Monday, May 31, 2010

Just Another Night

Back from a district playoff baseball game, and looking at close to 1,000 photos to edit from 3 different events, 4 different games.....  Unusual?  No- just another night here at FF headquarters.  Happily, this post catches things up- perhaps for a long while as any of the teams we are shooting can have their seasons end with the next loss.

In addition to being caught up, we are nearing another milestone- Once Ian Hunter is completed (2 albums) we will have reached the halfway point of the lifelong project.  It looks like we may get to Warren Zevon while there are still some Ell children in school.

Redeemer baseball is reaping the benefits now of "playing up" a division all year.  Soccer had this happen a few years ago- before "the merge" anyway.  PIAA voodoo allows some small schools to play against the powerhouses all season, then settle back to the AA level for the playoffs.  In the case of soccer, the Hoban team had something like a 2-14 record, then ran all the way to the district finals in the playoffs.  Nice deal if you can get it.  After besting Hanover last week, the Royal sluggers will move on to the semi-finals on Tuesday-  nice run by any measure.

So how was this game?  Let's have a look.....

Watch that one.  It's a one, two, three run shot to give the Royals a lead that they would not relinquish.

Lots of odd faces in baseball- sometimes it is just a tongue slipping out, sometimes it is just the stress of the game showing up on a face.  Check out Christian, Steve, Shawn, Zach and even Mike.

Ideally, there is a ball in every sports photo.  Baseball tests that, since the ball is relatively small, is often in a glove, and moves pretty fast.  Look around this photo for the ball- it's a good argument for protective face gear.

Not to be outdone, Shawn makes sure everything is in its place.

Benches are fun for pictures.  Not sure what is going on here though- some sort off "start the mower" cheer.

Pick-off pictures are fun too.  Lots of 'em

Here's what you need-

Game photos

Fotofink

Enjoy!

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Change Partners

Playoffs are always exciting, and this year's district volleyball showdown has been no exception.  Tuesday's semi-finals were filled with close games, momentum swings, and plenty of "thrill of victory" stuff.  For Thursday's finals, the same four teams would change partners for another night of fun- this time with more on the line.  The winner of Coughlin/North Pocono would claim the district title- a banner for their gym, and favorable seeding going into the regional round of the state tournament.  The winner of Holy Redeemer/Western Wayne would lay claim to the last spot in that tournament, keeping their dream alive.

Lots of you were there- and if you were not, you probably know how things finished.  North Pocono wins the district, fighting off a strong push by Coughlin- game 3- a 28-26 win for North Pocono was a turning point.  North Pocono will meet Western York as a result, and Coughlin will face BeCaHi in their opening round.

Holy Redeemer bested Western Wayne, and will take on Northeastern for their opportunity to advance.  Wins in this next round send the team to Penn State next weekend for the finals- a treat for any player.  There are no bad teams left playing though- so wins will be hard to come by.

Some thoughts from Thursday-

The bowtie has become kind of a tradition, so maybe by now, it is some sort of good luck charm.  Saddle shoes though? Apparently that's part of the uniform too.

Nice.  Too bad that wasn't towards the camera.

Best hitting face ever?  Discuss amongst yourselves....

One of the rarest shots on FotoFink.

Keep the faith- it's a long series.

A brief explanation-  Some time ago, our cameras caught Mrs. Wingert in an odd pose.  This has become sort of a tradition itsself now- she is a good enough sport to occasionally recreate that pose for our cameras.  On Thursday night, seeing this, led to this.  The camera was far too close for this most recent one, but traditions should be kept...

Time to wrap this up.  Just a side note- the lights at Wyoming Area were probably the best we've seen all season- these may be the highest quality volleyball pictures of the year.  It's as good a time as any to visit your friend the "BUY" button.

Championship match- Coughlin vs North Pocono

Consolation match- Redeemer vs Western Wayne

Tons 'o matches

Enjoy!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dreams

As successful season end, every player's dreams are of the same thing- A District Title.  Certainly, there are goals to meet beyond the district, but this first post-season tournament is special, because the opponents are familiar- Coughlin and Dallas split their two game regular season, so the championship was clearly anyone's game to win.

This is being posted far too late to be news- Dallas scored, Coughlin equalized.  After a 1-1 first half, both teams had chances in a closely fought second half.  Dallas scored the go-ahead goal with 11 minutes left, then successfully managed the ball and clock to end the game with a 2-1 victory.

These are two good teams that will now focus their efforts on the state tournament, after providing us with an exciting season.  Congratulations and good luck to both next week!

Some thoughts that are a bit less important-

Nice game face for Lindsey.

This shot was almost scrapped, as Olivia is obviously not in focus.  Since the ball is though, it seemed kind of interesting after all.  Feel free to disagree.

Midair pictures are always fun- probably more for us as viewers than this was for Ivy.

Tongues always seem to make it into more shots than they should.

Enough with the commentary- there are pictures to buy, and the National Team is losing to Turkey.... (edit- Ending the blog post and watching the game clearly helped our men pull out a 2-1 victory.  Bring on England!)

Match photos

Lots of photos, none of the National Team though.

Enjoy!

Friday, May 28, 2010

For Everyman

Here's an understatement- PIAA District 2 playoff rules are inconsistent.  In some sports, every team qualifies for post season play.  Every different sport/league/division has a different formula for sorting out qualification, seeding, and location.  One thing that is certain however- at this time of year, boys' volleyball is not for everyman- only a few elite teams remain in the battle at this point, and the results are some high-level, competitive matches.

Tuesday was a prime example.  In spite of the lengthy seeding process, North Pocono and Coughlin showed that the most important thing at this time of year is elevating your game when it counts.  Both teams did, and knocked off higher seeded teams as a result.  Thursday night, these 2 will battle for the bragging rights to the district, and favorable seeding in the state tournament.

Some thoughts from the games-

Christine loves to ham it up for the FotoFink cameras.  Maybe next time she'll take the time to put down at least one of the donuts.

Since memory space is at a premium, shots that are not sponge-worthy are often deleted right in the camera.  A quick look on the LCD to make sure of a few things- Is it focused?  Was it timed properly to show some action?  Is the ball in the frame?  Is it embarrassing to admit to being fooled on that last point by the mural in the background?  More than once?

Be nice to your elders.  Be nice to your elders.  Be nice to your elders.  But c'mon....  indoors?  It wasn't even raining outside that night....

Yup.  Right at the photographer.

To be fair, there is more going on here than just a tall guy next to a short one.  But wow.

Mose cleaned up pretty well.

Great teams are consistent.  It's how they play well when they have a bad day.  This photo and this one are on entirely different plays.  Consistent.

Explaining the rules of a coin toss- Is this the NFL?

Whose idea was it to run to the darkest corner of the gym to celebrate the victory?  Next time, lets consider the photo opps.....

Time is short- so is this post-

North Pocono V Holy Redeemer

Coughlin V Western Wayne

Tens of thousands more photos

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Sunday Girl

Weekends usually slow a bit here at FotoFink, but the last few have been an exception.  Last Saturday, wedding.  This past Sunday, girls' USTA soccer.  Favorable reviews from an outing in the fall brought requests to shoot the U12 girls, and happily, schedules permitted a visit for the final game of the season.

Many of you are probably new to FotoFink, so first off, Welcome!  You are reading the blog, which usually serves as a commentary on the day's shooting.  Today, this will just be a quick primer on what's going on here.

If you are anxiously waiting, credit card in hand, to buy some photos, there are links at the end of the post that will take you right to them.  If you need a little background, read on.

FotoFink is the result of a hobby/obsession with photography.  What started as a few shots of the Finkernagel boys playing soccer has grown to what you see around you now.  Selling a few photos helps to justify some new equipment once in a while, which in turn means more photos....  it's a vicous cycle.

Feel free to browse around the site, and of course purchase what you like.  Since this is not a full-time money-making effort, the prices are hopefully very reasonable.  Since it is also a passion, the quality is hopefully beyond a typical snapshot.  Everything is "ala carte" ...  you are welcome to purchase as little or as much as you wish.  Click the "BUY" button, and you should be able to figure things out from there.

A few notes- Most of the shots are pre-cropped to 5x7, but you can purchase any size you wish.  You may be asked to crop at checkout- please do so carefully.  One exception to the 5x7 rule is one of the team photos- you will find 3 sizes of the shot where most of the girls were paying attention.  If you want a 4x6, purchase the 4x6 to make life easy.  The same holds true of 5x7, 8x10, etc.  Someone on the field asked about magnets- they are also available, in two different sizes, along with luggage tags, mugs, etc.  Knock yourself out.

There is a search bar on most of the pages on the site, and clickable keywords under each photo.  Searching on your favorite player's first name should bring you to pages of photos, all of your player and anyone else who shares their name.  Alee will find a page to herself, Mary and Emma will see some other athletes as well as themselves.  In truth, it is safest to just browse through the gallery, as there are undoubtedly some mis-labeled photos.

As for the game, and the day's photos-

You have a great field for photos.  The backgrounds are clean, and the light was actually really nice on Sunday.  If you are ever inclined to want more photos.....

This started out kind of weak.  But then the girls rallied for a much better effort.

Ouch.

No one ever agrees with the officials all the time.  This one though, seemed pretty clear.

It's kind of an unwritten rule (not really unwritten anymore though.....) If you play with your tongue out, the camera will find you.

Wondering what's with the Blondie link?  Want to know how to share the photos online?  Click the FAQ button on most of the pages on the site.  Answers lie within...

Finally-  here's what you came for-

Team and individual photos

Game photos

All of FotoFink.net

Enjoy!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Getting Better

Crestwood volleyball wrapped up the 2010 season at home on Thursday, beating Hanover in 4 games. While a 5-10 season may not be the goal of a successful program, there is a lot more going on here than the record reflects. From early in the season, when they failed to advance at the Valley West tournament, until recently, besting teams that are higher in the standings, this team is getting better.  This season was certainly not a failure (Pittston.....) but a case can be made that the future is bright.  Why?  Glad you asked.--

  • Traditionally, the last home game of any season is "Senior Night".  Seniors on the team get to hear their accomplishments read (Johnny is a 4 year winner of the best attendance award, and has never had a date in his life...), Parents get to walk with their children (That's who that creepy guy is!  David's dad!!) and plans for the future are laid out (Billy will be attending the University of Subway, majoring in tomato management).  Crestwood spared their fans this spectacle- because there are no seniors.  Barring any recruits, they will have the same situation next season.  This is a young team.
  • The success of any program depends on it's coaching.  By all observations, Crestwood has an enthusiastic, knowledgeable coaching staff.  Maybe even too much so.
  • Seth brought out the secret weapon for this game-  the roundhouse serve.  If he can keep that in play, good things should happen.
  • Lastly, we all know that volleyball is, at its core, a game of crazy hairAJ's has been noted in the past, but now we have Seth getting in on this as well.  This team could be unstoppable.
On a more serious note- the end of the season mean the end of new photos.  Thank you for the support you have shown so far, keep in mind that if you've been waiting for that one perfect shot of your player..... your wait is over, for better or worse.  Questions or requests can be handled through the contact FotoFink button on the site, or with an email (sfinkernagel@hotmail.com).  Posters can still be made up at any time.  Thanks again for requesting photos of your team.  Shooting them has been a joy.

Enough with the sap-  here's why you came-

Game photos

FotoFink

Enjoy!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Drowning

Busy times here at the cozy mountain retreat- after another trip down and back to the remote southern headquarters, our staff had the honor of shooting a wedding on Saturday, followed by a full week of exciting sports action- including some rescheduling, just to keep things interesting.  Hard decisions had to be made almost every day- starting with Monday.  The HR boys track team lost out to Coughlin volleyball, as incredibly, this was the first chance we've had all year to see their JV squad in action.  Tuesday looked like the only sane day of the week- HR girls' track districts at Scranton, but rain pushed that event to an already crowded Wednesday. Once again, something had to give on Wednesday- girls' track, girls' soccer, boy's baseball and boys' volleyball....  Since they were holding their senior night celebrations, and because they were close enough together to do both, it became an afternoon of baseball and volleyball for our staff.  Things slowed down on Thursday- with just one event on the schedule.  Those photos are yet to be processed, but a blog entry seems overdue...

What's the end result of a week like this?  Our staff is drowning in photos to edit, but making our way through.  Extras suffer- so there has been little blogging, and no progress in the lifelong project.  All is well though- in a week or two, all this fun will grind to a halt, and we will wonder how we ever fit it into our schedule.  Words to the wise- Don't ever complain about being busy.

Recaps?  They are late,and they'll be brief, but you got 'em....

Coughlin beat Dallas.  Yay.  We got a team photo after the game, and since we are a bit informal here, it was suggested that the boys cut loose, and do something silly.  Here's what they came up with.  Some teams are better at that than others...

Holy Redeemer baseball celebrated the seniors on the team, complete with latex balloonery.  Good or bad, we had plenty of time to get Zach's picture.

This seems bad....

Christian- just taking inventory.

She was warned.

See how yellow the walls look?  There's a lesson to be learned about flash photography there.

Lucio, Lucio, Lu-ci-oooo.

Short one today- more to come when the next batch of pictures gets edited.  Until then-

Wedding shots- In case you are interested...

Dallas at Coughlin volleyball

Pittston at Redeemer baseball

Dallas at Redeemer Volleyball (small set- late arrival)


All of it.

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Time

Generally, shots are posted within a day or two of the event here at FotoFink.  Occasionally, circumstances cause a delay in that process- as was the case here.  Hopefully, interest will not have faded in the time that has passed.

Why the delay?  Once again, our staff is enjoying the sunshine, fine cuisine and nightlife of the remote southern headquarters, but this should be the last trip this way for a few weeks- time to focus (haha) on the ends of seasons, and hopefully playoffs.

For now, some observations on the James Cross Invitational...

Whoever this gentleman is, thank you for considering FotoFink to be number 1.

There have been some right place/wrong time issues with Ashley the last few meets- so excitement ran high for pictures when she got ready for the long jump.  Camera ready, snap a few as she runs down the approach lane, then.......  No problem- she will jump again. This time will be great, then......  Apparently, the wind (which truly was strong on Saturday) can affect your steps/approach to the point where you have to bail on the jump.  For Ashley, hopefully there's a next time.

A reminder-  Stick out your tongue, and the camera will find you.

High jump is an interesting event to shoot.  Usually, a moment gets captured that shows the grace and beauty of the event.  Sometimes, the shot is a split second late, and the result is less graceful.

It seems like it wouldn't be a track meet if this shot were not in the mix.

Best game-face?  You decide.

For the most part, this event was shot with a couple of teams in mind.  There are lots of pictures from teams that have no real connection to FotoFink, so please share this site if you know someone in the pictures who may not see them otherwise.  In other words, please help to sell more photos.  It IS appreciated.

After much delay-

Cross invitational

FotoFink

Enjoy!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Strong Enough

Red Sox vs. Yankees.  Cowboys vs. Eagles.  Celtics vs. Lakers.  Flyers vs. Devils/Rangers/Bruins/whoever they play tonight (they all hate the Flyers...)  Rivalries make sports better, at any level.  Here in the world of girls' high school soccer, Coughlin vs. Hoban/Redeemer is as entertaining as any.  In spite of the very different records, the first meeting this season was a 1-0 nail-biter.  Expectations were high for the rematch - Which team would be strong enough to earn the victory this time?

The game did not disappoint.  Coughlin got out to a 1-0 lead in the first half, but Redeemer held on, and kept the score close through most of the second.  In spite of dominating the play, Coughlin couldn't bury Redeemer until late in the game, eventually putting the Royals away by a final score of 3-0.

It needs to be noted that Coughlin is dealing with some a great personal loss.  More than ever, our schools are communities... families.  Let's all hope that the Coughlin family is strong enough to deal with this tragedy.  Our condolences go out to Joel's family, friends, and teammates.

On to some thoughts on the match-

Generalizations are dangerous-  but girls' games are definitely a different experience than boys'.  Girls will do this.  Over and over again.  All day long.  Rachel even got a bonus pose in- because her braces are off. (Congratulations, btw)  For pictures, of course, this is all good stuff.  Ham it up ladies.

It's not unique to girls' games- but Kiera has noticed that her tongue is out in a lot of her pictures.  For fun- let's look at some other tongue-waggers- GraceAlexKatieAlliJenna.  Had enough?  Her tongue is not really out, but Erin definitely has some sort of issue here.  Once again-  not really a tongue, but Lexie looks like she just ate a Bad Dill Pickle.  Nice of the girls to show some solidarity- at least Kiera has some company.

Almost.  Not yet.

Nice.

Olivia tells us that her goal was the first head-ball score for her ever.  Insert your own quip here about never using her head.

Enough frivolity- onto the photos-

Match

All of 'em.

A friendly reminder.

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

All The Young Dudes

After a seemingly short getaway to the remote southern headquarters, followed by a seemingly long drive back, Tuesday brought our staff out to Crestwood for a volleyball match-up with the Dallas Mountaineers.  This year is a rebuilding effort for the Comets, with a roster drawing exclusively from the 9th and 10th grades.  Is there a better way to spend a spring afternoon than hanging out with all the young dudes from Crestwood volleyball?  Not when they manage a 3 game sweep of the visitors (5 counting the JV).  Adding to the win column is always a treat for a young team- and its a feeling that this squad should enjoy more and more as they continue to gel.

FYI- Mott the Hoople is not really a cheat in the process- The current stoppage is at Ian Hunter.  Close enough.

This post is already later than usual in going up- so here are a few quick thoughts on the day in pictures-

Josh knows- when you make good plays like this at the net, you can flaunt the team name on your shirt a bit.

Zach added to the team's effort with some good plays-  several in fact.  Not every play ends well though.

AJ's hair has been making a splash in a number of photos.  It's reminiscent of these things.  There may be a "separated at birth" shot in there somewhere.....


Generally, volleyball doesn't lend itself to shooting 2 teams.  On occasion, the opponent does work their way into a picture or 2 though.  Here is what it looks like to give up that last point that sends your team down in 3 straight games.

Picture time-

Game shots

FotoFink

Enjoy!