keith_thompson9

I used to be a stringer for a local newspaper and covered many HS football games. I used a Nikon F 100, SB 28 on a Stroboframe and a 80-200mm 2.8 most of the time. When I was pretty sure there was going to be a play near the sideline I was on or when I was in the back of the end zone I used a 50mm 1.4. Like the others said, a monopod is essential. The newspaper provided Fuji Press 800 film. Regardless of the camera you decide on, forget the "sports" mode. Shoot aperture priorty at 1/125 or faster to keep the motion blur down and don't try to outshoot the range of your flash. VR lenses work for camera shake, but do nothing to keep a fast running back sharp when he's sweeping around end. Also, don't get 'target fixation' watching the game through the viewfind and end up at the bottom of a pile when the players run out of bounds. My paper went all digital a while back and don't use me anymore. Something to consider if you plan to sell your photos to a newspaper.

I am a recently retired police officer and I was trained to photograph crime and accident scenes. I worked in Georgia so my answer probably does not apply to all states. With regard to using digital photos, I attended a crime scene school in 2000 where we were told that it depends on what the judge hearing the case allows in the court. Basically, if the officer or crime scene tech swears under oath that the photo is a true and accurate account of what was there the photo can be admitted into evidense the same way a witness testimony is admitted.