Friday, May 30, 2008

Screaming Light

The light at Wizards stadium was just screaming on Wednesday. I decided to use it to my advantage and get some pics in the paper that we never run. there were certain plays where I wish I'd been in a different location, but I wanted to hold steady on the light. during this time of year, right about 7-8 p.m. the shadows from the stadium overtake the infield, but the pitcher is bathed in a shaft of sunlight while standing on the mound.






I worked the sun as long as I could, and I think I got some nice stuff that might be just plain if not for the light. You work with what you've got, and durinng a long baseball season, something different is ALWAYS good. I could shoot action at second base all day long, but once we get into May, that angle is dead. Time to look for something else.










I'm scheduled to shoot the Detroit Tigers' game against the Cleveland Indians next Sunday, so I'm hoping, weather permitting, the practice shooting different angles and watching the light will pay off then.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Busy couple of weeks

I've been running around like mad the last few weeks, and it doesn't appear likely to change for another few weeks. I suppose there are worse problems to have, considering I'm shooting a ton of events.

I've got a lot of things on the horizon, including finishing my office/studio space. If my work schedule wasn't enough, my youngest sister is getting married in three weeks - on a Saturday when I'm supposed to be in Detroit for a race. So, I'll be photographing the wedding then heading right up to Motown for the LifeLock 400 the next day.

I'm sure I'll make it happen. I just might not get much sleep, but that's really nothing new. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.


May, 25, 2008 - Indianapolis, Ind. - Paul Cunningham of New Portland, New Zealand raises his country's flag, cheering for Scott Dixon after Dixon won the 92nd Indianapolis 500 championship on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo by Chad Ryan




Target-Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon drinks the customary swig of milk after winning the Indy 500 on Sunday.
Photo by Chad Ryan




May, 21, 2008 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Bishop Dwenger's Ashlyn Rang returns a serve during her No. 1 singles match against Canterbury's Claire Liles in Wednesday's Homestead Regional team championship. Rang won the match and will move on to face Homestead's Jade Johnson after the Saints lost in the team competition.
Photo by Chad Ryan




Jaime Camara drives out of the late-afternoon shadows during a practice session on Friday, May 16, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo by Chad Ryan




Scott Dixon heads into turn No. 1 leading Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe during a practice session on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dixon will start Sunday's race on the pole, while Briscoe will start third and fourth, respectively.
Photo by Chad Ryan




Photo by Chad Ryan



Photo by Chad Ryan

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Hodgman goal clip

It's a little choppy. Cut me some slack, my camera only shoots 8.5 frames per second, and this is made of high-res still images.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Komets are Champs again!


Sergei Durdin hoists the Turner Cup after the Fort Wayne Komets beat the Port Huron IceHawks 3-2 in a triple-overtime Game 7 of the Turner Cup finals.
Photo by Chad Ryan


Anyone who is a fan of hockey would have loved to watch last night's Turner Cup finals Game 7 at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. Fans who bought tickets almost got two games for the price of one. The Fort Wayne Komets and the Port Huron IceHawks played a triple-overtime barn burner in front of 10,462 fans. Game start time: 7:30 p.m. Game end time:12:20 a.m. Score Komets 3; Port Huron 2.

You can check out all the stories from Blake Sebring and Elbert Starks and photos from Brian Tombaugh, Michelle Linn and me on News-Sentinel.com.


Fort Wayne's Justin Hodgman picks up a loose puck in front of Port Huron goalie Larry Sterling and buries it in the net at :23 into the third overtime period to win the International Hockey League Turner Cup championship on Monday at Memorial Coliseum.
Photo by Chad Ryan.




The Fort Wayne Komets players empty onto the ice after Justin Hodgman's goal 23 seconds into the third overtime period clinched the Turner Cup.
Photo by Chad Ryan



Port Huron goalie Larry Sterling, left, steers away a wrap-around attempt from the Komets' Matt Reynolds during Monday's Game 7 of the Turner Cup finals.
Photo by Chad Ryan.




Fort Wayne's Dacid Hukalo, center, tries to shield himself as P.C. Drouin and Brent Henly dump bottles of champagne on his head after the Komets won the Turner Cup.
Photo by Chad Ryan




P.C. Drouin, left, rests on teammate Brandon Warner's leg in the locker room after the Komets beat the Port Huron IceHawks in triple overtime of Game 7.
Photo by Chad Ryan

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Internet problems

Alright, so I started a new blog for my Indy 500 coverage for The News-Sentinel. The intention was that I would post photos online live from the track mixed with tidbits of news and other content. Well, that was until I got to IMS and had troubles connecting to the Media Center's Wi-Fi connection.

It was not a good start to the day. If that wasn't enough, I was denied "Over the Wall" access by the track because of security officials' efforts to pare down the number of people allowed onto pit road. On Friday, Danica Patrick hit another driver's pit crew member, who was apparently in street clothes and not actually working, causing multiple injuries to his head and neck. Security blamed extreme pedestrian congestion on pit road, so they clamped down for Saturday.

There are always a lot of people with no business on pit road wandering around, but the best thing to do is eliminate working photographers' access. We pose the real safety threat in every situation - Sarcasm intended. In any case, there were several photographers allowed on pit road, some whom I'd never seen there before. I figured it was time to plead my case.

I talked to the director of the speedway's photo staff, and luckily, he allowed me access. Without it, I was stuck behind countless fans taking pictures with their camera phones for the first round of qualifying. It is nearly impossible to cover Pole Day without this type of access. A photographer could get some pictures with just pit access, but odds of getting "the" shot" are nonexistent.



Tensions remained high, though. At one point, I dropped down to my knees to shoot a low angle photo and I was told by the head of security I couldn't kneel. I'd never heard that rule before, but I complied. After I stood up, said security person pointed me out to the photo director who shouted that I had been given a warning and the next one would result in my expulsion. I was close to the wall and behind two other people. Needless to say, I was beside myself.

Most everyone at the track kneels down to take photos, including IMS official photographers. I figure they should know if a rule exists, considering some of them have covered the race for more years than I've been alive. I went over to apologize to both individuals and explain that I had no idea such a rule existed. Then I was told I was carrying too many cameras (3), as I stood beside two other photographers who each had three cameras.

I was also told I waited in one spot for too long. I was there less than 5 minutes waiting to shoot a photo of Tony Kanaan leaving his stall. Normally, if I'd tried to move along I would have been yelled at for stepping in the way of the car. It was absolutely a no-win situation, and my explanation did nothing to diffuse it, so I cut my losses and moved along. There was not going to be any slack given on this day.


This photo is one example of an image shot from the low angle approach I tried to use when I was reprimanded.

Once it was all over, I got what I needed. The trick to this job is there are ALWAYS going to be issues to overcome, it's just a matter of whether or not you get the pictures. Editors don't want to hear about access restriction, dead batteries, or any other issues that pop up. They have to justify the expense of sending a photographer when there are numerous Associated Press photographers and other wires service shooters there. The fact is I work for an afternoon newspaper in a two-paper town so I absolutely must come back with different, but equally impactful images than the AP from an event. Our morning counterparts get the first crack at wire service photos, so I work extra hard to get different images for our newspaper(hence the kneeling down episode listed above).

I regularly compete against teams of four and five shooters that have better access than I do in most cases, but I'm told I continually get the photos we need that the AP doesn't move. That alone makes my editor want to keep sending me to events despite his bosses' grumblings.

Finally, I made it to the hotel and tried to start uploading content to the new blog when I found out the high speed internet connection there is only marginally faster than dial up. On top of that, Wordpress had been down for a ridiculously long time. So, I wrote to this blog. I'll have some photos up over there soon, so check it out when you get a chance.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Race pix blog


So, it's May, and my entrenchment at Indianapolis Motor Speedway start this week. I'll be covering qualifying on both Saturday and Sunday for The News-Sentinel. In an attempt to get my content out faster, I started a new blog for the newspaper, Up To Speed.

The purpose of the blog is mainly to display photos from the track, but I'll also sneak in some news and possibly video clips as they become available. I'll have Pole Day pix and results posted as soon as I can on Saturday afternoon. After May festivities end att Indy, I'll keep the blog going for the stock car races and NASCAR races I am scheduled to cover. So, if you're a race fan, check out the blog. Send me some race or driver tips about something you'd like to see, and leave a comment if youhave the time.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Quick Pix

Just a couple of pictures from last week that didn't see print. Unfortunately, I didn't do much shooting during the week because I wrote and did some research for upcoming stories, but I did come up with a few decent photos from a couple of assignments.









May is here, and I'll be spending my share of time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The days are long and the work can be hard, but I have come to enjoy covering the race and the activities leading up to it. I'm in the process of putting together an Indy500 photo blog for The News-Sentinel that will be updated with photos and possibly some video every day I spend at the track. When I have it up and running, I will post the link.

As always, I'm available to handle freelance photo assignment requests for your editorial, commercial corporate or stock image needs. Give me a call at (260) 385-9448 to discuss what I can do for you. Thanks to everyone for stopping by to check out my work.

Chad Ryan