Gymnastics Day 1

Cassidy McComb warms up for the Uneven Bars during practice before the University of Georgia places first in the second session of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships

NCAA Gymnastics championships are in town. Whee.

Whats killing me during this championship is the total lack of consistency of the enforcing of photo areas. Depending on whom you talk to, you're allowed to photograph from the stands just like any fan with a 70-200 lens or you're forced to remain in the photo areas - which are ill conceived, had poor sight lines and have cluttered backgrounds.

[Rant that would come back to haunt me Deleted]

The light is poor, the photo areas are bad, the backgrounds suck and anyone who is wearing an NCAA polo shirt (IE, volunteer) seems to want to tell every photographer what to do.



Michigan's Tatjana Thuener-Rego flips in the uneven bars as the University of Georgia places first in the second session of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships



Utah's Ashley Postell performs on the uneven bars as the University of Georgia places first in the second session of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships



Grace Taylor is congratulated by her teammates after her rotation in the uneven bars as the University of Georgia places first in the second session of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships

Quick Baseball

Third baseman Jose Cepeda barehands a foul ball.

More prep baseball from earlier this week. Ive been pretty tired of late and I'm not on my game the way i should be. Still, i managed a few pictures, although bad luck seemed to rule over all. I got blocked on the game-tying and game-winning jube. Oconee County beat Stephens County 2-1.



Oconee County second baseman Adam Fraizer reaches for a ground ball on Wednesday, April 23, 2008.

This kid had a boatload of Major League scouts watching him pitch. Possible top 3 round pick, if i heard correctly.



Stephens County pitcher Ethan Martin pitches against Oconee County on Wednesday, April 23, 2008. Martin struck out 16 batters and gave up one run in seven innings.

Comedy Break....

This was posted on Sportsshooter. Certainly puts things in perspective.


Seeking hardworking service providers...

Date: 2008-01-31, 9:28AM CST


I'm a fabulously wealthy photographer / artist making money hand over fist. Here's what I need:

A mechanic to overhaul my custom '57 Chevy.
A maid to clean my house on a regular basis
A doctor to perform some minor surgery on me.
A band to perform theme music for me where ever I go.
A carpenter and electrician to build an extra wing on my sweet house in East Austin.
A nanny to watch my spoiled kids.

Of course there will be no pay involved. In return for your services you will get FULL CREDIT on my website, AND you can add all of this work to your PORTFOLIO! If you ask me, this is an absolutely awesome deal!

I hope to have you work for me soon!

For the Fallen Heroes.

Patriot Guard rider Jim Eubanks is seen through American Flags outside of services for 1st Sgt. Luke Mercardante at Mars Hill Baptist Church on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.

Marine 1st Sgt. Luke Mercardante, of Hull, Georgia, was killed April 15th, 2008 in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan, near the Pakistan Border, from a roadside bomb.

Once again, i was asked to bear witness to his friends and family honoring him.





Gunnery Sgt. Tyronne Cobb touches the casket of fallen Marine 1st Sgt. Luke Mercardante graveside at Evergreen Memorial Park on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.

Golf is a four-letter-word

Brendon Todd flips his club after hitting into the bunker off the fifth tee during the final round of the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Sunday, April 20, 2008.


I've never professed to being a golf fan by any stretch of the imagination. Mini-golf and putt-putt is more my speed. It's what i enjoy. (That and I'd love to see the PGA pros get past 18 at Fantasia Gardens and not get wet in the process)




Brendon Todd hits out of the bunker onto the 18th green during the final round of the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

That being said, i spent 3 of the past 4 days walking the course at Jennings Mill Country Club, playing "chase the leaders." Apparently, I'm bad luck because everyone i followed for more than one hole had a really bad day while i was following them.



Fran Quinn flips his putter in frustration after missing a putt on the 16th green during second round play at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Friday, April 18, 2008. Quinn challenged for the lead at 7-under-par heading to the back nine but finished at 5-under-par.

Photographing golf is a bit of a challenge. We kept in communication with our sports guys through text messages. I got all the leaders on day 1 thanks to some dumb luck as well. For the most part, you're out on the course in the middle of no-mans-land with as much water as you can carry, sunblock and whatever fruit you can carry as well as a 2 cameras, a 400mm lens, an 80-200mm lens and a 17-35mm plus a crap load of memory cards. Plus you have to move fast, watch where the ball lands and maneuver into a shooting position and not be on their line to the hole all before they address the ball. Oh yeah, and you're not really allowed more than one foot inside the ropes.



Bubba Dickerson chips onto the 17 green during the final round of the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Sunday, April 20, 2008. Dickerson finished at 8-under-par.

People like Robert Beck and Gary Bogdon are some of the best at golf. How them manage to do that week in, week out and still make "different" pictures is beyond me. I tried to get some different shots but after awhile, it seemed to go into the shots over and over. Perhaps exhaustion and dehydration killed the creativity.



Greg Owen walks to the 8th green during the final round of the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

And at the end of the day, it came down to a sudden-death playoff on 18. The guy couldn't look any less exuberant about winning. Perhaps it was his 7 hour drive home to Orlando that he was thinking of. Either way, there was a complete lack of jube. The people in the back make the photo more than his fist-pump.



Robert Damron pumps his fist as he sinks a putt from the fringe of the 18th green to win a sudden-death playoff to win the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Sunday, April 20, 2008.


I think the goose had the right idea....



A canadian goose sleeps near the 16th green during second round play at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Friday, April 18, 2008.



Fran Quinn tees off on the 12th hole during second round play at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Friday, April 18, 2008.



Spectators watch the play on the 13th green during second round play at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic at Jennings Mill Country Club in Athens on Friday, April 18, 2008.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

Film fan Todd Kelly holds dolls wrapped in celluloid on Monday, April 7, 2008. Kelly is a fan of the Russ Meyer film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."

As promised, now that it has run. Here's some other random stuff from this last week.



Elizabeth Mittiga, of Lawrenceville, pushes her 14-month-old son underneath a mural of a full moon on Clayton Street in Athens on Thursday, April 10, 2008.



Michael Adams, president of the University of Georgia, is seen through dogwood flowers during a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of Connor Hall, home to UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on Friday, April 11, 2008.

Georgia Baseball

Left fielder Adam Fuller has the ball hit off his glove in the top of the third inning as the No 11 Georgia Bulldogs beat the No 9 Kentucky Wildcats 3-2 at Foley Field in Athens on Friday, April 11, 2008.

Well it seems like everything i blog about is baseball of late. Well I love baseball and if you're looking for something artsy and introspective about how much depth and meaning a picture has, well you'll have to look elsewhere for awhile.

At the beginning of the season, Georgia had no middle relief. Since starting the conference schedule, Georgia's bullpen put together 40 innings without giving up an earned run. Closer-extraordinaries Josh Fields (98mph fastball and a nasty curveball) has yet to give up an earned run this year and has 9 saves. (Pat Gillick, you listening? I know the Phils have signed Brad Lidge but damm. Draft this kid.) He should be a first-round pick this year without a problem. He turned down a second-round offer from the Braves last year. Anyways, Ive photographed him warming up for the 9th inning on a handful of occasions. Watching him warm up gets nerve-wracking because his fastball will stay in the frame of the shot for a long while. That and I've felt the pitch get away from him and go wizzing past me and another photographer once. (If that's what its like to face a big-league closer, my hat off to people like Pat Burrell who just owns Billy Wagner.)




Georgia came back from being down 2-1 to win 3-2, scoring 2 in the 8th. Very defensive game on Friday with Georgia stranding a lot of runners.



Catcher Joey Lewis slides his hand across the plate while evading the tag of catcher Marcus Nidiffer but was ruled out by hoome plate umpire Tony Maners (not pictured) as the No 11 Georgia Bulldogs beat the No 9 Kentucky Wildcats 3-2 at Foley Field in Athens on Friday, April 11, 2008.



Catcher Joey Lewis yells at home plate umpire Tony Maners after Lewis was called out at home as the No 11 Georgia Bulldogs beat the No 9 Kentucky Wildcats 3-2 at Foley Field in Athens on Friday, April 11, 2008.

Ethics and Toning....

Here's a very interesting blog article on ethics, photojournalism and toning your photographs.

Its a very good read. -> http://cnotherside.blogspot.com/2008/04/ethics-and-toning.html

Crosstown Traffic

Clarke Central first baseman Sam Cornwell jumps into the arms of shortstop Chaz Crumpton as they celebrate an inning-ending double-play in the bottom of the seventh to preserve a 4-4 tie before going on to win 5-4 in 8 innings on Wednesday, April 9 , 2008.

So yesterday was baseball featuring the local rivalry of Clarke Central vs Cedar Shoals. The ASSigning editor told me it was at Clarke but it was actually at Cedar. I tend to arrive early for games, so i had about 15 minutes to go across town - at the height of rush hour traffic.

I missed most of the first inning.



Clarke Central's Phillip Wierson makes an error against Cedar Shoals.

Anyways, it was a see-saw game. Lots of emotion and intensity and an error-fest and then some. Three suicide-squeeze bunts with the bases loaded. (It worked twice) Clarke won in extra innings 5-4.



Clarke Central third baseman Will Lance has the ball hit off his glove against Cedar Shoals.



Cedar Shoals pitcher Tyler Duncan pitches as he is seen in a multiple exposure photo.

Beyond the Valley of the Celluloid Wrapped Barbies

..... I'm not sure how to explain it other than I mummified a bunch of barbie dolls to go with a portrait for a fan of the Russ Meyer/Roger Ebert classic "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."

I'll post the portrait after it runs, but I just had to share the wonder, joy and sheer outright bizarreness that is a doll wrapped in film. For the moment, its tacked to the wall. I'm sure they'll get used as props later on, sans celluloid.

My brother turned 16 today. I'm sure he'd appreciate the humor in this. Happy Birthday, bro.

More Prep Baseball

Jackson County second baseman Rob Williams holds up his glove after tagging out Clarke Central second baseman Will Lance as Lance tried to steal second as the Jackson County Panthers beat the Clarke Central Gladiators 2-0 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.

So yeah. I've gotten my share of baseball lately and I'm enjoying every minute of it, especially when it was a tight game.

I'm learning a few things, like where NOT to stand. Last nights game featured an elevated area that was right over home plate. I sat there for 5 innings waiting to get a sliding into home photo. Twas not to be, never happened. Got some nice 2nd base action from there but not much more. 2nd base is your "safe shot" along with the pitchers. You shoot the pitchers warming up in the first, camp on 2nd base until you get something and then you're free to try and get something different - like sitting over home plate. It didn't pay off at all.



Clarke Central's Philip Wierson misses a pitch by Jackson County's Trevor Booth as the Jackson County Panthers beat the Clarke Central Gladiators 2-0 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.

Thanks to the fence, i totally missed some right field catches. Which is why i shouldn't have been standing/sitting/staying there.



Clarke Central second baseman Will Lance backhands a ground ball as the Jackson County Panthers beat the Clarke Central Gladiators 2-0 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.

I remember talking with a 15-year vet of freelancing back in Atlanta, one of the best baseball photographers out there. Great guy, was insanely patient with me and my shitty football stuff. I payed attention, i learned and i know that while these are good daily photos, they're not meant for my portfolio. Its just good, soild work that makes my editors go "oooooo" and at the end of the day, that's whats needed. You know a portfolio winner or a contest winner when you see it. I was told that at the end of a 150+ game season, this photographer would have a handful of pictures - maybe 10 - that deserved to go in his portfolio from baseball. I'd say I'm up to 2, maybe 3. Big maybe. Its all on where you place the bar and how high your standards are. For good or bad, my standards are incredibly high.



Clarke Central third baseman Phillip Wierson looks up to see the umpire rule him safe while Jackson County second baseman Rob Williams applies a tag as the Jackson County Panthers beat the Clarke Central Gladiators 2-0 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.

Chicken Salad. (And a baseball shot)

UGA seniors Deep Patel, right, uses a nail gun while Ashton Miller, left, holds a shingle in place while they help to fix the roof of 73-year-old Ethel Collins on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

Most photographer loathe getting the unfavorable assignments. More often then we'd like, we are asked to make Chicken Salad out of Chicken s%$#. Basically we are asked to go somewhere with no or limited visual opportunities and asked to make a decent photo out of that.



Beth Crawford, left, and her daughter Caitlyn blow a soap bubble during Super Science Day at Sandy Creek Nature Center on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

So this past Sunday, i was asked to go to a home renovation and a nature center open house. Not bad for a couple hours work. Its good daily work, it makes the newspaper look better and actually gives me a sense of accomplishment.



Volunteer Catherine Marquez, 18, tries to recapture her milk snake during Super Science Day at Sandy Creek Nature Center on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

Gratuitous baseball shot:



Washington Wilkes pitcher Caleb Saggus pitches as the North Oconee Titians beat the Washington Wilkes Tigers 9-1 on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.