The night in photos

[tikk10]

I'll post a few I took tonight here. Too many to process to get them all up on Flickr. Feel free to use the thread for other photos but I'll dump my best one here. Starting with...

EDIT to post whole series and slightly color correct:

 

[tikk10]

 

[tikk10]

 

[tikk10]

 

[tikk10]

 

[pointingdogsrule]

THANKS

 

[86PSUPaul]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[NittanyChris]

Thanks for sharing. Great stuff!

 

[TangSoo]

Great pics! Thanks! Nice to see guys like Cutch, Yannovich, and Kuhn (in the team pic) being a part of it. All of them contributed.

 

[amalone]

Phenomenal PICS... TIKK!!!

 

[johnstownsteel]

Is that Tony Ramos getting in on the fun?

 

[tikk10]

Is that Tony Ramos getting in on the fun?

Yep. He didn't stick around long though.

I just landed so I'll get more up later this afternoon.

 

[PSUaggie]

Thanks Tikk. I love the off mat shots.

 

[raslen007]

Was Raptor around? I sure hope so.

 

[tikk10]

"YOU'RE WELCOME"

There are plenty of photo jobs that don't break you physically but the NCAA wrestling tournament isn't one of them. You're constantly up and down because wrestler x is on mat 6 and wrestler y is on mat 2 minutes later, and on day one the only shooting locations are at each end of the arena. Kneeling is brutal on knees as bad as mine. Sitting isn't much better. So this year I brought a pad for my ass and knee pads for my knees (taking a cue from other photographers) and it helped... but today is still going slowww.

But here's a nice sequence of Nolf's second(?) takedown of Hidlay. It was a thing of beauty.

 

[PSUer1989]

Great shots!! Thank you!

 

[Sportfan2017]

I'll post a few I took tonight here. Too many to process to get them all up on Flickr. Feel free to use the thread for other photos but I'll dump my best one here. Starting with...

b.
GREAT JOB.......many thanks

 

[PSUcup1]

Great work

Thx!

 

[Ian]

Would love to know who that lone PSU fan is in the background. Pretty cool pic.

 

[tikk10]

Here's a few more. Got everything up on Flickr now, album here. Still working on tagging them all so they can be sorted by team, wrestler name, and session.

 

[PSUbluTX]

Dang, Tikk, is photography a profession or a hobby? You captured some amazing shots. Thanks for linking to your album. I liked the pic of all 10 champs together. Although it looks like Spencer Lee is wearing pajama bottoms. Those can't be the official Iowa bottoms, right? Surely he bought those at Walmart and has a matching pair of Pokemon jammies.

 

[tomsc]

Spencer calls them Jammenz Jammies.

When they took the Iowa team picture (for 3rd place), Lee was standing up in those pants and the coaches had him kneel down. It could have just been to get everyone in, but I thought at the time that they didn't want those pants showing up!

 

[tikk10]

Dang, Tikk, is photography a profession or a hobby? You captured some amazing shots. Thanks for linking to your album. I liked the pic of all 10 champs together. Although it looks like Spencer Lee is wearing pajama bottoms. Those can't be the official Iowa bottoms, right? Surely he bought those at Walmart and has a matching pair of Pokemon jammies.

Thanks TX, appreciate. Yeah, I was a pro photographer in a past life, though I didn't shoot much sports. And I only shoot for fun nowadays but I treat the NCAAs like fantasy photography camp. So much fun to be in the middle of an event you'd otherwise be glued to the screen for anyway.

 

[psu_flip]

How do I get a photographer's pass?? Awesome photos!!

 

[tikk10]

How do I get a photographer's pass?? Awesome photos!!

Most photographers on the floor are connected to a particular school or publication. Some photographers cover multiple, usually smaller schools. I cover Columbia but would be happy to cover additional schools.

 

[7brwnpsu]

Thanks Tikk! Great shot of David Taylor and group. Your photo makes me wonder who is David Taylor's tailor, great blazer.

I also love the photo of Jason Nolf's respect for the ankle bands, only wish you were on the other side of the mat. It would make a great avatar.

 

[SRATH]

While our red head stole the show, it was really great to see that other red head dude from someplace...... doing well......one day at a time.

 

[Ian]

Annually, there seems to be a signature Cael pic. This year is was Bo, last Cenzo, Nico one year, Q another.... anybody have those or is there some place to shop? I’ve been asking Mr. Google without success.

 

[Dogwelder]

... Your photo makes me wonder who is David Taylor's tailor, great blazer ...

Previous dual meet photos make me wonder which hall is Hall's hall.

-- George

 

[pawrestlersintn]

Great pics!

Even without the physicality you talk about, Tikk, wrestling is brutal on photographers for another reason. Wrestlers never seem to be in position when the photographer is ready for them. Just as you're snapping a shot, position changes, and you've missed it. That has got to be frustrating and draining over three days.

How many shots did you take to go back through to come up with these?

 

[T J]

Thanks Tikk! Great shot of David Taylor and group. Your photo makes me wonder who is David Taylor's tailor, great blazer.

I also love the photo of Jason Nolf's respect for the ankle bands, only wish you were on the other side of the mat. It would make a great avatar.

Did you see this one by tikk10?

 

[T J]

Walking the Hall Way​

2018 Tournament by tikk10.

 

[tikk10]

Great pics!

Even without the physicality you talk about, Tikk, wrestling is brutal on photographers for another reason. Wrestlers never seem to be in position when the photographer is ready for them. Just as you're snapping a shot, position changes, and you've missed it. That has got to be frustrating and draining over three days.

How many shots did you take to go back through to come up with these?

Thanks, and it was great to see you out there. I probably shot somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 total shots, and I think I'm on the low end relative to what others typically shoot. In pre-digital days shooting 4000 shots over 3 days would be prohibitively expensive.

And yeah, shooting wrestling poses somewhat unique challenges because you're balancing a number of competing considerations. Unlike some sports where the key action is predictable, wrestling can be six minutes of unphotogenic collar tie dancing and two seconds of meaningful action, which could happen at any moment, requiring you to train on the match at all times. Since the wrestlers don't stay in the center you're constantly resetting the focus and the zoom so that the wrestlers are in frame. Pull back too far and you sacrifice all the drama of a shot.

And when those meaningful two seconds finally happen, the ref can walk right into your frame. Or if you're shooting across mats in a tournament other wrestlers can suddenly appear and ruin your shot. Or you get the shot but the focus has slipped.

The other obstacle is other photographers, who can ruin your shot by suddenly standing or leaning forward. Or using flash. (Seriously, don't use flash to shoot wrestling if you want to be taken for a professional. I get why parents do it but they've got a legit excuse. There's enough light and to the extent there's not you underexpose and over-develop in Photoshop/Lightroom etc.)

Shout-out to Flo here because the ability to get mat assignments via text message through Arena is a game changer. Last year (and presumably all prior years) there would be a gaggle of photographers standing near the scoreboards in the tunnels waiting for their guys to appear. This year I knew exactly where I needed to be by looking at my phone.

 

[bwfight]

Tikk, that is some serious dedication on your part, and much appreciated. It's guys like you that really make this forum worthwhile.

 

[amalone]

Annually, there seems to be a signature Cael pic. This year is was Bo, last Cenzo, Nico one year, Q another.... anybody have those or is there some place to shop? I’ve been asking Mr. Google without success.

Ian... here you go:

Hope this helps Ian.

 

[7brwnpsu]

Tikk, post 20, the photo with the Parade of All-Americans captures the team perfectly. Zain is looking down thinking this would be a good spot for a bow and arrow if I can get it. Jason Nolf is staring at the guy who handles the ankle bands and Cenzo is saying to Mark and Bo, "didn't I see you here last year? No my mistake, that was St. Louis"

Your photo perfectly captures the stress that Bo upon himself.

Love this team!

Thanks for the nice work.

 

[GOLDBANGER]

Great work tikk, much appreciated. Was nice to meet you last week.

 

[Ian]

Ian... here you go:

Hope this helps Ian.

outstanding and much appreciated Amalone.....

 

[aalion]

Here's a few more. Got everything up on Flickr now, album here. Still working on tagging them all so they can be sorted by team, wrestler name, and session.

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Is it even possible for Bo to look more unassuming (read dorky) than he does in the parade of champions pic? There is no way a casual fan would look at that picture and think he was a wrestler, let alone THE wrestler that would clinch a team title in spectacular fashion. He looks like a chess club member (apologies to John Urschel) standing in the corner of the high school dance trying to convince himself to ask a girl to dance.

 

[PSUbluTX]

I liked the pic of all 10 champs together. Although it looks like Spencer Lee is wearing pajama bottoms. Those can't be the official Iowa bottoms, right? Surely he bought those at Walmart and has a matching pair of Pokemon jammies.

Confirmed! Was just listening to TOM's post-NCAA podcast. Spencer Lee was the first guest and he confirmed that he was indeed wearing pajama pants and that he wears them to every match. LOL! Here's a link:
http://tv.news.theopenmat.com/2018/03/26/takedown-radio-national-champions-breakthrough-stars/

BTW, when asked to compare his Iowa coaches to pokemon characters he immediately said Terry Brands would be Primeape. This thing: