Secret Revelations and Doppelgängers: Pictures from the Kansas City Game
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 8, 2009 6:03 PM MST
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PrintSome of my favourite pictures from the Kansas City game.
Brian Dawkins loses his helmet as he attempts to tackle Leonard Pope. I don't know about anyone else, but this is the first time I've ever seen Dawkins' hair. O.O Behold it in all its glory.
On a serious note, his fingers say something to me. I don't know how this play ended, but from the look of this picture, it doesn't look like Brian was the one to end it, as his fingers appear to be the last grip he has on Pope before he breaks his tackle. (BDawk could very well have just tripped him up, though, so I'm not saying he actually missed this tackle, but it's a potent look at the tentative balance of a play. Four fingers lie between stopping a play in its tracks and a possible touchdown. Riveting.)
Elvis Dumervil (is that an awesome name or what?) takes down Cassel. Is that a horse collar?
This time, Orton goes down. Nice bokeh, eh! Not really... but the shallow focus in sports pictures always intrigue me, and at times annoy me. I understand the purpose; their focus is supposed to be solely on the subjects and not their surroundings, but it seems like a waste sometimes. Occasionally, as the depth of field is so low, the photographer fails to fully capture the event (e.g. getting the ball but not the player, and vice versa). The biggest loss, however, is that it narrows down the scope of the game.
The above picture, for example, looks silly to me, because the background is a blur, so all you see is two men falling over. If I were an alien experiencing human culture for the first time, my first thought would be, "What are they doing? Why are there two men in an empty field, wearing funny clothing, tripping each other?"If I ever somehow get the chance one day, I'd like to try an experiment. I'd like to get a camera that can take pictures at an extremely high resolution, with a high depth of field, and I'll position the camera somewhere safe, clear, and unobstructed, and snap away. And I'll be able to capture what football is truly about: 22 men on a field, their teammates and coaches on the sideline, referees and management staff, and tens of thousands of spectators (excluding the viewers at home, etc.).
And one day an alien (or anyone unfamiliar with the game, take your pick) will see one of those pictures... and it'll (he'll? she'll?) see a ball sailing though the air, a quarterback following through with his throw, the offensive and defensive lines finishing their battle, the receivers streaking down the field with their defenders in tow, referees watching for penalties, players and coaches watching the play develop, and all those fans, some watching the ball, others the players, and a few watching each other or trying not to spill their beer (or Zeus-forbid, wine and blue cheese). One snap shot of what occurs millions of other times every Sunday on Earth. Humans partaking in something they like to call "football".And this alien's first thought will be, "Wow."
As a journalistic endeavour, it may be a failure, but artistically, it'll be spectacular.
Doesn't he make it look easy? This picture embodies Buck's entire game... smoothly making big play after big play.
From a different angle.
Quinten Lawrence is tackled on a kickoff return. This one is just spectacular, although you only need to look above for what I think of the blur on Goodman.
Bad day at the office...
What's he thinking right now?
What's he doing?!
Buckhalter celebrates after a big play. I really dig this guy. More than Ed Reed's beard.
Here's... Vonnie!
Correll breaks a tackle with Vrabel smells the grass. There's something ethereal about this shot, probably due to it being slightly over-exposed, but I like it. Oh, and how's that synchronised waving coming along?
Soooo close. Knowshon runs to... uh... paydir-- No. Still can't say it. Knowshon runs to the endzone while Spencer gets ready for a touchdown and reminds me of Dewey Cox.
Who's Dewey Cox, you ask? Why, this guy:
Huh? Huh? Huuuuh? Don't tell me I'm the only one that sees it.
It's a doppelgänger! It's John Frusciante and Joe Flacco all over again!
Okay, back to football!
Buck and Moreno celebrate a touchdown. Honestly, I don't want to say anything more than this, because I just know that somewhere I'll let it slip that they look really cheesy. Oh, wait, I have. Nevermind.
But I will just say, Correll looks good in a Broncos uniform.
Check out the reflection in Orton's helmet. Also, that blue sleeve with two white stripes he's wearing is an abomination. I hate it. Prater wears a long one, and every time I see him, I have to remind myself that he's the guy that kicks the ball through the uprights on kickoffs. Not only does it not suit the uniforms at all, but it's like when you see a thread hanging from someone's shirt, and all you want to do is pull it.
This is what tackles are reduced to when they face Dumervil. I should become a rushing linebacker, too, because at that point, his elbow would have just grazed the top of my helmet. Or, I'd just develop a new rushing technique: diving though his legs. Look how much space is under there! I'd just duck and, ZOOM! I gets me a sack!
Woodyard celebrates on the sideline. This is a really interesting one. It's just the overabundance of blue tricking my eyes, but it's a lot cooler (in terms of composition) than the others.
See that Vikings fan there? He's about to taunt Orton. He saw all the orange and blue and thought he was still at a Bears game.
Come up with your own caption here!
Well, that's it. Hope you've enjoyed it.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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Comments
And this alien’s first thought will be, “Wow.”
If we had an alien come and visit MHR, my first thought would be “Wow.”
If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.
by Troy Hufford on Dec 8, 2009 6:10 PM MST reply actions 1 recs
LOL.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 8, 2009 6:16 PM MST up reply actions
We're off to see the wizard!
I too dabbled in pacifism once...
by waltersobchakbronco on Dec 8, 2009 6:25 PM MST reply actions
It's a horse of a different color!
HAAAAHHAHAAAHAAA, man I’m cracking myself up…
I too dabbled in pacifism once...
by waltersobchakbronco on Dec 8, 2009 6:27 PM MST up reply actions
Hahahaha.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 8, 2009 7:03 PM MST up reply actions
It's a horse of a different color!
HAAAAHHAHAAAHAAA, man I’m cracking myself up…
I too dabbled in pacifism once...
by waltersobchakbronco on Dec 8, 2009 6:28 PM MST up reply actions
Oh and that pic of Haley with his mouth open wierd, I think he is choking......
If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.
Daylife said he's shouting.
He looks more like he’s trying to imitate a camel to me.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 8, 2009 7:03 PM MST up reply actions
i loved this, great idea, and rec'd
re: Depth of Field and photographic technique…
there are a few reasons (and advantages and drawbacks to go along with it…) for use of a shallow dof in professional sports photography. one of the biggest reasons is simple the sheer volume of pattern information in any one background- it would be very confusing and frustrating to tell a story when the whole picture is obfuscated with multiple colored, multiple depth, multiple texture background. for example, this photo i took at too long a range with too small a lens:
on the other hand, the right depth of field can really convey the story while still lending focus to the main subject:
such as this photo, which i had enough lens to execute:
McKinley is clearly the subject of the photo, the story i intended to tell, while the secondary character would be the kicker, and maybe the blockers.
And that was your point in a sense, no? that the limited focus obscures the complexity and utter involvement of a single football play. but knowing the purpose of a photo, that it tells one story of the many happening, helps.
you seem somewhat knowledgeable about basic photography, and are probably familiar with a “tilt-shift” lens? the idea is to create a focal plane a-linear to the light plane. this allows for one to focus on a subject, even if the subject is not neatly situated in 1 plane. in an ideal situation, using a tilt-shift may be possible for sports action, but available light becomes a problem, which affects shutter speed. it would be interesting to see this technique used to capture moments in plays.
"I just looked across the huddle to see the guys in the huddle with me: great offensive line, great talent at wide receiver, great tight ends, great running backs. If we execute and play the way that we should, it should be tough to stop us."
-K.O.
by Jay Fin Anderson on Dec 8, 2009 6:35 PM MST reply actions
Thanks.
And yes, that’s exactly what I was trying to say. The shallow focus works in sports photography, so I’m not saying it should be abandoned. By and large, people more interested in an individual part of a play. Their eyes are automatically drawn to a certain player or the ball, but it would still be nice to see the whole picture once a while, to be reminded of the bigger story going on.
Hmm, that does sound interesting. I’d actually like to see someone try that, even if it doesn’t ultimately work.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 8, 2009 7:23 PM MST up reply actions
Just as a follow-up
And DD’s comments regarding composition are right on, but I think most times, this is simply a dof versus shutter speed trade off. Unless you’re going to invest big bucks in a fancy lens, it’s hard to get enough light using a big zoom to both freeze the action effectively and get much in the way of focal depth. And even with the hyper-expensive lens, there are limits – the overcast doesn’t help. You’ll notice that the depth of focus extends much further in the photo of KnoMo’s touchdown jaunt, but that’s probably due to the fact that the play was right in front of the photographer and he therefore didn’t need to zoom nearly so much. BTW, great photos!
Go Broncs
It's "just" football
I was thinking about that as I wrote this, but it slid to the back of my mind as I went on...
Perhaps technology can fix this problem one day. (Well, we can always hope!)
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:15 AM MST up reply actions
I believe horse collar is only from behind
A truth can only be expressed and enveloped in words if it is one-sided. Everything that is thought and expressed in words is one-sided, only half the truth; it all lacks totality, completeness, unity.
Aah, okay, thanks.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 8, 2009 7:23 PM MST up reply actions
I enjoyed your post a lot!
Keep them comin the pictures are great and the narrative is even better. Great Job!
Thanks, chopperpilot!
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:16 AM MST up reply actions
No problem, Bfree.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:16 AM MST up reply actions
Thanks, Sean!
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:16 AM MST up reply actions
Caption:
“I wish I knew how to quit you.”
by Velveeta on Dec 9, 2009 11:54 AM MST reply actions 1 recs
LMAO
I’ve gotta Rec this.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:16 AM MST up reply actions
caption:
Do you want to be Palin or Drome?
"My job description is to win football games. I'm a hard worker. I'm not flashy by any means, but my job is to play football and win and I plan to do that." Kyle Orton
by odarol on Dec 9, 2009 2:14 PM MST reply actions 1 recs
I have to admit, odarol, I do not get it.
:(
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:18 AM MST up reply actions
Cuz 71-17 is a palindrome...
I had to think about that one a while… I couldn’t figure out if it was Sarah Palin or Michael Palin.
Yeah, I knew that was going to be an isssue, but I couldn’t figure another way to break the word up.
"My job description is to win football games. I'm a hard worker. I'm not flashy by any means, but my job is to play football and win and I plan to do that." Kyle Orton
I scrolled back to the pic
It didn’t make since at first, then when I saw the pic and the numbers I was feeling a “duh” moment LOL
That was a very good pick up and great caption. Good Job odarol :-D
Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.
Aah...
I thought it was some obscure reference to a fantasy novel I’ve never heard of. Guess I was dead wrong, lol.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 11, 2009 10:03 PM MST up reply actions
I suppose I could.
Doing this is much easier than my Thoughts posts, anyway, because I can take my time. I usually try to finish Thoughts six hours or something after the game, and this gets tricky when I have to stay up until 6 a.m. (or worse when it’s a late game) to do it, especially when my own work conflicts with this scheduling.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:24 AM MST up reply actions
caption
“We’re polar opposites”
translation:
large guy #71, sweaty, dirty, helmet in right hand
small guy #17, not a drop of sweat / dirt, helmet in left hand
A truth can only be expressed and enveloped in words if it is one-sided. Everything that is thought and expressed in words is one-sided, only half the truth; it all lacks totality, completeness, unity.
You have a point there...
Maybe that’s why Berger has such a long wind-up, he’s trying to maximise the chance of getting hit by a punt blocker, so he’ll get a little bit of dirt on him. That way he’ll look better when he’s hanging out with Russ.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:27 AM MST up reply actions
translation modification
large guy #71 – sweaty, dirty, football player
small guy #17 – not a drop of sweat/dirt, punter
"It's all over Fat Man" - Tom Jackson to John Madden 1977 AFC Championship Game
by DesertBroncoFan on Dec 12, 2009 9:04 AM MST up reply actions
caption:
You’re my travelling buddie so we have to hold hands all the way to the bus.
We confide in our strength without boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it. -Thomas Jefferson 1793
LOL +1
Lady, you want me to answer you if this old airplane is safe to fly? Just how in the world do you think it got to be this old?
— Anon
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to the society. The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.
— George Bernard Shaw
by Choochoobonewagon on Dec 10, 2009 1:17 AM MST up reply actions
Hahahaha...
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 10, 2009 10:27 AM MST up reply actions
Toy Story 3 next summer!!
(Any other Dad with kids between 3 and 9 will get this)
Now where did that Kool-Aid vendor go?
I love the commentary about DOF specifically, and the thread in generall
It takes me back to the days when I was a Finishing Services Representative at Robert Waxmans. (AKA the guy who says “would you like doubles with that” when you drop off your film". I only worked there for a few months, but I got a ton of free eductation in photography, and it’s been something that’s interested me ever since.
BTW, I love the intense attention to a detail that 90% of the general public would never notice – I’m the same way, but my pet peeve is when television stations screw up the aspect ratio of the programming they’re showing in HD (for example channel 2 on comcast letterboxing a widescreen source along the top and bottom to show it on their SD channel, then letterboxing that SD picture along the sides for the HD feed, resulting in a tiny SD picture surrounded by about 6 inches of emply black space on all sides when you’re supposedly watching an HD channel)
Belief is accepting something because you’ve been convinced to do so, whether you like it or not. Faith is accepting something because you want to accept it.
by Hercules Rockefeller on Dec 10, 2009 2:24 PM MST reply actions
Aaaauuuuugggghhhh!!!
I feel your pain! We just had a big snowstorm here in MN and all the programming on Tuesday night had this.
Now where did that Kool-Aid vendor go?
Thanks.
I rarely encounter that problem because I’m not much of a TV watcher, but it sounds like the exact sort of thing that would drive me mad.
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 11, 2009 10:08 PM MST up reply actions
I always thought Flacco looked like Sylar from Heroes
Cool post. Rec’d.
At sea level, but I'll always be a mile high.
Hm, I see something there.
The eyebrows will pass, and the jaws, too. But I’d say Sylar looks more Spanish, while Flacco appears Italian.
Maybe it’s just the make-up, because I went and Wiki’d that actor and it turns out he’s half-Italian, half-Irish. Silly me.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Zachary_Quinto_Shankbone_2009_Tribeca.jpg
His chin (besides the obvious eye colour difference) is the one big discrepancy. I have to say, though, I dig his hairstyle. It’s probably not something I could pull off, but just oddball enough for it to suit my personality. (Also, the love the glasses he’s wearing. It’s the hip thing to wear nowadays, horn-rimmed glasses.)
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 11, 2009 10:16 PM MST up reply actions
I liked this TB
Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
Thanks, Kirk!
"All by their heads, he places crowns."
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 11, 2009 10:16 PM MST up reply actions
An alien watching a football game
This reminded me of an Andy Griffith routine that I hear on Laugh USA (Sirius/XM) occassionally.
This is a link to MAD magazine depiction of the routine What is Was, Was Football and here is an mp3 (much funnier heard than read).
"It's all over Fat Man" - Tom Jackson to John Madden 1977 AFC Championship Game
by DesertBroncoFan on Dec 12, 2009 9:11 AM MST reply actions
That is a classic
Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
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