Football at its Finest

The crisp fall air, the moderately clouded sky, and the Nikon D-300 with a 400 mm lens that rested on my shoulder as I walked the sidelines was the perfect combination for a Gator football game. Attending a football game can lighten any Gator fan’s mood, but something about capturing the moments that fans hold so dear to their hearts makes my trip to the swamp like a trip to Disney World as a five year old. Going into my second football game, I had ideas of where I wanted to improve and what kind of shots I wanted to grab. I took the typical Tim Tebow shot of clapping hands from the Hawaii game to a low angle shot that places his face with the sky behind him. I was able to capture closer action shots than the last game, and I hardly broke a sweat. Aside from a few camera problems, the game turned out great. While I was walking off the field, I felt a shimmer of excitement from the reality of my accomplishments. A year ago at this time, I was a fan in the stands with a dream to one day photograph a Gator football game. I wanted to stand on the sidelines, breathe in the football atmosphere and capture amazing photos that look very professional. As I walked down the tunnel today, I realized my dream had become reality.

Feeling at Home...

The rain was continually slowing, stopping and then coming down again throughout the parade. I think I placed a Wal-Mart shopping bag over my camera at least three times in an hour and a half. Still, the parade went on, and people were lining the streets dressed in ponchos and Gator shirts. Aside from the rainy weather, the parade was not much different from last year. What was different than last year, however, was my experience.



Last year I walked away from the parade feeling like a failure with the photos I had produced. Not only were the photos lacking in interest, but I had failed to initiate any drive to grab photo opportunities during the parade because of fear.



The parade was new, big, intimidating and confusing to me last year. I was determined to make this year different. I went out there with a positive, confident attitude and thought, “No matter what, I am going to make myself conquer this fear.” I had let go of last year’s memories and hit the ground running. I am happy to say that I have come a long way in a year’s time. I am happy to say my photos surpassed last year’s by miles.

So-So Soccer

Amidst the light drops of rain and cool temperature, I stood on the side of the soccer field and photographed the UF v. Arkansas game. I used my friend’s Nikon 400 mm lens with his D300 for the first time, and it was great. Since I normally use the Canon 40D, the Nikon took some getting used to. Although I have much to learn about photography in general, I felt the experience with the other brand helped me expand my horizons. I loved the crisp image display, fast auto focus, and best of all – the focal length! I’ve shot a few different sports before this game, but this was my first soccer game. I was mostly learning how to use the camera and lens since I will be using them again during the Kentucky football game this weekend. I enjoyed the experience and am very thankful to the friend that is lending me his equipment.












For this shot, I turned around and noticed the scoreboard's reflection in a large puddle while rain was falling from the sky, so I took a few shots. This is what I came up with:

God's Blessing

On Saturday morning, I went to take pictures at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in High Springs, Florida for the "Blessing of the Animals" ceremony. The “Blessing of the Animals” is a tradition in the Catholic Church that takes place on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. He was known to have a kind heart for animals. So, I got to bear witness to several community animals getting blessed and took a bunch of pictures.



There were cats, dogs, horses and one turtle – who is nameless. It was small, it was short, but it was meaningful.





Between all of the howling of the dogs and the jittering of the horses, the group of community members gathered there sang a song in harmony. It was beautiful.

Crazy for Paisley

Last night I covered the Brad Paisley concert for the Alligator here in Gainesville. I have never covered a concert like this before, so I didn't have any precise expectations. The one question I had in my mind was, "What are the fans going to do once Brad comes out?" I was by the front of the stage alongside one of my former photo teachers, and everyone swarmed around us. Even though I felt claustrophobic, I couldn't have been surrounded by happier fans, which made for some great pictures. Among the obvious celebrities there were a few local celebrities including: Bernie Machen, Brooke Helvie (who auditioned for American Idol), and Tim Tebow. Overall the experience was great and I learned a few things along the way.



published:




Jewel was one of the performers as well: