The Falcons may have come up short at yesterday’s NFC Championship Game, but they had just an incredible season, and I was honored to be able to shoot the Falcons during the regular season, and the playoffs. Shooting alongside Falcon’s team photographers Michael Benford, Lynn Bass, Matt Lange all led by the wonderful Jimmy Cribbs, has truly been an honor this season, and I couldn’t’ ask to shoot alongside a greater group of guys. Plus, yesterday we got a special appearance from our buddy “Big Daddy Don Page,” which made it even more fun.
It’s really late (I’m still here in Atlanta — going to PPA’s ImagingUSA tradeshow tomorrow here in Atlanta), and I am just beat. So much so, I haven’t even downloaded my cards yet (and I can’t wait to see how the remote camera set-ups worked out), so I’m going to hit the sack — I’ll look at some of the shots tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll have some images to show you guys tomorrow.
Thanks again to everyone at the awesome Falcons organization for letting me shoot for you guys. It was a fantastic game, an amazing season, and the Falcons and their fans have a lot to be proud of. Go Falcons! #riseup!
Looking forward to the 300mm shot from the ceiling. It reminds me of the Neil leifer shot of the boxing ring!
It was a good game, Scott. Despite the Falcons spoiling the hopes of the Hawks last week, I was pullin’ for ’em this week. Looking forward to seeing your shots.
Can’t wait to see, hate my Falcons lost. I bet a win would have secured a SB shoot, if not already.
Was very happy that my Niners won. With the Broncos out, I only had the Niners to look forward too. I didn’t think they’d pull it out after that first quarter. Can’t wait to see your photos. I think I spotted you a few times, but the darn camera wouldn’t focus on the photographers at all! Imagine that!
Sorry Atlanta won, but it was a good game. Can’t wait to see your shots! I was looking for you when they would show a wide shot with the photographers in the background. Where was your assigned spot? Have a good rest and enjoy Imaging USA PPA Show.
Sorry that Atlanta lost, Scott. I’m feeling your pain as well, after the beatdown the Ravens gave my Pats last night. Should be a good Super Bowl, regardless!
Looking forward to seeing your shots, especially the remote setups.
..John
Shame you got so close but don’t get to go to the Super Bowl. I know your posts on sports photography aren’t to everyone’s tastes but I’ve learnt so much from your workflow post I’m now regularly shooting for a UK agency and get work published nationally pretty regularly – thanks so much. Any idea when the follow up post will be done with everything you’ve learnt since then ;-)
I was rooting for ATL to!
Looking forward to seeing your shots!
It’s so cool to get a glimpse of how a pro sports photographer works and to see the BTS as well as your terrific shots.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Hi Scott,
When you shoot an NFL game, can you run on the field at the end when everyone is getting the shots of the coaches shaking hands, or do you have to stay on out sidelines? Does it get crazy in there?
Scott… Good to see you over the weekend and today! Talked to RC in the Nikon VIP suite… Really cool guy; first time I have ever talked to him in person!
Working on my images now… When I mount my remotes over the floor at dome for basketball, the top ring takes a 600 and 1.4 to get tight enough, or a D300 and a 600.
Can’t wait to see them… I am sure they rock!
Scott, You should do a little video on how you set up your remotes and how to safety cable everything. Im going to try our a over head goal remote some time soon at my local hockey rink.
Awesome game! Sorry but I am a big Niner’s fan. Hope you got some some great shots though!
Brandon… I hope I am not speaking out of turn; if I am, I am sure Scott will get me, but I would make 100% sure you have everything you need and are very comfortable with heights and have an exact idea of what you are doing by assembling everything you can on the ground. These types of jobs are not done by the faint of heart… It takes great skill and understanding of your whereabouts as well as all the proper tools and protocol for getting it done correctly… I say this because I was at a smaller D1 basketball school a few years ago… I went up in the catwalk to turn my strobes on to find an overhead remote on a cheap ball head Duck Taped to the railing… there were no safety cables, and the camera was 50 feet over the floor.
If you are hanging an overhead remote, you need to think about several things… First , your camera and lens need to be safety cabled, as well as any of your magic arms, etc. For most overhead remotes, you need to use a screw in ball head and/or a Bogen variable friction magic arm(s) – these are the ones with the knob, not the lever. You need one to position the camera, and another to lock it in place. if you are shooting through the grate, which most people do at the GA Dome, you would be fine with two magic arms, possibly three.
For instance, my remote setup at the NCAA Basketball tournament in the dome last year was a D3s, 600 f4, 1.4 converter and 3 magic arms. This may seem like overkill, but if a camera falls from 300 feet above the basketball floor, there will surely be major problems.
A trick I learned from my good friend and former SI Staff photographer, Bob Rosato, is to add steel “D” rings with hose clamps to my magic arms. The camera gets a magic arm, the 600 gets a magic arm and the third magic arm is for stabilization – once the remote is in, everything is safety cabled in… any loose components are taped securely to avoid any issues. if you are only using one magic arm on your camera and not one on the lens, then you will need the second one for stability.
At times a ball head on your camera may be a better way to go with a magic arm on your lens and another magic arm to provide stability. Never use a quick-release ball head… always use a screw in one when hanging a remote.
NOTE: if you are hanging a remote over the floor your lens hoods stay in the case… Also, if your remote is not shooting through the grate, you need to cover your front element with a nylon mesh weaved material or strands of fishing line – this is to make sure the front element does not fall out and to the floor.
For what it is worth… I would say that overhead remotes are not something you should rush… This is something that I refuse do do unless I do it the day or two before the actual event. I spend hours doing this right… Never ever rush this.
Scott, it was an absolute pleasure working with you this season. What I thought would just be one game turned into multiple and now you are part of the Falcons family. I obviously wish we won, and our post game talk could’ve been lighter. But hey, it’s the nature of the business. With that said, here’s to another fantastic season in 2013 and getting you back down there with us lighting it up. Best photo team in the league…