Wednesday, August 30, 2006

What Have I Got Myself Into?

Well, I just got back home from the Albany Herald, meeting my new boss and learning the ropes of my new "job". For anyone out there who doesn't know, I was offered a job doing free lance photography for the Albany Herald - shooting football games. I haven't done a whole lot of sports photography (ok, pretty much have NEVER done any real sports photography) but I'm thinking..Hey, I'm a photographer, how hard can it be?

Well, I think it's hard.

My new boss was telling me this morning, in a very nonchalant manner, "if you can shoot football, you can shoot anything. Football is the hardest sport to shoot." Oh, great.
Then he asks me at what speed my flash syncs to. I reply, "don't really know - I never use it. I don't use flash" (the idea of a natural light photographer is strange to most others in the profession who are all about flashes, strobes, and studio lights). He says to me, "oh...well, you're gonna need it for nighttime football games."
So...my new big fat lens should be here tomorrow and then I'm going with him to a Friday night football game in town to shoot pictures.

With a lens I've never used. (And cost about as much as a down payment on a car).
With a lens that I will have only had in my possession for about 24 hours.
And a flash that I hate. And don't really know how to use.
At a sporting event. Which I've never officially photographed.

And thinking that I'm in WAY over my head and feeling very nervous and unsure of myself. :( sigh.

And here's a random picture that I just thought I'd share. Really, I have no idea what the heck it's supposed to mean.


Maybe this monkey is presenting me with a book: A User's Guide: How To Use New & Unfamiliar Equipment in a Pinch or How To Spontaneously Combust from Nervous Anxiety: Whichever Comes First.

Things aren't looking so good.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You'll do fine... just make sure you get some shots of the despondent losing players on the bench... that's always great.

Anonymous said...

that's a picture of me when I set the toaster on fire with a maladaptive pop-tart. Because flames were shooting out of it, I didn't really know what to do, so I put it on the front porch where hubby found it, still flaming, upon his return from walking the dog.

I can't imagine how much money they would have to pay me to spend friday nights at a football game...

who's stalking whom now.

Anonymous said...

it's a dancing monkey...aren't we all?

Anonymous said...

I"m just thinking since i read this post this morning..but didn't comment on one of the first "Rocky" Christian groups that was SOOOO evil...back in its day..anyway...it was something like....

He didn't bring us this far
to leave us
He didn't teach us to swim

to let us drown
He didn't build His home in us to move away
He didn't lift us up to let us down

Then..I switch and hear a pentacostal preacher screaming in a "state"....IF HE BRINGS YOU TO IT>>>>HE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH IT.

Yah.
I don't know if thats Trite..or IF i like it...

Maybe now that I wrote it...I can GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD!!!

He didn't lift us up...to let us DROWOOOOWWWWNNNNNNN.

Anonymous said...

Halle-LUUUU-jah, sista!

Anonymous said...

You are talented , you will be great. JUST GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW!!!! do you think everytime I see a patient in my office I get the cliff note version of the illness first?....HECK NO!!!!!!!! I JUST WING IT!!!!!!!!!:) And as for the monkey, I will have to get back to you on that.