Some more Football (sorry)... This week's FA Cup action... [Archive]

gmen

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 05:08

Well, for those of you who think that shooting the so-called 'bigger' games is a glamorous affair, here's a tog's eye view of the hole in the ground I have to stand in when shooting at Portman Road, Ipswich.

This is, in fact, on of the 'nicer' holes in the ground and (on a quiet, dry night) can make for a nice, errrr, office...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop000.jpg

The highly-rated Tom Huddlestone in action for Spurs against Cardiff on Wednesday...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop006.jpg

A 'panoramic' view of an Ipswich free-kick against Chester City on Tuesday...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop003.jpg

Spurs players and their fans celebrate a goal during their comfortable win over Cardiff...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop007.jpg

Fabian Wilnis of Ipswich looks in 'determined' mood as he strives to repel a Chester attack...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop004.jpg

'Get your hand off my thigh!"...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop002.jpg

The FA Cup is all about the fans (so the media tells us), so here are a few Chester City fans enjoying the warm-up to their tie on Tuesday night...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop001.jpg

The Cardiff City fans seemed a little less friendly the following evening and the riot police kept a close eye on them...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/facoop005.jpg

Many thanks for looking!

---- Gavin

musicmate

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 05:36

Big Hands

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 05:42

Excellent series Gavin. I aways look forward to seeing your work.

Regards,
Jeff

KIPAX

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 05:43

Glad to see you stick a few fans shots in... I always add fans to my collections online.. if I didn't then no one would visit my site hehe :) and a group of finger pointers are always keepers.... action shots stunning as per :)

crawford

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 05:48

It doesn't matter the sport when the shots are this clean and sharp, nice work.
I think the Chester defender has that look of impending doom as Wilnis moves in.

Alan

gmen

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 05:49

No need to be sorry m8 Superb work Gavin really like the Fabian Wilnis shot. what a life you must lead Ipswich one night White Hartlane the next, I cant imagine just how many miles a week you must do.

Steve.Thanks Steve...

Mileage not too bad for the midweek matches. Only about 150 miles in total for both round-trips from my base in Braintree. I do try to keep within a sensible radius unless the booking pays sufficiently well and/or includes expenses :lol:

---- Gavin

DarrenL

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 06:09

Really great images Gavin, I'd be more than happy with any of those.

Is it usual for stadiums to have 'traps' for the photographers?

Darren

KIPAX

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 06:11

PNE Mike

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 06:15

Gavin, you should never apologise for posting football pictures.;)

I thought the first shot was from a very low position then I read you were in a hole!

Superb pics as usual and as Kipax said, its always good to see a few crowd shots.

Tall_Paul_2000

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 06:46

Absolutely right you should apologise - they're terrible.....................

....................Or not!! :D ;)

Cracking work again there Gav, #5 is the stand out shot of the action ones for me!

You also have captured one of the rarest shots in football. Chester fans singing!!! :lol: :lol:

Sorry the enquiries with the Chester rags didn't pay off - was surprised that they sent someone down there in all honesty!!

Tall_Paul_2000

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 06:47

Oh and what is that on top of the laptop screen shade on the left hand side?

tigerroar

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 08:58

Great shots Gavin, always appreciate you showing them off. The Cardiff fans are animals, they tried to wreck our ground when we played them in the FA Cup in 1989.

DarrenL

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 09:34

Oh and what is that on top of the laptop screen shade on the left hand side?

It looks like a card reader to me Paul, although I may be wrong.

Darren

gmen

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 10:11

Really great images Gavin, I'd be more than happy with any of those.

Is it usual for stadiums to have 'traps' for the photographers?

DarrenCheers Darren... there are a few grounds that have photographer's pits... and they're generally not a pleasant experience. The standing pits at Ipswich aren't too bad... especially when compared to White Hart Lane where you have to sit in very cramped conditions while trying to juggle cameras and laptop. It's hard not to end up with a severe case of backache :lol:

---- Gavin

gmen

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 10:12

It looks like a card reader to me Paul, although I may be wrong.

DarrenGood spot Darren... it is indeed a card reader thingmybob.

---- Gavin

cpo13

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 17:30

Excellent stuff as usual - still giving us all a standard to aim for.

Cheers Darren... there are a few grounds that have photographer's pits... and they're generally not a pleasant experience. The standing pits at Ipswich aren't too bad... especially when compared to White Hart Lane where you have to sit in very cramped conditions while trying to juggle cameras and laptop. It's hard not to end up with a severe case of backache :lol:

---- Gavin

I'm worried about your health - next time you get a call to go to White Hart Lane you need to rest your back and let me go instead:)

Just out of interest - are any of the pits ever too low for good shooting?

Mr B Snappy

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 18:19

They're all very good... except the ones of Ipswich ( or Ipsh** as they're known round here)
Mr B Snappy - Norwich!!!!

LMP

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 18:30

Cracking shots as always Gavin, that pit at Ipswich looks like fun !

compared to White Hart Lane where you have to sit in very cramped conditions while trying to juggle cameras and laptop

Dont forget the mini moat that forms below your feet when it chucks it down :(

ajbalazic

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 18:34

Love the insight into your work/hole! "Get your hand off my thigh!" is a beauty- I love how you've caught them both off the ground mirroring eachother.

LMP

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 18:43

Excellent stuff as usual - still giving us all a standard to aim for.

I'm worried about your health - next time you get a call to go to White Hart Lane you need to rest your back and let me go instead:)

Just out of interest - are any of the pits ever too low for good shooting?

Chris,

WHL is a funny place to shoot at, the 'pit' is built in such a way that there is a ledge that would be ideal to sit on...but you cant, your not allowed. If you sit on the floor in the pit then your too low, unless you have a very long torso all your going to get a shot of is the big screen at the other end. So you need to have something with you to give you that extra 4-5" to sit on that a) makes you comfortable b) makes the stewards happy.. and c) keeps the fans off your back ;) Fortunately there are some odds and sods of blue spongey material you can lay claim to if you get there early and happen to have forgotten your perch.

I did take a shot of it once but cant find it right now :rolleyes:

KIPAX

19th of January 2007 (Fri), 19:09

Sometimes I am jealous of the better facilities.especialy for night time matches ie the lighting... at these big grounds.... but other times I realise how good non-league is... if it starts to pour down.. hailstone maybe... you can go under some terracing... maybe 50-100 foot stretch with no one there... and your still closer to the pitch than at a premiership ground :)

1.am .. off to wycombe at 7am ... anyone else there today?
I am going early as I will pass wembley so gonna call in and take a few pics round the ground.. 250 miles each way I may as well make the most of it :)

Stacas

20th of January 2007 (Sat), 04:30

Great stuff Gavin, and nice to see you take a step back to illustrate your home for the evening! Nice to see the Lightware cover for the 400mm getting around, great value those things! Those pits at ITFC are glorious...if you like moving aside filthy wooden planks with your bare hands, then getting your monopod trapped in between the slats on the floor, and standing in 3" of **** after even just a bit of light drizzle! LOL.

Why doesn't everyone post a pic of their working situation over the weekend...would be interesting to see the range of hospitality and facilities available to us togs! Sale rugby for me today, and Wigan-Everton at the JJB tomorrow...I look forward to seeing everyone's pics!

gmen

20th of January 2007 (Sat), 05:13

It's a night match and the lighting is therefore constant. So how come all the different ISO? If different lenses for close up and far away (200 and 400) then possibly different.. but you seem to ahve used 800, 1250 and 1600.. Other than different lenses I dont get the change of ISO under the same lighting.

Again thinking while I type.. there could be dark areas down the touchlines.,.. but surely you dont change iso as quickly as the ball moves from one are to the other..

hence my puzzlement? :)I don't change ISO on the fly... although I may change shutter speed if the action heads into a dark corner.

I have an aperture/shutter speed combination in mind when I approach a shot (or set of shots) and just use the ISO that gives me that EV. Hope that makes sense.

---- Gavin

gmen

20th of January 2007 (Sat), 05:14

Fortunately there are some odds and sods of blue spongey material you can lay claim to if you get there early and happen to have forgotten your perch.A copy of the Yellow Pages is ideal :lol: but that blue spongey stuff does come in handy... and I did spot a couple of handy breeze blocks on Wednesday...

---- Gavin

TeeJay

20th of January 2007 (Sat), 05:20

Fabulous shots Gavin - and thanks for showing us your "work-station" for the evening.

[What a great idea Simon had if everyone took a pic of their position - make a great thread.]

TJ

nippon24

21st of January 2007 (Sun), 17:14

Great work as ever Gavin! I particularly like the range of shots, even the 'hole in the ground' !
Kenny

Tall_Paul_2000

21st of January 2007 (Sun), 18:40

Well, I figured I may as well kick off the "working conditions post"....

This was my home for Saturday afternoon, not glamourous at all! Sat on the stool and it sank about 5" into the mud.....although that may say more about me than the firmness of the ground!!

At least it didn't have a load of fans behind me throwing bits of sausage at the back of my head - which is what I had to contend with last time I was at Chester City sat in front of the away fans!

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m58/Tall_paul_2000/WorkingConditions.jpg

gmen

22nd of January 2007 (Mon), 03:22

Hackney Marshes on a Sunday morning...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/marshoid001.jpg

---- Gavin

tag141

22nd of January 2007 (Mon), 03:34

Wasn't going to look at this thread but love the pictures, especially the Spurs v Bluebirds. Having been born down the road from White Hart Lane and brought up in Cardiff, these are the two teams I follow mostly. Imagine City in the Premier league !!!

gmen

22nd of January 2007 (Mon), 03:57

bard6817

22nd of January 2007 (Mon), 10:38

Please! Never apologise for taking any pictures of my beloved spurs...

I too was at the game, but as always, from a spectators point of view...

maybe one day..... sigh....

joetothphoto

22nd of January 2007 (Mon), 11:01

Gavin, could you make sure you replace the boards after the match... you left them all over the place! Joking. The pits arent too bad when dry, when wet - they are icky!

LMP

22nd of January 2007 (Mon), 17:55

I came across the pic of the pit at WHL earlier, so here it is....

http://www.valesports.co.uk/whl.jpg

DwightMcCann

25th of January 2007 (Thu), 13:01

Lovely action shots but I like the "backstage" info/images best. :-) I can see that I need to upgrade my laptop, sigh.

DarrenL

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 15:34

Well, here are my working conditions for local Non League football. Not quite as exciting as Gavin's and Paul's!!

Today was my first footie game in almost 2 months as the home games have been called off week after week. I was a bit rusty to say the least. and was also the first time I've sat on the goal line (fancied a change) and I got flattened twice by the forwards! One think I noticed is that it is not possible to cover with just one 300mm! The action gets far too close.

My seat for the first half is just by the Redeye sports sign.I must admit, I think 'Redeye Sports' would be a great name for a sports agency.

http://www.dlactionimages.co.uk/forumimages/workingconditions.jpg

And here is the aftermath of the slide from the first challenge that took my flying off my stool. The slide stopped when we collided!
http://www.dlactionimages.co.uk/forumimages/slide.jpg

The 2nd challenge was worse as I ended up on my neck with stud marks on my jacket!

Great, get me back into a gym.

Darren

PNE Mike

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 16:12

Well, here are my working conditions for local Non League football. Not quite as exciting as Gavin's and Paul's!!

Today was my first footie game in almost 2 months as the home games have been called off week after week. I was a bit rusty to say the least. and was also the first time I've sat on the goal line (fancied a change) and I got flattened twice by the forwards! One think I noticed is that it is not possible to cover with just one 300mm! The action gets far too close.

My seat for the first half is just by the Redeye sports sign.I must admit, I think 'Redeye Sports' would be a great name for a sports agency.

The 2nd challenge was worse as I ended up on my neck with stud marks on my jacket!

Great, get me back into a gym.

Darren

I have shot at worse places than that! One game I was at a couple of months ago, the ground was the softest I have known it and kept having to reposition my stooL. At one point I was concentrating that hard on my shot that didnt realise the back leg of my seat had sunk right in and in a split second had found my self flat on my back on the muddy surface with my lens pointing to the sky!

I also have had load of games called off recently so its been a while for me as well. :(

BrandonSi

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 16:24

Wow great shots.. I think it would've been really interesting to watch you shooting those with that setup.

cgratti

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 21:55

DarrenL

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 04:38

As much as I dont understand the sport, I love this series. I personally think soccer is rather boring but I know there is a huge fllowing everywhere but in the United States. I guess the NFL keeps soccer at bay here, most Americans will agree with me that soccer pales in comparison to American Football over here. Just as our football pales to soccer over there.

Great series.

It's a personal preference, I love footie but can not get into American Football, it's too stop start for me personally, however I know many 10's (if not 100's) millions disagree with me :).

Saying that, I'd love to cover a few High School Football games though.

The following that HS Football brings in is imense, there is nothing in England that can compete on a school level. The crowds just seem so fired up.

Darren

LMP

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 09:55

Had some spare time whilst waiting for some action to come my way with the short lens , so here's a pic of togs working at Upton Park...

http://www.valesports.co.uk/togs_westham.jpg

Tall_Paul_2000

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 09:58

Any reason that so many of them seem to be shooting without the lens hoods on?

joetothphoto

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 10:00

As a courtesy to the guy next to you. It gets in the way.

Tall_Paul_2000

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 10:03

Strangely logical now looking at the pic again!

Thanks Joe!

Rich_claypole

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 11:24

Those pits at West Ham are so bad, not a bad idea but if they are to do that sort of thing the pits need to be at an angle. Was pretty much impossible for me to get any shots of the managers from where I was as other lenses just kept getting in the way. Not too bad if everyone is shooting the same way but as soon as someone decides to shoot something different to everyone else lenses start getting in the way!

Sorry, minor grip, might have had something to do with the rain that day as well!

LMP

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 12:28

Only one pit behind the goal as well, remember to get on 'the list' early on arrival ;)

gmen

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 13:20

Only one pit behind the goal as well, remember to get on 'the list' early on arrival ;):lol: Hope you had a fruitful afternoon Marc... just spotted that your last e-mail ended up spammed by my newly upgraded version of Norton... so apologies for no reply! As you obviously found out, tip up seats are the order of the day!

---- Gavin

Stacas

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 16:25

Or try Anfield where you HAVE to sit on the floor at the Anfield Road end, despite whatever the weather might be, so as not to get in the way of the fans behind! And then, like at Goodison too, you can only wire from OUTSIDE the ground! Ha...the cheek of it!

At least you guys had the joy of seats today...OK, so I was at Blackpool yesterday (easy, very free) but I made it down to the Tough Guy competition today and got absolutely CAKED in mud! For a free peak, check Getty as I think they had a couple there. I'll post some pics when I get round to it! Great fun, but a lot of washing to be done tomorrow!

LMP

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 17:17

you can only wire from OUTSIDE the ground

I heard this about another ground, possibly Bolton ? What's the reasoning behind it ?

LMP

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 17:19

:lol: Hope you had a fruitful afternoon Marc... just spotted that your last e-mail ended up spammed by my newly upgraded version of Norton... so apologies for no reply! As you obviously found out, tip up seats are the order of the day!

---- Gavin

No worries Gavin, I see your man was there as well ;)

Stacas

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 02:15

What's the reasoning behind it ?

Just Liverpool and Everton, as far as I'm aware of Marc. An agency up here pay for the use of the wire rooms at both Anfield and Goodison Park, and thus have the sole privelage of being able to use them to wire...problem is, we don't need wire rooms these days, so that advantage has gone out the window for them, so instead it's been said we simply can't wire from anywhere inside the ground. Pathetic, I know, and God knows how this can be upheld...surely the FA or someone have some sort of power in this situation, givn that THEY are the people who control accreditation from the start!

If you want to, you can pay a huge premium to wire, but most of us dart outside for 5 mins when we get something that needs to go. Bolton's fine, as are most other grounds up here to the best of my knowledge.