Spring Training: Off Day

The sun sets being the statue outside of Space Coast Stadium.

Hey kids.....

Its an off day. This means being able to sleep in and having a good dinner .... as well as editing more photos, data management, laundry, and all the other things that i may have neglected in the past 27 days such as my car registration....

My update and more photos after the jump....

FBI Shooting in Orlando (May 22nd)

A member of an FBI evidence recovery team photographs the building following the shooting of Ibragim Tidashev, 27, in the 6000 block of Peregrine Ave., in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. An FBI agent with two Massachusetts State Police troopers and other law enforcement personnel were interviewing  Tidashev in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing investigation when a violent confrontation occurred. During the confrontation, the individual was killed and the agent sustained non-life threatening injuries, said Special Agent David Couvertier, Public Affairs Officer for the FBI's Tampa Field Office.

(David Manning for The Boston Globe)

Its always fun when the phone wakes you up.

In this case, it was the Boston Globe. The FBI shot and killed a man allegedly connected to the Boston Bombing.  I'm an hour from the scene. You get out the door in five minutes and hope to hell I don't hit traffic.

Trayvon Martin/Anti Gun Violence March

J'Mila Pittman, of Orlando, Fla., yells during a rally in support of slain teenager Trayvon Martin in Orlando, Florida July 17, 2013. Martin was shot dead by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012.  REUTERS/David Manning  (UNITED STATES)  

In the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict, many rallies have taken to the streets to protest the verdict.  I will touch on covering this trial sometime in the future.

I covered one last week in Orlando that drew 1500 people at the last minute.  It was peaceful; one counter-protester and overall was the typical protest march.

As always, hit the jump.

Foggy Fireworks

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an insane fireworks junkie.  Living in Orlando allows me to see high quality shows on a regular basis.... to the point where I can tell when things change.

Alas sometimes, mother nature plays havoc.  Usually December yields great weather for fireworks - low humidity and strong breezes to blow the smoke away.... sadly in the photo above, not quite the case.  A horribly thick bank of fog rolled into the area just as I pulled up.  Knowing the show i was about to photograph, I decided to make the best of a bad situation and try and use the fog to my advantage.

This is the finale of their Holiday Wishes show. Slightly overexposed. But i love how the fireworks just open above the clouds....

Holga Fun....

Beast's Castle in the New Fantasyland section of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Every now and again I like to break out the old film Holga 120 camera. Best 10 dollars I ever spent on a camera.

So I decided to take it around the New Fantasyland area at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.  (That should drive some SEO & page hits....)  More after the jump....

iPhone Zombie

So the other week I photographed a zombie run (5k) for an "event" photo company.  Really cool thing, shot on their cards, can't keep any of the photos.

Still not sure how I feel about that.  I like keeping my photos, owning my own photos and being creative. On the other hand?

Except then I have my iPhone.

I've been milking the double-exposure feature on Hipstamatic (if you follow me on Instagram, you know that already) and I was determined to make a nice creepy-as-hell portrait before I was leaving.

So I did.

Florida beast Georgia in 2 OT

Georgia Bulldogs forward Trey Thompkins (33) is fouled hard by Florida Gators forward/center Patric Young (4) as Florida beats Georgia 104-91 in double overtime on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 in Athens, Ga., at Stegeman Coliseum.

Ive been shooting a lot of basketball lately. High school, college, you name it. The shots are beginning to look the same after awhile; I'd really like to see a scramble facing me or something nice happen right in front of me without 12 pairs of legs in the way.

The worst part of sitting at the Georgia end in the Second Half is all the people who run out in front of you at the end of the game. Security, Police, and countless other people get in the way as really nice jube is happening at the other end of the court.

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.

Sunrise Lighthouse

After driving all night to Florida, I arrived at Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse to find a really pretty sunrise behind a really pretty lighthouse. The topography of the area prevented me from being able to really get what i wanted which was a super-tight long shot with the sun just peaking over the horizon. Instead, i just went wide and tried to get the gradient in the sky.





There were two other photographers that showed up to try and do the exact same thing i was.

Later we went to see the beach and stumbled on some surfers.

All-in-all, found a nice little picture or 2 and it ended up being totally worth the exhausting drive.

13 Blocks in 3 Hours: The Tim Tebow lovefest

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is congratulated by Florida fans as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators beat the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.

Florida. Georgia. World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Traffic Jam.



Florida's Ahmed Black, left, and Joe Haden celebrate as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators beat the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.


To anyone who ever, EVER, entertains thoughts of going to this game. First, Don't. Seriously, this game is for professional alcoholics people who can endure the worst traffic on the planet. We exited I-95 to travel 13 blocks down Union St. and to the stadium at 11:30AM. (It's a 3:30 kickoff.) We managed to get to the parking garage at 3PM. Thats utterly ridiculous and completely unacceptable. There's no earthly reason why it should take 3 1/2 hours to travel less than 2 miles, especially when you are following the signs to the stadium.

Both Athens and Gainesville handle 90 Thousand plus fans (in the stadiums!) every fall. There's no conceivable reason why a city with the resources of Jacksonville, Fl. has horrendous traffic problems when one of the poorest city in Georgia can handle traffic without a problem.

So after a quick sprint from the car and through/over legions of Florida fans (most of whom were trying to get in through the press entrance), there was a game to play.




Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno stiff arms Florida defensive end Justin Trattou as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators beat the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.

Georgia showed up, had a good statistical first half, made a few errors but was down 14-3 despite outplaying Florida. Made some nice pictures. Finally got a decent picture of Knowshon Moreno and made a decent sack photo, only to have it called back on an offsides penalty. NEARLY made the 'shot of the game' photo - Knowshon having a TD pass go in his hands and off his head - alas it was backfocused. (I'm going to blame the lens because it can't be user error... right?)




Florida quarterback Tim Tebow looks up after being stopped just short of the goal line in first quarter the as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators beat the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.

Second half came and they didn't answer the bell. I went to work on trying to get deject/jube shots as it rapidly became the 'Tim Tebow' show, between him doing the 'Gator Chomp' (I've seen alligators living in the wild before firsthand and never seen them do that) and the victory lap after the game. It got out of a hand in a hurry as dejected Georgia fans left in a hurry. It was 1/2 a stadium, as no one was on the Georgia side while everyone was still there on the Florida side. (Should have went into the stands and made that picture)



Florida quarterback Tim Tebow does the "Gator Chomp" after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.



Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, left, looks dejected on the bench as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators beat the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.

I made solid, game telling pictures. Thats the best you can do I suppose.

Georgia defenders Geno Adkins, left, and Roderick Battle, right, combine to sack Florida quarterback Tim Tebow before the play was nullified on a Georgia penalty as the #8(BCS) Florida Gators beat the #6 (BCS) Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 in Jacksonville on Saturday, November 1, 2008.