some Blogspot tweaks

To get my previous post to look halfway decent, I needed to figure out how to create a table with a border and gridlines, and with proper spacing around the table. And I also wanted a bulleted list without tons of spacing above and below the list. This took a little investigation and some relearning of HTML and CSS ... some searches in the Blogspot Help Resources, Google searches for HTML and CSS info, etc.

I'm surprised it wasn't more straightforward.

But I'm pleased with what I came up with, and now I'm an expert on the subject :-). I just had to hand-code some <table> HTML, and add some CSS to my Template.

oh - I also set it up so all my photos have a nice teal border. yeah!

I spent several hours doing the tweaks. It's time that I probably should have spent hanging Christmas lights, or cleaning the house, or paying bills or something, instead of fiddling around with a blog that almost nobody else will ever read....

HS gymnasium lighting

Last year I learned about the difficulty of doing available-light photography in high school gymnasiums (brightness shifts and color shifts):

• my photo.net query
• a SportsShooter explanation

I'm gonna gather some data this fall/winter and update this post as I learn more about each gym's lighting...

Tech details for bursts: Unless otherwise indicated, all bursts were shot at ISO 3200, manual WB, 1/350 sec, f/2.8, at a focal length of 200mm.

HS	Photo sample	Light attr	Burst
Armstrong 1	1/250 sec, f/2.8	constant	[view]
Brainerd	1/350 2.0	minor variations	50mm f/1.7
Edina	1/250 2.8	varies	[view]
Eastview	1/350 2.8	constant	[view]
Minnetonka	1/250 2.8	varies	[view]
Hopkins	1/250 2.8	minor variations	[view]
Wayzata 1	1/250 2.8	varies	[view]
Armstrong 2	1/250 2.8	constant	[view]
Wayzata 2	1/250 2.8	varies	[view]
Moundsview	1/250 2.8	minor variations	[view]

post-cx thoughts

well that was fun taking pics of cyclocross. just wish I had started earlier in the season, instead of waiting till the last three MN races. I felt like I was just barely starting to get to know some of the "regulars". But I hafta admit I still can't pick out DougS -- there's too many GrandStays out there!

what I like about my state championships photos:

• lots of bike carrying on the stairs
• some decent pics with the water in the background
• good color balance (maybe just a little too "warm"?)

things to do differently:

• more variety; move around the course more. some wider shots to capture the bigger scene.
• blur the backgrounds more (larger aperture via higher shutter speed, lower ISO)
• some long telephoto shots of the barriers, especially the triple
• find some way to illustrate the chicanes
• get more pictures of the whiskey hand-up -- stevencx took a great one of TeresaM that's perfectly timed and captures the crowd reaction


• get 'em published quicker, to get the crucial first round of viewers from skinnyski. (this slideshow has only achieved 372 views so far, compared to rum river which has received 942.)


• and why'd I take so many pictures of that SkiHut guy?

I need to figure out a good way to publicize my pics and get folks to buy my photos! but that's my weakest area -- publicity, marketing, self-promotion. Come on, all you cyclists and cyclists' families! Buy some huge poster prints from me!

now it's time to shift my attention to HS Dance Team competition. go Wayzata Trojets! (my daughter's on the JV team :-).

MN State Championships CX

Congrats to Linda Sone and Doug Swanson, 2007 Minnesota state cyclocross champions.

I had almost a thousand photos to go through, so it took me a while to choose the best ones, but I finally put my slideshow together. Hope everyone enjoys it!

Again, all the photos are available here for browsing and purchasing.

Rum River wrap-up

how about this near-wipeout in the "B" race? yowza! nice recovery! (no crash) I think that's Greg G. I should hold a caption-writing contest for this pic.

thinking about the photos I took at Rum River... things I'd do differently if I had it to do over again...

• I spend too much time in the woods, setting up for a shot and then just waiting for riders to ride into focus.
• shoulda done some more creative shots on the bridge, like focus on the diagonal slats while cyclists zoom past.
• shoulda spent more time at the run-up, too. the few photos I took there really capture the feel of a cyclocross race, I think.
• it also seems like I take pictures of the same riders over and over again; some riders I tend to ignore. I wonder why I do that.

another of my favorite photos from this past week was the bike-on-shoulder. hope to see some of that at State.

Rum River CX

Took about 350 photos at today's race in Milaca, MN. Wow the weather was unbelievably mild. Guy did show up, and did the "A" race. Got some good pictures of him. Also tried to get some good pics of Kristy in the "C" race, since she was the first person to give me feedback on my blog :-). Had a nice little chat with her and Hollywood.
This photo is kind of a cool shot --- I was experimenting with slow shutter speeds and operating the zoom at the same time.

here's the slideshow of some of the better pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankrowe/sets/72157603105038251/show/

as always, many more photos are here:
frankrowe.photoreflect.com

Looking forward to the state championships this weekend!

remaining CX races

I'm planning to catch the last two cyclocross races of the year. (with my camera! not on my bike.)

Rum River tomorrow: weather should be nice and mild again. (good for folks who are just standing around at least, like myself).
for more dramatic photos, I hope this race is a more "typical" cyclocross race -- more barriers, double barriers, natural barriers, climbs, stairs? Ham Lake was pretty flat, with just two low barriers. hmmm, the flyer says "World Cup Style Course"... don't expect it to be very muddy, since weather's been so dry lately. hope it's overcast again; hate dealing with harsh shadows!

my plan: try various shutter speeds for more blur, less blur.
more creative angles, unique perspectives. capture the spirit of the event, the atmosphere. not so much the "news" of the race.

hope Guy shows up --- need to get a picture of at least one co-worker at the CX races. that was my original plan all along!

Ham Lake CX

I went to the Ham Lake cyclocross race on Saturday (Ham Lake, MN), to take photos and, well, to watch my first 'cross race. I was hoping to see some of my co-workers riding there but didn't; wondered if they were doing the velodrome 'cross on Sunday instead. I did see Paula at the race with her kids; she was spectating and supporting some friends and teammates. I had no idea who won the races -- I was concentrating on the photography and had a nice walk through the woods. :-)

a slideshow of some of my better photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankrowe/sets/72157602894261589/show/

many, many more photos are here:
http://frankrowe.photoreflect.com/

I'm generally happy with how the photos came out. wide and medium shots with my kit 18-55 lens; otherwise, my pro 80-200. captured as .jpg, manual white balance set to "Cloudy", manual focus. all shots taken at 1/350 sec at ISO 1600. shutter speed was a little slow for some of the shots, especially when the cyclists were riding across the frame (left-to-right or right-to-left).