Another week has passed and I find myself with a whole bunch of images to sift through. Yesterday I shot a football game in Fair Lawn, NJ; Where the Cutters of Fair Lawn took on the Highlanders of West Milford.
I played football as a freshman in High School, but had to give it up due to the fact that I was fast, but small in my sophomore year...So I stuck to Hockey and Lacrosse where it was OK to be small, as long as you had skills. Being quick was also good when you needed to get away from the rather large defensive players who wanted to crush you... While I was in the Navy, I played Lacrosse at Old Dominion University on a club team and I played Hockey for a mens league in Virginia Beach. I also cycled on a racing team that was started by my Navy Division Officer.
I loved the team environment and being part of something larger than just myself. In every sport I played I was always playing for the good of the team, never for myself. I always seemed to give the puck, the ball away or the race to someone else who had better odds in scoring than myself...Selfless, not really, I was selfish in that I wanted the team to play well together, put the team before self and last but not least, put the team in a position to win.
I see a lot of those same ideals in some, but not all, of the athletes I photograph.
Is it hard watching the sports from the sidelines and not from the bench...Yes.
Does being a good athlete make me a better photographer, I think so. If you understand the dynamics of the sport you are photographing, it makes it easier to focus on where to look for the action.
