PShizzy: The Blog

1/1000th, f/4, ISO 4000, D3s and 200-400 f/4.

Just a quick post. I received my D3s yesterday.  Merry Thanksgiving!

Today I shot the ASU vs U of A game, and it was the perfect storm of circumstances that let me shoot the D3s under several scenarios. The game was in full daylight, then got cloudy, then it started to rain, then hail. Lights were on (even in daytime) and as the clouds and rain and darkness took over, I ran the gamut from Auto everything (ISO, WB, etc) to full manual. I full expected it to outdo the D3 as far as high ISO capability, and it did. Handily.

ISO auto worked as well as it did on the D3. I rarely if ever use Auto WB, but the mix of stadium lighting, mottled sunlight, direct lit to overshadowed field, let’s just say I was hoping Auto WB would do ok. And it did. But just ok.

Oh and weather sealing was excellent. Once it started to rain and hail, I figured I’d test that out. Just in case I asked another long time Nikon user if their weather sealing was any good. He affirmed, and I held steady and shot in the rain. The D3s didn’t skip a beat, but I also had a D3 on my shoulder and that took the rain well also.

I loved the new histogram. You can zoom into a part of an image and it will give you the histogram for that area only.

My full take on the camera and its features will come later on. I’m hoping to shoot at the fringe of available light (12,800 to 25,600 and beyond!), and perhaps shoot a video interview with it. While I can say with confidence that I’m happy with the D3s, I really want to test it out more for a full write up.

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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The Mercury defeated the Sparks 89-80, and now own the best record in the League. With a flurry of games (They stand at 5-1 within the first two weeks of the season), they’re off to a great start, and it seems like the teams gelled already. Cappie Pondexter had 21 points, and Diana Taurasi added 17, but the story was Temeka Johnson, who added 18 points, with 10 in the fourth quarter.

So, uh, why the picture of Lisa Leslie? Because it’s all about  smiles and cries (If you haven’t seen Training Day, go see it). A better way to put it, for those that haven’t seen the movie, is that you need genuine emotion to make a photo work. You’ll always hear people saying things about their images featuring a players face, and that’s true, but beyond that you need a face that shows a genuine emotion. Smiles and cries.

When a player is injured, there’s no hiding it. Leslie took a bad fall and could barely walk off the court (hip injury, out a week). Another example I like is the look of dejection, often happening after a game losing shot or your final game in the regular season or playoffs. With most games, there’s always tomorrow. When there isn’t, it’s a somber feeling.

More after the jump. [Read more →]

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The Mercury stand at 4-1, atop the Western Conference, with their 104-80 win over the Minnesota Lynx. Diana Taurasi put up 28 points, and rookie Dewanna Bonner had a double double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Generally speaking, after a few games, you get a feel for the style of the team (if they have one) and the tendencies, both good and bad. Understanding the team allows us a better opportunity to catch moments, and make some nice photos.

For example, I’m sure that Diana Taurasi has a chip on her shoulder. Was it from not making the playoffs last year? Does she see that perhaps this team has the talent to go far, and wants to display a level of intensity as a standard for her team? I don’t know what the answer is, but I like it so far. Every game has had her reacting to foul calls and non-calls. Every game, she’s been playing very aggressively (which may explain the fouls). I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up MVP and leads the league in technicals.

So what else am I noticing two weeks into the season? More after the jump. [Read more →]

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The Mercury faced the Liberty for the second game of their season, winning 91-84 despite the slow start. Cappie Pondexter put up 26 points, and Diana Taurasi had 21, albeit on 6-15 shooting, in the victory.

Despite the shooting woes, Diana contributed in other ways, grabbing five boards and five assists, as well as two steals and two blocks, rounding out her stats.

When one of the bigger names on the team is having an off game, or even the entire team seems to be in a funk, what do you do? I mean, you gotta show something for being there. So what do you do? Just like players can contribute in other manners, we can look for something other than the usual “player driving to basket” shots.

Read on to for more pics, a gallery, and the type of shots I look for besides the usual peak action. [Read more →]

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Another season of the WNBA season began on Saturday. The Silver Stars came into town, a strong contender after making it into the finals last year (only to be defeated by the Shock). So to kick it off, I tried to get a little bit of everything. I won’t necessarily start backwards, but if you look at the starting image, I’m pretty sure you can tell who won and who lost given Becky Hammon’s expression. Most people like jube shots, I prefer dejection.

So, what else do I try to get when a new season starts? Read on to find out. [Read more →]

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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First, Instant JPEG from RAW has been updated to version 1.1. Added support for new cameras (50D, anyone?) and some bugfixes make it a worthy update. Click on the image to head on over to their site.

Next up, I thought I’d test out a photo gallery. Photoshelter has recently updated their site to offer Flash based photo galleries. I think it’s pretty cool because it’s so easy to set it up. In fact, it’s retroactive, so I can set up a Flash gallery for any galleries I’ve already made. Creating the gallery itself isn’t too hard either, but this has further motivated me. So, I’ll give it a test run after the jump.

Oh, and I’ve been playing with a few D3′s lately. I really like the cameras. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from users over at the FredMiranda forum on a few posts about the D3 and my opinion on it. Link to that after the thread. It’s been a long couple of weeks. Preseason NBA, NCAA and high school football, even a local kids soccer game, plus other non sports shoots (wedding, and two schools) have kept very busy lately. It’s been great to be so busy, but it’s also been time consuming. And of course, it’s my favorite time of the year, with the NBA season finally starting. More after the jump! [Read more →]

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I’m not old school or anything, in fact I’m only 30, but for some reason, whenever I see boxing, I just think it needs to be done in black and white. I’d actually really like to break out this RZ67 I have and get some frames with it. But, for now, what I can do to appease my desire is simply present my work in black and white.

It’s been a good while since I’ve shot boxing, and the scene in Phoenix, even Arizona, just isn’t as strong as it once was. I remember shooting the “retirement” fight for Julio Cesar Chavez (this was actually a tour, as he retired a few times), and even shooting the stunning upset of Sergei Liakhovich by Shannon Briggs, in the very last second of the very last round. The fights themselves weren’t amazing comparatively speaking when you consider the depth of boxing lore. But for a few fights, Phoenix was the place to be.

Back to the point: I love black and white boxing photos. You’re left with fighters and details when you remove the color. Tonality, the contrast of the image, works to great effect with a nice black and white conversion. A couple more photos, a small gallery, and an oldie but goodie link after the jump. [Read more →]

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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After some Friday night hs football action, I had to gear up again for Saturday night, as the #15 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils faced off against the unranked Stanford Cardinals. Stanford, if you recall, ended USC’s 35 home game winning streak last year in one of many upsets last year. Stanford came into town hoping they could revive some of that magic.

Arizona, led by Rudy Carpenter, led the whole way, only letting up slightly when the Cardinals cut the lead to 27-17 before the Sun Devils put up another two touchdowns. Thankfully, despite the score, the game was much more competitive than ASU’s home opener against NAU.

While it’s the same game, there are many differences (besides skill level) between the hs and college games. Yes, if you’ve shoot football, you understand the game, but at the college level, football is an event. So, what are these differences?

[Read more →]

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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