I'm on my way to New Orleans this morning........

That was one of the songs the XM gods were playing this morning as I was driving down I-59 to shoot the AllState Sugar Bowl tomorrow. They must be smiling on me, because the pronouncers on XM40 played multiple New Orleans related songs. I know they had to be sending me a message.

'Ramblin' Man' from the Allman Brothers, 'Dark Eyed Cajun Woman' from the Doobie Brothers, 'Poison Whiskey' from Lynyrd Skynyrd, and others that I'm not familiar with or can't remember the titles.

As good as the music was on XM, the weather was foggy all the way to the Lousiana state line. From when I left home at 3:20 am until I arrived almost six hours later, I was in a fog. Physiclly, not mentally. It makes for a tiring and nerve racking drive, but I can entertain myself while driving.

It's gonna be a good day shooting! Wish me luck.

PaPaJohns Bowl

I'm just sitting here in the pressbox at Legion Field after the PaPaJohns Bowl between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Cincinnati won the game 31-21. It was a decent game with a good amount of action. It started off slow for me, then about mid way through the second quarter, I started making decent images. Finally!!!!!!

They have turned the field lights off and only about a dozen writers are left in here. I'm the only photographer. But I bet I'm the only photographer that is sending out 96 images from the game. Soagain, I wait on this slow ass internet at Legion Field. Have I mentioned that before?

Just so you will know, I will be updating next week from New Orleans. I will be shooting the Sugar Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Hawaii Warriors. Then the week after that, I will be at the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans. WoooooooHoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year........

The Christmas season is in full swing now, our tree is trimmed, the weather has turned cold, there's a fire in the fireplace, and our town has put on her loveliest dressings. It really does put me in the Christmas spirit just driving down Quintard this time of year and looking at all of the lights.

We get to spend time with family and friends, attend Christmas parties with good food and drink, watching the anticipation in the young ones eyes, and just feeling the good ol' Christmas spirit.

My wife's Christmas party season kicked off this past week with a couple of work related gatherings. Then this weekend brought about our annual party in Atlanta with our friends and family from our Spain trip. Man, talk about good food. It gets better every year.

On Sunday we had our holiday feast and gift giving with the Pope. Joe and Glo treated us to brunch at 'Classic On Noble' then up to the Pope's house for a gift exchange.

May we all take some time this Christmas to stop and give thanks for all we have been blessed with, and to cherish our time with each other. Practice random acts of kindness, not just at this time of year, but all throughout the year.

I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

The latest gigette

Seven football games in four days. I'm in football overdose. Today, i'm in Nashville shooting the San Diego Chargers at the Tennessee Titans.

Just another ballgame with nothing special happening. I've had a good day shooting so far, gots lots of balls in the air with the receiver and defender fighting for possession. Always a good shot. But I haven't got a good shot of Charger runningback LaDainian Tomlinson. I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The game went into overtime with both teams losing possession on downs. The second San Diego possession, Tomlinson carried around left end for the score. Guess where I was. Behind the play, looking for a quarterback sack. As soon as he cut around end, I lost sight of him.

Oh well.......I've had a good day shooting anyway.

Random thoughts from thr pressbox

Well, another SUPER 6 is over and done with and I'm sitting here in the pressbox thinking about the last three days games and things behind the scenes.

First on my mind is the slow ass internet they have here at Legion Field, the internal workings of this place is as delapidated and in need of repair as you can get. The playing surface needs lots of attention. Even though it's SprintTurf, it still needs maintenance. Or the City of Birmingham could put lipstick on a pig and make the needed repairs or make bulldozer food out of it and build the new dome here.

As I was walking the sidelines earlier today, I noticed something sparkling in the turf. It was a broken piece of women's jewelry, diamonds and ruby's I think, or a cheap copy blinding me from the reflection of the stadium lights. Also, I found a torque key that snaps on a Bogen monopod. Now I have an extra. As Mullet would say,"pieces is pieces".

Why is there a Greatful Dead sticker on the toilet partition in the men's room? And did I mention the slow ass internet? It also disconnects at anytime. I wish I had Michelob Light, the lady at the drink machine keeps promising me one, after 10 pm.

Listening to a few post game coaches interviews - "We were prepared real good" - "We thought we could run / pass" - "well, were not making excuses, but......."

I came back up to the pressbox at halftime from the early game today, and someone had been messing with my laptop. I'm just glad we had warm weather this weekend. Last year it was brutally cold, remember, we are playing in Alabama. On Thursday night last year it was 12 degrees with a 20 mph wind blowing. It was 70 today. I've seen 6 games in 3 days, but there were only two decent bands represented, and one of the good bands played pep songs during the third quarter, that's something I've never heard. Did I mention the slow ass internet?

There is also nothing to drink after the last game. I'm glad I saved my cup from halftime. I didn't really save it, it just didn't get thrown away. Can I have another chickenfinger? I notice on these SprintTurf fields that we may need to replace our divits after we move our monopods. They seem to sink about an inch into the filler material.

I'm not sure that Oxford should not have been here. It might have been a different outcome. I feel sorry for the placekicker from Briarwood. He missed an extra point that would have tied the game with less than 30 seconds to play.

It's the first time i've ever been fired.......

After three years of submitting my images to a certian marketing company, I had a letter in my e-mail this morning that stated they did not need my images from the University of Georgia football games anymore. Just out of the blue, bad news in my inbox.

After last weekends SEC Championship game I submitted almost 150 images and some were even picked up this week by Sports Illustrated online, Lindy's, and ESPN.

What happened, were they not good enough?

It is a dissapointment that a company that bases it's business model on a library of submitted images from each and every sporting event throughout the world, cannot acccept images from me. The photo editor stated he already had someone send images from these events that he credentials. So what!!!!! I credential myself, and I will continue doing so.

OK...... be that way. That just makes me want to work harder and not depend on someone else to help me market my images. I guess I'll just have to get out and beat the bushes again. Just let them try to stop me. Homey don't play that!!!!!!!!!

Well, imagine you being here......

As I was walking through the tunnel to take the field for Saturday's Southeastern Conference Championship game between LSU and Tennessee, there was a man standing all by himself looking out into the Georgia Dome at the pre-game show put on by both bands.

As I got close to him, he turned and looked at me and I instantly recognized him. NASCAR driver and a lifelong Tennessee Vol fan, Sterling Marlin. I opened my mouth and immediately that phrase jumped out. "Well imagine you being here". He just laughed and said he thought he would catch a ballgame since he didn't have anything else to do on a Saturday night.

I asked him about his Cup schedule for 2008 and he stated he was only running a limited number of Cup races this year, but may drive some local events around Nashville. I was trying to get him to come to the Talladega Short Track and run the Ice Bowl on January 6, but he said he would leave that to Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace.

As I was talking to him, a strange thought occured to me, he could be the long lost brother to my friend Wren Turner. Sterling talks like Wren, looks like Wren (with blonde hair), and his mannerisms are mearly identical. And all either one of them knows how to do is drive a race car. Sterling just had better opportunities to get started.

It's amazing who you can meet if you just keep your eyes open at an event like this.

Basketball........eerrrghhhh, dark

Last night I shot the Gadsden City vs Anniston basketball game at the new Gadsden City High School. Maybe I was expecting too much. You would think for $35 million dollars they would have at least lighted (is that the proper word?) the gymnasium with enough lights to not make it look like the inside of a cave. The football field is the best lit field I have ever shot on. No need for flash there, all ambient. But nooooo.......the gym has got to be dark, with ugly beige walls. It really looks kinda cheap. I don't think Gadsden City got their monies worth this time.

Welcome to my little corner of the world.

Somebody's gotta do it............ that's what I tell everyone when they find out that I am a photographer and shoot sporting events at some major venue across the southeast almost every weekend.

Yes, I am a weekend warrior and have been for over 15 years. I have photographed some amazing events through the years, and have witnessed some of the worlds top athletes in those years, and I hope to continue doing this for many years to come.

I am not usually the kind of person who follows the crowd and gets caught up in different kinds of trends, but after many months of reading other photographers thoughts, experiences, commentary, rants and raves, I've decided it's time for me to pull my chair up close to my computer desk and document some of my own experiences with this blog. Just think...............millions of twelve year olds can't be wrong!

Throughout the year, I can be found with my camera, wondering around my local park league shooting action shots of Little League baseball and T-ball, roaming a high school sideline on a Friday night looking for that perfect prep football shot, and doing the same on Saturday's at a Southeastern Conference football game, then maybe catching a pro game on Sunday. I can also be found during the year in the garage area or on pit road of a NASCAR event and in the spring and summer, you can look for me in a photo well or dugout at some Braves games.

My adventures may or may not be interesting to some of you, and if I begin to ramble, talking about my personal life, world or national events, or if I have nothing to say, please forgive me.

This journey should be interesting as you follow me behind the scenes and get my thoughts, however current or past, from these events. And maybe when it's all said and done, the entertainment and educational value will have been worth it.

Just remember like I always say,

Somebody's gotta do it................................................