What equipment did I take and why? Some of it was a guess. I sure didn’t want to haul around a lot of useless equipment. 
For the soccer games, I decided on the 70-200mm Tamron lens with my Canon 7D put on a Manfrotto monopod. Could I hand shoot with that lens? Yes, it is possible, but it is a heavier lens that comes with a tripod/monopod collar. I’m glad I took the monopod. Not only does it give me a steadier platform, it also saved my arms from lifting that weight. I also took the Hoodman loupe. It’s a simple gizmo that costs about $80 but it is essential to view your photos in harsh Arizona sunlight.
I’m glad I took that Tamron lens because the vast size of a soccer field. You can’t physically cover the whole of a soccer field, so I appreciated the reach on the Tamron 70-200mm. I might have also taken my wide angle lens to get a few “establishing shots” of the field and the players. I could have also used my medium range lens, the Canon 28-135mm, for some action closer to me. But I do hate to change lenses outside given the sometimes dusty conditions in Arizona.
On 16 October, I went to Cave Creek, just a few miles north of the PVCC campus. It was the last day of the Running of the Bulls event. For this shoot, I took my all purpose Tamron 18-270mm lens. I smartly predicted an area with bulls, horses, and running people would be very very dusty and it was. It would have been a cleaning nightmare to take a few lenses with me on that sunny, warm day as the air was filled with dust. Because I needed to move fast, I did not take a monopod. I also took the Hoodman loupe to review photos, and that was a smart move on that very sunny day. What would I have done differently? Security wouldn’t let me, but I would have liked to have stood in front of the runners and bulls as they charge toward me. I wished I could get up higher, but again security had a few places for photographers and up high and on the running track were not options.
