This past weekend I had my first “professional” photo opportunity. I was actually paid to take action pictures of kids playing soccer at a tournament. My photos would be combined with those taken by 4 other photographers on assignment. As part of the contractual agreement, all photos were property of the company that hired me and I was not able to add any to my portfolio of photos taken that I am proud to display. In light of the recent revealing photos sent by a Congressman, it should be noted that all my photos are G-rated J.
There were 3 challenges for the photographers at this event: 1) 100o temperature, 2) covering 4 games on different fields going on simultaneously, and 3) capturing the “Kodak” moment(s). The first two were quite manageable, while the latter was more difficult. Not all games had a lot of memorable occurrences to shoot during the brief time I had at each field. Nonetheless, I tried to get the best action shots the players would allow me to secure.
Capturing the moment in a photo is a tricky thing. The run, the pass, the tricks, the challenge, the header, the shot, the save or the goal, the reactions and emotions, are all activities that take place at one moment in time…less than a second to record that event on film. A second too late or too soon misses the moment you wanted to capture. And then you have the position of the sun, shadows, positioning and focal length to contend with. This is where the science of photography comes in.
In soccer championship games when the game ends in a tie after regulation time and overtime the game is decided on penalty kicks. Final penalty kicks (PKs) are taken 12 yards from the goal line. Five individuals are selected from each team to attempt to kick the ball past the opposing team’s goalie into the goal. If a team scores 3 goals in this format and the opponent scores nil, or 4 goals to 1 then the match is over and the celebration begins for the team that scored. Otherwise whichever team has the best tally after 5 shots wins. If the teams are still tied after 5 shots, another different 5 players are selected to take PKs. From that point, all it takes is one goal and one miss by the opposing team to claim victory. As you can imagine, after pouring all your physical energy onto the pitch in Texas sized heat, these 12-yard shots are significant and capturing the moment is memorable.
As the photographer I had to make split second decisions. Where do I position myself to take the pictures while remaining sensitive to the shooter and keeper in ensuring that my presence is not a distraction to them - to the side, behind the goal, behind the kicker? What do I want to capture – the shot, the ball in flight, the dive by the keeper, the blocked shot, the ball going in the net, the relief of the shooter who scores, or the self confident bravo of the keeper who stopped the shot, or the pain the shooter endures when missing a shot? Once those 2 decisions are made I take my shot(s). The scene I decide to try to capture is my interpretation of the event. This is where the artistry of photography appears.
I came to the realization that the best format to record the PKs is via video recording. That way you capture everything in real time. In photography you only get one opportunity to capture the moment…and I wonder if I did???
To see some pictures of the tournament go to www.charismaphotography.net and click on the Copa Al Dia link at the top menu bar. Only one age group is loaded at the moment…more to follow.
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