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Shoot like a Pro

I am a sweepstakes junkie. Any time I see a contest, I put my information in and wish for the best. About 7 weeks ago, while surfing the Giants site, I came across the Canon “shoot like a pro” contest . Without any hesitation, I entered the contest. I remember thinking how cool it would be to win this contest. Over the years, I’ve won a few, but nothing like this experience.

On October 3, Charlie from Ion Marketing called me in the morning with the great news. He called to tell me that I was the 2nd home game winner for the Canon “Shoot like a Pro” contest. As an intermediate photographer, to say I was overjoyed by this news was an understatement. I had this awesome opportunity to shoot the Giants in action on the sidelines. The prize included:

(2) lower-level New York Giants tickets to that week’s game
(2) Touchdown Club passes (Pre & Post)
Pre-game field access to shoot the game
Post Game Press Conference Pass
Meet and greet with team photographer
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi camera kit
Canon 10X30 Image Stabilizer Binoculars
Use of a Canon pro lens during pre-game (70-200 f2.8L IS )
*** Chance to win Four VIP passes to the 2007 New York Giants Training Camp***

My "Shoot Like A Pro" Gallery

For the few days leading to the big day, I spent most of my time daydreaming how the day would go. The camera was delivered on Thursday, and included some extra “bonus” items in the box. I’ll keep those a secret just incase you win! If you have never used a SLR or a DSLR camera, you are in for a treat! The Canon XTi is the top model of entry-level DSLR cameras on the market. With a 10.1 mega pixel self-cleaning CMOS chip, the images and prints that this camera produces are unbelievable. OK - enough about the camera - now onto the big day.

I arrived at the Giants main office at 11am to meet up with a Giants representative who would show me around. While I was waiting, the Lombardi Super Bowl Trophies caught my eye

While I was waiting, the Lombardi Super Bowl Trophies caught my eye Quotation

. After taking some shots of the trophies, I met with a representative who went over the procedure and gave me field-access pass. We made our way through the inner workings of Giants Stadium down to the field. Wow! This place is huge! The nice sunny warm weather made for a great day, but caused some pretty harsh shadows. I took some photos with the wide angel lens to get the feeling of how big the stadium looks from the field. Then I attached the pro lens onto the camera, checked my settings and started to fire away. At this point, there were only a few players were doing easy warm ups on the field. I got to meet with Jared, the Giants official professional photographer and he was great. He gave me some tips on were to stand to get the best photos, also answered some questions I had. I moved into position, ran some more test shots to double-check my settings.

I could hear the roar of the growing crowd when the Giants took the field for their pre-game warmups. The first thing I noticed; these guys are huge! Strahan, Jacobs and Whitfield just towered over me

these guys are huge! Strahan, Jacobs and Whitfield just towered over me Quotation

. Would hate to run into one of these guys in a dark alley. As the Giants went through their pre-game warm ups, the camera was working over time. This lasted for about 30 minutes, and went by way to fast for me. With all the action, it was hard to focus on just one player. When the Giants left the field, I reluctantly took off the pro lens and went to my seat to enjoy the game. Great Seats by the way!

With about 5 minutes left in the game, I made my way back down to the field to watch the last minutes from the end zone. Once the game concluded, I was escorted to the post-game press conference. I always thought that the conference room was huge, but it turned out to be simply the Giants cafeteria with a backdrop over one wall! I took a seat and watched all the reporters did their jobs and how the audio feeds were transferred to the radio stations. Once the press conference was over, I made my way over to watch the players leave.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I’m still amazed on the quality of the Canon XTi. After having the Canon 20D for 1 ½ years, the XTi is an excellent addition. It sure will get plenty of good use. The missus has already claimed it! Just to be able to step foot onto the field, feel the burnt tire sand (the stuff the field is made of!), see the players up close with all their gear on, chat with a professional photographer and watch the press conference was worth more then the camera, tickets, and touchdown club put together. I will always remember this day!

My "Shoot Like A Pro" Gallery

Thanks to the NY Giants and Canon for giving me this opportunity that I wouldn’t have ever had a chance to experience. What are you waiting for, you too can experience this. Sign up!

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