Fight Night In The Cage II

On 5_28_11 I photographed Fight Night In the cage II. Aside from a few lighting hiccups from their lighting crew, it went pretty darn smooth. (The hiccups were for the first 2 fights, the crew had the lights off...)

Good night of fights, and a great crowd. I'll definitely photograph that production again. Here are some highlights.

PS I'll post more before long. I've got to get some new photos of Erik on here (If You've been following me on facebook, you've seen that my son has been all over my page). It's hard, balancing all of my time, and updating the blog. Obviously, my son will come before uploading pictures.

Anyway, here's the fight photos

Beatdown for Berwick Youth

OKay, so I thought that photographing in Chambersburg was bad...Holy crap, I never, ever, ever have photographed fights in lighting SO BAD in my life time.

Honestly, and only my photographer friends will get this. There were spots in the cage that f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 12800 was 2 f/stops under exposed. That is just not suitable for covering sports. Even though the higher ISO on cameras is looking much better, 6400 in my mind is the usable ceiling, and even at 6400, you've got to get the exposure close.

This is a set that I'm almost ashamed to put up. It's one of the times I wish you could use flash during a fight.

The only reason I'm posting it, is because if I'm the only professional there...and this is all I've got to offer...then that's all the fighters have to represent these fights. These photographs are PURELY journalism. They are not any indication of talent, equipment or photographic examples of anything that I need to put in my portfolio.

It really bums me out, because I strongly dislike offering a product that I'm not proud of.

I wish that it was law that all event promoters had to have well aimed lights in their rings, unless the location had ample lighting. This was not the case. I did have fun though, and it was a good time checking out the fights.

Ugh, just like...it's a shame when you can't set the exposure for something nice. Here, you've got to completely waste highlights to get anything in the face, or you've got to just hope that big blobs of shadow are "okay". Just another day in the life of an event photographer, another hurdle to cross. As a professional, I shouldn't complain. I don't mean to complain, and I hope it doesn't come across that way. A lot of people use my blog not only to find links to their photographs, or to learn of up coming/past events. But fellow and aspiring photographers use it as a learning tool.

I guess the lesson here is, do the best you can do and just know that even if you feel like you're offering crap, if you're offering the best of the bunch, doesn't matter I guess.

Yankee Lake Brawlroom 27

I went with my fight team, for one of my teamates to fight. His fighter backed out, but I photographed the night.

To my photographer buddies, they will understand what I mean when I say this.
ISO 6400 1/320, and the lights were fluorescents. You can color correct an image that has even color throughout it, but without making multiple layers of the same image, it is damn difficult to color correct one that has multiple color casts to it.

Fluorescent lights cycle, so when you use a shutter speed faster than the light, you catch part of the cycle, and it either has a color cast, or a band of color in the photo.

I was not pleased with how my photographs turned out as a result of this.

You can see the full gallery here.
http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/Yankee-Lake-Brawlroom-27-43011/16858977_545XhK#1272854089_3w2qTbL

Erik

My son, minutes after joining the world.

IWFC 5

So I'm 2 weeks back from IWFC 5. I feel badly that I didn't post sooner, however I've been spending time with my wife before our child is due. She's been having some "issues" in the last trimester, with gestational diabetes. She's doing great, giving herself her shots and taking her sugars to make sure our baby is healthy. I'm very proud of her.

Anyway, we've been getting the house and baby items ready for our new arrival and have had a few "scares" about a possible emergency c-section and all of that. Whether she wants to, or he wants to, on Monday morning, her birthday, they are inducing her into labor.

They were close to doing it a few times over the past few weeks, but the doctor's decided to hold off. So if she doesn't go into labor over this weekend, it'll be on her birthday. With a little luck, our son comes out on mama's birthday and it's the best birthday gift a mother could ask for.

I'll be posting a lot of photographs, don't worry.

I photographed the IWFC 5 at the Blair County Convention center. Given the title, I'm sure you can figure out it was the 5th itteration of this event. A great night of fights and action. UFC Fighter Charlie Brenneman was there signing autographs, and like an 8 year old child, I had my photograph with him and had him sign a poster! YEAH! I've got an 8x10 of him that was ordered through me from one of his VFL fights framed, and signed on the wall beside a photograph I've got of Dan Severn that is also signed. Yeah, I'm like a kid. Not to mention a framed April 1965 Playboy (it used to be 75 cents!)

Here's a link to a gallery of the photographs. Buy a bunch!
http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/IWFC5-422011/16456803_pHSRb#1238396010_hpDUD

After my wife is out of the hospital, I'll be resuming normal shooting schedule and activities. I've got a few MMA shows coming up and a few more "tenative" dates.

Stay tuned!

A future.

My wife is nearing her due date quickly. It seems like only yesterday we were having discussions as to when we would have children. Only last evening that she tells me that we're having a baby. She called me yesterday to mess with me, and said "grab my bag we're going to the hospital". It was April Fool's Day. She had to prank me with something. When she said grab the bag, I felt incredible. A feeling came over me that I cannot quite explain. We she said "Just kidding", I was like...phew, I've got a few more days yet!

The best way to explain it is, I'm nervous as can be but excited at the same time. I'm wondering all of the things that I assume GOOD parents worry about. Will I make enough money? Will I teach my child right from wrong? Will my child love me?

I took a day for myself off of everything on April Fool's Day. I only went to get my haircut, and conveniently for me the girl didn't have much to say. I just kept to myself, handled some stuff around the house, and played some games. I took the day as one of the last days that I will not be a parent. I didn't really even spend too much time with my wife. I just was me. It is ironic, that even though I took a day for me, all I could think about was my family. My son. My wife. As selfish as it is that I took a day off of everything just for me, I realized that my family is now what defines me. I took the day away from everything, and ending up thinking about everything! My wife has a chair that she put into the babie's room. A glider/rocker that she is going to nurse our son in/on. I sat in it for awhile and just looked around the room. Thinking about what it was when I bought this house, and what it was in between (I rented the room out for a few years, then it became an office) and now it is my son's room.

I walked throughout the house, and thought to myself..."what needs to change for my son?"

I've never been overwhelmed by my accomplishments. I don't really feel like anything is out of the ordinary. Sure, my past is different than a lot of people's. Sure, my childhood may have been crumby compared to some. It may have been excellent compared to others. For the most part, I just feel like I've done what I've been supposed to do. I don't want to say that when my wife told me she was pregnant, that it didn't sink in. It did, and I realized the true gravity of this situation. When we seen the first ultra-sound, it stuck a little further. When we seen the second, and I heard "you're having a son", it kicked in a little further. When I put my arm on my wife, and I feel him kick/punch it sinks in a little more. When she told me to "grab the bag", I realized it more.

So this little man, this is my purpose. This is my overwheming accomplishment. To provide for him. To love him. To teach him. This baby. My son. He is my future.

I've never felt love like this. Everytime I feel like I cannot love him anymore, I love him more! I haven't even met him yet and I would give the world for him. I cannot wait to meet you Erik, my son. Be a good boy for your mother and I. I promise, I'm going to be a good parent for you.

Here's some photographs from the room. I was going to correct the wide angle lens distortion, and said...no, no I won't. For anyone that cares to know, all were shot with a FF camera with a 16-35 f/2.8 Canon, and almost all at ISO 1600.

PFC5