It feels great to get back into football season. The weekend games provide a rhythm to my work weeks (Friday through Tuesday), and each game is a unique challenge to shoot.

After a couple of NFL preseason games, I made my first road trip of the fall to Madison, Wisconsin, for the game between Washington State and Wisconsin.

The travel went smoothly.

Check that.

Actually, I left a FedEx envelope with my credentials on kitchen counter, so I had to drive home during last Friday's morning rush hour and barely made my outbound flight.

And, I made a hotel reservation for the wrong night in Chicago (flew to Chicago and drove to Madison), and was left nearly hotel-less since everything was sold out.

You'd think I'd never done this before.

On to the game. I already wrote about the pre-game festivities, but the game itself was fun to shoot as well.

One of the great things about college football versus pro football is the environment.

Witnessing college games in college towns is one of the great experiences in sports.

Make no mistake -- Madison is a college town, and Camp Randall Stadium is one of the shrines to college football in America.

With that in mind, I wanted to make sure to capture that atmosphere in my photographs.

With the Cougars at their own ten-yard line and the ball perfectly lineup up between the hash-marks, I was able to frame the large scoreboard at the end of the stadium. The sea of red-clad fans makes an amazing backdrop. By laying on my stomach, I was able to capture this image:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 200, 1/1000 sec., f5.0)

The student section in Madison is one of the most fun, if not foul-mouthed groups I've ever seen. When not divided into two sections alternately screaming 'f--k you' and 'eat s--t') at each other, they're a joy to watch as they jump around, dance, do the wave and engage in singalongs:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 200, 1/2000 sec., f5.0)

The students love them some "Bucky", who is the Badger mascot:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 200, 1/1000 sec., f/8.0)

Like many mascots, Bucky does pushups after every score. Notre Dame's leprechaun does pushups, but he isn't wearing a hot and furry costume. By my count, the Badger performed 119 pushups during the game. He or she was wearing that big ol' suit, it was hot and I'm sure whomever was in the costume was hoping for no more scoring:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec.,f4.0)

Action wise, the game had its share of moments. The Cougars had a punt blocked early in the game, and as always, blocked kicks of any type can make for good pictures. The Cougar punter actually picked up the loose ball and ran for a first down, but those photos look like, well, a guy running with a football. But the blocked punt sequence is nice. The first frame is typical:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 200, 1/1600 sec., f2.8)

The second frame after that one is nice because of the great expression on the Wisconsin player's face:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 200, 1/1600 sec., f2.8)

Washington State scored on that same drive, when running back Dwight Tardy scored in the corner of the end zone. I was able to put down my 400mm lens and switch to a shorter zoom to get this shot. Amazing how red uniforms and early fall sunlight make pictures pretty, isn't it:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 75mm, ISO 200, 1/1600 sec., f2.8)

Something I learned long ago that I still remember is that low angles make for dramatic action. In this frame, WSU quarterback Alex Brink scrambles for a first down. The low angle accentuates the speed and size of the sport, and cleans up the background because only the stands show up behind him:


(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 200, 1/1000 sec., f/4.0)

Because of a mishap at the end of a game a few seasons ago that left people injured, no longer are photographers allowed between the 10-yard line around the corner to the goal post on one corner of the field. Because of this, many photographers eschew that side of the field.

But it's also the backlit side, which can produce the nicest light if you're willing to take on the tricky exposures. Early in the game, the light looked harsh and backlit in this shot of WSU coach Bill Doba:

(EOS 1D, EF 16-35mm lens @ 22mm, ISO 400, 1/1600 sec. @ f4.0)

The stadium has suites on both sides, and the setting sun hits the windows of the suite, effectively kicking light back onto the field, which is in shadow late in the game. The effect is amazing. Here's a shot from nearly the exact same spot as the Doba photo, only late in the game. Notice how dark the background is as the stadium is completely in shadow, save for the light being bounced back onto the field from the window of the suites:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 95mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec., f5.6)

What I did well: I worked hard to capture the great college football environment in Madison, at one of the great venues in America.

What I could have done better: Sheesh, nice job of leaving my credentials on my desk and making hotel reservations for the wrong day...rookie stuff. Also, I missed a great image of the head referee pouring a water bottle over his head to combat the heat at midfield during a television timout. Lastly, I needed to make a stronger lead photograph of Wisconsin's domination during the second half.

Something for me to work on: Just because I made some nice images during the first half doesn't mean those images will be storytelling when all is said and done. I had nice photos of Washington State playing well, but with a 42-21 final score, that doesn't cut it.