Photos of the Year

Barrow County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Hulett, right, kisses his bride Keni Carter during their wedding reception at Athens Regional Medical Center on Fri., Jan 29, 2010 in Athens, Ga. Hulett was diagnosed with end-stage melanoma. Carter decided Friday morning that they should be married later that day.

Its time for my Photos of the Year. These 22 are some of the best and my favorites of the year, out of the fifty-some I narrowed it down to. I want to add some commentary and context to the shots as I go.

The shot about, Chris Hulett's wedding. We found out about a 1/2 hour before the wedding and we sped over like no other. I started shooting before the hospital PR people had people sign their releases but to no matter. I had the privilege to see a couple get married and have one of the happiest days of their life in the midst of some of their worst times.

The Governors first speech

Georgia Governor-elect Nathan Deal gives the closing address at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government's Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

The Governor-elect came to UGA to make his first post-election speech.

Chickens!

Nicola Gleaton feeds his chicken in his back yard on Saturday, December 11, 2010 in Winder, Ga. Gleaton and another neighbor are in a dispute with the City of Winder over their backyard chickens.

I had a chance to photograph some backyard chickens the other week. It was all about making photos fast as I had about a half-hour before i had to drive back to Athens for a prep basketball game.

Clarke vs Cedar

Cedar Shoals' A.J. Davenport gets a rebound in front of Clarke Central guard Jevron Thomas in the fourth quarter as time expires as Cedar Shoals beats Clarke Central 64-63 in an GHSA Region 8-AAAA boys basketball game on Saturday, December 12, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Prep Game 3 - Clarke Central vs Cedar Shoals. Its the crosstown rivalry that lives up to the hype.

Sometimes the flash doesnt fire

Athens Academy's Davis Finney, center, puts up a shot between Athens Christian's Garth Brown, left, and Zach Lillie, right, in the fourth quarter as Athens Academy beats Athens Christian in an GHSA Region 8-A boys basketball game on Friday, December 10, 2010 in Watkinsville, Ga.

Prep Basketball: Game 2, Athens Christian vs Athens Academy. Adventures of misbehaving equipment after the jump.

Strongest Dawg Competition

Georgia junior Jordan Thomas competes in the bench press during the Strongest Dawg Powerlifting Competition at the University of Georgia's Ramsey Center on Wednesday, December 8, 2010 in Athens, Ga. Thomas lifted 255 kilograms in the dead lift competition, the largest weight in the competition.

The other week Georgia's Ramsey Center held a weightlifting competition. It made for interesting pictures.

Softball Player of the Year

Prince Avenue pitcher Alex Bettis on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 in Bogart, Ga. Bettis was named Softball Player of the Year.

On the absolute coldest sunny day I've ever photographed in, i took a very patient and cooperative softball player under the bleachers to make a nice photo as she was named player of the year. With the wind, it was in the low 20s.

We froze, i worked fast. Then i took it back and overprocessed the hell out of it, giving it a very gritty look.

North Oconee Girls Basketball vs Gainesville

North Oconee's Jessica Watson is fouled by Gainesville's Hunter Pugh in the first half as the North Oconee Lady Titans face the Gainesville Lady Red Elephants on Friday, December 3, 2010 in Bogart, Ga.

Prep basketball has started again. My Fridays will now be spent indoors, with 1/4 power flashes lighting 1/3rd of the court. This started off defensibly with a low-scoring affair between North Oconee and Gainesville.

Skate Inn!

The Athens Skate Inn was recent reopened after a near-15 year hiatus. Naturally i got to push the limits of what a Nikon can do in the dark.

Frost

It has been unseasonably cold here. Its just a detail of some frost moments before it was scraped from my car.

M-O-O-N

Just a random Moonshot.

(400mm + 1.4 teleconverter from the parking lot of our newspaper)

Trees for Troops

Georgia National Guard Sgt. Raymond Collins, center, and Eddie Hardigree, left, load Christmas trees as part of the "Trees for Troops" program at Greenbriar Creek Farm on Thursday, December 2, 2010 in Bishop, Ga. Over 800 Christmas tree growers nationwide are donating trees for military families as well as troops deployed overseas.

Tis the season. I would have jumped into the back of the truck, but the bed of the military truck was 5 feet off the ground. Couldnt get myself in easily.

Georgia Guidestones

The North Celestial Pole swirls above the Georgia Guidestones on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 in Elberton, Ga. The granite monument often referred to as the "American Stonehenge" have ten guiding principles engraves on them in eight different languages.

With this horrifically cold weather, its made for some crystal clear nights. I decided to take advantage of this and truck out to the Georgia Guidestones to make a star trail shot. It works but i almost wish i had shot it tighter. We shall see as life goes on.

ISO 100, 17mm @ 2.8 for 15 minutes. (Converted from Raw) No idea what is reflecting in the lower right.

Clarke Central wins Region 8AAAA Championship

Clarke Central defensive lineman Devonte Yearby kisses the Region 8 Class AAAA championship trophy as the Clarke Central Gladiators beat the Flowery Branch Falcons 21-0 on Friday, November 5, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

This was a cold, disastrous game from a photo standpoint. Windchill was below 30 and i froze.

What made it a disaster was the company-issued laptop that took an hour and a half to ingest 2 cards, open & tone 5 photos. Usually this takes 5 minutes. Missed deadline by an hour & a half.

Sports Illustration: Jordan Pierce

Clarke Central linebacker Jordan Pierce on Thursday, November 4, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Yeah, its an illustration. You don't see sunsets like that here in Georgia. The why and the how after the jump.

Election Night in Athens. Part 1.

Supporters for Athens Mayoral candidate watch election returns at Cine on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Its election night. It happens every year. The main thing i covered was 2 of the 5 Mayoral race candidates, which meant that 2 people would more than likely be heading for a runoff in a later election, leading to very little jube/deject shots.

Cupcake Scheduling

Our weekly Gameday story was on the new scheduling philosophy, leading into the week where they faced Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) school Idaho State where they paid ISU $525,000 to come to Athens.

Its referred to a "buy" game or more commonly known as a cupcake. Georgia's new philosophy is to get away from scheduling bigger, out of conference opponents and face more mid-major and 1-AA schools.

So how did we illustrated this? We went to the grocery store and pointed out the complete obvious.

Georgia v Florida Redux.

Florida Gators kicker Chas Henry (17) celebrates after kicking a 37-yard field goal to win the game as the Florida Gators beat the Georgia Bulldogs 34-31 in overtime at Everbank Field on Saturday, October 30, 2010 in Jacksonville, Fl.

Its the annual Georgia/Florida game, Formerly known as the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. It was my fourth time since 2005, and it came down to the last play. Best college game I've seen in person.

Tale of this road trip after the jump.

Candidate Nathan Deal in Watkinsville

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal walks off a bus past U.S. Congressman Paul Broun, right, as Republican candidates stop for a rally as part of a state-wide bus tour at Harris Shoals Park on Thursday, October 28, 2010 in Watkinsville, Ga.

I haven't had much of a chance to cover the major political races here in Georgia this election cycle, mainly because Athens is a major Democratic stronghold in a largely Republican state. The Republican Gubernatorial candidate came to the area and I tried to make some nice photos.

North Oconee Defense

North Oconee defensive coordinator Bob Krieger is surrounded (l-r) Trent Mattox, Trey Reed, Sean Olinger, and Greg Hall on Thursday, October 28, 2010 in Bogart, Ga. North Oconee's defense has not allowed a point in their past three games.

As usual, I'm asked to do a group portrait involving the defensive coordinator. These are HARD because I need to highlight one person out of a group. How I did this after the jump....

Chariot Races!

Matt Shanks, center, runs with his teammates as they win a chariot race on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in Athens, Ga. Entrants had to navigate two laps of their homemade chariots on the College Avenue course.

Recently, a beverage company (They're not giving me any money, therefore they don't get mentioned, much like that shoe company doesn't give me money either) sponsored a goofy chariot race, Ben-Hur style, in the middle of downtown Athens. Chaos ensued. More after the jump

Cedar Shoals upsets Apalachee

Players celebrate after the Cedar Shoals Jaguars beat the Apalachee Wildcats 28-21 on Friday, October 22, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

What a difference a year makes. Last season, we followed the Apalachee Wildcats religiously as they went undefeated. This month, i managed to watch Apalachee play both of Athens' High schools, Clarke Central & Cedar Shoals.

Cedar was winless in the division coming into the matchup, with Apalachee looking to bounce back after losing to Clarke.

The Daily Deli

Kathleen Anderson serves lunch at The Daily Deli on Thursday, October 21, 2010 in Bogart, Ga.

You can tell you've been here awhile when you start meeting the same people you met 3 years ago. Such is the case with my restaurant feature last week; I photographed The Daily Deli when it first opened 3 years ago and the newspaper themed deli is going strong.

Sportrait: Chandler Gunn

Athens Academy wide receiver Chandler Gunn on Thursday, October 21, 2010 in Watkinsville, Ga. Gunn went from being the teams kicker 2 years ago to its leading receiver.

I do this every week. I've photographed at least 100-125 high school athlete portraits in the past 3 years. That is a lot of practice at being able to do a simple, well-executed lit portrait in a short amount of time. More after the jump.

Chef Jon Ashton

Celebrity Chef Jon Ashton was in town for an event for breast cancer awareness month (Full Disclosure: The event was sponsored by my employer) and i had a chance to work with him in the studio last month.

Very nice guy, very down to earth. Try his bread recipe.

Street Hockey

Mark McCoy jumps over the boards during an adult street hockey game at the YMCA on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

So there's an outdoor street hockey league here in Athens.

More photos after the jump...

Gameday Cover: Aaron Murray

Every week, we put out a publication called "Gameday." Its our weekly college football preview special section. My job is to somehow pull off a cover shot every Tuesday or Wednesday.

This particular shoot involved quarterback Aaron Murray inside Georgia's weight room.

Georgia vs Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Matt Simms (2) is hit as he runs for one-yard in the first quarter as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Tennessee Volunteers 41-14 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, October 9, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Will the real Georgia football team please stand up? After a few weeks of nailbiting games where my game comes down to whether or not I get one play, it was refreshing to see a blowout.

Clarke beats Salem

Clarke Central quarterback Martay Mattox is tackled in the end zone for a touchdown as the Clarke Central Gladiators beat the Salem Seminoles on Friday, October 8, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

I've been waiting for a pylon photo like that for a few seasons now. Unfortunately, there's no light coming from the end zones in Prep Football. While i like shadowy, i would prefer some more light.

A few more photos after the jump.

Education Ralley

A student eats during a Rally for Higher Education on the campus of the University of Georgia on Thursday, October 7, 2010. The rally was part of a planned national day of action to defend higher education to defend educational rights nationwide.

On October 7, there was an attempt for a "National Day of Action" for promoting higher education. A handful of people from the 36,000 enrollment University of Georgia attended a rally there.

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett performs at the Classic Center on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 in Athens, Ga. Bennett is promoting his latest album "Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook" as well as a six-song EP released on iTunes from a live performance at London's Roundhouse.

The biggest difference between the local bands i shoot and major names? Access. With Bennett, its the typical "3 songs and out" even though if you had an iPhone and were in the front row, you could get really good stuff and even record video and put it on YouTube.

Alas, the jazz crooner put on a good show for the 10 minutes i was able to see it.

Star Trails

Another star trail shot from my backyard.

Damm lens flare from a streetlight.

They Call Me Bruce?!

Big Bad Bruce walks across the field after being anointed as UGA VIII as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 43-0 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, October 16, 2010 in Athens, Ga. (David Manning/Staff/david.manning@onlineathens.com)

A new mascot, UGA VIII was introduced Saturday. I avoided the giant scrum of photographers (which had some serious behind the scene fallout) and decided to stay long, as i was being asked to photograph something else pregame.

Bruce is a cute little puppy and the players seem to like him

Another photo after the jump

Georgia vs Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Tyler Hansen (9) is held up by Colorado Buffaloes offensive linesman Ryan Miller (73) after scoring on a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter as the Colorado Buffaloes beat the Georgia Bulldogs 29-27 at Folsom Field on Saturday, October 2, 2010 in Boulder, Co.

With every game, someone wins and someone loses. Photographically speaking, if you do it right you capture both. I went to Boulder, Colorado to cover Georgia and i missed THE PICTURES from the Georgia perspective. If I worked in Colorado, i had amazing stuff.

Things to do in Denver when you're dead (from traveling)

The sun sets over the Rockies.

So my company flew me out to Denver to cover the Georgia/Colorado game and somehow I wound up with a few hours of free time to explore the area, complete with two very nice tour guides Jenn LeBlanc & Cora Kemp

More sleep-deprived, touristy photos after the jump

Misfortune500 at Caledonia (v2.0)

Lead singer Chisolm Thompson sings with Misfortune 500 at the Caledonia Lounge.

I got a chance to see Misfortune500 again at Caledonia lounge a few weeks back. They play a killer show and bring their own stage lighting. They're an Athens band but don't sound like your typical Athens band - rather theyre a bit more along the lines of The Killers & The Cure.

More photos after the jump

HeyPenny at Caledonia Lounge

A nifty Indie rock band called HeyPenny played Caledonia a few weeks back and i hung for the show.

HS Football: Clarke Central vs Winder

Clarke Central quarterback Martay Mattox scrambles for a touchdown that was called back because of a penalty in the second quarter as the Clarke Central Gladiators beat the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs 55-0 on Friday, September 24, 2010. (Mattox is a recruit for the University of South Carolina)

Ive been shooting HS football occasionally this fall. I'm enjoying having my evenings free. Two weeks back, i got the chance to photograph Clarke Central for the second time this season and they seem ready to go back to the state championship again.

Tony Hawk.

Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk skates during the Birdhouse World Tour at the Athens Skate Park on Sunday, September 26, 2010.

For the second time in my life, my path crosses with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

National Champion Majorettes

Junior Colleen Murphy catches a baton as the University of Georgia majorettes rehearse on Thursday, September 23, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Awhile back I photographed the University of Georgia's latest National Champions: The Redcoat Band Majorettes.

Arkansas Vs Georgia

Georgia offensive tackle Clint Boling (60) and quarterback Aaron Murray (11) celebrate Murray's touchdown scramble in the first quarter as the Arkansas Razorbacks beat the Georgia Bulldogs 31-24 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, September 18, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Game 3 on the schedule, second game I shot. Arkansas won in the final minute but didn't celebrate.

Blue Ribbon School

Kindergartner William Johnson works with paraprofessional Cindy Hawks at Ila Elementary School on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 in Ila, Ga. Ila Elementary School is one of only six schools in Georgia to receive a Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education for academic achievement.

I'm trying to work on layering my photos. Its not a great example but i think it works and goes beyonf the average "classroom" photo.

Kayak Fishing

Zach Yurchuck fishes from his kayak on Lake Chapman at Sandy Creek Park on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

Every time I get up super early for a photo, it pays off. Our reporter set it up for me to call the subject and he would paddle back to shore around 10 AM. Instead, i decided to get up extra early and caught the steam coming off the lake.

Recycling Sunset

Sixteen-year-old Mayra Bodie carries a bag of plastic bottles as volunteer groups collect recyclables at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, September 4, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

After a long, hot day of shooting football, this was as creative as I was going to get on a recycling assignment three hours after the game ended. Pretty light.

Bear Hollow

Yonah, a black bear cub, walks through her enclosure at Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail in Memorial Park on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

I was asked to photograph the zookeeper at our local zoo and he originally was going to allow me into the enclosure but the two cubs were a little too curious and too happy to see me. That would be fine if they were say.... puppies except these two have 3 inch long claws. Who knew that it would end up being the turkey that attacked me?

Georgia Vs Louisana-Lafayette

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) directs blockers as he runs with the ball as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 55-7 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, September 4, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

I'm posting this way late from when it was originally shot. Their season is now 4 games old and its looking pretty grim for an Orlando/Tampa bowl game.

Anyways, time to step into the way-back machine and wander back 3 weeks....

Redcoat Flags

A flagline member dances as the University of Georgia Redcoat Band practices on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 in Athens, Ga.

I was sent out to do a feature story on the Georgia Redcoat Band and I found this off to the side. The general story was on the band raising money to replace old instruments and to migrate towards having all of their instruments be silver rather than a mix of silver & gold.

Bombtrack at Rye Bar

So after a football game and a 12-hour shift, i went to Rye Bar to say hello to my friends only to find a band setting up lights and a smoke machine. Naturally, I had to get my camera to get the eye candy.

Maximum Busy Muscle at Go Bar

Last week I went to Go Bar to catch the power trio Maximum Busy Muscle, comprised of Jason Roach, bassist Adam Hebert (3rd blog post in a row!) & Mary Joyce on the drums.

Go Bar is the polar opposite of Caledonia lighting wise. More photos & rambling after the jump.

Shitty Candy and the Circus Peanuts at Caledonia (Back-to-School Edition)

My friends in Shitty Candy took to the stage with a smaller lineup, with one guitarist out on maternity, one dancer MIA, and a brand-new bass player. Such an event was not to be missed, even if it happened right after the opening night of high school football.