By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Friday night's game in Morgantown was the 13th on the OGS tour this season, and the first that was decided on the game's final play.
And there I was, indecisive and unprepared about how to shoot Tyler Bitancourt's game-winning field goal as time expired.
If you've been following my project this season, you know I don't come from a photography background, but along the way during my 15-year news career, I figured it might be smart to pick up some shooting skills, as well as a decent camera and lens.
+ GALLERY: The Hot Girls Of College Football
+ INTERACTIVE: 30 Thousand Helpers
+ VIDEO: OGS Featured On FOX61 In Hartford
+ FOLLOW: Facebook, Twitter
So while I still have some work to do to lens like a serious pro, I think I'm getting better at at least thinking like one. When it became clear the Mountaineers were calling their last two plays with field position in mind, and setting up the decisive field goal, I hurriedly looked around for an angle different from where everyone else would be shooting from. The only thing I had time to do was climb 10 steps up one of the portals into the stands and ask an usher if I could shoot from there, between the 10- and 15-yard lines.
As the teams traded timeouts, I fished around my camera bag for my widest lens -- 18mm -- but it's not a great lens and after I finally got the 200mm off and put the wider lens on, the teams were lining up so I hurriedly pointed the camera and fired away.
In my frantic effort to set up the shot, I'd put the camera on Program mode, assuming it would give me the largest aperture setting. And as you can see by this Photoshopped picture, that was not the case.
Anyway, I did at least like one thing about the picture: Pitt wideout Jonathan Baldwin, whose 50-yard touchdown reception tied the game just a few minutes earlier, shows a vertical leap worthy of a look from Jamie Dixon, efforting albeit unsuccessfully to block Bitancourt's kick.
That was just one picture, and it turned out to be a learning experience, as much of this tour has. Here's the rest of the Gameday Gallery.