Guess what has arrived!

Yep, it's football season again and I'm all set to photograph our beloved 49ers. Over the last three seasons, I've moved from the Rebel T1i in 2010 to the 7D in 2011 (though the iPhone made its appearance too), and this season I'm stoked to have my 1D Mark IV to take to games. However, the longest lens in my kit is a 70-200 f/4 and I'm itching to try shooting with something a little longer. I'm batting around the idea of renting a 300mm for the next game just to try it out. But there's one problem no lens will fix: people's heads.

We have stellar seats with our season tickets - we're about 12 rows back which puts us, I don't know, maybe 60 yards away from the center of the field. Not so far that the 70-200mm doesn't hold up decently enough for snapshots. I can't complain about where we are for getting some shots of what's happening on the field, but I'm not exactly excited when tall people have the seats in front of us. It's not fun to be tracking a great pass or run on the field only to pan right into the back of someone's head and have a big blurry spot in what otherwise would be a nice shot. So.... here comes the newest addition to my bucket list: I'm determined to get a photographer's pass to at least one 49ers game in the relatively near future.

I have no idea if the new stadium gives me better or worse odds of pulling this off but we'll see. But either way, it's time to start figuring out how to get on the sidelines for at least one game. How amazing that would be!! I'm so ready to put on that hideous tan vest and the gaudy knee pads and walk around with the rest of the photographers. To get a shot of Justin Smith (my football boyfriend, though he isn't exactly aware of that) sacking a quarterback from right on the ground with him. Yep -- bucket-list-worthy.

For now, I have spectator heads to contend with (and the video guys, and the chain gang holding the first down markers, and so on), but it won't stop me from trying. Here's to seeing how big a lens I can get into the game without security hassling me!

More 49ers photos on Flickr.

I opted to leave my "fancy" camera at home when we went to the 49ers playoff game on Saturday. I figured it was going to be packed, I really only cared about watching the game, and if I really decided I needed a shot of something, well, I had my iPhone. Thank goodness for a good camera phone because I had zero regrets about leaving the DSLR behind. I know -- a lot of people will say I missed out on getting some really great, crisp shots of an historic game and a crazy, crazy crowd. But guess what -- I was there to live it, not there to photograph it. And when I remembered I had my iPhone in my pocket, I was able to pull it out and grab a couple quick shots that captured the emotion of the moment just fine. And I do mean emotion -- tears of joy from several people in the crowd near us. Read on for more.

And you know, the blurriness of the photos just adds to the reality of the image. It felt like that.

When it comes to really watching, really paying close attention to a whole game and not getting images of the game, I was really glad the fancy camera was no where around. Even so, I'll say it again: thank goodness for a good cell phone camera. I was glad to have at least some capability of capturing what was happening around me. It was, afterall, historic.

Sunday was the first preseason game for the 49ers at Candlestick park. The across-bay rivals played an aggressive game, but nothing happening on the field was more aggressive than the fans themselves. By the end of the game, Candlestick park looked more like a stadium of rowdy European football fans, and all eyes were on the various fights in the stands rather than the game. Still, it was great to see the view from our season ticket seats, and I'm really glad I can get some decent photos with just my 70-200mm lens. I just hope the fans are less obnoxious at the next game. You can see more photos of the 49ers on my Flickr stream.