Escher Layers

Retired Atlanta Braves pitcher Brad Clontz at a Habitat for Humanity homebuild in Bogart, Ga., on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009.


The Philly boy in me wants to make a Robert Esche joke (former Flyers goaltender) or a WFC joke about the Braves.

Instead.....

This is Brad Clontz. He recorded the first win at Turner Field. (Thats a trivia answer for you) He's also quite the handyman when it comes to working on a Habitat for Humanity home.

It really was the shadows that drew me in to the scene here; reminds me of somethign M.C. Escher would come up with. Shot it as i was walking away.

A World Series ring is amazing to see first hand, even if it doesn't have the name of the team you'd like to see on it.

Attack of the Debaters

Okay, I'm delving into political territory here. Had to photograph a debate the other night. I saw one crazy lady, two toy trains, one awful combover and tried my darndest to get get some decent photos out of the deal.




Pretty much, i tried to do whatever i could to frame or make otherwise good composition beyond the standard "guy and microphone" shot. I liked the one above where you could look in from the bar with the TV screen above. Naturally they didn't run it.





I'm not going to name this politician because he is still running and i don't want this to be influencing the outcome, but suffice to say that combover just doesn't work whatsoever. Its just ridiculously bad. I'm not trying to make fun of him but its just awful. So kids, when you run for political office - Don't do that with your hair. Actually, when you leave the house in the morning, don't do that with your hair.

FInally, I can post this.....

Canopy Studios' owners Susan Murphy and Don Carson on Tuesday, November 13, 2007.

Generally i try not to post my really cool stuff until it runs. I'm holding on a few things as well. This is a shot for our "Creative Couples" issue of Athens Magazine.

Basically that's just a gelled flashlight with a drawn frame around them, like 30 second exposure, rear curtain with a CTO gel, gridspotted at like f/16. Thankfully you never saw my arm holding the flashlight. (For you non tech people, it's a pretty picture)

What else? I'm probably missing the annual Murphy's shows in Boston for St Patrick's Day (unless something out of the blue completely changes things). Should have some basketball come next week.

Wapner on at 4.

Monday i took a trip to the Georgia Supreme Court. Rules for shooting in there are very relaxed and subdued. Shame each individual county court can't adopt the same interpretation of the rules that the top court in this state uses.

Anyways, there were some interesting things to shoot. Light sucked for the most part. But i made an interesting framed shot... shame it wasn't sharper.

More HS Football

So yeah. Every once in awhile you can get a good high school football field that looks decent at night. Me, i HATE the on camera strobe look of high school football. So this leads a photographer to either 1 - pray for an early start time (1:30 PM is a great time) or 2 - pray for good lighting. Anything that is faster than 250 @ 2.8 @ 1250 ISO is usually a godsend. Usually then i can get at least the eyes or some key feature of the players nice and crisp. I'm expecting motion blur, and all these photos have it. Shame it wasn't daylight.

Usually I've found the private schools have the best lighting. The best was Jacksonville Bolles (they have artificial turf too) but Prince Ave here in Athens was a close 2nd. Exposure could have been 1/400th in the center of the field. It was one of those games where we were covering 2 local teams, so its a case of just photographing who has the ball.






All in all, i had a pretty good game shooting. Sometimes i have a hard time reading the play. (I know baseball much better than football) but i was able to pick up the pass patterns pretty easily.



And this is a pretty bizarre attempt at framing a replica of Ben Epps' first airplane as seen through a set of aviator's goggles.

Animal Auction

Yesterday was my first dealings with an animal auction. It was pretty interesting. Very dark tho. It would make a good soundslides project, that with the audio of the auctioneer. Its almost like a song.

So yeah, i was out trying to work on framing again. I wish it was lighter in there because i wanted to use a higher aperture on the lens than 5.6, but even at 1250, its 1/20th of a sec and some serious noise.

Fore!!!

While it's still baseball season, this is what my Phillies will be doing come Sunday. (I left the car, we went up 3-2 on a Jimmy Rollins triple. Two innings later, we serve up a fat grand slam that makes me very unhappy)

Just more on my framing kick. I had to go out and make a feature photo because... well I wanted to. Sure beat watching the debacle that was the game.



UGA Senior Randy Matheny hits a golf ball on the UGA driving range on Thursday, October 4, 2007.

Framing(ham?)

Boston reference there. I lived (near) there the last time the Phils won the series back in 1980. Fourteen years since we've played in the playoffs. After yesterday's second inning, i'm amazed i haven't thrown anything at the computer.

So the past few days, I've been working on more framing, and less silouettes. One was actually spot-ish news, a truck ran over a fire hydrant where the other was an ice cream social. I used french doors, a british style phone booth as well good, ol' fashioned branches.



Brian Brodrick eats dinner at Watkinsville home with his wife Susan, son Aaron, and daughter Phoebe on Monday, October 1, 2007. Brodrick was named as one of the "40 Under 40" by Georgia Trend magazine.




Athens-Clarke County utility workers search for the shut off valve to a fire hydrant that was ripped from the ground, breaking the water line, after it was hit by a truck at the corner of Prince Ave. and Millage Ave. on Tuesday, October 2, 2007.



Janice Sand take a bite of ice cream at an ice cream social dedicating the Eugene Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, October 2, 2007.

Now i know editors love Dogs in the newspaper and they love ice cream, so......


Anjing is fed ice cream by her owner alumnus Tom Shannon at an ice cream social dedicating the Eugene Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, October 2, 2007.