Softball Pitchers Working It

Softball pitchers work hard! Here are two examples from recent games I've shot. Bailey Klitzke from Desert Ridge High School and Nicole Best from Scottsdale Community College. Amazing athletes! 

@GilbertHSTigers Softball Win 3-2 over Desert Ridge. http://t.co/8lRypUqjC6 #DesertRidgeSoftball #DesertRidge pic.twitter.com/ZPDGFY5cJK
— Dennis Webb (@AzDEW) April 14, 2015

@nicolethebest12 - Scottsdale wins twice vs MCC Saturday. Game pics at http://t.co/teDdAyztYI @ScottsdaleCC #gochokes pic.twitter.com/9Wpr0cJ1Bc
— Dennis Webb (@AzDEW) April 19, 2015

Phoenix Zoo - April 2015

I made a quick stop at the Phoenix Zoo today with a couple of my kids (I'm glad they still like to go). Beautiful 79 degree temperatures made it a great day to see the animals. Here are a few of our encounters. 

Basketball a Rough Sport...

High School Basketball can get rough even though it's sometimes called a "non-contact" sport. The fun part of shooting basketball is seeing those moments that happen so quick we don't always know it even happened. Here are a few moments from recent games around Gilbert, Arizona. 

Girls High School Soccer – 2014 Coyote Soccer Classic

Light Light Light

I recently shot the girls championship match of the 2014 Coyote SoccerClassic at Campo Verde High School. I chose attended the game because it was good teams (championship match), and it started at 4:00 with good light to shoot at higher shutter speeds. I was able to use my 70-200 f2.8 with a 1.4 extender for a little more reach. 

Typically High School soccer can be challenging because most games in the Phoenix Arizona area are played after dark. High school fields have challenging light at best and far from ideal. Tournaments generally have day games and therefore much better better light to shoot under.  

The Highland Hawks and Perry Puma girls provided great action as they battled it out for the trophy. Highland walked away with a 1-0 victory to win the Coyote Soccer Classic. Here is some of the action from that game. 

More pictures from this game can be found at www.azdewphoto.com. 

Scottsdale Volleyball - Slow Motion DSLR Video

I'm still experimenting with video from my DSLR. I like slow motion because I can see what is happening better in a fast sport like Volleyball. Anyway, here is a clip from the other night.

This video and more clips from the game are at http://www.azdewphoto.com/Sports/College/Scottsdale-Community-College-F/SCC-Volleyball-vs-CGCC

Dragonfly - Riparian Preserve - August 2014

A Dragonfly from the Riparian Preserve. I tried to ID this guy but couldn't find any examples of it on the web. So for now, it's just an Arizona dragonfly. 

It was getting dark and my ISO was set at 1250, aperture priority at f/7.1 and exposure bias was set +1.7 to adjust for the bright sky in the background. Exposure ended up being 1/1250 which helps for handholding at 400mm (Canon 70-200 and 2.0 Extender). With all that going on I managed to get this shot. 

After shooting Mr. Dragonfly about all that was left to see was the moon...

There was not much to take pictures of on this walk around the preserve. The good part is I managed to get a little exercise. 

2014 Snowflake Pioneer Day Rodeo

I'm disappointed. It doesn't look like we will make it to the Snowflake Pioneer Day Rodeo this year, 2014. It's a great event that takes place every year around 24th of July at the Taylor Rodeo Arena. 

It helped me a little to look back at pictures from past years. Here are some rodeo shots from 2013. (It rained...a lot that year)

And, here are some shots from 2 years ago (2012). 

Maybe we can get up there next year. 

Here's a link to all my Rodeo Pictures: Rodeo

Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Superior Arizona

On a recent trip to Thatcher, I stopped to walk around Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It's a few miles from Superior, Arizona. I got there a little after 1:00 and I knew they closed at 3:00 p.m. during the summer months. But it was okay because hot and humid was the flavor of the day. A little over an hour was plenty of time to walk around looking for interesting things to photograph. There were some high clouds that helped reduce the direct sunlight but it was still hot. I took my time and didn't even get close to seeing the entire arboretum. There will be plenty to see next time. 

Here are some images I found in my camera from the outing. The Cardinal's were my favorite. 

I plan to go there again when the weather is a little nicer and I can spend more time there. Here is a post from another visit I had to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. You can see some of my other work here: AzDewPhoto