced his way into the end zone right in front of me.

Eastern Washington had a 24-19 lead and the teams battled back-and-forth, trading field goals over the next 15-minutes. It was during the 2nd half that I identified the spot where I wanted to be when the game ended. The location offered two great options for backgrounds. One, was the NAU bench on the opposite side of the field. The other option was the NAU cheerleading squad along the back of the south end zone. Either would make a perfect background, if the Jacks were able to score a late touchdown to win the game.

When the Eagles took possession of the ball with 4:37 on the clock, I sensed a game-clinching score coming and worked my way through the EWU bench to the north end of the field. Facing a 4th & 4 at the Northern Arizona 23 yard line, Eastern Washington burned two timeouts in succession before going for it.  A conversion would have allowed the Eagles to run out the clock but Jordan West’s pass to Cooper Kupp fell incomplete.

The final seconds were setting up exactly as I’d hoped: Northern Arizona had the ball on their own 23 with no timeouts and :47 left on the clock. They needed a touchdown and would have to be aggressive in their play-calling. So, I hustled back to my spot at the south end zone and waited for the magic to happen.

With 12-seconds left in regulation, NAU's Dan Galindo hauls in a Jordan Perry pass to score the game-winning touchdown

With 12-seconds left in regulation, NAU’s Dan Galindo hauls in a Jordan Perry pass to score the game-winning touchdown. Photograph made with Nikon D610, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VC at 70mm, f/2.8, ISO 8063 (Hi 0.3), 1/1000-second. (Bill Ferris)

On NAU’s second play, backup quarterback Jordan Perry completed a toss to Alex Holmes who sprinted 54 yards before going out of bounds at the Eastern Washington 20 yard line. On the next play, Perry took the snap and immediately looked to his left and my side of the end zone. As he cocked his arm and released the ball, I instinctively panned to pick up true freshman Dan Galindo breaking open across the goal line. Galindo was right in front of me as he cradled the ball, rolled across the turf and sprang up in celebration. With :12 left in the game, Galindo had just scored the go-ahead touchdown.

A huge celebration ensued as Galindo was surrounded by teammates. Team mascot, Louie the Lumberjack, even joined in. Cheerleaders and fans were frantic with joy. The Skydome was filled with the roar of fans who knew they were witness to something very special. Northern Arizona was about to defeat the number two team in the country. But there was more work to be done. NAU went for a 2-point conversion and failed. They squib kicked on the kickoff and Eastern Washington’s offense took the field with just :07 remaining. Their final desperation play ended when NAU defensive back Darius Lewis intercepted a backwards lateral and ran with the ball until time expired.

I immediately ran onto the field to capture the bedlam and ecstasy of the win. After making a few exposures with the 70-200, I ran over to my camera bag to exchange the telephoto zoom for the Nikon 16-35mm f/4 VR. I used this wide angle zoom to document the post-game celebration.

Jerome Souers, acknowledges the crowd after the comeback win versus Eastern Washington

Jerome Souers, acknowledges the crowd after the comeback win versus Eastern Washington. Photograph made with Nikon D610, Nikon 16-35mm f/4 VR at 30mm, f/4, ISO 5000, 1/1000-second. (Bill Ferris)

In hindsight, there are two lessons I took from this experience. The first is the importance of knowing the sport you’re shooting. Understanding the game and having the ability to anticipate what will happen next are critical to getting great photos. This is particularly true if you are limited to shooting with a relatively short focal length. (200mm is pretty short for football and other outdoor sports.) The second lesson is the value of choosing a location that allows you the opportunity to make a great photograph. Envision the scenario you would like to capture, go to the best spot for capturing that moment and allow the game to come to you. Of course, there is no guarantee things will play out as you want. That’s where your talent as a photographer comes into play. You’re there to document the event as it happens so, do your best with the cards you’re dealt.

Whatever your sport, whatever your photographic passion, today is a new day. It’s time to get out and shoot.

Bill Ferris | October 2014