Sports Shooter Academy - Day One
Sports Shooter Academy - Day Two
Sports Shooter Academy - Day Three
Sports Shooter Academy - Day Four
The Sports Shooter Academy returns to Orange County this week beginning Wednesday, April 5 through Sunday, April 9. This hand-on shooting workshop will give participants an opportunity to cover Division I sports around the Big West Conference including Track & Field, Baseball, Tennis and Softball.
The faculty for the Sports Shooter Academy II features Robert Hanashiro, a staff photographer with USA TODAY, Southern California freelance photographer Matt Brown, Wally Skalij of the Los Angeles Times and Michael Goulding of the Orange County Register.
The workshop will kick off Wednesday evening April 5 with an orientation session and reception that will feature a keynote presentation by Andy Bernstein, the NBA's Senior Photographer.
The first Sports Shooter Academy was held last February with 30 participants and was deemed very successful, prompting the Big West Conference to continue its participation in the program. Big West Conference member institutions provide credentials to their events enabling workshop participants to photograph all of the action on and off the playing field.
Faculty members accompany participants to events, offering advice and information on lens selection, lighting, positions and how to creatively cover the sport. Participants edit their work under the guidance of the faculty and critiques are offered each day of shooting.
As Matt Brown says: "It's real world experience here folks!"
The Academy ends with an awards brunch on Sunday, where the best photograph made during the workshop and the best collection of work are recognized.
Lectures by the faculty and classes on portraits, lighting and remotes will also be featured.
"Killer. That sums up Sports Shooter Academy for me," said student Jordan Murph of Hawaii after the first Sports Shooter Academy, "Never in my life have I learned so much while having so much fun. Mahalo nui loa to everyone once again for everything. There were so many good times, I'll never forget it."
Student Tyler Barrick of Ohio said "I learned a lot about myself as a photographer and the difference between the images I used to make. The instructors gave me pointers on how to improve my shooting or just to keep working the situation to achieve the ultimate image.
"The feedback before and during the critique sessions were priceless. Thank you everyone for making this possible. Everyone who was there was awesome and I've definitely made some friends for life." Sports Shooter Academy II is sponsored by Nikon. Representatives of Nikon will be on-site and will have loaner equipment available for registered participants including the latest professional digital cameras and lenses up to 600mm.