My first football game... shooting one, that is.

I shot my first football game yesterday afternoon. It was here in Manhattan, but one of the team's was from my hometown so they knew about my business. This was a good thing, because parents actually came to me to ask for my card so they could see the shots.

I hand-held the entire game, while the official photographer on the other side (who had a slower lens than me and what, in all likelihood, was an outdated body, I might add) used a monopod. Wimp.

There are major differences between shooting baseball and shooting football. The first is that you're usually further away from the subject, but every once in a while the subject runs right in front of you so you must be ready. Also, it's a lot harder to focus on the player with the ball because the uniforms blend together into one mass. Third, and this is an absolute plus, you get a lot more freedom of movement with youth football whereas in baseball and softball you're required to stay in one place, for the most part.

Here's the photoshelter gallery, and here's a special series of ten images that happened in sequence.