W.N.R.S.: Wednesday Night Ride Series (Sandpoint Photographer)

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Yesterday afternoon I made my way to Farragut State Park to photograph the opening night of the Wednesday Night Ride Series put on by All About Adventures and Selkirk Powder Company.  Here are a few shots from the event as well as a video.  Below the video you can find a link to the entire gallery where you can see all the photos and order prints.

Now for the Video . . . by the way the video is 720HD so if you have a fast enough internet connection feel free to change the settings to 720 and watch it full screen!

Check out the full gallery and order prints here

2011 Newport Rodeo (Newport Washington Photographer)

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After a long day of shooting at the 2011 Hoopfest (click here for those photos) my assistant Shea and I stopped at Moon’s Mongolian Grill.  Our goal was twofold.  First we needed to get some nourishment.  Second, I needed to download my memory card and get some photos sent off to the Coeur d’Alene press for Sunday’s paper.

As we were having dinner I received a call from Nick, the Sports Editor of the Priest River Times.  Nick was in Spokane as a competitor in Hoopfest and was going to make the drive back home to get some photos of the Newport Rodeo, unless of course I was willing to stop by and get some shots.  After discussing it with Shea (who I found out is a huge rodeo fan) we decided that we were going to the Rodeo!

I captured photos while the light was good enough to get sharp photos,  then after it was too dark to get a decent photo I took the opportunity to capture some video clips. The following are some of my favorite shots of the evening along with a video fusing together some of the photos and video clips.  Below the video there is a link to the entire gallery where you can view all the photos and order prints.

Now for a video, this video is available in full HD so if you have a fast enough internet connection I recommend setting the quality to 720 HD and watching it full screen.

If you would like to see the entire photo gallery it can be viewed here.

Hoopfest 2011 (Spokane Photographer)

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This last weekend I attended and photographed my first Hoopfest. Thank you to everyone that helped me figure out the teams that would be there, I wish I could have gotten photos of every one of them, but unfortunately that was physically impossible!  This blog post features a few of my favorite photos from the day as well as a video at the bottom of the post. Look for the link to the entire gallery below the video.

Check out the video.  If you have a fast internet connection you can watch it full screen in full HD!

 

To see the rest of the photos and to order your own prints or digital downloads visit the gallery here

Aaron Castle’s Training Secret (Newport Washington Photographer)

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At the recent Bonners Ferry Invitational track meet Newport Thrower Aaron Castle dominated the Shot Put and Discus.  As I was there I overheard more than one person proclaim “he must be on steroids”.  I know that this is not the case, rather it must be dedication to mastering his technique, hard work in the weight room and some good genetics that contribute to Castle’s success.

However, I was a little bit interested to find out if there was more to the story, to see if there was anything else that could be learned about what makes him such a dominant force in the throws.  I decided that it was time to do some investigating, so packing my longest telephoto lens I spied on a recent practice session and yes indeed I found out the secret to his success and I have photographic evidence to prove my findings.  What is this secret you ask?  Here is is, Aaron Castle actually practices by shot putting the moon!  Yes, I know it is hard to believe but we all know that photos don’t lie.  Here is, the evidence to prove my claim:

Have a great and happy April 1st!

Winner #1 – Sarah Morse

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Thank you to everyone who participated in the 703 Liker Giveaway, the response was truly amazing!  Thank you to all of the new Facebook Likers, please feel free to help spread the word about Jason Duchow Photography so we can reach another “interesting number” and have another fun contest.  If you missed the post on facebook then you might not know how the final results panned out.  In Sandpoint the winner was Natasha Roop, Priest River saw Tyler Douglas run away with a poster, Newport’s Sarah Morse is celebrating in victory and the winning voter was Morgan Bach.  Tonight I finished the first of the Senior Posters, since Newport’s Senior Night is less than a week away I started with Sarah’s poster.  The poster has been sent off to the printer, but you don’t have to wait for the print to see the poster, here is a peek at Sarah’s winnings:

703 “Liker” Giveaway!

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My Pastor, Jim Osman, seemed to think that it was a strange thing that I chose the 703 number for a contest.  His response does not surprise me, I think he is a neat and tidy kind of guy and 703 is just kind of messy!  So, why did I choose 703?  Here are two reasons; First, the facebook numbers always seem to change, I can have 700 fans one minute and 698 the next so I simply don’t trust that there are 700 “Likers” until it reaches 703;  Second, and most importantly, I just thought that 703 was more interesting than 700.

The contest is simple, I am going to give away a Senior Poster to one senior from each of the three High Schools that I photograph regularly, Sandpoint High School, Priest River High School and Newport High School.   Below is a list of all of the seniors, in the comments section on the bottom of this post please vote for one senior from each school.  Also, might I suggest at this point that perhaps some of those seniors might want to leave a comment and tell you why you should vote for them.

The answer to some expected FAQ’s:  Yes, you can vote for yourself.  Yes you can campaign for more votes, share the link on Facebook, Myspace, twitter or e-mail it and recruit your friends to vote for you, but also let them know that they MUST be a “Liker” on facebook to be eligible for the next part of the giveaway.

There is one more giveaway in this contest!  If you are a “Liker” of Jason Duchow Photography on facebook and vote for at least one senior you will be entered into a drawing.  The winner of that drawing will win their choice of the following: 1 custom poster of the athlete of your choice, any athlete from any sport*.  1 8×10 print from the Landscape galleries. or 1 $40 gift code redeemable on jasonduchowphotography.com for prints from sporting events or from past or future custom portrait session.

Now, the list of athletes to choose from for your voting:

To close, I just want to once again thank all of you who have been so supportive of me and my work, I am very appreciative!  Now go ahead and vote, remember you have to be a “Liker” on the facebook page to qualify for the drawing, if you are not yet a fan or “Liker” of the Jason Duchow Photography page visit it here and click the “Like” button at the top of the page.

Senior Posters – Basketball

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We are right in the middle of the High School basketball season, but before you know it “Senior Night”, the night of the last regular season home game will be upon us.  For senior night one of the traditions of many schools is that the seniors will create and display a senior poster for people to view at that last game.   I thought it might be fun to come up with a few of my own.  I randomly picked a few seniors, here is what I came up with.

This first one features Priest River Senior Guard Jaden Barrett.

For this one I could not find a vector graphic that even closely resembled the Spartan mascot of Priest River so I decided I needed to spend the time to make my own replica of the one that is displayed in the PRLHS gym.

Next is Sandpoint Senior Wing Cole Fuhrman

No, I did not create that bulldog graphic, I bit the bullet and forked out the money to buy one with an unlimited reproduction license.

Lastly check out the poster of Sandpoint Senior Guard Erik Nikssarian . . . .
Eric, the Basketball Roster spells your name Erik but on facebook you have it Eric, I concluded that you probably spelled your own name right when you created your facebook account, but if I I concluded wrong let me know and I will fix it!

When I took this shot I remember seeing this lane open up and Eric bursting through it, I used an effect to try to give him the same sense of motion that I saw through the lens of my camera.  Whether or not I was successful, you be the judge.

A Few Favorites

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Basketball season is well under way and this week I had the pleasure to photograph the first games of the season for the three Sandpoint Bulldog Boys Basketball teams as well as the Boys and Girls teams for the Kootenai Thunder, a local Christian sports organization. I wanted to share a post tonight of a few of my favorite photos from those games, but . . . . . they are not of basketball players, they are of a few of the fans, in particular the youngest of the fans.

Here are a couple from the Thunder Games

I have heard of referees receiving bribes, but I think these two bribes were much more valuable than any cash payment!

Not only does he bribe the ref, but he also like to entertain the photographer. I love it when kids like to ham it up for the camera!

Not to be outdone by his friends near by, this guy begged me to take his photo as he literally “hung out”!

Now a few photos of another entertainer, this little guys is well known for his entertaining half time shows at the Sandpoint volleyball and baseball games.

I know as of late I am getting a reputation as a sports photographer, which of course is a part of what I do, but really I just love to photograph people. I love to capture the action of sports and the interaction between families; The emotion of victory and the emotion of relationships; The milestones of championships and the milestones of life in general; The once in a life time moments that happen on the field or in the corner chapel. We are surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation here in North Idaho, but I still find the most fascinating part of His creation is that which was created in His own image, people!

Keeper of the Year

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The parents of Kanyen Bauer (the SHS Boys Varsity Soccer starting Goal Keeper and IEL Keeper of The Year) approached me about getting a large print of one of Kanyen’s saves.  I figured I could come up with something even better than a large print, so I worked up a montage of the play to be printed as a 16×24 on metallic paper and mounted as a standout display.  The finished product was delivered to the Bauer family after being on display at the Boys Soccer banquet where it received rave reviews from all who saw it!  With Christmas shopping gearing up I thought it would be a good idea for me to start dropping some hints about possible gift items, perhaps a custom photo montage might just fit the bill.  Take a look at this one, your screen is not quite the same as that metallic paper, but it will have to do.  Click the photo for a larger view.

The Challenge of Photographing Sports

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Last night (Sunday, October 30, 2010) I had the privilege of watching and photographing one of the most exciting football games I can remember.  It was the 8th Grade Junior Tackle Championship game featuring the underdog “Dawgs” from Sandpoint and the highly favored, undefeated for 4 seasons, Shadle Steelers.

One of the things that immediately stood out to me was the fact that this Steeler team was a passing team.  I could count on one or maybe two hands how many times they handed the ball off to a running back and as I watched the Quarterback it was obvious that he was a talented player and that the Dawgs were going to have their hands full.  Nonetheless, the rain falling from the sky in combination with the tenacious defense that Sandpoint brought to the Dwight Merckel Sports Complex was more than the Steelers could handle.  As Steve Russo, the Sandpoint head coach, announced to the team after the game “Defense wins championships”, a statement true in the NFL and in 8th Grade Junior Tackle!

This evening when I sat down to start working on the photos I jumped ahead to the photos from the end of the game, there was one play in particular that I wanted find.  I needed to know, did I get a good shot of the pivotal play, the play that opened up the door for the victory.  The play was an interception by Tyler Harris that was returned for a touchdown.  This touchdown provided the opportunity for Jeff Kappen to kick the winning 2 point kick.   Yes, that is right I said winning 2 point kick, in YMCS Junior Tackle the kick after a touchdown is worth 2 and what we normally call a 2 point conversion is only worth 1.

I titled this post “The Challenges of Photographing Sports” and to this point you might still be scratching your head wondering why I titled it that way since thus far it has been a report on the game, but it was when I looked at the series of photos from this play that this post and the title came to mind.  As I surveyed the series of photos I felt a mix of gladness and sadness.  I experienced gladness that I was able to get a few decent shots of the play.  Then the sadness,  due to a few different variables that were out of my hands I missed out on the best shots.  Sorry Tyler, but to be totally honest if I did not admit it I would be the only one that knew!

The following sequence of photos shows how the play went down and I think that the photos, as well as my brief comments, will show you why this is titled as it is.

All good so far, a decent shot of the Shadle QB making his throw.

Now here is “The Shot”, there is Tyler with the ball just coming into his posession . . . . . but unfortunately, number 11 Tanner Jacobson happens to be the player in focus.  You know, I think maybe instead of calling this one a missed shot I am going to claim “Artistic License”, because in my interpretation Tyler in the distance out of focus with Tanner in the foreground in focus adds to the drama of the photo . . .  Ok, I am convinced!  By the way, nice catch Tyler!

Tyler Emerges with the ball . . . . .  he, could . . . .

go . . . . all . . . .  the . . . .

oh no, the referee!

Oh no, it’s Tanner again!  Glad your happy Tanner, but could you move a little to the left?

And now it is the Field Monitor’s turn!  (note: all of the games have a field monitor, the YMCA claims that their role is to make sure that their special rules are adhered to, but I know the truth that their real job description is to watch for the key plays of the game and make sure that they stand in between that play and the photographer!)

And the post touchdown celebration!  Great game Dawgs, way to play hard all the way to the end.

And now, As a final note, a shout out to the coaches of all the Sandpoint Junior Tackle teams!  I was on the sidelines with you for a number of games and I was often very blessed to see how you interacted with the kids.  So often in football emotions can get intense but it was great to see how you fired up the team and when they made mistakes you coached and instructed instead of yelling and making a kid that was already disappointed in his play feel even worse!