Sports photography was a lot easier than I expected, although there were parts of the shooting that took more skill and thinking than others.
One of the difficulties that I faced upon taking pictures of the Wayne State Cheerleading Team at their NCA Nationals send-off was that the lighting in the gym was awful. There was no natural light, and most of my pictures came out darkened when they were aimed at certain angles.
Another difficulty was the angles that I was at. The routines that were performed moved around a lot and it was hard to see where I needed to be in order to get the best action shots without blocking the views of the fans in the stands.
Lastly, the most difficult thing that I faced was identifying the cheerleaders. The team does not wear jerseys with letters, so by using the roster, I had to match the faces to the names. It was also difficult to approach the fans in my photos to identify who they were.
What I found to be easier consisted of the fact that I was allowed on the floor to shoot. I took photos at angles that not many other people in the stands saw, and I was able to focus on their faces and capture the energy that they were emitting. I set my camera to capture the action and the settings stayed the same for most of the night.
It was a very fun and energetic atmosphere and I enjoyed shooting it a lot. I enjoyed being so close to the action. Despite being focused on my assignment, I was able to watch through the lens and see the routines, which were breathtaking. The team ended up placing second in the nation in Daytona Beach, Florida!
