Last Friday Night HS Football - Vent

I was on assignment for one of the local publication to cover one of the high school football games, which is not uncommon for me during this time of the year. First off I was not having the best shoot and I was struggling with all kinds of technical issues from field lighting to one of my battery packs coming up DOA. Anyways to the heart of my vent. About 10 minutes into the first half some yahoo on the sidelines started yelling and ripping me a new one about professional courtesy and that I crossed his line, which I may have, but I normally watch for that and play was dead at the time as the ball was being re-spotted. I apologized on the spot and told him if I did cross his line it was unintentional, but he kept going off at me. To avoid further confrontation I moved to shooting behind the play instead. At halftime I went and found the guy to apologies again and he turns to me and says, " You know that's OK, I'm just out here for fun." Ugh!!! The way he was going off on me you would have thought he worked for SI for the last 30 years. I am a pretty easy going guy, but man I felt like force feeding him his 70-200. I think my new line is, "You know that's OK I'm just out here trying to make a living." Maybe Nikon guys are a bit more cranky than us Canon shooters....

Thanks for the vent!

nicmo wrote in post #10937404
I was on assignment for one of the local publication to cover one of the high school football games, which is not uncommon for me during this time of the year. First off I was not having the best shoot and I was struggling with all kinds of technical issues from field lighting to one of my battery packs coming up DOA. Anyways to the heart of my vent. About 10 minutes into the first half some yahoo on the sidelines started yelling and ripping me a new one about professional courtesy and that I crossed his line, which I may have, but I normally watch for that and play was dead at the time as the ball was being re-spotted. I apologized on the spot and told him if I did cross his line it was unintentional, but he kept going off at me. To avoid further confrontation I moved to shooting behind the play instead. At halftime I went and found the guy to apologies again and he turns to me and says, " You know that's OK, I'm just out here for fun." Ugh!!! The way he was going off on me you would have thought he worked for SI for the last 30 years. I am a pretty easy going guy, but man I felt like force feeding him his 70-200. I think my new line is, "You know that's OK I'm just out here trying to make a living." Maybe Nikon guys are a bit more cranky than us Canon shooters....

Thanks for the vent!

You should of had him removed from the sidelines! Let the responsible people know that he is preventing you from covering the game properly.

I've found out that sidelines even at a HS game have to be shared with several factions of people all who require an ample amount of space to get his or her job done. Best to always look in all directions before jumping up and moving! Not saying that you didn't, but I'm much more aware of this in my 2nd year of shooting HS football.

dave

snyderman wrote in post #10937928
I've found out that sidelines even at a HS game have to be shared with several factions of people all who require an ample amount of space to get his or her job done. Best to always look in all directions before jumping up and moving! Not saying that you didn't, but I'm much more aware of this in my 2nd year of shooting HS football.

dave

I agree Dave, There can be the Yearbook advisor, Several newspapers and other media people on the sidelies, Not to mention Team support people such as trainers and more coaches than are probably needed, It can get crowded, LOL. But this guy told the OP that he was there "Just for fun"

I spent my Friday night sharing a sideline with 11 different parents with cameras. It was loads of fun. At one point when they were all in the same vicinity I asked if each person was covering a different player.

At least nobody yelled at me thank God!!

I've seen women in lawn chairs on the sidelines with "photographers press passes", tell me I was blocking their view of the game. This was at a D1 NCAA game, none of the 3 women had camera's either.

For football viewing comfort, you can't beat the accommodations brought from home to the field at Sedgwick, Kansas high school. This was placed about 10 yards behind the end line.

Mike R wrote in post #10937878
You should of had him removed from the sidelines! Let the responsible people know that he is preventing you from covering the game properly.

You know that thought did cross my mind.

snyderman wrote in post #10937928
I've found out that sidelines even at a HS game have to be shared with several factions of people all who require an ample amount of space to get his or her job done. Best to always look in all directions before jumping up and moving! Not saying that you didn't, but I'm much more aware of this in my 2nd year of shooting HS football.
dave

I totally agree! This particular night was a crowed mess. The home school had this huge crew working as best I can tell just to run water to the players, which just added to the already crowed sidelines. As for photographers it was just me and this other fellow and one other person doing video (for the same media outlet I was working for), so in that since it wasn’t that crowed. I am normally very conscious of my surroundings when I am shooting and in the 6 years that I have been shooting and covering HS sports I have never had anyone just blast me like this. I admit I am human and I make mistakes and I might have crossed his line on accident, but I got a more distinct feeling that he was just more annoyed that he had to share the sidelines with another photographer and roughly using the same shooting position.

Big K wrote in post #10938809
I spent my Friday night sharing a sideline with 11 different parents with cameras. It was loads of fun. At one point when they were all in the same vicinity I asked if each person was covering a different player.

At least nobody yelled at me thank God!!

11 photogs, that sounds mighty crowed. I usually don’t see those types of numbers until playoffs, then they start cracking down of field passes.

liam5100 wrote in post #10938910
I've seen women in lawn chairs on the sidelines with "photographers press passes", tell me I was blocking their view of the game. This was at a D1 NCAA game, none of the 3 women had camera's either.

LOL… That would have been a site; I think I would have just started laughing.

Zivnuska wrote in post #10940404
For football viewing comfort, you can't beat the accommodations brought from home to the field at Sedgwick, Kansas high school. This was placed about 10 yards behind the end line.

I guess forget the cheap seats... LOL Did they get the task of catching the extra point that direction...

Zivnuska wrote in post #10940404
For football viewing comfort, you can't beat the accommodations brought from home to the field at Sedgwick, Kansas high school. This was placed about 10 yards behind the end line.

Never underestimate the need to be comfortable while shooting football. I would just need like four guys to move this up and down the field with me on it as the action dictated....well that and a plastic cover as the rains will start soon here in the PNW. Okay perhaps a cup holder and thats all I need really.

What? No tray table for your nachos?

Was that couch on the back of a flatbed farm truck?

Wow, 11 for a regular season game? I had the local Universities Press Club show up last Friday night. The Professor/advisor was an awesome guy and kept getting on them for not getting right up to the line and defending their position. He was an AP photographer at one point though so I can see where he was coming from.

I think last Friday night was just a weird night in general. I felt like I couldn't get a focus on anything or get my lighting right at all either. I think the 40 MPH winds might have contributed a little to the miniscule focus abnormalities I was having. I wasn't missing focus, but I wasn't hitting tack sharp either. It was really disheartening when I went through it in post processing...