Check out the slide show below.

UCI Freshman Jaclyn Wang holds a pose during a late night photoshoot.

I have always wanted to shoot dancing, especially stuff like ballet and hip hop. My resident Jaclyn Wang is a dancer and I asked her if she was down to take some photos sometime this year. I happened to have a lighting kit over the weekend because of a shoot that I did a few days before and wanted to use it again before I had to return it.

We went out late one night to one of the dance studios which takes about 1 minute to walk to from our dorm. A few of my other residents tagged along too and helped me with all my equipment.

UCI Freshman Marlon Castillo helps set up equipment.

The room was big but plain and didn’t give me too much to work with. I moved stuff around and tried to find some good angles. I had a lot of fun shooting this and hope to shoot some more dance throughout the year.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 14mm, 125iso, f/9, 1/250, manual

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 21mm, 100iso, f/10, 1/250, manual

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 15mm, 100iso, f/16, 1/200, manual

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 14mm, 100iso, f/16, 1/200, manual

I’ve been waiting a long time for basketball season to start up again. I was assigned to shoot the Women’s game but also stuck around after to watch the Men’s team and also get a few shots. No remotes were set up for the Women’s game but I had one set up on the post for the mens game.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 116mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 135mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 102mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 105mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 90mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 200mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 110mm, 2500iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 105mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Below, Ian and Panda (two kids from my dorm) team up to film the game for the women’s team.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 24mm, 250iso, f/7.1, 1/250, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 200mm, 250iso, f/8, 1/250, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 200mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 102mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 110mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 70-200mm @ 155mm, 3200iso, f/2.8, 1/640, manual

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 24mm, 250iso, f/8, 1/250, manual

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 24mm, 250iso, f/8, 1/250, manual

I took a last minute assignment to shoot a Cafe on campus. At first I took the picture but was immediately unsatisfied. The photo was too plain so I decided to gel two flashes and light up the building from two different angles.

Below is the before photo.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm @ 14mm, 160iso, f/22, 16 Sec, manual

By the way, I entered a photo contest and need people to vote for my photo. Its really quick so please vote!
http://theshot.espn.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1008500756

Thanks!

The second day in Provo was fully packed with full access to the team including private practices, strategy meetings, team lunch, locker room, training room and more. After talking with the UCI Athletics media reps, they hooked us up big time with all-access to the team.

Photos can be purchased on my main site : http://scaughtyphotography.smugmug.com/New%20University/784297

Before I attended my first Sports Shooter Academy workshop I used to shoot in Av or Tv modes. I knew how to take pictures, but I was far from a photographer. At the workshop I was asking about settings and one of the main staff members was astonished that I shot in any of the auto modes. From that moment on I was set on truly learning how to use my camera. Since then I’ve shot in Manual mode and haven’t thought once about going back. There is so much control when shooting in manual and it allows for much more creativity. Honestly, I just can’t get myself to trust any of the auto modes.

But what happens when something is happening really quickly? What if I dont have time to check my settings, meter, change ISO, etc?

When I see amazing spot-news photos, photo stories, and candids, I wonder what was going through the photographers mind when they shot it. Did they pick up their camera and put it into Av and start shooting? Tv? Or did they think fast enough to manually set everything? Was the shot composed that way on purpose? Did they try to get a silhouette effect? Or were the settings underexposed when the picked up their camera?

The ability to think fast and adjust is one of the most valuable skills in my opinion. I feel like I play it safe too much and I pass up on a ton of good photo opportunities. I know what I’m looking for and I wait for it. I want to be able to evaluate whats happening and then adjust. This way I’ll end up with a better variety of photos. I definitely have a lot to work on.

Here is a photo that I shot on the fly a few weeks ago. A friend pointed it out. I grabbed my camera. Quickly adjusted settings. Then shot. I got the shot I wanted and got it before the moment was over. It was composed how I wanted it. It was exposed how I wanted it. The shot is nothing too special, but the process helps me learn more about how to shoot.

Is this how it works?