Utah Jazz radio announcer Hot Rod Hundley poses with a set of golf clubs in front of his house in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 15, 1991. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

It is always a great feeling to go through old pictures and stumble upon an assignment that was completed many years ago that I had long forgotten. Memories of that day come roaring back and I am immediately back in time working that shoot again. I have had many of these experiences lately as I continue to comb through my old slides with the goal of getting the good stuff scanned, captioned and uploaded to my online archive. A recent discovery had me going back 20 years to the days when I was on staff for The National Sports Daily. On this particular day in March of 1991 I had the pleasure of hanging out with legendary Utah Jazz broadcaster “Hot Rod” Hundley.

Utah Jazz radio announcer Hot Rod Hundley poses in his Salt Lake City, Utah home on March 15, 1991. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The spring of 1991 was a great time for me. You could call it the “salad days” of my one year stint in the big leagues as a National staffer. In March of 1991 I set out on one of the best road trips/assignments of my life. At the beginning of my two-week journey I spent a seven days in Arizona covering spring training for the first time and had a blast. From Phoenix I flew to Salt Lake City to shoot the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s hoops tourney, shooting teams like Seton Hall, BYU, Arizona, and Creighton. After that I flew to Las Vegas to shoot the Mike Tyson vs. Donovan “Razor” Ruddock fight at the Mirage with fellow staffer Chris Covatta. What a whirlwind tour! Wedged in the between the two rounds of the NCAA tourney in Salt Lake City was the shoot I want to talk about today: my day with Hot Rod Hundley.

My credential for the Jazz game at the Salt Palace that I used to photograph Hot Rod Hundley broadcasting the game.

We were doing a feature on the famous broadcaster, so I arranged to spend some time with him at his house, and then go to a home game that night at the Salt Palace to shoot him doing his job. My editor gave me some instructions on what to shoot at the house, mainly his refrigerator that was empty, with the exception of dozens of cans of Budweiser. Of course, this is the one picture I cannot find to show you. It was AMAZING! Hundley did not cook at home and liked to pound the ol’ Budweiser. What a fun guy!

Before becoming a household name as a basketball broadcaster Hundley had a good playing career in the late 50′s – early 60′s with the Cincinnati Royals and Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers that ended early in 1963 because of bad knees. In 1974 he became the first radio and television voice of the expansion New Orleans Jazz. He followed the team to Salt Lake City in 1979, where he became as celebrated as a broadcaster as he was as a player. During his time in New Orleans Hundley became very close friends with Pete Maravich. Maravich had only been dead for three years when I met Hundley, and since I was always a huge Maravich fan he told me some great stories about their friendship.

After shooting pictures at the house it was time to head to the arena where I would shoot him broadcasting the game. Of course, those pictures were not that exciting, but the trip to the Salt Palace was well worth it for the fun post-game activities. After the game Hundley had me follow him into the Jazz TINY locker room. I hung out as he talked to John Stockton and other players. Of course I was young (26) and still figuring out what I was doing having so much fun and getting paid to be there. Before we left Hundley dipped his hand into a an ice bucket full of cans of Budweiser. “Want a beer?” asked Hundley. “Sure!” I said. I got to pound some Budweiser with Hot Rod Hundley in the Jazz locker room. It was 20 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday, thanks to the pictures I still have from that day.

Actor Wesley Snipes wears a San Francisco Giants uniform as Bobby Raybrun as he films a scene for the motion picture "The Fan" before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1994. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

You never know what you might find when you go through thousands of slide pages representing almost 20 years of shooting sports. As I have been working on my ongoing archiving project I have been through my slides many times looking for the best stuff to get scanned. Each time I go through my old stuff I pull some different chromes. Sometimes it depends on the mood I am in. Sometimes I pull goofy stuff just so I will be the only human being on the planet with a nice collection of Marvin Benard images. During my recent captioning binge in which I added 510 images from old chromes into my archive I came upon some stuff that made me smile. That’s right movie buffs, I know have seven nice frames of actor Wesley Snipes in my archive playing Bobby Rayburn while filming scenes from “The Fan” at Candlestick Park in 1994.

Actor Wesley Snipes wears a San Francisco Giants uniform as Bobby Raybrun as he films a scene for the motion picture "The Fan" before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1994. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I remember reading about this movie that was coming out surrounding a prickly superstar who played for the San Francisco Giants. The obvious comparisons to Barry Bonds were apparent from the start when the plot of this film became public. The Hollywood folks said no, but all you had to do was look at the way Snipes acted in the movie and see his earring to imagine this film being renamed “Crazy fan tries to kill Barry Bonds.”

Actor Wesley Snipes wears a San Francisco Giants uniform as Bobby Raybrun as he films a scene for the motion picture "The Fan" before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1994. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

My mind is pretty sketchy sometimes and my memories of shooting these images of Snipes during filming before a few Giants games in the summer of 1994. I do remember him going up to the plate in some real bad light around 12:30 as they tried to lighten his very dark face with a big fill card (see below). I shot a few frames of this scene from the the first base photo well at Candlestick and wondered how they could possibly make Snipes look like a good ballplayer. He had earlier played Willie Mays Hayes in the fun movie “Major League” but all he did in the film was run around and look terrible at the plate. I was anxious to see this movie come out, but I would have to wait a few years before it’s release on August 16, 1996. You bet I went to the theater to see this!

Actor Wesley Snipes wears a San Francisco Giants uniform as Bobby Raybrun as he films a scene for the motion picture "The Fan" before a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California in 1994. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

This was a BAD movie. Oh sure, I got a kick out of it. It was fun seeing my Giants on the big screen in real uniforms playing in a torrential downpour at The Stick. Snipes WAS Barry Bonds, and Robert Di Nero as the crazy fan was nuts and scary. Mandalay Entertainment and others spent $55 million on this picture, and only saw $18,573,791 in  box office returns. OUCH.

Somehow the folks at Major League Baseball signed off on this script and allowed the film to use their trademarked logos and colors (uniforms) to make the film look real. I am sure they were horrified when the film came out and they saw how bad this movie was. How could MLB ever be involved in such a creepy film that did not celebrate the game? I can promise you that someone got in big trouble over this, and it will never happen again.

Where is Bobby Rayburn, I mean Wesley Snipes now? He is currently being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, McKean, a medium security federal prison in Pennsylvania, and is scheduled for release on July 19, 2013. Why is he there? For willfully failing to file federal income tax returns. If anyone out there is doing a rags-to-riches-to-rags documentary about Snipes let me know. I can hook you up with some exclusive images from my archive!

SHOT WITH A NIKON F4 AND A NIKON 500mm 5.6 MIRROR LENS ON FUJICHROME 100: Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees pitches during a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on May 10, 2003. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Do you remember the last time you shot film? I am not talking about having fun with a Holga or shooting some fun 2 1/4 black and white to harken back to the old days when photographers had to slow down and think before they pressed the shutter button. I am talking about a PAID assignment for a client who requested that you shoot film. I remember the last time I shot film like it was yesterday, but it was almost nine years ago. Saturday, May 10, 2003 to be exact. Yankees at A’s. 44,486 butts in the seats. Roger Clemens on the mound.

Sports Illustrated was doing a big feature story on Clemens as he was (supposedly) nearing retirement. There is only so much you can do with a pitcher throwing  a ball, so in order to try and get something different my editor asked me to shoot Clemens pitching in this day game in Oakland with a mirror lens. The Nikon 500mm 5.6. I had used mirror lenses before and knew that we needed the cool “donut” effect in the background. In order to make this work you need a park where the fans are close to the ground so their colorful circles fill up most of the background. A park with a high wall down the right field line would not work.

Austin, Texas-based lifestyle, sports and portrait photographer Darren Carroll wrote a great blog post explaining the fun things a mirror lens can do for you a few weeks ago. He gets real hard core and even involves math! He went to Georgetown- I did not. Go read his blog to really learn something. Now back to my story.

This is the last pro pack of Fujichrome I received from Mel Levine back in 2003. It is a little lonely in my freezer. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

All of us Sports Illustrated contributing photographers had to abandon shooting film for deadline stories and start shooting digital in 2003. The Canon 1D was brand new and became the first camera that produced a file that was big enough, and good enough to be used on a regular basis and look OK when printed across two pages in a glossy weekly magazine. I will be honest when I tell you I was freaked out. I loved film, especially chrome. Since I started shooting for the magazine in 1992 it was always so much fun to call up lab manager Mel Levine and ask him to send me a few hundred rolls of Fujichrome RDP (and later Provia). By opening day of the 2003 baseball season I had made the switch and shot my first digital baseball assignment for the magazine on April 5, 2003 (Angels @ A’s). This was going to be hard to get used to!

In order to shoot this assignment of Clemens with the 500mm mirror lens I needed to use a Nikon body, and at the time a digital Nikon D1 was not gonna cut it. In order to complete this assignment I needed to call up my old buddy Mel once again and have him ship me a Nikon F4 FILM BODY, the 500mm lens, and a pro pack of Fujichrome Provia 100F. This was gonna be fun.

SHOT ON DIGITAL WITH A CANON EOS-1D AND A CANON 400mm 2.8 LENS: Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees pitches during a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on May 10, 2003. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I shot a whole bunch of rolls of the Rocket on the chrome with the 500 and also shot some with the Canon digital (see above). I thought the stuff on chrome with the donuts in the background looked cool, but they did not run any of it. They went with stuff of him pitching at home in the pinstripes. They ALWAYS want the pinstripes!

That’s it. The last time I shot film. Period. Makes me sad in a way. Of course today’s digital stuff looks so amazing, and it is so easy to shoot. BUT- there is something about that look you get from film, especially chrome. There is nothing like it. Or should I say, there WAS nothing like it.

Brad Mangin will be speaking at 5pm in San Francisco on Friday night, August 5, 2011.

I have had the chance to do many fun speaking engagements over the years sharing my pictures with students, teachers, and baseball fans. Tomorrow night I will have a unique opportunity to show my pictures from the San Francisco Giants 2010 World Championship season at the “Photoshop & You” event from 5-7 pm in San Francisco. This collection of photographs ended up being featured in the Giants official book commemorating their World Series team.

Being able to speak in San Francisco is always a fun experience, and I am hoping that we get some hard core Giants fans in attendance who wish to re-live last year’s magical season. Besides getting a chance to see pictures from last season there will be many other surprises, including a fun set of prizes that we will be raffling off. I promise that you will want to be on hand when we give stuff away.

This is what my show looks like as I work on it this afternoon.

Here are all the official details:

550 Sutter Street
San Francisco CA 94102

I will be speaking on Friday night, August 5 from 5 – 7pm. Admission is free.

This fun event has already hosted many wonderful speakers, including my good friends Robert Seale and Corey Rich. I attended both of their talks and they were terrific. I hope I can measure up to their high standards!

I hope to see you there!

Nate Schierholtz #12 of the San Francisco Giants leaves the batters box kicking up dirt and chalk during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, May 12, 2011 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I shot a baseball game yesterday. I shoot many baseball games each season. I will shoot close to 100 big league games in 2011 from the first pitch of spring training to the final out of the World Series. Yesterday’s game was nothing special. Diamondbacks @ Giants. A nice day game in San Francisco. I was on assignment for Major League Baseball Photos. It was a pretty day for baseball under the sunshine at the most beautiful park in America, and there was nowhere else I would rather be.

There was not much action during the exciting 3-2 Giants win. My job was to shoot tons of stock of both teams, mostly the Diamondbacks, so the client would be happy. As usual I got there early, before 10am, in order to shoot batting practice. The Giants did not hit, but the Snakes came out in their reddish hats and pullovers to get in some practice swings, so I was able to get a bunch of nice candid head shots in the can before the game started.

Mike, left, and Willie enjoy watching the computer monitor and distracting me when I try to work. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Once the game got going I needed to drill batters and pitchers, trying to get real nice stuff of every guy who plays. This is all fine and good, but it gets boring after awhile. In order to keep sane and have some fun later in the evening when I have to edit everything I like to shoot some different details and other images that might not excite an editor at a trading card company, but they might put a smile on my face.

During the second inning I was shooting in the inside third base well -one of the great positions to shoot a game from. The great V.J. Lovero always called inside third the “creative position.” Of course, he was right. You can goof around down there and try some different things. For a few hitters I tried to shoot some tight details of batters as they dropped their bats and sprinted out of the batter’s box. I shot dozens of frames before I moved outside third base to shoot more traditional batting pictures. I only got one real usable image, but I am super happy with it (see top).

When I got home to edit I was excited to look at my take, and I especially wanted to see how the details turned out. All I needed to see was this one frame and it made me happy. My former editor at MLB Photos Paul Cunningham (who is currently a master craftsman of leather goods) always tried to get me to shoot stuff like this. I was so excited that I emailed the frame to him last night foe his approval. It was nice to hear him on the phone today as he told me how much he enjoyed it.

On a forgettable May afternoon in the beautiful ballpark by the bay I got one frame I am really happy with. I will take that every day I shoot!

Barry Zito #75 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the game at AT&T Park on June 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Webster’s Dictionary defines “photography” as “…the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (as film or a CCD chip).” That is what we photographers do. We capture light. We chase the light. Sometimes the light is too fast for us. Sometimes the light sucks ass. But sometimes the light is AMAZING. This is when photography is really fun.

Barry Zito #75 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the game at AT&T Park on June 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

On Saturday night the San Francisco Giants hosted their crosstown rivals, the Oakland A’s, in a 6:05 pm contest. I normally do not shoot 6:05 pm games in San Francisco because there usually isn’t much light on the field. However, as we move closer to the summer solstice of June 21 I knew that this game, played on June 12, might allow for some sunlight on the pitcher’s mound when the game started.

I have learned much about the sun and the earth and how they move or don’t move since leaving college. Through trial and error I finally figured out that my pictures from late in the day looked way better than the crap I shot at 1:05 pm. When the sun drops low in the sky and shines under the caps of the ballplayers so I can see their eyes I know my pictures will look super cool. These are the days when I pray for good pitching match ups, good uniforms and no fog rolling in!

Andres Torres #56 of the San Francisco Giants runs the bases against the Oakland Athletics during the game at AT&T Park on June 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I figured that there would only be small window of time that would allow me to shoot Saturday night’s starting pitcher, Barry Zito, in the pretty light before he was covered up by the fast-moving shadow cast by the upper deck behind home plate. I needed to come up with a game plan to maximize the light. I had tickets to attend Friday night’s game, so I got there early with my friend Eric to hang out and watch batting practice. When Eric took the long walk to center field to purchase and then devour a $20 Crazy Crab Sandwich I stayed in my seats behind first base to study the shadow. With one eye on the shadow and one eye on the big clock on the scoreboard I saw that at precisely 6:05 pm the mound was in full sunlight. By 6:10 pm the mound was covered in shadow. Man that shadow moved FAST!

During my scouting session I also noticed that the third base side of the field was covered with shadow, meaning if I could shoot Zito from first base he would be back lit with a dark background. This is a dream lighting set up and one that cannot be missed. Ever. I needed to come up with a plan so I could be two places at once. I could not blow this opportunity.

Freddy Sanchez #21 of the San Francisco Giants chases a foul ball against the Oakland Athletics during the game at AT&T Park on June 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Because I am a freak, I obsessed about that shadow for the rest of Friday night and Saturday afternoon as I put together my game plan to maximize the five minutes I would have with Zito bathed in the golden sunlight. I decided I would start the game behind the plate so I could shoot him front lit. After shooting him pitch to the first batter then I would leave the position behind the plate and run (OK, walk really really fast!) through the tunnel underneath the first base stands, down the stairs, and up into the first base dugout position to hopefully shoot Zito pitching to one last batter before the inning ended and the sunlight disappeared.

I was behind the plate at 5:50 pm to make sure I had the spot I wanted. I was nervous that the National Anthem singer might take too long. Every minute was valuable. This game needed to start on time. I shouldn’t have worried as Zito threw his first pitch at precisely 6:05 pm and my plan sprang into action. I shot Zito pitching to the first A’s hitter, then I made my move for the tunnel. San Francisco Giants team photographer Andy Kuno came with me on this adrenalin-filled mission and was a good sport about not showing me up by sprinting past me in the hallway.

There wasn’t much time left when we came back above ground at first base and frantically shot Zito with many different lens combinations in a race with Mother Nature and the A’s offense. And just like that, the mound was gone. I quickly turned my attention to the infield as I shot for the next several innings chasing the fading sun. I made believe I was shooting slide film and only focused on players in the sun. No great action came my way (it rarely does when the light is insane like this) but I did manage to get some nice stock images for  my archive.

I learned many things Saturday night. It really pays to have a plan and it is smart not to be satisfied with only one look at a subject in an amazing lighting situation. Move around. Shoot from the front, the side, and behind if you can. Great light is great light. Make the most of it. Before you know it, it’s gone.

30 of my baseball photographs will be featured in a one-night only Slide Show Night at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles this coming Thursday night, February 11, 2010 at 7pm. The nice folks at the Annenberg Space for Photography asked many photographers from all over the world to submit 30 images to them last month, and out of all the submissions they chose 30 international sports photographers to participate in this one-time event.

It will be fun to see the work of some of my friends who were among the 30 photographers selected to be a part of the show. Colleagues in the show include Ben Liebenberg, Matt Brown, Robert Beck, Smiley Pool, Wally Skalij, Dustin Snipes and others.

Here are the details for the event:

Date: February 11th, 2010
Time: 7:00-9:00pm
Location: 2000 Avenue of the Stars #10
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Admission: Free
Parking:  $1.00 with validation in visitors parking lot

This photograph of A's pitcher Rich Harden in spring training is one of my 30 baseball photographs that will be featured in the Slide Show Night at the Annenberg Space for Photography.

The Annenberg Space for Photography is a wonderful new gallery space that opened in Southern California less than a year ago. The Annenberg has already hosted gallery shows from some of the best names in the photography world, including the current exhibition SPORT: Iooss & Leifer, featuring the amazing work of Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer. I made the drive down south to see the show and to hear Sports Illustrated picture editor Jimmy Colton lecture at the Annenberg last month. I was blown away by the gallery space and the effort the Annenberg Foundation has made to showcase the work of sports photographers.

I love all aspects of photography and always enjoy visiting galleries to look at photographs. What has made The Annenberg so special is that they have gone through so much effort to feature sports photography. Most galleries showcase wonderful photography featuring everything from portraits to reportage. Recent gallery shows I have attended featured the work of Baron Wolman, Jim Marshall and Josef Koudelka (Invasion – Prague 1968). However, I have never seen a space dedicate itself to sports photography like The Annenberg, and that is why I am so humbled to be a part of their Slide Show Night this Thursday.

I have been published many times over the years, but I have never had my photographs featured in a gallery. When I was asked to submit 30 images I wanted to send them images that said something about me. I am a baseball guy, so I sent them nothing but baseball. This should make me stand out on Thursday night! I put together a slide show of my 30 images for everyone to look at below. I hope to see you at the show!

Annenberg Show – Images by Brad Mangin

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics in action during a game against Rod Higgins and the Golden State Warriors at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California in 1988. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Last night I went to see the Golden State Warriors play the Sacramento Kings with my good friends Humberto and Grover. I hadn’t been to an NBA game as a fan in many years, and last night was a wonderful opportunity to get together with friends for some pre-game food, beer and tequila before we found our seats to watch the ballgame inside Oracle Arena in Oakland.

I was very nostalgic when we got inside to watch the game. I regaled my friends with old stories about attending games in the old arena with my dad as a kid, and of shooting games when I started out as a young photojournalist in the 1980s. The arena we were sitting in was built several years ago inside the shell of the old Coliseum Arena. The new Oracle Arena is next door to the Oakland Coliseum where the Raiders and A’s have played for so many years. Because of this I had some deja vu moments last night as I walked into what looked like the old building, only to be surrounded by modern amenities.

I remember the first Warrior game I ever shot, way back in 1984 during my freshman year at Ohlone College. I was on staff at the weekly Ohlone Monitor newspaper and our intrepid sports editor Matt Schwab somehow figured out a way for the two of us to cover a Warrior home game against the Denver Nuggets. Those Warriors consisted of guys like Mike Bratz, Pace Mannion, Lester Conner (see below) and the truly awful Joe Barry Carroll. What an amazing experience! I can still remember Matt diving into the ice tubs full of cans of Budweiser they used to have in the press dining room before games. Matt was going to take advantage of every perk he could on our big trip outside of Fremont.

Lester Connor of the Golden State Warriors in action during a game against the Denver Nuggets at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California in 1984. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

When I look back at some of my black and white pictures in my archive from Warrior games I shot during this time I marvel at their simplicity and how clean they look. Back then I would shoot with my Canon F-1 film camera and my awesome Canon 85mm 1.8 SSC mount manual-focus lens. The arena was really dark back then and the goal was to try and get an exposure of 1/500th @ 1.8 at the lowest ASA (before the days of ISO) possible. I would shoot Kodak Tri-X (400 ASA black and white film) and push it to 1600 ASA in order to get the exposure I needed. Back then the arenas were lit differently, with the crowd disappearing in the background giving me an awesome black background behind the players. The pictures you see in my archive (and above) were not burned down to look cleaner. That is the natural light fall off that existed back then. Notice the lack of bright LED ribbon adds running through the pictures, etc. A much simpler time that allowed for simpler (and better) pictures.

I shot a few games in black and white during my internship at the Contra Costa Times in 1987-88, but then we switched to shooting color negative film after that. Once we went to color everything changed. The look and feel of the images changed, as did the backgrounds and advertising that started to pop up all over the arena. Being at the game last night brought it all full circle for me. As I looked down on the floor and saw the photographers working the game I thought back to when I was down there many years ago. How difficult it was to manually focus and rush back to the paper on deadline- but how exciting it was find one sharp frame in your wet film, knowing that you would make deadline with a good picture and not embarrass yourself in tomorrow’s paper.

Yes, it is much easier to shoot basketball in 2010. The available light is so good. This factor, combined with the incredible quality of today’s professional digital cameras by Nikon and Canon, make for great looking pictures even if you are not shooting on strobes. I still think it was more fun in the old days when I could get to the arena early, dump my Domke bag and cameras on the floor under the basket in the spot I wanted to shoot from, and head into the press room for dinner. The Bud and Bud Light was on ice and YES- every once in awhile I would throw one down before the game, just to loosen up. Made some of my best pictures on those nights. It was sure different back then, and my cameras were always waiting for me on the floor after dinner.

Old School NBA – Images by Brad Mangin

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 1/2500 @ 4.0, 200 ISO. 400mm lens with 1.4x converter. Josh Morgan #84 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the football during the game against the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I had the chance to shoot with the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV this past Sunday. Considering all of the focusing problems with their previous top-of-the-line professional camera, I decided to give it a proper test-drive at the Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers NFL game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

The camera had a big white sticker on the front with “SAMPLE” written in black letters. It was loaded up with firmware version 5.8.5.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 1/2500 @ 4.0, 200 ISO. 400mm lens with 1.4x converter. Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers throws the football while being chased by Turk McBride #75 of the Detroit Lions during the game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I have been waiting for over two years to be able to shoot with a Canon camera that I could really depend on, so this test was going to be a real confidence-builder for me. It might sound obvious, but I really need a camera that is capable of delivering sharp pictures. To do my job as a sports photographer, I can’t be distracted by paranoid chimping all the time, worried if my pictures were sharp or not.

This camera performed flawlessly.

To be brutally honest, I found the Canon EOS-1D Mark III to be a complete disaster. I consider it to be the biggest lemon professional 35mm camera in modern photographic history. I have a considerable investment in Canon cameras and lenses, and was reluctant to jump-ship to Nikon.

With the Mark IV, it was do or die for Canon.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 1/2000 @ 4.0, 200 ISO. 400mm lens with 1.4x converter. Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions makes a catch during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

The Mark IV felt good in my hands and I felt confident with it attached to a 400mm 2.8 lens and a 1.4x converter (if the action was farther away). We were blessed with that classic Candlestick Park screaming Winter sunlight and I spent most of the game shooting from the front-lit end zone to take advantage of the great light. This is the easiest light in thew world for a camera to focus in and the Mark IV did not disappoint.

In comparison, using a Canon Mark III with a 400mm lens and a 1.4x converter in this exact same situation was not an option. The results were embarrassing and upsetting. However, the new Mark IV seemed to like working with the 400mm lens and 1.4x combination and delivered some very nice, tack-sharp images.

Depending on how far I was away from the action, I shot part of the game with just the 400mm lens and part of the game with the 1.4x converter. It did not seem to matter much either way as my pictures were sharp with, or without, the converter. I’ve included a 19-picture motor drive sequence (below) of Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson running right at me with the football. This was shot with just the 400mm lens. All images are full-frame. Not every frame was sharp (but most were) – and some of that was my fault as he was moving very fast and it was difficult keeping him framed properly.

Canon Mark IV Motor Drive Sequence #1 – Images by Brad Mangin

The more I shot the more confidence I had. Each time I chimped (using the gorgeous new and improved screen) everything was looking real good. It was becoming quite funny as I was joking with friends during the game (both still using older Canon EOS-1D Mark IIN bodies) that all my pictures were sharp! They kept asking me after every play if my pictures were sharp. There was a funny vibe at the ballpark on Sunday as many photographers were asking me about the camera and hoping so hard that the Mark IV would actually work.

Canon Mark IV Motor Drive Sequence #2 – Images by Brad Mangin

I’ve also included a slide show (above) of a 16-picture motor drive sequence of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Josh Morgan running right at me with the football. This was shot with the 400mm lens and the 1.4x converter. All images are full-frame. Every frame in this sequence is tack sharp.

Sure, the Canon Mark IV can do many more things than take sharp pictures at a football game. It has many crazy custom functions that I did not use. It does video that I do not care about right now. I simply need a camera that will make sharp pictures. The files are big and amazing.

I shot RAW plus large jpeg and did not get a chance to look at my RAW files because I do not have any software that is capable of reading them (yet). For the techno-nerds out there, I am including an actual RAW file from this camera, shot during this game so you can download it and see the quality for yourself.

The photograph below is a full-frame image of Detroit Lions quarterback Drew Stanton throwing a pass on the run. If you click on the image you will be able to download the original RAW file from my server so you can study it yourself.

*CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL RAW FILE* Drew Stanton #5 of the Detroit Lions throws the football during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Unfortunately I had to ship my Mark IV back to Canon yesterday. The camera is supposed to be released for sale very soon (first reports were that it would be on sale a few weeks ago but that never happened). You can bet that Canon will have an army of people in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics in February loaning out hundreds of Mark IV’s.

Canon should be able to keep long-time (and heavily invested) users like me happy with the new Mark IV.

I look forward to going to the ballpark and being able to relax knowing that I can keep my head in the game and not worry about cameras that can’t focus. 2010 is going to be a good year for Canon users.

Backlight is beautiful! Carlos Marmol #49 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the game at AT&T Park on September 26, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I love shooting day baseball games. There is nothing like a beautiful afternoon at the ballpark. It beats the heck out of sitting in the office. The only problem with day baseball games for a photographer, especially in the middle of the summer, is the awful light the games are played under. During the summer months the sun is directly overhead, shining very harsh light on the field down below. This causes heavy shadows on the ballplayers faces caused by shadows from the bills of their caps or batting helmets. A game that starts at 1:05 pm begins under the worst light of the day. It slowly gets better as the clock ticks to the later afternoon. By 3:00 pm the light is better, and by 5:00 pm it is awesome. That is why I love extra innings or 5:00 pm starts!

Ugly frontlight on the left. Pretty backlight on the right. Robinzon Diaz of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on September 7, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

When I have to shoot an afternoon game and the sun is shining bright, I always start the game off shooting from the third base side at my Bay Area parks in Oakland and San Francisco. I go to third base because this is the backlit side and by shooting over there I am able to photograph the batters, pitchers and infield action by shooting into the sun, allowing me to expose for the players faces and still hold detail in the backgrounds. If I shoot from first base during the same time of the day the ugly frontlight casts heavy shadows on the players faces, making the pictures look pretty awful. See above and below.

Ugly frontlight on left. Pretty backlight on right. Brian Bixler of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats during the game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on September 7, 2008. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

I will usually continue to shoot from third base until around 3:00 pm or so when the light swings around as the sun drops lower in the sky, causing the batters to become backlit from first base. I am constantly chasing the sun around the ballpark when I work, or running away from it as the case may be.

Shooting backlit from third base in San Francisco makes for real pretty light. Mark Reynolds #27 of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats against the San Francisco Giants during the game at AT&T Park on October 1, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Next time you go to shoot a daytime sporting event look at the light and make your game plan. You want to make the best pictures possible and in order to do that you need some good light. If the light is bad shoot backlit!

Backlit football is beautiful too! Quarterback Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers in action during a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on November 1, 1998. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

Whenever I shoot a San Francisco 49ers game and the light is harsh (usually in the first half) I love to go over to the visitors sideline on the far side (center field in the old baseball configuration) and shoot the pretty backlight. It is especially spectacular after a windy or rainy day and all the junk has been cleaned out of the air allowing for the backgrounds to go black so you do not have to deal with haze.

I always have a game plan when I go to the ballpark. If the sun is out and ugly I shoot backlit. If it is overcast I shoot from wherever I want. If it is dark I go home!

When it gets dark, I go home! San Francisco Giants home stadium AT&T Park in San Francisco, California sits empty in the late afternoon on May 11, 2007. (Photo by Brad Mangin)