SUNSETS

"There's a sunrise and sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them." — Jo Walton, science fiction writer    

     I love take photos of sunsets, not one looks like the other. Even ask my wife how much I enjoy taking photos of sunsets, she'll probably tell you about a whole wall at our house littered with sunset photos that I've taken over the years.

     This sunset photo here to the right is one I captured this past Saturday, Aug. 24, while making a quick stop at work. It was right off the dock at Town Line Lake in Three Lakes with a boat coasting slowly along ... I wish I had a boat, I'd be out there every evening. Anyone want to donate one to me? 

     Sunsets can be a little tricky for some to get photos of. If you have just a point-and-shoot camera, it can be even more difficult, but here are some pretty basic tips I can give you for shooting sunsets.

• Slow down and look around — Don't always be in a hurry. Slow down and look at your surroundings, beautiful sunsets happen quite often, but if you're in a hurry, you'll never see them.
• Follow the lines — Look for leading lines, which are elements in your photo that can be used to compose and draw your viewer into the photograph. Some good examples are docks and trees or even boats.
• Silhouettes are fun — Look for silhouette options. They don't work all the time, but one of my favorites (which you can view here) is a silhouette I captured on Shawano Lake a few years back. Trees are real good for silhouettes too.
• Find something in the photo — Put something in the foreground. If you're shooting a sunset and just have the sunset in the photo and nothing else, it might look a bit boring. Try putting in shrubs or trees or something in the foreground to make it more interesting.
• Low ISO — I like to keep my ISO at 100 for sunsets and adjust the shutter speed. This way there is less grain in the image and the colors seem to pop that much more.
• Take a lot of photos — The last time I can offer you is take a lot of photos of a sunset, from different angles. You never know what you'll end up with.

     Now, go out and try getting that sunset photo. Oh, and don't forget to check out my other sunset photos and my website at corydellenbach.wix.com/photo

PRO FOOTBALL TIME AS WELL

Green Bay Packers TE Andrew Quarless leaps forward for
more yards as he is tackled in the fourth quarter.

     The other day I blogged about getting back to taking photos at the high school football level. Well, this past Friday it was back to the pro football level also, covering the Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers preseason contest at Lambeau Field.

Cornerback Loyce Means reacts after giving
up a touchdown to the Seattle Seahawks.

     I'll be covering four games this regular season, so being able to shoot the preseason game was a good way to warm-up for the season. It was fun getting back to the historic stadium. Your blood always gets pumping as you walk down that tunnel to the field -- even when you're a photographer.
     Covering pro sports is a lot of fun. The speed of the game is a lot faster -- minus the TV timeouts -- and the hitting is usually a lot harder, which makes it fun to photograph. Seeing the stars up close is pretty cool too, but at the same time after covering the Packers since the 2002 season, you learn fast that these are just regular people who are doing a job -- and getting paid a lot to do it.
     There are some things I've learned from covering pro football that I now use when I cover high school football, like kneeling on the field to get a better angle of the athlete, learning how to keep your eyes on everything on the field so you don't miss anything and how to dodge a hit if they come running to your sideline.
     The next Packers game I'll be at will be the home opener against the Washington Redskins. Here's hoping for a good season.
     Tomorrow I'll be getting another level of football, middle school, but this time I won't be covering it for anyone. My son will begin his 7th grade season down at River Valley Middle School. Good luck Blackhawks!

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews sacks Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson in the first quarter.

Baloons are set free following the National Anthem.

Green Bay Packers TE Jermichael Finley attempts to gain more yards as he is tackled in the first quarter.

Packers quarterback Vince Young looks for an open receiver while under pressure in the third quarter.

FOOTBALL SEASON

     Wow, it's been a while since I posted on here. Over a month ago. Sorry about that, it's been a little busy these last few weeks.
     The weather is getting cooler, some leaves are slowly starting to change color and school is just around the corner. You know what that means, right? Yep, it's football time!
     Middle school, high school, college, pro — it doesn't matter, it's all exciting to watch and take photos of.
     With me not being in newspapers full-time anymore, it took a while for me to get back out onto a football field to take photos, mainly because of time. This last Friday, however, I took at drive down to Bowler to catch a football scrimmage between Bowler/Gresham, Oakfield and Three Lakes. I was taking photos for the Vilas County Newspaper of Three Lakes.
     The three schools play 8-man football and it was fun getting photos at it. 8-man football is a little more fast-paced than 11-man football with more passing.
     On Friday I'll be covering the Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers preseason football game, so it'll be great getting back on that field this season.
     Soon volleyball, tennis, cross-country and all those other fall sports will be in full swing. It's the fun time of the year!