Kasey Miller - The Colorado Open
I went home back in early August to watch my friend Jake Miller get married to his fiancée Kasey Petty. While I was at the wedding, Jake told me that in a few weeks, Kasey would be in Colorado to compete in the women's Colorado Open. Upon being told, I instantly wanted to come watch Kasey play! I saw her first play two years before, in Colorado at the NCAA Finals. This time, however, I offered to take pictures of her while she played the round. It was a great opportunity for me to take pictures of golf for the first time, as well to watch Kasey play again.
Now Kasey Miller, in the city of Aurora, Colorado; playing at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. Kasey was lucky enough to get the 7:50am tee time. Therefore, I was waking up at 4:45am and leaving the mountains by 5:30am to arrive in time before she tee'd off. As I stated earlier, this was my first time taking pictures of golf. When I got to the #10 tee box for Kasey's tee time, I quickly realized I was the only person following her group. It has always been known to be quiet and respectful towards golfers during their shots. I respected the distance from the players and was shooting at 200mm almost the whole time. Even then, I was still extremely nervous about my shutter going off. I was constantly switching from my "Continuous High" or "Quiet High" modes. No matter what mode I was in, I was still nervous pushing my shutter in their swings. I guess this is the large argument and motivation of moving to the mirrorless bodies where you can shoot 100% silent.
My first time taking pictures of golf went great! Golf is a beautiful sport to take pictures of. The wide variety of colors you can find on a golf course provides great contrasts. Next time I shoot, maybe having a 2 camera set up with a much longer telephoto lens, such as a 150-600mm to go with my 70-200mm. One of my favorite things to capture while shooting soccer, is the close ups of a players face. To have the ability to see what is going on in the athletes head. Especially with golf being such a mental game. Capturing a player calculating a shot, the frustration of a bad shot. Emotion is everything in sports photography!
After I shared my final results with Kasey and Jake. I told Kasey I would love to be able to follow Jake and her during a private round between themselves. Not only can I get closer to the action and capture amazing moments. But, to also capture the moments between Jake and herself on a golf course; as golf is a cornerstone in their relationship. I can already see the shot: Jake and Kasey hit their tee shots. Bags on their backs, walking down the fairway to their shots, sharing a smile in-between each other.
