Placentia, CA – Bradford Stadium (HDR)

This moody HDR of Bradford Stadium is home of the Valencia Tigers & El Dorado Hawks. The scoreboard is dark and the stands are empty….just a few weeks until Friday Night Lights are ready to fire up again. Bring on football season!

Football HDR Composite

If you shoot HDR’s and love to take portraits…why not try HDR Composites!! Above is my recent one…a football composite. I posted this shot yesterday in various places and on one site someone asked…is that real rain? It is just a rain texture, then blended in photoshop. I had a great session with Shad over the weekend…took about 37 shots and pre-shot the background a month or so ago. I looked at my backgrounds and shots and figured out what would fit best. I know I wanted to add rain to the shot and the end result is above.

Sorry to pimp my products (but I will have to occasionally). If you are looking for backgrounds, please visit two locations:
1) Denny Mfg.
2) www.talkephotography.com
Both have exclusive backgrounds and I hope you can find a couple HDR’s to create your own composite art!!

You can find the background above here….Football Background

Here is the add from Denny Mfg. Please visit Denny Mfg. today! You can also find lots more photography products…such as; photography backdrops, studio props and accessories, studio equipment, studio sets, and much more!!

Also, I am planning on writing and article on how I processed this photo in an upcoming HDR One Magazine!! The Internet’s #1 HDR Magazine!! Let ya know when it is coming out!

Yorba Linda, CA – YLHS Football vs. Cypress (HDR)

This past Friday nite the Yorba Linda Mustangs football team beat up on Cypress. A great game! Thanks to the Booster Club President for allowing me access to shoot atop the press box! It was a chilly nite and the view was perfect! As I arrived I knew the sun was setting early. Game time was 7 PM. I set up around 6:15 and decided to try something a bit different. I wanted a game action shot with a cool sky. 7 PM kickoff would miss the sunset. This what I decided to try…

I set my camera on a tripod and noted all settings/placement in order to keep them the same throughout.
1) 6:30 PM: Took 7 exposures of the field and sky (+3 to -3). f/22 to get the flare in the lights…also to get longer exposure times. The band was playing on the field, but I knew they would not be in the final pic.
2) 8:00 PM: Took a single shot of on the field action during the game. Shot in manual

In photoshop I combined the two shots..lined them up and masked out the field without the game action. Touched it up and thats it! Worked easily!!! I added Tonal Contrast on the field action to give it an HDR like look.

Congrats Mustangs!!! Enjoy the photo!

Austin, TX – DKR – Texas Memorial Stadium (HDR)

Today is a big day in Austin!  The college football National Championship will be decided tonite!  University of Texas vs. University of Alabama.  Two unbeaten teams battling it out for the crown.  Should be a great game!    He is a fun story from this picture.  I went downtown and met up with my buddy Jim Nix (Nomadic Pursuits) to photograph UT.  We first stopped at the Texas Tower and kept on walking.  We made it to the football stadium…a place I had never been.  So it was great.  As we walked up it was a weekday afternoon during the holidays so it was quiet and not much going on.  We walked around and tried to get in…food court, back parking gate, side entries….nothing!  But as photographers – we never give up!

We kept walking around the whole stadium.  I was thinking to myself it was like we were in Mission Impossible and we were checking the stadium for weaknesses.  We finally saw a set of glass doors where you can go in and buy tickets.  We walked in with our camera gear and the escalators were not working.  I told Jim there had to be elevators.  Right around the corner…there they were.  We knew we had a slim chance to get into the stadium…but with being so close why not try!

We tried floors 11, 10, 9, 8 and 7 looked interesting…so we got off and walked down the hallway.   Around here you can find offices and possible luxury boxes, but everything was closed.   I said lets walk down the escalator one more flight and give it a try!   We walked down – no luck!  There was a fire exit door at the end of the hallway and Jim gave it a push and it opened!  Nice!   Thanks UT Stadium!   We were in and started shooting away.  We both knew time was short.

This was my first shot…fisheye at the 50 yard line…

I finished my shot and was looking for Jim…I glanced down to the field and I see Jim on the field heading to the scoreboard!   I had to laugh!   As long as we could get a few shots in, might as well take a walk down there as well!   Under the scoreboard I took the first shot posted above.  We grabbed a couple more and decided to hit the field!  Why not!   I thought a corner of the endzone shot might work well…here it is…

We couldn’t believe we were walking on the field!  Sweet!!    I walked the sidelines and grabbed a photo right at the 50 yard line.  My next goal was a fisheye up in the deep corner of the stadium.  As I walked off the field I told Jim to pose for a photo in the endzone.  I took his shot and then I asked him to get one of me.   Thanks Jim for taking the photo!  here it is…

The hand sign I am giving is one for the UT fans….it means – Hook Em Horns!  As I was posing for this shot…I look up in the stands and yelled to Jim…we have about 10 seconds!  The security guard came up and told us to leave and we proceeded to tell him about the open door.  He was very nice and gracious as we apologized very much as he escorted us out of the stadium.  We wished him a Happy New Year and were on our way!   These shots made the day!    UT is a wonderful beautiful school.  Another must visit if you are ever in Austin.   Maybe Mac Brown (football coach) can give us a personal tour one day!

Back to the game…my father and brother attended Alabama and I live in Austin..so I will show no favorites and hope for a good game!  Although it would be nice to photograph the Texas Tower lit up due to a National Championship!    Good luck UT and enjoy!  As this is a long post with many pics…I will skip the pic settings this day!  …and just to think we were going to hit hamilton Pool this day instead…but as it rained the day before it was closed.  All things happen for a reason!  =)

Cleveland, OH – Browns Stadium (HDR)

NIKON D300, Nikon 12-24, HDR in Photomatix

We are almost halfway throught the NFL football season and as a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, the Cleveland Browns are not a favorite of mine as we are rivals.  But this year the Browns are very bad…so I feel sorry for them.  I was in Cleveland recently and the stadium is right near downtown.  About 2 blocks from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I went to shoot the R&R Hall of Fame and decided to walk over the stadium.  Here is a shot using my tripod and cable release…5 exposures and post processed in Photomatix.  I heard from a Browns fan this shot is near the famous “Dog Pound’.  I wish the Browns good luck this year…I’d say they need a coaching change and alot more to turn it around.  I’m hungry…maybe it time for some Brownies!!  =)

Pittsburgh, PA – Art Rooney (HDR)

NIKON D300, Nikon 12-24, HDR in Photomatix

Are you ready for some football??  The NFL season kicks off tonite with the Steelers vs. Titans from Pittsburgh, PA.  Here is some info on the great Art Rooney:  Rooney was a life-long resident of Pittsburgh and attended Duquesne University In 1933, Rooney paid the $2,500 franchise fee to start an NFL team. The NFL reportedly was looking to bring a team to Pittsburgh because of the city’s strong affiliation with the game. Rooney founded the Steelers in 1933 after Pennsylvania relaxed the state’s Blue Laws, which prohibited the exhibition of sporting events on Sundays. Under Rooney’s guidance, the Steelers became one of the league’s most storied franchises.

This HDR was completed using my standard method: 5 exposures, tripod, cable release and post processed in Photomatix.  The clouds addd a little flare to the shot.  Good luck tonite Steelers…hope we can defend our title!!

Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Field (HDR)

NIKON D300, Nikon 10.5 Fisheye, HDR in Photomatix

As a huge Pittsburgh Steelers (National Football League) fan – how can I not take photographs of Heinz Field when I visit Pittsburgh!  I have taken a few of these shots before, but never with a fisheye lens in HDR!    Currently the Steelers are the Champions of the NFL.  The won the Super Bowl by beating the Arizona Cardinals this past year.   The new season is about to start and they might have a chance for another title?  We shall see!

The Steelers are the fifth oldest franchise in the NFL.  Founded July 8, 1933. Originally named the Pittsburgh Pirates, they were part of a 10 team league.  Current teams in existence from this league are the Chicago (Arizona) Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and New York Giants.

I set up this shot with my standard tripod, cable release, 5 exposures and post processed in Photomatix.  I also added a Neutral Density Filter via Color Efex Pro 3.0 to add an additional effect to the shot.   The Steelers currently have 6 Super Bowl titles, ties for most ever by any team.  This year could be the “Starirway to Seven”!!  =)