macnmotion

I use a Canon 20D, with a 70-200 F/2.8 IS lens. I had to shoot at ISO 400 and 800 with the lens wide open to even come close to stopping action, but as you can see with the Clements photo there was no stopping the ball tonight. Andy

Thanks!

I didn't have as good a position as last year, and the lack of daylight made it a bit tough. But anyway here are some photos I'd like to share with the group: http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/chrisdenney.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/losman1.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/losman2.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/losman3.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/losman4.jpg Parrish's acrobatic catch of the night: http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice200...rishacrobat.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/evans.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/marv.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice200...esontheball.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/nateclements.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billspractice2006/willis.jpg Andy

I only caught the last period. I can't imagine watching the entire game! Amazing. macnmotion

Of course the image is copyrighted, but aside from that, you could use the Printscreen command on your keyboard to copy the screen image into memory, open up an image application, create a new document, paste from the clipboard, then crop so you're only left with the Ralph. If you don't have an image application, you can open "Paint" in your Start -- Programs -- Accessories folder (or somewhere around there), create a new doc, paste from the clipboard, use the selection tool to select only the Ralph, copy, open a new document, paste (now you have only the Ralph), and then save as a background, or as a bitmap. macnmotion

I just asked myself whether we could score 4 touchdowns in about 18 minutes. Then I answered myself that we may not score 4 touchdowns the rest of the season.

That last score for the Chargers serves the Bills right. Just a great example of terrible coaching, and rookies making in-game decisions that only benefit the other team.

Why did JP spike the ball? 1:30 left, first down on the 2.

See the article in today's D&C on Geir Gudmendsen. Here's a camp photo of him. Big guy, and extremely nice! (for what it's worth). http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/geir.jpg Andy C.

Oops. Fixed it. Andy

As requested in another thread, here's one for the Losman lovers. Sorry for the copyright notice, but well, you know . . . 2 sizes: Losman Wallpaper 1280x1024 Losman Wallpaper 1024x768 Andy C.

Here's some wallpaper. 2 sizes. Sorry for the copyright notice, but I need to protect myself! http://www.macnmotion.com/BillsParade2005/...r_1280_1024.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/BillsParade2005/...er_1024_768.jpg Andy C.

Nah, that's not my thing. However, I'm going to print some of them as 8x10s and take them to practice to get them signed by the players. That will look good on my wall! Andy

At the start of practice, there was still some sunlight (albeit coming at me -- the VIP section was on the East side of the field being used for most of the drills). I was using ISO400 (similar concept to film speed in the film world), and shooting in Aperture mode on the camera, with the lens wide open at f2.8. This gave me shutter speeds approaching 1/1000 second. As it darkened and the sun went behind a building, I pushed the ISO to 800. The Roscoe Parrish shot, which was taken at about 8PM, resulted in a shutter speed of 1/1250 second at the above settings. I normally shoot in RAW mode, but last night I just shot at high-quality JPEG. I was concerned that I'd have to do some noise reduction on the ISO800 shots, but they came out clean -- that Canon sensor is wonderful at high ISOs. Focusing can be a pain, but the camera has a focus mode called AI Servo. It allows you to follow a subject while the shutter button is half depressed, and the camera constantly updates focus as the subject changes distance from you. It worked very well, however several of the photos were busts because in panning I allowed the focus point to move off the subject and onto a distant background object. So, the critical thing is to control shutter speed in order to stop the action. I chose to do that with a combination of wide-open aperture and high ISO. Alternatively, I could have just set a shutter speed in Shutter Speed mode, and let the camera do the rest, but I would have lost control over depth of field that way. Anyway, it's always a learning experience, and always fun. Andy

I don't usually talk about the size of my lens, but yes it's more than 6 inches long. Great point about not taking this to games. As an alternative, you could get a shorter lens with less reach, and carry in with you a 1.4x or 2x teleconvertor. Just a thought. Anyway, I don't take cameras to real games, I just concentrate on the action! Andy

Thanks. That camera and lens add up to a lot, probably over $2k, but I don't know today's prices. Canon makes a very similar version of the camera targeted at a lower price point, the Digital Rebel, it's a wonderful camera. And there are good deals on lenses out there. For football, you need a lot of reach (ability to zoom in quite a bit to get close to the action from way over on the sidelines). Sigma makes very good and affordable lenses. Andy

This thread is so long, some info got lost in there. The camera info: Canon 20D digital SLR. Canon 70-200 f2.8L Images Stabilized lens. For ease of viewing, I've created a webpage with clickable thumbnails: http://www.macnmotion.com/BillsCamp.html Feel free to use the photos on this site. I'll post more when I go back to camp, maybe later this week. Oh, and please don't do that to your first born! Andy C.

I've created a webpage to make it easier to view the photos. Complete with thumbnails. Bills Training Camp Photos - 7/30/2005 Night Practice Andy

Thanks. Canon 20D digital SLR with Canon 70-200 f2.8L image stabilized lens. Andy

Thanks. I used a Canon 20D digital SLR, with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L image stabilized lens. Andy

Thanks! You know, that's a good Idea, I have a blue in the fridge, and I'm going to crack it open right now! Andy

Here are some more photos from tonight's practice: http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3615.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3630.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3637.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3640.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3653.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3657.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3663.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3666.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3671.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3690.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3695.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3698.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3704.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3713.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3721.jpg I hope you enjoy them. I'll be going back to camp, so I'll have more to post soon! Andy

http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3695.jpg That's the only one I got of him with a helmet on. Andy

If you want a larger version, let me know the dimensions. Andy

Hi. I was fortunate enough to drive in today's parade, and also sit in the VIP area during tonight's practice. I drove rookie free agent Geir Gudmundsen, from Albany. Big guy, so they put him in my Jeep and had him stand up (that's me driving): http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/billsparade.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/billsparade2.jpg I have to say, Geir might just be one of the nicest, most polite people I've met in a long time. As I was driving, I was pointing out my friends in the crowd, and he made a point to holler over to them by name. My friend's son rode with us, and he treated him like he was the only fan at the rally. On a side note, I was able to get JP to sign my Losman jersey. Now I can't wear it, I'll have to get another one! Then I went to practice. It was difficult getting good photos from my vantage point, since the sun was setting behind the players. But here are just a few of the 100 or so that I took: UPDATE: I've created a webpage with thumbnails to make viewing easier: Buffalo Bills Parade and Training Camp - 7/30/2005 -------------------------------------- or, you can still click on these links to see individual photos: http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3643.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3658.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3662.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3677.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3687.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3706.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3710.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3711.jpg http://www.macnmotion.com/billsparade2005/IMG_3720.jpg The night was beautiful, and it was a lot of fun with a big crowd, lights, and a lot of action. I'll go through my other photos and post more if I see anything worthwhile. Andy