A Long Awaited Night

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

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

Feeling at Home...

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



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



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