Hawaii High School State Rodeo at The Parker Ranch

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 560, ƒ/4.5, 1/4000

Today I had a lot of fun shooting the Hawaii High School Rodeo at Parker Ranch Arena in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The reason it was fun is I brought the camera and lens that let me get the action shots I wanted. I didn't bring my long glass, but rather what I call my go to lens for capturing just about anything. That lens is the Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. In this first photo I shot it at the focal length of 58mm. I wanted to capture the girl doing barrel racing, but also capture the Parker Ranch sign.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 500, ƒ/4.8, 1/4000

I was introduced to Cowboy art by Don Rutledge. We went to the Cowboy museum in Oklahoma City where I saw for the first time the work of Remington and Russell. They not only painted, but did sculptures.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1250, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

What Don taught me with the help of Remington and Russell's work was that the expression makes the photo. The expression of the animals and the people in the frame of the picture.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1250, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

What I love about Rodeos is that the cowgirls and cowboys must work as a team with an animal. The more they know about their animal and how it likes to get clues from the people on what to do the better the show.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I setup the Nikon D5 the same way I do for all sports shoots. Here is the blog post that goes into a lot of detail for all the settings.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Now to me the crazy sport is bull riding. These bulls weigh as much as a car and can crush you just as quickly as a car. That is why the sport is just about 8 seconds long. If you can just ride for 8 seconds you are in the competition.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1400, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Most of the time I see the bull riders being kicked off the bull in less than 8 seconds.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 2200, ƒ/8, 1/4000

The cowgirls have an event where they are to lasso the cow. Two of the cowgirls did so in less than 4 seconds. WOW! I was really impressed at these high school girls being so good.

Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

The cowboys have a similar event where they lasso the cow and then with a teammate they wrestle the cow to the ground and tie their feet. This is a skill they use in the fields to capture the cows to give the shots, brand them and other things to take care of their herd.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/3.5, 1/1600

It was just fun to see the high school kids having so much fun and learning a skill in the process of playing games.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/8000

Asking the cowgirls if I can take a picture of them with their horse was always greeted with a big smile. They were proud of their horses and the bond they had built with them.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/1.8, 1/1250

I cannot recommend enough finding a rodeo near you and spending the time to capture the action with your camera.

Some of my favorite Sports photos

Nikon D3, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 1000, ƒ/8, 1/2000

I just thought I would share some of my favorite sports images that I now have in my most recent "Sports Portfolio."

This first photo is of Kerri Walsh spikes the volleyball against Jenny Krop & teammate Nancy Mason in the 3rd round of the Women's $100,000 AVP Crocs Tour at Atlantic Station in Atlanta.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 36000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Georgia Bulldog's #2 Defensive Back Maurice Smith breaks up the pass to North Carolina Tarheel's #3 Ryan Switzer in their win over UNC 33 to 24 during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome.

What I love about the photo is there is an anticipation of the big play and we see both the offense and defense in a very competitive and athletic moment. Both players appear to be giving it their all in the moment.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 45600, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Georgia Bulldog's Freshman Running Back #35 Brian Herrien Scores his very first collegiate touch down while UNC's Safety #15 Donnie Miles was unable to stop him during tonights Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome.

I love the effort made by both the teams in the moment of competition. This is what the game is all about, getting a touchdown and defending all wrapped up in a split second.

Nikon D100, Sigma 120-300 mm f/2.8 DG EX APO IF HSM, ISO 1600, ƒ/2.8, 1/350

Jaron Nunnemaker attempts to ride Hot Rod during the 2004 RBR Atlanta Classic at the Georgia Dome.

Bull Riding is the wildest and most dangerous event in rodeo. In the American tradition the rider must stay atop the bucking bull for eight full seconds to count as a qualified ride. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope. It is a risky sport and has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports."

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

The bulls are rated and even more famous in many ways than the cowboys who ride them. This bull here had 27 consecutive buck offs, now that is 28. A cowboy must stay on the bull 8 seconds for the ride to count. Then they get a score which takes into account the bull they are riding.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

Every once in a while when a bull is determined unrideable the Professional Bull Riders Association has a million dollar ride. At $125,000 per second, this bonus ride is offering one of the largest payouts any athlete has ever received for the amount of time they are required to compete. In comparison, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo received roughly $12 million dollars to play in 15 NFL games in 2013.  At 54,000 seconds per season, it took Romo 4,500 seconds to make $1 million.

Nikon D100, Sigma 15-30mm, ISO 400, ƒ/6.7, 1/180

Georgia Tech's #1 B. J. Elder lays up and passes Duke's #2 Luol Deng during second half play at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia.

I love basketball and for those teams that take it to the net this is my favorite place to photograph. You get to see the effort in the face expressions and how close they are to either making the basket or defending it.

Nikon D100, Nikon 24-120mm ƒ/3.5-5.6, ISO 400, ƒ/6.7, 1/180

Georgia Tech's #2 Isma'il Muhammad slams one early over NC State's #11 Gavin Grant during play at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is one of those photos most players either love or hate. Love that Isma'l flew over the NC State player Gavin for a slam. It made the ESPN highlights during that week and was played over and over. When Isma'l graduated the coach had a large print made and gave it to him.

Nikon D2X, Sigma 120-300 mm f/2.8 DG EX APO IF HSM, Sigma 2x, ISO 400, ƒ/5.6, 1/3000

Mike Trapani is chased down by Chris Campbell  and finally tagged out by Nick Chigges  of the College of Charleston during play at the Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

I love the steal in baseball and if I am in the right position as here can capture the effort of both offense and defense as they both are trying to advance a base or stop it.

Nikon D2X, Nikon 24-120mm ƒ/3.5-5.6,  ISO 100, ƒ/16, 1/200–[6] Alienbees B1600

Sometimes my favorite moments were when I made the team photo that would help sell tickets for the season. Seeing this photo on the side of buses around town to promote Calvin Johnson and the rest of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 2006 season was a pleasure.

Hope you enjoyed some of the moments in sports of mine through the years.

Using the ExpoDisc under Friday Night Lights Football

Roswell's (1) Sheldon Evans rushes against Woodstock during the first quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/1000]

Another Friday Night Lights game at Roswell High School's Ray Manus Stadium. By half time Roswell was up 49 - 0, so I left early.

Woodstock's (7) Corey Smith misses tackling Roswell's (7) Malik Willis during the second quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/7.1, 1/800]

I am really pleased with the dynamic range of the Nikon D5 for shooting at such a high ISO of 64000.

Roswell's (1) Sheldon Evans shakes off tackle by Woodstock's (13) Austin Bennett during the second quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250]

The files are good from the highlights to the shadows with detail. the only place is in the shadows inside the helmets where no light was really shining.

Woodstock's quarterback (6) Garrett Bass during the second quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/800]

Now even in the end zone when the quarterback looked up for his receiver I was able to get some great light inside the helmet.

Roswell's (1) Sheldon Evans carries for 98 yard touchdown run while (3) Christian Ford protects him from Woodstock's (12) Grant Jacobs during the first quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250]

For all these photos I shot from the end zone sitting on a small folding stool. I was at kneeling height putting me about at the belt-line of the players.

Once the sun went down I took a custom white balance with the ExpoDisc.

The latest version of the ExpoDisc 2.0 comes with warming filters. They are slightly a cyan color of different densities to let you pick how much you want to warm up your image. So without them you get a pure 18% grey and by adding these you warm up the photo just a bit.

You just put the warming gel in the front of the ExpoDisc and then take your reading. This way you can keep a consistent warming to all your photos.

So what should you do?  I would advise always doing custom. You can always change it later using Adobe Lightroom if you shot it RAW. 

To the left here is the pull down menu that is available to you in Adobe Lightroom if you shot it RAW. These are very similar to the presets on your camera.

Sometimes the perfect custom white balance maybe not your preference in the end.

Presets in Nikon D5

Check your manual for your camera because this is for the Nikon D5. Somewhere in your menu you can go and adjust using presets for white balance.

On my Nikon D5 in the menu for White Balance you can choose up to five different presets for fluorescent.  Also there is a selection for Sodium-vapor and High temp. mercury-vapor. There is a major problem I have found trying this method, it isn't easy to pick the right color, because the monitor on the back of the camera isn't that easy to see color in all situations.

Fluorescent lamps are manufactured to a chosen color by altering the mixture of phosphors inside the tube. Warm-white fluorescents have color spectrum of 3000 K and are popular for residential lighting. Neutral-white fluorescents have a color spectrum of 3700 K. Cool-white fluorescents have a color spectrum of 4200 K and are popular for office lighting. Daylight fluorescents have a color spectrum of 5000 K to 6500 K, which is bluish-white.

Note that on the Nikon D5 you also have a pre-set for those awful Mercury-Vapor lights or the Sodium-vapor on the other end of the spectrum. Sometimes I have found that I prefer one of the fluorescent settings under some of the newer mercury-vapor lights when using this system instead of the custom white balance.

Pushing the limits of sports photography with Rodeo

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500

Coming out of the gate at full speed these barrel racers take their horse through a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Keeping up with these animals was challenging.

I would shoot when I could see the rider's face. Due to where you are standing with the camera the horse and rider are facing away from you more than half of the time. Picking your moments was tough. If I were to do this again I might even use remote cameras to give me more viewpoints.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500

The cowgirls are just as good with roping a calf. Breakaway roping is a variation of calf roping where a calf is roped, but not thrown and tied. There is a split second where you can capture the moment where the calf is roped.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/3200

A little side note here. The cowgirls out performed the cowboys when it came to roping at this rodeo. The cowboys missed more than the cowgirls, which lets me know women are showing more and more today their athleticism in our culture.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500

Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer (typically a Corriente) and two mounted cowboy riders. The time on this event is just seconds. Times on the roping events are in the seconds. For the cowgirl breakaway roping the winner was 2.7 seconds.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

Bull Riding is the wildest and most dangerous event in rodeo. In the American tradition the rider must stay atop the bucking bull for eight full seconds to count as a qualified ride. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope. It is a risky sport and has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports."

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

The bulls are rated and even more famous in many ways than the cowboys who ride them. This bull here had 27 consecutive buck offs, now that is 28. A cowboy must stay on the bull 8 seconds for the ride to count. Then they get a score which takes into account the bull they are riding.

Every once in a while when a bull is determined unrideable the Professional Bull Riders Association has a million dollar ride. At $125,000 per second, this bonus ride is offering one of the largest payouts any athlete has ever received for the amount of time they are required to compete. In comparison, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo received roughly $12 million dollars to play in 15 NFL games in 2013.  At 54,000 seconds per season, it took Romo 4,500 seconds to make $1 million.

Take Aways

As you can see 2.5 sec is really short time to get your photo in the breakaway roping. You don't have time to wait to frame your shot. You don't have time to check your focus. You must have the gear that will allow you  the ability to focus on the event.

The combination of my Nikon D5 and the Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S was perfect for this event. The composition changes so quickly with these events that a fixed lens would have been too tight or too loose. Having the ability to zoom quickly and get the important parts of the event in the photo was possible because the 120-300mm range worked just perfect for the rodeo.

Why youth football is so much fun to photograph

Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 1800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Youth football is a dream come true for most sports photographers. The games are played mostly during the sunlight and the access to the action is the best you can get as compared to shooting high school varsity football which is usually played on a Friday night under poor lighting conditions and limited access.

You do not have to own the most expensive lenses to get great photos. For anywhere from $500 to $2,000 you can get a great telephoto lens to cover your kids games.

Sigma makes a 150-600mm lens for about $989. I shoot with the Sigma 120-300mm with a 2x teleconverter most of the time for football.

During the daytime there is enough light to shoot at most shutter speeds and apertures of your choosing. On a Friday Night football game under those lights you are shooting 1/500 and wide open aperture to just get an image.

Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Here are my tips for those wanting to start shooting your kids youth sports activities.

• Use a lens at least 300mm – For the money I recommend a zoom like the Sigma 150-600mm
• Use Auto ISO
• Set the lowest ISO to 100
• Set the highest ISO to the one recommended by camera manufacturer as top of the normal range
• Set the Shutter Speed to 1/4000 
• Shoot in Aperture mode since the Auto ISO is taking care of the shutter speed
• Custom White Balance
• Use a monopod
• Shoot close to wide open as possible. If shooting with a ƒ/1.4 lens this may be too shallow of depth-of-field. ƒ/2.8 to ƒ/5.6 is a good range to make the background go blurry
• Position yourself so that the action is coming towards you and that you are where you can see the athlete's faces
• Shoot RAW 
• Use Adobe Lightroom to process your images

Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 1600, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Parents are in love with the "environmental portrait". They love a good photo of their kid in uniform on the playing field. I think of these like the trading card photos you see of your favorite pro players. By the way today it is easy to make your own trading cards of your kid and maybe of their team as well. Here is a link to doing it. 

Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

In all these photos of the youth football game I was in the end-zone. Because I am using the 240-600mm lens [because of the 2x converter] I can get some pretty good action shots without running up and down the field. I am just waiting for them to come to me.

Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 1800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I shot these for my friend to use as a gift to him. Maybe you know someone who has kids who play ball and they could use some photos of their kids. 

Why is youth football so great to photograph. As compared to Pro Football here are some things that are different.

• You don't need a press pass
• You can get closer to the action
• You can get by with less expensive gear since you are shooting in daylight
• Parking is an ease
• No one is expecting your images right away [if you had access to pro sports you are shooting for someone who has a real deadline]

Nikon D5 was worth the purchase

Georgia Bulldog's Freshman Running Back #35 Brian Herrien Scores his very first collegiate touch down while UNC's Safety #15 Donnie Miles was unable to stop him during tonights Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game September 3, 2016 at the Georgia Dome. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 45600, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

While I have to know where to point the camera, which does take years of expertise to develop the Nikon D5 camera is coming through on keeping the camera in focus, great exposure and wonderful dynamic range.

One of the settings I use to help me get this photo is using the 72-point dynamic-area of AF.

You want to pick Autofocus Continuous mode for sports.

In the menu Pencil selections pick AF Activation under the Autofocus settings.

Then choose the AF-ON only. This will mean when you push the shutter release it will not focus, but just fire the shutter to take a photo.

By changing these settings you will notice the camera will stay in focus and shoot faster frame rate. Great for following a baseball player sliding into a plate and another player trying to tag them or maybe a football player running towards you to score. You will find more photos tack sharp in a series.

I generally put my focus point dead center and lock it so I don't bump it. I am trying to get photos of moving subjects and off center is too difficult for me. I may crop later for a better composition, but I want the subject in focus first.

UNC's wide reciever #3 Ryan Switzer is tackled by Georgia's defensive back #2 Maurice Smith & defensive end #51 David Marshall. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 45600, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

The key to getting great photos no matter the subject is always preparation. It is setting the camera up to execute what you need it to do. Dialing the camera to sports mode on some cameras will come close, but dialing in all the fine tuning makes a HUGE difference.

Georgia Bulldog's #2 Defensive Back Maurice Smith breaks up the pass to North Carolina Tarheel's #3 Ryan Switzer in their win over UNC 33 to 24 during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome on September 3, 2016. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 36000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

Maintaining focus is very important. You often start following a receiver as I did here before the ball arrives. They are not standing still. They also are not running in a straight line. In football the running tends to be very erratic and this is where the technology of the Nikon D5 does a better job than every other Nikon that I have ever owned up to this current model.

Georgia Bulldog's #27 Nick Chubb Tailback pushes for more yardage as North Carolina Tarheel's defense trys to contain him. Georgia defeated UNC 33 to 24 during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome on September 3, 2016. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 40000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

Now this a tip that has improved my photography more than anything when it comes to photographing sports. Get in a spot where you will see the athletes faces. Expressions make a big difference in communicating the effort being put forth in a play.

That is the spot I was in to get all the photos you see in this post other than this one that I took in the press box of the half time bands playing. We had another photographer at the same place on the opposite side of the field. We had the plays covered.

Georgia's #5 Terry Godwin Wide Reciever is tackled by North Carolina's #90 Naxair Jones defensive tackle after a reception during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at The Georgia Dome on September 3, 2016. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 40000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

In football if I am looking into the faces of the offense then I am where they are trying to go the entire game–The End Zone.

Georgia's tail back #22 Brendan Douglas fumbles at the North Carolina 12 yardline.  [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 36000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

The other thing is the closer they get to me in the end zone the more that background goes out of focus. So the biggest plays are often the ones where they are in the Red Zone. The Red Zone is the 20 yard line to the goal. 

Georgia Bulldog's #27 Nick Chubb Tailback is tackled by North Carolina Tarheel's safety #15 Donnie Miles. Georgia defeated UNC 33 to 24 during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome on September 3, 2016. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 36000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

If you notice in all these photos the players for the most part are running right at me. Being in the end zone is like being at the finish line of track and field event. Now if you are in the end zone they do run to the right and left of you, but you are not running up and down the field to get a good angle. You just need the lenses to get the photos.

This is the lens that I have fallen in love with for sports. It is the Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S. It is on sale now for $3,399. 

I have also the Sigma 1.4x and 2x converters. The 2x makes the lens a 240-600mm ƒ/5.6 lens. The 1.4x makes the lens a 168-420mm ƒ/4 lens.

For football I am using the 2x converter most all the time.

UNC's tail back #34 Elijah Hood is pursued by Georgia's defensive back #35 Aaron Davis. Hood had less than 10 carries during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 32000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

Now just to give those who have older Nikon models some of my insights here are a couple things I am loving with the Nikon D5.

Nikon D5

Compared the the Nikon D4 that I moved up from I went from 16 megapixels to 20. The frames per second of 2 more frames has made it where you don't really loose sight of the action. At 12 FPS it looks like a movie in the viewfinder while shooting.

Nikon D4

I gained 3 more stops due to the higher ISO. 

Georgia Bulldog's #27 Nick Chubb Tailback pushes for more yardage as North Carolina Tarheel's defense attempts to contain him. Georgia defeated UNC 33 to 24 during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at the Georgia Dome on September 3, 2016. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 32000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000]

Buying a Nikon D5 will not make you a better sports photographer. However, if you understand the technical side of photography the Nikon D5 will let you do a better job of capturing what you want to do than earlier model Nikon cameras. 

Now if you are like me with more than 30 years of experience then you know that you need to keep fresh. You need to practice with your gear just like the professional musician does every day. Take the time and shoot kids playing sports in your community regularly and refine those skills which let you anticipate what is going to happen rather than reacting. That is the other huge key to great sports photos. Those who can anticipate will always be a better sports shooter than someone who reacts and the shoots. They never get the moment.

One last photo for those interested in the highest ISO I shot at during the game. That was ISO 65535.

Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 65535, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000