Sidelines

I have been covering a lot of football games lately and the action in the photos is starting to all look the same. It's hard to remember what last week's game shots looked like as I try to get something different from this week's games. Add on to that the fact that I can shoot as many as four games in a weekend and getting a variety of unique sports action shots gets harder. Wandering the sidelines between the Tracy High sophomore and varsity games I did find a different shot and what I think is the best shot I have taken this year. It's not a photo of runner hurtling into the end zone or the battle for a deep pass. The game hadn't even started yet. I found these quiet moments as players prayed before the start of the game.

The rule for a photographer is you always keep your eyes open for a good opportunity but I have to admit I zone out a lot just like everyone else. it's hard being focused on one assignment for four hours or so and waiting for the varsity football game to start I stretched my legs with a trip to the north end of the field where it was a little quieter. teams were getting ready to line up in the end zone for the National Anthem as team captains readied for the mid-field coin toss. Tracy High's Depray Celestine took a moment to kneel on the field and gather his thoughts as he bowed his head. It was one of those quite moments I rarely see among the hoopla and noise of a high school football game so I squeezed off a few frames with the empty field in the background. A moment later he was joined by a teammate and and while the that image is nice I don't think it has the composition and feeling of the lone player. I really think by far it is the most telling football photo I have shot this year. I knew a shot like this would never make the paper so I just kept it for myself.