Best General Effects: Spring Valley. Their effects were pretty flags. PERIOD. No other props what-so-ever.
I will have to admit, those girls were working it with the flags and the band did some impressive marching (in my humble opinion - better than the winning band). I was also impressed with the inclusion of a 'special needs' child - rarely seen with a marching band. So I give them "props" for that as well. 
Oddly enough - the tomato cage band ranked higher than our band. That is just wrong on so many levels. I have to question that choice. (I was so dumb-struck I didn't even get a good picture of the tomato cages ) I can appreciate the strength of the winning band's music and the General Effects band's marching - but tomato cage group - not so much.And our band, well the Knights came in 3rd over all. They were first with Drum Majors, Percussion and Band Booster involvement.
*as a side note - thank you to the previous post's comments. I used my 70-300 mm lens and cranked the ISO. All pictures were taken from up in the stands. So, while my shots are not going to win any awards - I'm pretty pleased with them considering the f/stop limitations, distance, and did I mention they were taken around 8-9 pm!
Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThese are great shots. Looks like yoiu had fun taking them..
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a band competition; it looks as though it would be fun. I had no idea they used props; I just thought they got out there, played and marched. You did a great job in the low-light conditions, Nicki.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a band competition either! Very impressive, and it looks like most everyone really puts their hearts and souls into this (except maybe the tomato cage band????? Was it meant as a joke?) And your shots are fantastic! I just scrolled through a few days and you really worked that 70-300! Did you use a tripod, or are you just naturally steady-as-a-rock? The "Fiske" guide gave me a little heart palpitation just looking at it--ah! the stages we parents must go through to off-load (I mean , LAUNCH!) our offspring!
ReplyDeleteThanks - I'm old school band, no props, just music and marching - so the first time I saw a 'current day' show I was like "wow!". They even change out a portion of their uniforms each year to match their theme. I have to say, these kids put in so many hours and the artwork on their props (done by the art department)is outstanding. As for the 70-300 - I hand held. I had a tripod in the back of the car, but didn't feel like hauling it in. Not sure they would even let me use it in the stands.
ReplyDeleteThese are some very cool shots as well! And thank you for letting us know the results. You just never know what's going to pop in your mind at 3:00 A.M. Now I don't have to worry about the tomato team beating the Knights . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know how it turned out! I can't believe what a major production the competition is, lots of dedicated band members (and parents!), which is great!
ReplyDeleteLooks so fun! I got caught up looking at both these and your previous posts photos, they are great!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like it would be a lot of fun! Love some of the costumes. great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! Such wonderful color! Looks like a lot of fun!
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