Looking Beyond the Horizon

Pound It

2011-04-09T16:21:00.001-05:00

The All Sports Media Party arrived once again with the usual appearance of Danny Wuerffel. Sam Acho, a defensive end from the University of Texas, won the annual Danny Wuerffel award for exemplary community service and academic achievement. Above Acho and Wuerffel pound hands before interviews. This year's former star player was none other than Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly, who played for the Buffalo Bills after the University of Miami. Below Kelly laughs with a community member:

Danny Wuerffel shakes the hand of a fan during the All Sports Media Party.

Fort Walton Beach beats Escambia 59-50 on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011.

Niceville beats Fort Walton Beach 9-3 on Friday, March 11, 2011.

Paxton defeats Laurel Hill 6-3 on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

Students watch as a woman who weaves baskets shows them the steps it takes to create different kinds of baskets. This was part of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War "School Day" event put on by the Walton Guard reenactors on Friday, April 8, 2011.

Some of the reenactors allowed the students to hold the rifles to see how heavy they were.

My updates have been slower now that I am working on a photo story about a homeless man working his way back into society through a shelter called Opportunity Place. The project is about half way through and will be updated on here upon completion.

www.melphotos.imagekind.com
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Livestrong for Lockwood

2011-02-11T22:40:00.001-06:00

Livestrong. That is what Ian Lockwood was all about and all his teammates knew it. Being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2009, Lockwood overcame the obstacle and was cancer-free last summer. Only in recent months did the cancer return to claim his physical life, but it failed to eliminate the impact his heart and spirit had on the community. The senior Navarre High School football player was well loved and supported by family, friends, and even others who never knew him personally. Many of those people gathered together on a dreary Friday afternoon at the football stadium to celebrate his life and shed a few tears. Former UF football coach Urban Meyer and former UF safety Ahmad Black (top photo) were present at the service and released black and yellow balloons along with Ian's parents symbolizing their release of Ian into heaven.

Here is Ian Lockwood in October of 2009. I took this photo during half time of their homecoming:

The Navarre players rally together and raise Ian's helment to honor their friend and fellow teammate:

Many cried and held hands tightly during the service:

Urban Meyer hugs Ian's father as his mother wipes a few tears:

On Wednesday, Feb. 2, a car wreck occurred on Highway 20 across from the new Walmart in Niceville. Here was one of the cars with damage:

Rocky Bayou beats South Walton, 1-0 on February 3rd:

Choctaw defeats Rutherford, 8-0 on February 3rd:

Choctaw loses to Washington, 55-53 on February 4th:

Fort Walton Beach beats Niceville, 45-14 on February 5th:

Students from Wright Elementary sing during their Black History Month Program:

Video:

Choctaw loses to Pensacola, 48-45 on February 11th:

Choctaw defeats Ponte Vedra, 3-0 on February 11th:

Check back for more updates!
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Playful Pygmies, Pumped Players, & Prideful Participants

2011-01-30T19:08:00.000-06:00

Pygmy goats are entertaining, almost like dogs. This assignment (on January 19th) was a feature piece on a lady in Holt who owns a goat farm:

Video:

Fort Walton Beach plays hometown rival Choctawhatchee and wins 43-40 on Friday, Jan. 21st:

Right after the girls play, the boys duke it out on the court and Fort Walton Beach wins their third-straight series game, 60-50:

For the third year in a row, I photographed (and shot video) of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade on Highway 98 and Hollywood Blvd on Monday, Jan. 19th. I took a different approach this year and focused my interviews (for the video) on MLK's vision of helping others:

Video:

In the Boys soccer District 1-4A tournament, Choctaw battled West Florida Tech and won 9-1 to claim the district title:

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Point~of~View

2011-01-16T20:52:00.001-06:00

With the New Year underway, I thought I would take a fresh approach to my blog this year. With the amount of time I will be spending at the Daily News, I decided to add more images and less words to each post. Unless something needs an extensive explanation, only a sentence or two will describe each image. Here are images (and a video) from the first two weeks on the job. The top image is from a controlled burn off Highway 98 last Wednesday.

Two cheerleaders throw plastic basketballs into the stands during the grand opening ceremony of the new arena at the Northwest Florida State College campus in Niceville:

Men's hoops game on the night of the grand opening:

A snowbird getting his hair trimmed at the Winter Guest Fest on Okaloosa Island on Friday, Jan. 7:

Parents at Plew Elementary School are first place in the country for their recycling efforts:

Fort Walton Beach boys basketball vs. Niceville on Friday, Jan. 14:

Northwest Florida State College's women's bball on Saturday, Jan. 15:

Same night, same school, but the men play:

I captured a struggle for the ball during both games:

The men seem more dramatic:

VIDEO:

The 39th Annual Epiphany Cross Dive into the bayou by a local church:

That is all for this week! Post comments! And check out my site for purchasing these images: www.melphotos.imagekind.com.
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~ David & Kendra Becker Wedding ~

2011-01-06T21:50:00.003-06:00

Christmas trees, mistletoe, and ... wedding bells? There is a reason this season is considered "merry" and "jolly" and what better way to capitalize that feeling than a small, holiday-sprinkled wedding at an intimate bed and breakfast establishment located a bouquet's toss away from the bayou. Just the day after Christmas in a climate too chilly for tank tops, the final preparations began to unfold as the wedding party and guests arrive at the destination one by one.

The bride suits up in the old, new, borrowed, and blue while chatting away with her bridesmaids before the ceremony. Like every wedding day, there is always something that goes wrong - like forgetting the bridesmaids' hair pieces - but on the flip side there is always someone to call to run that errand when needed.

Camera phones make great mini cameras... and also great photographic opportunities when all four of her bridesmaids zoomed in on her just for the perfect capture. Knowing she is one of the two most important people of the day, the bride rolls along with it and makes a few faces to please her audience.

After making her way down the staircase, the bride and groom wed next to the house Christmas tree. A prayer and a few scriptures were read during the ceremony and a pre-empted "I do" was spoken by the groom when the pastor recited the vows he was to repeat. A few giggles arose from the crowd - and the bride as well - but the room quickly grew quiet again as the couple confirmed their vows with full hearts.

The union is the most emotional for the parents, who can hardly fight back tears as they watch their child take a monumental life step.

Not as traditional as a toast, but nevertheless the groomsmen and the groom clink their cups together in celebration and friendship.

The sunlight from the window overlooks the groom's cake, which rests directly next to the jingle bells that would later be used to send off the excited couple.

The time came to dance...and dip.

Before the bouquet was tossed, the couple sat on the stairs and joked around with family and guests.

The bride hugs her father just before they danced.

The bride loved the porch swing and wanted a memorable image with her husband there.

The song "Sweep Me Off My Feet", written and composed by an absent friend, moved the bride to tears as she listened to it play in the background.

The bride takes one last look and waves goodbye to the guests as her and the groom head out the front door.

In this short, simple, but sweet wedding and ceremony, the strive for excellence, improvement, and raw emotion in my images was imperative. As my second wedding, I found I was more comfortable and confident as a photographer. I knew the crucial moments to capture and when to let my camera battery rest. I knew when to boldly jump in for a tight shot and when to lay back and grab the overview. I knew that striving to get the best shots for the bride and groom was my utmost priority and the core essence of the storyline in images. I also knew this was something I planned to keep on doing for the rest of my life.

'Tis the Season for Sports

2010-12-26T19:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some images from the past month and a half of sports. First, Choctaw vs. Niceville girls basketball at Choctaw on Dec. 17, 2010. Choctaw 57 - Niceville 15:

Fort Walton Beach boys basketball vs. Niceville at Niceville on Dec. 9, 2010. FWB wins 59-48:

Niceville boys soccer vs. Choctaw in Niceville on Dec. 3, 2010. Niceville wins 4-1:

Fort Walton Beach vs. Niceville at FWB on Dec. 2, 2010:

Choctaw boys basketball vs. Crestview at Choctaw on Nov. 29, 2010. Choctaw won 65-54 and solidified Coach Marc Tisza's 289 win making him the winningest coach in the school history:

Northwest Florida State College's girls and boys basketball on Nov. 27, 2010. The girls won 75-61 and the boys won 68-67:

Playoffs: Freeport vs. Northview on Nov. 26, 2010 at Freeport. Northview won 21-12 over Freeport:

Playoffs: Freeport vs. Liberty County on Nov. 19, 2010 at Freeport. Freeport won 27-14:

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FWB Falls, Freeport Flies, Crestview Crumbles

2010-11-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to updating the last three football games. First is the Niceville vs. Fort Walton Beach game from October 22. Niceville won that game easily, 31-13. This picture was published:

These blow horns smothered the night air with their sounds as the game progressed. This was the first game I heard these blaring the entire time:

The next Friday, Oct. 29, I traveled to Baker to photograph their game against the Freeport Bulldogs. As a reoccurring photographer at the Freeport games, I predicted a Freeport win, which indeed happened, but not quite as easily as I expected. The Gators put up a good fight but ultimately fell short as Freeport won 42-34. This published image reminded me of the game, Baker and Freeport were mostly neck-and-neck until near the end of the game with Freeport being out on top (Freeport player's hand higher):

Video of the game:

Finally, this past week I photographed a district rivalry game that was radiating with intensity and passion unlike any game I've seen this entire season. Crestview played Niceville at home, and the team that was struggling just over a month ago seemed to be different team that wanted this win more than anything. They almost had it too, but Niceville prevailed, 28-27. This image was published:

Video of the game:

Briefly, a few weeks ago I was assigned to photograph a homeless stand down at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Walton Beach. They gave them clothes, toiletries, medical check ups, flu shots (photographed below) and a hot lunch from the Golden Corral (also pictured). My heart warmed seeing the help these people received and increased my desire to use my talents as a photographer to help those in need. Stay tuned for more on that later.

Till next time!
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~ Mr. & Mrs. Chris DiSalle ~

2010-10-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

10.10.10... Not planned that way, but probably one of the most memorable dates to get married. A friend of mine (who I met last year when I worked at the Sheraton on Okaloosa Island) got married this past weekend and asked me to be their official photographer. This was my first wedding, but I did my research and preparation for the occasion in the weeks leading up to it.

We met up to discuss the details and fortunately we both wanted the same things from the images. She wanted me to go with her to her hair appointment, follow her and her finance around before the ceremony to capture them getting ready separately, capture the ceremony and of course the reception. After her hair appointment, I drove her back to the Sheraton hotel (where the ceremony & reception were to take place) and followed her up to her parent's hotel room where the bride, maid-of-honor, mother, and a couple friends got ready. The bride, Tasha, applied her make up on in front of a full-length mirror attached to the closet door by the front door.

Before the bride put on her wedding dress, I scampered over to the groom's room in another building and captured him and his best man getting ready for the ceremony. The best man still needed to pin his boutonnière on, so after trial and error, the groom gave him a hand.

Carrying a bag from the groom, I walked back up to the bride's room in time to catch her finishing up. Without informing her to do so, she walked over to the window to watch as the ceremony was being set up outside. Then, without seeing her finance all day, she caught a glimpse of him waiting for her on the walkway and continued to gaze at him for several minutes.

After a few last minute details, the bride and her mom, dad and sister (also her maid-of-honor) waited by the elevator as they headed to the ceremony. Spending the last few minutes as a single woman with her family was both emotional for her and for them.

Now the time for "I do" arrived, and neither the bride nor the groom were hesitant to say the words. The ceremony was small with about 40 guests (including myself) with simple, elegant music being played on an iPod to start everything off. The whole wedding lasted about 10-15 minutes from the vows, to the rings, to the kiss.

The quick ceremony gave me ample time with the wedding party for the post-wedding photo shoot. I started with the whole group and worked my way down to the bride, maid-of-honor, groom, and best man. I took the traditional jump shot several times until I captured the best shot.

Then I cleared the beach of any guests and spent some time alone with the couple. I wanted them to be as comfortable as possible with few distractions. I hardly had to give them much direction as they both found joy in sharing these precious moments with each other as if I wasn't around. That's the way photographers like it.

A close-up of the rings and bouquet was a must-have.

Walking toward the sunset...

Finally Mr. & Mrs. Chris DiSalle made it back inside for their reception. After sharing a dance with each other to their song, "Here" by Rascal Flatts, the bride and her father took the dance floor. This is when the raw emotions began to surface.

The traditional bouquet toss was at hand and two of the people closest to the bride (her sister on the left and best friend on the right) leaped after the bouquet with all their might. Her sister was the winner.

A little Champaign and a little cake never hurt anyone, especially at a wedding...

As a special gift to her sister and maid-of-honor, Tasha presented her with a scrapbook of their childhood together. Her sister could hardly hold tears back and immediately embraced Tasha with gratitude and excitement.

Several hours (and drinks) later, the bride and groom were ready to part from the crowd and head into the night. At their request, the guests lined up with sparklers on both sides of the pathway and lit them up as the newly weds walked underneath. Then, the couple lit their own pair and embraced in a kiss.

From the make-up, wardrobes, elevator rides, barefoot walks, "I do's", soft music, scrumptious Hors d’oeuvres, sparkling Champaign, fluffy-light cake, signature moments, and radiant sparklers, the wedding was an overall adventure (as a guest) and success (as a photographer). Even though I had a place setting, I avoided alcohol and stuck to the meal and cake only. Still, I lifted my glass of water and drank to the toasts for the couple and still managed to click the shutter enough times to capture the moments worth treasuring. Knowing I was able to do that for a friend made my first wedding (as a photographer) more special and memorable than any other would have been.

Now, as I venture on into more weddings in the future, I plan to spend time and get to know the couple and their families to truly learn the essence of who they are as people. That is the key to photographing a wedding. You must know your subjects so that your subjects are known through your images.

Battle of the Bulldogs

2010-10-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

October 8th:

Last week's football game was a county rivalry of South Walton versus Freeport at the South Walton High School. What looked like to be a never-ending, scoreless game at the half turned into a 15-0 upset for the home team. Freeport left victorious but still has much work to do for improvement. The last photo of the series was published.

October 15th:

Yesterday's game centered on Freeport again but this time on their home turf. The Bulldogs battled the Chiefs (Northview) in a game that visually resembled the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. The Chiefs scored first but the Bulldogs took control of the game to win it, 27-13.

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Purchasing Photos and Additional Information

2010-10-09T00:02:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I currently hold an internship at the Northwest Florida Daily News. It is unpaid (with the only income being mileage reimbursement) so to make up for some of the money I would normally be making on the job, I was able to come to an agreement to open an account at a site where I can sell some of my images.

The site only offers certain sizes, so if anyone is interested in purchasing 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, etc, then e-mail me personally with the image name, size preference, and quantity, and I will take care of it for you (I will also need a mailing address to send you the finish products). As of now I am unsure of what those prices will be but I will update with that information as soon as possible.

If you have any other questions or concerns please e-mail me at: melijewski@gmail.com

Thank you!

The "Miami" HEAT is On!

2010-10-02T17:24:00.002-05:00

When I was asked to submit paperwork for Miami Heat practice credentials last week, little did I know how amazing of an opportunity the week would bring. Sure I knew this was the Miami Heat - a professional NBA team that has captured seven division titles and won the 2006 NBA finals - but this was just a simple practice session right? Yes that might be so, but this was their "spring" training and I had a upfront and center pass to watch it all happen.

So what makes this team so special? If you ask most people, they would say Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James. The three paired together for the first time on the same team courts excitement and anticipation for what the new season will bring. I, for one, find myself more curious about the team since photographing them three times during the duration of the week. It all started Monday night with their arrival ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base:

LeBron James - deemed the most popular player of the team - slaps hands of the fans that appeared on the base for their arrival (above image, published in the Eglin Dispatch). Fans cheer and take pictures of the team as they stand on the stage at the welcome ceremony:

LeBron James talks to a fan as he is leaving the hangar during the welcome ceremony at Eglin:

Wednesday Practice:

My first opportunity to photograph the team arrived. The media gathered outside of the base around 9:30 a.m. and was bused onto the base where we waited in a designated room before our 30-minute coverage opportunity around noon. Then it was time. As I walked into the dimly, semi-naturally lit gymnasium, the sounds of basketballs hitting the gravel coupled with the vision of the players bouncing them around the court struck the excitement and anticipation in me to get straight to work photographing the event. Here is LeBron James guarding Juwan Howard:

LeBron James dribbling toward the basket:

Friday Practice:

I received another chance to photograph the Heat on Friday. With the reporter's angle focusing on two former University of Florida players, I shifted my focus to those two players as well as an other interesting moments I could capture. After practice, I had to rush to secure a spot as the media flocked to the players for interviews. Here is a shot of Dwyane Wade with his legit smile:

LeBron James goes for a basket:

Mike Miller, one of the two former UF players, runs a play during practice:

Really tall Chris Bosh smiles as he talks with the media:

These two were hardly seen apart (except during practice time) and joked back and forth. Here Wade (right) laughs at James when he refuses to tell Wade what he was supposed to tell him because "of the cameras" (as quoted by Wade):

Taking pictures these three days for the paper was epic. Not only did my confidence increase, but I grew in knowledge with my camera equipment. I found ways to utilize and work the dim gym, no-flash policy, to my advantage. Surrounded by a sea of photographers and videographers from local publications and TV networks to the AP and ESPN, I found I fit in right at home. Now all I need is more opportunities like this, and with my internship at the Daily News being so fruitful, I definitely see more to come in the future.

Friday Night Football:

Friday night football was hosted by Crestview this week and visited by Navarre. In a game that was considered "evenly matched", Navarre came out with a boom and defeated the Bulldogs 42-0. The main thing I saw that Crestview lacked in the game was heart. I weaved in between the players and coaches during the game and saw very little spark or motivation on their behalf. Maybe that is where they can start to fix their issues. Photography-wise I worked off my progress from the week before and captured a few nice images again this week. The images above and below were published:

Video from the game:

Thus ends one of the best weeks at this internship. Until next time!
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Up side of Unnatural Disasters

2010-09-26T19:12:00.002-05:00

Fire!
Where?
About 30 miles east of the Daily News' location about to jump a state road in the Eglin Preserves.

Although spread onto 90 acres of the Eglin property this past Tuesday, the wildfire was contained before it reached State Road 20, and the tree-top flames melted into thick smoke that rested like fog over a lake in the morning just before we arrived on the scene.

Branches were still burning here and there (pictured above) and fire crews still remained in the area to make sure the situation was indeed contained (top picture - published). There were no injuries and no structural damage done by the fire, and at the time, the cause behind the fire was unknown. I enjoyed this assignment even though I was unable to catch any flames. I'm sure there will be other opportunities for that.

The oil in the gulf was a terrible thing, but that doesn't mean everything that comes from it has to be equally terrible. Niceville students used the presence of the oil in our gulf area to study its impact on the marine life. They took samples from the beach in the Destin area and brought it back to their labs at school to analyze. In the first picture, the two students look at different types of worms found in the gulf water:

This student measures, records the name and depth of the sea creature, and then has another student take a picture of the final product:

This is a sample of the sand found in the water where the student divers went. All three pictures were published.

Volleyball has been a challenge for me... but one that I wanted to take on and succeed in. This week I made a few minor changes to my settings and my shooting habits and found the results to be very positive. I captured several great shots and submitted two for print. The middle one appeared in the print edition. This game was at Fort Walton Beach and against the Niceville Eagles. Niceville won the match 25-8, 25-15, 25-15.

Video from the game:

Then came Friday night football. Coming off of a successful shoot in a low-light, fast-paced sports game, I applied many of those new changes to this football game and found equally-pleasing results. The game was at South Walton, who was the winner against the Baker Gators, 21-14. The top image was published.

Video of the game:

This was South Walton's homecoming game, and since I am a photographer that shoots for print and online galleries, I photographed some of the homecoming ceremony. The senior who was crowned the homecoming queen was genuinely shocked at her nomination, so I caught a few frames of the moment along with a student's reaction to the announcement:

That is all for this week. Check back next week for more and visit the Web site:
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www.varsitysportswest.com

Reliving the Adventure... through images

2010-09-20T15:38:00.005-05:00

Sometimes going back in time can be fun. Our thoughts can carry us there during a down moment, our friends can reminisce about it through conversation, or the simple act of noticing something familiar can trigger the memories and feelings from that time. I can't speak for most photojournalists, but every so often I like to travel back in time through my images and take a closer look at the events I photographed. With the college football season underway, I felt the itch to go back into my Gator football folder and dig through a game I photographed on the sidelines in 2008. As I did so, I found a plethora of photos that went unnoticed my first time around the editing process. Out of those images, here are some of my favorites:

This was during the Tim Tebow era and the National Championship-winning season. The game was against South Carolina and the odds were with the Gators.

This season had a bundle of talent like Aaron Hernandez (81), Tim Tebow (15), Jeff Demps (2), Percy Harvin (1)...

...and Brandon Spikes (51).

Smiles escaped Urban Meyer even after an interception by Brandon Spikes was caught and returned for a touchdown (above image). Urban's sturdy, blank stare was a common reoccurence through the rest of the season and the following year. Now Urban has turned that frown upside down - at least for the good parts of the game.

The offense during the Tebow era had more running game. Let me rephrase that, the offense had a more powerful running game. Tebow took hits like no other quarterback and images like this might become more scarce with the current quarterback...

...who is John Brantley, a more pro-style quarterback who has been known for his throwing capabilities. Here he is as a back up in 2008. Since then he has grown more in his skills and has become more built and toned.

The fans are just as loud, passionate, and expressive now as they were then. However, I feel the reactions might be more on the negative side now than it was during that season.

Let's not forget the former coaches. Steve Addazio started as the offensive coordinator last year after Dan Mullen left for the head coaching position at Mississippi State. Here is Mullen after the game in 08:

Ahmad Black still reigns as a strong safety in the Gator Nation. Here Ahmad celebrates after catching an interception (something he is highly known for doing):

Tebow takes a snap:

Jeff Demps is the only player besides Brantley and Ahmad in this blog post that is still a player on the current team. Hernandez and Spikes were drafted after last season to the New England Patriots, Harvin was drafted after the National Championship to the Minnesota Vikings, and Tim Tebow was drafted after last season to the Denver Broncos. Here is Demps back in 2008 meeting some fans after the game:

But my question is, where will Demps go after the season? Right now he is orchestrated as one of the best players in the nation. He most definitely has the fastest speed out of any runningback and can out run many of his opponents, but he is only a junior and could easy decide to stay for his senior year next year. Whatever the case may be, the Gator offense is explosive with him there and could quite possibly provide some spark during this lackluster season of Gator football.

Now that I have found and relived some of the most precious moments in my photojournalistic history, I can place these memories back in my past by safely storing them away in that file folder like a scrapbook stuffed away on a shelf...

Or I can keep them here and use them to remind myself of the adventures I can have and capabilities I already have as a photojournalist.

I think I'll do the latter.

Pace, Prisoners Of War, and Pinwheels

2010-09-18T21:48:00.001-05:00

Fort Walton Beach High School could not keep up with the "pace" of the Pace Patriots during this week's Friday night football game. Pace defeated the Vikings 34-9 in a heavily one-sided game. This was my first trip to Pace High School and the first half alone was very uneventful for FWB. They were chosen among many sports analysts to be the favorite to win the game, but they couldn't get any momentum going, especially in the first half. I only caught that part of the game because of deadline, but it was still a fun game to shoot. The image below was published:

A Pace player makes an interception and returns it for a touchdown:

VIDEO:

Earlier that morning, I covered the National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the Air Force Armament Museum. The ceremony started inside with a couple guest speakers and then proceeded outside with a wreath presentation by a local elementary school, a rifle volley, and a fly over by the 40th Test Evaluation Squad. I shot still and video from the event. Both images were published:

VIDEO:

Thursday evening I headed over to Niceville High School to photograph the volleyball game against Choctaw. The Niceville Eagles pulled off the win over the Indians 25-16, 25-5, 25-8. In this game I tried to get some different angles than the standard shots with the net and came up with a few good shots.

This image was published:

Video:

I had forgotten all about those paper pinwheels that teachers have you make in elementary school. This assignment was a childhood reminder. Different grades participated in the creation of these concoctions for the Pinwheels for Peace project to mark the International Day of Peace (which is 9-21-10). These seventh and eighth graders enjoyed decorating and assembling the pinwheels and placing them in a cup holder that grew into a pinwheel bouquet. And I enjoyed watching them do it.

This image was published:

That is all for this week. Check out the Web site for more galleries and videos:
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www.varsitysportswest.com

No Nonsense Navarre

2010-09-11T22:13:00.001-05:00

"Interesting" is the word I would use to describe the Navarre vs. Walton High School football game last Friday night. Sure, football can be interesting in general, but this game kept the players on their toes... as well as me in shooting the game. Once when Walton scored after several drives, Navarre came right back and scored on the next. The game breezed by quickly as far as momentum, but for me, the hour was up much slower than expected. The faster I obtain my shots for print and my video for the web, the more relaxed I am with the pace. But I love the games with big plays and great opportunities for images, and this was one of those games for me. Navarre won the game 42-36 after almost losing it during the second half.

Video for the Web: (Visit www.varsitysportswest.com)

Player runs for a touchdown (photo for print):

Earlier in the week, I practiced shooting a volleyball game at Choctaw to make sure my camera was working properly. After a messy situation with a rainstorm two weeks prior where my camera stopped working, I wanted to make sure no further problems would occur while using it in a sports assignment before football on Friday. Sure enough, the camera worked fine and I caught a few good shots of the Choctaw vs. Crestview game:

This next week I start back at my internship full time, so expect more shots next week after Friday night football.
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Falling back into Football

2010-08-29T23:09:00.003-05:00

Fall has begun... at least with high school. And with this new beginning comes football season, my favorite time of the year. This season started a bit shaky for me with the first football game occurring during a massive down pour, but I stuck with it and shot both stills and video for the paper and Web site. The game was the Kick-Off Classic at Niceville, and they beat Washington 20-3. These two images were published:

The Video:

The down pour made everyone bring out their umbrellas or ponchos:

A month prior to this game, I photographed a kids football camp at Navarre High School. Here is the picture that ran in the paper:

That is it for now. I should be updating more frequently with more high school football pictures as well as volleyball and other daily assignments soon. Check back later.
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Summer time Joys and Woes

2010-07-29T20:55:00.002-05:00

Kody Williams - a Navarre football, basketball, and track player - was the All Sports Association/Daily News Boys' Athlete of the year. I was asked to shoot the portrait and tried a couple poses before settling on this one. The photo ran on June 13th.

On June 10th, Niceville held its graduation of the seniors and I shot it again this year for the paper. This was the published photo.

Several weeks ago, a high school student was killed in her driveway by another driver. Her grandma (pictured here) and family was devastated at the lost but the community showed its support of their loss through the funeral and beach memorial. Here her grandmother relives a moment in time when her daughter and granddaughter pose for a picture during the Miss CHS pageant.

On July 10th, I traveled to Okaloosa Island to photograph the Wildlife Refuge setting up their new location with the animals. This picture was of a fox named Franklin adapting to his new home for the first time.

Another assignment I covered on July 10 was a semi-pro football game between the NWF Falcons and the Crestview Thunderbirds. The Falcons won 27-6.

The End is Really Just the Beginning...

2010-06-09T23:35:00.002-05:00

A teen at Freeport High School struggled with the odds to gain a high school diploma. A couple weeks before her graduation, I was sent to photograph her at the school possibly working on homework in a classroom setting. With that out the window once I arrived, I had to come up with a setting myself and took her outside to do just that. Once I saw the welcome mat, I knew what I wanted to do. The picture above is the final product and was published at the end of last month.

I got a second helping of spring football this year with two more games during the last week of May. The first set of pictures was the Navarre v. Pensacola Catholic game on May 28. I traveled with Nick to this game, which the Navarre varsity team won 13-6 at the half, and the top picture was published in the print. Pensacola Catholic went on to win the entire game at 32-13.

On the previous night, I traveled solo to cover the Rocky Bayou v. Vernon game in Destin. Vernon kicked Rocky Bayou out of the water by beating them 75-0. Vernon's J.J. Roche led the team to victory and made some amazing plays. The second photo was published.

The first graduation I covered this year was at South Walton High School. I borrowed the Daily News' laptop and traveled over an hour to the school to photograph the ceremony. The students were already ready to go when I arrived even though I was about 45 minutes early, so I worked on shooting print images during the ceremony itself instead of beforehand preparation moments. The top image was my favorite of the bunch and the published image for the next day:

Many of the graduates had problems keeping their hats on their heads. I loved catching those moments:

Signs in the crowd by proud family members are always cool shots:

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What is spring without some football?

2010-05-23T22:05:00.002-05:00

Spring football...two of the most refreshing words to hear during the month of May. After feeling football withdraws for the past 6 months, I finally was able to satisfy the anticipation of shooting my favorite sport of all time. Last Thursday, I traveled to South Walton High School and photographed their game against the Baker Gators. Being on the sidelines again was great and only increased my desire for September to arrive. I only stayed half of the game, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The first and third pictures are action shots of the game, and the second photo was a touchdown celebration by a Baker player:

I was able to photograph this year's All Sports Association/Daily News boys weightlifter of the year for the print. I had him lean toward me as I took a low-angled shot to enhance his muscles and strength. When I took and toned this picture, I liked the elements in the background, but in hindsight, it wasn't as great as I thought it was. I didn't want a plain background, but I wanted some form of placement in an environment. I don't regret the idea of a crowded background, but I should have chosen a different background to create that effect. Still, a photographer never grows unless they try different things whether they turned out good or bad. This picture wasn't horrible, but not as strong as I would have liked it to be. You be the judge.

In the beginning of the month, I was given the opportunity to shoot a spring practice at Freeport High School. I spent about an half a hour there and grabbed a couple shots for print:

This next week I plan to photograph two more spring football games. Look forward to those pictures next.

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You Win Some...and You Lose Some...

2010-05-01T21:09:00.003-05:00

This was another slow week in the photojournalist part of my life, but it was not unbeneficial by any means. Wednesday I decided to hang around the office on my own time to see if any good spot news or assignments would come up. Sure enough, some spot news did occur, and I was rushing to the scene to capture what I could. A van's gas tank exploded when it being removed from a van at Big Iron Environmental in Fort Walton Beach. I arrived in time to see the firemen putting out what was left from the explosion but never caught any flames. The photo was not published but placed in an online gallery on the Web site.

Shortly after the spot news, I tagged along with Nick and photographed Okaloosa County's Middle School Track Championships at Choctaw High School. The kid above won the boys 1600 and beat the county record by running it in 4:44 (country record = 4:46). Once he realized his accomplishment, he began cheering in celebration. Below is the girl who won the girl's 1600 and strained just to pass the finish line:

Friday morning amidst the gray storm clouds, I photographed a group of middle school kids from Calvary Christian Academy who were raking leaves as part of a service project. They were very enthusiastic about the project as well as my interest in taking their picture. This image was published:

This last photo has no real significance except that the moment caught my eye and I had to photograph it. The turtle on the far left of the picture was lifting its head in a similar pattern to the branches that poked up from the tree:

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Hardcore Weights & Softball Blunders

2010-04-27T01:06:00.002-05:00

The last few weeks have been slow with my trip out of town among other things, so my pictures were limited. I got a call last week to shoot another studio portrait of a weightlifter who won first place at the 2010 A.P.A. Raw National Powerlifting Championships. He bench pressed 512.5 pounds during the championship without supportive gear. So, I walked into the situation with a few ideas but came out with the one above. I wanted to accentuate the green gargoyle crushing skulls statue, so I used the snoot to center the light on him and the trophy. By using the snoot, I was able to allow the background to be swallowed up in darkness as to once again accentuate the subject. Overall, I was happy with the outcome.

Thursday I drove to Paxton to capture the District 1-A championship game against Central. Paxton won the game 6-3. The top picture is one of the Paxton players sliding safely into first base and was published in the paper. This picture was of a Central player dropping the ball after it was hit into the outfield:

This girl ran back to second base after being chased down at third base and slide face first into the base:

She definitely got sand in her eyes, but she was alright:

Hope to have more to update next time!
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Spring, Sprints, and Sports

2010-04-04T19:13:00.005-05:00

This past week one of the staff photographers was off, so I volunteered to come in and work his shift for the week. I only had one assignment on Monday (which is later in this blog) so I will start with Tuesday. I came in at 10 a.m. each day, and on this day my first assignment wasn't until after noon. The paper was doing a story on spring break and the impact on local businesses. I was sent to Fudpuckers in Destin to photograph anything about the business as a feature to go with the story. I captured a few people holding the small gators they have there (top) and a group of people eating (below). The top picture ran in the paper as the main photo the next day, and the Associated Press in New York called the paper to ask them to put the photo on the wire! The photo later appeared on yahoo news with AP credit. That was the highlight of my week.

The photo editor then sent me to Alvin's Island to photograph the business as a part of the same story. The business on the Island isn't doing as well even though the Panama City and Pensacola ones are doing great. So the idea was to capture that in an image. Here is what I came up with:

Wednesday morning I was on a wild goose chase trying to find a place to photograph a group of runners in the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Their purpose was to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics. By noon, I finally caught a group as they were about to hand off the torch to the next group:

Later that day after being misdirected to the wrong game, I finally made my way to Fort Walton Beach high school and photographed the second softball game in a doubleheader. The Vikings won this game 11-1. The action has increased since the start of the season, and I was able to catch a few interesting shots. Here is the one that ran in print:

Thursday served as another interesting day as my first assignment was at the Boardwalk photographing a camp of kids that learned what to do if they find a beached dolphin. The kids started by learning a little about dolphins and then split into teams of about 5-6. They then were taught how to place a dolphin onto a stretcher and carry it a few feet onto the sand. The kids got really excited and dumped water all over the fake dolphins...and on each other. This photo was published:

I drove to Fort Walton Beach High School to photograph four boys that are a ranked 7th nationally in track. The idea was to capture an image of the four of them in a non-posed fashion. But since they were expecting me to call the shots, I had them run side-by-side for a "picture" and then snapped a few frames when they were walking back for the next shot. This ended up being the picture I submitted:

The last assignment of that day was a softball game at Northwest Florida State College. The Raiders won the game 9-8 in the last inning. I only stuck around for a little while and capture this image for the print:

Friday morning was my last assignment of the week. I traveled onto Eglin Air Force Base to photograph the re-designation ceremony for the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501. The squadron was redesignated as the VMPFAT 501 that day and will begin training the first pilots on the F-35B near the end of the year. Here one of the members of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing stands in attention as the Marine Flag is unveiled during the ceremony:

Rewinding back to Monday, I photographed a brother who received a few quilts on behalf of his brother, Daniel, who was injured in Afghanistan. The quilts were presented by a woman from Quilts of Valor. Here his brother looks over the quilts:

Going back to the week before, I photographed two games: baseball at Fort Walton Beach and softball at Niceville. The baseball game was against Navarre High School, where Navarre won the game 8-1.

The softball game was Niceville against Crestview with Niceville taking the win, 6-0.

till next time!
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Pumped Up

2010-03-21T21:15:00.002-05:00

This past week has been interesting. I've wanted to break into studio portraits for awhile but never had the chance to do so. I talked to the staffers at the Daily and Nick informed me of an upcoming opportunity. Since I had brushed up on my studio knowledge with Nick a few weeks prior, I jumped on this opportunity with a surge of confidence. The girl was weightlifter of the year, so I started to contemplate ideas a couple days in advance and came up with the idea to make her hold a weight up with only her finger as if it was "effortless" to do. The final published photo is above. I received great feedback on the picture and can't wait to take a shot at studio portraits again.

Friday I photographed my first baseball game of the year. I used the paper's 300 as well as my camera with the 200. The photo above was a runner trying to return to first base when the second baseman retrieved the ball and chased after him. The runner was tagged out and the inning ended. Baker pulled off the win by beating Freeport 7-6. Ironically I intended to get more familiar with the 300 while out there, but my best shots came from my 200. The first base was too close for the 300, so I had to switch back and forth. I'm sure in the future I will gain more exposure with the 300 and grab some great shots. I just hope next time a baseball doesn't hit me in the leg. Yeah, that hurt.

Tuesday I photographed a softball game at Crestview. This was my first softball game of the season where there was plenty of real action. I caught a few catches and a dramatic slide into home plate (below). Crestview was winning against FWB when I was there, but FWB pulled off an 8-3 win by the end of the game.

After her home run, she hugs a teammate:

Elliot Point Elementary School lost its art classes like many schools around the nation, but they decided to do something about it. The Parent Education Team formed an art committee to provide the students with an art classes every other week. The fifth graders that attended the class were instructed to sketch and color flowers that filled up the page:

The art volunteer helped the students understand the kind of drawing that artist Georgia O'Keefe did so that they could draw their flowers to the fullest:

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Rough Waters

2010-03-12T21:02:00.002-06:00

The last couple weeks have been slow but interesting. Last Saturday was a long, 11-hour work day with the paper that was completely unexpected. It started with a morning assignment at Duke Field with Air Force reservists that exercised their skills in a training session. Some of the exercises they did were searching & handcuffing, tending to the wounded, and fire-on-fire field training - like in the picture above. I enjoyed the wide open field, the cool fall-feeling breeze & warm sunlight, and the reservists with their impressive skills.

When I arrived back at the office Saturday afternoon, Nick told me about a plane that crashed in the Gulf near Topsail Hill State Park. So, I abandoned working on my pictures and rode with him to see what we could capture. The plane was already submerged when we arrived, but I caught the coastguard out in the water trying to rescue the two pilots that went under.

This picture of the park ranger was published in the paper. We had to walk over a mile on the beach just to reach this point and take pictures. I also captured the helicopter that circled the area. Sadly, the two pilots died.

Friday night I had a chance to tag along with a reporter as he ventured into a local club with state lawmen who were doing an inspection of the place for violations. The Nipa Hut could lose their liquor license because the lawmen determined they were violating state laws concerning alcohol sales. I took this picture of a few officers searching the premises, and it was published the next day:

A touched a bit a softball again this year and covered a game out in Freeport for the first time. The Baker girls won 7-2:

On February 27, I drove to Paxton and photographed the regional finals where they played Arlington Country and lost, 81-53:

A few days before, I traveled to Camp Timpoochee to photograph women sewing quilts together for wounded troops as part of the Quilts of Valor project. Most of the women there were older, but I found someone's daughter quilting and thought it was interesting.

That's all for now. Visit the Web site for galleries and more.
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Meeting and playing with sports celebrities

2010-02-21T19:13:00.005-06:00

Two prominent women in sports history walk side by side during a charity event at Origins Golf Course at Watersound Friday morning. One was Mia Hamm, who is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in soccer, two-time World Championship winner, and is widely recognized as the world's best all-around women's soccer player. The other is Annika Sorenstam, who is pro golfer that won 72 LPGA victories, 10 major championships, and is considered the most dominant player in women's golf. The two of them teamed up with 20 local junior golfers to play a round of 10 holes for the Annika Foundation charity event. Between Team Annika and Team Mia, the junior golfers got a small taste of what its like to play with sports celebrities...and have bragging rights to it.

One of the junior golfers made quite an impression on Annika and had the crowd roaring in celebration after her putt in the hole.

Mia was lost in a daydream just before her turn to putt arose.

Each of the golfers received their share of high-fives from the two icons. Here Mia shares one with a 9-year-old golfer from Niceville.

A steep hill on the green caused both Mia and another junior golfer to examine their options for producing the best putt.

At the end of the match, Mia and Annika exchanged a hug along with a few kinds words toward one another.

Earlier in the week, I traveled to Laurel Hill to photograph the District 1-A tournament finals between Paxton and Escambia. Paxton pulled off a 61-45 win against the Bulldogs and advanced to play Malone later in the week.

The All-Sports Association Media Party came around again and once again so did the moment to hand out the Danny Wuerffel Trophy. This year's winner was Tim Hiller, the Western Michigan quarterback who was known for his amazing stats in passing yards, completions, touchdowns, and total offensive plays. But to be a winner of this award, the player had to have amazing accomplishments off the field too. Hiller did just that with the WMU chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that he and his finance founded. So before the award was presented to him, he among other local sports winners sat in a row and signed autographs for the members and fans.

Danny Wuerffel speaks to the media about the event:

Tim Hiller hands an autograph to a fan:

Hiller talks to the media about what winning the award has meant to him:

He signs several glossy photographs of himself to hand out:

Roy Finch, the All-Sports male scholastic winner, talks to the media:

A woman photographs Tennessee Titans All-Pro cornerback and former Milton star Cortland Finnegan:

Saturday evening held two Northwest Florida State College basketball games at the campus I used to attend several years ago. This was my first time shooting collegiate basketball games in this area, so I was excited to have a try at it. I shot both the women's and men's games and found the pace very similar to the high schools in the area. The women love to argue on the court and the men love to rush to the basket. The men won their game over Gulf Coast Community College, 63-60.

The girls weren't as fortunate and lost their game to the same school, 68-51.

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Advancing Upward

2010-02-17T19:46:00.002-06:00

Basketball season is coming to a close, so all the tournaments are underway. The top picture (published) and the next one are from the Baker v. Jay District 1-2A tournament semi-final game on Saturday night. The Baker Gators barely squeaked by with a 51-48 victory in the final seconds of the game.

The other two teams to play that same night were the Freeport Bulldogs v. the Pensacola Christian Warriors, who won the game 63-35. The top image was published.

Two days before Valentine's Day, the Westwood Retirement Resort housed a room full of retired vets who enjoyed a few sweet snacks and the company of Eglin Air Force Base airmen. One man was picked from the group to be the King of Hearts (pictured below and published) and was joined by the Queen of Hearts (in second picture) picked by the group as well.

Later that evening, I went to Niceville to photograph the boys District 2-5A semifinals game against Mosley. The Eagles won the game in a 73-38 blowout and advanced to the district championship against Fort Walton Beach.

The previous week I traveled back in time by going to my former middle school - Meigs. Even though the visit was like reliving the past, the technology the students were introduced to quickly snapped me back into the current year. In the top picture, two students use clickers to submit answers on a vocabulary test.

Another form of technology the students were using was a video camera that could be uploaded through the USB port. One student records another giving his "book talk" as a replacement to the standard written book reports in the past. (Both images were published)

That night I photographed a dimly-lit soccer game with Rocky Bayou v. Maclay. Maclay won the Region 1-2A finals game 5-0. The first image was published.

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The Stepping Stone

2010-01-31T21:49:00.004-06:00

There are four years of college football where the players experience the joys of screaming fellow students cheering their names during games on Saturdays and the woes of finishing homework in time for their classes on Mondays. They ultimately leave the campus they've called home for so long and go into the NFL where their recompense is a paycheck along with more cheering fans. But somewhere in the middle of that college glory era and the dream job is another stepping stone...the Senior Bowl.

This game is a great opportunity for these senior players because it gives them a chance to showcase their ability to transition from a college player to a NFL prospect. Some are expected to do well at the next level while some are under tremendous scrutiny, like the legendary Tim Tebow.

Though Tim has been a phenomenon at the collegiate level, his mechanics have been harshly criticized by NFL scouts because it falls short of the expectations for that level. Even so, Tim is a fighter and is determined to work hard and improve upon practice and an opportunity, if only someone would give that to him. I'm sure someone will, but the way he played in this game only enhanced the doubts about his potential. Out of his 23 plays, he completed 8 out of 12 passes for 50 yards and had four carries for four yards. He fumbled twice and was sacked once. Those are definitely are not near his Sugar Bowl stats, but he walked away with his head held high.

Tebow was my favorite to photograph for this game, and obviously the fans' favorite as well since his name was chanted the most out of anyone, but I made sure to spread around the focus to as many players as I could catch. Here is a play by Alabama's Javier Arenas:

Tebow about to pass:

Wisconsin's Garrett Graham tackled:

A fan of Tebow:

West Virginia's Jarrett Brown winding up for a pass:

Florida's Riley Cooper staring off in a daze during a commercial break:

Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour celebrates with a teammate aftering scoring a touchdown for the North:

Tebow interviewed after the South's 31-13 loss to the North team:

Fans flooded the field after the game for a close glimpse of Tebow. Some wanted autographs, some wanted to touch his jersey, and others just wanted him to look into their eyes. This girl here got even more when he shook her hand and smiled at her while she told him how much he meant to her:

After making it through the crowd, Tim is interviewed by the press underneath the stands. He was disappointed with the loss but took a positive outlook on it:

Once the press was finished with their questions, Tim walked up the ramp and disappeared into the locker room:

He left the same aftertaste in many people's mouths as they wondered what to expect from him next. I was one of them.
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Putting on the Pressure

2010-01-29T22:37:00.003-06:00

I drifted back in time this past Wednesday to an environment that I used to be a part of exactly ten years ago. I wore the tight, black uniform and those small, blue goggles and waited on the edge of that diving board for the buzzard to sound off. Those days seem much longer than a decade ago, but the memories resurfaced almost as strong as the swift of chlorine that hit me when I walked into the YMCA. I only photographed this swim meet for a gallery for the Web site, but I enjoyed doing it. I was able to watch competitive swimming again and recall how I was once that little.

The first image struck me as hilarious and strange. She looks like she is being zapped, and the expression on her face further compliments that theory. I loved the look on the girl's face on the next photo down, and the one below that was a wide, low-angle shot I took before I was told to move by the officials. I wasn't violating any major rules, but I guess as a photojournalist, you have to stretch the limits until you are told where they are (unless you know beforehand).

Yesterday I was able to finally photograph a sport during the day hours! Of course it was soccer, and the girls were fairly slow. I still enjoyed shooting the game though because ever moment on the sidelines is a moment to improve. The first image was published:

Today I photographed both boys and girls basketball at Niceville High School. The teams played Choctaw in both games and only beat Choctaw in the boy's game. Here are the two published images:

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Winter Action

2010-01-18T23:09:00.005-06:00

End of 2009:

The holiday madness and some personal business matters kept me from shooting pictures and updating my blog very much these past few weeks. But here it is, finally. Just after Christmas, I covered a few back-to-back basketball games as part of a tournament at FWB High on Dec. 28. The top picture (which was published) is of the Crestview boys - who lost that game - and the two below (from gallery) are of Niceville (lost) and Choctaw (won).

The next day I went back to the high school and took more pictures of the tournament. This time I captured Niceville v. Crestview (both local teams) in which Niceville pulled off the win, 36-30.

2010:

My first assignment of the New Year wasn't like a field full of falling confetti or blow horns blaring right and left, but it was still significant. Florida is known for having snowbirds at this time of the year, but I am sure the snowbirds didn't expect Florida to be a parallel of the bitter cold winters they left behind them. With temperatures in the upper 20s for most of that week, the snowbirds made their way indoors to an annual Senior Snowbird Expo on Okaloosa Island. The expo had the typical format you would expect from one, but a few interesting tables made for some good shots. This picture is of a lady from Canada playing with a "penny toy" by the FWB's Heritage Park & Cultural Center:

(published)

On Jan. 14 - the one year anniversary of my start at the Daily News - I tagged along with Nick and photographed a soccer game. I wasn't able to practice much soccer last year (I think I covered one game with Nick) so this year I made it a priority for myself. Here is a photo I took for a gallery:

The next night I went back to the same field and shot more soccer, only this time it was guys instead of girls. I used the paper's Nikon and 300 and came up with some decent shots. Fort Walton played Niceville and lost 4-0.

(published)

Lastly, today I covered the first assignment of the New Year that was also something I covered last year - The Martin Luther King Jr. parade. I only shot video this time, but I worked hard to top last year's video and believe I succeeded. (Last year's video is under Jan 09)

Best present for Christmas

2009-12-19T10:30:00.006-06:00

Nothing was sweeter for these families than their husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters arriving home from deployment just in time for the holidays. Most of the 170 + soldiers that arrived home on a plane late on Monday night were men, but a few women walked through the line and were greeted by family and friends. With a homecoming that was supposed to be in the morning, the anxious and dreary family members were forced to wait longer as the plane was unable to land in time because of the fog. The plane finally made it in just after sunset, and by the time these families hugged their favorite soldier, time no longer mattered.

Every picture (except the very last) was published in the Hurlburt Warrior and the 2nd and 4th were published in the Daily paper.

This one was in the morning before the crowd was told that the plane would not arrive till later that night. This boy was peeking through the barricade and out onto the runway:

While I was editing the homecoming pictures for the Warrior on Tuesday, a fire was spotted at a home in Valparaiso. I took off from the office, but the 15 minute drive was too long so by the time the writer and I got there (in different cars) the fire was extinguished already. Since there wasn't much to work with, I photographed the scene with the house in the background and the fire trucks lining the street:

God knows how much I love football, especially taking pictures of it, and seems to keep finding me another game to shoot even though the season is over. Last week I got to shoot the Niceville semi-final game and now this week I got to shoot the Pensacola Sports Association High School All-Star game at Fort Walton Beach High. The "East" and "West" divisions play each other after the season is over, and the East division was the side I was to cover. The East schools consisted of Fort Walton, Choctaw, Crestview, Baker, Pace (which should have been a West school but wasn't) and Navarre. There may have been more but those were the helmets I saw. Here is the picture that ran in print:

The East side did win the game 15-8 on one of the coldest nights that I have felt in quite awhile.

This guy was certainly feeling the strong, freezing wind during the first half of the game:

That is all for now. Next update will be after Christmas so I will say it now...Merry Christmas!!!!

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To New Heights

2009-12-14T22:11:00.004-06:00

Orlando lights...
That is, Friday night lights in Orlando...yes "the" Orlando. I was already out that way for my brother's college graduation at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville that Friday, so I volunteered to travel to the game after the ceremony and take pictures. This game was my last of the season, but it couldn't have ended on a better note. With the score at 34-20, the Niceville Eagles tarred the Edgewater Eagles (mascots look so identical too) during this state semi-final game. Next week they go to state, where hopefully they will pull through with the title. The above shot was the picture I submitted on a tight deadline for the front page as well as the next photo down:

(above) Roy Finch #24, has committed to Oklahoma University next year - according to the recruit from there that talked to me during the game. With how fast and talented this guy is, I would assume he will become a big name in college over the next few years.

Kody Williams #3, rallies up the team before the game:

The emotions were wild after the game as many parents and friends hugged the player(s) they knew:

The Tuesday before, I photographed both boys and girls basketball. This top photo didn't run in print, but I liked the facial expressions on their faces, so I chose it for my blog. The Fort Walton Beach Vikings beat the Crestview Bulldogs 57-49 in this game. The second picture was published:

The Vikings beat the Bulldogs 43-20 in this game as well. This photo was also published in the paper:

Monday night I covered the annual Christmas parade in downtown Fort Walton Beach. With the exception of getting hit in the head with candy, the night turned out very well. The top picture was published in the paper and the others are in the gallery:

The Journey stops here

2009-12-06T16:13:00.005-06:00

State Semi-Finals
This Freeport game against Trinity Christian reminds me a bit of the SEC championship between Florida and Alabama yesterday. The Freeport defense allowed too many runs and their offense couldn't quite get the momentum in their favor - quite like Florida. From what I saw of the game, their hopes of even winning this game basically floated away like the balloons released by the fans before the kick off. But they had a great run (as did Florida) and have something to be proud of. This is the first season that Freeport has ever gone this far in football and probably won't be their last.

Wow, even the final score: 36-14, looks similar to the SEC game: 32-13.

What are the odds?

The above photo is a blocked kick by Freeport...I sensed that one coming. (The ball is right in the middle of the picture and was believed to be blocked by either 70 or 44)

Before I finish this part of my blog, I had to post a picture of the team waiting in mid-field for the remaining seconds of the first quarter to end. Their breath looked like a cloud of smoke and was utterly funny:

Hence my blog title:

Regional Semi-Finals
Two weeks prior to this past Friday, I was at Freeport once again and watched them dominate the Class 1A Regional Semi-Finals. The final score: 48-12 against Blountstown was not a shocker - at least to me - with this Freeport team truly dominating the game like they usually did most of the season. The second photo was the one published in the paper.

VIDEO from the game:

Earlier that week, I traveled to Crestview to photograph a girl's basketball game. They played the Fort Walton Beach Vikings and lost in a 49-38 season opener. I photographed Florida women's basketball once, so I was curious how the high school level would be. Turns out it was a little slower and of course a little darker in the gym than UF but was overall very similar. The first two were published in the paper:

This photo just struck me as interesting, so I put in on here for that reason:

www.varsitysportswest.com

"Big Green" Epic Comeback

2009-11-14T20:16:00.007-06:00

2003.

That was the last year that the Choctaw Indians beat their archrival: the Fort Walton Beach Vikings. Going into this game with five wins in a row this season, Choctaw had more to prove and more to gain against their Viking foes. The late scoring touchdown in the four quarter tied the score with about two minutes left in the game. Freddie Gray's (#21) interception catch on the Vikings drive and a touchdown a few plays later with less than a minute left in the game gave Choctaw the seven point lead that was deemed more than memorable. When the clock ran out and the Indians secured their 17-10 win, the fans flooded onto the field and cheered with the players.

Not only did the Indians break their 5 game losing streak against FWB...

They also broke the 19-19 tie in the series and raised it to 20-19.

On a night that was more than memorable to the Choctaw Indians, I found myself celebrating (silently) for one more reason than they were...

The last time Choctaw beat Fort Walton Beach was during my senior year at Choctaw. The first time I've attended the game since that night so many years ago is the time that the team finally broke the streak. Now THAT was truly the most memorable part of the night for me.

Video footage of the game along with the celebration at the end:

To say I entered into this assignment like any other football game would be a lie. Sure, a part of me is biased toward Choctaw, but I never let my personal feelings dictate how I cover an assignment. Yeah, I did want Choctaw to win, but my job is to photograph the game and capture feature images from both sides. I wanted to gather enough footage to balance the video and images with the exception of the winning and celebrating moments. If the Vikings had won, my images would have mostly contained red and blue screaming fans and players. Instead, I received a double dosage of excitement by being able to photograph and videotape my alma mater celebrating and cheering.

The closing seconds of the game were painful, that is, they were long and dragging. The energy off of the fans behind me was radiating and contagious. I wanted to break out and join them in celebrating, but I kept my focus on the task at hand. I photographed and videotaped several eager fans cheering and chanting as they waited impatiently to storm onto the field:

Once the game was officially over and the fans gathered in the middle of the field, I squeezed through the crazy Indian fans and grabbed a few good moments on video. When I discovered where the players were converging, I ran to the front in time to catch some chanting in the video and cheering in some images:

This game was by far my favorite football game to photograph/video this entire season. Covering a Choctaw game was part of it, but the suspense, the intensity, and the last-minute game-changing plays by Choctaw in this epic rivalry made this game one of the best all season. I am thankful that the staff photographer handed me the torch for this game and entrusted me with the sole responsibility to photograph football, fan & cheerleader, and band images for both teams as well as football, fan, and celebration video footage from both sides. This was by far the most work I've put into a game this season and it worked out very well.

The band photos were a lot of fun for me and made halftime fly by fast. The color guards were in front of me the majority of the shows, so I mostly have images of them performing. Here are two images from Fort Walton Beach's marching band:

These two images are from the colorguard of the Style Marchers:

If you were to ask me how that night could have been more memorable, my mind would draw a blank. If you were to ask me what I would have done differently, I would tell you a few minor issues. But, when I look at all the plays, all the photos, all the video footage, and all the screaming fans, there really couldn't have been anything better. Sure, my video camera froze on me during the second quarter and caused me to miss a few plays, and sure the intense play-making on the field had me running back and forth like a chicken with its head cut off, but it was worth it.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Stripes & Stars help us Remember

2009-11-14T19:01:00.007-06:00

On Veteran's Day I photographed the Veteran's Day Ceremony at Beal Memorial Cemetery. In the hour-long ceremony, members of our military lined the grass by the flag pole with colorful wreaths for veterans in different cities and wars. The Fort Walton Beach city wreath (pictured below) was one of the components.

The event was meaningful and sentimental, but also very predictable from a photographer's standpoint. I looked toward the crowd for some versatile images and discovered a mother holding her daughter while they sat in a lawn chair (top picture). I watched them intently and captured an image of both of them gazing up at a miniature flag. The moment doesn't tell the story of the event too well, but it adds a special touch to the overall setting. Both images were published in the daily paper as well as the Eglin Dispatch.

Tropical Storm Ida

2009-11-11T17:41:00.008-06:00

POST-IDA:

On Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, Tropical Storm Ida made landfall on the gulf coast near Mobile Bay. The Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin areas prepared for strong tropical strength winds and heavy rain leading into Monday night. The storm had passed through by Tuesday morning leaving a handful of damage in the areas close to sea level. I took a drive out to Destin today and photographed some of the damage found in the Destin Point and Jetty East condominiums. The top photo is one of the houses that had severe damage in the garage area. Below is an image of a worker at Jetty East cleaning up the parking garage area.:

The driveways were broken in half as well:

Another house a few doors down that lost the entire garage floor just a couple days after they repaired it. The paint was still drying on the walls when the storm hit and pounded the cement to the shore with a sound that resembled "bombs dropping" as the resident said.

The same house as a few pictures up, but with a wider view of the area. Trees were on the ground, garages were destroyed, and driveways were almost non-existent:

On my way back, I stopped on Highway 98 between Okaloosa Island and Destin to capture an image of some of the flooding by the road:

Before I returned home, I stopped by Meigs Park in Shalimar to see if it had any damage. I saw some of the wood by the seawall was uprooted but nothing else noteworthy. I took a snapshot of this woman walking along the damage:

PRE-IDA:

Before Ida make landfall, I drove to Okaloosa Island to look at the impact the storm was having on the beach. The waves were roughly crashing against the pier:

One guy was skim boarding on the water until he was told to stop because of the danger. I'm sure there were plenty of skim boarders finding a wave that day:

Underneath the pier:

A woman and her child walked along the beach before the storm:

www.nwfdailynews.com

For the Fallen...

2009-11-07T21:55:00.003-06:00

Florida's fallen military members were honored during a memorial ceremony at Healing Field in Crestview Saturday morning. About 239 flags were placed throughout the field, one for each soldier killed in the Iraq war, and will remain up for the entire week. I studied the crowd throughout the ceremony to locate family members and friends of those who knew someone who had fallen so I could capture a photo of them by the individual flag that represented the person they knew. Not many people walked over to the flags after the ceremony, so I worked with who was there. After taking a few unexciting photos, I caught this girl leaning against a pole and gazing out onto the street. The look on her face, the position of her legs and feet, and the flags blowing in the background inspired me to capture the moment (top picture).

The girl was with her mom and dad, who came to remember a long-time friend of theirs. The soldier was killed only two weeks after he arrived in Iraq. As she told me the story, I held back tears as she struggled to do the same. My heart really went out to her and I expressed my condolences sincerely. She thanked me for coming out to take pictures and made me feel like my presence was of some importance to her. After I finished taking pictures, my heart was so moved that I retreated back to my car and played a song by Phil Stacey called "Old Glory". I've listened to it a few times today and feel as if this assignment was a bold way to remind me of those who died in the war. I truly respect those who put themselves on the line for our country and commend their boldness, for I know I would not have the strength to do what they do. May God bless these families and friends as they deal with one of the hardest tragedies in life.
Below is a photo of the rows of flags:

Friday night fooseball...well I like the sound of that. Once again I hit the road for a game and after being sidetracked for a bit, I finally made it to South Walton High School for a rivalry game. Walton (in blue) made some amazing plays and really pulled through the game with a 43-7 win. Normally I would submit a photo that shows the dominating team scoring, but I used my best photo instead:

VIDEO:

This photo shows and obvious face mask penalty, but the flag was withdrawn and dismissed after review. Well, I have the proof...but who listens to a photographer? Ha.

Here is a fumble caused by Walton and recovered by them as well:

Touchdown!

Feat of the week for football was a few kids just playing the game behind the endzone. I took this photo between plays so I was unable to get much closer and capture more action, but I liked how this one turned out:

www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com

A New Leaf

2009-11-01T20:55:00.004-06:00

Art at the beach. It's not a bad way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon with family and friends. I joined in the atmosphere and photographed the 14th Annual Destin Festival of the Arts at Henderson State Beach Park. Many of the tents had paintings and photographs, but the glass art drew me closer. I scouted the area for awhile and finally settled for the first photo. Another interesting photo opp was at a 3D picture art tent. By looking through polarized lenses, certain sea life would jump out at you and create that 3D visual. I caught this girl gazing through the lenses and snapped the picture for the second print photo:

I always search for funny or unusual moments to capture, and caught these two women asleep on the park chairs. I thought their postures were funny, so I snapped a shot before returning to the assignment:

On Tuesday I photographed a district volleyball game at Rocky Bayou Christian School. RBCS won against Bethlehem and advanced to the next level. The published photo:

I also videotaped my first sports video for the Web site:

Thursday morning I traveled to Choctaw Field in Navarre to photograph the Air Force Special Operations Command's new joint training program. In the first picture, one of the trainers launches the Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Vehicle (BATMAV) as a Navy sailor operates the vehicle by ground control (bottom photo):

The Aircraft is already being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the number of trainees in the program is only increasing. They started with 11, but plan to do more throughtout the first year. (paraphrased from article)

Thursday I once again traveled to Rocky Bayou Christian School to photograph the district volleyball game. RBCS advanced to the next game and beat Central High School. Here is the photo published:

I also did another video of the game:

Already 10 weeks into football, and I still can't get enough. This week I traveled to Niceville High and photographed them against Daphne High School (from Alabama). The game was largely in Niceville's favor as they dominated the scoreboard early in the game. One of the touchdown passes was my picture in print:

My first football video of the season:

Roy Finch (#24) accounted for several touchdowns during the game and was knocked onto the track after scoring on one of them. I caught the footage on video, and Finch rose to his feet as the crowd cheered in relief.

The crowd cheers while the band plays a song. I noticed the pink breast cancer ribbons on people's shirts and the player's pink wrappings around their feet, but I never found out the reasons why they chose that week to support breast cancer cure research.

The week was productive and the sports videos were a new leaf on my experience tree. I plan to continue shooting sports videos (esp. on Friday night football games) and work on my shooting/editing skills. Until next time...

www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com

In the spotlight...

2009-10-25T21:17:00.005-05:00

Billy Ray Cyrus. Present but without Miley. The crowd didn't seem to mind as they cheered and screamed on the top of their lungs once Billy walked out on stage. He is a long time performer and a veteran to the Mullet Festival stage. As he belted out the high notes, danced with a pretend guitar, and spouted out random sayings from Hannah Montana, I scrunched down at the corner of the stage and snapped picture after picture of him. I always love crowd interaction with performers, so the first photo was the dominant photo in the paper. The second picture also ran with the first:

When I was a kid, I used to play with Barbies like most girls. I thought the dolls were almost non-existant now until Nick and I traveled to the Fort Walton Yacht Club to photograph (and video) a woman's 50th Barbie-themed birthday party. She loves Barbies and chose the theme because the 50th anniversary of Barbie also resided on this year. Many of the women there dressed as different Barbies and several men dressed like Ken.

Nick shot stills so I covered video. I've been wanting to practice video and learn Final Cut Express, so I took this opportunity to do so. Here is the final version of the video:

I wanted to capture some stills since the assignment was interesting, so between takes of video I snapped several images. Her friends got her a bike that she simply adored:

There is nothing like another Friday night football game. I drove to Crestview for the second time this season to photograph them playing Mosley. I arrived at that game with the knowledge that Crestview would win this game easily. What I didn't expect was the final score to be 34-33, with Crestview barely grasping the win.

This "flying" picture reminds me of a side-ways heisman pose (and a little of the tim tebow flying picture):

This photo was published in the paper as a vertical:

Crestview colorguard during halftime:

Another "flying" photo (of the same guy):

This kid was adorable. He didn't want his small, white, plastic football, so instead he went after the real football. He wouldn't let go of it for a bit so his dad had to take it from him and toss it away. Then he gave his son the plastic football again and they walked away. I thought it was funny:

www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com

Michelle Obama visits Eglin

2009-10-18T22:22:00.004-05:00

As a photojournalist, I love taking on new, challenging assignments that push me to think outside the box and produce something more creative. I also love when those assignments involve another exciting element to them...like first lady Michelle Obama. Thursday afternoon she arrived to Eglin Air Force Base to speak to military families and show them her support. I was bused onto the base where I waited for over two hours for her appearance. The hangar was hot, but the crowd was patient. The wait was worth it.

The top picture was taken after her speech as she greeted several military families and exchanged comforting words and hugs. This image was published in the paper and submitted to the AP wire where I discovered it on yahoo news later that evening. The next photo was also published in the paper on the inside cover. She was walking the stairs where she would wait for Maj. Gen. Charles R. Davis to introduce her to the crowd (even though she really didn't need an introduction):

Here is a wide shot of the amount of people waiting for her to speak in the hangar. There was another press section directly behind the crowd on the left. There were about 1,100 people there:

The first lady waved to several of the crowd members as she finished her speech. I found the flag in the background as a great backdrop and took advantage it:

Before she gave her speech, I noticed she smiled a few times from the introduction the Major General was giving. After I snapped this photo, I noticed the woman in the background holding a baby was looking at her admiringly:

The crowd smiles, claps, and listens intently as the first lady gives her speech:

Michelle Obama sympathizes with the military and their families as she tells them how much she is in awe by them:

After the exit of the first lady, I saw these two women gushing over the pictures one of them took. So many people were emotional over the few minutes they got to listen to her or look directly into her eyes as she keenly looked back into theirs.

I knew the experience was humbling to me as I walked out of the hangar with a CF card full of pictures of the first lady. I hardly saw that assignment coming and barely had a chance to absorb the atmosphere before I was back to the office editing away. Assignments and opportunities like this remind me of how great it is to be a photographer.

Holding on and pulling through

2009-10-18T20:35:00.005-05:00

Monday, October 12th, was a federal holiday in observance of Columbus Day, so what better way for those military fathers to spend their day than at lunch with their kids. Schools were still in session, so the fathers were free to bring a lunch for their kids or sit beside them as they ate the cafeteria lunch and shared stories about their days at school. One girl wanted her dad to sit with her at her usual spot in the lunch room while another boy hugged his dad happily after they finished their lunches. Even with all the excitement in the room, the sudden entrance of former American Idol contestant Phil Stacey with his family was another thing to brag about. He ate lunch with his daughters then sang to the crowd "Old Glory", which was a song he wrote for his new album. The kids were eating up his performances as he awed a few girls in the crowd. All-in-all it was a great assignment and I loved meeting Phil Stacey again. The first and second pictures were published and the third was placed with the story online.

I woke up Wednesday morning to dark clouds and light rain but ultimately made my way to the Fort Walton Beach Yacht Club to photograph a sailing competition. I was escorted in a small motor boat into the middle of the bay where we circled the boats to capture interesting angles. With all the rain clouds, I loved the first image because of the cloud formation:

For the print edition, I chose this photo because of the coloring and the directions of the boats. The boats were tacking into position around the buoys so they could finish the race:

This image was included in the photo gallery but I wanted to post it here because of the shape the positions of the boats create:

Friday night football arrived again and I was off to DeFuniak Springs to photograph Walton and Navarre. Navarre pulled off the win, 49-27, but not without a struggle. I left at half time to meet my deadline and the game was 21-21. This photo was published since Navarre won:

This photo was particulary interesting to me when I returned back to the newsroom and stumbled across it. As I zoomed in, I noticed the football was in focus:

I included this picture because of the odd angle of the player. I later noticed the football was right by his helmet:

This was the first night of a cold front in our area. I saw several people bundled up in blankets in the stands:

www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com

Butterflies, Bulldogs, and Blackouts

2009-10-11T23:01:00.006-05:00

Butterflies! I know butterflies have been photographed to death, but I still have fun experimenting with the cliche because that will ultimately help prepare me for the more creative angles that I'm working toward. Nick and I traveled to Navarre to photograph the Monarch Madness Festival at a butterfly museum. There I took these three pictures (and a few of a buttefly that landed on Nick's shoulder) and then returned home.

Friday I traveled to Freeport High School for the first time to photograph the football game versus South Walton. Freeport, home of the bulldogs who ironically wear orange and blue, beat South Walton 43-21. This photo was published:

Each time I photograph football I try to grab some catching shots or interceptions. The one I caught this week was in the endzone and unfortunately for the receiving team, was incomplete:

(Edit: This photo was published on Oct. 13)

This photo was used as a flag for the Saturday sports page:

With one of the photographers still gone on vacation time, I was sent to photograph a volleyball game in Crestview. Last time I intended to photograph volleyball my camera died on me, so since my camera was still in the process of being repaired, I used the paper's Nikon instead. Crestview played Niceville in a blackout and Niceville won. Here are the two shots that were published:

www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com

Football and Festivals

2009-10-05T21:08:00.005-05:00

Friday night rolled around again and I traveled to Navarre to capture their game against Crestview. Last time I photographed Navarre, they were severely beaten by Pensacola Catholic, and with Crestview's track record, I assumed the same result would follow. Crestview did in fact beat Navarre, 21-13, during a very special night for Navarre High School. The 4th photo is Navarre's Homecoming Queen being crowned during half time. Too bad for Navarre that the football game didn't work out on their Homecoming night. The first image was published in the paper:

The next day, Angel and I covered the 31st Annual Destin Seafood Festival at Harborwalk Village. There were several options for seafood from different booths that lined the village. I wanted to catch a moment with someone eating seafood in order to capture the theme of the event (second photo). I also love to catch a moment of a child at these events. Kids bring more life to festivities then the happiest adults could ever bring to it. So, when I saw this little girl munching on a pink Sno Cone, I had to jump at the opportunity. The first two were published:

Till next time!
www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com

Another Nice night for football

2009-09-30T23:32:00.004-05:00

I finally returned to the Niceville high school football field for another game, however, this time I went solo. Niceville played Tallahassee Godby and barely mustered a win, 24-21. The second image was published in the paper, and the last image was submitted to a Tallahassee publication.

I almost didn't capture this image, but the cheerleader happened to glance at the stands in the few moments that I snapped the frame. I love the look on her face:

Dreams are meant to be lived

2009-09-24T22:51:00.004-05:00

Last Friday I drove to Navarre to photograph the game between them and Pensacola Catholic. I was back to using my own equipment for this game but was thankful for the wider range with my 70-200 mm lens. Pensacola Catholic stomped Navarre by beating them 32-7 on their own turf. I only stayed for the first half of the game, but the action was sufficient enough for the assignment. The first photo was published, but I now wonder if I should have picked the second one instead. I had to turn in a horizontal, but the second one could have sufficed.

I used to be in colorguard during high school, so I am still intrigued by the activity. I've never completely let it go since I've found myself spinning brooms at my old job last year, but my time with guard has come and gone. So even though I will never be able to spin a flag and rifle in a show again, I can relive the dream vicariously through photographing those who can live the dream. Here is one photo of a girl from Navarre High during their halftime show:

During the previous week I photographed a girls' golf match. Golf was another sport I used to be a part of but quickly faded after I started middle school. Even though golf might be a boring sport to photograph for some, for me the sport brings back many of those old, happy memories. The Niceville girl in the top photo carded a 39 to secure the second lowest score of the day. Niceville won the match.

Fort Walton Beach scored just behind Niceville to be the second place (in terms of teams).

On the same day I photographed two soldiers who shared their stories during Operation Tribute to Freedom hosted by Blue Star Mothers:

Just before football last week, I photographed the girls' and boys' Miracle Strip Invitational in golf. The girls' pictures are in a gallery on the website and these two pictures were published for the boys:

Even though my blog entries are more professional than insightful, I found myself caught up in hindsight for this entry. Photographing football is a passion of mine, while colorguard and golf are former passions that I never completely left behind. A part of me wants to reopen those opportunities in my life, but would it be for the memory of how those things made me feel or would I be continuing something that never should have been finished? Once I define what my dreams are, then I'll have my answer.

Dogs Dominate

2009-09-06T19:45:00.005-05:00

I took the reins this past friday by shooting high school football for the paper by myself for the first time. I drove to Crestview to photograph a game between Crestview High (Bulldogs) and Baker (Gators). The game was as exciting for the fans to watch as it was for me to photograph. About halfway through the first quarter, Crestview scored three back-to-back touchdowns in response to a few bad plays by Baker. I was quietly laughing at myself for walking to the other side of the field after the kick off return from the Bulldogs because the plays resulted in a first down for the Bulldogs instead of a first down for the Gators. After the second touchdown, I began to expect big plays from Crestview and remained facing the direction they were driving in order to catch better photos. Aside from a small rain scare and flash malfunction, the night turned out pretty well. The first photo was published (as a vertical) and the rest are in the online gallery:

Thursday night marked the first time I shot volleyball at any level. I traveled with Nick to Navarre to photograph the high school's volleyball match against Fort Walton Beach. I was told that volleyball is one of the hardest sports to shoot, but I think that was intended toward college ball because the game wasn't too hard for me. I still have much to learn, but I enjoyed my first run at it. Here are three photos I took:

I headed to San Destin to photograph a 9-year-old child ambassador for the Art Miles Mural Program, which promotes peace through art. She has a heart to help others and has done so through the "Shoes for Hope" program by contributing her own money to pay for shoes, buying braclets from the Bracelet campaign to help raise awareness and create jobs for Uganda, and through a month-long trip to the Phillipines, China, Inda, Trinidad, and the Providence of Benguet where she talked with the children and their families. (Paraphrased from Daily News article). So as she was telling me and the writer her story, the girl shows us several of the mementos she received from the different countries she visited. I thought the best way to grab a portrait of this girl was to photograph her in the center of all of her keepsakes:

Kicking off high school football

2009-08-30T16:17:00.005-05:00

On Friday I tagged along with Nick and photographed the high school football Kickoff Classic between Niceville and Fort Walton Beach. I borrowed the paper's Nikon body and 300mm lens for the game and also brought along my monopod. As I stepped onto the side of the field, the excitement I had for the game resurfaced from a place so well hidden inside of me. The dim yet bright lights, the silly string sprayed in the air by the students, the band dancing to their music, and the players lined across the side in their jerseys signified the reality of the long-anticipated football season. I was ready.

The second half of the game consisted of the Varsity players, who started the half on a 14-14 score. Niceville pulled ahead of Fort Walton Beach with a final score of 42-35. Here are a few varsity shots I photographed:

The first half consisted of both freshmen and junior varsity players. They pulled both sides to a 14-14 score just in time for halftime. Here are a few photos from that half:

During half time I took a few pictures of the color guard on the field. This picture was my favorite:

Both galleries are on the web at the Daily News' varsity sports site: www.varsitysportswest.com

Drill Tosses

2009-08-25T14:43:00.003-05:00

The Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team tossed M-1 rifles during a performance at the fitness center on Eglin Air Force Base on Monday, August 17. The drill team, which started more than 60 years ago, travels to different Air Force bases across the globe to perform for communities and schools. Here are my two published photos:

July in the works

2009-07-31T12:56:00.006-05:00

Just before the fourth of July, I took a portrait of an Eglin Air Force Base airman, who was celebrating his first fourth of July as a U.S. citizen:

I traveled to the Gulfarium later that week and photographed a summer camp petting stingrays and feeding horseshoe crabs:

During the flag-raising ceremony in Fort Walton Beach, I took pictures of the Emerald Coast Legends winner as she sang the national anthem to honor military personnel:

On Saturday, July 11, two former football rivals gathered at Fort Walton Beach high school's football stadium to practice football fundamentals with middle school kids as part of the Junior Players Skills Camp. Former Choctawhatchee and Auburn football player Willie Gosha (left) and former Fort Walton Beach and Florida State standout E.G. Green watch as the campers run sprints:

Willie Gosha challenges one of the campers during a drill:

www.nwfdailynews.com

Con-graduations

2009-06-30T02:01:00.003-05:00

In the beginning of June, I photographed two high school graduations: Navarre's and Niceville's. Navarre's was held at the Pensacola Civic Center and Niceville's was held on their football field. I shot the ceremonies in bulk to capture as many students as possible.

The Navarre Graduation:

This photo was taken after the ceremony ended and was published in the paper:

The one hat I noticed that was decorated in the crowd:

The green shoe in a crowd of black caught my eye:

Hats off!

The Niceville Graduation:

The soon-to-be grads help a friend with her collar:

A teacher pins an honor's button on a soon-to-be graduate's gown:

A soon-to-be graduate smiles as she walks onto the field during the graduation march:

A graduate balloon floats in the crowd during the ceremony:

The crowd watches as the ceremony takes place:

photos at www.nwfdailynews.com

Spring "football" is in the Air

2009-05-30T23:44:00.005-05:00

I was able to photograph a sping football game on Friday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I always miss football during the off-season, so this game eased my sadness if only for a moment. I photographed the two rivals schools in Fort Walton Beach, one of which is my high school team. Here are a few photos from the gallery I posted on the web (link to the right):

Deanery Gathering

2009-05-30T23:32:00.003-05:00

I teamed with a writer during my next Florida Catholic assignment for the West Central Deanery gathering at St. Mary's Church. The event started with a Saturday morning mass on May 16th and led into a day of activites and food afterwards. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and chips were served as hula hoops, jump ropes, and bean bag toss games lined the outside area. Through the sounds of Christian music playing from a unofficial band and kids laughing and shouting in excitement, the sunny day was a success for the church. Here are the three published photos:

Jumping rope and doing the hula (hoop):

Sharing lemonade at lunch:

The priest during the mass:

Up A Level

2009-05-30T23:20:00.004-05:00

My last update was at the beginning of the month, so another update is due. During that first week I photographed the Northwest Florida State College graduation. I mostly took gallery shots but secured two images for print:

Immediately after I photographed the new graduates walking down the aisle toward their seats, I rushed over to Niceville High School and photographed the Class 5A regional quarterfinal baseball game. With only a few minutes to take pictures and bugs falling on top of me from the light post, I photographed what I needed and bolted out of there (and jumped a fence) to arrive at the office in time for deadline. Here was the published photo:

On Thursday that week, I photographed Niceville High School athletics again, however, it was football instead of baseball. The team was having a spring practice after school, so I rushed over and took several photographs. Here was the published photo:

Solid Endings, Slow Beginnings

2009-05-02T20:44:00.005-05:00

Here I am three weeks later...finally updating my blog. The past few weeks have been slow but still interesting. On Thursday, April 16th, I drove to Topail Hill Preserve State Park just east of Destin and photographed a few angles on the park. The first photo was a feature photo at the beach connected with the park to give the article some spark:

Here two workers are leveling the grounds next to the new "cabins" that are in contruction at the park. There will be an additional 16 to the mix:

On Friday, April 17th I traveled to South Walton County for a District 1-A high school tennis tournament. The Freeport boys tennis team won their first district title in school history:

Saturday I woke up early to photograph a semi-annual beach clean up at Okaloosa Island. The clean up was connected with Earth Day, which was the upcoming Wednesday. Here is the published photo:

After the clean up, I drove to the YMCA to photograph former Alabama running back Glenn Coffee during a Healthy Day Kids Event. He is also a former Fort Walton Beach High School football player, so he returned to his roots to give a speech to the kids about pursuing your dreams with Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Coffee's speech was inspiring and humbling. Glad I heard him:

On Thursday, April 23rd I returned to the tennis courts and photographed the South Walton girls tennis team as they captured their first regional title:

(published on the 24th)

(This one was published on the 27th)

After a forty minute delay and hour-long drive, I reached Laurel Hill this past Thursday to photograph the high school baseball District 1-A tournament. Paxton (red) beat Laurel Hill (blue) for the title:

The highlight of my past three weeks was the few minutes I spent photographing the first spring football practice for Fort Walton Beach High School. I loved standing on the sidelines again. Everything reminded me of the games I photographed at UF, and I anxiously desired for football season to start. Oh well. I guess I'll have to wait.

(published)

Base balls and Easter eggs

2009-04-12T16:01:00.003-05:00

This week was slow in news for me, so I took on some more sports. On tuesday I traveled to Niceville to cover a NWF State College baseball game. I used the Daily News Nikon and 300 mm lens and caught this action shot:

Wednesday I covered a high school softball game at Fort Walton Beach High. The game was between two teams I covered previously (FWB high and Crestview). I always enjoy the high school softball games because there seems to be more action and photo opps than the college games (at least to me). Both of these were published:

On Thursday I covered a NWF State College softball game in Niceville. The first four innings were pretty uneventful as both teams prevented any runs from the other. By the fifth inning, I was finally able to catch some action:

My last assignment this past week was yesterday at Hurlburt Field. They had an Easter egg hunt on a playground/park located in the front of the base. I took photos at the 1-2 age group because I thought they would go slower than the older kids so I would have more time to catch some images -- but I was wrong. Those kids had their parents to help them, so they were done in under two minutes. I captured a few kids in my photos but was left puzzled by the rate these kids had gone.

So I improvised and took shots of kids searching through their eggs after the hunt was over:

And also took a photo of this little girl with the Easter bunny:

Between these images and a few others, I was able to make a gallery and submit photos to the Daily News military publication. All in all, the week was pretty good. Hope everyone has a Happy Easter! Christ is risen!

www.nwfdailynews.com

Anointing Holy Feet

2009-04-12T15:49:00.004-05:00

Mary of Bethany --

My second assignment for the Florida Catholic was a New Testament version of the "Women of the Gospel" show performed by Linda Gray Kelley at St. Sylvester Parish in Gulf Breeze on Mar. 28. She portrayed several biblical women of the New Testamen such as Mary (Mother of Jesus), the Bride of Cana, the adulterous woman, Herodias, the Samaritan woman, the woman with hemorrhage, Martha, Pilate's wife, and Mary of Magdala. She used different wardrobes and props to illustrate that particular character along with light-hearted humor that was tasteful. I enjoyed watching her perform and almost cried when she protrayed Mary (Mother of Jesus) during the resurrection of Jesus.

(Disclaimer: Title of this blog post was taken from the catchline used for my photo in the Florida Catholic Apr. 10-23 issue)

http://www.thefloridacatholic.org/pt/pthp.php

Sliding, jumping, and skating forward

2009-04-07T22:47:00.004-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been slow because of the recent storms, but I managed to fit in a few assignments. I went along with Nick to cover a couple of high school sports on Tuesday, March 24 and captured a few good images at the softball game. I caught the Choctaw player catching the ball and then rolling on the ground afterward. I love her expressions. The first and third pictures were published:

On Monday, March 30 (the first sunny day in several days) I was sent to find a feature at a local park. I never know what to expect when I go to parks since it can range from people eating, relaxing, or swinging to people doing group activities with a lot of action. When I pulled up I immediately saw people eating on a bench, a mother gently pushing her child in a swing, and a group of kids playing on the grass. I walked over to them and noticed they were playing ‘Simon Says’. For their age group, I was a little surprised to see them playing that game, which made the circumstance all the more interesting. I took a few shots and one ran in the paper the next day:

The next assignment I went on was a baseball game in Niceville. I went along with Nick on Friday just for practice, but my photo ended up being the picture that ran in the paper the next day:

On Saturday I photographed a roller derby bout at Ferry Park. Ironically, the competition that the local group played was the group that I photographed in Gainesville last July. They were called the Gainesville Roller Rebels, which sounded familiar to me, so I looked up my old photos and noticed they were the same team. The local team, the Beach Brawl Sk8r Dolls, won the bout by nine points. I enjoyed shooting the bout even though the lighting was horrible. I did what I could and let Photoshop do the rest. Here are three of my favorite pictures:

www.nwfdailynews.com

Slide 'n Run

2009-03-21T19:19:00.006-05:00

This week I covered different sporting events. The first one was high school baseball between Choctawhatchee High and Niceville High. This photo was included in a gallery on the Web site:

On Wednesday I covered a Special Olympics at Silver Sands School. They had several races at different lengths but I only stayed for about an hour. I put up a gallery on the site, and this photo was published in the paper:

On Thursday I tagged along with Nick and photographed a high school softball game between Fort Walton Beach High and Crestview High. This game had more action than I expected, so I was able to capture some good images in the short time we were there. I also put up a gallery of these images (and more):

Check out the Web site and galleries at www.nwfdailynews.com

In remembrance, In support, In recognition

2009-03-14T21:48:00.006-05:00

Last week I had only one assignment because I was feeling physically ill in the later half of the week. For my one assignment, I drove to Miramar Beach to photograph a crime scene where several students from Chile were shot. I arrived several days later to take photos outside the town home and found several tea candles and flowers by the front door.

Earlier this week, I was sent to Choctaw Beach to photograph a house that burned to the ground. I was told after calling the firehouse that no one was inside of the house during the fire or injured. After driving down a narrow dirt road and getting lost at one point, I finally found the house. It was next to another house and a farm. The proximity between that house and the house next to it was small, so I was surprised the fire was well contained. I took several pictures of the damage before the owner politely asked me to leave.

Yesterday I had two assignments. First I went to Uptown Station to photograph and shoot video of a billboard signing in support of the F-35 jets coming to the area. I watched the board fill up with signatures as the sounds of country music blasted in the background. Some people had their kids sign the board and others signed their spouse’s name. I was only there for about forty-five minutes out of the four hours they were going to have the board available for signatures, but I am sure the board was filled up completely.

VIDEO:

Next, I drove over to Bruner Middle School to photograph the eight grade students watch Civil War re-enactors showcase the lives of the soldiers. There were four stations, each pertaining to a certain aspect of the solder’s lives. There was one station with the women and home life, another with the life of a Yankee soldier, one with the southern soldiers, and the last had an Irish soldier. They showed the foods that they ate, the blankets they would sleep in, the items they used for recreation, and the weaponry they would use. The photo published was the Irish soldier who showed his weapon to the students.

Today I went with Nick to the 2nd Annual 30a St. Patrick’s Day Parade near San Destin. Nick shot video and I did stills. The crowd was small, but the beads, clovers, hats, and smiles were large. The 23rd Highlanders International Performing Bagpipe & Drum Band was there playing their bagpipes (bottom photo) as well as a man dressed in a leprechaun hat and beard playing the harmonica. I photographed everything from the parade to the leisure activities going on beforehand. I created a gallery with more images.

The Florida Catholic

2009-03-14T19:26:00.003-05:00

Last month I photographed my first freelance assignment for the Florida Catholic (Pensacola-Tallahassee dioceses). The paper prints bi-weekly and also has a Web site: www.thefloridacatholic.org/pt/pthp.php.

My first picture was published in the paper for the March 13-26 issue. I traveled to Christ our Redeemer Church in Niceville on Feb. 21 to capture a youth Mardi Gras party at the parish. Now that the photo is published in the paper, I can officially put it on my blog:

I hope to do a few assignments a month for the paper, but the Daily News has me busy at times. My next assignment, unless otherwise noted, will be on March 28. Don’t forget to check out the site!

Things to Remember, things to Forget

2009-02-28T17:46:00.006-06:00

I had a late start this week, but I managed to squeeze in three assignments of my own. On Thursday I traveled to Morrison Springs Park for the reopening and ribbon ceremony. Of course the ribbon cutting part is visually boring, so I stuck around and captured a few moments of the first several divers. I saw this woman flinging water up from her fins, so I took a few shots hoping to catch the action. It was a good shot that had some appeal.

On Friday I traveled back in time…hypothetically…to Choctawhatchee High School and took pictures of students and faculty celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court case, which assured first amendment rights for students. Some of the most challenging assignments are the ones that have very little to them. The less there is to work with, the harder it is to come up with a strong, interesting image. I struggled with that concept here because there were a few tables with students and faculty eating and talking. I knew I wanted someone listening or talking as well as the armbands they were wearing. I caught both in this image, which was published:

Later that day, I was assigned to take pictures at an Elementary School Kindergarten singing program. The program was created to celebrate Black History Month and educate the children on the historical significance of the songs they were singing in relation to the stories behind the creation of the songs. This assignment was handed to me at last minute, and I had to shoot stills and video. I wanted to improve my video skills and saw this as the perfect opportunity. The children there were simply hilarious. The face of this boy in the first photo might look like any common bored boy face, however, the boy was ironically pushing his eyes back because they were singing the line in Amazing Grace: “Was blind but now I see”.

This girl was very entertaining too. I thought this moment of her placing her hands in prayer was simply sweet because I was able to shoot from a low angle and not distract her in anyway:

This was the photo that ran in the paper:

VIDEO:

Today I tagged along with Nick on several of his assignments. He needed to find a feature today, and because of the wind, we headed to the Island. Here are a couple shots I took on the Island:

After a couple other assignments, Nick and I drove to Destin in search of a deputy. The photo Nick needed was to accompany a story, and we spotted an accident in Destin with two deputies present. I had a hard time understanding how the accident happened because the man whose truck was hit, kept rambling about being mistreated. I took several shots of both trucks hit:

www.nwfdailynews.com

Tales of the young, the old, and the famous

2009-02-22T13:58:00.012-06:00

The first assignment I covered this week was an Annual President’s Day track meet at Choctawhatchee High School. The competitors in the meet were from elementary schools. I photographed the third and fourth grade girls and boys 100 meter dash. The first image below was published in the paper, and the second image was a part of a photo gallery of images from the meet. The gallery has my images as well as a Northwest Florida Daily News staff member's images.

On Friday I had an early assignment at Fort Walton Beach High School. I was instructed to shoot video and stills of a Holocaust survivor named Herman Snyder.The images turned out well and ran in the local section on Saturday:

VIDEO:

TEBOW in FWB:

Last but definitely not least, I went along with Nick to photograph the All Sports Association media party at Anglers on Okaloosa Island. Nick told me Tim Tebow would be among the celebrities there, but there was also Danny Wuerffel, Paul Hornung (1956 Heisman winner who played for Notre Dame and later the Green Bay Packers), and pro golfer Boo Weekley. Nick worked mostly on video and I concentrated on stills. I knew this photo opportunity would be like a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”, so I took advantage of it and shot many images of Tebow. I even had Nick take a picture of me with him. I also created a photo gallery with 15 images. Ironically, I did not pick 15 images because that is Tim’s jersey number, but it did turn out that way. (The first image was published in Saturday's paper.) This assignment was definitely a blast and the highlight of my week:

www.nwfdailynews.com

Making and Recalling Memories

2009-02-14T18:36:00.010-06:00

Another two weeks have flown by, and I have officially been interning at the Daily News for a month now. Most of the assignments these past two weeks have been simple, but I have enjoyed them all. The first one I covered was an awards ceremony at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The first picture was Renee Gault who received an award for her community service with the Crime Protection Program. Her former dog, Poncho, was a part of the service but passed away. Posse will be taking over Poncho’s duties as soon as he receives his pet-therapy certification. Besides the funny hat, that dog had a hilarious dog carrier.

The second picture was of Bob Grappone, who was named 2008 sworn officer of the year. Both of these images were published.

On February 5, I went to Westwood Retirement Resort and took pictures of a group of people who lived during the Great Depression. They were discussing the economic problems of the era, how much money they received, how much essential items cost, what they did for entertainment, and the connection between that time and today’s economic issues. One lady said she paid 100 dollars a year for college during that time, while another woman said that couples shared cokes with two straws, which cost around 10 cents. This man is now 101 years old and still swims and has a license:

(published)

This woman was only visiting, but she had plenty of stories of her own to share:

Yesterday I photographed my first baseball game of the Northwest Florida State College team. I did photograph a few UF games last year, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect with the different atmospheres. I used the Daily News’ 300 mm lens and Nikon body and captured a good action shot and some pitcher shots. This was the published picture:

Later in the day I covered a Valentine’s Day dance for soldiers and the elder community. This was Nick’s assignment, and I just wanted to tag along. The dance was pretty cute, and all of the older people were very sweet. None of these images were published, but they were included in a joint gallery. If I am still here next year around this time, then I will definitely go back to this assignment:

Lastly, Nick and I went over to NWF State College and shot a men’s soccer game. We were pressed by deadline, so after we covered our equipment with trash bags, we ended up only shooting for about five minutes. I think Nick spent more time covering our gear than actually shooting, but he captured some great images. Here is one shot I got (not published) in the few minutes we were there:

That is it for now. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Until next time.

Teaching, thanking, talking, and training

2009-01-31T20:53:00.007-06:00

This week was pretty slow. The assignments I did get in though turned out pretty well. Tuesday I went to Edwins Elementary School next to FWB High and took pictures of kids creating splatter art. This art, which was created by Jackson Pollock, consisted of coloring a sheet of paper in blocks of different colors excluding black.

Once that part is completed, the students went outside and splattered the black paint onto the page. Although the assignment sounded like it had some great photo opportunities, my range of options were limited. It was hard to get close to the kids because the paint could land on my lens, which currently does not have a filter on it. The teacher did not get close enough to the kids for me to get a great interaction shot either.

But that is part of a photojournalist's job, to shoot what you can and work with what you have. The first two images were published.

Friday was the next time I went shooting, and I had two assignments this time. My first assignment was to take a picture of a sign that was being hung in remembrance of a guy who was killed by a drunk driver. The sign was being hung at one of the places he went very frequently: Emerald Coast Dirt & Vert. His mom made a foundation in his name for BMX and skateboarders that do not have the means to pay for time at the park, and the foundation allows these needy bikers to go there for free. The photo does not say much, but the story behind it was really good.

After that assignment I went to Mary Esther Elementary School for a “Super Bowl with Dad” lunch. There were several kids with their dads in the cafeteria, but for those children without parents present, some of the Fort Walton Beach High School football players were there to talk with them.

Today I went with Nick to a cat show on Okaloosa Island. Nick was amused, but I was not quite sure what to think about the whole event. The show was definitely interesting because of all of the different types of cats, but I wish I could have seen some really cool cat tricks. I did get some good shots though. I especially love the cat's tongue in the second photo.

I am not sure how much of an update I will have next week because I will be out of town for a few days, but I hope to have some great images to share next week. Until next time: www.nwfdailynews.com.

It's his-tory

2009-01-24T22:23:00.007-06:00

This past week’s assignments all had something in common: history being made & President Obama. On Monday I covered the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade near downtown Fort Walton Beach. This was my first solo assignment at the paper and was my first video assignment ever. Shooting stills at the parade was very similar to shooting stills at the Homecoming parade in Gainesville last year. The parade and crowd here were smaller, but the search for great photo opportunities was not any less challenging. The video was a little harder, especially since it was hard to hold the camera steady, but I tried to shoot more for quality since I knew I could improve on shakiness in practice. Here are two images from the parade, both published:

VIDEO:

On Tuesday I went to Pryor Middle School to photograph students watching the inauguration. This kid was very enthusiastic and I was hoping to capture more images of him:

On Friday I went to another school, Mary Esther Elementary, to photograph a substitute teacher who was present at the inauguration on Tuesday. I was able to capture one great snapshot of the kids listening attentively to him. His story was pretty interesting, but I found the children’s questions the most humorous since he had already answered all their questions during his speech. Both images were published:

That is it for this update. Check back in later for more images. Don’t forget to check the Web site as well: www.nwfdailynews.com.

IN with the "Old" and IN with the "New"

2009-01-18T18:54:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I was in a public library in Crestview when I heard a librarian tell a woman, “Your book is due back in two weeks – January 31st.” It hit me – January is half over already? The days and months seem to be flying by faster each year and each time period of my life. That is how this past week felt. Last Wednesday I started my first day as a photo intern for the Northwest Florida Daily News, which is in my hometown of Fort Walton Beach. I grew up reading the paper and looking at the pictures, so taking pictures for it is truly surreal. It will definitely take time to get used to, but I am not worried since I already feel comfortable around the people and the environment. It is a great experience, and I am blessed to be able to continue my passion while here at home.

Recapping my first week:
I went with Nick, one of the staff photographers, to a barber shop in downtown Fort Walton Beach on Wednesday. He was shooting video and stills as I tagged along to learn a bit. I have never been to that barber shop before – not a shocker – but it was a nifty little business. I especially like the photos of many famous people with their autographs written on them. There were also several mirrors in the shop, so I used that to my advantage to come up with this:

I didn’t expect the shot to turn out the way it did, but I was happy with the result. The image ran in the paper the next day in the local section. My mom was very happy about that one.

The next day I revisited my past – in a sense. I went with Nick to NWF State College (which used to be Okaloosa-Walton College when I went there) to shoot the baseball team’s first practice. After what happened at UF during baseball season last year, I was a little cautious while there. I tend to be afraid of baseballs traveling at high speeds, so I stayed back a bit while taking these shots. However, I believe that each time I go on an assignment I will become closer to conquering a small fear that I’ve held onto – and one day I will overcome them. I did take advantage of the huddle with the coach where I saw how reflective his glasses were:

Nick and I then headed over to women’s weightlifting in another old school of mine – Choctawhatchee High. The last time I was there – to my recollection – was graduation in 2004. I think I sounded like an old Hallmark card because Nick laughed at me when I mentioned how weird it was to be going back into this school after almost 5 years of being away from it. After photographing the girl’s weightlifting, I remember thinking how young everyone looked – basically like kids! I remembering saying, “High schoolers didn’t look like kids four years ago,” but of course they didn’t because that was me four years ago!

On Saturday I went to Crestview with Nick to photograph high school wrestling for the Panhandle Championships. I have never covered wrestling before, so this was a new experience for me. It was a little confusing, but I captured two matches that ended well. Both images were published in the paper:

I plan to update this blog once a week unless I have an outstanding day – and then I will update that day. Check back for more updates and also check the website because you never know what you will see!

http://www.nwfdailynews.com

Concluding & Reminiscing

2008-12-17T22:04:00.007-06:00

The Hoops game between UF and Florida Gulf Coast marked my last assignment for the Independent Florida Alligator. What is even more memorable about the game was the basketball that hit me in the head. Not only did it hurt (slightly) when it hit me, but I knew all of the photographers across the court saw me. Yeah, embarrassing. I am okay with it now, after all, it is a great icebreaker I can use later in life, right?

As I close this chapter in my life, I do have to thank a few people here who helped me grow as a photojournalist. Thanks to:

Charles Roop, who gave me my first assignment for the Alligator and helped me grow along the way.

Andrew Stanfill, who gave me my first sports assignment for the Alligator and helped train me to be photo editor for the summer.

Sarah Hsu, who helped me over the summer as the staff photographer and displayed an ongoing dedication toward each assignment she received regardless of its appeal.

Harrison Diamond, who helped me grow as a sports photographer by helping me understand my equipment better and loaning me his 400mm lens for one of the football games.

Ronald Dupont Jr., who hired me as an intern at the High Springs Herald and gave helpful advice for each of my assignments.

All of the teachers I've had: Freeman, Kaplan and Kratzer, whose guidance helped me become a well-rounded photographer in many aspects. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The most important thanks goes to JESUS, who gave me the passion for photography, led me to one of the best photojournalism schools in the country, and showed me that I am meant to do this because if I was not, I would not be here today. THANKS!!!

Breaking into Bball

2008-12-02T23:33:00.005-06:00

Only nine and a half months ago, I took my first pictures of a basketball game at UF. That time it was women’s basketball – this time it was men’s. I learned several things from this game and have created some new goals for my next (and last) men’s game on Dec. 10. Meanwhile, here is a sample of my images from earlier tonight:

Football Finale

2008-11-15T23:56:00.008-06:00

The end of the road has come. I finished my last Gator football game as a photographer tonight. The experience was everything I had hoped it would be. I improved over each game and reached new goals. I finally was able to catch a good action shot, such as the picture of Brandon Hicks #40 blocking a pass, and follow the ball much better than the two previous games. I am going to miss savoring in the football atmosphere from the sidelines. I will never forget the time during the Hawaii game when Urban Meyer stared at me for longer than three seconds – the longest three seconds of my life up until then – and Harrison Diamond’s encounter with the referees prior to the game today: “Prior to the snap…false start…on the offense, five-yard penalty, repeat first down.” The sun may have set on college football, but my horizon is still looking bright.

A Long Awaited Night

2008-11-05T00:35:00.005-06:00

Some grew restless. Some couldn’t stop moving with anticipation. Some even spent the waiting period eating dinner or talking on the phone. However, all of these people had one thing in common: they wanted the election results. After months (and years) of waiting and wondering, each person’s dreams and hopes were either answered or shattered when the election results were announced late Tuesday evening. With the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom filled with Obama stickers, T-shirts, buttons and signs, it would be obvious which way the country swayed. All one would have to do is listen to the screams…happy or sad? Without further hesitation, the crowd roared in excitement as Barack Obama was announced the President-elect of the United States. Among the chaos of laughter, tears of joy, and singing, stood the few McCain supporters in the ballroom – stunned and dissatisfied. The wait was over, and those in favor of Obama were celebrating non-stop. Here are some moments I caught amidst the chaos, celebrations, and anticipation:

Football at its Finest

2008-10-25T21:33:00.003-05:00

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...

2008-10-24T23:32:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-23T23:25:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-05T21:16:00.008-05:00

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

2008-10-03T15:00:00.003-05:00

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:

And finally there was football...

2008-09-11T14:38:00.002-05:00

I am proud to say my first fall blog update is about my first time shooting Florida football. It was definitely hard, but I don't regret one moment of it. If someone gets butterflies in their stomach because they like someone, then I got butterflies in my stomach because of the atmosphere and the chance to photograph one of the most amazing opportunties of a lifetime. I know I am not as equiped as most of the photographers out there, but I didn't let that intimidate me. Instead, I walked out onto that field ready to take pictures and ready to learn. Nonetheless, it was one of the most amazing photo assignments of my life (so far).

Florida v. Hawaii
August 30, 2008

A Superb Summer

2008-09-11T14:01:00.009-05:00

My original intent for this blog was to start entries at the beginning of the summer and document my internship at the High Springs Herald as well as my adventures with the Alligator. One thing led to another and now I found myself creating a blog in September instead of May. Regardless, the blog is officially here, and I couldn't begin to add new adventures without reviewing my summer experience. The following ten photos were some of my favorites over the course of the summer. All of them, with the exception of the goat drinking Mountain Dew, were published in either the Alligator or the High Springs Herald. So, with no further adieu...here is a small taste of my summer as a photographer...

The Newberry Watermelon Festival - May 17, 2008
For the Herald

Blueberry Picking - May 25, 2008
For the Alligator

Kulaqua’s River Ranch - June 1, 2008
For the Herald

Yulee Railroad Festival - June 7, 2008
For the Alligator

2nd Annual Health and Family Fun Weekend (Alachua) - June 8, 2008
For the Herald

City of Alachua July 4th Celebration - July 4, 2008
For the Herald

Community Farms - July 5, 2008
not published

Roller derby: Saints v. Sinners - July 13, 2008
For the Alligator

Christmas in July (Alachua) - July 19, 2008
For the Herald

High Springs Police Training - July 25, 2008
For the Herald