Seattle Sea Gals Tryouts
- (Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1600, 1/40th sec., f2.8)
Annual tryouts for the Seattle Sea Gals were held last weekend, with 28 women making the team out of the 52 finalists. The Sea Gals are the sideline dance troupe for the Seattle Seahawks, and finals were held at Qwest Field, where the aspirants performed two dance routines and answered questions from the judges.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 102mm, ISO 1000, 1/250th sec.,f2.8)
- (Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 70-200mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 86mm, ISO 1000, 1/250th sec.@ f2.8)
Seahawks: It’s Up, It’s Good!
Olindo Mare made this 46-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a 19-17 lead with five minutes remaining, but Chicago rallied for a 25-19 victory in the final minutes. While Mare converted on 4-6 field goal attempts, his two misses proved costly and those six points were the margin of victory for the Bears. For more photos from the game, see my Eye on the Hawks blog on the Seahawks website.
Seahawks: The Calm Before the Storm
As fans, we are constantly aware of the violent fury of football, whether we are watching at home on TV, or from the 50-yard line at the stadium. There are many quiet moments that surround the games, however, and those moments remind us that the sport is played by real people — not superheroes in helmets and pads. Here, Seattle’s first-round draft choice Aaron Curry collects his thoughts before his first regular season game as a pro.
While most of us see the beginning of a game as the opening kickoff, players arrive hours before the game, and slowly build their emotions to a crescendo by game time. Seattle defensive tackle Colin Cole, 330 pounds of rock-solid fury in the middle of the line during games, spends quiet time on the phone with his wife hours before the action begins.
Seattle’s new head coach Jim Mora finds some solitude as he gathers his thoughts in his makeshift coaches office on the road at San Diego.
Players in the locker room before a preseason game in Kansas City are quiet during the moments before they hit the field for pregame introductions.
Defensive end Lawrence Jackson gets himself pumped with music before the game.
In Seattle’s home locker room at Qwest Field, rookie wide receiver Deon Butler, center, with teammate Ben Obamanu, prepares mentally for the game at hand.
Players and coaches take a knee in their locker room before walking into the din of 60,000 screaming fans at their home opener at Qwest Field.
Seeing the Seahawks: Training Camp
I’m very fortunate to work for the Seattle Seahawks as a team photographer — it’s a great organization committed to excellence and doing things the right way. Despite covering the team for over a decade as a sports photographer with the Seattle Times, seeing the team from the inside has brought me a new perspective as well as a new set of challenges. My access is better, but that doesn’t take away the responsibility I feel to show our fans the toughness, the competitiveness and the heart our players, coaches and staff exemplify every day as they work towards their ultimate goal — a championship.
Seahawks safety Brian Russell cools off during the heat of training camp.
We think of football as a fall sport, but training camp begins in the summer, and the second of two-a-day practices often occurs amid the late summer sun. Seattle’s training camp is held on the shores of Lake Washington, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Defensive lineman Craig Terrill, a six-year veteran, breaks the monotony of training camp by finding some time alone with his guitar between two-a-day practices. Terrill is an accomplished musician who performs with his band in the offseason.
Seattle rookie linebacker and first-round draft pick Aaron Curry is treated like any other rookie — carrying the helmets of veteran teammates back to the locker room after practice.
Seahawks: My new photo blog.
Am I becoming one of those people?
(Don’t answer that.)
I now have…two…blogs.
The new blog is called “Eye on the Hawks”, and it’s a photoblog I’m doing as part of my job over with the Seattle Seahawks. I was fortunate that my previous blog at the Seattle Times was read by Seahawks folks, and when they brought me on board one of the things they wanted me to establish was a similar presence.
“Eye on the Hawks” will, of course, be solely focused on the Seahawks. I hope to share behind-the-scenes images as well as game photos.
The difference is that over there, I will focus more on pictures and storytelling. Here, on what has now become my personal blog, I will tell more of the stories behind the images. How I made them, what I was thinking, how it looks from the angle of the photographer.
Recap:
Eye on the Hawks — Seahawks photo blog, football-related.
Beyond the Best Seat in the House — my personal photo blog, photo-related.
Two blogs.
Well, at least I don’t Twitter.
Yet.
Seahawks: OTA’s with the O-Line.
O.T.B. — Off Track Betting.
But O.T.A.?
Here's a hint — it's a football term.
Off-Tackle…Attack?
Try this: Organized Team Activity.
Otherwise known as "football practice". But unlike the other forms of practice in the NFL (regular practice, training camp, and mini-camp), OTA's are voluntary — players are not required to attend, and there is no contact allowed.
New Seahawks head coach Jim Mora has his team fired up to improve on last season's poor 4-12 showing, so all of the off-season workouts have been well-attended.
I was shooting stuff of only certain players like third-round draft choice Deon Butler, who changed his number to 11, after wearing 85 for the first minicamp.
As I worked my way around the field, I noticed the offensive lineman working on a drill involving a blocking pad and some mats. They were pretty close to the edge of the field, so I wandered over. Any chance to use a wide-angle lens at football is cool — mostly because it is a different angle than we get most of the time.
One thing about football practice is that except for the football staff, no one really knows how long each drill lasts. Seems like just when I get settled for a shot, the horn blows and every one runs away to a different part of the field.
So hustling over, I started shooting quickly. Wanted to get something "in the can" before the drill ended. My best hope was that I had at least a couple of minutes to shoot before they changed drills.
The first shot is, well, back-focused (focused on the players in the background, not the foreground). I shouldn't have to tell you that this is unintentional, just a result of moving too fast. Yuck.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 38mm, ISO 400, 1/1000th sec.,f4.0)
After that, I find a low angle so that I can make the players loom larger as they dive into the block. Only problem is that the coach holding the blocking pad has moved to my side and so now I'm a bit blocked.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 48mm, ISO 400, 1/1000th sec.,f4.0)
Luckily, the coach changes side and the angle opens up. One challenge here was the exposure. Bright sun in the background, players in dark jerseys jumping into a dark mat. If only fill flash were allowed. Actually, not. Fill flash would make the exposure better, but would introduce an artificialness to the photo that would suck. And no, I don't know if artificialness is even a word.
With the frame below (rookie Andre Ramsey), I feel I'm getting somewhere. But other photographers and television cameras have wandered over, and they're right over my head. I prefer the low angle, but I'm kind of contorted on the ground and having a tough time keeping the horizon level and the camera as low to the ground as possible.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 66mm, ISO 400, 1/1000th sec.,f4.0)
When Rob Sims goes through, I think I have a usable frame. I can see his face, his body position is good, and the pad is in midair. Now I can experiment a bit more.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 48mm, ISO 400, 1/1250th sec.,f4.0)
The more the players hit the mat, the more it slides, and soon I have a nearly perfect horizontal composition. Good for the position of the bodies, not so good for the faces, but hey, I'm shooting wide-angle, no one has hit me, and the coach doesn't seem to mind that I'm close to the action. Remember that with the wide-angle lens, I'm about 10 feet from the players. In the realm of pro football practices, that's much closer than one usually gets. This one is of Mansfield Wrotto taking his turn.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 45mm, ISO 400, 1/1250th sec.,f4.0)
Coach didn't like that first try (and I didn't either, but for not the same reasons), and on Wrotto's second try I made a frame that has better body angle,but he's not high enough off the ground to create any separation.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 36mm, ISO 400, 1/1250th sec.,f2.8)
Satisfied that I made the photo I was looking for, I just went looser on the last turn before the end of the drill. The result is a more classic looking football picture.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 26mm, ISO 400, 1/1250th sec.,f2.8)
It's always fun finding a new angle and new opportunity. I feel completely geeky when I break down a simple picture like this, but I figure I have to push myself on every frame or I won't get better.
Seahawks: Aaron Curry Arrives in Seattle.
As a contract photographer for the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders FC, I am getting to witness the culture of sports from another angle — that is, the side behind the doors typically closed to the media.
Today I had the opportunity to jump behind those doors with the Seahawks.
The biggest sporting event of the weekend (with apologies to my Sounders FC mates) wasn't even a game or a match. It was the NFL draft, and in it, the Seahawks had the fourth overall choice.
As head coach Jim Mora quipped, "it's not a position we want to ever be in again". That's because if you're picking fourth, it means you had one hell of a sh*tty season the year before. To anyone's reckoning, a record of 4-12 fits that bill.
But that's so last year, and with a new coach and a healthier roster, the Seahawks are on the rise.
With the fourth pick in the weekend's draft, Seattle selected linebacker Aaron Curry out of Wake Forest. Curry arrived late Sunday evening, accompanied by his fiancee and his mother. By 9am they were on their way to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, headquarters of the Seahawks, and I was waiting to document Curry's big first day in Seattle.
Curry was accompanied by Seahawks director of player development Maurice Kelly, and a cameraman from NFL.com.
Upon first arriving at the VMAC, Curry walked up to the building and raised both fists and yelled, "yeah! this is IT!". Unlike many high draft picks who are flown to the city of a prospective suitor for the purposes of pre-draft interviews, the Seahawks were discreet about their desire for Curry so no such visit was arranged.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 32mm, ISO 800, 1/200th sec.,f6.3)
The four pillars of the franchise's mission statement are emblazoned in large print in the lobby, and by all accounts, Curry will fit the bill.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 65mm, ISO 1250, 1/100th sec.,f6.3)
Curry appeared tired, albeit just briefly, on the elevator ride up to the offices of head coach Jim Mora and team president and general manager Tim Ruskell. "Just for a second," said Curry, of his yawn. "Our plane was delayed last night and I was up early today because I wanted to get this day going!".
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 1250, 1/8th sec.,f2.8)
Up in the coaches offices, Ruskell and Mora handed binoculars to Curry so he could see the bald eagle that flies over the outdoor practice field which borders Lake Washington.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 48mm, ISO 1250, 1/125th sec.,f4.0)
His tour continued with a visit to the draft room, where Seahawks staff had gathered over the weekend to select players, including, of course, one Aaron Curry.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 42mm, ISO 1250, 1/60th sec, f3.2)
Curry marveled at the size of the new indoor practice facility, and endured some playful teasing from veterans who were working out.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 1250, 1/250th sec., f2.8 + flash)
The players' locker room is new and plush, with recessed lighting and wood fixtures. Curry took in the size of the room and wondered where the linebackers sat.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 17mm, ISO 1250, 1/40th sec., f2.8 + flash)
Kelly, the player development man, quickly said, "not so fast, man, the rookies dress IN HERE" and opened the door to a small room with black metal lockers and harsh florescent lighting. Curry laughed and said, "Okay, I see how it is. That's good. We'll bond down here, us rookies".
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 17mm, ISO 1250, 1/25th sec., f4.0 + flash)
In the equipment room, Curry posed between huge movable storage units that hold every type of football gear imaginable.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 17mm, ISO 1250, 1/40th sec., f6.3 + flash)
A trip to the players lounge, outfitted with computers, flat screen televisions and video games with customized chairs gave Curry a moment to reflect on how his life was about to change.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1250, 1/40th sec., f5.6 + flash)
Finally it was time to change into a suit and head up to his first press conference with the Seattle media. His first "Welcome to the NFL" moment came just before he took the stage when a team official handed him a jersey with his name and number on it, then gave him instructions on how to hold it in front of the cameras.
"You mean hold it up in front of me? That's all big time! Wow…Really? Man, I see that on television and it's a big deal." Guess what, Mr. Curry, you're a big deal, too. In front of the lights and cameras, he looked at ease, and handled himself comfortably.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 160mm, ISO 1600, 1/250th sec., f4.0)
After the official press conference it was time for one-on-one interviews.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24/f2.8 lens @ 21mm, ISO 1600, 1/200th sec., f3.2)
Like most athletes, as soon as the suit wasn't needed, he changed back into more comfortable clothes, and made his way out of the VMAC with a day full of memories and an handful of hats. A true player, he couldn't help but stop at a nearby television to watch just a little more draft coverage.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 800, 1/40th sec., f3.5 + flash)
Curry flew back home tonight, but will return in time for the start of this weekend's minicamp.
It was fun for him, but it was also a fun day for me, combining some of my journalism instincts (find storytelling moments) with my new job (getting behind the curtain and sharing what I see).
Thanks for reading and thanks for your patience as I have been taking more time between posts.
Seahawks: Familiar Surroundings
So less than a week after my last day at the newspaper, I was back “in my office” working at Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Jets.
No, not the offices of the Seattle Times, I mean Qwest Field, which for years has been one of my “offices” — the place I go to work.
I was shooting for someone other than the paper, of course, but even then I couldn’t escape the Times. When I contacted the Seahawks to request credentials, they asked my to just wear the season credential I’d already been issued, since it has my photo on it for identification. Problem is, the affiliation says, “The Seattle Times”.
Apparently, you can go home again.
It was weird to enter the photo workroom and not sit down at my accustomed seat, where I’d set up my laptop and gear for the past seven seasons. Former co-worker Jim Bates was set up in that area, and I set up my gear on another table and went over to say hi.
Signing in for my NFL-mandated photo vest, the person spoke aloud as he recorded my name, credential number and affiliation. “Rod Mar, Seattle Times…”.
“Um, no. Not anymore,” I corrected him. Same dork, different affiliation. There’s a reason this face is usually BEHIND a camera…Anyway, thanks to Ted Warren of the AP for sending over this photo of me. That way, if my mom see it, she’ll know I’m still working for someone.
(Photo courtesy Ted Warren/Associated Press)
Once the game began, everything was comfortable and familiar.
Except — I wasn’t there to cover the game for the paper — telling the story of the game wasn’t my job. I was there to shoot a couple of specific things, and I needed to concentrate on them and not fall into my old familiar habits.
As it turned out, the things I needed to photograph didn’t really pan out the way we needed them to. It was frustrating, but shooting in the snowy conditions did make for unusual photos, at least for Seattle.
Despite a week of heavy snow and more forecast for game day, fans showed up in droves, in part because it was the final home game of the season, and more so because it was the last game that Mike Holmgren would coach as head of the Seahawks.
Snow did interesting things to the various blue and green hairdos in the stands. This gives a new meaning to the term “frosted tips”.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
(Nikon D3, VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
Employees with shovels and brooms were stationed around the field to keep the sidelines and yard lines visible. Some of them were members of the Mariners grounds crew, who pitched into help at neighboring Qwest Field.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
Fans seated high in the north end zone “Hawks Nest” made snow benches to sit on.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
Those in the lower levels built a “snowfan” to occupy one of the rare vacant seats.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
The conditions played predictable havoc on the game, and especially in the first half, both the ball and the field were slick. Seattle tight end Will Heller fumbled, and the Jets recovered, then lost it, and finally recovered it for good.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
However, on the next series, Seattle’s Josh Wilson intercepted the first of his two passes off of New York’s Brett Favre. That’s a Jets player coming off the sidelines at right nearly obscuring the play.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
While the snow was messing with the players, it was also messing with the autofocus on my cameras and lenses. I’d like to tell you I’m being arty and focusing on snowflakes, but really, that’s a camera front focusing on snow as Seattle running back Maurice Morris runs for yardage.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
Olindo Mare’s field goal gave Seattle a 10-3 lead as the snow fell.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
New York’s Laveranues Coles is an offensive player who ended up playing defense on Seattle’s Josh Wilson to prevent an interception in the second half.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1600th sec.,f2.8)
After Seattle sealed the win, the entire stadium squarely placed its focus on Mike Holmgren. He reunited with his former quarterback in Green Bay, Brett Favre.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1250, 1/250th sec.,f5.0 w/ flash)
Holmgren then took a lap around the field and waved to fans. He said it was his way of saying thanks to them.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1250, 1/250th sec.,f5.0 w/ flash)
One way this fan said thanks to Holmgren was getting a tattoo of him on his calf. I guess that will have to do until they put him in the team’s Ring of Honor.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor VR 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/1250th sec.,f2.8)
I actually had the opportunity to talk to the coach well after the game was over. We ended up in the parking lot at the same time. I’ve covered him for 10 years and have shot numerous portraits of him, so we know each other a little and I went over to say goodbye.
We chatted for a moment, and I told him I wouldn’t be going to the season finale in Arizona next week and so I wanted to thank him for all his cooperation over the years. When he learned that I’d left the paper, he wished me luck and told he was sure I’d find continued success.
After we shook hands and were parting, he turned and with a twinkle in his eye said, “Rod — how come in EVERY picture in the Seattle Times I’m yelling at someone?”
I was taken aback for a quick second before replying, “Sorry coach — I just take pictures of what I see.”
We laughed and went on our separate ways.
Seahawks: Spotlight On the Sidelines.
In photography, sometimes we get so satisfied just finding a good
situation that we don’t follow it through to the end and find the very
best image in that situation. Even if the frame we make isn’t a “contest winner”, we still want to find the best possible photograph at any given time or place.
This especially happens when we are
presented with a different view of a situation that we are used to
seeing in a particular way on a regular basis.
At most NFL
stadiums, the actual benches the players sit on are set back from the
sides of the marked bench area far enough that we have to use a
telephoto lens to make a good shot. If we’re lucky, sometimes a 50mm works.
One of the interesting things I’ve found about the
Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis is that the benches are located really
close to the end of the marked area for the teams (in the N.F.L. this
area is between the 32-yard lines).
Hang on. Let’s backtrack a
step. The bench proximity might be the ONLY interesting thing I’ve
found in that stadium. I hate domes. I shot in one for the first 15
years of my career. No interesting light. No unusual weather. Just
football being played in a loud terrarium.
Back to the benches.
One
of the story lines of the past few weeks with the Seahawks is their
patched together offensive line. Four of five starters were out with
injuries. Not surprisingly, the starting quarterback suffered injuries
while those starters were falling by the wayside.
So there we
were in the Gateway City (did they once used to make computers there?)
and I was photographing a second string quarterback playing behind a
second string line as they played out the season for pride.
Knowing that I want each of my photos to tell a story, I wanted to make a photo of the O-line at some point during the game.
I
found my chance after line coach Mike Solari came over to talk to his
troops after they’d allowed a sack of quarterback Seneca Wallace that
resulted in a fumble.
In the first frames, you can see that I’m
kind of, dare I say, intimidated at shooting these guys from so close.
One mighty swipe of a big taped left paw and I would have been just
another pile of those little gritty rubber things that pass for “dirt”
on the FieldTurf.
I’m standing up while I shoot, and the first frame is underexposed. Remember that when you move from the field of play to the sidelines, the light starts to fall away.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 28mm, ISO 2500, 1/1000th sec.,f2.8)
In the second frame, you can see that the composition is a little better, as the players at the right of the frame are no longer talking to one another, but they’re at least looking towards the coach. I’ve also reduced my shutter speed by 2/3 stop.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 28mm, ISO 2500, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)
At this point I’m confident enough to know I’m not going to get beaten for being that close, and I take a knee to improve the angle. I’m shooting at 40mm here on a 24-70mm lens. Still, I’ve got some giant hand coming into the frame at upper right, and the scene is still a little chaotic for my tastes. Understand that chaos is part of the story, but this felt more like visual chaos, and it was detracting from the image.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 40mm, ISO 2500, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)
Keep in mind that I am not just rapdily firing off frames. I know I’m close enough to be be noticed, IF I bring notice to myself. I’m there, they are vaguely aware I’m there, but I’m firing off a frame or two, recomposing, thinking the entire time. My goal is to get the frame I need and then be on my way. No better way to attract the attention of a security guard (even if you are in a “legal” position) than to make a spectacle of yourself.
Now I am pretty sure I have at least something useable, so I put the camera on the ground to further try to improve the composition. I take the lens wider, out to 26mm. Shoot a frame, look at the image on the camera. Recompose, try again.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 26mm, ISO 2500, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)
I’ve shot wide frames by now, and I know I’ve tried to capture the organized chaos of the sidelines, so now I want to shoot tighter and to see what’s there. Unfortunately, I’m not the type of shooter who can “see” what his lens will give him before he looks through the camera. I think I take that class next semester, right before Civics and after Latin. Anyway, I fire off a frame or two at 58mm. I like this one a lot, but stay another 15 seconds or so to fire some backup frames.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 58mm, ISO 2500, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)
I move wider again to 36mm, and I like the framing. Still the manager holding the water at right of center seems distracting.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 36mm, ISO 2500, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)
Last frame is at the same focal length, with the coach looking up and at least the figures on the left of the frame seem engaged. Somehow, though, I’ve lost the faces at right. Life in the big leagues, right? I feel like I’ve give it a good go, I know I have a frame I can use, and besides, I’ve missed two or three plays on the field in a close game.
(Nikon D3, Nikkor 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 36mm, ISO 2500, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)
I find my way back to the action, knowing that “in my pocket” I have a different angle of a different part of the game than is usually featured in the next day’s coverage. When I am being asked to provide a cover photo and 2-3 images per each of the three inside pages, I want that visual variety to help set images apart. To me, there’s nothing more boring than seeing 8-10 images in a row all of someone throwing, catching, or running with the ball.
My philosophy of “taking the readers with me” is something I take very seriously. You’ll probably get a little tired of me talking about it, but it was a great lesson I was once taught and I feel it has value to everyone who has the privilege of covering an event for their readership.