"Denver's Rob Lewis (10) pulls up from just past half court over Northern Colorado's Robert Palacios (15) for what would have been the game winning shot with 1.7 seconds remaining in regulation of an NCAA college basketball game at Magness Arena in Denver, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008. Northern Colorado defeated Denver 71-66 in overtime."
Sometimes you just need to go shoot. No assignment, no stipulations, no editor to please, just your camera and some inspiration.
I had a chance to make some pictures for myself Wednesday night at the DU home opener. I actually hadn't planned to shoot at all. I was looking forward to just watching the game from the stands for once and catching up with some friends. I saw Trevor Brown from Rich Clarkson & Associates down on the floor so I headed over to say hi. Trevor is a great guy and definitely someone I can shoot the shit with on the sidelines. We got to talking and before I knew it the game was about to start. For whatever reason I just decided to grab a seat next to Trevor on the baseline and hang out.
Seeing as though I never leave home without a camera I decided that I might as well make some pictures. I had brought my Mark II and 85 f/1.8 with me which was a perfect setup for basketball. I think the fixed focal length helped me because I could really focus on the action. I didn't have any pressure on me and I didn't have a deadline to make. Trevor and myself could just chat and shoot which isn't something that I have been able to do lately for the paper. When I have an assignment I'm a little more focused on what I need to shoot and then go edit as quickly as I can.
I also knew how DU ran their offense which was great because I could anticipate where the ball was going next. My "fanhood" as my younger brother calls it is on point because I watch games and SportsCenter every day so I can learn the teams and players. However that doesn't beat the knowledge I have of my alma mater.
The above image would have been great if he would have made the shot. I honestly thought DU was going to get blown out. They have the youngest team of all of the NCAA Division I teams in the country. They played surprisingly well for about 38 of the 40 minutes but they showed their inexperience in the final two minutes missing several key free throws that would have iced the game in front of the home crowd. They will learn and get much better by seasons end. In three years I'm sure they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Sun Belt Conference.
-JCE
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