Robert Hanashiro

SPORTS SHOOTER v.99.
27 February 2007

LEADING OFF. My Heroes Of February
By Robert Hanashiro, Sports Shooter

February maybe the year's shortest month, but for me, it's usually the busiest and most tiring. (As a matter of fact, I am sick in bed fighting a flu bug as I write this!)

The end of a long football season, basketball and major entertainment awards shows pack the month and at times it feels like I'm on a rollercoaster at Magic Mountain Š riding the highs of covering a big event then dealing with the lows of battling fatigue and staying up late archiving shoots onto disks and trying to catch up with my other life Š husband, dad and Sports Shooter.

So I just wanted to salute my heroes for the month Š

My USA TODAY colleague Bob Deutsch never ceases to amaze me when it comes to overcoming the chaos on the field after a big game. And Super Bowl XLI was a reaffirmation that he is indeed the King Of The Scrum.

Bob's photograph of Colts' head coach Tony Dungy being carried off the field on the shoulders of his players was about as perfect as could be. The flare from the rain, the fireworks in the background, Dungy's upraised arms Š captured in a single frame, in the pouring rain with literally a hundred people on his back. I don't know how he does it.

I'm not much into the current pop/hip-hop/rap music as you can tell by reading the tag lines at the end of each of my Sports Shooter columns. I'm not very sophisticated musically and my tastes tend to range from Van Morrison to Chet Baker to Frank Sinatra to Aerosmith. But there is no denying that I love music.

The highlight of the Awards Show Season for me is always the annual Grammy Awards. And this year was no different. I love the different mix of music and the various combinations the producers of the show come up with. (After reading a story in the LA times about how they arrange the duets, I can't believe that they virtually had to beg Beyonce to open the show with Prince a couple of years back!)

So after covering the Grammy Show at Staples Center, my new singing hero has to be Christina Aguilera. To say she just sang a rendition of James Brown's It's Man's, Man's World is an understatement Š she BLEW AWAY the crowd. Me included.

(If you didn't see the telecast Š I hate to say this Š but run a search on YouTube and check it out!)

Her vocal range and breath (holding a note for what seems like 5 minutes) is legendary. But the emotion, the desire and passion she put into this song would have made the Godfather himself very, very proud.

Sam Morris details what went on during the NBA All Star Weekend later in this issue and while I was also there to cover the "festivities" for USA TODAY, the primary story I was to work on was chronicling the Miami's Heat's Dwyane Wade stay in Las Vegas.

As story like this often a good news - bad news proposition with promises of access not quiet what you thought, publicists, bodyguards and other hangers-on to deal with. But D-Wade is as classy, genuine and nice as he seems on the court and in his commercials.

And the people I dealt with during my time with him Š his family, publicist and bodyguard Š were equally as nice.

One story sums things up for me: During the East All Stars open practice at the Mandalay Bay Resort I spotted a father and his young son wearing a Wade 3 jersey, standing just off the corner of the court. Hotel and NBA security personnel kept trying to shoo them back into the stands but they held their ground. I shot a couple of frames from behind as they watched Wade shoot free throws at the end of practice and then get mobbed by TV cameras when practice ended.

After the obligatory sound bites, security began to move Wade off the court, away from the father and son. But he had caught a glimpse of them earlier and after a few steps, turned around and went over to meet the two fans that had driven all the way from Northern California for a chance to meet their favorite NBA player. Classy move by a classy guy.

Nobody Š and I mean NOBODY Š represents cool like Jack Nicholson. During the last 40 minutes of the Academy Awards Nicholson was wandering around backstage just hanging out, waiting for his time to make a presentation on stage.

There was Jack high-fiving best actor winner Forrest Whittaker, chatting up Gwyneth Paltrow, hugging Martin Scorsese after he received his best director Oscar Š sporting his new shaved dome and with the ever-present shades.

At one point, Jack passed the backstage photographers, mugged for a half a minute and said "Are you get anything good boys?"

Jack is the ultimate in cool.

And the last of my heroes for February are wife Deanna and daughter Emma. They had to put up with a lot Š my working 12 days straight at one point, dealing with getting me to traffic school and now a bad cold caught at the Super Bowl that has developed into a bad case of the flu. It's months like this that remind me that I am very lucky Š without a great family I couldn't do what I do and Sports Shooter wouldn't get out every month.

Mahalo!

* * *

Sports Shooter v.99 Š yes one more until the big 100! Š features reports on Super Bowl XLI from Scott Strazzante and Bob Scheer. Sam Morris gives us the lowdown on the recent NBA All Star Weekend in Las Vegas.

Airlines travel has been big in the news lately and Darren Carroll offers some advice on how to lessen the stress, strain and how to fly a little smarter. Sports Illustrated's Porter Binks writes about what you need to know to cover the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament.

Bryan Moss is a self-avoid non-sports photographer Š and he tells us why. And we have regular contributions from Paul Myers and Zach Honig.

So sit back and relax. Adjust your monitor. Take a listen to Rachel Yamagata's in-studio concert on the Morning Becomes Eclectic website Š and enjoy Sports Shooter v.99!

* * *

When The Circus Comes To Town
By Sam Morris, The Las Vegas Sun

Come see the comical clown
Turning himself upside-down
Come and purchase a photograph
Of the freaks and the big giraffe
Open your dining room and start to laugh
The circus is coming to town."
- Irving Berlin

Yes, indeed, the circus did come to town. And I'm not talking about Barnum, Vargas or that low-rent, pink and white property near the Stratosphere. Nope, I'm talking about the biggest circus Vegas will see until the Democratic caucuses next year: David Stern and his NBA All-Star Extravaganza.

If anyone saw both nights of the All-Star game done Vegas Style, they would know how prescient Irving Berlin was. Comical clown Charles Barkley turning himself upside down after showboating during a 40-yard dash against a 150-year-old referee. Freaks? One look at Carrot Top a couple rows back and you knew they were in attendance. Giraffes? Pretty obvious.

But let me back track a bit. As one of the "full time" stringers for the San Francisco bureau of the AP during the 90's, I had my hand in many large sporting events and I loved every minute of it, even if all I was doing was souping 140 rolls of film during a rain-soaked drubbing the 49ers took at the hands of Brett Favre in the 1998 NFC Championship Game.

The planning involved, the chaos that would ensue, the inevitable malfunction that would have to fixed with gaff tape and baling wire, the deadlines, the long hours, the feeling that everything was conspiring against you - but then you got it done, did a good job and went out for a pint with a fellow photographer you haven't seen in years. Some may not like having to work these big events (especially after years and years of doing them), but I loved them just because they were so different from everyday work.

Fast forward a little and I find myself married with my first daughter and looking for a newspaper job because of "contractual difficulties" with the AP. After about a year of working at the Las Vegas Sun, I finally buried my emotions about missing "big time" sporting events and resigned myself to shooting second-rate college and third-rate hockey and baseball. Sure, there is the PGA and LPGA stop, NASCAR, the NFR and an occasional NCAA tournament, but it isn't the same. And in fact, I found it better because there is better access and a lot more leeway when you don't have your coverage dictated by television. Or at least it isn't dictated as much as when coverage of an event is owned by TV.

So it was with excitement tempered by trepidation that I shot a news conference with David Stern and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman announcing Las Vegas as the site of the 2007 NBA All-Star game. I knew it could be fun, but I decided to play curmudgeon and not care because it was just going to be a big tease about getting a pro sports team and it was going to really screw up traffic.

Besides, The Sun changed format a year-and-a-half ago from being a daily PM to being a daily AM section of analysis and commentary (ostensibly a daily "magazine") that is delivered with the Review Journal. I knew we wouldn't be doing daily coverage of the weekend but we would be shooting more to illustrate what was going to be written.

My first taste of what was to come happened the week before when heading to an assignment at Mandalay Bay, I found that my "secret" parking spot which allows me quick access to Mandalay Bay was taken up by a bunch of tents set up for the All-Star Jam. GrumblegrumblegrumbleŠ

Things were bound to get worse. And they did Wednesday afternoon of All-Star week when trying to get to the MGM for an assignment, I found myself stuck in traffic on Tropicana for half an hour, almost making me late. The next day was credential pick-up day and with closed eyes and clenched teeth, I dove back into the fray of the Strip and Tropicana. My fears were alleviated when everything was fast, efficient and friendly, even for some guy from a paper the NBA PR team had never heard of. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be.

As it turned out, it wasn't. Arriving a couple hours before the start of the skills challenge, I saw the AP's Mark Terrill and Kevork Djansezian (I have no idea how after 10 years I can still spell his name) setting up remotes and dozens of black clad TV types running around looking important. And then, there they were: Pippen and Lambier shooting baskets, Bill Russell and Kobe chatting and laughing on the bench (where's one of those dish monkeys when you need one? Oh, to hear what was being said). OK, so this is pretty cool.

As it turned out, the skills challenge one of the most contrived things I have seen in a long time, even by Vegas standards. With the exception of the Barkley incident and a couple other moments, it could have, should have, been boiled down to 15 minutes. But then TNT couldn't have sold as much advertising and I wouldn't have gotten to see SI's John McDonough's insane, bazillion remote cameras and strobe rig. Or so it seemed.

When he realized that one of his strobes was only firing once every five frames, I was almost expecting him to explode. But the urgency on his face belied his calm as he called for one of the assistants in his coterie, told him about the problem and that "we" had to get fixed. It's nice to see photographers at the top understanding it's a team effort. At least sports photographers.

When the Sunday All-Star game rolled around, the Thomas & Mack was in full tilt Vegas cheese. While most cities hate their stereotype, Las Vegas embraces and celebrates itself and every stereotype it has. From the showgirls and "Mr. Las Vegas" Wayne Newton (who, after his 40th face lift, looks like an escapee from Madame Taussaud's at the Venetian) to Elvi doing dunks off trampolines, it was an All-Star weekend that only Vegas could do.

Much of what Vegas was able to provide happened off court, with seemingly every nightclub hosting a party with some player and a rapper/DJ. With those days 20 years in my past, I only knew of them because of the billboards all over town and full page ads enticing the throngs to stop by, drop $300 on a bottle of vodka and maybe, just maybe get a glimpse of their favorite player.

As for the game itself, I was feeling a little guilty about having a shooting spot on the floor given that the photo I needed for the next day was a scene setter to go with a column on Monday.

Why does Bryan Patrick from the Sacramento Bee get relegated to the bench behind me while I get a floor spot? If someone would have asked, I would have happily traded. But until someone did, I was content to enjoy the spot. Which I did. While not interesting as a basketball game, it was a lot of fun seeing these players I only read about goofing around, playing loose and jawing at each other. "Watch yo' head!" says Shaq before a dunk. After Kobe split the *** with lapidary precision, an East opponent yells, "Ooooo, you in there like swimwear." Shaq giving Amare Stoudamire a kiss after dunking on him. The crowd roaring with laughter when Mehmet Okur decided to actually defend someone (must be some crazy form of pro ball they play in Turkey).

So how was the invasion of photographers, media and the NBA circus? It wasn't as bad as I feared and it was pretty cool to see the evolution of photography and remotes that has happened in the past 10 years. Where one or two photographers would be running a remote a decade ago, it seemed like everyone was running at least a couple. It was good seeing photographers I hadn't seen in a while and it was nice being able to see the box scores come to life.

As for the question of whether or not Las Vegas will get a pro team, I'm not holding my breath. There's that gambling thing commissioners have an aversion to. Add to that the fact that Las Vegas is a very fickle sports town and people tend to identify and support teams from where they are from, it would be a stretch to get a minimum of 15,000 seats filled for a game. But, with the force of his personality, our Mob Mayor may actually get it done.

Would I welcome another All-Star game? Definitely, but it's not going to happen until the Mickey Mouse setup of the Thomas & Mack gets replaced. Would I welcome a pro team? I would love having that environment back.

Except for the three years of taking photos of an arena being built.

(Sam Morris is a staff photographer with the Las Vegas Sun. You can view Sam's work at his SportsShooter.com member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=750)

* * *

A Chance At The Big Game
By Scott Strazzante, The Chicago Tribune

In early 1986, as the Chicago Bears were routing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, I was finishing up my senior year at Wisconsin's Ripon College. Back in Chicago six months later, I was hired at my neighborhood paper - The Daily Calumet. I immediately began scheming to get a credential to Super Bowl XXI, the Monsters of the Midway's encore performance.

Well, two things happened. The NFL said no and the Bears lost to the Redskins in the divisional playoff.

As my career moved on, I was fortunate enough to photograph 6 NBA Finals, 2 Olympics, a World Series and a Stanley Cup but never a Super Bowl.

The thing about working for a city newspaper is that you can only go to events that the local team qualifies for and in Chicago the Super Bowl was looking like a once in a lifetime proposition.

But in 2006, thanks to the Bears' tough enough defense and a weak NFC, I finally got my chance to go to the big game.

Teamed with shooters Jim Prisching and Nuccio DiNuzzo and editor Todd Panagopoulos, I headed to Miami. The Tribune also sent twenty writers so despite the balmy temps and raucous party atmosphere, I quickly realized I was there to work.

My pre-game assignment was to photograph the stereotypical Bear fans, "The Grabowskis", as they invaded South Beach. In addition, I shot everything from mindless stories on Super Bowl souvenirs to cool things like the house on Palm Island where Al Capone died and Prince, as he rocked the media at a pre-game show press conference. I enjoyed wandering Ocean Drive but in reality I couldn't wait for Sunday to roll around.

It was determined early on that I would shoot the game from an upper position on the Bears' sideline. I'm usually pretty nervous before shooting at a new venue but having a pre-determined position alleviated much of that anxiety.

Plus, from my earlier experiences shooting from a high angle, I knew that I would be able to cover the whole field and have a much higher percentage of usable images.

The game started out with a bang for Chicago as Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown but as the contest moved along the more skilled Colts wore down the Bears.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, I was one of the few shooters who focused on the losers. There would be no Tony Dungy being carried off the field photos for me, just dejected Bears.

Nothing compelling happened until would be hero Hester paused to watch Indianapolis rejoice. For a moment, all that filled my frame was Hester and the falling confetti but quickly the Tribune's Nuccio DiNuzzo and the USA TODAY's Jack Gruber darted over to shoot Hester with their wide angles.

Within a second, my dejection photo went from page one to page none. No sour grapes, though, because DiNuzzo's shot is better.

I have always compared the Olympics to shooting several Super Bowls a day for 3 weeks but now that I've been, I kind of think that the Super Bowl is like shooting the Olympics in 4 hours.

(Scott Strazzante is a staff photographer with the Chicago Tribune. You can view Scott's work at his SportsShooter.com member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=520.)

        *       *       *

Covering the Super Bowl, Indy Style
By Robert Scheer, The Indianapolis Star

After the Colts' meltdown to the Steelers in 2005, nobody on our Colts crew at the Indy Star held our breath when the team limped into the 2006 postseason. But there we were, drinking mojitos on South Beach, and watching the bronzed menagerie strut, jog and skate by, while our Hoosier friends and families kept the electric blankets cranked.

In Indiana, basketball and auto racing are king, but enough people had hopped on the Colts bandwagon to make everyone forget the Pacers' legal woes for a while.

Nine reporters, plus four photographers (me, Matt Kryger, Matt Detrich and Sam Riche) a video editor (Matt Dial), and Mike Fender, our DOP, made the trip, arriving at various times, starting with the Sunday before the game.

At the Indianapolis Star, we like to think that we're built for huge sporting events. Every few years, Indy hosts a Final Four, and we cover gigantic auto races as well as anybody.   So, once we got the lay of the land in south Florida and the media shuttle situation figured out, it was down to business.

The main roadblock that we faced early in the week was a large Pelican case carrying much of our video gear, removable hard drives, battery chargers and audio recorders (Marantz), never made it to Miami (thanks UPS).
We did have a rental car, so we drove to Coral Gables to rent a tripod from a sleazy looking place that looked like it would have been right at home in Chatsworth, CA. We managed without the other multimedia gear, talking our editors into hacking a few things out of the budget.

A week after the game, the lost Pelican case arrived back at our offices in Indy, having sat on a loading dock somewhere in Missouri.

Every photographer did have a Macintosh laptop (either G4 or Intel Dual Core), plus we did manage to take arrival of a G5 tower that we did the bulk of our video editing on, incorporating footage from our sole Sony HD camera and Final Cut Pro software.

The daily photo/video budget, very fluid in nature, which Mike Fender described as a moving target, involved about 75 percent coverage of anything relating to the players and coaches, mostly Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy. We split up each press conference, transmitting stills back immediately for the web, and video within a few hours.

Chicago has a larger fan base than Indy does, so all the photographers had to do the "but we can see them on TV," dance with back-in-Indy editors regarding features involving Colts fans partying on South Beach earlier than Super Bowl weekend.

I know that this would have been fodder for the Bears' locker room, but in November, our editors at the Star started compiling images for a book should the Colts win a world title. Following each game, images would get sent off to a quick-turnaround publisher who ultimately printed 10,000 copies of a hardbound, full color book for us in less than 10 days.

Apart from the pressers, and rubbernecking for anybody wearing Colts blue, several media parties were held. I didn't manage to get to any, save the Canon party (thanks for the rain gear!), but I kept hearing about a mid week media soirée involving free food, free booze, and bikini-clad women playing beach volleyball.

After the 12-plus hour days that everyone had been turning in, game day seemed routine. We'd been hoping for at least three field spots, but ended up with two. The Matts: Kryger and Detrich, were down low, Sam Riche hung out near Scott Strazzante facing the Colts bench up high, while I was in the west end zone, on the second level. Not much, save a Reggie Wayne TD, came my way, but that's the way these things go. The rain looked much worse on television, but it was tough enough to cause Mr. Detrich's cameras (both) to fail simultaneously at the end of the fourth quarter. Thankfully, he did manage to get a few frames fired to capture some fantastic trophy images.

Our multimedia work, and photo galleries, included my red carpet pix from the Playboy Party, and a stop-motion piece on the South Beach scene that I did with still cameras and a tiny Olympus audio recorder. It's called Miamistyle, and can be found on our paper's multimedia page (FYI-our videos won't play on safari): http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA
Be sure to check out Indy-side photographer Danese Kenon's video of Colts fans partying in subfreezing temperatures. Classic.

The trip home to Indy? FUBAR would be a good description, as it was a very long day/days. Word of advice, go home Tuesday, not Monday.

Hope to see you in Arizona!

(Robert Scheer is a staff photographer with the Indianapolis Star. You can view a sampling of Robert's work at his SportsShooter.com member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=2232.)

* * *

ON THE ROAD
Advice To Being The Prepared Traveler
By Darren Carroll

Uh-oh. Here we go again. It's wintertime, which, for air travelers, means that hell has indeed frozen over. Denver is snowed in, Chicago is whited out, New York is frozen solid, and Dallas is under water. Air traffic is snarled around the country, p***s are stranded on taxiways, politicians are blustering senselessly about a "Passenger's Bill of Rights," and local news crews are delighting in video footage of poor souls sleeping on floors in airports across the country. It's miserable. And if you have to fly to work, you stand a pretty good chance of getting caught up in the whole sordid mess at least once this season.

But don't lose hope. Show up at the airport prepared---both physically and, perhaps more importantly, mentally--and you may just be able to get where you're going. Maybe not right on time, but certainly in time. There are just a few things you need to do:

While it may be too late to help this winter, start this year by picking an airline and sticking with it. I don't care which one; just make sure it's one of the "majors"--i.e., American, United, Continental, Northwest, Delta, or USAirways. Choose based on schedule, convenience, location, and whatnot. And once you've made your choice, fly it as much as you can to attain the highest frequent flier status possible. The higher your level, the better the benefits--and I don't just mean double bonus miles and first-class upgrades. I mean dedicated telephone lines that people actually answer, and the ability to jump to the top of a flight's standby list--which could mean the difference between going home, or sleeping at gate 97.

Once you've picked your airline, join the club. As in the airline's airport club. Not only do clubs (like Delta's Crown Room, American's Admiral's Club, or Continental's President's Club), provide a comfortable respite from the teeming masses of humanity stranded in the waiting areas, they also have a dedicated staff available to handle ticketing issues, often with little or no waiting.

Additionally, many clubs are staffed by personnel who are at a level above your average ticket or gate agent, and have the ability to get things done that other agents simply can't do. Is it cheap? No. But my theory is that there's always at least one hellacious day per year when the only reason I'm on a flight out of DFW and able to tuck my son into bed is because I have a membership at American's Admirals Club, and its agents were able to work some magic that got me on to a p*** I had no business being on. It makes the couple of hundred bucks it costs for an annual membership seem exactly what it is--priceless.

So now off you go, armed with double-secret Titanium frequent flier status and a club membership, ready to brave the vagaries of O'Hare in a blizzard or Dallas-Fort Worth in an ice storm. That's still not going to cut it. A little foresight never hurts, either.

o Most airlines will offer one-time, no-charge itinerary changes if it looks like their operations at a specific airport will be severely impacted. Check you carrier's website one or two days before you leave to see if, for example, American will let you re-route your connection in Chicago through Dallas instead, in anticipation of a coming blizzard.

o Ship your clothes and gear ahead of you, and free yourself from the ball-and-chain of checked baggage. Most airlines still won't allow you to stand by on an earlier flight, or take an earlier connection, if you've already checked bags. And should circumstances dictate re-routes on another airline, the chances of your bags showing up when you do are pretty slim. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to shift things around and adapt to ever-changing travel conditions, not to mention how much less stressful travel in general can be, with only carry-on luggage.

o Pack some essentials. Never head to the airport without a change of clothes and some travel-sized toiletries in your Think Tank Airport Security roller. Even when the weather is perfect, you never know when mechanical or traffic issues can pop up. To that end, the most important thing you can bring with you is your sense of humor. Seriously. You're not a mechanic, and (despite what a few of you out there may think) you're not God. As far as I know, those are about the only two beings that can get rid of a mechanical or weather delay.

Which leads me to my final point: the poor soul standing behind the ticket counter or at the gate eyeing an angry mob in front of them can't do anything to get that p*** fixed, or get it to stop snowing in Philadelphia, either. What they can do, however, is get you on the next possible flight. Or put you on another airline. Or give you a hotel voucher for the night. Or even, believe it or not, lean over and conspiratorially whisper the truth about what's really going on, so that you can call the airport hotel well before the other 150 people on your soon-to-be-cancelled flight find out. But they'll only do this on one condition: that you're not a prick.

Indeed, the surest way to guarantee yourself a night on a cot at the airport is to walk up to the agent, slam your silver frequent flier card on the counter, and inform him or her of your vast financial contributions to the airline--like the $99 web special fare you're flying on right now.

The old saying goes that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, and it's never more true than when you're trying to work your way through the Byzantine system of airport standby lists, gate changes, and air traffic holds. Agents know your frequent flier status the minute they look at your boarding pass, and they've probably been dealing with irate people screaming at them for the past few hours. The last thing they need is a guy who thinks 25,000 miles a year is a lot (it isn't) telling them he spends a lot of money with the airline (he doesn't) and therefore should have a new p*** brought up to the gate just for him. Don't laugh. I actually heard that once.

Anyway, the bottom-line: Smile. Be nice. Remain calm. Put your sense of entitlement in your pocket. And plan ahead. At best you'll get where you need to be. At worst, well, at least you won't be one of those unfortunate overnight airport guests on the local news.

(Freelancer Darren Carroll is based in the winter wonderland of Austin, Texas. You can view Darren's work at his SportsShooter.com member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=74 and at his personal website: www.darrencarroll.com.)

* * *

Managing The Madness: What you need to know about covering the NCAA Tournament
By Porter Binks, Sports Illustrated

It's almost time for spring training and selection Sunday is only about two weeks away, which means March Madness can't be far behind. While my Orioles are trying to craft a bullpen in Ft. Lauderdale (hey, everybody has a chance when it's spring), I'm spending my time preparing for one of the biggest events Sports Illustrated covers. Which also means it's time for me to share my annual update on what you need to know to make your coverage of the NCAA Tournament go as smoothly as possible.

Let's deal with Atlanta first. The Georgia Dome will host its second Final Four on March 31 and April 2. The first game on Saturday starts shortly after 6pm (ET) and the second game 40-minutes after the end of the first. Monday night's championship game is set to tip-off at 9:21pm (ET). It will be the third Final Four for Atlanta, which also hosted in 1977 at the old Omni when Marquette won the championship over North Carolina.

Representatives from eight agencies met last Nov. 6 with the NCAA and Dome staff to discuss the working areas for photographers and many of our needs, especially in our workroom. That workroom will be located directly behind the temporary stands on the west side, approximately where it was in 2002.

While the good news is that we're very close to the court, you'll also have to deal with the arena noise, since we're back out in the open this year with about 53,000 fans. But they're yelling away from us!

Some points to keep in mind if you plan to put up remotes in Atlanta:
_ Like last year, photographer's use of wireless transmitting to download from the cameras will be restricted (hard wire it or pick up the cards).
_ All remotes must be in place by Thursday this year. The strobe lighting test has moved up to Thursday at 4 pm, so the NCAA will make a preliminary inspection of the remotes at the same time. They don't have to be working-just in place.
_ All upper remotes must in and working before the doors open for Friday's public practices. And the cameras and their clamps must be secured with safety cables. We'll try and find some time after the doors close Friday to adjust over the court remotes, if needed.
_ The remotes under the press table will once again poke through the fabric that hangs from the front of the tables. Please don't cut through it before asking-we're going to try and make it a little nicer looking.
_ It would help if you could label either the back of your camera, or the floor plates or clamp, so if something needs to be adjusted you can be found quickly.

If you plan to install remotes at the first and second round and regional sites, remember you'll need the permission of the media coordinator. When you know where you're going, contact the media coordinator at that site, requesting permission to install remotes in approved places.

(Link to media coordinators: http://www.sportsshooter.com/pix/2007PreliminarCordinators.pdf)

Remember that some of these arenas are not campus owned, so be prepared to provide insurance certificates when asked. Here are the print photo policies from the NCAA:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/pix/PrintPhotoPolicies073106.pdf

As far as strobes for first and second rounds and regionals, most know by now that three sets are permitted. The first goes to SI, the second to AP/Reuters/USA TODAY and the third to a pool to be shared. Set two can be reassigned to a pool set if one of those three agencies doesn't exercise their option. Some sites this year are buildings that don't allow installation, but rather rent the house sets. Pooling some of these sets is possible and I help coordinate that, but they must be requested in advance. That also means the charges for the rentals are shared. The NCAA strobe policies are here: http://www.sportsshooter.com/pix/StrobeLightsPies2-27-06.pdf

Every year, there is at least one misunderstanding about the strobe rules when it comes to host cities. If you are in a city that's hosting the tournament, and you have strobes installed in the arena, please be aware you will have to pool the lights during the tournament if you choose to use them. They won't be available to you exclusively and under the tournament strobe polices, you can charge a reasonable fee for rental and upkeep. If you would like to install a pool set at any of the first or second round or regional sites, please drop me an email at porter_binks@simail.com. In Atlanta, there will also be a pool set that needs to be requested in advance.

Deadlines: For host sites newspapers/agencies who wish to provide pool sets, I need to know by Monday, March 5th. This includes wire service photographers. If you simply want to participate in the strobe pool (rather than install a set), I need to know by Monday, March 12th, the day after Selection Sunday. For the regional sites, I need to know by Monday March 19th, the day we know who advances.

For those who need phone lines, you can use this form to order: http://www.sportssystems.com/ncaa/ncaacommunications.pdf. This form should also appear at the bottom of the email you'll get from the NCAA sites approving your credentials. All credentials are handled on-line and while the men's & women's Final Four is closed, the other rounds are open. The site is available at http://www.ncaa.org, in the pressroom, under the media and events section.

As always, I'm happy to help answer your questions, clarify what I can and hear any ideas you think would make the workrooms and other photo policies better.

(Porter Binks is a picture editor with Sports Illustrated. He former worked at USA TODAY.)

* * *

PREACHING TO THE CHOIR: Interlude
By Paul Myers, Brooks Institute of Photography

Photography is easy.
It takes a few minutes to learn, a lifetime of searching.

1. See.
2. Compose.
3. Expose.
4. Repeat.

There is more to it than that, right?

What about photographic meaning?

What is it?

A wisp of smoke might be closer to the point. Might be closer to explaining the nature of photographic meaning.

A wisp of smoke passing through the light of humanity.

Photographers search for meaning in the world. They search to communicate that which they understand as being important. This may be an idea, a concept, a person, an expression, an era, a continent, an emotion. When photographers photograph they say, "See, here it is, look. I saw this."

And in spite of their best intentions to inform the world of what they have seen, photographers are undermined by their photographs.

Why I heard it just the other day. "Screw you, Photographer," said Photograph. "Screw. You."

Sure, at first this was a bit of a shock but I got over it.

Photographs refuse the photographer's intended meaning because photographs do not mean.

No, really, what is photographic meaning?

The simple answer is that photographs have no meaning.

Simple answers are simple because they are right under our nose, they point out the common sense of our actions and interactions. Hidden in plain sight, they are traditions so engrained we do not notice them, much like the air we breath, much like the best photographs.

Again, photographs have no meaning.

Photographic meaning is the potential to mean.

A photograph potentially means so much because it means nothing.

Without a meaning, photographs mean.

Without sensing they sense.

They teach without teaching.
They jump without jumping.
They dance without dancing.
They cry without crying.
They sing without singing.
They smell without smelling.
They remember without memory.
They love without loving
They make a point without pointing.
They care without caring.

Photographs reflect.

They reflect our (subject/photographer/audience) humanity.

...Photographs reflect humanity for humanity.

Perfect in their imperfections as products of humanity, photographs are incomplete objects of meaning.

A photograph means as a photograph when it is in front of an audience.

The first audience is the subject.
The second audience is the photographer.
The third audience is the viewer.

So an audience makes a photograph mean?

A photograph does not mean.

An audience makes a photograph a photograph.

(Paul Myers is a faculty member of the Visual Journalism Program at Brooks Institute of Photography in Ventura, CA. Prior to his arrival at Brooks, Myers worked for a variety of publications including newspapers in Freeport, IL and Marysville, CA.)

* * *

Confessions of a Non - Sports Shooter
By Bryan Moss

CONFESSION #1.

I'm not really very good at it. I don't have an eye for the graceful ballet, perfectly framed, tack sharp action picture. I often miss the key moment; not long ago I was shooting a swimming meet and absolutely knew the winning coach was going to be thrown into the pool. I missed it anyway. I did get a picture out of it I liked. Still, I missed a moment I knew was coming.

CONFESSION #2.

I'm not even that big a sports fan. I follow college basketball. I grew up in Indiana, went to I.U., covered their games when I worked in Louisville. (For the record, in my opinion, Bobby Knight was always worth the trouble he caused, but he ultimately did himself in because he didn't live by his own principles of behavior.) Anyway, I don't watch much else until whatever sport is current gets down the to the playoffs. Then I enjoy them all, because of the level of performance.

CONFESSION #3.

I don't have proper equipment. Until this weekend I shot everything with one not-all-that-professional body-a Nikon D70 with the wide-angle lens it comes with and a 70-200 VR zoom. And a 1.4 telextender of ancient vintage. The D70 served me faithfully for two years, but this one-body approach eventually culminated in the inevitable result of not having a backup when the camera malfunctioned in the first quarter of a tournament final basketball game. (A high school soccer coach who shoots the games for fun lent me his D70 for the entire fourth quarter, so I recovered,) Now I have a new D80, and as soon as the D70 gets fixed, I'll keep it as a backup. I'll still shoot with only one body, though; that's my personal preference.

CONFESSION #4.

At one of the newspapers I worked, the old guys (the ones I thought were old, when I was 25) always got the worst assignments, and there was one particular photographer, who worked nights because he liked the hours, who shot night after night of high school basketball. One particular night, though, the American Basketball Association (remember them?) was in town for their All-Star game. Since he was already working nights and, he was assigned to the multi-photographer team covering the big event. The team assembled for a strategy meeting before the game; the meeting went on and on, the time got late. Finally, the veteran picked up his camera with his standard 85mm lens and got up to leave, announcing, "If you need me, I'll be under the north goal."

The very last thing I ever expected (or thought I wanted) was to be his age and find myself sitting in a high school gym (with orange lights) under the north goal.

But I retired from newspapers about a year ago, and founded www.lifeincorydon.com, a website devoted to life in the little Indiana town in which I grew up. Much of life here is centered around kid's sports, from peewees to high school. Under the north basket is where I often am these days. So even though it's a little weird to be writing a piece giving advice to sports shooters, one of the reasons I'm doing this is because my experiences and how I deal with being not all that good at standard sports pictures, may be helpful to you all. ("You all," a southern phrase for the second person plural pronoun, which otherwise does not exist in the English language.)

The other reason I'm writing this, is because SportsShooter.com has run two wonderful reviews of my book PhotoSynthesis and I've had orders from all over the world as a result. (Cheap plug here - you can see more about the book at www.lifeinamerica.us/photosynthesis.) Those reviews got me connected with Sports Shooter and I wanted to thank everyone by offering some thoughts about shooting sports.

So here you go - two important things I think you should think about:

IMPORTANT THING #1

My work appears on a website. (Which means I shoot everything horizontal, including basketball. (Give up verticals. It's a horizontal medium.) I cover a sporting event and then run an 18-24 picture slideshow of the game.

I compete with two weekly newspapers and a daily that doesn't care much about Corydon, so it's fun to have a slideshow on the website the next day. Most newspapers' websites are put together by non-visual people, so their idea of a slideshow is a collection of action pictures in no particular order, with an occasional ranting coach or tired fan picture or happy winner. Not good enough.

I spent a lot of time in my career working on a desk, and I never liked being stuck in the office, so I always asked of the photographers who were lucky enough to be at the event that they "take me there." Shoot the event so that when I look at the pictures back in the office, I'll feel like I've experienced the game, even though I wasn't actually in attendance.

That's the goal -- "take me there." Every sports event is not just a contest; it's an event. There are players, coaches, moms, dads, girlfriends, nieces, nephews, cheerleaders, scorekeepers, old guys who are re-living the glory days of 20 years ago. They're all part of it, too.

Each event can be considered a documentary story. That's the way I shoot them, from the time I first step out of the car until the star of the game leaves hand-in-hand with his girlfriend. And most often, I simply edit the pictures I like and leave them in chronological order. Beginning to end, as they happened.

Web slide shows (and video, too, for that matter) must have continuity. Flow. A beginning, a middle and an end. The story must transition from one image to the next. That means that there must be some pacing to the images. Not everything can be tight, not everything can be action within the boundary lines.

If you want to make that work, you have to shoot everything that happens in front of you.

See www.lifeincorydon.com/graphics/perry1/index.html for an example.

IMPORTANT THING #2

Intuition. A major part of the PhotoSynthesis book is devoted to maximizing intuitive performance. But we don't have time here to go into any detail, so you'll just have to take my word for how it works.

Your brain is a complicated organ, but it's well accepted that creativity comes mainly from the right side (intuition.) The left side (your conscious brain) handles the non-creative stuff; it's good at mathematics and language.

And saying, "No." Aside from operating the controls of the camera and finding a place to stand (when you have a choice), its main photography function seems to be telling you NOT to take pictures. "Wait." "Not that one." "Not yet." "No." Not surprisingly, given its negative attitude, the conscious brain is not a very good photographer.

It's your intuitive side that makes the pictures that touch us -- pictures that are achingly beautiful or emotionally wrenching, or capture the very essence of a sport. When photographers are running on their intuition, they're in The Zone, just like the athletes they photograph. And their pictures show it.

(Here's a test for you...how many times have you thought you had a great picture, only to get back to the office and it wasn't as good as you thought it was? It's your conscious brain that thought it was a good picture. Conversely, how many times have you been looking through your pictures and found one you don't even remember taking, and it's a picture you really like? That was your intuitive side at work.)

The trick, then, is to enable your intuition, so it's deciding when to press the button, not the your uncreative conscious brain. Just like athletes, you have to find a way to get into The Zone.

It's not that hard. Just start. Like any creative effort, the hardest part is the first step. "Just Do It" is precious wisdom. The more pictures you take, the more you enable your intuition. The real secret to optimizing your creativity and making better pictures is to press the button. A lot. Keep the camera to your eye, keep your world concentrated to that small rectangle of the viewfinder and pictures almost take themselves.

DISCLAIMER -- Intuitive performance is magical; there's no formula that works every time to make it happen.

AND NOTE - This is the same shooting suggestion I made earlier, that you take a lot of pictures, but I'm advocating it now for an entirely different reason.

So the two important things I wanted to share are really the same important thing.

Shoot. Don't decide NOT to press the button because your dull left-brain is telling you to wait. Just do it.

It doesn't matter what the subject is. And it works just fine for sports. Even from under the north basket.

IMPORTANT THING #3

(I know, I said two, but since the first two were actually one, I get one more. I thought I was done, but I can't leave you without this final admonition.)

Shoot pictures for the pleasure of doing it. There's nothing like being in The Zone, whether you're a photographer or an NFL quarterback. Most great athletes don't want to quit. Some come out of retirement several times. It's not because they want to win more games, it's because they want to have that Zone performance high again.

If you photograph for the sheer joy of the experience, the pictures will take care of themselves.

(Bryan Moss has been on staff at some of the country's leading newspapers including the Courier Journal in Louisville and the San Jose Mercury News. He currently is the co-director of the White Cloud workshops with Mary Jo Moss: http://www.whitecloudworkshop.com. He is currently the editor and photographer on a hometown website he started, http://www.lifeincorydon.com. This is what's taking up his time these days. Adds Bryan: "For more alleged wisdom from me, buy a copy of my new book PhotoSynthesis, details at http://www.lifeinamerica.us/photosynthesis/. Among the topics it covers is how to get into the Zone when you're shooting.)

* * *

Tattoo You
By Chris Detrick, The Salt Lake Tribune

¬¬Last winter I had the idea of putting together a photo collage for the annual Tattoo Convention in Salt Lake City, but I was covering the Utah State Legislature full time and couldn't get away.

Instead, I used the same concept during the Utah Gay Pride Festival in June. Normally, my photo editor Scott Sommerdorf cringes in pain when he hears the word "collage" used in budget meetings. This is because it is almost always used by the visually-illiterate "word folk," who skip by the idea of what a good picture story can communicate and just like to smash pictures together an call it a "picture package."

I rented a backdrop, set up lights and with the help of my assistant Ashley Franscell, took portraits of about 65 people. I put together a collage with 18 of the best portraits and submitted it to the weekend editors at the Salt Lake Tribune.

Originally, I was told that it would be the A-1 Sunday centerpiece, but I later got a call that the editors were worried about the content. They believed it was a little too risqué for our audience. Their reasoning was that some of the subjects were cross-dressing, some wore revealing outfits and some were sexually suggestive.

No matter how much I fought for it, it ended up in black and white on an inside page without a caption or a credit. And they cut it in half to put in a title. To me, it looked like an advertisement. Needless to say, it was a disaster and nothing like what I originally planned.

So, eight months later I noticed billboards announcing the Tattoo Convention was back in town and again pitched the photo collage idea to Sommerdorf. He then took my idea to the managing editor as a way to publish something with a lighter feel to it. We thought it might be a refreshing break from the recent Trolley Square shooting coverage that happened early in the week and dominated the section fronts for each day since.

The managing editor - who had dropped by the photo department to talk about some other stories - then talked to us about the idea and what I would be doing at the Tattoo Convention as well as my expectations for how it would be published. I reminded them how poorly the Gay Pride collage was handled and this was our chance to do it right. I was told that the collage would run on the front of the Utah section (our "B" section for local news), in color, in Saturday's paper.

I went to the Salt Palace Convention Center and scouted out the location and saw they had black fabric sheets as dividers in between all of the booths. I asked the manager if I could make some portraits for the paper and if I could use his black fabric for my background. He said, "Sure dude," so I began to set up the lights and umbrellas across from a vender selling tattoo related merchandise in the back corner of the room.

When I was almost ready, I asked the first person I saw to stand in so I could fine-tune the lighting and exposure. He didn't have any visible tattoos, but when I was finished, I explained to him what I was doing and inquired if he had any tattoos. He said he did, but didn't want to show it. I asked what it was and he said, "an evil, flaming PEZ dispenser."

As luck would have it, I too am a collector of PEZ and we spent a few minutes chatting about our slightly obsessive collections of plastic, multi-colored candy dispensers. (I currently have around 950Š) He eventually opened-up and showed me his tattoo, located on his right side.

I walked around the convention hall looking for people with interesting tattoos. If I saw one, I would introduce myself and tell them what I was doing. Some were reluctant about having their picture published, but after I explained their photo would be one of about 16 pictures included in the college, most agreed to the photo shoot. Others told me they had a tattoo, but didn't want to show me because it was, as one 20-something with black hair and matching leather pants said, "its very private."

Some people were more than willing to show off their body art. One man Justin H., from Ogden, Utah wanted me to photograph his body art. They covered probably 85% of his torso and arms, front and back. For the front picture, he lifted up his left arm to reveal the tattoo continued into his armpit. I photographed him in that pose and then had him turn around so I could shoot the rest of the tattoo on his back.

When we were finished, he said, "you do know that it goes all the way down...." I said, "Oh really?!" then asked if he wanted to show it off. "Why not," he responded while starting to laugh. With his friends egging him on, he slid down the back of his Abercrombie jeans to reveal more colorful tattoo designs on both of his butt-cheeks. I took a few more pictures as onlookers whistled and hollered. I knew the paper wouldn't run the picture, but how often do you get to see - let along photograph -- an ass-tat?

One of the more interesting --- and probably painful --- tattoos I saw was that of Don R., from Salt Lake City. When he first approached me to have his picture taken, I didn't immediately see his tattoo. Only when he blinked did I get a glimpse of the small green four-leaf clover tattooed on his left eyelid. I pulled out the 50-macro and had him hold his eyelid shut so I could get a clear shot of it. When asked, Don said, "it did hurt like hell."

I also used the macro lens to photograph other small tattoos on people's hands, knuckles, neck, feet and ankles. Knowing they would be used in the collage, I wanted to have some visual variety so not every frame was someone from their waist up. Having these details helped with the flow of the collage.

In the two hours I spent shooting, I photographed a total of 21 men and 6 women. Obviously, I had an easier time convincing the men to take off their shirts than the women, but I did have one woman who wanted to show me her newest tattoo on her upper back. It was so new -having been inked at the convention -I had to remove the bandage in order to photograph it.

After I was finished, I packed up my gear and went back to the office to start editing my pictures. I talked with the page designer who told me that it was planned that I'd have an 8.75 by 6.5 inch hole set aside for the collage. The hardest part of this collage was figuring out how many pictures to include and the exact dimensions they needed to be in order to fit the design specs. Once I had that figured out, the rest was easy.

I ended up using 15 pictures in the final product. As promised, the collage ran on the front of the local "Utah" section and looked pretty darn good. It's great when ideas come together so well. And no, I did not get a tattoo myself, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. Perhaps next year I'll get racing greyhounds tattooed on my back.

(Chris Detrick is a staff photographer with the Salt Lake Tribune and is an occasional contributor to the Sports Shooter Newsletter. You can view Chris's work on his SportsShooter.com member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=1411.)

* * *

BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED: Staying connected across the pond
By Zach Honig, University of Missouri

I like to travel a lot. In fact, at this very moment I'm sitting in a smoking lounge at the Manchester Airport in the middle of a 4-hour layover on my way to Lyon, France. The room is so full of second-hand smoke that my first instinct was to look for a fire. As I look around the room, I count at least 20 cigarettes. I've never smoked myself, so what could have inspired me to spend these few hours surrounded by Dunhills?

Considering the increasing popularity of portable computers, wall outlets are surprisingly difficult to come by at most of the airports I've visited. To add insult to injury, my US household plug could never fit into the inverted-T UK style outlet that my temporary home has to offer, although the power adaptor on my MacBook Pro continues to glow amber.

If you've never left your country of residence, you might be surprised to learn that you probably need an adaptor to use your devices abroad. Don't fret though; international power adaptors are usually available for purchase in airports all over the world, so even if you've left home without one you should be able to keep your gear running overseas.

Devices designed for use in the United States operate on 110-120V while most countries use 220-240V. With most electronic devices today, however, this isn't an issue. If you're using a device with a power adaptor (notebook computer, cell phone, camera, etc.), chances are it's compatible with 100-240V power systems. If in doubt as to whether the device can handle multiple input voltages, its capabilities should be listed somewhere on the device or power adaptor. All you'll likely need is a standard international power adaptor.

This is where things get a bit confusing. There's a significant difference between power adaptors and power converters. The latter alters the voltage before reaching your device while adaptors change only the plug style. Most likely you'll only need to purchase an adaptor although some electrical devices (appliances and some electronics) support only one voltage. That's where the converter comes into play.

There are several types of adaptors available depending on your country of origin and destination (http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm#plugs). Depending on where you buy an adaptor, you can expect to pay between $5 and $40 for nearly identical devices. Though on the pricey side, my personal favorite is the Kensington universal plug adaptor (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BTL0OU). You'd be best off searching around for the best price before leaving home, especially if you need to power several devices at one time.

Some airlines provide in-seat notebook power for entertainment on inter-continental journeys. Cigarette lighter power ports are available on most modern long-range aircraft, though not typically at every seat in the coach cabin. Airlines often offer seating charts under the "our p***s" or "aircraft we fly" sections of a carrier's website. If a seat offers power port access there may be some indication on the seating chart. Be sure to check for power port access before choosing a seat, as you may not be able to relocate once on board. In order to take advantage of in-flight notebook power, you need a DC to AC converter, available at most electronics retailers for $20 to $130 or more depending on wattage supported. Be sure to check your device's wattage requirements before making a purchase.

If you've managed to set your notebook up to connect to the Internet through your GSM carrier back home, you should be able to connect abroad as well. That capability depends on the networks in use in your destination country, and you'll pay a premium to do so. I connect to the web using Cingular's EDGE network; $20-per-month buys unlimited access in the States, but depending on the country you're visiting, connecting to a GSM network abroad costs 2 cents per kilobyte. This can quickly add up if you're transmitting images. A 5MB file will cost a minimum of $100 to transfer. Alternatively, Cingular offers an international data plan with 100MB of usage per month for $140. Under this plan, service is offered in 26 countries, but you might be able to connect elsewhere for 2 cents per KB.

Depending on your destination, wireless hotspots may be available, but these can be quite pricey as well. For example at the Manchester airport, 24 hours of Internet access costs £10. That's approximately $20. I've paid as much as $40 at some European hotels. If you need to connect to the Internet while abroad, I recommend checking about pricing with your hotel before booking. Some hotels offer free access while some charge per day or even per hour.

If your hotel offers conference facilities, they'll likely have a business center with Internet access. I've been able to avoid usage fees by plugging my notebook into Ethernet jacks at various hotel business centers. Ethernet jacks may be available throughout the hotel as well. In the past, I've sat on the floor of a dark, empty hotel conference room to check my email for free. Internet cafes are also available in many cities, but these are less likely to allow you to use your own computer to connect, even if you're willing to pay the standard fee.

It's very important to do your homework before traveling to a foreign country. Although you'll likely be able to purchase any required equipment abroad, it's often cheaper and easier to shop around before your trip. I'll make a considerable effort to log onto my email account while traveling, but the last thing I'd want to do after an 8-hour flight is spend hours walking around a foreign city in search of a power adaptor before completing that task.

(Zach Honig is a self-proclaimed techno geek and is attending the University of Missouri. You can check out his work at: http://www.sportsshooter.com/zach and at his personal website: http://www.honigphoto.com)

* * *

Late Winter Specials From Penn Camera
By Jeff Snyder

It was such a blast meeting so many of you in Miami for Super Bowl XLIŠnext stop Phoenix for SBXLII !

Spring training and the Grapefruit League are in full swing (Lets go National's), and PMA is just around the corner! The PMA Show is the largest annual event to showcase the latest photographic products, and I'm sure to have lots to report when I return.

Think Tank has once again made many of you very happy with their new Airport International Rolling Case. The Airport International is a smaller version of the all so popular Airport Security, and will fit in the overheads of most European airlines. Also available for the International is a new 'Low Divider Kit", which replaces the dividers supplied with the case, and allows space for a laptop, inside. Airport Internationals and Airport Security cases are both in stock.

Optech's RAINSLEEVE - A very cool new product, that I think you all should have in your camera bag. For UNDER $10, you get TWO in a pack. These will cover your camera with lenses up to 18" in length, so covering a 400 is certainly doable. What happens when you get caught in that downpour, or snowstorm, and you didn't have a protective cover? These are in stock now for immediate shipping, here are a few of the features:
* Protects your gear from dust and inclement weather
* Designed for handheld use OR tripod application
* Unique eyepiece opening adapts to most viewfinders so you are viewing through the lens, not plastic!
* Camera & Lens controls are easily visible and operable through the RAINSLEEVE
* Fits lenses measuring up to 7" in diameter and 18" in length
* Drawstring lens opening offers easy access and a snug fit

Lexar has announced 300X Professional cards. What does this all mean?
Maximum high-speed UDMA performance and reliability
Dramatically improves transfer speeds from card to computer*
Includes Image Rescue 3 software to recover lost or deleted photo, video, and audio files Includes Corel® Paint Shop Pro® X to extend picture-taking-enhance, edit, and manage photos from the desktop
Includes Lexar Backup n Sync software to backup, sync, and share your photos Limited lifetime warranty

Lexar's new UDMA CompactFlash® (CF) technology provides the ultimate high-speed memory card performance for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. The Lexar Professional UDMA 300x memory card dramatically increases card-to-computer transfer rates when paired with a UDMA-enabled reader, as well as provides support for the next generation of high-resolution UDMA-enabled digital SLR (DSLR) cameras. Lexar Professional UDMA CF cards are available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities, and work with all CF devices. These new cards will be available SOONŠ.In the meantime, I have some fantastic deals of the current Lexar 133X CF Cards, Call me for pricing.

Epson Stylus Photo 1400 - The latest from Epson, the 1400 takes photo printing to the next level with fast and impressive 13x19" prints, at a price of $399. These are in stock for immediate delivery, take a look at these specs:
Print 13" x 19" enlargements fast
Amazing color and detail on glossy and matte papers with Claria dye-based ink
Up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi and droplets as small as 1.5 picoliter for the finest detail
Automatic color and lighting correction for high quality photos'
BorderFree® photos in more sizes (4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", 8.5" x 11", 11" x 14", 12" x 12" and 13" x 19"
4" x 6" photos in as fast as 46 seconds; 8" x 10" photos in as fast as 1 min 51 sec'
Beautiful 12" x 12" prints - great for scrapbooking projects
Direct printing onto ink jet printable CD/DVDs
Convenient, individual ink cartridges
DX5 MicroPiezo print head delivers five sizes of ink droplets for enhanced photographic printing.
Versatile software included - Adobe Photoshop Elements and more

Nikon has announced a few new Coolpix cameras, and leading the pack is their new Coolpix P5000, packed with features for the working professional photographer. We can't wait to see these at the PMA show, and then here on the shelves for you.

Features include:
10.0 Effective Megapixels
3.5x Optical Zoom-Nikkor Lens
Optical VR/Image Stabilization
Optical Viewfinder
P/S/A/M Exposure Modes
Auto ISO Adjustments up to ISO 3200
Telephoto & Wide Angle Converters
Speedlight Hot Shoe

Canon has busted out the new Mark III camera aimed at the working professional photographer. Ever since a word was breathed on the net about this, our phones have been ringing off the hook. I'm sure that you've already seen/read the write ups, drooled over the specs, and have already put your current Mark II Bodies on the sale block.

We are accepting orders NOW for the NEW Canon EOS1D Mark III body.1st come, 1st served, so contact me ASAP to get your place on the ever-growing list.
Canon also announced a revamped 580EX Flash and a new version of the 16-35mm f2.8L lens.

Canon's new PowerShot TX1 is VERY COOL - An Elph sized camera with a 10X optical zoom that not only captures 7.1 megapixel images, but HD movies too! A stainless steel design, with Optical Image Stabilizer Technology, DIGIC III Processor, Face Detection Technology and Redeye Correction. In our new world of video and "You Tube", this pocket size still/video camera will take you by surpriseŠ..and at a price of under $500

Adobe's NEW Lightroom is priced at $199.99 through April, a savings of $100!

(Jeff Snyder can be contacted at Penn Camera at: 1-800-347-5770 or FAX 301-210-7370; Email: jsnyder@penncamera.com; AOL Instant Messenger: JeffPennCamera. On the web: http://www.penncamera.com.)

* * *

February Sports Shooter Specials
By Jody Grober

Greetings from Indy home of the NFL Champions, the Indianapolis Colts!!!

Sounds great and it's fun to say.

I guess I am spoiled this week because my Buckeyes are also top of the pile.

Of course the big news is the Canon announcementsŠEOS 1D Mark III, 16-35 II, and the 580EX II! I checked out the Mk III last Saturday and it was stellar!!! We are getting flooding with requests and questionsŠto be added to our list please send an individual email for each piece you are looking for. We will contact you when one comes available. I have a good feeling about he quantity of bodiesŠnothing to back that up, just a good feeling. Please call us for pricing, but we do not have firm delivery dates as of yet. Maybe the bodies will start shipping in late March or early AprilŠbut we really are not sure.

I will be at PMA next week and will get more info as well as all of the announcements from our friends at NikonŠ.

Big news from Bogen is a new "hydrostatic" camera arm that holds about 30% more weight than a Magic Arm with the sure grip of a "hydrostatic" ball joint.
Check out the links:
http://www.robertsimaging.com/cmItemDetail.jsp?pid=11112
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/pid/4434

Canon has a very cool new palm size HD camcorder, the HV20Šthis one will knock your socks offŠcheck in out:
http://www.robertsimaging.com/cmItemDetail.jsp?pid=10981

We have the Hyperdrive Space in stock now. It is the new CF and SD direct download device that downloads 20Mb sustained download per second, will do 100 Gb on a single battery charge and just in case they offer an external AA battery packŠa great package for $315.00 including the external pack:
http://www.robertsimaging.com/cmItemDetail.jsp?pid=10937

Lexar has announced their new 300x cards, a new reader to take advantage of their speed and I am fairly sure (86.98 % confident) that the new Canon cameras will take advantage of the write speedŠmore to come, like pricing, after the show in VegasŠ.

Many of the new Gitzo "G-lock" monopods and tripods on in stock nowŠthe joints actually strengthen as weight increasesŠthey come with ALR legs that allow you to open a monopod is a couple of secondsŠnaturally, I will have special Sports Shooter pricingŠ
http://www.robertsimaging.com/cmItemDetail.jsp?pid=9467

The Epson 3800, 17" of pure printing wonder, is in stock now!!! Call for Sports Shooter pricing on the 3800 printer and the P3000 and P5000 download devices:
http://www.robertsimaging.com/cmItemDetail.jsp?pid=10231

The super folks at ThinkTankPhoto have hit a real homerun with the Airport International and they are in stockŠ.

Here's to having fun and traveling safe Š ciao!

(Roberts Distributors is located in Indianapolis, IN. Jonathan "Jody" Grober can be emailed at: jgrober@robertsimaging.com. To place an order, call: 1-800-726-5544. You can check out Roberts' online product catalog at: http://www.robertsimaging.com.)

* * *

New Canon Mark III Samy's Hot Item Of The Month
By Louis Feldman

The phone has been ringing off the hook since the Canon official announced their new EOS 1-D Mark III Š available sometime in April give Samy's Camera a call for pricing info and to get on "the list"!

Highlights on the features of the new Mark III that sports shooters and photojournalists will find of particular note:
* 10 fps continuous shooting (for up to 110 frames)
* New 45-point Area AF sensor with 19 high-precision, cross-type points, 26 standard-precision AssistAF points
* ISO range of 100 - 3200 (expandable to L50; H6400)
* 10.1 Megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor
* Dual "DIGIC III" processors
* New auto focus system with 19 cross type sensors
* New Integrated Cleaning System
* 3.0" LCD with Live View mode

Canon also announced a few companion accessories for the new Mark III:
* EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
* Speedlite 580EX II (an update of the Speedlite 580EX)
* Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E2

When you make those important multi-media decisions, give Samy's a call for great pricing on all of your digital video and audio needs for 2007. With so many photographers and publications making the plunge into more multi-media, Samy's carries the full line of digital video cameras and accessories from all of the leading makers like Sony, Canon and JVC.

Also Samy's is an authorized Apple Computer reseller, so if you need a new high-powered portable like the MacBook and MacBook Pro or a screaming fast desktop computer like the ultra-cool iMac or blazing-fast G5 Quad, give us a call for current Sports Shooter pricing.

Samy's carries THE two processionals' choices in camera memory: SanDisk and Lexar. We have all formats (compact flash and SD) in stock in an assortment of speeds. So depending on your needs and you budget, you have the right card for you. Like hard drive space, you can never have enough!

And speaking of SanDisk, the company announced recently "the world's highest capacity card for professional photographers" the 16-gigabyte SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash card. The new cards will have minimum write and read speeds of 20 megabytes per second.

Samy's Camera is the largest photographic rental house in Southern California and we have stores in Los Angeles (Fairfax main store), Pasadena, Santa Barbara, Venice and Orange County. http://www.samys.com/rentals.php

And one last reminder that Samy's is your one-stop shopping location for all of your lighting (Dyna-Lite, Profoto, Hensel, Speedotron, Chimera, Photoflex) and remote (Pocket Wizard, Bogen, Gitzo) needs.

The Airport Addicted. The Airport Security. There are no hotter equipment bags than products from Think Tank Photo. Samy's is an authorized Think Tank dealer and we have all of their products IN STOCK. Give us a call for Sports Shooter pricing!

Samy's will be involved again with the Sports Shooter Academy in April and the Sports Shooter Newsletter Annual Contest.

(Contact Samy's Camera in Los Angeles by calling (323) 938-2420 and ask for an industrial sales representative. Also check out Samy's Specials on SportsShooter.com or Samy's web site at: http://www.samys.com.)

* * *

Acknowledgements
As always, thanks to Special Advisors & Contributors: Deanna & Emma Hanashiro, Brad Mangin, Rod Mar, Trent Nelson, Jason Burfield, Grover Sanschagrin, Joe Gosen, The Photodude, Reed Hoffmann, Paul Myers, Darren Carroll, Zach Honig and Bob Deutsch.

Thanks this month to: Scott Strazzante, Robert Scheer, Sam Morris, Chris Detrick and Bryan Moss.

I welcome any comments, corrections, suggestions and contributions. Please e-mail me at bert@sportsshooter.com.

The Sports Shooter Archives as well as tons of cool resources and information can be accessed through the Internet at http://www.SportsShooter.com.

Use of the content of the Sports Shooter Newsletter is prohibited without the expressed written permission of The Big Kahuna and the author of the article.

Opinions, rants, raves, insults and praise whether intend or not, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sports Shooter and public sensibilities.

Copyright Sports Shooter, Inc.

--

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
                     SPORTS SHOOTER ACADEMY IV
       The COOLEST photography event of the year
                                    April 4 - 8, 2007!
              www.sportsshooter.com/workshops.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Back to newsletter list

Date:

From:

Subject:

Sports Shooter v.99