Lexington Sports Photography: A Different Approach to the Game04.06.13

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Over the years, my own kids have gone in and out of sports, and usually those activities have included the group team photo and individual, take-a-knee shots which we were heavily encouraged to get on a coffee mug, T-shirt or “photo sculpture.”

I have nothing against those photography outfits. They do what they do very well and efficiently.

But the pictures I wanted were from the field: my ultra-competitive son in the thick of the action trying to get a foot on the ball; my daughter grinding out a race. Blow that up and put it on my wall.

When I hung out my shingle as a photographer for hire, I was surprised and continue to be surprised to get hired to do youth sports photography. I just did high school ice hockey this winter.

Of course, spring reminds me of my favorite sports: golf and baseball — the crack of the bat, the click of the camera.

My sports photography pitch is fairly simple: You can hire me to come shoot an individual athlete or a team. I’ll shoot the action and get you some shots that get you into the game. Your time and budget allowing, we can also work in team and individual athlete photos. I will post the images at my photo sales website where all the team members and their families can choose and purchase their favorite shots.

So, play ball! That’s when I love to start taking pictures.

 

Lexington and Central Kentucky high school sports photography

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Want to book Rich Copley Photo to photograph your child or team in action, or for something else? Check out our rates and booking info, and Email me.

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Lexington senior picture photographer: Rob03.28.13

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Rob is a movie guy.

He enjoys the movies, is always fairly up on who’s in what, what’s good and not so much, and what’s coming up. So, it makes perfect sense that he works at Lexington’s beloved Kentucky Theatre. And who knows, maybe his work will be up on that screen someday, as Rob is also and actor, and he’s taking a turn at theater directing before his senior year is out.

We did a split senior picture session with Rob, getting together at the Arboretum for a shoot toward the end of last fall, and then continuing a few weeks ago at the Kentucky Theatre. I’ve already told him that if he ends up as a Hollywood big shot, I’m going to send him some of these photos of him watching the screen to remind him how prophetic this shoot was.

Many thanks to Fred Mills and his Kentucky Theatre staff for letting us shoot in their place.

 

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Want to book Rich Copley Photo for your senior pictures or something else? Check out our rates and booking info, and send us an email.

 

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Lexington concert photography: Don’t trash that lens03.19.13

Matthew West

This is what I knew heading out to cover Winter Jam for the Herald-Leader and LexGo.com, Saturday night: I wanted to keep the photography  simple with two lenses and two bodies.

Tobymac and Nirva "Nirva Ready" Dorsaint-Ready

I was going to be hoofing all over Rupp Arena. I was going to be reporting and shooting. I didn’t want to bother with hauling a heavy camera bag around. So I wanted two lenses. The first was easy, the 80-200, the bread and butter lens of a concert photographer — the one that gets the viewer up close and personal with the star. The second, in my bag, is a tossup: wide zoom 17-35 or normal zoom 24-70? The normal zoom is safe, as it’ll get you semi-wide and semi-closeup in one hunk of glass. But if you can get solid, wide concert shots, as concert photography guru Todd Owyoung preaches, they’re just about the coolest things you can get because they are so up close and immediate.

(Note: This repeated dilemma is why at some point I want to add a 17-55 to my bag, to cover the wide-to-normal bases.)

So, I decided to roll with the 17-35, and almost immediately regretted it. The security guard on one side of the stage limited me to to corner of the stage, rarely the spot for great wide shots, and what I was framing up zoomed to 35 felt really wide and short on character.

So, I was surprised when I got home, edited down the evening for an online gallery, and my choices swung about 70-30 in favor of the wide lens.

Part of it was my impatience. My frustration kicked in after snapping a few early acts, which usually keep to the center of the stage more, whether it’s because they aren’t used to having such a big playground as an arena stage or other acts’ gear is squeezing them in.

Then there was the camera back factor. The closeups often look more compelling on the camera LCD than the wide shots, which sort of need the computer presentation.

Whatever the reason, I was happy with the shot at redemption. After initial misgivings, the choice of the wider lens proved wise. It allowed me to get some really satisfying shots, particularly of Tobymac and his Diverse City band and when Red’s Michael Barnes decided to get really close.

Jason Castro

Michael Barnes of Red

Red

Byron Chambers of Tobymac's Diverse City band

Fan Logan Crockett of Dayton, Ohio

Russ Lee of Newsong

Zach Oswald of OBB

Tobymac

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Lexington sports photographer: Dubar High School Hockey02.27.13

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When I met Dunbar’s High School’s hockey coach, I told him the last time I shot hockey was 1993. I was doing a freelance writing and shooting gig for an alt weekly in Norfolk, and I am sure the other shooters at the Hampton Roads Admirals game were amused by the kid with the Nikon FM and the slooooow zoom lens. One thing immediately came back to me: this game is fast. It’s also fun and the people who play it are devoted to it. I can understand, because after about 45 minutes of shooting, I was ready for more.

Team member or parent? Click here for the complete gallery.

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Want to book Rich Copley Photo to photograph your child or team in action, or for something else? Check out our rates and booking info, and Email me.

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Just Married! Samantha & Antony01.01.13

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Antony and Samantha didn’t have their first dance to Baby It’s Cold Outside, but it would have been appropriate as their holiday weekend wedding took place with pretty white blanket of snow on the ground in Lexington and intermittent snow showers.

I’m just getting into editing the photographs from their big day, so here’s a preview with more to come.

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WANT TO BOOK RICH COPLEY PHOTO FOR YOUR WEDDING OR SOMETHING ELSE? CHECK OUT OUR RATES AND BOOKING INFO, AND EMAIL ME.

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