Professional or Amateur Status?: Getting Closer to the Client

Leon the Professional once said, "the closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client." That isn't true.

After shooting the Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse game versus the Harvard Crimson approximately two hours ago, I thought my fingers were going to fall off. What was more interesting, at least to me, was seeing a professional photographer use her (what I guessed to be the) Nikon D2x and a HUGE G-lens.

Judging by her equipment, you could tell she was a professional.

What baffled my mind was that she stayed in one spot throughout the game. With no intent to offend, the technique of staying idle while shooting can be a drawback because you lose out on the variety of angles.

However, my paltry and now obsolete Konica Minolta 7D with the beercan (70-210mm/4) did a more than adequate job taking shots. These two shots have not been cropped.

Especially on sunny days/well-lit conditions, it goes to show that one doesn't need a camera setup that costs as much as a college education (huge exaggeration, but it gets my point across) to shoot sports games.

But what do I know? I'm just a silly college student with what the professional community considers to be "inferior and antiquated equipment."