Mark Buffalo Photography

State Tournament

2010-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

In a Class 2A state tournament game at Carlisle Bison Arena, Hackett beat East Poinsett County 56-54 on a last second shot. Unfortunately, this photo is not it but it the same two people involved in the final play.

I shot this with one Alien Bee B1600 bounced off the ceiling, using at Mark II N and 70-200 2.8.

Long winter

2010-03-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who actually look at my blog, I'm very sorry for not having posted anything since November. Becoming a first-time father last September has been rewarding, challenging and frightening all at the same time. I've been as busy as usual, covering high school sports and some college sports, including the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2 but figuring out how to use my time wisely has been a challenge.

I thought I would throw in a basketball photo that I took last week. I shot this photo with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II N and a 70-200 2.8L lens. It was lighted using two alien bee strobes with the 7 inch reflectors aimed at the top of the key. I used pocket wizards to trigger the flashes. In Cabot's gym, I'm not able to bounce flash like I can when I shoot at Carlisle's new 1500-seat arena. But I'm extremely happy with this shot.

I'll try to do better in the coming weeks.

Mark

Arkansas Razorback football

2009-11-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

It has been a really long time since I've updated my blog and I truly apologize for that, especially to those who actually look at my blog. But my life has been turned upside down since I left for Beijing, China, on Sept. 11, 2009, with my wife Linda and returned home on Sept. 24, 2009, with our daughter, Mary Elisabeth. But things are good. If you want to see some stuff from our trip to China, take a look at our blog at: www.fortheloveofemmy.blogspot.com

On Saturday, I shot the Arkansas-Mississippi State football game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. It was the first time I've shot a college football game for the newspaper on deadline. It was a lot of fun. It was a big time rush to be able to get my work done and have it appear in our daily newspaper in Fort Smith.

I shot the game with my Canon EOS 40D, 70-200 2.8L and a 1.4 extender. One of these days, I'd love to have a 300 2.8L but since I know have a daughter, that might not happen :( Oh well.

Thanks for looking. Let me know what you think

Updates

2009-09-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

As you all may know, I've been extremely busy getting ready for the football season while trying to get ready for a trip to China. If I have some time this weekend, I'll post some pic from the first week of the football season. I had some good shots from scrimmage games last week and had some good stuff from the Cabot-Jacksonville game on Tuesday.

I've got the "Battle of Cabot" on Thursday and Lonoke's season opener with Joe T. Robinson on Friday. This will be the first game without Coach Steelman, who died last May. It will be so different without him on the sidelines, giving me a hard time about everything but I loved that man. He is responsible for me getting married to my wonderful bride and ultimately for me getting a chance to go to China and bring home Mary Elisabeth.

So, for those of you who actually check out my blog, please forgive me. I've had a lot going lately. And if you want to check out the progress of the adoption, check out our family blog at www.fortheloveofemmy.blogspot.com

Mark

We'll be heading to China!!!

2009-07-31T12:42:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of my "new" baby Mary Elisabeth.

We got a call from America World Adoption today and we received our referral acceptance...which means we will be going to China in the middle of September to get Mary Elisabeth!!!

We found out on June 5 that we had been matched up with a little girl named An Qingshu. Her nickname is Yin Ping in the orphanage. The following is an email that we sent out to people back in June.

Linda wrote this email earlier this week! Her mom is feeling better now!

"Today we received a message from America World referring to our position with the adoption. The Chinese Government has pre-approved our adoption. This means that we are closer to referral approval. Referral approval is the final step before travel authorization. Once we reach the RA stage, we can send care packages, etc. to our Mary Elisabeth. The time line for the next step is that we can receive our RA anywhere from 1 month to 3 months from our request to adopt (June 5). Of course this time line is not engraved in stone, but it is definitely cause to praise"

As you can see, it will be a wild time for the next month and a half. Please say a prayer for us. We've got a lot left to do in a short amount of time.

Mark and Linda

All-Star Week

2009-06-27T23:48:00.001-07:00

For the eighth consecutive year, I was able to attend the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star Games in Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas. All games were played in the best facilities in the Southeastern Conference, except for football, which was played at Bentonville, which is the best high school stadium in the state and possibly the second or third best overall in the state behind Razorback Stadium and War Memorial Stadium. I've mainly include photos of the players I cover on a regular basis from Cabot, Lonoke and Carlisle. All were taken with my 40D and 70-200 2.8. Some were taken with a 1.4 TC or 2.0 TC.

Accidental catch in centerfield

2009-06-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Cabot Centennial Bank centerfielder Zach Uhiren caught a fly ball during Class A American Legion baseball action on Friday night at the Brian Wade Conrade Memorial Field.
But it wasn't a typical catch.

Zach sees the ball coming toward him.

Zach is battling the sun.

He turns his head from the ball.

As you can see, the ball is coming toward him and he sticks his glove out but he's not sure where the ball is.

He somehow catches the ball.

The ball almost pops out of his glove.

He manages to hang on.

And after a few more shots, including the umpire getting in my way, Zach shows his surprise.
Even the umpire and the Conway coach asked me if I got the photo and I was proud to say that I had.
Normally, I like to run faces but if I had his face the entire time, I wouldn't have gotten the shot in this way. I'll probably run a series of shots in this week's Star-Herald.
All photos were shot with a Canon EOS 40D DSLR, 70-200 2.8L lens with a 1.4 Series I extender. I'd love to shoot with a 300 but this setup still does pretty well.
thanks for looking
Mark

Morgan and Timothy Engagement

2009-06-03T23:55:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, May 31, I shot engagement portraits for Morgan and Timothy. We started at the Terry House, where their wedding will take place but the grounds were locked, so we went to the Arkansas Arts Center and made some good portraits there, despite all the bright sunlight.

After shooting there, we went to the River Market District and the Riverfront Ampitheatre and shot some really good stuff.

I had a lot of fun and think the photos turned out great. I've known Morgan for 10 years as she is the daughter of my wife's best friend when she was growing up. Morgan is also my niece's first cousin so I felt like they trusted me. I look forward to shooting the wedding on Aug. 1

Goodbye Coach Steelman

2009-05-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

On Friday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Lonoke High School and the Jackrabbit family, which I'm an adopted member of, lost one of its greatest heroes. Hal Steelman, lost his battle with diabetes after losing both his legs more than 10 years ago.

Hal was an inspiration to all those who knew him personally or knew of him. He was a coach at Lonoke for 19 years and was still coaching girls track at their conference meet just 8 days before he passed. He was an amazing man and his legacy will live on forever!

Safe or out?

2009-04-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Cabot's Ty Steele tags out a North Little Rock baserunner during the Panthers' 2-0 win over the Charging Wildcats on Tuesday at Vince DeSalvo Stadium at DeJanis Field.

The picture was taken with a Canon 40D and 70-200 2.8L and a 1.4 extender. This is definitely the top baseball photo I've taken this year.

Sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been through some medical tests, including two CT scans and a biopsy and with the grace of God everything is good to go.

Remote work

2009-03-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

When I got a set of Pocketwizards off Ebay last summer, I was wanting to set up a remote camera. I did it once with volleyball last fall and this past Saturday, I set up a baseball remote.

I used my Canon EOS 20D and old 80-200 2.8L as the lens. It won't autofocus anymore but is perfect for this setup.

It was raining that day, so I put a trash bag over the camera and PW. I sat in the stands and got this photo, which ran six columns in this week's Carlisle Independent.

The second and third pictures were taken at the same time. The third photo was the remote camera triggered by the PW on my handheld camera, the secopnd photo. It was taken with a Canon EOS 40D, 70-200 2.8L and a 1.4 TC

I was very pleased with my first effort at a baseball remote. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

State finals

2009-03-20T10:21:00.001-07:00

The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits lost to Shiloh Christian 51-45 in the Class 4A state title game on Thursday, March 12. It was Lonoke's third consecutive loss in the title game.
The photos were all taken with a Canon EOS 40D and a 70-200 2.8L lens at available light. Summit Arena in Hot Springs has some really bright lights!

not WWE, WWF, NWA or WCW or Mid-South

2009-01-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

I got my first taste of shooting high school wrestling on Saturday at the Cabot North Arena. It was the first time I had ever witnessed any type of amateur wrestling in person and I must say, I loved it. I wasn't feeling well so I left early but I got some good shots, I think.
The lights in the gym aren't bad so I started out shooting with a 100 2.0 lens at 3200 ISO on the 40D. I was shooting at 1/400 of sec but I felt like I was limited with the 100 mm focal length. Other photographers, like my buddy Bryen Ford, suggested using the strobe and I had contacted by Cabot coach and he told me I could do "whatever I wanted." But after shooting HS bball on Friday, I left my synch cord for the pocketwizard on the ledge at Carlisle's Raymond H. Brown Gymnasium. So, that was out.
I put my 430 EX flash on my camera, set it at 1600 ISO and decided to try to bounce it off the high ceiling. I was pleasantly suprised by the results. One thing I've got to learn is to be patient with that setup. It is the same deal as shooting with the Alien Bee B400. You have to shoot basically one frame at a time and not blast away like I would when it is direct on-camera flash.
I hope to shoot more wrestling later on this season, probably at the state finals. Let me know what you think.
Mark

with flash

without flash at 3200 ISO

Without flash at 3200 ISO

With flash

With flash

Latest work

2009-01-10T20:32:00.001-08:00

Here is selection of pictures from work in the last week. Some where shot with an Alien Bee B400, some were shot available light and some where shot with on-camera flash.

Arkansas Razorback basketball

2009-01-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

I shot the Arkansas Razorbacks' basketball game with North Texas at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. The Hogs won the game, pulling away in the second half but they did trail at halftime. Maybe it was a bit of a hangover after beating No. 4 Oklahoma on Tuesday of this week.
Michael Washington is a beast. Courtney Fortson is for real. Marcus Monk is a difference maker and John Pelphrey is the man. It was the first time I've ever seen him in person and he would be worth the price of admission. He even got a technical today. It was fun.
Now the Hogs play Texas in Fayetteville next week. It will be the first time the Horns have played in Fayetteville since Nolan and May-Day beat Sweet Tom and BMW in 1991 at Barnhill Arena and I was there and it ruled.
My shots were all that great today but I had a good time. Let me know what you think.
Mark

Strobed basketball

2008-12-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

The Lonoke Jackrabbits basketball team opened the 2009 season on Monday night then played DeWitt in their conference opener on Tuesday. The 2008 Lonoke team, which won the Class 4A state title, http://markbuffalo.blogspot.com/2008/03/state-champs-1.html was honored prior to the start of the game.

Most of the time, I shoot baskeball with the 70-200 2.8L but I tried something different by using a 16-35 2.8L lens from the corner of the court. I had the Alien Bee B400 mounted in the ceiling. I used a set of PocketWizard Plus II to trigger the flash. I was able to get some good stuff with the wide zoom and I will probably try it again sometime.

(Canon EOS 40D, 16-35 2.8L zoom, 430EX flash

(Canon EOS 40D, 70-200 2.8L, Alien Bee B400 with PW Plus II)

(Canon EOS 40D, 16-35 2.8L, AB B400)

(Canon 40D, 70-200 2.8L, AB B400)

(Canon 40D, 16-35 2.8L, AB 400)
I ran this picture in the Lonoke Democrat this week at six columns wide

Har-Ber 21, Cabot 17

2008-11-21T22:31:00.001-08:00

The Har-Ber Wildcats rallied from a 17-7 deficit to beat the Cabot Panthers 21-17 in the second round of the Class 7A state playoffs on Friday night.
And it was cold...freakin cold. This was the coldest football game I've covered in several years.
I was disappointed to see my team Cabot come up short. I think a lot of those kids... they deserve all the accolades they get. but now I get to see my alma mater, Carlisle, play in the playoffs next week at Bigelow.

Cabot's Spencer Neumann returns a kick against Har-Ber

Har-Ber scores the game-winning touchdown against Cabot.
Both photos were shot with Canon 40D, 70-200 2.8L, 430EX flash set a 1/16 power. Camera was at 1600 ISO, 1/250 sec. at 2.8.

Overdue update

2008-11-14T22:56:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a month since I posted an update. I have been very busy with football and now basketball is starting up. I shot two nights of basketball then had to worry about rain for football on Friday night.
On Wednesday, I had three Cabot kids sign national letters of intent. During the ceremony, the shutter went out on my Canon EOS 40D camera. I called Canon, overnighted it there that afternoon and got it back on Friday afternoon, just in time for the football game and rain.

Carlisle's Monie Cohen goes up for a shot against Bald Knob. It was shot with the 40D and an Alien Bee B400 aimed at the top of the key. I used PW Plus II

Same setup as the first shot.

Carlisle opened the playoffs with a 35-8 win over McCrory. As you can see, it was raining and it was annoying. I set the camera on 3200 ISO, 1/250 sec at 2.8 on my 70-200 lens. It wasn't ideal but I didn't want to use the flash since I had forgotten my poncho that I use for my flash setup. But the photo will be usuable for the paper and I kept my camera dry!

Bison vs. Des Arc

2008-10-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

The Carlisle Bison lost its first game of the season on Friday as the Des Arc Eagles won 16-12. As most of you know, I cover Cabot, Lonoke and Carlisle and it really stinks that the two best games I've been to this year, both Cabot and Carlisle lost!

This should have been a sign

Photos from Sept. 9-12

2008-09-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

After getting to shoot the Razorbacks with Nelson's lens on Sept. 6, I had a variety of assignments the following week. I shot high school football, tennis, volleyball and jr. high football. I also shot some Minor League Baseball. It was just not the same using my 70-200 and a 1.4 extender after using the 300!
I also got a new 430EX flash and it is a big step up from the 420EX and the Sigma flash I was using. The sigma did have manual and the 430EX does as well. You can tell which pics were flashed and I'm trying to the hang of using manual or E-TTL. It is a great flash.

I used the 430EX here and I think I had it on manual and I was too close and it is a big hot but I still think it is my best high school shot this year. The pic is going to run 4 1/2 columns in this week's Carlisle paper

Normally, when I shoot volleyball, I use my Alien Bee B400 flash and the pocketwizards but I didn't have time to set the flash up and tear it down before going to a jr. high football game. So, I shot with with the 430EX and it looks pretty good.

Same as above!

This is Hank Conger of the Arkansas Travelers -- a AA minor league team, which was hosting the Texas League Championship Series on Sept. 10. It was the first baseball I had shot since my mother died on July 28 so I was a bit rusty.

This was shot with the 70-200 2.8 and a 1.4 extender. I enjoy tennis but getting a clean background can be a challenge because of matches going on on other courts and there is no wind screen. Luckily, this match was being played on the end court so you can see cars in the background but they are blurred out pretty well.

I got this shot with the 70-200 and the 430EX flash. Not bad. It is one of the better shots I've taken this year. The defender was called for pass interference but the reciever held on for the ball anyway.

I'm going to try to update with a few new photos each week. That is my goal--at least.

Mark

The Hogs pull one out

2008-09-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

The Arkansas Razorbacks rallied from a 24-6 deficit to beat ULM 28-27 on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. I shot the game using a 40D and 20D along with a 300 2.8L USM lens that I borrowed from the greatest photographer in the world -- Nelson Chenault. It was only the second time I had used a 300 and it was the first time I got to use it for more than a quarter. It was difficult to say the least, the learning curve is very high but I had a lot of fun doing it.

40D, 300 2.8L

40D and 70-200 2.8L

40D and 300 2.8L

40D and 300 2.8L (I hate the crown in the field)

40D and 300 2.8L

40D and 300 2.8L

I had to include the band!

40D and 300 2.8L

Thanks again to Nelson for his lens and the use of it. With all that had been going on with my family and the loss of my mom, it was fun to shoot again, especially since I was using Nelson's lens and it was my alma mater.

Mark

Lonoke Season Opener

2008-09-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

For the first time since Cabot played in the state title game in 2000, I was able to shoot varsity football in the daytime and it was a pleasure to do so. I would have liked it to have been a little brighter but we, in Arkansas, were getting ready for the remnants of Gustav.

I shot more than 1,100 pics during the game, including pregame and halftime. I used my 1.4 extender during the first half and took it off in the second half when it started getting a bit darker but it was good to not have to worry about a flash. I'm one that if I can get something good at 3,200 ISO, I'll do it and not worry about using a flash.

The Lonoke Jackrabbits played the first game of the Arkansas high school football season on Monday in the Hootens.com kickoff classic at UAPB. The Jackrabbits won 35-20.

All photos were shot with the 40D, 70-200 2.8L and a 1.4 extender. It was fun to finally shoot a real football game.

Mark

Football, volleyball

2008-08-31T23:25:00.001-07:00

The high school sports seasons are about to get going in a big way. Last week, I covered three scrimmage football games and a volleyball game.

On Friday night, I shot high school and jr. high football scrimmages. The shot of the receiver catching the ball was from jr. high. I shot it with a 40D, 70-200 2.8L-non IS and a 1.4 extender series I. I was happy with the shot.

The other was taken with the same setup minus the extender and added in a flash on 1/16 manual power. Not bad but I'm out of practice trying to shoot nighttime football with a flash. I hope things get better this week!

I got to the Cabot High School gym and had set up my Alien Bee B400 flash and was going to use my "new" pocketwizards but when I was changing things around in my bags, I forgot to get the cord to connect the PW to the flash. I had time and I called radio shack in Cabot and went and bought one but when I got back to the gym and hooked it up, the dang thing didn't work. I was scared something was wrong with the flash or the PW. Luckily, I hooked it up when I got home and it was all good. I've just got to take that other cord back. So, I had to shoot the pic above with on-camera flash b/c the light in the CHS gym is horrid, or not existant.

Sorry the layout isn't the greatest either. I'm trying to get more creative with the blog and it isn't working! I'll continue to work on it.

Real football...almost

2008-08-25T22:11:00.001-07:00

The Cabot Panthers, the No. 2 in Class 7A in Arkansas, hosted Lake Hamilton in a scrimmage game on Monday. It was fun to finally watch and shoot "real" football and not practice.

This was shot with a 40D, 70-200 2.8L and a 1.4 series I extender. All football games should be played in the daytime or at least with good lights.

Getting back to work

2008-08-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

I finally went back to work on Friday after taking some time off following the passing and funeral of my mom-coworker-boss-best friend, Rose Mary.

It is taking some time and I'm still very emotional, especially when something comes up where I'd normally get on the phone and call Mom. I know it will get better. I just hope it comes soon.

This is a pic from Carlisle's football practice on Friday. It isn't much but it was good to shoot something for the first time in two weeks.

Mom column

2008-08-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is a column that I wrote for the Cabot Star-Herald, Lonoke Democrat and Carlisle Independent this week. It is about my mother.

My mom was/ a special person

By Mark Buffalo
sports editor

As I sit here typing away at the computer, I’m full of mixed emotions when it comes to my mother. All of you all know her as Rose Mary Buffalo. Some of you know her as a friend or as the editor of the newspaper, as as the face of the newspaper and the town of Carlisle.
But to me, Mom is more than that. She is my hero, the one who took care of me when I was young and sick. Mom was the one I could always talk to even when I knew she might be disappointed or mad at me. Mom is the one I could always count on all my life.
I’m writing this on July 13. Most of you all know that Mom was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago. This has been a difficult time for our family. Work was difficult for me and my brother and sister. We’ve always been a close family but they lived about two hours away but always wanted to move back closer to Carlisle and Central Arkansas. In fact, as most of you know, my brother Jonathan moved back to Carlisle where he is a coach at our alma mater.
Mom was a homemaker until going to work at Wal-Mart in Lonoke in 1986. She worked her way up to assistant manager then wanted to take a step back. I had interned at the newspapers in Cabot, Lonoke and Carlisle during the summers of 1992 and 1994 and my mentor and editor Bill Rutherford hired me fulltime in the summer of 1995 but that was three months after they hired my mom as editor/salesperson/office manager/general flunkie for the Carlisle Independent. When owner Cone Magie asked Mom if she had a degree in journalism, she said, “I paid for one,” referring to my college degree.
So, For the past 13 years, I’ve been able to work with Mom but that almost came to an end in 1996 when I decided newspaper work wasn’t for me and I turned in my letter of resignation. But I had a change of heart and asked the Magies if I could work parttime and they agreed. A year later, our sports editor for the Cabot and Lonoke papers left and the Magies offered me the job. After waiting a bit while working as the interim sports editor, I took the job fulltime. That afforded me the chance to continue to work with Mom.
Slowly, she and I did all the paper together. Back then, I would draw out what the front page would look like and our composition director Wes Kyle would put it together using wax and a paste-up board. In 1999, our newspapers went to designing pages on the computer and that gave us more control of how the paper should look. Mom had a feel for what the people of Carlisle wanted in a newspaper and the types of stories that would interest a majority of our town.
During our work together, we even delivered the paper around town to the various businesses. When Mom got sick last year, that burden fell upon me totallly until our new owners, Stephens Media, allowed our circulation manager Gary Ford to hire a carrier around Thanksgiving 2007.
The paper was printed in Cabot until the fall of 2006. During the time it was printed in Cabot, Mom would be always standing by the press, making sure the paper looked as good as possible before telling our pressmen that it was okay to save copies. That was especially handy after we started running process color on a regular basis. She wanted to make sure that the people of Carlisle had the absolute best product possible. She took pride in what she did.
I’m working on this column again on July 27 and two days ago, it was decided to have Mom use hospice care. I don’t want to go into this too much because I’m sure Mom will see this story and let me know about it in the future. I’m counting on it.
I just want to tell everyone that my Mom loved her job and the people of Carlisle even if, at one point, she was an outsider but she married a Carlisle boy, had three Carlisle children and eventually became a Carlisle HIgh School Honorary Alumnus. That was one of her biggest honors. She deserved it.
So, please, remember my mother fondly. When you think about her, I hope a smile comes to your face. Even through the tears right now, thinking about my Mom brings a smile to mine!

My Mom, 12/25/46-7/28/08

2008-07-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

My mother, Rose Mary, lost her year-long battle with cancer on Monday. I've written a column that will run in the newspaper this week and after it runs, I'll post it on the blog.
Please pray for my family. It is going to be a rough time for us all.

Mom, I love you and will miss you. You are my tag-team partner at the Carlisle paper and always will be.

Mark

Baseball

2008-07-09T23:42:00.001-07:00

Well, football season will be here soon so I wanted to show a few of my favorite baseball shots from the last two weeks.

They were all shot with a 40D and 70-200 2.8 with a 1.4 extender. Unfortunately, I shot all these pics rather loose so I had to crop but with the 10MP camera, it is semi-easy to do. I'd almost kill for a 300 2.8 but most of $$$ is going towards our adoption, except for the Pocketwizards I got on Ebay three weeks ago...but still haven't gotten. Thanks UPS

The first shot is in the top 3 of my all-time favorite baseball shots. I was sitting in a chair on the third base side next to the coaches and sorta lucked into the shot.

All-Star Games

2008-06-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

I recently shot the Arkansas High School All-Star games at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. It was a lot of fun shooting sports in Bud Walton Arena, Reynolds Razorback Stadium and Baum Stadium -- three of the best facilities in the SEC and the NCAA for that matter.

I also got to visit with some old friends and meet some new ones like Jason I and Sarah B.

Thanks for looking.

spring high school football

2008-05-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

The Carlisle Bison Class 2A football team held its annual spring game on Friday night. Carlisle is the only school that I cover that held a public scrimmage. It was a lot of fun shooting football other than regular spring practice. It is fun getting to see the players put on the jerseys even if they are the old ones that haven't been used in game situations in more than 5 years.
I used my Canon EOS 40D and a 70-200 2.8L non-IS lens with a 1.4 extender. The game started at 6 p.m. so I didn't have to use a flash. It was overcast so I think I was using 1250 ISO most of the time.
I can't wait for September to get here for junior high and high school regular-season action.

Mark

Climbing the ladder of success

2008-05-11T21:22:00.001-07:00

Photographer Andy Shupe of shupepartyofone.blogspot.com stands on a ladder while shooting the Class 7A state softball tournament in Russellville on Saturday. We were told, for the second year in a row, that photographers couldn't be on the field and that the Ark. Activities Association had a rule for safety sake.

Well, I guess the lower classifications, like 2A baseball, for the second year in a row, didn't mind b/c they wanted all the publicity they could get. I did, however, bring a short stool and was able to shoot over the fence. Andy was able to get a ladder from the Russellville AD. That is why Andy rocks! and he needs to join sportsshooter.com too.

Mark

The Golden Bear

2008-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

On Monday, May 5, I was fortunate enough to shoot the Jackson T. Stephens Charitable Golf Tournament kids clinic and golfing legend Jack Nicklaus was there to conduct the clinic.
Getting to see the Golden Bear was one of the highlights of my career. I was just glad that Tiger and his caddie Steve Williams (not to be confused with Dr. Death Steve Williams) wasn't there! ha ha

spring sports

2008-04-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is my first post in a while (at the urging of Marc Henning!).

I've been busy with trying to get the paper out each week, going to the new office in downtown Little Rock on Tuesdays while also covering sports in Cabot, Lonoke and Carlisle. It can be difficult to do a 16 page paper on Tuesdays (minus 4 classified pages and the editorial page -- thanks Jesse and Geoff) then do three sports pages in Lonoke and Cabot each week.

All the photos were shot with the 40D and 70-200 2.8. The pitcher I used a 1.4 TC. I was pretty proud of these photos, which all ran in the paper this past week.

Mark

Soccer

2008-03-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time for spring sports since basketball is over :( Oh well, I shot this soccer pic with a 70-200 and either 2x or 1.4. I can't remember which one but it turned out pretty good.
Too bad I'm not in Atlanta watching the Hogs like the Lonoke boys coach and In the Loupe boy Marc F. Henning.
go Hogs.

State Champs #1

2008-03-07T19:45:00.001-08:00

I shot and covered the Ark. Class 4A state basketball championship at Summit Arena in Hot Springs on Thursday. The Lonoke Jackrabbits beat Hamburg 47-42 to win their fifth state title but first since 2000.
I got some decent shots. All the action shots were shot with available light while a couple of the celebration shots, I used a flash.

Going to the 'Ship!

2008-03-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

The Carlisle Lady Bison, the defending Class 2A State Champions, beat Danville on Saturday night to advance to this year's title game, where they will play fellow conference member Augusta at Summitt Arena in Hot Springs.

Here are a couple of photos from the game! Let me know what you think.

Mark

7A State Tourney

2008-02-27T16:39:00.001-08:00

I shot the Class 7A state tourney in Conway on Wednesday. All shots were available light at 3200 ISO and 2.8. The lights in the new arena in Conway are pretty good....a heck of a lot better than any of my home gyms

1/2 a game

2008-02-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

Cabot and North Little Rock played a half of girls basketball on Tuesday. The game was called at halftime because of the violent storms which hit Arkansas and caused lots of damage and killed a few people.

I was able to get a really good shot of Cabot's Jenna Bailey getting fouled by NLR's Malaya Leggs. Bailey hit the shot for a three-point play. I shot the pic with a Canon 40D and Alien Bee B400. 1/250 sec, F 4.5 at 650 ISO. I was extremely happy with the shot.

HS Wrestling

2008-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

I shot my first amateur wrestling and I really didn't know what I was doing. Luckily, it was only practice for Cabot HS and I had some decent images. It was also the first time I had used my Canon EOS 40D, which rules! I love WWE wrestling but these kids are working hard in learning the rules and techniques for wrestling.

New update, finally

2007-12-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

At the "urging" of fellow coworker Marc Henning, I decided to put up some pics from last week.

I shot a basketball game on Thursday, Nov. 29. I used an Alien Bee B400 with direct flash. There was no way to bounce in that gym. On Nov. 30, I shot the Carlisle-Mount Ida Class 2A state semifinal football game. Carlisle is my alma mater and they came up two points short, which really stinks because I was looking forward to going to the state title game at War Memorial Stadium.

Also, one reason I haven't updated in a while is that I've been doing extra duty at work with my mom not feeling well with her cancer, then she fell a month ago and did three weeks of rehab. Luckily, we got the Carlisle paper each week. I don't know how but we did.

Let me know what you all think.

Mark

Football, football and football

2007-09-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks with football games, homecoming events, and of course, more football. I've had some good luck with my action shots lately after reading and re-reading Scott Varley's article on flash football. Most of the time, I'm using my Sigma flash on 1/16 power and the camera on either 800 or 1600 ISO. (I'd love to get a 30D, 40D or Mark II so I can use 1250 ISO). I do, however, get some overexposed photos when the play comes to the sideline but I'm sure all photographers get that at some point or another.

On Friday night, I covered the Lonoke Jackrabbits as they scored 31 unanswered points in the second half to win 45-14. Lonoke quarterback Rollins Elam, #10, passed for 443 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 2 touchdowns. Lonoke receiver Clarence Harris (1) caught 14 passes for more than 200 yards. He even ran some plays at quarterback, ala Darren McFadden of the Razorbacks. On the photo near the pylon, Harris was trying to score on a two-point conversion but he stepped out of bounds before diving to the end zone. On one photo, he tried to catch the ball but was interferred with by a Bald Knob defender. He still almost caught it.

Several other photos include shots from Cabot's win over Conway on Sept. 28 and one from the Junior Bison's win over Palestine-Wheatley this past Thursday. With all these games, I'm also keeping notes and stats so I can write stories for my newspapers -- the Cabot Star-Herald, Lonoke Democrat and Carlisle Independent. So, I'm multi-tasking!

Mark

Variety of sports pics

2007-09-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

The last week has been a fun one. I missed my first ever high school football game because I was sick on Friday. I shot some volleyball and tennis and jr. high football as well as an NCAA Division I-AA game in which Don Chapman broke Tennesse-Martin's all-time rushing record.
For the NCAA photo, I was shooting with my 20D, 70-200 2.8L and 2X on 3200 ISO. Chapman was only 10 yards coming into the game and I was hoping to get the shot early so that I wouldn't have to shoot 3200. The game started at 6 p.m. and he didn't break the record until after 7 and it was starting to get dark. In fact, after dark under the lights at 2.8, I still had to shoot 3200 to even get a good shutter speed.
The junior high football pics are okay but nothing outstanding. The tennis was shot on Monday and I had some decent stuff but nothing award winning. I'm also including one volleyball pic shot with an Alien Bee B400. Let me know what you all think.

Lonoke vs. Beebe 9-7-07

2007-09-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

The Lonoke Jackrabbits played the Beebe Badgers on Friday night at Lonoke's James B. Abraham Stadium. Lonoke is one of three teams I cover for our newspapers and they did not play well, committing 7 turnovers.

However, Beebe is coached by John Shannon, who was an assistant coach at Cabot, one of my other main schools. I consider John to be a good friend and one of his assistants is Shawn Robertson, another former Cabot assistant. In fact, I shot Shawn's wedding, which was one of the last weddings I shot on film! Yeah, film. Here some images from the game, including cheerleaders, band and the game.

Mark

Football, my family

2007-08-31T23:06:00.001-07:00

On Friday night, I covered the Class 2A Carlisle Bison as they hosted Class 3A England in the first football game of the season. Carlisle is my alma mater and I still love being a Bison! Carlisle beat England 26-19 in a very ugly game. For those of you who don't know, I keep a running chart of the game while also shooting. I'm a one-man show!
The football game was a great way to hide away from problems we've been having at home with my mother and my wife's mother. They are both having medical problems and my mom's will get better. She's only 60. My mother-in-law, we're not so sure. She's 83.
At the Carlisle, I let my emotions show somewhat. I have a sore throat after yelling at the officials and just having a grand time. I know I'm supposed to be impartial but I always want to see each of the three teams I cover do well.
I just thought I would post a variety of shots from the game. All were shot with the Canon 20D, 70-200 2.8L and with or w/o the sigma flash on 1/16 power.
Thanks for listening.

HS volleyball

2007-08-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

I shot my first high school volleyball matches of the season on Tuesday. I used my Canon EOS 20D, 70-200 2.8L and my Alien Bee B400 with the ebay radio slave.
Most of the shots were at 1/250 second, f4.0 and either 400 or 800 ISO.
This was the first time I've shot a game in this gym and I had to find a spot to mount the AB. Luckily, no one complained about the flash. I made sure I told the AD and the local coach that I would be using the flash. I was pleased with the results.
The second photo is the lead photo on the Lonoke Democrat sports page.
Also, my mom starts her chemo on Thursday and my wife's mother is having issues so please pray for us.
Mark

Footballl scrimmages, life

2007-08-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

This has been a very hectic, stressful and fun week all rolled into one.
I shot football scrimmages three nights this past week and enjoyed most of it despite my sore right shoulder. I've got tendinitis and arthritis in my rotator cuff but I went to my doctor on Friday morning and got a steroid shot (thanks Barry Bonds) and the pain, for the most part, went away for a while so I was able to shoot Friday night pain free.
As I posted last time, my mother has been diagnosed with the C-word. I can't bring myself to say or type that word when it pertains to her. She will start chemo and radiation therapy this next week. She is just ready to get it going and be able to do all her normal things. She and I work together at the newspaper and it is going to stay that way.
My wife started back to work this week, starting her 25th year of teaching 7th grade English at Lonoke Middle School. However, this is the first time she has started a new year in a new building and it has invigorated her!
As for my photos, since part of my games started with bright sun light, I was able to use my 70-200 2.8L with my 2X extender. When it got dark, I took off the extender and tried some stuff by using 3200 ISO on the 20D to see what I could get. Also, I used my Sigma EF 500 DG ST flash on 1/16 power on either 800 or 1600 ISO. This was suggested by sportsshooter member Scott Varley in a trade secrets column and through an email with him.

http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1485

I had some decent success but I'm ready for the regular season, which starts this week. And I'm ready to shoot some volleyball too!

Football practice

2007-08-18T22:04:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since my last post which was only my second one! Life has been hectic as my mother and coworker has been diagnosed with a tumor and I covered a buttload of baseball and swimming all summer but it is finally football season! Yee Haw!

The first scrimmage games are this week and I'm very excited about it. I'm putting up three photos from the three schools I cover. They are Cabot, Lonoke and Carlisle. Cabot is a reporter's best friend because they put the player number on the helmet even if it looks like 'Bama. (Go HOGS).

I'll start updating more in the near future. Please also pray for my mom.

Mark

Shooting Raw

2007-04-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

I shot a large high school track meet in Cabot on Thursday. It started at 4:30 and wasn't over until 11:30. It consisted of 80 teams and more than 1000 athletes.

I had to get photos of two specific athletes -- Cabot's Marissa De La Paz, who recently set a school in the 800 meters; and Lonoke's Kylon Boyd, who recently signed a track scholarship at the University of Central Arkansas.

Marrisa didn't run until late 8:30 p.m. and Kylon jumped in the finals of the triple jump at 8:10 p.m. and the lights at Cabot's football field are not good.

I shot the meet with a Canon 20D and 70-200 2.8L non-IS. I shot the pics on 3200 ISO and Raw format with small jpg.

For Marissa's photo, I exposed the photo at 1/400 sec., shooting near the finish line, which was illuminated by a shop work light so that the automatic timing camera could see the finishers. I took advantage of the light but was able to make the photos look better using Raw and the Canon Raw conversion software. The photo was underexposed by a stop and a half.

The photo on the left is the one shot in raw. The one at right is the jpg version.

As far as Kylon's triple jump photo, I shot it at 1/500 sec and it underexposed by approximately 2 stops but using raw, I was able to bring out the photo and set the white balance.

The photo on the left is the raw photo. The one on the right is the jpg.

I haven't used raw format much but it worked out well this time and gives me the confidence to do it again, possibly during football season when I don't want to use a flash.

Thanks for looking.

Mark

New to blogging

2007-04-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

I'm new to blogging but wanted to share with everyone about my photography.

I've been shooting pictures with an SLR camera since my 14th birthday in 1985 when I got my Canon AE-1 Program. I've been through so many cameras since then, including a Rebel II, Elan II, A2, D30, D60, 10D and now 20D. As you can see, I'm a Canon dude! Always have been...always will be.

Later on, I'll be showing and talking about my photography, which mainly includes sports action but I do some portraits, weddings and photojournalism. Let me know what you all think later on!

Mark