University of Nike comes to Boulder

I had a tough decision Saturday.  Do I cover the #2 University of Nike Ducks take on the Colorado Buffaloes or do I cover the Colorado Rapids take on the Seattle Sounders.  I chose wrong.  While the first quarter of the Buffaloes game made it look like it was going to be a good game, it was not.  The game started at 4:00 pm.  I got to the media room 2 hours before kickoff and outside of the media room where the photographers normally sit, there was absolutely no room.  So, I decided to head into the media room to find a seat.  I set up my computer and made sure my FTP was working, and it was.  I headed down to the field to shoot the Buffaloes as they entered the field, and discovered horrible lighting.  Half the field was in shadows, half in harsh sunlight.  About a 4 stop difference.  Great.  In some locations, it was beautiful light, in others, it was absolutely horrible.  Dang 4pm start.

When the game did start, it was apparent that the Ducks are hustlers.  The Buffs looked good right off the bat, and even took a 10 to 8 lead in the game.  Then Oregon said, “Wow…you guys are doing pretty good….Watch this.” And then rattled off 21 unanswered points before Colorado could add a couple field goals.  The Ducks answered with two more touchdowns before halftime, heading into the locker room leading 43-16.

I head up to the media room, download, caption, and edit my first half photos, and go to transmit.  Remember, I made sure prior to the start of the game that my FTP was working.  When I send the photos, they all failed to transmit.  I try again and again, I double check my settings, and finally ask for a IT guy from CU.  He tells me that the FTP was turned off in the media room at the start of the game?  What?  That seemed weird since photo and some reporters rely on FTP to transmit.  I told him I needed it up by the end of the game, that their was no point in even shooting if I can not get my photos on the wire.  He said he would look into it.

I went down for the second half and it was all Oregon.  Not a lot of action in my areas, and honestly a disappointing game for me.  I head back up to the media room, only to find that the FTP was still not on, and the IT guy was no where to be found.

On the way home, after I finally found a hard line to transmit my photos, I turned on the Rapids and Sounders game, only to hear it was one of the best games of the season for the Rapids, winning the game 5-1 including the second fastest goal in MLS history.

Here is my 10 Shot from the game….and this game really told me I need to do something to upgrade my gear.  My 300 was just not long enough and was not focusing nearly fast enough and my 7D was driving me crazy all game.  My best photo, the first one, came with an older 1D Mark II and 17-40 F4 lens.  Please note, these photos are for MEDIA USE ONLY and must be purchased through NewSport Wire or Corbis Images.  If a photo does not appear through Corbis or NewSport, you must contact me directly to arrange media purchase of the photo.