Richard Mackson's Posts
Green and Yellow - Red, White and Blue...
Dateline Beijing: It was a late night and an early morning. The new day started as the night had ended, with the USA against Brazil in a gold medal final. It was the USA Women's football team that took the gold last evening and in Beach Volleyball it was the men's turn to take the top podium spot.
At the football game I tried something that I rarely do, that is use a tele extender at night. Here in Beijing the lighting is fantastic and being able to go the ISO 6400 gave me the freedom to experiment. Not all the shots were done that way, but you have to look really close to tell the difference. So instead of a 200-400mm zoom what I had was more of a 350-600mm zoom! (or in that range, I was using a 1.7x converter for those of you who are mathematically inclined).
One thing I found out shooting soccer, oops FOOTBALL for everyone but us Americans, is you can't have a long enough lens! They do get close, so make sure you can either zoom back or grab something shorter.
This morning it was off to the BEACH (Ok the sand stadium) for the Gold medal game between the USA and (yes once again) Brazil. The men's game is more of a power game both on offense and defense, so hammered spikes* and roofs** not to mention the occasional six pack*** were on ample display.
And lastly there is the Modern Pentathlon - a sport where you; Run, Swim, Fence, Shoot and Ride a horse. These have to be the gutsiest of all Olympic Athletes. After all you're probably not going to do yourself any personal damage, Unless you get hit by a car while running, eaten by a shark while swimming, stabbed while fencing, or shot in the foot by an off-the-mark bullet. It's the truly brave that enter the Show Jumping Arena on a horse they first encountered 10 minutes earlier; things are bound to be awkward.
Still high in the saddle
Richard
The Photon Wrangler
Volleyball Definitions
* Spike to hit the ball down past the opponent at a high rate of speed, when done properly it is called a kill.
** Roof: To block a spike
*** Six Pack: When the blocker misses the roof and blocks the ball with his or her face. The blocker must then purchase and share a six-pack, of a cool beverage, with his or her teammates.
Comments
Posted By: Richard (9/1/2008)
Comment: Back in the mid 1970's when the IVA (International Volleyball Association) was formed they had a PR person who defined the terms. Roof and Six Pack (or at least claimed to) I was going by his terms, but I can see your point. Anyway thanks for the correction.
Posted By: m branton (8/28/2008)
Comment: actually, a roof is a particular kind of block of a spike, where the blocker "forms a roof" over the attacker's spike, driving the ball straight down to the floor. a six-pack can also result from a spike hitting a defender who is not a blocker in the face.