ABA - Midwest Flames vs King City Monarchs - E.L.I.T.E Pulses of Hope Drumline

This past Saturday the Midwest Flames had an exhibition game against the King City Monarchs in Peoria, IL. Before the start of the game, everyone in attendance was treated to a performance by the Peoria E.L.I.T.E. Pulses of Hope Drum line. To quote Tony the Tiger, “They're Grrreat!”. Another photographer there told me that they were coming in, and one minute later, they marched in demanding your undivided attention (Didn't you love to hear your teacher say this in class). They played for several minutes and left with a standing round of applause from all in attendance at the Woodruff Career and Technical Center gym.

After the drum line exited the gym it was time to shoot the game. I talked to a few of the Monarchs players before the game and found out they were from Carbondale, IL. Wait a second, Carbondale, that's the home of my alma mater Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. SALUKIES BABY!!!...SIU, SIU, SIU, SIU! If you were at SIU, you know about that famous Quatros pizza. I can still remember the phone number because that was part of their jingle. All together now, “...Dial 549-5326 Quatros deep pan pizza...”

For the first half of the game I used my Canon T1i with 18-55mm f 5.6 and my Canon 7D 70-200mm f 2.8 Lens. After my struggles during previous Flames game, I kept reminding myself to switch cameras at half court. The game action was not as fast from the previous game, which helped out a lot, and it wasn't as hot in the gym. The Flames won the game 145 – 111.

 

Thanks for reading, see you later.

2@n

 

Caged Buses

This shot was inspired by walking into Walgreens in early July.  I was shocked that Walgreens already had back to school supplies displays in their stores.  Also Walmart had the same thing.  Back in my day back to school supplies didn't appear until August. Warning Kids, the buses will soon be released to come get you and take you back to school!

ABA - Basketball - Chicago Fury vs Midwest Flames scrimmage

Two weeks ago I had an opportunity to shoot a preseason game for the Midwest Flames (a semi pro ABA basketball team). The Flames played the Chicago Fury at the Woodruff Career and Technical Center gym in Peoria, IL. This was the first time I shot a game with two cameras. I used my Canon 7D with a Canon 17-55mm f 2.8 lens for under the basket and my Canon T1i with 70-200mm f 2.8 lens for down the court. The action of this game was fast, and for the first quarter I was struggling to keep up with the action. The Fury had the full court press on the Flames in the first quarter and there was a lot of turn overs in the back court and half court. At the start of the second quarter I decided to switch cameras and shoot once the ball was pass half court, and this made things a bit easier. The Flames did not win this game, but I am sure this game has taught them that they have a lot of work to do to get better. Also, this game has taught me that I need to do the same. Below are some of the shots from the game against the Fury. To learn more about the Midwest Flames click here >> Midwest Flames

We're HERE!!!!

After months of googling, reading, emailing, and head scratching,  the web home of 2@N Productions is up and running.  I want to give a special thank you for everyone that helped me get this going (both technically and non technically).

For the first blog post of 2anProductions lets start off with a BANG!  Thank you for checking out the blog and keep coming back for updates.

 

One Saturday evening I caught the post game fireworks after the Peoria Chiefs game in Peoria, IL. This shot during halfway of the fireworks show.