Behind the Lens: Photographer Mark Palczewski tells the stories behind his photos

Mark Palczewski is a fixture on the sidelines of Lancaster County sporting events, covering high school and college events and USA Field Hockey. He is also the official photographer for the Professional Football Researchers Association. Palczewski has captured some memorable moments in Millersville Athletics over the last few years, and now he tells the stories behind some of his favorite images. Mark can be followed on Instagram @mark22photos. His collection of work can be viewed at mark22.com.

A note from Mark: "For me, it is so hard to actually select my favorites for fear of leaving out good photos. I tried to select a variety of photos shot under different conditions and circumstances.  All pictures were taken using Nikon equipment, either a Nikon D5 or D4s cameras were used. So here goes…"

"The Last Out"

About the photo: "The Atlantic Regionals were my first assignment for Millersville. When I arrived to work this game, the weather turned chilly, misty, and foggy. Not easy photo conditions but the fog gives the photo an eerie feel to it. The lighting wasn’t great either so I had to shoot a higher ISO than I like to. This is where being a sports fan helps being a sports photographer. With two outs, I had a feeling a play at second base was a good possibility based on the hitter's previous at bat. I guessed right and got the emotion of the Millersville second baseman right after the play was made. Plus, his name is Ted Williams…you can’t beat that for a baseball name!"

"Save"

About the photo: "This was a beautiful late afternoon game. I love shooting during daylight, I can crank up the shutter and lower ISO’s so I can get great quality and sharpness."

"Power Shot"

About the photo: "I loved this photo as soon as I took it. To me it illustrates the athleticism and power of women’s sports. I covered the player in the photo, Sol Ortiz-Kreiner, when she was in high school at Elizabethtown."

"Football Portrait"

About the photo: "When I take sports portraits, I try to get the personality of the player to come through as well as letting them have some fun. On this photo shoot I used regular lighting instead of my flash setup. This allowed me to photograph a lot of players in the short time that was allotted.  The only drawback was I had to bump up my ISO’s more than normal in this environment. Here TE Brad Hook had some fun with the photo shoot and I think it came through in the photo.

"First Victory"

About the photo: "This was just an absolute miserable day. It was raining hard, one of the worst weather conditions I have had to work in. Two things this about working in the rain: I hate putting protective gear on my equipment but you can get some compelling photos!  The rain had finally started to let up and Millersville won, giving coach Morgan his first Marauder victory. I always loved this photo because you can see the joy in coach’s face as he shares the victory with his team and young daughter."

"Lay-up"

About the photo: "Working basketball in Pucillo Gym can be challenging. First off, the lights flicker. You can’t see this with the naked eye but when shooting with a high shutter speed its readily obvious when looking at your photos. This is common in many gyms that I have worked in using this type of lighting system. Secondly the 'paint' is much lighter in color than the rest of the floor. You have to be careful setting your aperture.  One thing I loved about working at Pucillo is the balcony. I will work a quarter or so up there trying to get some unique photos that look and feel a little different than most basketball photos. Here I captured Lauren Lister gliding in for a lay-up. I think the photo conveys her playing style in my opinion, 'smooth as silk.'"

"Concentration"

About the photo: "I love taking action shots at football games. There is almost nothing like capturing a diving catch, however, I also like to photograph those short seconds before the snap of the ball. In this photo, Jhet Janis is reading the offensive formation and looking at the Shippensburg QB. Jhet was another Millersville athlete that I covered in high school at Cocalico. 

"Pitch"

About the photo: "I always like to take a few photos of the pitcher when I can get a shot near or behind the plate. At many ballparks that is not possible. At Cooper Park, I can go up in the grandstand and shoot through the fence.  I’ll also ask the fans in the area if they mind that I grab a few photos, and I tell them I won’t be long."