Trying sports photography

The conference we have been organizing since around February was finally done and after almost two months of non-stop work in the office, I finally had the chance to grab my camera again and take some pictures. Watching and taking pictures of Shakeys V-League has long been in my plan and so I checked the Facebook page and saw that UP’s game vs University of Batangas is scheduled at 12:45 pm that Sunday, July 26.  So I went there and bought a ringside ticket. 

The seat I got is relatively ok for taking pictures. I was seated not that far from the net so I can have good framing of the spikers. However, when the game started, UP was in the court to my right. My location then was not ideal if I wanted to take photos of UP spikers so most of the photos I got during the first set were of the players of the other team.

Below are some of the shots I took during the second set.

This was the first time I took photos of a volleyball game and I was still familiarizing myself with it. I was not able to take that much photos because, aside from watching and cheering from time to time (couldn’t help it), I kept on checking whether I got a nice framing or whether my shots were focused correctly. Anticipating the action of the players was not a problem since I know volleyball but still I found it a bit difficult to focus because they move too fast. So although I promised myself I will watch only the first game, I stayed on for the next one: UST vs College of Saint Benilde. UP won against University of Batangas, by the way. 

These next two shots were taken during their warm up.

Here is a picture of the UST team with their coach before the game started.

Meet the team captain.

Now, the second spiker.

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Here, the front row players positioned themselves in preparation for blocking an attack.

UST won in the first set.

I wanted to stay longer and finish the game but I had to leave already. If only I don’t have other things to do I would have stayed for the game of ADMU. When I checked the photos at home, I thought there is still much to be improved like the focus. I can also try shooting from lower box next time.

Japan Study Tour

Last July, I joined a study tour in Japan sponsored by the Japan Foundation with two colleagues (Frieda and Karen) and one professor (Dr. Reyes) from our college. Our first stop was Kyoto, where we visited a nearby Toro archaeological site that was discovered in the 1940s and the museum which features Yayoi artifacts and culture, the era to which the ruins belong.

The first floor of the museum contains replicas of rice granaries and tools used in food preparation during the period. Our professor explained that the rice granaries were very much similar to those found in some parts of Northern Luzon.

The next picture shows how the structure prevented rats from climbing into the granary.

   

This area also allows visitors to somehow experience the kind of life during that era. Visitors can try planting rice and threshing the harvest.

Since I don’t have a tripod, I just looked for a flat surface where I can place my camera and used the timer to take pictures of us four.

It is in the second floor where the artifacts and other archaeological display are located. We’re lucky because we were accompanied by our Japanese professor and she was able to translate the descriptions for us.

The next day, we took the Shinkasen (bullet train) on our way to Shizuoka to participate in the 20^th Young Scholars’ Conference on Philippine Studies at the Shizuoka University. Aside from its speed, another interesting thing about the Shinkansen is the accuracy in its time of arrival and departure.

After the conference, we went back to Kyoto. We had some free time and were able to go around the nearby shopping district. Again, I wish I had a tripod because the place was ideal for night photography because of the lights and it was very safe.

Another thing that is difficult not to notice is how clean the streets are.

The following day, we went to the Kyoto Manga Museum. Visitors, however, are not allowed to use their cameras inside the museum.

Outside is a small cafe with nice drawings by the customers (I assume).

We also visited the Nijo Castle that was built during the Tokugawa period. Again, cameras are not allowed inside.

Adjacent to it is a beautiful garden.

I again set the camera in timer mode and was positioning it on top of a flat surface when a guy volunteered to take our picture. I wish I was able to get his name so I can mention it here.

Then we went to Ginkakuji Temple. It was summer when we were there but it was raining the whole time and it was always gloomy. I wonder how the place would look like when the flowers are in bloom. 

It was a very informative tour and I wish I was able to take more pictures. Like package tours, study tours have fixed itineraries and our schedules were tight and I don’t want to delay everyone so I just took pictures whenever I can.

Watching a “Wushu and Chinese Acrobatic Show” (Practicing AI Servo)

My officemates and I got free tickets to a “Wushu and Chinese Acrobatic Show”. This was held on June 9, in celebration of the 40 years of Philippines-China diplomatic relations. Aside from the opportunity to watch this kind of performance for the first time, this was also my first attempt at using AI Servo. Good thing we learned about the free tickets a week in advance so I had a weekend to practice taking pictures of subjects moving in varying distance from me. So what I did was I went to the ice skating rink in SM Megamall and practiced on the people there.

The bleachers near the rink were a bit crowded that day so I had to squeeze myself in and did not get a very nice spot. Also, one side of the rink was well lit while the other side was not so this affected the exposure. Below are two sample shots.

We arrived early at the venue so there were still many empty seats in front of the stage. This was an advantage especially since I’m only using an 18-135 mm lens, my only lens right now. However, the seats directly facing the stage were reserved for the VIPs and we were on the left side. I thought I’ll just try to take photos from the aisle from time to time. Once seated, I set my camera and checked the exposure. I anticipated fast moving subjects so my shutter speed was set at 1/500 at first and then changed to 1/650 after I noticed some motion blur.

And then the program began after a while. I also took some pictures of the speakers.

The wushu and acrobatic show then followed.

I was not able to take good photos from the aisle by the way since I blocked some of the audience when I stood so I just took photos from my seat.

In these next three photos, I could have used One Shot instead of AI Servo but I decided to stay on the latter because I didn’t want to miss shots and I was not familiar with the sequence of the show.

If you notice, my subjects are usually in the middle of the frame because I’m using center focus point. Again, since I was not familiar with the sequence of the show, I could not move to a different focus point. And from what I’ve researched, you cannot recompose when using AI Servo (comments/corrections are welcome).

After the first part, the Filipino group El Gamma Penumbra performed and many of us transferred to the stairs facing the center of the stage to get a better view. The group performs using silhouette and it is better captured in video than stills so I just skipped this part. But since no one ordered us to go back to our seats, I just stayed there for the remaining parts of the show. Now I could try other angles and take wide shots and it was also easier to take pictures there. 

The show finished at around 10:30 PM. And my colleagues and I haven’t had dinner yet and we were so hungry. But I really enjoyed taking photos. One of the difficulties I encountered was the lighting. I know they change lighting very often during performances like this but I think there are some parts of the show where the tech staff missed some of the lights that should have been lit.