Bowl Week in Tampa..
posted by Gameshots, 1/04/2009 11:40:00 AM
How to describe a Bowl Week in Florida? Well, it's been said that a picture may be worth a thousand words and since this is a PHOTO blog (and nobody wants to read that many words anyway), I am choosing to use a variety of pictures that I took throughout the week along with a few comments for each image. We stayed at the Mainsail in Tampa and while Shoe was handling the checking in duties, I spied some birds and turtles in the nearby lake/pond. This bird, as most, was very cooperative for me.
Steve Spurrier speaking at the Outback Bowl Welcome Banquet.
That night, Friday the 26th, both teams feasted on the best that Outback Steakhouse had to offer.
On Saturday morning, I was able to get to Jefferson High School for practice early enough that I was able to shoot the locker room prior to practice. The facilities were definitely not as spacious but appeared to me to be very adequate and met the needs.
On Sunday, I wanted to go to Clearwater to check on the Sand Sculpture progress. The people that do this every year are from the area, I believe they live twenty miles away and they were busy at work. I found it fascinating to watch their techniques and had gotten to know them when I was last in Tampa for the Outback Bowl in 2000 and 2001. As you can see, there is a wooden 'form' at the base (and on upward). Several days previous to my arrival, they had added the sand to the form (a foot at a time) and packed it with a typical construction type packing device.
The Sculpture that they create is very elaborate and two-sided. They commented to me that as they were preparing for this year's event (making sure they had the correct teams, etc.) that they noticed that the Outback logo had changed. Needless to say I was VERY surprised to arrive on Beach Day to see an entirely different sculpture in place. I found that they had encountered the sand version of an avalanche and had to start over again. Later in the blog you will see how the design changed, became simpler and one-sided but looked great nonetheless!
Next on the agenda for Sunday was a trip for several of the team to visit the children in St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa. Since this is a photo blog, I will point out that when shooting the 'little people' it is a good thing to frequently get on their level and not shoot down on them. If your camera has 'auto focus', as most do, you can even put the camera on the floor and shoot 'up' at the scene before you. Although angle viewfinders are available, usually you can do fine by merely taking extra pictures and then deleting what wasn't aimed perfectly.
On the way back to the motel from St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, I saw a couple of lakes beside the road and pulled over to check it out. I got wonderful bird shots as well as the alligator sunning beside the water. That was a better looking alligator, in a more natural environment than what I later took pictures of at Busch Gardens when I accompanied the team on that event.
Once the players found that the Python (or was it a Boa Constrictor?) wouldn't move fast, they 'warmed up' to it considerably. I wonder what was going through the minds during this "look'em in the eye" picture?
Coach Spurrier talking to the team at the pre-practice huddle.
I was sitting in a swing reading, early in the morning, by a pond on the Mainsail grounds when I couldn't resist the temptation any longer and HAD to go back to the room and grab my camera. This duck and the ten(10) ducklings were some of the many great duck/bird pictures taken that day.
Ahh, Beach Day arrives and I see the new simplified and one-sided sand sculpture and wonder what happened! Oh, it looked great and no one would've known if they had not seen the previous creation.
Some sights and scenes from the Hilton overlooking the beach (complete with Outback Bowl blimp high overhead). A had a lot of fun that day with that gallery of over a hundred images (but this blog is long enough without going through those again here!).
Cocky, always a crowd favorite, being cocky on stage!
Ybor City Parade. I decided to use a variety of angles to give a different perspective. This was taken from the balcony of the Carmine's (where the GamecockCentral gathering was held). Note: the creatures being taken along the route to the delight of the crowd.
What says a parade better the looking straight into the United States Marine Band!
There are two sides (at least) to every parade. I found the spectators and their reactions fascinating to observe.
And then there were the many priceless (and tired) children perched on the shoulders of parents, grandparents, and anyone with the strength to do it. This was shot through the crowd with flash and f/2 200mm lens with Image Stabilization turned on during the Pep Rally at the end of the parade between 14th and 15th Street.
Then on to the game. Since this is a photo blog and I use Canon equipment, I thought I would give you a shot of the photographers. Just because a lens is all black does not mean that it isn't Canon. The camera around the neck of the first photographer kneeling on the right is a Canon f2.8 24mm-70mm zoom lens. Various other Canon lenses are on the ground ready to be used when the scene changes and they are needed.
Oh, and there was a game so I had to include a shot of a Kenny McKinley reception in a highly contested moment.
My intentions were to do a daily blog from Tampa but my days and nights were full with taking and then editing pictures. I thought about taking a picture of the traffic on I-95 but thought NO ONE wanted to see that image again. And a 'high speed' lens would not have been required for many sections of that Interstate.
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A Tampa Bowl Week in Photos...
How to describe a Bowl Week in Florida? Well, it's been said that a picture may be worth a thousand words and since this is a PHOTO blog (and nobody wants to read that many words anyway), I am choosing to use a variety of pictures that I took throughout the week along with a few comments for each image. We stayed at the Mainsail in Tampa and while Shoe was handling the checking in duties, I spied some birds and turtles in the nearby lake/pond. This bird, as most, was very cooperative for me.
Steve Spurrier speaking at the Outback Bowl Welcome Banquet.
That night, Friday the 26th, both teams feasted on the best that Outback Steakhouse had to offer.
On Saturday morning, I was able to get to Jefferson High School for practice early enough that I was able to shoot the locker room prior to practice. The facilities were definitely not as spacious but appeared to me to be very adequate and met the needs.
On Sunday, I wanted to go to Clearwater to check on the Sand Sculpture progress. The people that do this every year are from the area, I believe they live twenty miles away and they were busy at work. I found it fascinating to watch their techniques and had gotten to know them when I was last in Tampa for the Outback Bowl in 2000 and 2001. As you can see, there is a wooden 'form' at the base (and on upward). Several days previous to my arrival, they had added the sand to the form (a foot at a time) and packed it with a typical construction type packing device.
The Sculpture that they create is very elaborate and two-sided. They commented to me that as they were preparing for this year's event (making sure they had the correct teams, etc.) that they noticed that the Outback logo had changed. Needless to say I was VERY surprised to arrive on Beach Day to see an entirely different sculpture in place. I found that they had encountered the sand version of an avalanche and had to start over again. Later in the blog you will see how the design changed, became simpler and one-sided but looked great nonetheless!
Next on the agenda for Sunday was a trip for several of the team to visit the children in St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa. Since this is a photo blog, I will point out that when shooting the 'little people' it is a good thing to frequently get on their level and not shoot down on them. If your camera has 'auto focus', as most do, you can even put the camera on the floor and shoot 'up' at the scene before you. Although angle viewfinders are available, usually you can do fine by merely taking extra pictures and then deleting what wasn't aimed perfectly.
On the way back to the motel from St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, I saw a couple of lakes beside the road and pulled over to check it out. I got wonderful bird shots as well as the alligator sunning beside the water. That was a better looking alligator, in a more natural environment than what I later took pictures of at Busch Gardens when I accompanied the team on that event.
Once the players found that the Python (or was it a Boa Constrictor?) wouldn't move fast, they 'warmed up' to it considerably. I wonder what was going through the minds during this "look'em in the eye" picture?
Coach Spurrier talking to the team at the pre-practice huddle.
I was sitting in a swing reading, early in the morning, by a pond on the Mainsail grounds when I couldn't resist the temptation any longer and HAD to go back to the room and grab my camera. This duck and the ten(10) ducklings were some of the many great duck/bird pictures taken that day.
Ahh, Beach Day arrives and I see the new simplified and one-sided sand sculpture and wonder what happened! Oh, it looked great and no one would've known if they had not seen the previous creation.
Some sights and scenes from the Hilton overlooking the beach (complete with Outback Bowl blimp high overhead). A had a lot of fun that day with that gallery of over a hundred images (but this blog is long enough without going through those again here!).
Cocky, always a crowd favorite, being cocky on stage!
Ybor City Parade. I decided to use a variety of angles to give a different perspective. This was taken from the balcony of the Carmine's (where the GamecockCentral gathering was held). Note: the creatures being taken along the route to the delight of the crowd.
What says a parade better the looking straight into the United States Marine Band!
There are two sides (at least) to every parade. I found the spectators and their reactions fascinating to observe.
And then there were the many priceless (and tired) children perched on the shoulders of parents, grandparents, and anyone with the strength to do it. This was shot through the crowd with flash and f/2 200mm lens with Image Stabilization turned on during the Pep Rally at the end of the parade between 14th and 15th Street.
Then on to the game. Since this is a photo blog and I use Canon equipment, I thought I would give you a shot of the photographers. Just because a lens is all black does not mean that it isn't Canon. The camera around the neck of the first photographer kneeling on the right is a Canon f2.8 24mm-70mm zoom lens. Various other Canon lenses are on the ground ready to be used when the scene changes and they are needed.
Oh, and there was a game so I had to include a shot of a Kenny McKinley reception in a highly contested moment.
My intentions were to do a daily blog from Tampa but my days and nights were full with taking and then editing pictures. I thought about taking a picture of the traffic on I-95 but thought NO ONE wanted to see that image again. And a 'high speed' lens would not have been required for many sections of that Interstate.
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Paul Collins. Paul has been a GamecockCentral photographer since 2005, with a focus on Gamecock football, men's basketball and baseball. He may be reached by email at paul(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.