I worked my way though a year of college doing photography for the school yearbook and newspaper. Among other events, I covered all of the home football games. All of the home games except homecoming were at night, which proved a frustrating experience. Even using 400 ASA film pushed to 1600 ASA in processing (I did almost all of my own processing) and with the biggest flash available, I could only count on reaching out to the first set of hashmarks. Anything beyond that was simply too dark. Stadium lights just don't give enough illumination for photography that has to stop motion.

Beyond the limitations of illumination, there was the added challenge of trying to determine where the play was going, frame the shot in my zoom lense, focus, and snap the picture. Watching the game through the lense is like viewing it through a tunnel - you just can't see the big picture. I learned to preset my exposure and focus while watching the action with the camera viewfinder just below my eye. Using that technique, I could see which way the play was going and raise the camera and get a shot pretty quickly. Still, in an average game, I'd go through several hundred pictures only to end up with a handful of good shots.

Finally, it was homecoming day - a daylight game! No more messing with the flash, no more worrying so much about which way the play was going, I was going to commit some serious photography! I was working the sidelines with a camera bag strapped to my hip and having a great time when it happened. Our team went for a screen pass to my side. I had the camera to my eye and was getting the shot when the view filled with players. I backed out on the zoom and the view was still full. I lowered the camera just in time to get creamed by 3 players. I flew at least 10 feet through the air and landed on my camera bag. It was a strange thing to hear thousands of people go "OHHHHHH!" and know it was for me.

While flying through the air, I distinctly remember thinking "bones will heal", so I extended my arms to protect my camera instead of cushioning my fall. Luckily, no damage was done other than the loss of a roll of unexposed film. Too bad I didn't get that picture, it really would've been a great Kodak moment.