Photos of this life: March to Soccer

As March rolls on and I look back at February, I'm going to miss shooting professional soccer on a weekly basis. The new FC Tucson stadium is quite a venue and provided new angles to capture soccer compared to the old field. Multiple teams came into town and played some great soccer over the month. I got to see my first Seattle-Portland rivalry match, see US internationals Kyle Beckerman, Eddie Johnson, and Nick Rimando. Looking back one year ago, it's safe to say my sports photos weren't that great, but I was out there, getting my feet wet and learning. Now things are a bit different, armed with more knowledge and the infamous white Canon 70-200mm F/4L lens, the images speak for themselves. A conversation I had with fellow shooter Larry Guarno summed up my equipment shortcoming and aforementioned upgrade nicely. Larry: "The focus speed on that L lens must be way better than your old one." Chao: "My old lens was actually manual focus only..." Larry: "WTF! That's ridiculous, even more props." Out of all the games only one day was quite rough, the final day of games. All day the rain and wind did not stop, and neither did the players. Naturally there are some issues to deal with when shooting out in heavy rain. Definitely use a lens hood so most of the rain drops do not get on the front optic. Aside from that I would suggest some sort of plastic bag/cover to protect your gear. Overall it was a fantastic month for professional soccer and I can't wait to shoot the upcoming FC Tucson season. Until next time