Most women's soccer games I shoot aren't very photogenic because most are not that physical. When Jewell took on Baker University, it was a complete opposite from the norm. At the time WJC was undefeated and Baker was fighting for footing in the HAAC. In the second half of this game I found myself shooting the most physical women's soccer game I had seen in several years. I also produced one of my new favorite image. Abby, pictured below was originally tripped up and was at one point walking on all four's trying to get back up when a Baker U girl almost literally ran back over her and then proceed to kick the ball. Obviously she hit Abby's head before the ball.
When I shoot games like these, I keep my eye in the camera almost the entire time unless I'm looking for the player which the pass is going to be made to. Having a good knowledge about the game, how it's played and a teams tactics, will greatly increase your ability to capture multiple publication worthy images. Anticipation is just as important in sports photography as clicking the shutter. I once heard a Sport Illustrated photographer talk about how he started studying players highlights and tendencies on ESPN for NCAA football games. He was looking at a wide receiver before the Rose Bowl and found that at the goal line, the receiver loved to leap over the pillion just as he entered the end-zone. The result, he situated a camera at the pillion look from the ground up and captured the image of the season and a huge spread in SI. Little things like that separate good photographers from great ones.
