Let the Prom season begin!!!!!!!

Well, it's springtime in Alabama and that can only mean one thing......no, not the beginning of baseball season or spring football, but that every school will be having their junior / senior prom in the next few weeks.

I had the pleasure, this past Saturday, of making formal type images of young men and women in their evening dresses and tuxedo's. We battled the occasional rain showers during part of the shoot, and had to change locations, but we got images of everyone that wanted images.


Most of the young ladies had beautiful corsages,


elegant bows on their evening gowns,


and wore very nice and expensive jewelry (or should I say bling?)


Proud parents made lots of images with their own cameras,


and if most of us can remember back to when we were going to our proms, like us, these young ladies and gentlemen will never forget the good times and memories they will be making for the rest of their lives.

Plainsmen

I had a real cool photo shoot this past Wednesday for Sports Report for HighschoolGameday at Saks High School with three of this areas premier highschool baseball players. All three players have signed scholarships with Auburn University.

a group shot of all three players together (l to r Adam Purdy from Pell City, Tyler Stoval from Hokes Bluff, and Caleb Bowen from Saks).

portrait of catcher Caleb Bowen from Saks

portrait of right handed pitcher Tyler Stoval from Hokes Bluff

portrait of left handed pitcher Adam Purdy of Pell City

These guys were really patient with me as I tried to shoot photos from different angles and with different cameras. Thanks guys for not complaining and for making my job lots easier. I hope each and every one of you have much success playing at the next level.

Calhoun County BaseBall Tournament

The Calhoun County BaseBall Tournament was held this week and I shot the semi-final and final rounds for www.highschoolgameday.com

These are some of my favorite images from the tournament.

Enjoy

Stop the presses!!!!!!!!!!

Attention....Attention....... this just in.

It's a photo of me in action (well, almost). At least it's a photo of me on top of the third turn tower at Atlanta Motor Speedway this past weekend. It had to be taken on Sunday because I don't have my coat on and you can't see icicles hanging from my nose and fingers.

OK, now read the article below.

I survived the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta this weekend

It's March and the NASCAR circus is in Atlanta for their spring event, and it is starting out like any typical NASCAR weekend in Atlanta. You always have issues with the weather and security.



The weather is always cold and it almost always rains. Some of us were trying to remember back to the last race that had warm and dry weather. It had to be back in '94 or '95. I remember getting sunburned as I shot pit road action before the track was reconfigured. It was in the mid sixties on Friday, but it threatened to rain all day.


We got qualifying in and the rain didn't show it's nasty little head until there was twenty to go in the truck race. It was not much rain and by the time NASCAR red flagged the race, the rain had stopped and the track was dry.

I also stated that it was a typical Atlanta race because of security. Most in security do a good job, but a few dumbasses like to exert their authority, but they have no clue as to who can enter some areas and who cannot.

This weekend I was turned away from shooting in an area that I and many others have been using since I started working Atlanta. OK, no big deal right? Just go to other location and shoot. Friday night after the truck race, I toted my camera gear from the roof of the third turn tower to the gate at the tunnel, where the night guard was locking the gate. I asked him if I could go through it because I had to walk all the way back to the media center. He just gave me a stupid look then told me it was a long way around the track back to the media center, then turned and walked away. I was shocked. So were the other track workers standing around. Luckily, some lady in a golf cart gave me a ride back to the media center.

After Saturday's Nationwide race, as I was walking back from the turn three tower, I was carrying my 400/2.8 across my shoulder, my belt pack loaded with extra lenses and flashes, scanner and headset, and other assorted paraphanalia, some dumbass state trooper just had to check MY credentials to be sure I waas allowed to be walking the access road that leads to the Legends Garage. He didn't check the people on golf carts riding by, or the other people walking by on the access road. He just wanted to check MY credentials to make sure I was not trying to sneak into the track AFTER the race while carrying what seemed like an extra 75 pounds of camera gear. I shifted my gear around, showed him my credentials, told him he was a smartass and walked off.

Do all dumbasses wear black shirts with the word 'SECURITY' embroidered on it?

Sunday, about a hundred or so laps into the race, someone tapped me on the shoulder as I was shooting from the roof of the third turn tower, as I was doing all weekend, and as I have for the past three or four years, and told me no one was allowed on the roof. FOX Sports had a crew up there, along with about a dozen track workers, and me, were the only ones on the roof. I showed him my credentials that NASCAR and Atlanta Motor Speedway had approved for shooting from the roof and photo towers. He said that "didn't mean shit to him". He called someone on his cell phone and gave them my name and affiliation. Then I pretended to make a call on my cell phone. When I asked him his name, thats when he decided that I was properly credentialed. He also was wearing a black shirt.

After the race, some of us were sitting out in the foyer of the media center. Wouldn't you know it, but there was a new guard manning the doors. He was a fifty-ish year old man who looked to be in decent shape, with his chest all pumped out, wearing SWAT pants and a black shirt. Yep, he didn't have a clue. NASCAR/track/PR personnel escorting drivers to press conferences and who have hardcards were the ones he tried to turn away. We watched him walk back to his position with his tail tucked between his legs many times.

Oh well, so much for the typical stuff, here's other thoughts and sights from this weekend.



I'm still trying to figure out what Sam Hornish jr is doing.


After turning this in to the photo editor after Saturdays race, during our assignment meeting Sunday, we were told to "leave your inner Getty at home", but he was looking a me when he said it.


This is the only action I saw Saturday while I was freezing my ass off on the roof of the photo tower.


This is the FOX Sports camera pointer that was on the roof of the third turn tower all bundled up Saturday. Did I mention that I was freezing my ass off?


The track catered breakfast Sunday morning. Fruit and danishes. I have to eat a real breakfast. Skip grabbed me, we got our cameras, and headed out to shoot scenes in the VIP village. Here is Skip talking one of the servers out of some real breakfast.


We were in the Dupont area. They were serving sausage, cheese omlettes, and french toast. It sure was good.


We made our way throughout the VIP village, hoping to score some SWAG, when we came upon the Chevrolet area. They were serving steak and eggs. I wish we had stopped here first.


Robby Gordon's fan club sits on top of his custom trailer.


The new junior colors were flying everywhere. I even noticed old converted schoolbusses with the new paint job on them.


Have you ever wondered what network camera pointers do during caution periods? They watch TV, just like you do.


At last, another successful weekend in Atlanta. At least the weather ended a lot better than it started.

Never let them see you cry

This years Alabama State High School basketball Final Four is a difficult and special time for folks in our area. 2A White Plains High School lost it's heart and soul last week when senior baseball / basketball / football player and team captain Bradey Munroe passed away from soft tissue sarcoma, a form of cancer.

It also brought back a lot of memories for me. Bradey played on a AA Little League baseball team I coached about ten or eleven years ago. I know it sounds cliche, but Bradey always gave 110% on each and every play. He also had a smile on his face while he gave 110% on each play.

I can recall at an early practice, just after he started playing for me, that I had asked the boys if anyone wanted to play catcher. Bradey raised his hand and volunteered. His dad told me last night the main reason that Bradey wanted to play catcher was so he could touch the ball on every play. Bradey played that position all of his career and was one of the best catchers in this area.

I also remember during one game early in his career, Bradey got hit or knocked down by another player and was squatting against the backstop. I knew he had been hurt, so I ran out to where he was to check on him. When I got there, he had these big ol' alligator tears running down his cheeks, but he seemed to be fine otherwise. I told him to be tough and wipe his face dry, stand up, and never let the other team see you cry. It's OK to cry in the dugout or in a private place, but not on the playing field.

Bradey carried this lesson with him until the end. He was the heart and soul of this team and even wrote each player a personalized letter of encouragement before the state district tournament began. Bradey left for M D Anderson Hospital in Houston Texas last weekend and told his parents if his team made it to the Final four in Birmingham, that he wanted to stop treatments and fly back to Birmingham so he could be with his team.

He lost his fight with cancer Wednesday, but if you ask any of his teammates, Bradey was here with them.

Never let them see you cry.




Parents and students wore Team Bradey t-shirts to the game.


Bradey's parents, Jeff and Dawn attended the game. Bradey's mother is holding a cousin of Bradey's.


Bradey's parents, Jeff and Dawn receive a runner-up medal from White Plains head coach Chris Randall.

RACECAR spelled backward is RACECAR

Well, if I can't be at the first NASCAR event of the year to shoot it, I guess I will have to shoot it from my other favorite viewing position, stretched out on the couch in front of my big screen TV. I hope to shoot eight or ten NASCAR races this year, so I'll just hafta watch the rest of them from this position, besides, I'll get to sleep in my own bed every night after the race (see, there are some advantages to staying home).



See, you can shoot from many different vantage points while watching the race from the comfort of your couch. You can be riding in the car with Mikey, like in the first image, or from the pit road tower, like image number two, or even a Tony Stewart pit stop like this image.


You can even shoot from the flag stand.


Or, even in the car of the eventual winner, like I was here with Junior. How sweet is that, Junior winning his first race out with the Hendrick's team.

Man, I was like Santa Claus, I was everywhere. And I didn't even break a sweat. So you too, can shoot every NASCAR event. All it takes is some good camera equipment, a big screen TV, and a comfortable couch. It don't get any better than this, unless you are shooting it live and in person, with the smell of burnt rubber and racing fuel burning your nose, the sun burning your face and arms, or the wind so cold it nearly cuts you in half, minimum wage security guards who don't know the rules and only know that their supervisor told them not to let any fans in that area (hello, I have credentials and a photo vest / flag letting you know I'm a member of the media and not a fan).

Maybe one day, I'll get the hang of it. And security will too.