behind the lens

Just a Diary...

2009-02-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

No one looks at my blog unless I say, "Hey, look at my blog!" while they're sitting in front of the computer and don't leave until they do. I really have no idea how folks can make money at this (not what I'm trying to do, of course, but I know people who do).

I'm excited about the new Canon 50D that should arrive sometime tomorrow. I was hoping to get the 50mm 1.4 along with it, but that lens seems to be the most scarce item on the planet these days. Oh well, it's free shipping anyway from B&H.

Neither here nor there, but we got a giant new LCD TV the other day. Why I mention it is the HDMI connection on the new camera will give me the ability to show my photos directly on the 46" screen in the living room. This will be awesome for next year's Trail Travail!

Going to Mexico

2009-01-21T19:54:00.001-08:00

The St. C's K class is on a trip to Mexico these days, and I had the good fortune to be a sombrero-making volunteer. The actual forming of the hats was more work than you can imagine (so the photos are limited), but the painting was pretty fun. One little guy had the Pollock thing going on...

I have finally found a little time to start looking at the TWiPpers' sites recently, and would like to give a shout out to Aaron Mahler, Frederick Van Johnson and Steve Simon.

Holy $#*! It's Cold!

2009-01-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

Cumberland, Virginia. Swinging Bridge 35 & 50K trail races. 8am start. 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

I shocked my Zune changing clothes in the Town & Country and thankfully didn't erase KC & the Sunshine Band's 'Boogie Shoes'!

The registration and pre-race photos were fun - especially with 2 hobo-style trash can fires blazing. But shooting the runners as they left the start line, I had absolutely no feeling in my fingers. Both hands all the way to the second knuckle. I'm surprised any of those shots came out. There was a definite point where you could see the exposure drop off because I couldn't work the f-stop controls. It was unnerving not being able to feel the shutter-release. I honestly couldn't tell if I was taking any pictures.

Jogging back to the van I removed glove liners and mittens and put as many fingers as would fit into my mouth. The edge of frostbite is a horrible aching sensation. The drive to the 5.5 mile aid station got me back on track though, and I didn't have cold hands for the rest of the day. I think the liners were ruining the mitten's whole-hand warming usefulness (I ditched them and only used the mittens).

Frost covered all the runners' exposed facial hair and anywhere else that moisture could cling. It was like watching 100 Jack Frosts going by. And the major creek crossing was mostly ice. This made for some great episodes of folks trying to avoid getting wet. I actually witnessed two folks 'walking on water'. I swear the ice was so thin a bird would have cracked it, but these two must have weighed less than a starling.

Unfortunately, my tree-climbing perch was for naught. The spot where people would ford the creek beneath me was not the way anyone wanted to go. It would have been some great photography, though!

As I waited about half a mile before the 35K finish to get the final stretch shots, I had a few minutes to realize one of the really great things about this kind of photography: the solitude. Listening to nothing but a light breeze in the trees, I felt like I could have stayed there forever. Even though it was 20 degrees...

Holidays & Birthdays

2009-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

Man, what a dry spell! I guess it's time to start marketing the biz. At least I'm getting my running back to some regularity. Since I don't really have anything else to talk about, I'll mention shooting a little during the holidays and my son's 6th birthday just to shake the dust off.

Xmas had us up and down I95 a little too much (if you ask me). But the teenage cousin-in-law humored us by helping the young 'uns build a Lincoln Log fort. I think there may have been some money involved there, but I can't be certain.

And last weekend had us hosting the Star Wars birthday party. It's kind of difficult to be the ring-leader and photographer of the same event. But some of the shenanigans came out alright in the jpeg realm. And yes; I did have a hand in creating the R2-D2 cake, but my sister did most of the grunt work.

The Importance of Multiple Memory Cards...

2009-01-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a little story to go along with some recent TWiP discussions involving memory cards, and their sizes and need for more than 1 per camera...

This past September I drove down to Williamsburg to shoot the VPCGA's Annual Meeting (opening reception & dinner) at the Williamsburg Lodge.

It was about an hour away from Richmond, and I drove down a little early to see the layout of the rooms we would be using. That being done, I took a seat in the lounge to get my game face on. Turning on the cameras to clear the memory cards from the last event (I leave them on the cards until the next gig after I make 2 copies of all originals).

Whazzam! (to quote my almost-6-year-old's favorite catch phrase) NO CF CARD. That's right. Both cameras. A cold chill washed over me. I had 30 minutes until go time, and an almost 2-hour round trip. It was Sunday night in Colonial Williamsburg. Even if there were a camera store, they certainly wouldn't be open.

And then I noticed my weatherproof memory card case in the bottom of my bag beneath the off-camera shoe cord. With 3 512MB and 1 2GB cards in place.

I had become so complacent with never needing more than my usual 4GB cards, that I quit using the others. And I always ASSUMED I would leave the cards in the camera, but in my moment of panic I remembered them vividly resting on the card reader by the desktop. Let that be a lesson to us all!

Mother-in-Law

2008-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Being a reading teacher, my wife's mom is very involved with the Richmond Area Reading Council. And, since I bother her sometimes to watch Willem when I have a job, she asks me to photograph her meetings and special events. They aren't too demanding, and seldom take more than an hour, and it's good practice when I'm between jobs. As with a lot of my indoor work, the low-light conditions bug me, but I can get my people skills honed with the close-ups.

Back on the 20th, I made my way over to Broad Street and shot the Read Aloud Virgina's Santa Breakfast. It was really amazing to see just how much the kids loved getting books.

Junior Olympic XC

2008-12-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

The morning immediately following the Nursing School's graduation, I was out at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville. It was 25 degrees. I forgot a jacket. Actually the jacket was more for the photography gig than my more immediate plan: to run the 5K course of the 2008 USATF Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships. Backwards, of course, so I could see the angles that would look best with the kids running towards me.

There were 3 different courses: 3K, 4K, and 5K, so they were a little confusing at the 1K split. Once I figured that out, though, I had to plan how fast I could cover 3 positions and still beat them to the finish. One of the problems I have with the SportsBackers events (when Rick can't help me out) is covering both the 'look' and 'feel' of the race while also getting the winners crossing the line (for the press releases). A lot of the time I let the event photography company have the press release shot. My 'straight-on' finisher stuff has not worked out as interestingly as I would like anyway. I have some Neil Leifer - like ideas that I want to try out with remote cameras...

A lot of this event was back lit with bright sunlight, but I have been trying to learn shooting without the flash so much. I'm finding that I like the flash... it changes the look somewhat, but it also provides a unique look if you bump it up a little more than mere fill. The background looks richer if you under-expose the sky a stop or two. I managed to run much more than any of the kids (counting my course pre-run), and felt pretty wiped out at the end.

Back to the Siegel Center

2008-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

Friday a week ago, I covered the VCU School of Nursing's December Graduation ceremony. Not too much different than the May event, so I was a little less nervous. One thing was better. Since the full graduation excercises were the following day (in the Siegel Center instead of the Coliseum, as in May), the lighting was noticeably brighter. Not great, but better than before.

I am really getting to the point now where I need a new camera. Low-light situations like these are really bringing me down. For web use, the photos look ok, but if large prints are ever needed, the grain in the darker areas will look awful. Of course, they all look awful to me anyway (graininess, not composition) because I'm my own worst critic. I usually end up shooting at ISO 1600 (the Rebel Xti's maximum) and only between 100-160th shutter speed. And I'm almost wide open at around 3.2 or 3.5. A tri-pod would be a hindrance, so I'm ready for something better.

With that in mind, I have been listening to Scott Bourne, Ron Brinkmann, and the gang at TWiP, hoping for one of them to tell me which Canon body is best suited to my needs. Most of them use Nikon predominately, though. So if I'm willing to buy another $3 grand in lenses, I will look at the D3, but in the meantime I need someone to point me in another direction.

The Trade Show Scene

2008-12-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

For the last 3 years now, I have been providing photography services to the Virginia Society of Association Executives' (VSAE) Fall Marketplace. Rather than payment, I am given a booth (a $500 post, I think) to promote my business.

The Marketplace is for event planners to be persuaded to have their conferences at participating vendor's resorts (or use the catering, video, photo, etc. services).

The day starts with a handful of sessions put on by folks who have relevant information for the attendees, so I start shooting early. I have one thing to say about this kind of event - people eat. I say this because, as a photographer, this is a nightmare. Not only do they eat before and during the informational sessions, but many of the vendors are using food as enticement for potential clients.

When a photographer is omnipresent in a situation like this, there are two problems. #1 - no photo looks good with someone stuffing their face, no matter how attractive they are. #2 - everyone avoids you; and you are forced to use the long lens in a dim environment. Anyway, you end up with a lot more shots of vendors than attendees, which kind of negates the purpose of being there. Which is why, having done this quite a bit, I leave people with food in their hands alone. They appreciate it, and will be more willing to give you the shot you need later on. The only 2 times you should ever take shots of someone eating is when it is a prop for a food product, and when the bride and groom are eating their wedding cake. NO EXCEPTIONS!

24 Hours of Momentum

2008-12-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

One of the many events put on by Mark Junkermann's RunRideRace is (for the 2nd year now) the early October "24 Hours of Momentum". This is a running solo and relay race on the trails of the Boy Scout Camps in Goochland County, VA. This year's event added a 12 hour version as well, bringing in many more participants.

I coaxed the family out to enjoy the camping and be a part of my 'team.' Last year in addition to photographing the participants, I also signed up as a solo runner. I covered about 30 miles in the 24 hours. So this year we were a team of 3 (Willem being the youngest entrant at 5 years). The camping was fun and the food was good. If I could change anything, it would be to hold it somewhere other than a Boy Scout Camp. They have too many rules about where to park, etc. (I live inside the Town & Country - batteries charging and laptop running. So I sleep in there too).

Steph managed 2 laps of the 5 mile trail loop, and much to my surprise - it being her first time trail-running - she really enjoyed it. Willem was determined to do a whole lap like mommy, so I took him with me on my final turn with the camera gear. He made it the whole 5 miles without being picked up (I had 10 pounds of gear already) or complaining other than "how far have we gone?"

Some teams managed a colossal amount of mileage, but no soloists came anywhere close to breaking the inaugural running's 2 who broke 100.

The Blue Ridge Relay

2008-12-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how far behind I've fallen. Not only that, but why wouldn't I have wanted to talk about the Blue Ridge Relay???

2 years ago, Gene Byard and I took on the roles of documentary filmmakers to cover this same event (still in post-production, I'm afraid...). Only the movie centered around Christopher Calfee's attempt to cover the mountainous 208 miles solo; and without sleep. As a matter of fact, his plant was to cover 400 miles - a return trip of the same course. But I can talk about that if the movie ever gets finished.

This year I was recruited to be on a team of 12 to run. I brought both my still camera(s) and my video camera (hoping to show a different side of Calfee's experience. Being a participant - meaning I had to run 3 legs totalling 23 miles - limited how involved the documenting could be.

I will make a long story short and let you look at the photos. I did have fun, not getting overly obsessed with the photography. And I got lost on the 4am leg. Which painfully but happily bumped my mileage up to an even Marathon. It slowed the team's finish time by about 45 minutes though. I felt bad about that. One last mention: Dennis and the SWEET bus. We had an awesome time...

Addicted to a Podcast

2008-12-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

I have been listening daily (I'm way behind on discovering the world of podcasts, so I have dozens of archived shows to catch up on) to the most interesting thing available to photographers: TWiP

Even though I almost never do the kinds of photography that they often talk about (nature, panoramas, etc.), I learn half a dozen things in every show that I write down and follow up on. I will post links to all the most interesting sites they talk about from now on...

Ruby's Run

2008-12-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

For the second year now, I walked the 4 blocks up the hill to the Carillon (WWII Memorial) in Byrd Park to take pictures of the children's races that make up "Ruby's Run". This year, I convinced Willem (my almost-6-year-old) to participate. As it turned out, there were a couple of kids he knew also running, so I didn't really have to monitor him beyond being able to see where he was.

The races were pretty low-key and haphazardly put together, but the kids all seemed to enjoy themselves. Other than raising money ahead of time, there is only a $5 fee - and the kids get a T-shirt and medal for running.

I feel like this year's photos were much better than last, but having Willem run kept me from taking quite as many shots as I would have usually managed. My only regret was that last year - it seemed - the fall colors were much more vibrant.

Kindergarten Stocking Sewing

2008-12-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

Once again I have gone months without a post. I guess I just think about this too much. Either that or I'm lazy. Probably the latter.

But in my defense, I am a stay-at-home-dad first and foremost. And when it's time to start Kindergarten, there is a lot more on my plate than I'm used to. Certainly a ton of volunteering and school-related activities.

It gets difficult to take photos of the kids when you actually have to immerse yourself in their activities. I did manage to snap a few yesterday, though. They were all sewing stockings for Santa to fill, and once Willem had the hang of it, I moved around the room a little.

USMS National Championship 2-Mile Cable Swim

2008-07-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

I shot my first swim-only event last Saturday at Chris Greene Lake in Charlottesville. There were 3 different start times, the first being a non-championship 1-mile swim. The course was out in the middle of the lake with an in-the-water start and finish.

I'll say that shooting from a 'Zodiac' rescue boat wasn't an ideal platform, but thanks a million to the Charlottesville/Albemarle Rescue Squad's Water Rescue team for allowing me to ride with them. They couldn't safely get close enough to the swimmers for my purposes.

I finally decided to venture out near the start/finish carrying the 70-200mm with the 1.4x Tele-Extender (giving me an effective range of 156-448mm). The rope divider showed up a bunch for the 2nd heat of the 2 miler, because of the direction of the swim, but for the most part the pics were unbroken. I would have liked to get exactly even with the turn buoy to get both going and coming, but the water was over 5 feet there.

Needless to say, being chest-deep and holding about 5 pounds of camera out of the water for an hour wore my shoulders down, but the close-ups at that angle were pretty cool. I might build a floating platform to put the camera on when I'm not shooting next time! A big thanks to Dave Holland for a well-organized event, and for giving me the opportunity to be there.

Camp Hilbert Race Series Finale!

2008-07-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

The series has come to an end for the second year. Congratulations to Mark and RunRideRace, as well as all his family & volunteers (usually one and the same)! The MTB and Trail Run races have really developed well in a short time.

This past weekend's events included a new 'Night MTB Time-Trial,' as well as a camp-out. With a turnout of only 6 or 7 for the TT, I decided to bag the slow-shutter head/handlebar light exposures. Instead, I put on the spandex and joined the fray as a competitor. Good thing, too - 5 minutes into my anchor position, all heaven opened up. I had no idea that much rain could reach ground level in dense woods. I literally could not see. I finally pulled off my sports glasses to have a modicum of vision. It was awesome fun though! Not seeing beyond my lights made my 30-something fear of crashing vanish. In fact, I only dismounted once in 6 miles. For all reading this, sign up for next year's TT!

The Sunday races were amazingly NOT muddy. I guess the lack of rain leading up to Saturday made the ground too hard to absorb any of it. Mark scored some new interest in the way of sponsorship, including Blue Ridge Outdoors. I met Tom Daly of BRO and have since checked out his photography work. Very nice stuff. Give it a look at Tom Daly Photography. Looking forward to next year's Series, Mark!

VCU Nursing Graduation

2008-07-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

I know this is a while after the fact, but I got to cover the VCU School of Nursing Graduation ceremony at the Siegel Center back on May 16. It was different, and made me nervous; especially when asked to do an impromptu whole-class photo. I didn't have any large flash units, and every room in that place was verging on a 1600 ISO minimum. I think the shots came out pretty good, though. I was limited to the staging area (practice gym), so don't fault me for terrible background colors!

It was fun - I got to roam freely through the whole place for the entire ceremony. I just wish that one of the large 'speaker-focused' events I do would spring for a spotlight though. I'm tired of shooting at the Xti's ISO limit. It really limits what I can get at 1/100th with a 200mm lens. Maybe I should start thinking about the 5D or better yet - the Mark III! I also have been thinking a fish-eye would be interesting for some angles in these massive venues.

XTERRA & the James River Adventure Games

2008-07-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

I need to be more regular about this blogging!

It has been difficult to find the time for a blog since Willem has been out of school. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that my primary job is that of stay-at-home-dad. The photog gig is my vacation from the soccer mom (or whatever they call us these days...) routine. But I will wait 'til I catch up on the recent shooting events to add more about that stuff.

Saturday - day 1 of the James River Adventure Games. Photography for the Sportsbackers. A loooong day. And it was HOT. The stunt bikers (Bike Trials) were out on the rocks south of Belle Isle, and it was an OVEN out there. I don't know how they managed that kind of focus in those conditions. I finally called it a day after the mediocre turnout for the kayaking events. There was a big crowd in bikinis, but I think that was the regular crowd from any given Saturday down there. They seemed to have little interest in the event.

I was everywhere, though. I rode the MTB from Brown's Island to Rockett's Landing and all the way back to 42nd Street stairs. And MAN! were the stairs the hot spot! The slideshow doesn't do it justice. I was sweating more than the bikers of the Urban Assault.

Sunday was a different gig, though. I was a volunteer for XTERRA (or Team Unlimited, to be more precise). I ferried the Times-Dispatch (local paper) photographer Clement Britt and video cameraman Sean Connelly (not sure for whom or if I'm spelling his name right) behind Trey and Nils from XTERRA to all the key points of the course. I got to drive the Town & Country onto Belle Isle! I felt like a rock star - forget the photography.

I managed to take some shots while on duty though, and it was a lot of fun being allowed in all the secret places! Can't wait 'til next year!

Undiscovered Photographers Exhibit

2008-04-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

The Weinstein JCC had its opening reception for the Undiscovered Photographers Exhibit last Thursday night (April 17, 2008). I submitted 3 photos, and all are displayed. They will hang until mid-May.

Although I am happy to have my work being shown, the highlight of the event was the judged competition of all the exhibits' photographs. Scott Elmquist, the Style Weekly photographer and photo editor chose the top 3 photos, along with 4 honorable mentions. I believe there were something like 70+ photos included. My photo of Terry running on the Belle Isle footbridge was awarded 1st place!

Needless to say I was stunned. I felt a little embarrassed standing in front of the other photographers. I was glad I had submitted 3 very different subjects, but I felt that "Footbridge" was actually the best. It is a photo I planned well in advance. Terry and I went for a 12+ mile trail run that morning, and I had a backpack full of camera gear. I stopped in several places to take pictures of Terry, but the footbridge was the main purpose for the gear. I knew from countless solo runs what the shot would look like given the time of day and the weather.

Many people have shot the footbridge; most of them do it with a telephoto lens to get the rolling hill look. In fact, a Roadrunner catalog once used a photo of Thad Jones on the bridge for their cover. My idea, however, was to make Terry wait while I ran up to the road surface of the Lee Bridge, go out to the center where the bridge opens up and shoot straight down onto the footbridge. It was a Saturday or Sunday morning around 9am, so there wasn't much traffic, and there is about a 2-foot "shoulder" to the inside of the vehicle lane. I was much less concerned with getting hit by a car than I was dropping my camera 60 feet onto Terry's head.

Of note - I rarely "plan" photographs. The benefit to recruiting Terry for this was a) to make sure I got a usable shot and b) so I could print/use/sell the photo while having permission of the runner involved. Other than me shouting down the gap "go ahead!", none of the image was manufactured. I did make him do it twice, though.

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K

2008-04-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday found me rain-soaked and shooting the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K for the Sportsbackers. This year's event was the USATF Men's 10K National Championship. Bigger elite turnout, bigger prize money, and the biggest field to date. Over 24,000 finishers and a limit of 30,000 entrants. In fact, I heard that this has become the 4th largest 10K in the country.

And it rained all day. With this kind of massive event, I re-enlisted the help of Rick Barlow. He covered the course in the early stages, as well as the start of the "Dash for Cash" runner Billy Weldon. This 'lucky' guy had a 2.8 mile head start on the elites and had to stay in front until the finish line to get his $2500 prize. Not necessarily a daunting task, assuming you don't get overwhelmed by the fact that all eyes are on you. Billy, against my doubtful nature, prevailed with a substantial lead over the elites, and went home with a big check.

Due to the predicted (and delivered) all-day rain, I purchased AquaTech's Sport Shields for my cameras. I was quite pleased with the lower-end 2-layer version, but the higher-priced 3-layer for wide-angle lenses (including hot-shoe and strap attachment option) was kind of a nuisance. Not that the purpose of stopping rain wasn't achieved, but it was next to impossible to focus and/or zoom with the snug-fitting lens cover portion. And there is no way to adjust the flash compensation on the 580exII with the flash rain cover. It was also hard to accurately judge proper exposure through the vinyl window with condensation and rain drops. I suppose if you are stuck on a sideline in a downpour for 3 hours, adjustments aren't really necessary, but when the sun came out for a few minutes, I was stuck with dozens of over-exposed shots.

To sum up the day - it was quite a learning experience, and I have to thank the Sportsbackers for entrusting me with such a prestigious event (along with Dean Hoffmeyer of Richmond Times-Dispatch fame, who I'm sure didn't run around like a chicken without a head like I did). And I have to tip my hat to Rick, who has shown phenomenal improvement since the Duathlon; especially considering he has a real job and no background in photography. If I wasn't hyper-aware of who I photographed, I might think his shots were mine.

The Racing Season Returns

2008-03-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Just past dawn on Sunday, I found myself out at Camp Hilbert in Goochland County, VA. It was the first day of the 2008 Camp Hilbert Race Series. The series, organized by Mark Junkermann through his RunRideRace venture consists of 3 separate dates of trail runs and mountain bike races. The dates are spread across 4 months from early Spring to early Summer.

I made the mistake of staying out past midnight on Saturday - a mistake made all the more painful due to the Daylight Savings Time change at 2 AM. I discovered that 3 and a half hours of sleep is not enough. 4 and a half is usually ok, though, as I've pulled that off several times.

Mark's races are so far the only "race photography" events I've done. I generally shy away from the "shoot-and-sell-prints" jobs. While there is a good living to be made in that arena, a photographer is limited to (usually) boring angles and telephoto stills of action. This is because you are dealing in volume. The more people you can shoot, the more likely you are to sell photos. However, from my experience as a runner/cyclist, I find that I almost never buy these photos. So what I bring to the table is a photograph that I would buy of myself. The only drawback to this approach is that sometimes you are unable (as a photographer) to get everyone. A long exposure of a cyclist can be worthless if you don't time the speed of the rider to match the shutter speed. While I might only get 60%-70% of the shots to look like I wanted, the folks who buy the photos have something worth framing.

The Camp Hilbert Races are great for this kind of shooting because of the multi-lap format of the races. I can wander the course finding more interesting spots while being confident that if I miss a few riders/runners at one spot, I will more than likely catch them somewhere else. And I also like to pick a different spot or two every time I go out there to keep people interested in looking at the photos. You aren't going to sell anything if you always set up in the same spot. I can get a lot of repeat customers by changing the setting of their photos.

Buffalo Sabres...

2008-02-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

My home team. One of the highlights of my last post (Nostalgia Trip) was the bonus of being able to attend 2 Buffalo Sabres home games. I hadn't seen a Sabres home game in 26 years. In fact, if it hadn't been for Jenny H. mentioning it at the VSCPA Christmas party, I wouldn't have even seen a Sabres away game (vs. Washington Capitals). I bummed a ride with Jenny & Laurie in mid-December. Prior to that, the last NHL game I had seen in person was when Gretzky played for the Kings (vs. Washington Capitals at the Cap Center in Landover). December's D.C. trip has re-ignited a passion for the NHL...

So Friday, I attended the Bruins vs. Sabres game by myself. I sat down close to the glass and only brought my 16-35mm lens. I couldn't have gotten any good telephoto shots up that close. It was so much fun, I didn't really take that many pics. I talked to some locals about how long it had been since I had been there and they told me about how the Bills might be sold away from Buffalo.

Sunday night, before returning to Richmond on Monday, I took my dad to see the Panthers vs. Sabres. We were in the Club section; seats I was told by my neighbors on Friday were far better than down behind the glass. I agree with that now. We had our own bar/restaraunt, local bathroom, and waitstaff taking orders for food and drink during the game. Well worth the extra $15 a seat.

With these seats, I hauled both cameras in (I didn't feel like swapping lenses and missing the action). There was a short delay at the ticket taker. The 70-200mm looks like a 3rd arm. But soon I was inside - once they determined it didn't shoot video...

I went wild with the shutter. Having gotten the initial excitement of being there quelled by Friday's game, I didn't mind looking at the game through a viewfinder. But I only did it when the whistle blew or it looked like a scoring opportunity was afoot. What really helps a sports photographer is having actually played the sport you are shooting. You don't waste many shots with non-action.

Of course, if you are a sports fan, and have watched ESPN in the last 3 days, you know what happened on Sunday's game against the Panthers. Richard Zednik, #20 of Florida, got hit in the neck by Olli Jokinen's skate - narrowly avoiding a fatal injury. I was following the action through the lens to see if anyone would get a shot off when I saw sudden gush of blood. Stunned, I lowered the camera saying "Oh my god" over and over. I took several photos after I realized what happened, but initially I was frozen in horror. A wave of chills swept over me as Zednik skated to the bench. It was sickening knowing (having bashed my own head open) what that kind of blood loss meant. Everyone in the HSBC Arena was relieved to hear he had been stablized and was on the way to the hospital, but the continuation of the game was kind of numbing. I imagined what it must be like - do you just skate around and let the clock run out? I guess that's why they are professionals; they can still keep it together to do their job. But no one would have blamed them for calling it a night.

Nostalgia Trip

2008-02-13T12:36:00.001-08:00

My dad and I took 4 days last weekend and went back to Niagara Falls, NY. When I was 8 years old, we lived in a little town called Lewiston on the Niagara River. This was the first time I had been back since we left in the Spring of 1981.

We couldn't get anyone to go with us, and in fact we had talked about going last February. Our family thought we were crazy to go at this time of year, but this is the time that makes that part of the country what it is. Besides, in the summer, the Falls look nice, but it's crowded as can be. And the river smells funny when it's hot. I took a bunch of photos, but was limited when it came to the Falls due to inclement weather. It was 17 degrees the first day with snow showers, and 5 degrees the next day with 40mph wind gusts. I could only get 2 or 3 shots in those conditions before the lenses were coated with precipitation.

In addition to visiting the Falls, we went back to our apartment on Seneca Drive in Lewiston, Lake Ontario at Fort Niagara, and the home of the Wheatfield Blades - where I played little-league hockey. The shots in the hockey rink are of kids roughly the same age I was when I played there...

On the return trip, I stopped off in Monroeville, PA, to visit the Monroeville Mall - where George Romero filmed "Dawn of the Dead" in 1977-78. The escalators and elevator were memorable sets from the movie, although the elevator probably isn't really the same one from back in the 70s. Check out the slideshow.

Crazy Week Ensues...

2008-01-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is Stress Week! I just wrapped a product shoot of seafood at Shores & Ruark. With 5-year old Willem in tow, I had to give him a spare camera to keep him occupied. 4 hours is rough when you are on a pier with your son in the winter. Thanks to Rick for keeping an eye on the boy, and Karen (of Shores & Ruark) the food designer, who put up with Willem's photo shoot of product preparation.

But that was the easy part! This weekend is the 2nd Annual Trail Travail. An underground Trail run with a field of 30 runners, several volunteers, and anyone else who catches wind and shows up. I designed T-Shirts for this year's event, and that has made a serious dent in the Backlight bank account. But they look great - thanks in no small part to 360 Graphics right here in Richmond.

In addition to fatherly duties, I am purchasing supplies, arranging volunteers, and marking the course for Saturday's run. It's a 25K* - not quite 15 miles, but it's off-road so we can't be sure...

Mission Accomplished...Almost

2008-01-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

I managed to slog my way through the Swinging Bridge 35K yesterday morning. That's right - 35K. I know I signed up for the 50K, but I didn't make the cut-off to continue on. I blame the volunteers for not letting me go on. Just kidding. I shuffled in to the start/finish at a whopping 5:43. Last year I managed a 4:03.

I had a hunch I wouldn't be able to go on physically before the race started. With a month and a half of ankle injury, I haven't been able to train more than once or twice a week. This was my longest continuous run (I managed 35K roughly during Mark Junkermann's 24 Hours of Momentum, but that was broken up with dinner and sleeping) since last year's Bel Monte 50K - with or without my gear. Anyway, the ankle was sore from the first step onto the trail and stayed that way through 21 miles of mud, 30 degree creek crossings and leaf-covered roots. Not to mention numerous fallen log crossings as difficult as an Army Basic Training Obstacle Course. But that's why it's a fun race.

It was definitely a good race to photograph. Although there aren't any stunning landscape photo ops, the out-and-back format allows for plenty of participant photos. Of course you could set up at the creek crossings and more visually interesting places and wait, but then you wouldn't be me. In fact, even if you didn't want to join the race and still wanted to get to these good sites, you would probably have to put in 2 or 3 miles. I did luck out however, and got two of the faster guys coming across together. I wish I had camera in hand when the group of 4 took off their shoes to cross the deepest creek. In fact, they did this both out and back. They looked like they were stopping for a relaxing picnic. Testament to my sluggish running speed, the first four runners were on me before I could unpack the camera. I figured I had another mile before I saw anyone. Sorry guys; slow down next time! Check out the photo slideshow.

My only disappointment was that it was supposed to snow and I saw nary a flake. One of these days...

Rights Violation Issues

2008-01-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Terry called and asked me to check out a photo in last week's WEEKEND section put out by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. I usually skim through the whole paper to look at the pictures and see if any headlines seem worth reading, but I hadn't gotten to that section yet.

I was surprised to see a photo of Sloth Loves Chunk with a short blurb about the band and their upcoming performance. What surprised me was that the photo was one I had taken of the band and its obvious lack of a photo credit. So I just chalked it up to the band having given out the photo and not concerning themselves with all the pro-bono work I have done for them in the past by ignoring this little detail. On further investigation, however, I discovered that no one in the band had any idea of the photo or article being published until told about it by friends.

I immediately emailed the RTD news department - since they have no email to the WEEKEND editor. The gist of the email was that I would like to know how they came to use the photo without my or the band's permission.

The next morning I received an apologetic call from the WEEKEND editor explaining how the freelance writer of the blurb had not gone through the necessary protocol in this case, and that they had indeed used the photo without permission.

I took the high road (again) and explained my concern about not getting recognition and offered my services to the paper in a freelance capacity. Obviously they feel my work is worthy of printing; this was at least the 3rd photo they have printed (the others being with permission). I was told that they would keep my name in mind for future work. This was probably more a 'CYA' response than a promise for employment, so I don't expect anything to come of it.

So, be forewarned and make it a point to check out local papers and magazines frequently! You never know who is getting famous from your hard work...

Finally!

2008-01-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

All my photos are now loaded, backed up, and imported into Lightroom. The grand total as of today is 50,532. That includes personal photos dating back to '03 and work photos since '05. The breakdown is something like 13,000ish and 37,000ish, respectively. Now I can kick back and add metadata when I get bored. But most of all, future photography will be a breeze to keep track of. I highly recommend Scott Kelby's digital photographer series of books (Lightrooom & Photoshop CS2 particularly). Of all the how-to books I've read in my lifetime - there have been quite a few - Kelby is hands-down the best author. I learned in 20 minutes how to remove all the power lines from behind the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign (I bet you never knew they were there if you've never seen it). And best of all - even I can't tell they were there. The only 'Photoshopping' I do is to personal photos, but it's a great knowledge to have.

I'd like to mention an accolade; Metro Sports online magazine (Washington D.C. based) picked a photo of mine for the 'Year in Sports' photo submissions. The photo was one of 10 (not #1, apparently) picked to represent the Virginia-D.C. area's best sports captures of the year. The photo was one I took for the Richmond Sportsbackers. It was of Catriana Morrison (1st Place Female, from Great Britain) at the finish line of the 2007 Long-Course Duathlon World Championships, held for the first time ever in the United States. It was quite an event, and I'd like to thank the Sportsbackers for giving me the opportunity to photograph such a once-in-a-lifetime event. I'd also like to thank Rick Barlow for assisting me by covering the running photography. I also did the course map graphics and video on the Du World's site.

2nd Annual Trail Travail

2007-12-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

With the date fast approaching for my 2nd Annual Trail Travail, I have started a participant-driven site for comments regarding the inaugural Travail as well as ideas for the 2008 running. We'll see how this works. Being new as I am to the blogging world, I might have to tweak the workings on that one. I am hoping to get the runners and volunteers to talk about the event while I just soak it all in.

The Trail Travail was the brainchild of myself and Terry Ashby in the Fall of 2006. We created a 'non-race' for more advanced runners. It is an homage to the fabulous James River Park Trail System - for those who run the trails all the time and those who are new to the area, but familiar with single-track running. We came up with a 14-15ish-mile run with only 6 blocks of road exposure, and topped the day off with a party at Terry's with beer, soda and pizza. All free of charge with a field limited to 30. I managed the race and took photos of all runners and volunteers, and Terry ended up participating. It also coincided with long-time 'Thursday-Night' Richmond Road Runner Gary Hearn's birthday. Check out the course and the blog!

Redesigned Website

2007-12-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

Though I'm still uploading the interactive maps and race course graphics, the new backlightdigital.com site is live. Take a look if you haven't already. I have to thank Reggie at CurveTheory for the new look. It's certainly easier to manage now. The bio/about page is being re-written this week, and I might make one or two changes on the contact page, but I'm quite happy with the new professional look. Thanks again Reggie!

The Next Hairbrained Scheme

2007-12-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

I've signed up for the 2008 Swinging Bridge 50K on January 19th. I'm seriously undertrained and nursing a 4 week old ankle injury, but I'm still planning on starting the Bear Creek Lake State Park trailblazing ultramarathon with my camera gear on my back. What I'm most worried about is the lack of any real trail for much of the first 20 miles, and where there is visible singletrack, it's mostly covered with 6 inches of dead leaves. We shall see what transpires. I should at least get shots of everyone after the 10 mile turnaround.

This will be my second 50K (assuming I finish) with my gear - or without for that matter. The first was the Bel Monte last March. That wasn't too bad - until about mile 22 when it started to get too warm during the mile-and-a-half uphill switchbacks. Then it was topped off with 4 miles of jagged rock-hopping down to the Sherando Lake area. I was fortunate enough to have trained better for that one. Michael George, Mike Lipton, Mike Gholson and I spent 8 hours doing the 'Double' on Three Ridges and The Priest.

I need to make some modifications to my backpack if this becomes a regular occurrence. The camera support at the bottom of the pack tends to rub my lower back raw when I reach a 9 minute pace or better. I emailed the MountainSmith folks to see if I could help out with R&D on a new 'runner's' pack, but haven't heard anything as of yet. It would also help to have a more sweat-resistant padding against the wearer; maybe with some rubberized channels to wick the moisture down to drip off to the ground.

Photo Management

2007-12-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

I'm almost finished organizing over 40,000 photos with Adobe's Lightroom software. It's been a tedious process, but any future work should be a breeze. I was almost finished 2 weeks ago when my Maxtor One-Touch external hard drive decided it couldn't read several dozen photos. They were either 'corrupted' or an 'unreadable format.' Needless to say, I was more than a little annoyed. I lost about 20 photos that I had not backed up with a CD yet - let that be a lesson to me - so it could have been worse.

I moved all the photos back to the original hard drive and reformatted the Maxtor. Then I put them all back only to find the same problem happening again. Luckily, CompUSA (who is going out of business, by the way) took it back so I could get another. This time I went with the Seagate Free Agent Pro. I think I read somewhere that Maxtor and Seagate were actually the same company, but I didn't want to risk wasting another 2 weeks with the same style hard drive.

So, now the photos are all in place and I'm going back through the DVDs and CDs to make sure all the files are the same in both places. This is somewhat harder, as the removable media was organized differently when I burned it all.

Next on the agenda is adding metadata and rating all the better photos.