Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

Over the last few months, there have been a bunch of photos that I’ve wanted to post on here but they didn’t really fit in with anything else. So, in no particular order, here are some odds and ends from September through December.

(C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

(C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

This next image was shot to be the cover of a special basketball preview tab. The two players are two of the best in the county. This image was shot using my DIY nodal plate. There are a few mistakes but I think they happened because I was rushed and may have actually taken too many pictures.

(C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Opal Dixon talks with Sgt. Adrian Darwin after her Jeep went through a building Monday afternoon while backing down her driveway. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Emergency responders stand on an overpass along County Road 500S Thursday afternoon after a vehicle occupied by two 16-year-old girls left the roadway and landed in a small creek bed. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Blake Dye, president and CEO of Henry County Hospital, talks in his office Thursday afternoon. Dye will be leaving Henry County Hospital to become the new president of the St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana in Indianapolis. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

One of the local powerhouse volleyball teams is Shenandoah High School. They have been destroying many teams all season long.

Last night, they were in the regional tournament against Muncie Burris who has had 92 consecutive tournament wins and 13 consecutive state championship victories. One tough opponent.

Shenandoah fought hard but ultimately lost to Muncie Burris in three straight sets. Here are a few shots from the night.

From left, Shenandoah's Kirstyn Pierce, Kenzie Cox and Adrianne Trennephol celebrate after a point Tuesday night in a regional match against Muncie Burris. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Shenandoah's Kirstyn Pierce bumps the ball Tuesday night in a regional match against Muncie Burris. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Makayla Roseberry of Shenandoah dives for the ball Tuesday night during the regional match against Muncie Burris. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

The girls from Muncie Burris were absolutely crushing their spikes. This one bounced off of the arm of Andi Hise, leaving an impression long enough for my camera to capture it.

Shenandoah's Andi Hise reacts after a spike hit her in the arm during a regional match against Muncie Burris. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Football season is in full swing. By game time these last few Friday nights, the temperature is hovering in the low 60s. I’m loving every minute of it.

This last weekend, one of our county schools, Knightstown, was facing their rival of Eastern Hancock. It was a blow-out in Knightstown’s favor. 41-6.

As the season goes on, the sun is setting earlier and earlier which means I continue to crank up the ISO. Cropping in from my 200mm starts to look pretty atrocious at 1600. Where is my 400mm f/2.8?

Here are a few of my favorites from the game.

Knightstown's Jordan Jessup runs through a tunnel of fans at the beginning of the Panthers' game against Eastern Hancock. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Knightstown's Danny Ortman hurdles a teammate during a drive against the Eastern Hancock Royals. Ortman was one of two Knightstown rushers to earn more than 100 yards on the ground. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Knightstown's Cory Cox brings down Eastern Hancocks quarterback Steven Stunda. The Panthers won 41-6. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

If you’re going to utilize a secondary camera at any sport, football is the one for it. At a moments notice, a developing play can head towards the sidelines. Everyone has their own way of quickly switching cameras. For me, I keep my 1D with a 70-200 f/2.8 slung around my neck. My backup camera, a not-so-trusty D30 (yes, circa 1998) with a 24-70 f/2.8, hangs on my right shoulder. When needed, I can completely let go of my camera with long glass and quickly bring my backup to my eye.

I had a quarterback scramble for the sideline right at me during this game. I reached for my camera and started shooting at 24mm. Here is the sequence.

Knightstown defenders chase after Eastern Hancock quarterback Steven Stunda as he scrambles with the ball. Knightstown won the game 41-6. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Knightstown defenders chase after Eastern Hancock quarterback Steven Stunda as he scrambles with the ball. Knightstown won the game 41-6. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Knightstown defenders chase after Eastern Hancock quarterback Steven Stunda as he scrambles with the ball. Knightstown won the game 41-6. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

That was a close one.

For as long as I can remember, I have found volleyball to be a difficult sport to photograph. I can attribute this to a few factors.

1. I am not very familiar with the sport. It can be confusing to follow plays as they develop.
2. Most of the gyms I shoot in are absolute dungeons. In one local gym, I am pushing it to shoot 1/125th sec at f/2.8 and 3200 ISO. My camera struggles to follow focus in such poor lighting conditions.
3. I don’t always have access to good vantage points to get clean shots.

However, with anything else, I have improved with practice. Last night, I shot a match between Knightstown and Shenandoah high schools. It helped that the gym was relatively new with much brighter lights than other local gyms. I was shooting 1/250th at f/2.8 and 1600 ISO. That exposure is much more reasonable on my 1D Mark II.

Here are the two we ran in the paper.

Knightstown's Hannah Jackson sets the ball Thursday in a home meet against Shenandoah. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Shenandoah's Yardley Collett slams the ball past the block of Knightstown's Hannah Smith. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Football season kicked off a few weeks ago and I love it. Without question, football is my favorite mainstream sport to photograph.

The action is intense. The sidelines are electric. A victory can be monumental. A loss can be heartbreaking.

Right now, my longest glass is 200mm. That makes it a little tough to get all of the game action. With patience and years of practice, I’ve been able to snap a good frame or two. Here are a few from the season thus far.

New Castle QB scrambling for the ball after missing the snap. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Tri QB draws back to look for open receivers. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Being stuck with a short lens, cropping can be a big help. Too bad my 1D Mark II has so much color noise when cropped in this tight.

A Shenandoah receiver makes a catch in the end zone. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

A Shenandoah running back avoids Tri defenders. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

A Hagerstown receiver makes a leaping catch in a game against Knightstown. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Knightstown's running back stiff-arms a Hagerstown defender. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010