Atlanta Outtakes

A couple of random photos left over from my trip to the SEC Tournament in Atlanta.

The sports reporter and I took the MARTA subway/train thing a couple of times while in Atlanta. I think public transit areas are so ripe for people watching and photo opportunities. These were just a couple of quick shots from the hip as we were navigating our way back to the hotel. I wish I had time to take pictures around the city while I was there, especially along the MARTA. I could have spent all day in the train station just observing the different people and quietly trying to capture life on commute.


Here Florida basketball player Joakim Noah hams it up for the cameras while he waits for the live CBS interview after the game. It was kind of funny, but obviously I was on the wrong side. I don't know if you saw his interview, but I thought the he came off extremely cocky, almost arrogant. I guess when you are as good a player as he is, you can get away with that.





So I picked up a CD yesterday, kind of on a whim. That usually results in a fantastic discovery or an amazing let down. This kind of fell somewhere in between. It's called "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!" from the band Hellogoodbye. Apparently they have a top 40 hit that I hadn't heard before. Good thing too, because the single, "Here (In Your Arms)," isn't all that great. The CD isn't bad, but it's kind of all over the place. One song sounds like a remixed dance track, another is a light, mall punk anthem. Then there's that ballady acoustic song thrown in for good measure. Overall, though, its fun and an easy listen. Here are a couple of my favorites so far:

Homewrecker.mp3 by Hellogoodbye
Oh, It's Love.mp3 by Hellogoodbye

Championship Bound

What is going on with this team?

Apparently coach Stan Heath's prayers have been answered. After today's semi-final round win, the Arkansas Razorbacks are heading to the championship round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament tomorrow. Now the team will likely get an NCAA Tournament bid regardless of the outcome, thus saving Heath's job and ensuring I get maximum mileage out of my trip to Atlanta.

So unlike today (sorry Mississippi State), tomorrow everybody wins. How did that happen?

Fantastically Random (or, A Beyond Useless Post)

Rather than just regurgitate the fantastically average photos I shot from the Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt game (they won, another day in Atlanta, yeah!), here are some photos from the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament that will never see print.

Even if my newspaper did want photos from the Kentucky vs. Mississippi State game (they don't), these photos would still never run. Kentucky (the blue team) lost and Mississippi State won, making these photos beyond useless. I still like them though.



Keeping with the theme, here are a couple of extremely random songs that have made their way onto my play list. They are very much on the fringe of what I normally listen to. The Sigur Ros is not only random, but the Icelandic band's song is in another language. Once you get over the initial, "what the hell is this" shock, it's actually quite fantastic and beautiful. I'm still on the fence about the Dntel (yes, it's suppose to sound like that in the beginning). Dntel (aka Scott Tamborello) makes up half of a group I like called The Postal Service, so this song from his new album gets a pass. Finally, the Ms. John Soda song is an old favorite. For some reason it has resurfaced and become the theme song for my trip to Atlanta. In fact, I made all but one of these images while listening to this song on a continuous loop. Enjoy.

Seaglopur.mp3 by Sigor Ros
Dumb Luck.mp3 by Dntel
A Nod On Hold.mp3 by Ms. John Soda

March Madness

The first round of play got underway today in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, held in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

I fully expected this to be a "one and done" situation since the Razorbacks have had a less than successful season, but Arkansas actually won their game against South Carolina (82-52). This means that not only do I get stay in Atlanta another day, but I will likely miss the indoor track meet back in Fayetteville.

No one was more excited about this win then me.

Well, except maybe Charles Thomas and Patrick Beverley.


The first half of the game was kind of boring. Both teams played pretty poorly in the beginning, but there were pockets of action here and there. In the end Arkansas dominated the second half and everyone came away happy.

Well, except South Carolina I suppose.

On The Bubble

Arkansas may not be at the very bottom of the SEC, but head coach Stan Heath is feeling the pressure. The Razorbacks' post-season chances, and Heath's job, are on the line heading into the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, I'm praying the Razorbacks can win at least one game in the SEC Tournament. If not, that means I'm headed back to Arkansas early. I've never been to an SEC tournament where Arkansas has made it past the first round, so recent history isn't in their favor.

Dandy in Vandy

I had the chance to shoot the Arkansas at Vanderbilt game yesterday, and this was my favorite shot. It didn't run in the paper today, but I understand why. Arkansas won the game and the players are finally on a hot streak after a pretty dismal season, so a photo that makes Arkansas look like they are out of control or doing a poor job doesn't work. It's just dandy for the blog, though.

Speaking of doing a poor job, its been a while since I've posted some music. I'm sure almost no one cares, but I'm excited about these song and think they are worth sharing. Give them a listen:

Thank God It's Fatal
The newest CD from artist Andrew Bird comes out later this month. The wild whistling, violin playing singer is responsible for what is probably one of my favorite songs (Mysterious Production of Eggs' "Sovay"). His new song is lush and infectious, and I can't wait for his new CD to come out.

Heretics.mp3 by Andrew Bird

Shining Bright
Conor Oberst fronts the sometimes rotating line up of performers for the group Bright Eyes. This coming week they release the CD single "Four Winds." I've heard a few of the six songs on the disc, but this one remains my favorite.

Tourist Trap.mp3 by Bright Eyes

Jenny Was A Friend of Mine
Scottish singer/songwriter Paulo Nutini was recommended to me by a friend at work. I don't know much about him, but he's got a great voice. The CD is extremely polished (almost too clean and perfect in production) for a first album. Definitely worth a listen.

Jenny Don't be Hasty by Paolo Nutini

Pageant Portraits

Just call me Mr. Beauty Pageant. On second thought, don't.

I was assigned to shoot my third pageant in as many months, and I really wanted to do something different. Part of my motivation was me wanting to do really good work, another part of it was just not wanting to shoot another pageant. The result, a behind the scenes mix of portraits that I really liked.

My plan was to grab girls in various states of getting ready and take a nice portrait of them. Here, a contestant practices singing with a CD player before the talent competition.
My set up was kind of tight. I set my backdrop right at the end of a hallway that T-ed with the main hallway the girls used when they walked from the dressing room to the stage. I wanted to be close enough to grab them on the go, but not right in the middle of a high traffic area. I kind of sprung this idea on the pageant director a few hours before the start, and she wasn't all that keen on it. I convinced her to let me set up, but she was very unsure about having me back there.
Occaisonally I would turn my soft box around 180 degrees and sniper the girls as they walked back and forth in the main hallway to change clothes. I made a mini backdrop and set it up in the hall to keep the photos somewhat uniform looking.
At one point one of the girls turned and looked right at me as she walked by. She was framed perfectly on the small backdrop. I love her position and her face. She nailed it.


Before I came to the pageant with a car full of lighting equipment, I sketched a few things out just to be safe. I'm not always the most creative on the fly, so I wanted to make sure I had a few ideas in my head. It's not uncommon for me do this, but I was surprised how some of my sketches translated almost exactly in the camera. That almost never happens.

A few more examples:
The sketch
The result
The sketch
The result
The sketch
The result
It was a long night, but I thought I came out with some nice images. I was really glad some of the girls were really open to the idea. Some more than others. Overall I had a good time, but I really hope I've shot my last pageant for a while.

A Walk in the Park

I'll admit that nature really isn't my thing. I enjoy a beautiful day, but I can enjoy it just as well sitting behind a shaded plate of glass in a climate-controlled environment. Obviously today I didn't have that luxury. I was out on a mini nature hike with two older guys as they talked about how they hoped to buy 14 acres of private, wooded land in the middle of the city and turn it into a public nature preserve.

I rolled my eyes at the thought at first. There seems to a lot of groups in the area doing the same thing. Do we really need another one? But after touring around the place all morning, I started coming around. The area was quite lovely. It would be a shame for it all to be turned into another group of over-priced condos.

Overall the little hike wasn't bad. The only negative was when the old guy guiding me and a reporter took us up a steep embankment. We had kind of zig zaged our way down to the little pond and meadow, but to get back the guy charged straight up an endlessly high hill. About half way up I thought about calling quits, rolling back down in defeat and finding my own way out. But I was not going to let some retired older man put me to shame. Maybe I do need to get outside more.

Opening Day

I'm not a big baseball fan, but I always get oddly excited about the start of the college baseball season. This year I was so motivated I put a little slideshow together. I don't know if I'm getting better at these, but I'm definitely getting more efficient. It took me some time to edit all of the photos, but the audio I hammered out pretty quick.

The game was a double header, so the afternoon sun provided some interesting light in the second game. Here a kid walks between some of the added concrete stands built into the newly extended concourse. Below a batter lets a ball go by highlighted by some cool blue shadows.
Click here if you want to see the slideshow.

Broyles Blues (or Frank Faux Pas)

So today the University of Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles announced he plans to retire after 50 years of service. Unless you live in the state, you probably don't think its a big deal. But here in Arkansas people can't get enough of the drama that has been Arkansas athletics in the last few months.



I was the only photographer from my newspaper, but the competition was out in full force. Here three of their photographers, Mike Woods, Dan Hale and Paul Rutherford, talk about how much they schooled me.

Like any good drama, the event was well scripted and even had some surprise guests. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones showed up to lend his support. Apparently he and Broyles go way back. By the way, I so sat in Jerry Jones' chair when it was all over.

Overall I didn't think I did that bad. I'll admit I didn't have my A game, but I was happy with what I had. Until I got back to the office.
I thought this photo, with Broyles kind of laughing at stories about himself, was a nice moment. When I showed it to my editor, he was less excited about it. Much less.

Fun With Devastation

Members of the Lady Tigers basketball team react from the bench as the Lady Wildcats extend their lead during the final minutes of Rogers' loss to Springdale Har-Ber.