Preakness

Over the weekend I was out assisting Getty Images at the 140th Preakness Stakes.

This was my second Preakness and I was glad to experience both days. The year prior I was out working with Simon Bruty of Sports Illustrated and we focused heavily on the main race. It was good to see other aspects of the race and experience Preakness more.

Although we had a couple of issues with the weather I really enjoyed the experience and learned a ton.

During a few times when I wasn't working I went out to make a few pictures. Above are a few of the images I made during the two days.

Until next time, take care!

Missed

When the Orioles win everyone anticipates the pie.

We all gather in tight around the player of the game waiting for Adam Jones to appear from the dug out wielding his choice of pie for the evening.

I like to shoot low to get a cleaner background and a recent game was no different.

As Jones comes around with the pie Davis got his arm up to block it just in time. Jones then looks down to see me shooting and does his best to dodge around me hunched up in a little ball and fortunately only barely ran into me.

Fortunately for me and Davis he missed us both. Davis escaped a pie and I escaped getting tackled by Adam Jones.

Always exciting here at Oriole Park.

Until next time, take care!

Last Ditch Effort

I love to see an athlete put their all into every play. 

Their passion shows through and often great images are made. 

Let's hope for more plays like this one.

Until next time, take care!

Closed to the Public

I had the opportunity to photograph an incredibly odd game this past week at Camden Yards.

No fans were in attendance due to the riots and protests going on in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. I wanted to make a frame that was quiet. The ballpark at times was silent, something I have never experienced before. 

At times, it was hard to concentrate on the game. Any level of audible cues were gone and at times I forgot for a split second I was at a baseball game.

I was very fortunate to be apart of the experience as it is the first time in MLB history and a game I will always remember.

Until next time, take care! 

Freddie Gray

As everything began to unfold with the Freddie Gray protests here in Baltimore I was busy shooting sports.

Between the Orioles and freelance assignments I have had little opportunity to get out and photograph the events. As the protests are occurring in my backyard I felt I needed to document some of it.

I was able to make it out to two days of protests and felt a small glimpse of the magnitude this week will have on history.

The work that the news photographers on the scene have been making are incredible and I hope that everyone remains safe through the end of their coverage.

Until next time, take care!

Wet

Most baseball games are immediately called when the weather turns bad.

A recent high school game was not that way.

The slippery conditions made it difficult for the athletes to play and often resulted in errors being made.

Often errors can lead to interesting plays and in turn interesting images.

The above image came after a diving catch went south and the player lost his balance.

Unfortunate play, but makes for a great frame.

Until next time, take care!

Waiting it Out

Rule number 1: Always stay for the entire assignment when I can.

Obviously sometimes I cannot be at an assignment for the entirety of the event because I have other assignments I need to go and cover. But if it is my only assignment of the day or my last, and deadlines allow I do not leave an assignment.

Arrive early, leave late. This was the case for a high school baseball game I was out covering recently. Often times a writer will tell me that it isn't necessary to stay the length of a game. This case was no different, they were just looking for some good stock images for the two teams they did not have any file art for.

It was cold, it was raining, honestly it was pretty miserable. The athletes and coaches were freezing and ready to get home. All the pieces were in place for an easy choice to head home.

Luckily, I stayed. Come the 6th inning the sunlight began to scream through a break in the clouds and created beautiful light.

My first thought, get as high up as possible. I found a nearby bleacher and climbed to the top. Unfortunately is only just high enough to get me over the fence, not exactly what I was hoping for, but it worked.

I decided to work the nice light and start exposing only for the highlights. Letting everything else drop to black.

The result was a nice, high graphic image of the pitcher. A friendly reminder for me to always wait it out, in the grossest and coldest days, images are always to be made.

Until next time, take care!

O's

Spring is here and so is baseball. This is my third year working with the Orioles and I am very excited to see what images it will bring.

Above is a small gallery with a few images from the first homestand. 

Heres to a great season.

Until next time, take care!

Outside

Spring is finally here and sports are moving back outdoors.

It may not completely feel like spring is here with the crazy weather in Baltimore but with some high school softball games this past week, that means one thing: Orioles season is right around the corner.

This will be my third season working with the team and I am very excited to see what the year will bring and how I can push my work to the next level.

Here's to warm weather!

Until next time, take care!

Another Season

Another high school basketball season has come to a close.

I always find basketball to be a great challenge of my photographic ability. Poor lighting, fast movement and the limited decisive moments create a difficult event to cover.

All that said just means making a frame is all the more rewarding.

But it is time to crank down the ISO, say goodbye to the gyms and hello to the sun.

Until next time, take care!

Playoffs

Nothing beats playoffs. The emotions are running high and for many high school athletes they are playing for the last game of their careers.

I was fortunate to get out and cover the 2A south region championship game at Oakland Mills in Columbia recently.

The girls were nothing short of ecstatic after clinching the title. 

Until next time, take care!

Fun

Most of my assignments are sports. But every once and awhile I get to go out and shoot something different.

One of those assignments was this portrait shoot with a couple who has been married for nearly 38 years.

Both were really easy to work with and we came away with some great images while having a ton of fun.

Who says you can't work hard and love every second of it?

Until next time, take care!

Community

The photography community never ceases to amaze me.

Everyone is always looking out for one another and the comradery is next to none.

Recently, friend and mentor Simon Bruty lent me his 200mm f/1.8 lens to use during the indoor winter sports season. Combating the horrible high school gyms was much easier with this beast of a lens.

Unfortunately it seems that snow has been shutting down every assignment I get so hopefully I will be out shooting as we move into the warmer months soon.

Until next time, take care!

Using Resources

When I walked into a recent assignment covering indoor track I could not help but be excited by a huge American flag hanging from the ceiling.

So many options for images started flying through my head. Unfortunately, a lot of them were shot down quickly by the lack of accessibility around the area. Indoor track is often very cramped and very tight. One vantage point I went to after another were either blocked by locked doors or other athletes competing.

After carefully positioning myself I was able to take a nice wide shot of hurdlers competing underneath the flag.

Lots of great patterns to work with left me with a solid image.

Until next time, take care!

No Light

Recently, I had the opportunity to cover the Baltimore County Indoor Track County Championships for Baltimore Sun Media Group.

Walking into the gymnasium I knew that finding good light was going to be tough.

I was tasked with finding and covering a few specific athletes as well as getting other images to supplement the online gallery.

In between races that I needed to cover I worked my way over to the girls pole vault competition.

With outdoor track, pole vault is one of my favorite events to cover and indoor did not disappoint.

I decided to get as close to the athletes as possible and shoot a little wider. Overall I felt this image worked really well to showcase the environment and the athletes together.

Until next time, take care!

Long Time No See

This is by far the longest time period I have not made a blog post and I am very happy to break that streak.

Life has definitely gotten in the way the last few months but I am relieved to have things start settling down and having more time to get back up with regular blog posts.

I am gonna leave a small gallery of a few images I have made in the last few months and will be back to regularly updating with new images.

Until next time, take care! 

Experiences

One of the greatest parts of photojournalism is going into places and meeting people you normally would not have the opportunity to.

Recently, I was assigned to make images of a hypnotist in Columbia, Maryland. Having the opportunity to document a hypnosis session presented a few challenges.

The only light coming into the room was from an adjacent window, and in the nature of hypnosis the client laid there the entire session.

As they started their session I tip-toed around and made a few safety images. The entire session lasted about 45 minutes and with about 15 minutes left I began experimenting.

Overall I am very glad I had the opportunity to make these images and hope to photograph more assignments like this in the future.

Until next time, take care!

Playoffs

Now that the Orioles season has come to an end I am having the opportunity to realize how fortunate I am to have all the experiences I have had in my career.

My last two years with the Orioles have been an incredible time and the ability to work alongside the Orioles team photographer Todd Olszewski has catalyzed my career in ways I never thought would happen. 

Recently I have begun working alongside Simon Bruty of Sports Illustrated. Assiting Simon has changed the way I look at imagery and I have already learned more than I could have ever asked for. 

I hope that this is just the beginning of my opportunities and I can continue to grow as an image maker for years to come. 

Until next time, take care!

Playing Catch Up

Recently I have been falling behind in my blog posts.

Between postseason with the Orioles and freelance work I have been out making images almost everyday.

Hopefully over the next few days I will be able to update my blog more and more with all the images I have been taking for the last month or so.

The image above was taken at a regular season Baltimore County high school soccer game.

Going into the assignment I did not expect the jubilation that I photographed. But after a double overtime game, the kids went crazy.

Happy to be there and capture their reactions.

Until next time, take care!

Madness

Recent I had the opportunity to cover Maryland Madness for The Baltimore Sun.

As a Towson University graduate, I had photographed similar events while a student there but nothing this elaborate. Maryland takes their sports a little more seriously than Towson does.

An elaborate light show helped make for interesting images during the introductions of the men's and women's basketball teams.

I set myself up all the way on one end of the court, anticipating a spot lit action frame.

But before they made their run for the hoop I decided to shoot them on the other side of the arena. Capitalizing on the interesting lights I found a nice clean background and waited for each player to pass through.

Some were very animated when they were introduced others not as much. I liked the simplicity of the single raised hand and the black and red background matching the colors of his uniform in the image above.

Overall a very enjoyable assignment.

Until next time, take care!