Basketball in Friday Harbor

I recently decided to stretch myself and try photographing some basketball at Friday Harbor High School. Basketball is considered one of the more extreme challenges of both a photographer and his gear, and I can now attest to that personally. But I enjoy a challenge, so I'm having fun and learning a lot. (Plus, I managed to get a number of photos from the first weekend into the San Juan Islands Journal and the San Juan Island Update.)

The photos below are favorites of mine from the few games I've shot so far. They include Boys and Girls Varsity, and all are home games, starting with the Third Annual Tip Off Classic Basketball Tournament on December 2 and 3. The competing high schools you'll see are Seattle Lutheran, Meridian, Coupeville, Shoreline Christian, and Nooksack Valley.

Truthfully, it was hard to whittle down the selection, as the Friday Harbor boys and girls are so photogenic on the court. But if you want to see lots more, you can head over to my new store at islanderimages.smugmug.com.

As in all my photography, I'm aiming to capture emotion, interaction, and the telling moment. Also, to me, part of the joy of this photography is that basketball is a kind of dance, with all the physical grace that implies. I don't understand basketball photographers who mostly zoom in to the upper bodies in landscape mode, because, just as in dance, an essential part of the story is in the feet! (I just wish someone would hire me to shoot some actual dance -- hint, hint.)

For photography buffs, I'll mention that most of these photos were shot with various combinations of Nikon cameras D500 and D750 and Nikon lenses 24-70mm f/4 and 70-200mm f/4. Shutter speed was mostly a steady 1/1000. I'm now setting my auto ISO to a maximum of 51,200 for safety, but with my f/4 lenses and no exposure compensation, it has stayed between 6400 and 12,800 anyway. Just a few years ago, photos at such high ISO settings would have been too noisy to publish!

Cell Phones of Friday Harbor

I have to admit, I don't care for cell phones. I do own one for emergencies, but it's seldom turned on. When I'm away from my desk, I prefer to be away from my desk. When I'm walking around town, I prefer to be walking around town. When I'm with a friend or loved one, I prefer to be with a friend or loved one.

My feelings are different, though, as a photographer. Cell phones, being the great distracter, give me the chance to photograph people up close without them ever noticing. And there's something about the cell phone that makes people reveal the most private and personal feelings, right there on their faces, right in public. With any luck, I'm there to capture those unguarded moments with a click.

Washington State Ferries #2 -- M/V Evergreen State

Before its recent decommissioning, the Evergreen State was Washington State's oldest running ferry, operating between 1954 and the end of 2015. For most of that career, up to mid-2014, it was stationed right here in the San Juan Islands.

As I write this, the state is trying to auction it off, but no one's bidding! I have to admit, I was tempted. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live aboard a ferry? Well, maybe that's an outlandish dream for a single family to pull off. On the other hand, why doesn't Friday Harbor or San Juan County or the San Juan Community Home Trust buy it and convert it to apartments or dormitories to ease the current housing shortage?

Save the Evergreen State!