As with every game at this time of the year, shooting Wednesday night's Timbers game started with a check of the weather forecast. There was a good chance it would rain during the game. I love shooting in the rain, but it comes with challenges, as well.
Having to cover my gear in camera raincoats makes it a lot harder to shoot with multiple cameras at the same time because access to the camera is slower. Last night's match had showers in the forecast, and during pregame warmups, the rain was coming down pretty good. I put on all the rain gear and decided I would shoot with just two cameras: one with a 500mm lens, and one with a 70-200mm lens to keep things simple.
Early in the match, Yimmi Chara scored to put the Timbers up 1-0, and I shot his goal and celebration from the end line with the 500mm lens.
At this point in the season, we don't need a lot of "stock" images from the run of play. And with the Timbers holding a lead, I decided to shoot from a different angle than usual, lay down on the field in between the advertising boards near the goal, and shot the action in the box with my 70-200. These lower angles let us see more of the stands in the background and are really great for portraits of players or general stock photos of them, etc.
Around the 40-minute mark, I decided to walk to the other end of the field to try and get some good shots of goalkeeper Steve Clark. As I was making my way up the sideline, Darion Asprilla does what he does every October and punched in a goal, his ninth of the season.
I was kind of stuck in a no man's land as far as being ready to make a picture, but I immediately threw my long lens on the ground and grabbed my 70-200. Luckily, he ran toward the sideline I was on, showing off the shirt he wears under his jersey every match. The shirt shows a photo of Asprilla's late father who passed away in Columbia in early 2020. The text on it reads, "Only you know how incredible and phenomenal that it has been for me to be your son. Dad I love you."
At the half, I was feeling pretty good about the game. The team was playing great, and I had taken a few photos that told the story of the game, thus far. I was told that former Blazers coach Terry Stotts was in the building and went to find him so I could get a photo of him at the game. I thought it was fun that he was at Providence Park watching the game at the same time the Trail Blazers where having their season opener at the Moda Center – the first time in close to a decade without him. I found him sitting in the stands, enjoying a beer just like any other fan of the Timbers.
As the second half began, I was more focused on shooting tight individual photos - images we can use down the road for player features, and the like.
In the 63rd minute, Vancouver scored to bring the match to 2-1, but I was still just focused on the Timbers. In the 76th minute, Vancouver leveled the score and then I switched back into "who is going to score and how will I shoot the celebration" mode, as I had 100 percent confidence the Timbers would find the back of the net. Unfortunately, the Timbers gave up a penalty after a foul in the box was called on defender Josecarlos Van Rankin, and Vancouver took the lead 3-2 in the 82nd minute.
While my main job is to shoot the Timbers, MLS teams often share images with each other during matches, and I was sharing my images with the Whitecaps during this match too. I shot their celebration and sent the images in.
The match ended 3-2, a tale of two halves. No time to dwell on the loss, though, as the Timbers travel to Colorado to take on the Rapids on Saturday before facing San Jose at home next Wednesday. Hopefully the next four halves can be as good as the first half was last night.
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