Zoe, the oldest of our 13 cats, loves attention, being patted and curling up in front of my chest when I sleep on my side.

... that I wrote.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s16/sh/c427005e-cf39-4b62-83b3-f3c28b396271/d04ef0c792cfbd0341ba6050bb208222

Poudre Canyon Rd, east of The Mishawaka, west of Fort Collins, Colorado.

When I got a Canon 7D Mark in June 2016, I kept the 7D that I had bought in 2010. The 7D is used as a compliment rather than as a backup. It's on my hip with a 28-135 lens for when the basketball and football action is too close for the 70-200 on the Mark II. Sometimes I put on a tripod and take shots with a remote. I'm intending to use it in more ways.

Another:

Here, the left-fielder lost sight of the ball in the combination of nighttime, solid gray clouds, and probably also the first base lights. But, this isn't about the photo. It's about the whole game that is represented by this critical moment.

It was such a thrilling game, despite being smack in the middle of the regular season, that the winning team streamed onto the field and dog-piled in jubilation, as if they'd just won the championship.

I wrote of it back then (July 1, 2011 game):

----

Foxes 2 - Colts 1, all runs scored in the 9th.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Colts
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Foxes

The July 1 game was one of the best games I've ever seen at any level. My photos don't do it justice.

Tight, tense, lots of activity on the bases despite the low score, great catches, loaded bases, a suicide squeeze attempt (out at home!), close calls, hit batsmen, arguments with umps, at least one successful pick-off that I recall (maybe a second), two runners out after oversliding the base, redemption in the bottom of the 9th for the home team after a surprising throwing error on a relatively routine-looking rundown between third and home in the top of that inning looked like it might cost the game. The home team hit two high fly balls in the bottom of the 9th that fielders lost sight of in the gray, nighttime clouds. Those dropped in and were vital to Ft Collins' only runs that evening. Jubilation and pandemonium on the field! Just an awesome game!

Heart-breaker of a loss for a Laramie team and fans who had a 3 hour round-trip for the game.

A group challenge was to edit this inset photo (courtesy of group member Kassmir) in any way we like.

I wrote the following to go along with my submission:

By the grace of her vivid imagination, Angelina Gabriella Ophelia Genevieve Rosalina Sophia Wigglesworth-Frump leisurely eased into her fondest fantasy: an enchanted forest where a resplendent, chiffon gown of glimmering gold adorns her form and chrysanthemums and marigolds are gently cradled in her whisperingly delicate fingers as virginal white doves and festive fairies frolic amidst her aura, bedazzling her windswept hair with a shower of magical pixie dust while she is enraptured by the pure, irresistibly mellifluous siren call of a chorus of harps and angels high aloft in the billowing, puffy clouds of tomorrow -- when suddenly she snaps out of it just in time to drop a perfect drag bunt down the first base line, scoring Kat Brown on a last-inning, suicide squeeze that dashed the playoff hopes of the visiting Xavier Xpress, but was no help out of perpetual, bottom-dwelling purgatory for Wiggglesworth-Frump's Midtown Muckrakers.


Base photo: 1/1000 f/2.8 ISO 3200; Canon 7D, Canon 70-200 2.8
Base runner: 1/640 f/5.6 ISO 640; Canon 7D, Canon 28-135 3.5-5.6

PLDL8384-Edit by Paul, on Flickr


US flag at Spring Canyon Community Park, Fort Collins, Colorado - IMG_3790-95 by Paul, on Flickr

Jimmy Keller, Fort Morgan Mustangs, May 4, 2018 vs Conifer Lobos. - PLDL6912 by Paul, on Flickr

Sunset.


Weld County (Colorado) WCR 78, between WCR 139 and WCR 145 - PLDL7908-Edit by Paul, on Flickr


Southeast of Nunn, Colorado, on CR 98, between HWY 85 and CR 33 - IMG_7844 by Paul, on Flickr

Thanks. FYI, that was in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Sticks.

I also use a 7Dii. For sports, I use it with a Canon 70-200 f/2.8. I also use the 7D I bought in 2010 as a second camera on a Spider camera stirrup belt.

For indoor and night I would use my Canon 50mm f/1.8 on the 7D, but I dropped that a few months ago and it refuses to focus. So, I use the 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 due to the wider angle.

Recommendation 1: use your 70-200 f/2.8 (wide open).

Recommendation 2: consider getting the 50mm. It's $125 new, obviously fast, and well-regarded for the price.

For basketball with the 7Dii and 70-200 I use 1/800 to 1/1000, f/2.8, ISO 2500-3200. However, that SS range produces routinely frozen action. I'm intending to reduce that to get some motion blur. That will help with the ISO, since I'm not happy with the 7d or 7dii higher ISO grain. I use Topaz Degrain filter; err on the side of keeping sharpness vs reducing grain. Of course, the speed of the athletes influences the necessary SS.

Flash at sporting events isn't unheard of, but is highly unlikely to be allowed.

Recommendation 3: don't do as I did and purposely underexpose so you can get a faster shutter and plan to brighten it in post. Grain is worse in the underexposed areas. So, it looks bad when brightened. Try to expose properly in-camera.

Recommendation 4: turn off the image stabilization. At around 1/800-1/1000 it slows down the autofocus and isn't needed at those speeds anyway.

Recommendation 5: reduce your number of focus points. The less work the camera needs to do the more quickly it can focus and take shots.

But, just one point is tough. I typically use center plus the surrounding four. Depends on how close I am and the density of unintended targets. Eg, for football there are too many players getting in the way, so I'll try to use 1. For basketball I'll use fewer at floor level and more to when shooting from the stands for variety. Baseball is far sparser, so I'll use more so I don't focus on the outfield fence when I get really want the runner and the second baseman.

Recc 5 includes using full manual exposure. Or, at least fixed SS and aperture, with ISO floating (perhaps with restricted range that you check on). If you float the ISO you can adjust quickly by changing exposure compensation.

Recc 5 also includes white balance. AWB gives ok results. But, you can again reduce lag (and get better results) by manually setting white balance when you first arrive at the (indoor or night) venue.

Recommendation 6: shoot RAW. More control over WB, grain, and other things.

Recommendation 7: is a consider back button focus. I was hesitant to try it and now I wish I had started sooner. It doesn't take long to get used to. As you get better with it, you'll be able to recognize when the action is happening in perpendicular to you and you won't need to refocus. Plus, there's the main benefit of being able to reframe without losing focus.

Recommendation 8: use a monopod for stability and fatigue relief. Even a cheap one would be much better.

I use it for baseball and football but not for basketball because I'm lens poor regarding mm range and speed. I mostly use the 70-200 and need to turn it vertically for near court action, since my 50mm is out of service and the 28-135 is slow.

Recommendation 9: get as close to the court as you can. For high school boys varsity I can typically sit on the floor at one of the corners. Under the basket is iffy. Ask the refs. It might be ok when no one's at the line.

Scout corners based on traffic: absence of team trainer, local press, cheerleaders, whoever. If after that you it's a bonus if you can check for inconsistent lighting and position yourself accordingly.

Recommendation 10: if physically/healthwise possible, sit in the on the floor so you can aim the camera upward at the athletes. Makes them look bigger / more impressive than if you're looking down at them.

At the risk of charges of “spray and pray”...

Recommendation 11: take lots of shots. I still have the habit from the 80s of being stingy with exposures. I still kick myself for doing pulses of short bursts and missing some interesting action (the runner cartwheeled after the tag!) or a good reaction shot. Limit varies per card speed, buffer size, and photo format (raw vs jpg vs both). Memory cards at reasonable prices are sufficient to keep up with the runs of large raw files that I produce.

Lutheran Lions 60 at Sterling Tigers 72, 2/16/18. - PLDL5279 by Paul, on Flickr

PLDL5212-Edit by Paul, on Flickr

IMG_3971 by Paul, on Flickr

Morgan County, Colorado center pivot sprinkler

center pivot sprinkler rainbow - Morgan County (Colorado) Road AA, between MCR 19 and MCR 2100, NE of Fort Morgan PLDS1394 by Paul, on Flickr