Overview
In photography, I have to deal with the ever-present temptation to over-commit myself. But sometimes, I just can’t resist.
On April 4th, 2017, I was waiting for one of the Annandale High School (AHS) boys varsity lacrosse games to start. It was an exceptional evening, and I knew I was going to lose the beautiful light before the varsity game started, so I started taking photos of the JV boys. I ended up with 26 decent photos, just from the end of that game. So I processed them, and I posted them on the Annandale Atoms website.
Then on May 2nd, we had another beautiful evening, and again, I knew I was going to lose the light before the varsity game started, and I also knew that there would be a JV game before it. So I just went out and shot the JV game, as well as the varsity. The boys seemed to like the idea of getting photos of their play, and I ended up getting 213 decent photos from that game. I don’t think I’ve ever had a higher percentage take at a sporting event, but the light was just so good!
You can find the photos for each game in the Galleries section of this website, or you can just click on one of the following links:
- April 4, 2017 – Annandale High School vs. Lake Braddock High School
- May 2, 2017 – Annandale High School vs. Thomas Jefferson High School
Lessons Learned
1. Circular Polarizing Filters Give You More Saturated Colors
So, I don’t consider myself much of a landscape photographer. Although the natural world never ceases to amaze, I find that photos of people can have a greater impact. But, when you are going to Scotland, you are going to one of the most picturesque places on earth. So, in addition to photos of people, I needed to be ready to capture the scenery as well.
So, I started to try to understand the roll of filters in landscape photography. I had bought a couple of Ultraviolet (UV) filters with some of my lenses, mainly of physical protection. I had also bought a 77mm variable filter to allow me to use slow shutter speeds on sunny days to blur moving water. What I didn’t realize was that a circular polarizing filter would allow me to have the same control of exposure, while also making colors more saturated, which is exactly what you want in landscape photography.
So, I went to District Camera, in Burke, Virginia and bought one, and it was the perfect afternoon to try it out.