Last of the Vacation Photos

(I must recommend that staring into the sun with a long camera lens is not advisable.)

I figure that most of you are getting bored with my Disney World photos.

Just wanted to show that i can still shoot in color too.

I like using vacations as a proving ground with my photos. I can get really risky and there's nothing on the line PLUS if i screw it up, there's a bar only 10 yards away.







In all my years, I've never seen the Citizens of Main Street perform like this before. Very nice IMO.



I just turned the camera around while we were dropping down Splash Mountain.



Sam Adams beer tasting.



The mother Duck would not take the babies swimming until i had moved away.





I love my fireworks.











.... minutes before finding the tequila bar.



I forgot to post that one. This was a bride who was leaving her wedding reception at Epcot. They did the wedding pictures with fireworks in the background.

Vacation Photos! (pt 2)

One of my biggest complaints/comments towards people who show off their vacation photos from Disney (or wherever) is "Where are the People?" People is what makes the world go around. The love/hope/despair/elation of people is what makes our lives. So there's nothing more interesting then how people behave while on vacation.

So for a complete change i felt like documenting this as subtly as possible. I really haven't played with a 14mm on my D700 that much but this time i really felt like making it work. Damm thing flares too much, pretty much my main conclusion. But it gives that added context that a photo of just a pretty building won't give.

(All of these were taken at the Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)

Overexposed!

Amidst all this football, i managed to accumulate enough comp time to be able to run off down to Florida to spend Food & Wine Festival at DIsney with my father.

So I decided that this trip would be different. I was determined to try some new things and to really push the concept of tourist photography. I decided to shoot most of this trip wide. Somewhere i read/saw photos that were intentionally overexposed to try and give give them an etherial, ghostly type look.

So i went for that in this set here.

Sportraits - Vacation Edition.

East Jackson Eagles running back C.J. Allen on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 in Commerce, Ga.

I'm off to Florida for 5 days so I leave my few readers with two sportraits from last month that fell through the cracks.

With portraiture, sometimes you get pretty light to work with and other times you have to make pretty light happen. Now if only i can get more than the 'tough football player' look out of them, it would be great.



Athens Academy tailback Henry Terrell in the locker room on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga.

Cross Country

Runners warm up before the Clarke/Oconee cross country championships at North Oconee High School on Monday, October 20, 2009 in Bogart, Ga.

Photographed the local Clarke/Oconee Cross Country championships Tuesday.

Wasn't as happy with my photos as i would have liked. The light was fantastic but the main races started too late before the golden light dipped below the trees.



Junior varsity runners run past a pond at the Clarke/Oconee cross country championships at North Oconee High School on Monday, October 20, 2009 in Bogart, Ga.



A junior varsity runner from North Oconee runs at the Clarke/Oconee cross country championships at North Oconee High School on Monday, October 20, 2009 in Bogart, Ga.



North Oconee junior Tripp Hurt gets a hug from his mother after winning the boy's varsity race at the Clarke/Oconee cross country championships at North Oconee High School on Monday, October 20, 2009 in Bogart, Ga.

Oconee Softball

First baseman/pitcher Geri Ann Glasco slides in safely for the only run of game one as the Oconee County Warriors sweep a double-header from the Riverwood Raiders to advance in the GHSA class AAA softball playoffs on Tuesday, October 14, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga. Oconee won the first game 1-0 and 12-0 in the second.

This month it seems like I've done nothing but shoot sports, which don't get me wrong - I love shooting sports - but i'd like to get away from football just to change things up a bit.

Imagine my surprise when I got to shoot the opening round of the GHSA Class AAA Girl's Softball state tournament here locally which turned out to be feast and famine. The first game, a 1-0 no-hitter while the second was a 12-0 mercy-rule game.

Worked my way around the entire field. Nearly had my head taken off by a foul ball - which the opposing team's parents neglected to say was about to plunk me in the head. I'm generally not biased about who wins and who loses (I get paid no matter who wins) but not telling me a pop-foul is about to hit me while I'm in a camera and then laughing about it is not an good way to win me over.

All in all, good photos. Good action. No real game winning jube but I'll take it.



Center fielder Caitlyn Glenn waits to take batting practice before the Oconee County Warriors sweep a double-header from the Riverwood Raiders to advance in the GHSA class AAA softball playoffs on Tuesday, October 14, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga. Oconee won the first game 1-0 and 12-0 in the second.



Pitcher Geri Ann Glasco, left, and center fielder Caitlyn Glenn, right, cheer in the top of the fourth inning of the second game as the Oconee County Warriors sweep a double-header from the Riverwood Raiders to advance in the GHSA class AAA softball playoffs on Tuesday, October 14, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga. Oconee won the first game 1-0 and 12-0 in the second.



Center fielder Caitlyn Glenn makes contact with a pitch as the Oconee County Warriors sweep a double-header from the Riverwood Raiders to advance in the GHSA class AAA softball playoffs on Tuesday, October 14, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga. Oconee won the first game 1-0 and 12-0 in the second.



Left fielder Caitlyn Hogg stands on third base in the second game as the Oconee County Warriors sweep a double-header from the Riverwood Raiders to advance in the GHSA class AAA softball playoffs on Tuesday, October 14, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga. Oconee won the first game 1-0 and 12-0 in the second.

I really do try to make things as artistic as possible under the circumstances. In this case, framing the runner on 3rd with the legs of the batter.




Pitcher Courtney Poole warms up as the Oconee County Warriors sweep a double-header from the Riverwood Raiders to advance in the GHSA class AAA softball playoffs on Tuesday, October 14, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga. Oconee won the first game 1-0 and 12-0 in the second.

B.B. King

Blues Legend B.B. King plays at The Classic Center on Friday, October 2, 2009 in Athens, Ga.

As I'm catching up here from a few weeks of chaos, here's some of the stuff that I've missed posting.

Photographed blues legend B.B. King when he was in town. Fantastic light, good venue. It helps to make connections so that when you go to these venues that you know where every stairwell leads to.

It wasn't a typical "3-songs-and-out" but stage time was 9PM and deadline came quick. That's key in today's photojournalism world - you can't be the reason why the presses are late. There's too much overtime involved.

But anyways, i went as many places as i could in a short amount of time.

I just hope when I'm 80-something that I'm still living life with this much enthusiasm.