High school football playoffs are underway. Before Thanksgiving I traveled to the Alamodome to shoot Lake Travis v. Smithson Valley for the Statesman.
Lake Travis won it’s fifth area championship with a final score of 42-21, and is well on it’s way to yet another state championship. With a score like that, there were lots of opportunities to catch action in the end zone.
For anyone looking for tips on how to capture touch down images, I’d tell you there are two main ingredients.
First, position yourself on the sideline where the action is coming toward you (stand about half way between the goal post and the corner of the field). You’ll have a better chance of catching the players’ faces (though it’s not always the case), and also the goal post won’t block your view.
Second, you have to be lucky. Often there are interceptions or fumbles that are recovered by the other team, followed by an 80-yard run in to the opposite end zone from where you’re standing. There’s not much you can do about that except shell out thousands of dollars for a telescopic lens. Even then, it’s a tough shot. That’s where luck comes in. If you’re lucky, the play will unfold just like it did when you imagined it in your head while you chose your shooting position on the sideline.
During the Lake Travis v. Smithson Valley game, I got lucky. All of the following plays occurred in the end zone.
There were a few more, but those are my favorites.
In the end, Lake Travis celebrated…
and Smithson Valley wept…
but I went home happy with some nice images.
Click here to read Danny Davis’ game story on the Statesman’s web site.