tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-322319692024-03-07T17:07:07.572-06:003x5The world inside a picture frame from a random newspaper photographer in South Texas.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.comBlogger321125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-48991592970305454702012-04-02T17:05:00.003-05:002012-04-02T19:05:16.189-05:00A bright sparkI thought I was done.<br /><br />It was January 2011 and I thought I was ready to move on. Some of it was a bit of burn out, some of it was a bit of feeling under appreciated (and way under compensated), and some of it was personal. I had applied and been accepted into an alternative teaching certification program. I wanted to become a journalism teacher. I wanted to be the kind of journalism teacher I had in high school, who made a nerdy, awkward kid believe he could actually make a career out of doing something he loved. I thought I had a talent for stringing a couple of words together, and someone besides my mom had noticed.<br /><br />"This story could run today in any newspaper across the country," I remember Mr. Hunt saying after I turned in one of my early newspaper writing assignments as a freshman. That excited me. His words motivated me. He made me believe in myself. I wanted to do that for the next generation of journalists. That was always my plan: Do this journalism thing for a couple of years, let it drag me around the country for a bit, then become a teacher when I got burned out.<br /><br />I eventually shifted my focus to photography. Three jobs and four states later, I thought maybe the time had come. I felt like I wasn't necessarily doing the journalism business any favors any more. I was uninspired, unmotivated and I felt like the work I was doing wasn't making a difference to anyone, especially me.<br /><br />So I started breaking the news to friends and coworkers. The reaction was mixed. I was surprised by some of the approval I got, but more surprised by some of the coaxing I received to rethink my decision. If you are doing it for the vacation and summers off you'll regret it, I was told by one friend who did something similar years ago. The message I got from an editor probably stuck with me most: We'd rather lose you to another paper than lose you from the field all together.<br /><br />It was a lot to think about. Was I throwing my talent away? Was I giving up on everything I'd work for over the last 10 years? On top of it all, I had pitched this story idea at work that was suddenly being accelerated. I thought I'd have more time to work on it, but now deadline pressure was looming and I didn't know how I was going to get it done the way I wanted it to be done.<br /><br />It was a Wednesday night. I walked out of the office, off the clock, with no clue where I was going. It was the first night of class and the first big payment for the teaching program was due. It was also the last night I was going to be able to shoot the video I needed to finish my project at work.<br /><br />I had pitched this story idea about a high school welder, a tiny little girl named Tiffany who was trying to excel in this male-dominated field. She had been diagnosed with Spina bifida as a baby and wasn't even supposed to walk. Now she was an energetic high school student pursuing her unconventional passion. It was an interesting story and I wanted to tell it right. In addition to being a full-time student and working at her mother's restaurant on the weekends, she volunteered at a local boxing gym during the week. I'd shot photos and video of her welding and working at the restaurant, but I hadn't done any on-camera interviews or shot anything of her volunteering at the gym. And wouldn't you know it, that Wednesday night was the last time I was going to be able to get those pieces of the story. If I missed it, I wasn't going to have a very good video to turn in before it was set to run on Sunday.<br /><br />It was such a defined crossroads for me. Go one way and your life completely changes. I'd made up my mind several times and changed it again and again during that short walk from the newspaper office to my car in the employee parking lot. Was I taking the easy way out if I didn't do it? Was I taking the easy way out if I did? I felt selfish either way. I felt like I was making the wrong decision either way. Eventually I pulled out of the parking lot, skipped the turn to go to class, and drove to the boxing gym.<br /><br />I thought <a href="http://www.caller.com/news/2011/jan/22/stronger-than-the-metal-she-welds-future-bright/">the story</a> turned out great (written by a talented reporter) and the photos were OK (taken by a semi-talented photographer). As for the video, well, it could have used a little more work. But it told a complete story and I was happy with the result. I didn't realize how impactful it would end up being.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="embedded_player" name="embedded_player" bgcolor="#ffffff" quality="high" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://media.scrippsnewspapers.com/corp_assets/asphalt/swf/trinity_embed.swf?sid=CCCT&sl=a-bright-spark" width="576" height="324"></embed><br /><br />I was out of town the day the story ran. I was having breakfast with a friend, dissecting my decision with him over coffee and an omelet when my cell phone rang. It was the reporter who wrote the story, telling me she just got off the phone with a very excited Tiffany. Apparently a local boxer was so moved by her story and the video, he showed up at the restaurant where the girl worked and handed her $1000. She was floored. I was shocked. I couldn't believe someone would be so moved to do that. But it didn't end there. Over the next week more good things would happen for this girl. Eventually Tiffany ended up with a full scholarship to a local welding school from an anonymous donor. This girl from a single-parent household who was saving up tip money to go to college suddenly had her life changed.<br /><br />I'm certainly not trying to take credit for all of that. She is an amazing person. She deserves her success and there are many people, including the reporter, her mother and a giving community that share in this happy ending. And as much as she thanked me, I really feel like I owed her so much more. Telling her story wasn't the only factor in me staying in journalism, but it certainly helped me realize how important this job can be sometimes.<br /><br />The next Wednesday I went to that teaching class. I was told it was OK that I missed the first one, just make sure I come regularly from now on. But I wasn't there to attend class. I was there to let them know I wasn't coming back. Maybe next year, I told them, but for now, I feel like I still have stories to tell in this community. I feel like I can still make a difference where I am now.<br /><br />It's been over a year, and I've got no desire to leave the journalism field at the moment. I've got the assignment of a lifetime coming up this summer, and I don't regret my decision one bit. Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to place in a state-wide journalism competition. I was shutout in the photo categories, but I got second place in the "Best Video (greater than 2 minutes)" category. I honestly thought it was for a different video until I saw the final awards list today. I just smiled as I read the entry title:<br /><br />"<a href="http://www.tapmecontest.org/winners/viewentry.cfm?newspaperid=7&entryid=9226">A bright spark</a>"<br /><br />It was such a great reminder of why we all do what we do as journalists: <strike>To win awards</strike> To make a difference. So thanks, Tiffany. You're story helped me believe in myself again. Sure, the video isn't perfect, but it's the perfect ending to this story for me.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-58925490176974724372012-03-19T20:46:00.010-05:002012-03-19T22:09:00.111-05:00Spring Break<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRg1o8GI4-LxPiZliqKKs8txd3me_8JKa0cCNiFQXAnw1bfncfoOPXN8vief5JnDlKNpeMS3nkh1BZ3fr1zVRifWMY6BfQgXt0hAgV_Nr0T7XNqgcrWQ2DcoCsSEL3JQbK6yMFg/s1600/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRg1o8GI4-LxPiZliqKKs8txd3me_8JKa0cCNiFQXAnw1bfncfoOPXN8vief5JnDlKNpeMS3nkh1BZ3fr1zVRifWMY6BfQgXt0hAgV_Nr0T7XNqgcrWQ2DcoCsSEL3JQbK6yMFg/s640/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721794895636263426" border="0" /></a>I wasn't really sure what to expect when my editors asked if I wanted to spend a week at the beach taking photos of the of the busiest week of spring break. I certainly didn't expect to see this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW4Pn0Jf_qDNubVqAW9wdDcd72MaqMiIz0q0aS_uyuFzsZho3iqyFxTG02cq4icY5E6k9bOwiG69eSjPmmRycnQzPc1Am7NK_dFXKpqOBtMeji5jobtwUxZDVtatS_ZROubr_Pg/s1600/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW4Pn0Jf_qDNubVqAW9wdDcd72MaqMiIz0q0aS_uyuFzsZho3iqyFxTG02cq4icY5E6k9bOwiG69eSjPmmRycnQzPc1Am7NK_dFXKpqOBtMeji5jobtwUxZDVtatS_ZROubr_Pg/s640/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721791073349718946" border="0" /></a>Keg stands, pole dancing and sun worshiping were all part of the spring break fun along Coastal Bend beaches last week. This is the second year the paper has sent a three-person team to cover the busiest week of the spring break, when local high schools and the major Texas colleges are all on break. Two reporters, a live camera and myself set out each day to capture the action. And there was plenty of action.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJdMaOwmD0H3N1tflfqVpAYZzoxNoHsLefnC3GuznVEE-4J99jOUL-jZg08CuQPXws4rBAthJFAm2DVZh4RNSYDwbhjOEfJMOroDY5OV6I5HV6oG0SesjwcXLfCZt0S-hc9P5ng/s1600/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJdMaOwmD0H3N1tflfqVpAYZzoxNoHsLefnC3GuznVEE-4J99jOUL-jZg08CuQPXws4rBAthJFAm2DVZh4RNSYDwbhjOEfJMOroDY5OV6I5HV6oG0SesjwcXLfCZt0S-hc9P5ng/s640/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721791076911350466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1tFQzG9QQQ6ciUN2_kZqaQ4TBXuhaoZL4NrWU5IGdowWRqG_-33uitDT-HSDv0lZPVaipa0F331tVXfHzVno3IM7uxLyIf-RHQR_9xfjSWbi3sky8cZnLRovnQKFP8IGNSgztg/s1600/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1tFQzG9QQQ6ciUN2_kZqaQ4TBXuhaoZL4NrWU5IGdowWRqG_-33uitDT-HSDv0lZPVaipa0F331tVXfHzVno3IM7uxLyIf-RHQR_9xfjSWbi3sky8cZnLRovnQKFP8IGNSgztg/s640/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721791075619887186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbn5UpC7Hxw1Mhf6k47Xztowpq4yngm2uGl1jj8MYRYOAGPLGi0SRTh40A2uXKkM0es6_kvK1tE02Kz84Ka3-HsBUAAv698g9pxfCLa-MSxE7WfZZMnCW7rfz43PiGrzF2LElIWw/s1600/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+05A.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbn5UpC7Hxw1Mhf6k47Xztowpq4yngm2uGl1jj8MYRYOAGPLGi0SRTh40A2uXKkM0es6_kvK1tE02Kz84Ka3-HsBUAAv698g9pxfCLa-MSxE7WfZZMnCW7rfz43PiGrzF2LElIWw/s640/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+05A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721791071337311650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rc-pPVZpHpkLrY5EEilIZiVd8yO2IORnwlSnctFGfwa3FqEjbD9ulMYJklC2p1KQ2ec0tIfG_nvAsCCy4uXlzsn7yRKCxfISKFGwWjLzM-0af_xW3cU0OttNR6nwVNQ4jY7EcA/s1600/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rc-pPVZpHpkLrY5EEilIZiVd8yO2IORnwlSnctFGfwa3FqEjbD9ulMYJklC2p1KQ2ec0tIfG_nvAsCCy4uXlzsn7yRKCxfISKFGwWjLzM-0af_xW3cU0OttNR6nwVNQ4jY7EcA/s640/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721791066014561618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoiVau_LHPnmkKmmK4vqa37aNrytvC1t5uG2s3kgPrGMVQqy2awQ3HP7V94DFsZ33leQLZeFqs9OOWv_XJRmaeO1_8R7IFHDVppmuq_cbHzK18hMjxvNnMb2t3t5xuF7GSneDBA/s1600/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoiVau_LHPnmkKmmK4vqa37aNrytvC1t5uG2s3kgPrGMVQqy2awQ3HP7V94DFsZ33leQLZeFqs9OOWv_XJRmaeO1_8R7IFHDVppmuq_cbHzK18hMjxvNnMb2t3t5xuF7GSneDBA/s640/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721796180672356066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMEewLWnK8AePeN73Q1TqExnEoTf53JrQRy2gmEGG73mm4J6HWglmJKKD4IZcpVkpZ6huPnYqpPQDr6cm0rZgJw_ECX7spD4zUBnzB5JH2hb5qEYIIXvTm5mru13jEVYzmCd9bQ/s1600/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+15.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMEewLWnK8AePeN73Q1TqExnEoTf53JrQRy2gmEGG73mm4J6HWglmJKKD4IZcpVkpZ6huPnYqpPQDr6cm0rZgJw_ECX7spD4zUBnzB5JH2hb5qEYIIXvTm5mru13jEVYzmCd9bQ/s640/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721796852998303842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTShImmfFTCecJiIjv2JPEwPQrDKWadsvaMwpa_CPk1rpBfygAVPFkuIXI2NZQQuMyAQUll8AOefi1tsrH_w-L2hZUkGSmZhxCpodzyNeRIGbb23YK3KxJEVsvYHdVAxS7YNruw/s1600/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+07A.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTShImmfFTCecJiIjv2JPEwPQrDKWadsvaMwpa_CPk1rpBfygAVPFkuIXI2NZQQuMyAQUll8AOefi1tsrH_w-L2hZUkGSmZhxCpodzyNeRIGbb23YK3KxJEVsvYHdVAxS7YNruw/s640/0316_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+07A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721792189138559938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLXxOqkPtP2cJ9UmMQQCooUGp4RaJKxw90blE2NsZSEtyqeOE1WVvc7eUYT5xD96Jg0b7W19cT0AspGGV-to6X-mbPtLNogRyjzMJDfJ7mnRYQbxQHVwmydkOQJRhFMJZBK0ZJw/s1600/0315_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLXxOqkPtP2cJ9UmMQQCooUGp4RaJKxw90blE2NsZSEtyqeOE1WVvc7eUYT5xD96Jg0b7W19cT0AspGGV-to6X-mbPtLNogRyjzMJDfJ7mnRYQbxQHVwmydkOQJRhFMJZBK0ZJw/s640/0315_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721792201936019074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4JQ7u_hVRuKyVeeaW4PdpBErfPLfoxxZU7HXElzUH5WLo-_rfIHWHgUrtxV19PESnFXIW22gvNSxMXYHwwi3GWvtPBADWE6jv_iiHBfUJtoK0psa-1mqkiv5Eg3m41PEiTEm9g/s1600/0317_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4JQ7u_hVRuKyVeeaW4PdpBErfPLfoxxZU7HXElzUH5WLo-_rfIHWHgUrtxV19PESnFXIW22gvNSxMXYHwwi3GWvtPBADWE6jv_iiHBfUJtoK0psa-1mqkiv5Eg3m41PEiTEm9g/s640/0317_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721792184340286002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZaVHBbxb4uGkvIMxrX9KQgqVKCh7nP0GpXC2JB7PBCuyWpdj71j2q5QgD31wT1BFBpNs07WPZ_SEVyetJx1YiFTpcCEPi9HYZtrnrmkN_En0OLWEmOCdft66eSKy09Bga8VPQ/s1600/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+09.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZaVHBbxb4uGkvIMxrX9KQgqVKCh7nP0GpXC2JB7PBCuyWpdj71j2q5QgD31wT1BFBpNs07WPZ_SEVyetJx1YiFTpcCEPi9HYZtrnrmkN_En0OLWEmOCdft66eSKy09Bga8VPQ/s640/0314_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721792195856248306" border="0" /></a>Last year I felt like I'd lucked out and dodged the spring break bullet. Turns out, I was missing one of the best gigs of the year. Thanks for the memories, Spring Break. Until we meet again...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ9rVquawx_E1cr0t356DspS8WAoh1n0HDjno-4Q5UfXCAq2F2dQDfl_tmDoJton2LT3JH9nmjeDM_GHg0VQU6fyeNTIyl_N5SySFHMNHvf5sPdA8tJEHoObzovI6lTYGO4gJJA/s1600/0313_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ9rVquawx_E1cr0t356DspS8WAoh1n0HDjno-4Q5UfXCAq2F2dQDfl_tmDoJton2LT3JH9nmjeDM_GHg0VQU6fyeNTIyl_N5SySFHMNHvf5sPdA8tJEHoObzovI6lTYGO4gJJA/s640/0313_CCLO_SPRING+BREAK+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721790012869720130" border="0" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-50005574409817776562012-03-04T12:30:00.000-06:002012-03-04T12:32:19.241-06:00Basketball PlayoffsThe high school boys basketball regional tournament was held in our fair city this weekend, and Corpus Christi had two boys teams represented and vying for a state tournament bid. It seemed like a good time to break out the remote camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHvf-3LJz8i_QRDCEQsHlkjHAqNG5CCJXYBbs09B4jaCN6Kw-P-GBCj-0nAPIyhsWy74rK3BT2NVxRYeTSsNbj5uMOUI6yzNz_worLbhLrGb6RrnJeWj8A7ZEA_YtPyexDSTscA/s1600/0303_CCSP_WEST+OSO+Liberty+Hill+14.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHvf-3LJz8i_QRDCEQsHlkjHAqNG5CCJXYBbs09B4jaCN6Kw-P-GBCj-0nAPIyhsWy74rK3BT2NVxRYeTSsNbj5uMOUI6yzNz_worLbhLrGb6RrnJeWj8A7ZEA_YtPyexDSTscA/s640/0303_CCSP_WEST+OSO+Liberty+Hill+14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715857634411755538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qF8cwotZgeLh2Kvn947LWnsS9ydILZk6vbHj2YP9kFxYlhKsKp5bu8XOvA0djWJk4hmUog_VXoyEY3ptrH_d1WnC8alNe8aCgC2A1JlUtHwuOC-TvC3o4Ab0xr5JwQeT4p0E9A/s1600/0303_CCSP_MILLER+SAM+HOUSTON+13.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qF8cwotZgeLh2Kvn947LWnsS9ydILZk6vbHj2YP9kFxYlhKsKp5bu8XOvA0djWJk4hmUog_VXoyEY3ptrH_d1WnC8alNe8aCgC2A1JlUtHwuOC-TvC3o4Ab0xr5JwQeT4p0E9A/s640/0303_CCSP_MILLER+SAM+HOUSTON+13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715857634969994786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHUYBpu674E1TaeKupfVuOc7G-qRsf_G4dv4qYKZr0Cl4J_7JErbOdm1tuVcoM_-9dtZ8NvuNDA2GdhCOAUSlrdR6RsN0rGGT3kwymsrxnCNd-ZN1k4dGrM8Fmf9oUSWvpyzNZQ/s1600/basketblog1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHUYBpu674E1TaeKupfVuOc7G-qRsf_G4dv4qYKZr0Cl4J_7JErbOdm1tuVcoM_-9dtZ8NvuNDA2GdhCOAUSlrdR6RsN0rGGT3kwymsrxnCNd-ZN1k4dGrM8Fmf9oUSWvpyzNZQ/s320/basketblog1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716106277161167538" border="0" /></a>I tried it last week for the girls regional tournament, and it didn't go so well. I originally wanted it behind one of the corners of the glass slightly above the rim. The tournament officials didn't like where I had placed it at first, so I had to move it. It ended up high in the center just under the clock, about even with the top of the goal. They were nice enough to lower the goal for me several times to make the change. Unfortunately I didn't take into account the change in glare on the glass once I moved it and after the goal was raised. Also, high school girls don't jump nearly as high as I expected, so they ended up super tiny in the frame. It was a good test run, but the images weren't really usable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJD0SNKrD8prOuiwgK_reiqgLH-OiVTywBca6l940gthNQ-zux2MA1q8iM4Gvmdav0q53kWeolHMh51yxI0bD9yqNX4KFfuOeHyIDcDU2AllmK57180i4rT3bjrN2ya-F1Tae6Aw/s1600/basketblog2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJD0SNKrD8prOuiwgK_reiqgLH-OiVTywBca6l940gthNQ-zux2MA1q8iM4Gvmdav0q53kWeolHMh51yxI0bD9yqNX4KFfuOeHyIDcDU2AllmK57180i4rT3bjrN2ya-F1Tae6Aw/s320/basketblog2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716108421841988850" border="0" /></a>Cut to this weekend, and I avoided the glass all together, opting to have the camera hang further back and below the support post for the goal and net. It was a little more exposed to a flying ball, but the tournament officials were happy that it was much further back and less noticeable. I was pretty happy with the results as well.<br /><br />I fired the camera with a Pocket Wizard mounted onto my camera as I shot on the sideline. That meant every time I took a shot from the floor, the remote camera would shoot the identical moment from above. It made for some neat pairings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfsf1-2PGiDEvFaB8TKUgiDVxs992EGeH2jwp97qK8bvA7BaEYHAcUMzQMnbpMBxAEpOl9lcD4-EOTRTAgt1d8uL-jmexHBtDp3uJc7lXk8IWZTrvKgtddpMhGGx6Z_s0MrPpOA/s1600/0303_CCSP_WEST+OSO+Liberty+Hill+16.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfsf1-2PGiDEvFaB8TKUgiDVxs992EGeH2jwp97qK8bvA7BaEYHAcUMzQMnbpMBxAEpOl9lcD4-EOTRTAgt1d8uL-jmexHBtDp3uJc7lXk8IWZTrvKgtddpMhGGx6Z_s0MrPpOA/s640/0303_CCSP_WEST+OSO+Liberty+Hill+16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715857639360022146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYdsywYGuogMhmbRrwEK-SqDbUls0WdqE3mi5sD9ZyAEPkB55BlFEpTRZepDLHCXggoVtu7jiI8KqnIeCqiM-ApKxvGnNJaXsAJuxrQkUVq3u96gvVh1KEWgzu8nqf4Jal5nxKA/s1600/0303_CCSP_WEST+OSO+Liberty+Hill+17.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYdsywYGuogMhmbRrwEK-SqDbUls0WdqE3mi5sD9ZyAEPkB55BlFEpTRZepDLHCXggoVtu7jiI8KqnIeCqiM-ApKxvGnNJaXsAJuxrQkUVq3u96gvVh1KEWgzu8nqf4Jal5nxKA/s640/0303_CCSP_WEST+OSO+Liberty+Hill+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715857650379698482" border="0" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-12429335915754127212012-02-07T17:46:00.002-06:002012-02-07T18:16:27.736-06:00Vigil<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh321G4UWOCKa5CoZzE7KI30PjRCl_mdX-baw595O5Rpr4GFZn6zPzcxXntYsVFYk66wvmqVB2rWao_h-voPORtP5PyN_qujzMWaEA0mFlFNdQidqi1A5RT8kPP0p4xNY3LPA27tA/s1600/0201_CCLO_NS+CANDLELIGHT+VIGIL+04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh321G4UWOCKa5CoZzE7KI30PjRCl_mdX-baw595O5Rpr4GFZn6zPzcxXntYsVFYk66wvmqVB2rWao_h-voPORtP5PyN_qujzMWaEA0mFlFNdQidqi1A5RT8kPP0p4xNY3LPA27tA/s640/0201_CCLO_NS+CANDLELIGHT+VIGIL+04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706544296968320098" /></a>Funerals, vigils and other general states of mourning are always tricky to cover. I feel awkward that I'm there, but at the same time they have the potential to make incredibly powerful images. I feel like I never got comfortable shooting-wise at this vigil, which was held after the sudden death of a well-liked high school Navy Junior ROTC commanding officer.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-402319846773965772012-01-31T13:11:00.003-06:002012-01-31T13:18:33.060-06:00Funeral<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C0GdpJEeY68crql3O8gKwtQfPsROKi5DVQXk1NM2_uopZrsyFdT9veLeGYMFkVUY6k_y6nYUVh4h2zFzrRYvsBP0JQ5PKKI3OexrskjWyoyabl84vstsHbf1DCQvLb4-Br2acg/s1600/BRANCH+FUNERAL.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C0GdpJEeY68crql3O8gKwtQfPsROKi5DVQXk1NM2_uopZrsyFdT9veLeGYMFkVUY6k_y6nYUVh4h2zFzrRYvsBP0JQ5PKKI3OexrskjWyoyabl84vstsHbf1DCQvLb4-Br2acg/s640/BRANCH+FUNERAL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703875968480983906" border="0" /></a>Funerals are high up on my list of events I do not enjoy shooting. But when a prominent member of the community, civil rights leader and beloved pastor dies, his funeral becomes a news event. The church members were so inviting, and I did my best to cover it with respect. This photo was one of my favorites.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-29454408232824384142012-01-24T14:35:00.004-06:002012-01-24T14:52:19.532-06:00Premont<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWjk2k1Tp4JbmVbYtwOe5heZL0skxF6V_k4jQZJvTSF17_djZdsyjO7JJYSkyxafvY_O8qmxMt70vpyIdJUX6tbyA-UiY0T9pdguF4tBJ757hjCekaDl2L9HqTnE8fMj8l9iBYQ/s1600/premont.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWjk2k1Tp4JbmVbYtwOe5heZL0skxF6V_k4jQZJvTSF17_djZdsyjO7JJYSkyxafvY_O8qmxMt70vpyIdJUX6tbyA-UiY0T9pdguF4tBJ757hjCekaDl2L9HqTnE8fMj8l9iBYQ/s640/premont.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701299941036520898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Senior Luis "Yayo" Torres shuffles across the gym floor Jan. 4, 2012 as members of the Cowboys basketball team go through practice drills in their gym in Premont, Texas. The school district has decided to cut athletics once basketball season ends in an effort to cut costs and help save their district from closure by the Texas Education Agency.(AP Photo/Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Michael Zamora)</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">The story of little old Premont has hit the AP wires. One of the reporters at the paper here has been following the town's story and possible closure of the school district since this summer, and I've tried my best to ride her coat tails and stalk some of the people of Premont. On Friday AP asked me for some sports photos from Premont, and I was thrilled to see some of my pictures popping up around the globe over the weekend. The one above is one of my recent favorites.</span><br /></span>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-56155452895850172182012-01-22T09:00:00.003-06:002012-01-22T09:00:07.971-06:00Stuck in the Middle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBASAxGUMh1aMugy0YoNDT90tXvkoKWRn70rdho6aMwR3nKjkhi4mfkrOrrpM22GZfS9hzAbsMArk4hkRtodswd6-S7KlKPujNlP4ybX7yDSe-bVarl4EgQXXsJKm4staonsWiGw/s1600/0122_CCLO_CORBAN+TOWNHOMES+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBASAxGUMh1aMugy0YoNDT90tXvkoKWRn70rdho6aMwR3nKjkhi4mfkrOrrpM22GZfS9hzAbsMArk4hkRtodswd6-S7KlKPujNlP4ybX7yDSe-bVarl4EgQXXsJKm4staonsWiGw/s640/0122_CCLO_CORBAN+TOWNHOMES+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699146355496409426" border="0" /></a>For a story about the difference in the old and new housing projects built by the local housing authority. I normally don't like when a subject is kind of staring at me. I had a couple of options where she wasn't, but in this case there was something about it that drew me in.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-63881129883253461672012-01-18T19:11:00.001-06:002012-01-18T19:15:47.407-06:00Parade<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_JQl_RgxegQl4UPoxAt7kfdSlSVZPJuedOwfl7XMP4u_7Bw0e47Za-FdWy33SL_UEQhNaHAcFHOaFJuqzSkmpRE-Wjj-mwMl-qwnwEWJsgi_6ax1KLnV1pGEN6D1wEqYT2Xtrw/s1600/0115_CCLO_NCJLS+PARADE+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_JQl_RgxegQl4UPoxAt7kfdSlSVZPJuedOwfl7XMP4u_7Bw0e47Za-FdWy33SL_UEQhNaHAcFHOaFJuqzSkmpRE-Wjj-mwMl-qwnwEWJsgi_6ax1KLnV1pGEN6D1wEqYT2Xtrw/s640/0115_CCLO_NCJLS+PARADE+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699144928001472018" /></a>Everybody loves a parade.<br /><br />Except me.<br /><br />But I'm not gonna complain if I can come away with photos like this. <br /><br />Nah, I'll probably still complain.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-53441500631700076442011-08-03T12:53:00.002-05:002011-08-03T13:02:34.328-05:00Night Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i_iZ-2PJniHzuqs7dagQUVW6DWq15PY_i8sEJrpMDJ2FpPMYXejHubbgj0-7-JMxpo5IlreHvaJj7VMTVc7I2bFGZ8qynJ5mmUcMharwzG7mrA6s2qMKRFcazXF5x86y5Cf35w/s1600/night+out.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i_iZ-2PJniHzuqs7dagQUVW6DWq15PY_i8sEJrpMDJ2FpPMYXejHubbgj0-7-JMxpo5IlreHvaJj7VMTVc7I2bFGZ8qynJ5mmUcMharwzG7mrA6s2qMKRFcazXF5x86y5Cf35w/s640/night+out.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636689380328084050" /></a>Whenever I see a ballet folklorico group around here, I usually avoid them like the plague. Mostly because they're pretty ubiquitous in South Texas, but they also rarely have any sort of news connection with the event I'm covering. That was the case at this year's National Night Out. The event wasn't about them, but that doesn't mean I can't turn it into a photo about me.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-23908047315866490832011-07-05T11:55:00.004-05:002011-07-05T12:21:05.763-05:00Fore<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0KhEvW0W-xl8MIJ_ZcxC_0jjAJmzaNDj7NiQ1DMo3FMWpFpudbd3IWbuJKEDJGktCNSNFx5yFOM4afYwiv8P2IGKCgMTcXg5b6W9HoSeUoZD3wZu0OYqPhPnYEhI6pYshaReMQ/s1600/0603_CCLO_NS+COUNTRY+CLUB+FIRE.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0KhEvW0W-xl8MIJ_ZcxC_0jjAJmzaNDj7NiQ1DMo3FMWpFpudbd3IWbuJKEDJGktCNSNFx5yFOM4afYwiv8P2IGKCgMTcXg5b6W9HoSeUoZD3wZu0OYqPhPnYEhI6pYshaReMQ/s640/0603_CCLO_NS+COUNTRY+CLUB+FIRE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625918646709144914" /></a>An image I shot earlier this month, from a fire on a golf course. I was headed to another assignment and noticed smoke from the country club area. I turned off the freeway hoping for a shot like this. No flames, but I'll take it. The beer can on the ground and the cigarette in the guy's mouth really amuses me.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-85827247012766008512011-07-04T11:35:00.007-05:002011-07-04T12:35:27.035-05:00Fourth of July<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89fYlHASGsJ3uLtXxRQRiI6Q_XMR9aIzgoe0kGc78ZsM-LDFZQJFSA0mEWfVhccBUWTDVeX8PhgWB19hDjC4BueUIGSbOdnYzAhgAfE0hKXdpdBd3Ul0P9Agqb8ljEI5zeVQY1g/s1600/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89fYlHASGsJ3uLtXxRQRiI6Q_XMR9aIzgoe0kGc78ZsM-LDFZQJFSA0mEWfVhccBUWTDVeX8PhgWB19hDjC4BueUIGSbOdnYzAhgAfE0hKXdpdBd3Ul0P9Agqb8ljEI5zeVQY1g/s640/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625542011972549170" /></a><br />We decided to show our patriotism at the paper with a collage of U.S. flags splashed across the front page. When I hear the word collage, I always think of a bad high school yearbook spread with the awkwardly shaped photos and weird cutouts blobbed together across a page. I'm happy to say it didn't turn out like that at all. The only thing that would have made it better, said my ego, was if they used more of my photos.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluN7lMmyNUOHQ5s7msQhWd0GW2gxihlvJAcb4fGY4OKsheFvghp1nMOxVV7NQ4z_IfWD0gn2TipCQ68jMu_rTsZ6w5pOLC-WQdHsKNcbUWno3O2w4BgukJ5V9hRnFvaX5OVWTAw/s1600/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluN7lMmyNUOHQ5s7msQhWd0GW2gxihlvJAcb4fGY4OKsheFvghp1nMOxVV7NQ4z_IfWD0gn2TipCQ68jMu_rTsZ6w5pOLC-WQdHsKNcbUWno3O2w4BgukJ5V9hRnFvaX5OVWTAw/s640/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625541542194764898" /></a>Only one of these photos (below) ended up in the paper. I was a bit miffed at first, but when you think about it, I got to spend hours driving around taking pretty pictures of flags. And someone paid me for it. Is this a great country or what?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vmhNfsPrPN709KGkAXRDtkPNkkWze1L2AlB76ztFKyY0yJ2sx8C8_OZZ0kyD9GtYL7tLFw_Jyeb1eA7iutWlKa_J3fjSpnmckUeuzqvZIa3nqeiR5soB-mEhyphenhyphenKcSkmU1gQT5iA/s1600/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vmhNfsPrPN709KGkAXRDtkPNkkWze1L2AlB76ztFKyY0yJ2sx8C8_OZZ0kyD9GtYL7tLFw_Jyeb1eA7iutWlKa_J3fjSpnmckUeuzqvZIa3nqeiR5soB-mEhyphenhyphenKcSkmU1gQT5iA/s640/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625541535726628162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoMVoJTau7ybOM8YBrvju9IDeWVPdIbau5kMEGWUwJewpeQnHHYA_gSH84sXehV7VtulJSsBECaKpN2vvDS-yCXOaZxz-6f7uSrE0bl_o901XM9lmIc80Y33fFn7Kr9Pf6kFn6A/s1600/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoMVoJTau7ybOM8YBrvju9IDeWVPdIbau5kMEGWUwJewpeQnHHYA_gSH84sXehV7VtulJSsBECaKpN2vvDS-yCXOaZxz-6f7uSrE0bl_o901XM9lmIc80Y33fFn7Kr9Pf6kFn6A/s640/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625541527759653186" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlC5f_un65WB06Hg5M4xu2GdJjD_gI2xqWjTkFUA-nQXcNQzTM8TdtV6N-GYs-W7CMgJmHmbbRLBLuIR6vhM5F6Az0xnhGJ3BapmDMIxtL_xQedUjN1guEjMdF_dY-MMEPy40Vw/s1600/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlC5f_un65WB06Hg5M4xu2GdJjD_gI2xqWjTkFUA-nQXcNQzTM8TdtV6N-GYs-W7CMgJmHmbbRLBLuIR6vhM5F6Az0xnhGJ3BapmDMIxtL_xQedUjN1guEjMdF_dY-MMEPy40Vw/s640/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625541522911189570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcTicqokiOlxJgLctGNua8IKA6mthY4sU-26MF4BKp5d2qKBtqFWrK0eluJ7uc5oorE6M8X3Q6ml8BixPVIRZc6gC6Mmmgu88uDLY4vR6g0oQ7wllMCh2ReAJyWVzsHsK9l8oeA/s1600/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcTicqokiOlxJgLctGNua8IKA6mthY4sU-26MF4BKp5d2qKBtqFWrK0eluJ7uc5oorE6M8X3Q6ml8BixPVIRZc6gC6Mmmgu88uDLY4vR6g0oQ7wllMCh2ReAJyWVzsHsK9l8oeA/s640/0704_CCLO_FLAGS+MZ07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625541516471566866" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-43469178206890357282011-06-23T11:58:00.018-05:002011-06-23T22:35:16.667-05:00State Baseball<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldAASmVQuTRwVujJoRPnPfbYwS5HH1UOOMBpG2d6iaEYIqrO9u-zf0xcnErZTFCzlRiL6dsdvbYyu1E9k7QrsUMRRhY7W1fCvpdKvk8Asm4TfjDcw_L0Ha-o3jp8FnaaPPGvaAg/s1600/0605_CCSP_ROBSTOWN+COLUMBIA+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldAASmVQuTRwVujJoRPnPfbYwS5HH1UOOMBpG2d6iaEYIqrO9u-zf0xcnErZTFCzlRiL6dsdvbYyu1E9k7QrsUMRRhY7W1fCvpdKvk8Asm4TfjDcw_L0Ha-o3jp8FnaaPPGvaAg/s640/0605_CCSP_ROBSTOWN+COLUMBIA+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621618506330310786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7My1kx8nip7tTcn9PuX_crCV8cBJ_y5cUNZkx9kjlA6CoBOrAelPR8qTRH1zVTvNOUu2aAYE2oak4rokLzGPU-0GgpHKIVFa19pZQuOQZfQF5hijYoUyUnOJWRNXmbP7soiUnvg/s1600/dump.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7My1kx8nip7tTcn9PuX_crCV8cBJ_y5cUNZkx9kjlA6CoBOrAelPR8qTRH1zVTvNOUu2aAYE2oak4rokLzGPU-0GgpHKIVFa19pZQuOQZfQF5hijYoUyUnOJWRNXmbP7soiUnvg/s640/dump.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621613553966540178" border="0" /></a>The last month or so has been a blur. Six day work weeks, 100+ hour time sheets, a set of new tires and thousands and thousands of frames of high school baseball.<br /><br />And it was fantastic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ62SfTMXegZy9RhRq2ypcYhlPwhoeCvaCArjMVeUMxdHWyNd3XHxut68II0TEw2Qg-C2UM2qii3mqnqIpMBlcLTEkCHL0iAYGJqfqfsovWTfwsBqLn_-rBOdDoqu00Y6DK624A/s1600/base.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQ62SfTMXegZy9RhRq2ypcYhlPwhoeCvaCArjMVeUMxdHWyNd3XHxut68II0TEw2Qg-C2UM2qii3mqnqIpMBlcLTEkCHL0iAYGJqfqfsovWTfwsBqLn_-rBOdDoqu00Y6DK624A/s640/base.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621613566298885618" border="0" /></a>Baseball is huge in this part of the state. I don't think we've had a local football team make it to state in decades, but just about every year the Coastal Bend has a team in the state baseball tournament. This year we had three, one in 5A, one in 4A and one in 3A. We also had a private school repeat as state champs in their league.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5miY_dWm8c7zC1VF4NrMqjxTmXd7U_KzZI_oqEYsb-3M6qVCQN41o2u1-t2mMxQjlHj9Dm7X_m1OJHDFlI1cHg6b3iXmslqzIhpeYFJxsjO3k-pxMTM4aoH04P3Z37YjI0U0djg/s1600/JP.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5miY_dWm8c7zC1VF4NrMqjxTmXd7U_KzZI_oqEYsb-3M6qVCQN41o2u1-t2mMxQjlHj9Dm7X_m1OJHDFlI1cHg6b3iXmslqzIhpeYFJxsjO3k-pxMTM4aoH04P3Z37YjI0U0djg/s640/JP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621613564021655042" border="0" /></a>Leading up to state, we had tons of teams in the hunt during playoffs. With a staff of only three full-time photographers and only a handful of stringers, our resources were stretched thin. What made it all the more challenging was I didn't shoot baseball at all during the regular season. Maybe one game. Suddenly I'm thrown into game after game of high-stakes action. I had to shake off the rust pretty quick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uBmYu7UeflDTpe9BsYqthZqHsqNrqk_9GHc3S-Il1ycv9jq_kEomxUi4f9Yw3Ze9vY74Ei7Xd3RUhMCMQVx3Hj3G8MFOQWBsKS-IXYyeNUxVv2eQMMM3sW0ILIc1Yq2rfwXktg/s1600/pitch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uBmYu7UeflDTpe9BsYqthZqHsqNrqk_9GHc3S-Il1ycv9jq_kEomxUi4f9Yw3Ze9vY74Ei7Xd3RUhMCMQVx3Hj3G8MFOQWBsKS-IXYyeNUxVv2eQMMM3sW0ILIc1Yq2rfwXktg/s640/pitch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621613551895552642" border="0" /></a>A highlight was definitely the state baseball tournament. Our chief photographer traveled to Austin to shoot some of the opening games, and I came into town to help shoot the final title games. I shot some assignments on a Thursday in Corpus Christi, then drove to Austin that night so I could be ready to go first thing Friday morning.<br /><br />When I got into town it was almost 10 p.m. I was checking into my hotel when I got a call from our chief photographer. The Thursday night game was going into extra innings and deadline was quickly approaching. He needed some back up or he'd either miss the end or miss deadline. So I jumped back into my car and made it to the stadium just in time for the 10th and final inning. I didn't even have my media credentials yet, but never underestimate the access you get when you carry a really big lens and walk in like you own the place.<br /><br />As soon as I got onto the field, I started second guessing myself. Is this the best spot? Should I move? Am I gonna miss the moment? How do I shoot baseball again? By the end of the inning my nerves were shot, but it all worked out when I got the celebratory shot as one of our local teams advanced to the state finals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilK-MhuUp6_HtIm7IzR245YBvqcd9t9813H6Hq4RmmTCq6RxXySdLYbDhOCOnBUuZcUAxON6mS4wegBsGuqrV2Gr3Dgr6CS2O8iDjAyFdrWuM4XnVFjeIDCtWoSdQLVZq98CHL8Q/s1600/0610_CCSP_CALALLEN+WIN+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilK-MhuUp6_HtIm7IzR245YBvqcd9t9813H6Hq4RmmTCq6RxXySdLYbDhOCOnBUuZcUAxON6mS4wegBsGuqrV2Gr3Dgr6CS2O8iDjAyFdrWuM4XnVFjeIDCtWoSdQLVZq98CHL8Q/s640/0610_CCSP_CALALLEN+WIN+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621619632303637826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtml9ZczG61fzBi6hDVwtrnKClObGcAEuG_CAq6ol1RGyLFkSrrBl3P4a1i210DwZvESeGJtU3Pv_luqnCVRSiBFM0qdY9UtmPu6J6kQIvhXHAHmi8Hb2uumxBYVTcur1FqY4YBw/s1600/0610_CCSP_CALALLEN+WIN+02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtml9ZczG61fzBi6hDVwtrnKClObGcAEuG_CAq6ol1RGyLFkSrrBl3P4a1i210DwZvESeGJtU3Pv_luqnCVRSiBFM0qdY9UtmPu6J6kQIvhXHAHmi8Hb2uumxBYVTcur1FqY4YBw/s640/0610_CCSP_CALALLEN+WIN+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621619629428814610" border="0" /></a>I still didn't have press credentials though. I wasn't going to bother fighting to get in the press box when I was on such a tight deadline. So I ran back to my car, fired up the laptop, and sent in my photos from the tailgate of my Honda Element in the parking lot. Good times.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGbbn3RnMJ9t4B15X5BNQGUsLDgLGNohsjB1qcnZfWd4HtGBu5ksM9B0346AZpGx6g6OR-7Uh53YKCkjIu_tuwFKSIR8-G_qJTuYEA2x31KnVLnjwVDexeU52PyYSUhjzZd1wQg/s1600/desk.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGbbn3RnMJ9t4B15X5BNQGUsLDgLGNohsjB1qcnZfWd4HtGBu5ksM9B0346AZpGx6g6OR-7Uh53YKCkjIu_tuwFKSIR8-G_qJTuYEA2x31KnVLnjwVDexeU52PyYSUhjzZd1wQg/s400/desk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621619436039600882" border="0" /></a>But the joy didn't last long. All three of our local teams fell short of the state title. The reality is that most teams will go home disappointed. That means I got a lot of sad player photos this season.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk17E3KanrBr904-S8bqL0SdPHkAR0ohpvPwCS8erVGZDLJLCxL9P3NiOo47ZaAtZmLdY4NP2p8BBd2muCyoRmQi0ERx1Fht6E_j9Sv7EuPb3jvNq1PG5nI6CZMo4-NMOeecIBuA/s1600/0611_CCSP_CARROLL+LUBBOCK+MZ02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk17E3KanrBr904-S8bqL0SdPHkAR0ohpvPwCS8erVGZDLJLCxL9P3NiOo47ZaAtZmLdY4NP2p8BBd2muCyoRmQi0ERx1Fht6E_j9Sv7EuPb3jvNq1PG5nI6CZMo4-NMOeecIBuA/s400/0611_CCSP_CARROLL+LUBBOCK+MZ02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621622096208165778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfzBzY7OESMfoHuUBBJvJ5oDJ8eIYo7KpW7mMgR0e4EVhQukbWTFymQAnjF6X0KC1gP70AmQRtimSxRFQclS0Ys7T-kZdthAEdNeiyZaMv8hYzjazLW0o16QRQ_VrrZWPCdunYQ/s1600/0604_CCSP_CALALLEN+MOODY+MZ13.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfzBzY7OESMfoHuUBBJvJ5oDJ8eIYo7KpW7mMgR0e4EVhQukbWTFymQAnjF6X0KC1gP70AmQRtimSxRFQclS0Ys7T-kZdthAEdNeiyZaMv8hYzjazLW0o16QRQ_VrrZWPCdunYQ/s640/0604_CCSP_CALALLEN+MOODY+MZ13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621621968509188962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8AcnMtlcGzrjM2bJqw0wBjbXVAp6TfIAcfB9-OdUhghb_affz6b2TioIK6EfWLzbElV8VLiofFb0-cj7TIpHPq5VfttVai0S8AkxSJWJy_b_MvSUBo4OSDQbdRjnzuy4uB-R7Q/s1600/0604_CCSP_CALALLEN+MOODY+MZ12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8AcnMtlcGzrjM2bJqw0wBjbXVAp6TfIAcfB9-OdUhghb_affz6b2TioIK6EfWLzbElV8VLiofFb0-cj7TIpHPq5VfttVai0S8AkxSJWJy_b_MvSUBo4OSDQbdRjnzuy4uB-R7Q/s640/0604_CCSP_CALALLEN+MOODY+MZ12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621621958718407778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePa99OGdM9iDGxAcL7nof8t5y1eB7ik9y2Yfor_Kx-Ti3s2R3O49CQmMNfYVLNJJhbwF06LCqUq1sIrFm7nSackdAmcUmpOvRTsDGNPpnu8zmIbYGEpJI55LcR6_tA73n-TtMTg/s1600/0605_CCSP_Columbia+Robstown+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePa99OGdM9iDGxAcL7nof8t5y1eB7ik9y2Yfor_Kx-Ti3s2R3O49CQmMNfYVLNJJhbwF06LCqUq1sIrFm7nSackdAmcUmpOvRTsDGNPpnu8zmIbYGEpJI55LcR6_tA73n-TtMTg/s640/0605_CCSP_Columbia+Robstown+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621621958297155474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh1aat3-V2kK1cSuXa74NXO9Qf6n6iLVnu6i2U0nvwBLfPlLWlLz2RpzvYlaEXAFE-5AEWC8Wf4zoCMuKKCMFKQcsbQ28XClJyB3GgJ5GjZbGIz8Lf6cPn0WRLPSmwInx8ckQ3w/s1600/0611_CCSP_CALALLEN+WF+MZ08.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh1aat3-V2kK1cSuXa74NXO9Qf6n6iLVnu6i2U0nvwBLfPlLWlLz2RpzvYlaEXAFE-5AEWC8Wf4zoCMuKKCMFKQcsbQ28XClJyB3GgJ5GjZbGIz8Lf6cPn0WRLPSmwInx8ckQ3w/s640/0611_CCSP_CALALLEN+WF+MZ08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621621948674101842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xrKhYc7GGUZx_00zbAjY6YMAZON5g__bZlaLMGUQMy0lnZgfSK5Wcz9uiHAdmnPaGfpYEjSQQZUYPAANxQlTJZ1-RHc4ZgOH9R3c1z4Wuy_4HaCib-JswnP-bifICEQgTFjn5w/s1600/0611_CCSP_CALALLEN+WF+MZ15.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xrKhYc7GGUZx_00zbAjY6YMAZON5g__bZlaLMGUQMy0lnZgfSK5Wcz9uiHAdmnPaGfpYEjSQQZUYPAANxQlTJZ1-RHc4ZgOH9R3c1z4Wuy_4HaCib-JswnP-bifICEQgTFjn5w/s640/0611_CCSP_CALALLEN+WF+MZ15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621621947825743874" border="0" /></a>So baseball season is over, and I've got my weekends and a little bit of stability back. But I know I can't get too comfortable. Football season will be here before I know it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-24916791446202735322011-02-17T19:46:00.001-06:002011-02-17T19:47:56.111-06:00Military Funeral<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Lf1Cl4ycJWqB05TQp5Uca9qhz0PzuxzwNVjifqV7vKxzO-ehf1TYxzvrbJSmKculdg4N33OFDdUeSUYATVWCBBUbkzUet6lenasN85SRuNI4TLGX9P_8-IEJzLXY7XrEPwRWOQ/s1600/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Lf1Cl4ycJWqB05TQp5Uca9qhz0PzuxzwNVjifqV7vKxzO-ehf1TYxzvrbJSmKculdg4N33OFDdUeSUYATVWCBBUbkzUet6lenasN85SRuNI4TLGX9P_8-IEJzLXY7XrEPwRWOQ/s640/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574829833805002434" /></a>I shot my third funeral in as many months last weekend. First was a police officer's funeral, then a Marine funeral and now Army Spc. Ryan Gartner's funeral. At all three of these funerals, the family members agreed to let media come inside for the church service and attend the burial. It's a tough situation to be in, and really a huge responsibility. You feel almost an obligation to the family that let's you in. They are sharing what could be one of the lowest points of their lives, making it my job to tell their story with dignity and respect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCR8iWYDUD_NsqDpYKamBQpWg0KEyeSb7tVvucKHUcEXwoAeuK533I7STsS2c6kaIInZUza4GAw5ostewSackxBBZ9HUzdFMdGy-YfV-qwxt5-2WEelH5BFkxXaaK1iFDgpwKw7Q/s1600/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+03A.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCR8iWYDUD_NsqDpYKamBQpWg0KEyeSb7tVvucKHUcEXwoAeuK533I7STsS2c6kaIInZUza4GAw5ostewSackxBBZ9HUzdFMdGy-YfV-qwxt5-2WEelH5BFkxXaaK1iFDgpwKw7Q/s640/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+03A.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574829824610638498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BREzBcAv45czG8488wEHjh7ccO8TC40gMG8mW37VTD9lzBO_0Xqz_HlVpONTMK4nLSHmE4XKatR0nFH5hVLeKiyjq7XDrnoPa70T6KQbLPyd_pccor3QMGSaIUyHwibksY9LFQ/s1600/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BREzBcAv45czG8488wEHjh7ccO8TC40gMG8mW37VTD9lzBO_0Xqz_HlVpONTMK4nLSHmE4XKatR0nFH5hVLeKiyjq7XDrnoPa70T6KQbLPyd_pccor3QMGSaIUyHwibksY9LFQ/s640/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574829819838943762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjom2cnu5Lm-50-0qPPhxR63KJg5tifTDsK9cqCUp6g7Hi-iSqayWpQbY5e6y8-0Su2pADx_IcBQSg6TefkFsg89HuvQJ3IlBimnJ5tBnsu0UKc1EO3kmYlu2bkhuv2lZKFdHTg0g/s1600/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjom2cnu5Lm-50-0qPPhxR63KJg5tifTDsK9cqCUp6g7Hi-iSqayWpQbY5e6y8-0Su2pADx_IcBQSg6TefkFsg89HuvQJ3IlBimnJ5tBnsu0UKc1EO3kmYlu2bkhuv2lZKFdHTg0g/s640/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574829819044630898" /></a>Both the father's (above) and mother's emotions were pretty raw. Their son was scheduled to come home in two weeks, and they were still waiting for answers about the specifics of their sons death. It was an unthinkable situation for both parents. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7T6jeLhhiN5CsRdNa8CbmbFDaCRlWWhIRLIvewL3XcI17Zi8auUkjA3v6WuTeJN4Kve_e_JQyWD1jA2mIFa7uD7eyHKJLa7tkSaVyxUSCZyDWIfqcAb81b-Z140HDaGQxPNPLg/s1600/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+02X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7T6jeLhhiN5CsRdNa8CbmbFDaCRlWWhIRLIvewL3XcI17Zi8auUkjA3v6WuTeJN4Kve_e_JQyWD1jA2mIFa7uD7eyHKJLa7tkSaVyxUSCZyDWIfqcAb81b-Z140HDaGQxPNPLg/s640/0213_LOC_GARTNER+FUNERAL+02X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574831798558593202" /></a>I had shot several strong images of the mother, all of which just broke my heart. The last image (lower right) was during the gun salute. Her mother was trying to comfort her and she pulled away, almost in anger. <br /><br />And then she looked right at me.<br /><br />It was hard to tell what she was thinking as she looked down the barrel of my zoom lens. Who knows if she was even looking at me. It was a brief glare, then "Taps" began to play. It was one of those moments where I felt terrible for being there, like I was somewhere I didn't belong. I paused for a few minutes, found a new spot, and then continued shooting.<br /><br />I hung around until it was over. All the condolences had been given and only a few family members remained. That's when I saw the mother going back to the coffin to sprinkle a bit of dirt on her son's casket and say goodbye one last time. It would have made another emotional photo. I was getting ready to lift my camera before I stopped myself. Maybe I still felt guilty. Maybe I was just being weak, but I felt like this wasn't a moment for me to capture. I'd captured plenty of photos already that told the story. No, I thought, this moment belonged to her.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-73414246376313685182011-02-15T07:56:00.000-06:002011-02-19T09:00:57.607-06:00Turtle PowerWe had a bit of a cold snap recently. Like, below freezing. And while our temperatures were probably still the envy of most of the country, it was big problem for the sea turtles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuxxtbKiwlAUKk6GBFpDKDs9ljxrYpbdngfKBV1750SGFCl9sLrBFAkUGzkBkaCzSWe9PfgbBYr2R5vnxMSL8R_Q1vvU3aZAuDxhQzHOSPI9ZPfI3vRj7KiT5gaeHwpAmrg6bvg/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuxxtbKiwlAUKk6GBFpDKDs9ljxrYpbdngfKBV1750SGFCl9sLrBFAkUGzkBkaCzSWe9PfgbBYr2R5vnxMSL8R_Q1vvU3aZAuDxhQzHOSPI9ZPfI3vRj7KiT5gaeHwpAmrg6bvg/s640/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574851024584311218" /></a>Hundred's of turtles, stunned by the drop in water temperatures, started floating in the bays and washing up near a local fishing pier. Most of them weren't dead, they were just stunned by the cold and unable to move or swim. They just needed a place to warm up before they drowned. That's where the turtle experts from the Padre Island National Seashore came in. They collected hundred of turtles from the area and further south. I met them at one of the hatcheries to see what they had collected. It was quite a catch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHOv7GAQCpICEauJPA8zw8et7FVa6SATSUzt0D6FZE6Ig_UKWAAPvb1BdffPbBNxetjSlKMga7Vzz0cE5RO-HTnFu8kh6afSdZLfzgvZe9mc1grjBLam6o5CduFjhbLnoiskTrw/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHOv7GAQCpICEauJPA8zw8et7FVa6SATSUzt0D6FZE6Ig_UKWAAPvb1BdffPbBNxetjSlKMga7Vzz0cE5RO-HTnFu8kh6afSdZLfzgvZe9mc1grjBLam6o5CduFjhbLnoiskTrw/s640/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574851018862262786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhX94J8ywICAXA3ETMVI170qA8jgslHQU4TIUBFoqR0vufCQcvInILRseZEXYGLIKZsaVaFZKTBw-e7cru-nw8eX9WNKWec3Wkovp4M8lYFCwR3VqlblHequ9EemRzr9xwdQVOg/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhX94J8ywICAXA3ETMVI170qA8jgslHQU4TIUBFoqR0vufCQcvInILRseZEXYGLIKZsaVaFZKTBw-e7cru-nw8eX9WNKWec3Wkovp4M8lYFCwR3VqlblHequ9EemRzr9xwdQVOg/s640/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574851016645125650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbDL1xgZNRRDQsVBmUO8oNZKLLVm9AWxw6TND2BMKywlyUFzq44QPqA9OcBXpePlOo5vB2H8jbsv8czWdJhrlTLJlo51KdMQG6J94kchEA4PTeizv9RmMNSccxyGmGkCwdAj5zg/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbDL1xgZNRRDQsVBmUO8oNZKLLVm9AWxw6TND2BMKywlyUFzq44QPqA9OcBXpePlOo5vB2H8jbsv8czWdJhrlTLJlo51KdMQG6J94kchEA4PTeizv9RmMNSccxyGmGkCwdAj5zg/s400/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574851012630154770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoR0wWYiKueBu8trqHKAvdNtEwLHdGL3onwb1xQgQwTtF25l_5phmoqNqEXcfFSAKp3oPWD6y-6g3GOiRIp0kLSiI0yUwLoIB5Oicm5raxu7vgE9xP1qStgjKip_z_ONLeluejg/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRoR0wWYiKueBu8trqHKAvdNtEwLHdGL3onwb1xQgQwTtF25l_5phmoqNqEXcfFSAKp3oPWD6y-6g3GOiRIp0kLSiI0yUwLoIB5Oicm5raxu7vgE9xP1qStgjKip_z_ONLeluejg/s640/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574851013028221138" /></a>It was really cool to see all the turtles, even though they mostly just laid there. It was one of those things the average person doesn't get to see. This job is full of surprises sometimes. They couldn't warm up the turtles too quickly. After about a week or so, the turtles were let go back into the gulf. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hVCqNs4Lqkm4jzxBadvslibuf8A_oR1_s6dYg_5BVfNNp1iqS68OPfZ83ZjvoVYCysIjFFLUAtqzlMeq4QuqlLtWmSNAK2EBznBJSLm5B_quPoowcaXA2zlOcUWQKELaPD1RJQ/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hVCqNs4Lqkm4jzxBadvslibuf8A_oR1_s6dYg_5BVfNNp1iqS68OPfZ83ZjvoVYCysIjFFLUAtqzlMeq4QuqlLtWmSNAK2EBznBJSLm5B_quPoowcaXA2zlOcUWQKELaPD1RJQ/s640/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574853777826878738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX77-We2CCUaC1tduZY2tRhn15Cct7LSFFMkl8Gr0epSsujITyCzz261m7T8mAkITDt-KfRsnEkFZ0WIXgcQW5OzZO-PZJTDBjmrf3ZU_UqwJmHbDPHVUxN_owJKa8Kq1g2HIZzg/s1600/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX77-We2CCUaC1tduZY2tRhn15Cct7LSFFMkl8Gr0epSsujITyCzz261m7T8mAkITDt-KfRsnEkFZ0WIXgcQW5OzZO-PZJTDBjmrf3ZU_UqwJmHbDPHVUxN_owJKa8Kq1g2HIZzg/s640/0206_LOC_CC+COLD+TURTLES+12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574853777381801570" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-82069619348420990142011-02-13T09:37:00.000-06:002011-02-21T09:34:08.532-06:00Slice of Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfMXTj1gp7EmynqJb81wAhRbWJis0-0ld1enJVnWvBcnGotNFGvCrhNFTSLkO1QsfnA5cTtJprsAg2GdB4JzHo0snn3nyGZRHOJDTG0RilrUgda5lpKXytUELhIj0bCvTutLBCA/s1600/0202_LOC_CC+NS+RAY+NJROTC+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfMXTj1gp7EmynqJb81wAhRbWJis0-0ld1enJVnWvBcnGotNFGvCrhNFTSLkO1QsfnA5cTtJprsAg2GdB4JzHo0snn3nyGZRHOJDTG0RilrUgda5lpKXytUELhIj0bCvTutLBCA/s640/0202_LOC_CC+NS+RAY+NJROTC+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574843040864572994" /></a>I was shooting a high school JROTC inspection recently, and shot this image of a couple of the JROTC members practicing before the inspection started. I loved the photo, but I quickly started to get the same question: What's up with the guys head sliced off?<br /><br />I got the question from one of my editors, who thought the photo may be a bit confusing to the average reader. I started to wonder if she was right. Did it tell the story, or did I shoot this just for me? Well, I kind of thought it was both. After talking it out with her and a designer, it ended up the lead photo on the front page. I was excited.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e2G8ifesELc5TIlYuNkeeZdl1xUx8rpgAuE834uj7Z0n4lII3U-ABNtOvRKe6yUYrWJ51amZkyQ_Fu9AGVJVfCSTmIATKKK0mRE92oMnrkYbAiwY2RIATr2sblGw_Pv6Wb_FJQ/s1600/0202_LOC_CC+NS+RAY+NJROTC+02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e2G8ifesELc5TIlYuNkeeZdl1xUx8rpgAuE834uj7Z0n4lII3U-ABNtOvRKe6yUYrWJ51amZkyQ_Fu9AGVJVfCSTmIATKKK0mRE92oMnrkYbAiwY2RIATr2sblGw_Pv6Wb_FJQ/s640/0202_LOC_CC+NS+RAY+NJROTC+02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574843037878380834" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwRYF58Lr_yhbkHnZF8H1xc1oEGaUOYNCXJqXS77XZw2vwZcSLGYqhpX148AqYU9mnnFmBZn6H26FYjG1SXxQyG89MOCsFiSFwzQOjtjbGZHi_0YBjvlyes5F0UQRha9BD_Mp1Q/s1600/0202_LOC_CC+NS+RAY+NJROTC+05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwRYF58Lr_yhbkHnZF8H1xc1oEGaUOYNCXJqXS77XZw2vwZcSLGYqhpX148AqYU9mnnFmBZn6H26FYjG1SXxQyG89MOCsFiSFwzQOjtjbGZHi_0YBjvlyes5F0UQRha9BD_Mp1Q/s640/0202_LOC_CC+NS+RAY+NJROTC+05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574844432360907074" /></a>But guess who wasn't excited: Mom. The next day a coworker said she got a call from the photo subject's mother. She said the mom wanted to know if I had a copy of the photo where her son's head wasn't cut off. Unfortunately the answer was no. I shot about four or five frames of the kid, and in all the shots I had cropped out the guys face in camera. The photo wasn't about him, I tried to justify. It was about the action and the drawing of the sword and the pagentry of the event and so on and so forth. In other words, the photo was really about me.<br /><br />That's not necessarily a bad thing. I think I should shoot more for me when I go out on assignments. It's my job to make photos with impact, though I definitely see the mother's point. It's a tricky balance sometimes.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-46458333321947780602011-01-31T22:05:00.005-06:002011-01-31T23:15:34.085-06:00Taking StockOne of my resolutions this year was to blog more frequently. Not because I feel I have all this wisdom to share, but because I know the more I blog, the more motivated I get to push myself creatively. Plus it's easier then giving up soda or going to the gym.<br /><br />The livestock show is one of those annual events where I need a little extra creativity. There are two week-long county livestock shows we cover in January. Since January is typically a slow news month, it's not unusual to spend back-to-back days mining the fairgrounds for photos. It wasn't until the second livestock show, though, where I finally felt like I was getting something a little different.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVvhotbd64qVlJtYYNAaU3JcgnZ5_8ARtlMQguxyyMYP11SU9hcutS4b2tR7o-4R1WNNNjShVszEsEVIMIXWWN_iNxEXEXZ-Ha58iTw2cocBx6pEns-Uq3Rr9Fsm8LU1HnE8G1g/s1600/SAN+PAT+FAIR+01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVvhotbd64qVlJtYYNAaU3JcgnZ5_8ARtlMQguxyyMYP11SU9hcutS4b2tR7o-4R1WNNNjShVszEsEVIMIXWWN_iNxEXEXZ-Ha58iTw2cocBx6pEns-Uq3Rr9Fsm8LU1HnE8G1g/s640/SAN+PAT+FAIR+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568577065743950290" border="0" /></a>I noticed a pair of kids washing down their lambs with Woolite, which I found so entertaining. I took dozens of photos of then washing their animals down, trying to get the bottle and the people and the animal all in the same shot. It all kind of came together, I think, in the frame above.<br /><br />I also was a bit obsessed with all the cowboy boots, which came in all kinds of colors and styles. I think what my photography has been lacking recently is attention to those details.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLk2jtI26oZ2yMdISyhAY3y7TrOCK-a9wvMa82cz2WWDQH4WLfggJYIXUdyIz5ve9Viqltxk-Ciby2EEJ51VNwTGX-NTw8HnUVRTUxkTEHNE-GYWtQ2AskgdcHhLUtf0HZDFjZA/s1600/SAN+PAT+FAIR+08.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLk2jtI26oZ2yMdISyhAY3y7TrOCK-a9wvMa82cz2WWDQH4WLfggJYIXUdyIz5ve9Viqltxk-Ciby2EEJ51VNwTGX-NTw8HnUVRTUxkTEHNE-GYWtQ2AskgdcHhLUtf0HZDFjZA/s400/SAN+PAT+FAIR+08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568577058226438658" border="0" /></a>Livestock season is over for another year. Hopefully that will give me enough time to get the lingering smell of barnyard animals out of my car.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMxP3CoiFnRhYBJxmOsDLFKFoQhU1Uv6CitTr-EPykopQK5QLl4ro4FUj0vPNvoukOJK-Su4gUc7Hre_HNP4CCJhkZmzxSmBmYbRtf_wW0fhYhYyBHVAsUaLhutLEOcb_RlVlMQ/s1600/SAN+PAT+FAIR+02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMxP3CoiFnRhYBJxmOsDLFKFoQhU1Uv6CitTr-EPykopQK5QLl4ro4FUj0vPNvoukOJK-Su4gUc7Hre_HNP4CCJhkZmzxSmBmYbRtf_wW0fhYhYyBHVAsUaLhutLEOcb_RlVlMQ/s640/SAN+PAT+FAIR+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568577056640356962" border="0" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-74248205930471418282010-11-25T10:00:00.007-06:002010-11-28T20:14:25.604-06:00ThankfulYou know what I'm thankful for? Crying volleyball players.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkqelggxDHdMMPpNp-RzNTeaeYGN4SuTVibbBBPngUJHfgq8qQWYgV3S01ezTmOOpoEVEq-veE9oQqZRC_rmTKFUTvnflv-iVfEJoKfpBVGTOdxHGDApGZFCEAfvGFL-7dorQIg/s1600/1120_LOC_A1+KING+STATE+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkqelggxDHdMMPpNp-RzNTeaeYGN4SuTVibbBBPngUJHfgq8qQWYgV3S01ezTmOOpoEVEq-veE9oQqZRC_rmTKFUTvnflv-iVfEJoKfpBVGTOdxHGDApGZFCEAfvGFL-7dorQIg/s640/1120_LOC_A1+KING+STATE+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543256905614398338" /></a>Crying volleyball girls above the fold on A1, however, makes me giddy. Let me explain.<br /><br />I don't mean to be heartless. I truly wish things had turned out better for them. This was the King volleyball team's first time to make it to the state tournament, and they did it with a first-year head coach. It was a big deal for the team and the school. The two days leading up to the tournament the girls were front-page news. Many expected them to take the whole thing home, including some of our editors, who planned the front-page package around the girls celebrating in the opening round of the state tournament. But we all know what happens when you make plans. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ye34ssNUvRqwg1cpL6Qry_9JW3J6DScQAJ8ngBrSHm1RVV6cMBDBTCLOJx9pmzmHv0uHdCl5KOLRr3ifKoMFBkXe4dXtqhD4_nKt-87SEzZY64VyDgTEx92Ys5UBH6Kf1KRqig/s1600/1120_LOC_A1+KING+STATE+02B.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ye34ssNUvRqwg1cpL6Qry_9JW3J6DScQAJ8ngBrSHm1RVV6cMBDBTCLOJx9pmzmHv0uHdCl5KOLRr3ifKoMFBkXe4dXtqhD4_nKt-87SEzZY64VyDgTEx92Ys5UBH6Kf1KRqig/s640/1120_LOC_A1+KING+STATE+02B.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543256915736355698" /></a>The team was playing the late game of the day, so the editors decided that win or lose, volleyball would be the dominate package on the front page. The pressure was on. I was shooting a sport I rarely cover, plus live tweeting scores during each time out. Mix that with the regular deadline pressure and the expectations for some good A1 photos. The whole game was a blur. A chaotic, pressure-filled, fantastic blur. <br /><br />When I shot the top image of the girls crying, arms linked with the scoreboard behind them, I felt like I nailed it. It's a feeling that I don't get very often. My worry, though, was that the photo wouldn't see the light of day. I knew it would run online, but there is some hesitancy at the paper to run pictures of high school athletes crying, especially on the front page. The night editor confirmed my fears when we talked on the phone. She liked the photo, but she just didn't think it would fly. I offered up some alternative photos and hung up the phone, thinking the picture of the girls crying under the scoreboard was done for.<br /><br />So once I got back into town and finally saw the front page the next afternoon, I was very surprised. Surprised it ran dominant on the front page, yes, but I was more surprised how excited I got. After working in newspapers for nearly a decade, it makes me feel good that I can still get excited about seeing my work in print. I was excited to find out that the night editor fought for my photo. She stood up for good photography, and I am so very thankful I work at a paper that is still willing to do that. Most of all, I was thankful that there are still dedicated and talented people, from editors to designers to photographers, who still have a passion for putting out a good product.<br /><br />I'll be honest, some days at work are not so good. Some days I wonder what I'm still doing in this field plagued with uncertainty. Some days I wonder if my work means anything. Not so on this day. So thank you, King volleyball girls, for giving me this great photo. On this day, I was know I was right where I should be.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-80092469161373713882010-08-28T16:50:00.004-05:002010-08-28T17:18:16.699-05:00Are you ready for some football?The answer is no, I'm not ready. Almost passing out from my climb up the bleachers to the press box made it clear I did not have a very productive off season. That's why I was super surprised I nailed this image early in my first high school football assignment of the year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAZL3LkdEG72yESyLkN98xn22eHWfs9Hg-BXGRJxG1jkhO_4ayOTg92r8CRnTWSTX5pX-JfdwtKRYdcjEKsOi5qlX3PGBMEFqeU-Dout3WD2bok6p7rCT7AxbUYJhFhAtR2MChQ/s1600/0827_football01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAZL3LkdEG72yESyLkN98xn22eHWfs9Hg-BXGRJxG1jkhO_4ayOTg92r8CRnTWSTX5pX-JfdwtKRYdcjEKsOi5qlX3PGBMEFqeU-Dout3WD2bok6p7rCT7AxbUYJhFhAtR2MChQ/s640/0827_football01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510583513928296802" /></a>Bam! I'm ashamed to admit I was doing some hard core chimping in the end zone when I saw this in the back of my camera. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the evening. The first night of football you're really just trying to get something in focus and shake off the sports-shooting rust. Hopefully I will only get better as the season moves on. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WVHrJmT156rsuwG3L7E4CNIU7TDpSW0lUH_K4Qv0nrj7fd3xzll9cwnTv4AKNtri9OO8-EccHTnURrwBrYzPmy_MZshwgu2crx48SOJjv_aqGRs_6JdcqwCebMv-IoaXcqcD6g/s1600/0828_football02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WVHrJmT156rsuwG3L7E4CNIU7TDpSW0lUH_K4Qv0nrj7fd3xzll9cwnTv4AKNtri9OO8-EccHTnURrwBrYzPmy_MZshwgu2crx48SOJjv_aqGRs_6JdcqwCebMv-IoaXcqcD6g/s640/0828_football02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510583517242099266" /></a>A part of me, though, is really excited about the start of the season. One of my favorite things to do at football games is to find side features. There's something so iconic about high school football games. It's such a ritual and an event almost everyone can relate to. Friday I didn't have a whole lot of time to search for those quiet moments I love. Hopefully I can snag some sweet Friday night photos in the coming weeks.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-75615562399508066112010-08-24T21:47:00.008-05:002010-08-24T22:51:13.154-05:00Movie MagicIt's been a long, hot and mostly uninspired summer. But there were a couple of creative bright spot over the last few months. One of those was the annual Corpus Christi 7-Day Film Project. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQapjX6lQOmi1ZSgZPzR2vC7g-uh3GXz5yT1Fx6iUbGgPLQVYl9OPKVzO6zOp4OtuWMqRNlcuQfA4TGGWt6ePYGuzUvJ7SEStY3CFmmdB2wlmpO54fc0elt9rl3nvdVPly436iQ/s1600/DayDreamerlr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQapjX6lQOmi1ZSgZPzR2vC7g-uh3GXz5yT1Fx6iUbGgPLQVYl9OPKVzO6zOp4OtuWMqRNlcuQfA4TGGWt6ePYGuzUvJ7SEStY3CFmmdB2wlmpO54fc0elt9rl3nvdVPly436iQ/s640/DayDreamerlr.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509174345253121490" /></a>The project is pretty straight forward: write, shoot and edit a short film (8 minutes or less, minus credits) in only seven days. There are also three required elements each film has to include. This year the required elements were a prop (a black ribbon), a line of dialogue ("The problem with _______ is that he/she thinks too much") and a character (Sam, a male who recently found something). <br /><br />This is the third year my friends and I have participated. The three of us wrote the script, I shot the movie while they "acted," and then I pieced the whole thing together in a semi-coherent order. This year was my first year as the team leader, which really just meant I payed the entry fee (still waiting on your share, Phil and Israel). I did get a pretty sweet swag bag, though. It almost made winning absolutely no awards over the weekend bearable. Almost.<br /><br />We shot the film back in July, but we weren't allowed to post it anywhere until after the screening and awards ceremony this past weekend. Since that's all over, I'm now free to plaster our film everywhere. There's definitely bits of each of us in our main character, Kevin. The three of us each wrote different portions of the story, and it became clear we were all in very similar places in our lives: Slightly unsure, questioning our life decisions and wondering if the things that are so important to other people our age (marriage, family, careers) will ever be important to us.<br /><br />Anyway, enough words. I hope you enjoy our film.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y0yVy_MUx-o?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y0yVy_MUx-o?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-20147098290192267272010-07-13T18:08:00.012-05:002010-07-14T03:39:50.458-05:00Ra Ra Ah Ah Ahhh!OK, so I knew this was coming a few days ahead of time. I played it cool. I didn't make a fuss. And when I saw the photo request on the photo budget, I casually volunteered to shoot it...but inside I was bursting with anticipation!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-c0IwCfqkMSRmN_VuUK1r9YQX_oCWjXfLC6wFI4emYVYnHlAS-HNHMjgss94r9pZRel-pZ-epHXg2ArX1_PTxZ5W-TFIvpqmlq5n1b8iqaHjKXEt0xSiItrun9bL7MrxvoGUULA/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-c0IwCfqkMSRmN_VuUK1r9YQX_oCWjXfLC6wFI4emYVYnHlAS-HNHMjgss94r9pZRel-pZ-epHXg2ArX1_PTxZ5W-TFIvpqmlq5n1b8iqaHjKXEt0xSiItrun9bL7MrxvoGUULA/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493656470698378706" /></a>Lady Gaga is not coming to town, but a local radio station was having a contest to send the best Gaga look alike performer to her show in Dallas. Two concert tickets, airfare and a hotel stay were up for grabs, attracting a gaggle of Gagas and hundreds of onlookers to the local mall. And I couldn't have been more excited to be there!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ_034A72wjJGpChnoLlCqRophc8MpLRWIMZhPdG_oFBCEVn7LYP8U1UYxdZCtTxjrUUYtGWzQsAo3OROW6P8T0zpGQJ0Vm0IvAbhID2aIAEqD7da0hDh0OuZnk0Vub3OwxBtww/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ_034A72wjJGpChnoLlCqRophc8MpLRWIMZhPdG_oFBCEVn7LYP8U1UYxdZCtTxjrUUYtGWzQsAo3OROW6P8T0zpGQJ0Vm0IvAbhID2aIAEqD7da0hDh0OuZnk0Vub3OwxBtww/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493656465692161794" /></a>Now, I wouldn't say I'm a big Lady Gaga fan (especially compared to these people). I only recently bought the album after kind of ignoring her music for a while. Some of it is just so damn catchy. After seeing a couple of her interviews I realized she actually has some talent and wasn't there to bring the world of pop music to new lows. No, that's Justin Bieber's job (Oh! Bieber burn!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1c5xpbRqVfdvdyAqa_UuZVErIsUGLE78UK6uMP7RuHTYDA-Dj7xsuqSnrpNU8qRktIhmFovFhdeigxkYAZuoHg1iuBMnj09ByPYMHQCzoJ3ogB4iqLCopfhRA4EzHcpocLtMIg/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1c5xpbRqVfdvdyAqa_UuZVErIsUGLE78UK6uMP7RuHTYDA-Dj7xsuqSnrpNU8qRktIhmFovFhdeigxkYAZuoHg1iuBMnj09ByPYMHQCzoJ3ogB4iqLCopfhRA4EzHcpocLtMIg/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493656457559987042" /></a>Anyway, the Gaga look alikes had a minute and half to either dance to a Lady Gaga song or sing. Most chose to dance, and "Bad Romance" was the song of choice. What, no love for "Paparazzi"? Not that I didn't get to hear the song. I had at least three different Gagas sing parts of it to me as I was shooting. I wasn't sure what to think about that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYe3UQKAJApFc76fO4S_dRQ-s_r682uEvC6HbXPT_q9F19Ly4SFZx2Lc5jXaZRu-R8K6PawZkyyqnJiiM_sVntiGBLQA_9uirOT2A_bAHa17-tEIhR092MGj5B9_tGYOer7mk_rA/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYe3UQKAJApFc76fO4S_dRQ-s_r682uEvC6HbXPT_q9F19Ly4SFZx2Lc5jXaZRu-R8K6PawZkyyqnJiiM_sVntiGBLQA_9uirOT2A_bAHa17-tEIhR092MGj5B9_tGYOer7mk_rA/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493656453700439170" /></a>This Gaga was probably my favorite. Not only was the look straight out of the "Telephone" video, but the passionate impersonator was a 13-year-old boy! Most of the Gagas were dressed and ready when they arrived, but this kid had some changing to do. I saw the boy and his mother walking by with a soda-can wig in one hand and a black leather jacket in the other. I chased them down into a clothing store next to the stage and followed them into a dressing room. I'm not even sure they knew who I was at first, but they were so nice and welcoming. There was also something kind of loving and sweet about the mom helping her son get ready for the contest. "I don't know how I feel about helping my son get dressed in drag," she joked at one point, but then quickly worked her magic to pin the hair in place, finish up the makeup and comment about how cute the shoe were. They are both my new heroes! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMJf2rpCdk84ww_ftMR3mmnuPUN3tlBJ5aa7c7-xMbjYA4JFgLzSgGbpSDFjgy1nnR2ahcYN82ZORu4ndjn9N8etR6yoRc7z5Mr5FmaxK6lDlP11zCvThz8Cpp9DKnQ5ea9z7qA/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMJf2rpCdk84ww_ftMR3mmnuPUN3tlBJ5aa7c7-xMbjYA4JFgLzSgGbpSDFjgy1nnR2ahcYN82ZORu4ndjn9N8etR6yoRc7z5Mr5FmaxK6lDlP11zCvThz8Cpp9DKnQ5ea9z7qA/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493656452641998418" /></a>The winner was quite impressive on stage. He (yes, he) had the moves from the video down, and he finished off his performance with an homage to Miss Gaga's blood spattered performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. And the crowd went wild.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY7HYq4cmLrRv_J3iGhR5OuiFz3jXuvGFMrw7yzzvkcVtqnk8xhUcjWJOyJ8OPp4i85LLGLlis9Nyld-rSY9jTlTXTOrDw7Peonji5mQpbCvof32JMihgWIurtza942iPEWQ-Qg/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY7HYq4cmLrRv_J3iGhR5OuiFz3jXuvGFMrw7yzzvkcVtqnk8xhUcjWJOyJ8OPp4i85LLGLlis9Nyld-rSY9jTlTXTOrDw7Peonji5mQpbCvof32JMihgWIurtza942iPEWQ-Qg/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493674494532106402" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdxRk1zFByX_UmP8Uf7DMTkZq7pbdde6fkHOWI_TLFbnuydI25TgkIaA5L8uDKJ-PDjxfTc6sLNHgEN6KMVSQf-LPUkk9CzvGqc3VsbH2Uw-R4uV0LShXf_lPsTJ2Yc5ot-n_Jw/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdxRk1zFByX_UmP8Uf7DMTkZq7pbdde6fkHOWI_TLFbnuydI25TgkIaA5L8uDKJ-PDjxfTc6sLNHgEN6KMVSQf-LPUkk9CzvGqc3VsbH2Uw-R4uV0LShXf_lPsTJ2Yc5ot-n_Jw/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493660412047739634" /></a>I had hoped for a little more Gaga/mall shopper interaction. It would have been so wonderfully awkward. For the most part, the Gagas were kept together and away from the crowds. Although I did enjoy watching people ride up the escalators and get an eye full of Gaga when they got to the top. Fantastic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-EgrupU-cOHt__yO-De5tEEra-Ou2mJELKklrMbfZZozdNFIN77IMGG7mmQZYGee9nsw4_dVAAKHbaItDwwWdWykE48Iv7W2hMGCN9AtJOPIzgaSbFoKzImZcrJujbvVkv6b6g/s1600/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+14.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-EgrupU-cOHt__yO-De5tEEra-Ou2mJELKklrMbfZZozdNFIN77IMGG7mmQZYGee9nsw4_dVAAKHbaItDwwWdWykE48Iv7W2hMGCN9AtJOPIzgaSbFoKzImZcrJujbvVkv6b6g/s640/0709_LOC_NS+LADY+GAGA+14.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493660402421359682" /></a><br />You can see more photos from the event over at <a href="http://bit.ly/bgulDE">caller.com</a>, plus a little <a href="http://www.caller.com/videos/detail/lady-gaga-in-corpus-christi">video</a> put together by Caller-Times videographer Michelle Christensen.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-17201016526512332822010-05-25T22:05:00.007-05:002010-05-25T22:28:44.152-05:00Beisbol<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_jGTTLHyxFipmBmHoHL9s3dQaPsqRCe4FYC1r31_TxKvCR9GfO4c-HMEMCzlxxxchKz67AXS_JTSbGLoG-0vIJtujlOWfveAE8-YOzQxWM-dqtOnt9Iu029xXI7YNSlJzlWHug/s1600/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+09.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_jGTTLHyxFipmBmHoHL9s3dQaPsqRCe4FYC1r31_TxKvCR9GfO4c-HMEMCzlxxxchKz67AXS_JTSbGLoG-0vIJtujlOWfveAE8-YOzQxWM-dqtOnt9Iu029xXI7YNSlJzlWHug/s640/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+09.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475411407304027938" /></a>The baseball action is heating up in the area. The state championships are scheduled for next weekend, and we still have about 5 baseball teams and 2 softball teams in our coverage area vying for a trip to Austin. How good is baseball in Corpus Christi? Well, we will likely have two local teams face off for the class 4A state title next weekend, and another school has a good chance at making it to the 5A title game. Needless to say, it's been a busy couple of weeks for me. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j7Yf1xX-KieyiOY4sF-qaTUlZx2xlJmn43wqh2QfxfPG-JvcOy-iQog6ra_GKrjY5yffeGffh6-AUtLa-60mV8mfi6A7aFTDxncZ3Zna2Z1Yi2x1geXnWu8Sy0RvxqGJq6-b4g/s1600/0501_SPO_SOFT+KING+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j7Yf1xX-KieyiOY4sF-qaTUlZx2xlJmn43wqh2QfxfPG-JvcOy-iQog6ra_GKrjY5yffeGffh6-AUtLa-60mV8mfi6A7aFTDxncZ3Zna2Z1Yi2x1geXnWu8Sy0RvxqGJq6-b4g/s640/0501_SPO_SOFT+KING+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412721966755506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJiTIJYcQBz4F02WJbuP5jEA46iH6lbn1tEsuXx2ys3mYVoTEHMGYTpU_YL8CVei4r8jAbCC15tOwe_Q29LLnqNZ9d434vJ0Ze2j0YbkIJ5EtqAHoIP-yqEHOHaIGqzr5qDfKeg/s1600/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJiTIJYcQBz4F02WJbuP5jEA46iH6lbn1tEsuXx2ys3mYVoTEHMGYTpU_YL8CVei4r8jAbCC15tOwe_Q29LLnqNZ9d434vJ0Ze2j0YbkIJ5EtqAHoIP-yqEHOHaIGqzr5qDfKeg/s640/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412732380914754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDanHuDr28nTOheXn6dPgBTDOZ_KmZVAzy_t8dkqmcTocd8A_m8sx3M83ZrdTZjzpb_me4hWQmf4Npz26V28gICiZ_ymUZWE7e-1fhJ4WgYJ8YxgACp9bJbEwhs8E30J3G1TuKbg/s1600/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDanHuDr28nTOheXn6dPgBTDOZ_KmZVAzy_t8dkqmcTocd8A_m8sx3M83ZrdTZjzpb_me4hWQmf4Npz26V28gICiZ_ymUZWE7e-1fhJ4WgYJ8YxgACp9bJbEwhs8E30J3G1TuKbg/s640/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412736171266514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjuIA1VslOde6CK6vNGeuclu5I3HIE-4yo6wNa1yX7l4TKlczGKmTOEnRXZXfWh_m2GV6hmaPWiKqGQMJ7JGtiSm7B6VQtjM0iGnHFFz9Mwiu0tv9ATm9jdRKiQagTjLq9fkd2w/s1600/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjuIA1VslOde6CK6vNGeuclu5I3HIE-4yo6wNa1yX7l4TKlczGKmTOEnRXZXfWh_m2GV6hmaPWiKqGQMJ7JGtiSm7B6VQtjM0iGnHFFz9Mwiu0tv9ATm9jdRKiQagTjLq9fkd2w/s640/0522_SPO_BASE+BISHOP+RIVIERA+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412726142687714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQe8n1e90V6xENGeqbyJNdACNnIp03LPSYqHOHyjggAzvq-OnvQ8DKZA91Wq3xUlgWOmJ4AlZ5nIo0m5_sGo8dXKdfhoS4G0aFnxAzTO_BQYvGNQAhPZ9wu8BP7Jv7Lbgx1oNCQ/s1600/0509_SPO_BASE+FLOUR+BLUFF+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQe8n1e90V6xENGeqbyJNdACNnIp03LPSYqHOHyjggAzvq-OnvQ8DKZA91Wq3xUlgWOmJ4AlZ5nIo0m5_sGo8dXKdfhoS4G0aFnxAzTO_BQYvGNQAhPZ9wu8BP7Jv7Lbgx1oNCQ/s640/0509_SPO_BASE+FLOUR+BLUFF+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412742743835314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TQr9Y5oGlQY6gxCTLlwUhguJLhD3ObRMJ-egfoxBij6_P7boPqZe7FD-p5nlgTHpIbI85eBBo6ArIsbhE-nmiBWHRLPHno9JUmjCoLBlj0fF-THuH9Wx3jSX7sQmo0yxFziNsg/s1600/0521_SPO_BASE+MOODY+07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TQr9Y5oGlQY6gxCTLlwUhguJLhD3ObRMJ-egfoxBij6_P7boPqZe7FD-p5nlgTHpIbI85eBBo6ArIsbhE-nmiBWHRLPHno9JUmjCoLBlj0fF-THuH9Wx3jSX7sQmo0yxFziNsg/s640/0521_SPO_BASE+MOODY+07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475414713319411378" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-33378519605832137432010-05-04T12:55:00.002-05:002010-05-04T13:14:03.850-05:003-Point-Oh No!Oh, Las Donas, I had such plans for you. It was going to be bold. It was going to be beautiful. Mostly, though, it was going to be so <a href="http://mikezamora.blogspot.com/2009/12/reboot.html">Scripps 3.0</a>. But, alas, I was denied.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzvLJoT7CZbGaYbEJjgV5mY5lJLoKVcXftuz5t_X5nZ169AhrHvRDycCKknHh950OISauwPHBGp5xps5Q1Qwmxz3Z6fST0obw9CC3APUtnQY8d02a6jjYoOqtKdClvwAmaRaqYA/s1600/050410+01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzvLJoT7CZbGaYbEJjgV5mY5lJLoKVcXftuz5t_X5nZ169AhrHvRDycCKknHh950OISauwPHBGp5xps5Q1Qwmxz3Z6fST0obw9CC3APUtnQY8d02a6jjYoOqtKdClvwAmaRaqYA/s640/050410+01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467285638917797330" border="0" /></a>The Las Donas de la Corte held their annual Buc Days Coronation last week. It's an event where young girls dress up in jewel encrusted gowns and crowns before one is named queen of the court. It was actually an event I was looking forward to covering. I had a great time <a href="http://mikezamora.blogspot.com/2009/05/coronation.html">last year</a> and was given some great behind-the-scenes access. So this year I had big plans. I brought a video camera, a backdrop, portable studio lights and a sort-of-fleshed-out idea about taking off-beat portraits and photo-booth style pictures. It was an awkward mash up of ideas that stemmed from <a href="http://mikezamora.blogspot.com/2007/02/pageant-portraits.html">something I'd done before</a> and <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/141957/glee-photo-booth-cory#s-p2-sr-i1">something I saw on glee</a>. Hey, I'm trying here.<br /><br />Of course, you know what happens when you make plans. After hauling over all the equipment things started to unravel. I had issues with the backdrop, and had to slice my backdrop paper almost in half to fix it. Suddenly it was way too narrow. Soon I realized I was missing equipment, I had a busted tripod and I had brought the worst roll of tape from the newsroom with me. But I wasn't going to let that stop me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62RObEkFvRPF5O8io6OVKel2KfPUFdG3zmbV23prTtXmsU-tNci8rFUgPXOn8nndnxrL0sqHw9qGDV_OSMMx7c7VLkoW1lJxozxF2dLvU1ctzLlC4nY5mUUQ8qhd5FLawKYFZZA/s1600/coronation2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62RObEkFvRPF5O8io6OVKel2KfPUFdG3zmbV23prTtXmsU-tNci8rFUgPXOn8nndnxrL0sqHw9qGDV_OSMMx7c7VLkoW1lJxozxF2dLvU1ctzLlC4nY5mUUQ8qhd5FLawKYFZZA/s640/coronation2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467476692548233058" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq-rNqRoX9MiBlQ0a7WIajkIvAmHIu_L6eeswnRcePqEmvsoK_mGsTkVbs5BRcZsUPcRHIwCuoPefpEF4CUUrJE-ioe0hDz6S7JRnbr34CiXWfSbQTkHbQAS_-29OBNalqFc_YA/s1600/coronation.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq-rNqRoX9MiBlQ0a7WIajkIvAmHIu_L6eeswnRcePqEmvsoK_mGsTkVbs5BRcZsUPcRHIwCuoPefpEF4CUUrJE-ioe0hDz6S7JRnbr34CiXWfSbQTkHbQAS_-29OBNalqFc_YA/s640/coronation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467476697896632098" /></a>So what did stop me? Well, a mix of things. Two girls in, I did have a couple of decent portraits, but I wasn't getting the audio/video I needed. Plus I was running out of time. Mostly, though, it was some miscommunication (mostly on my part), and I didn't get quite the same access to the girls as I thought I would. But there was still a paper to put out. So when it became clear this was all falling apart, I buckled down and focused on the still photo. Oh well. I'll save my half-baked ideas for another time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jywyr_M7BpF2LEb6q5bXYHj-mKc72jmvSadFr0bQfA6XkdAQqaC1hvDB7cmt_HmnJYHgKuptIiFyFlsYrHi74k15OkCky8qzyC22klkMa3BP0ZUm3EBckc7mRE6Y_3b1agsVmA/s1600/050410+03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Jywyr_M7BpF2LEb6q5bXYHj-mKc72jmvSadFr0bQfA6XkdAQqaC1hvDB7cmt_HmnJYHgKuptIiFyFlsYrHi74k15OkCky8qzyC22klkMa3BP0ZUm3EBckc7mRE6Y_3b1agsVmA/s640/050410+03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467288969994994498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbTIorqxzN7oeGIL5GR_gd9cVq3NIRJVqMEeDDx5iUHRNTcrzMfSbX0IFu08FP4vyF2F-RCUTvqjcpX5qHSJwiOpXofUAy6nPbj0Qb0_JCi0ZfiiQlYs5cE77E-U_dVkI3iSG0g/s1600/050410+04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbTIorqxzN7oeGIL5GR_gd9cVq3NIRJVqMEeDDx5iUHRNTcrzMfSbX0IFu08FP4vyF2F-RCUTvqjcpX5qHSJwiOpXofUAy6nPbj0Qb0_JCi0ZfiiQlYs5cE77E-U_dVkI3iSG0g/s640/050410+04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467288958739596642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWhT_BUGIl-HX9eSYW_hKKJV6iGgskP12jvfMokzDIkXDvN9HrK8SWySA0X_7Ux0H1ODxvGpYRXU67EYtxkjeWfMZcyceNjgrVZVJ-lOAVaUalwe2EKXzPZBHiuJ3S2NeIQKZUA/s1600/050410+02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWhT_BUGIl-HX9eSYW_hKKJV6iGgskP12jvfMokzDIkXDvN9HrK8SWySA0X_7Ux0H1ODxvGpYRXU67EYtxkjeWfMZcyceNjgrVZVJ-lOAVaUalwe2EKXzPZBHiuJ3S2NeIQKZUA/s640/050410+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467287716391313826" border="0" /></a>Despite my multimedia meltdown at the coronation, I was still set on milking Buc Days of its 3.0 potential. I figured the annual Illuminated Night Parade would be perfect. More than 150,000 people line the streets to watch this night parade, so it seemed like a no brainer to do something with it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nLBvYxvPWgcC3qDViy2qYEHG25tpG7nHteYLTYw2VLGFDjs6SICSeB7XUuZFJhMgwTtTRZ01gnEBAqI_g63JTZfzEGgdk1KWgLwlHD80k29Im4pi8ugkiFJidmituJXTuV_PYA/s1600/050410+05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nLBvYxvPWgcC3qDViy2qYEHG25tpG7nHteYLTYw2VLGFDjs6SICSeB7XUuZFJhMgwTtTRZ01gnEBAqI_g63JTZfzEGgdk1KWgLwlHD80k29Im4pi8ugkiFJidmituJXTuV_PYA/s640/050410+05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467310542096354274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJzmz19KLfpkoy-2m0jeNQKdmykeZJBi4hUOCGEwAo8Cg0iKxo9hOyfsLBT3Zi7NlM100TjGHy32mf_uOo_crbMXVjMpBkzSHQqoMAH9-9XHP8suf9tXwo3SQMSGAH4bC2-fwyA/s1600/050410+07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJzmz19KLfpkoy-2m0jeNQKdmykeZJBi4hUOCGEwAo8Cg0iKxo9hOyfsLBT3Zi7NlM100TjGHy32mf_uOo_crbMXVjMpBkzSHQqoMAH9-9XHP8suf9tXwo3SQMSGAH4bC2-fwyA/s640/050410+07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467314479770279746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85PbiJdLsaSl0r-RUjwX9J3Z-VsUrBxUgqzV1xqfcCVygYtgaj9ubTwNDqbiUv4TBBY7YhMgFw6eOhAlTxyFjGK8-7nIXai6Wn18SouZb_wCyu61sxqXea6mtSqEP9RWrYlzK4w/s1600/050410+06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85PbiJdLsaSl0r-RUjwX9J3Z-VsUrBxUgqzV1xqfcCVygYtgaj9ubTwNDqbiUv4TBBY7YhMgFw6eOhAlTxyFjGK8-7nIXai6Wn18SouZb_wCyu61sxqXea6mtSqEP9RWrYlzK4w/s640/050410+06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467314470092072258" /></a>I didn't want to do a slideshow or edited video or anything. My bright idea was to livestream the parade on our newspaper's website. I figured it would be super easy. As an added bonus, I volunteered to cover the whole event myself. Each year we usually have two photographers cover the event: one focuses on the street parade and pre-parade set up stuff, and the other hangs out in the stadium where the parade starts to catch the pre-show and crowning of Miss Buc Days. It's more a matter of deadline timing (and sanity saving) then it being too much for one photographer. Or so I thought.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaB1HDxU4Dz7RLARt9Zxx6CW0NkwYbKQiJOk0Je5JbxmX59Ms57WU6vBdi6wlvrUXLVCXuIcm-QDx7heV8-feS2PMqpuVI4suWX8Mlo0kHxcvlG0XHMH5QznFkPGZWgEKHFa7u1g/s1600/050410+08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaB1HDxU4Dz7RLARt9Zxx6CW0NkwYbKQiJOk0Je5JbxmX59Ms57WU6vBdi6wlvrUXLVCXuIcm-QDx7heV8-feS2PMqpuVI4suWX8Mlo0kHxcvlG0XHMH5QznFkPGZWgEKHFa7u1g/s640/050410+08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467312831619577058" /></a>Well, I won't do that again. Not only was I exhausted by the end, but setting up a live cam is harder than I thought. It was such a pain, mostly because I didn't know what I was doing. The camera kept cutting out at important times like, oh, when the parade would start or when I was frantically trying to turn in photos on deadline. Of course it streamed crystal clear when I had it set up wrong and all you could hear was the judges banter and not the actual parade. Oops. <br /><br />Anyway, it was a rough ride on the 3.0 bandwagon last week. The hardest part about having to do multimedia with the daily stuff is that the daily stuff is always going to be the priority. The print product is still our bread and butter, and any multimedia I try has to get crammed into the spare time I have between shooting stills. But I'm not going to let this discourage me. I'm going to write this one off as a Buc Days curse and try to recollect my motivation. At least I don't have to worry about Buc Days for another year. I wonder if it's too early to schedule a vacation for next year?Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-73045731357777154152010-04-24T18:47:00.003-05:002010-04-24T19:50:20.805-05:00Buc Days BluesI'm not sure how to describe it, but the last couple of days I've been trying to shoot things very "flat." Not necessarily physically or tonally flat, just sort of emotionally flat, I guess. Muted, maybe. It's just the general mood I've been in lately.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq87TZzNCJzY3_BGjzxldsaGTCtKgaRmcSvUIY5V1_uWpZ0qS-wiz1pRe3x7iib9lQeKWToBDtgvnEpy9iS7e6S22yUfxCF7TV3uMkbGrWQ5hRRJOFw8CqZPcoPB-RXAEHQe4IkQ/s1600/CARNIVAL+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq87TZzNCJzY3_BGjzxldsaGTCtKgaRmcSvUIY5V1_uWpZ0qS-wiz1pRe3x7iib9lQeKWToBDtgvnEpy9iS7e6S22yUfxCF7TV3uMkbGrWQ5hRRJOFw8CqZPcoPB-RXAEHQe4IkQ/s640/CARNIVAL+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463858501426468098" /></a>Yesterday evening I went to the Buc Days carnival armed with a 70-200mm and a 50mm 2.5. No wide glass. They only wanted one photo for the paper, so I let myself be extremely selective about what I shot, trying to avoid the same old happy-kids-at-the-carnival scene I always seem to get. I took a lot of pictures of carnival workers, for some reason, and used my 50mm almost exclusively. The above photo stood out to me. It was something about that longing look on his face coupled with the blurry joy of the corn dog eating cops going by. At first I liked the photo, then I really started to hate it. Then I convinced myself it was brilliant. Now I'm not sure how I feel about it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTKwmfABAKk7UXe1sdsVD5rrbu1lxS2Gb2Nm-hJvVCiDRSakzuGydEY2UKTNCEoYq0Hng_aZIID-zpfE8U6FY_eZDAZZ-XgGrN6YTV92I96SAMl7Q21ScEXaBYHu0k74fVv1nEw/s1600/PARADE.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTKwmfABAKk7UXe1sdsVD5rrbu1lxS2Gb2Nm-hJvVCiDRSakzuGydEY2UKTNCEoYq0Hng_aZIID-zpfE8U6FY_eZDAZZ-XgGrN6YTV92I96SAMl7Q21ScEXaBYHu0k74fVv1nEw/s640/PARADE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463858508403594146" /></a>I continued my quest today when I went to the Buc Days Junior Parade, which is the annual children's parade through Corpus Christi. I'm not really a fan of children, and I really hate parades, so it was sort of my perfect storm of assignment frustration. OK, it wasn't that bad. I won't say I enjoyed it, but I didn't hate it either. I had to abandon my trusty 50mm, but I still found a couple of "flat" images I liked.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-29945452104215240352010-04-22T22:44:00.006-05:002010-04-22T23:32:30.048-05:00(Not My First) Rodeo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xf-AnhupgBjX8S4KVIHJlzsvSTmqL4mDSzYzTy4PgPB3I4DyTnC-yIdKR2BQamL8SKx_KTOtJfF45nTZhKx3JSsq9xvP6ByysjiZog8AViZJ_9LWPLI5YYG86yEdUdYyOlqEcA/s1600/0423_SPO_RODEO+02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xf-AnhupgBjX8S4KVIHJlzsvSTmqL4mDSzYzTy4PgPB3I4DyTnC-yIdKR2BQamL8SKx_KTOtJfF45nTZhKx3JSsq9xvP6ByysjiZog8AViZJ_9LWPLI5YYG86yEdUdYyOlqEcA/s640/0423_SPO_RODEO+02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463174258123559602" /></a>It's been a while since I've shot a rodeo, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Past experiences have taught me that rodeos are tough gigs. At my first job in Wyoming, the rodeo was serious business. Cheyenne Frontier Days was televised (somewhere), so the organizers were very particular about their image. They wanted the look of their rodeo so authentic that I wasn't allowed to just stroll in and shoot in normal clothes. No, any media in the arena had to wear a western shirt, boots and a cowboy hat (bolo optional). Then we all got thrown in this half underground pit with poor air circulation, just waiting for a wild animal to come running by and spray dirt and dust into our prison-like pen. Yikes! <br /><br />At my last job in Arkansas, they were pretty into their rodeo too. While I didn't have to dress like a cowboy, there always seemed to be this obsession with lighting the event. Unlike Wyoming, which was during the day, Rodeo of the Ozarks was in the evening. So most years I'd help haul a car load of lighting equipment, grips, cables, extension cords and locks to Parsons Stadium to set up lights. The lights never seemed to work so well for me, so I'm not sure I really got much out of it. On years I managed to avoid the set up, I'd seem to luck into shooting the last day of the rodeo and have to take all the equipment apart and haul it all back to the office. Exhausting!<br /><br />Well, here in Corpus Christi, people couldn't care less about the rodeo (or much else, really). And I like it. Everything was much more laid back. No press pass, no cowboy hat, no lighting equipment. No worries. The light inside the arena wasn't great, but it was predictable. I just strolled in, shot for an hour and then split. Easy!<br /><br />But I got to be honest. Even though I got some photos I liked (steer wrestling is my new favorite sport), there's is something a little more fulfilling about working a little harder to get a good shot. The years of rodeo nightmares were actually memorable (and dare I say fun) times. I won't be telling stories about shooting the Buc Days Pro Rodeo, but, hey, after all these years I think I was due an easy rodeo shoot. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EDGrBVkxkQlBp1VaGhgq0NZ69CzRT7jlq0jV85rKB7o7SW0B645tMDT2XWGPe4a4Xu3xh6Yap5D7-zHhIYBE4SIYyX653Iz5oK_lsN94FpvOyhXQgWP8EL0wt01fQ5Jfccle_g/s1600/0423_SPO_RODEO+01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EDGrBVkxkQlBp1VaGhgq0NZ69CzRT7jlq0jV85rKB7o7SW0B645tMDT2XWGPe4a4Xu3xh6Yap5D7-zHhIYBE4SIYyX653Iz5oK_lsN94FpvOyhXQgWP8EL0wt01fQ5Jfccle_g/s640/0423_SPO_RODEO+01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463174266877256242" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqX7LjBGvQgEAmNRubi5a3v-ni_4WdRtRHUTKpme7DLGKnVQ1cdvJ5jzBGTaOjNt81Y1QFAxuVy__uV5gGZ9bB-paKJCvjPAH7_wKS8crE0aTS7n1DYKelTp9mvZURxGKy-tDIw/s1600/0423_SPO_RODEO+06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqX7LjBGvQgEAmNRubi5a3v-ni_4WdRtRHUTKpme7DLGKnVQ1cdvJ5jzBGTaOjNt81Y1QFAxuVy__uV5gGZ9bB-paKJCvjPAH7_wKS8crE0aTS7n1DYKelTp9mvZURxGKy-tDIw/s640/0423_SPO_RODEO+06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463182302807710434" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWbGKCtEX_hndg2FlL4Rn53UUvaRQZwE70V6j4_PZMpUwGa5Ch1GJU_SIO0O0804lxk4tV7sC2hCfu7XyaYzyWCqJ0vYoYTv0ec8gWgw5QIrOJub0Mfqb0Qak54Bsckl3FLwCbA/s1600/0423_SPO_RODEO+03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWbGKCtEX_hndg2FlL4Rn53UUvaRQZwE70V6j4_PZMpUwGa5Ch1GJU_SIO0O0804lxk4tV7sC2hCfu7XyaYzyWCqJ0vYoYTv0ec8gWgw5QIrOJub0Mfqb0Qak54Bsckl3FLwCbA/s640/0423_SPO_RODEO+03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463174273160284114" /></a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32231969.post-89450170020399713412010-04-17T16:55:00.003-05:002010-04-18T15:41:34.300-05:00Pie Guy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvIu-euXKxqni683stSvtii12xZwG4co3pvvGGypazZN_RW8mUiWRBmuLEVKlbgzhj1BYI2QsbQewJiMw8GgO26wRscsrZCEO6-ABU6Rp6piwZhNVs9AU_mzkgyKbtuf6pB5ieg/s1600/pieblog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvIu-euXKxqni683stSvtii12xZwG4co3pvvGGypazZN_RW8mUiWRBmuLEVKlbgzhj1BYI2QsbQewJiMw8GgO26wRscsrZCEO6-ABU6Rp6piwZhNVs9AU_mzkgyKbtuf6pB5ieg/s640/pieblog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461228970967786290" /></a>I was taking pictures at a private school's annual festival today. That's where I noticed an awful lot of overly eager kids lining up to throw pies at one of their teachers. During a pause in the action I got the teacher's name. I understood why his booth was such a draw once he told me his title: Dean of Discipline. What an intimidating title. If I were a student, I'm not sure I'd have the courage to through a pie at this guy. Actually, I'm not a student and I still don't want to cross this guy.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08792813682923795094noreply@blogger.com0