It’s a Kid’s Game

With the baseball season coming to an end shortly it’s so great to see that the guys still find ways to have fun in the grind of it all. While shooting the Baysox game this last weekend, I sat with a few of the Erie pitchers who were pranking on of the other pitchers. They ran out of wrappers before he found out. The total was 14. As much as I love going to the park and shooting the action and all of the great moments, it’s still a business in the end. There are times that guys get let go. It’s hard to see guys go. Everyone works hard but in the end the team comes first and if there is a player out there that can add to the team he may take someone’s place. Harsh reality, but reality still the same. I always tell guys that they are always family. You support them in what ever happens to them. Both the teams I focus on are in the playoff hunt. AA baseball decided to do a playoff with the top two records making the playoffs. Currently Bowie has the 2nd best record, with some very important series coming up. The Blue Crabs are showing the league how good they really are. Playing some of the best baseball since June. They have a few weeks to go and all the games left are in their division. I am selfishly hoping to have lots of playoff baseball in the fall.

Enough of the Rain

Well, Mother Nature has taken control of the last of my summer break. As we enter the second half of the season the Blue Crabs began the longest homestand of the season. Mother Nature had other plans for that homestand. We haven’t had a day that we didn’t have threats of storms. Games were called and double headers scheduled and rescheduled. Through it all the Blue Crabs are on a big win streak. Leading the league in batting and pitching. Starting the season later means we have a lot of games left to play. Where as we would be looking at the final weeks of the season we have almost 2 months left to go. Hoping Mother Nature will behave so we don’t have a long line of double headers.

2021 Olympians

One of the greatest sports I get to shoot at the Naval Academy is Track and Field. Over the last couple of years I have been able to cover not only the great athletes of the Naval Academy but also top Olympic athletes. Just prior to the pandemic I was blessed to cover the US Indoor Combined Championships. I want to congratulate Devon Allen, 4th place in the 110 Hurdles, Garrett Scantling, 4th place in Combined Events, and Annie Kunz, 6th place in the Combined Events. So proud to have covered these great US Olympians.

Try Something New

Sometimes when things seem to be going the wrong way it’s a good idea to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. With the baseball teams out of town I had the opportunity to shoot boxing for my first time. I like the chance to be creative with candid shots when I am out shooting. There was lots of opportunities for that. It’s easy to kind of just blend in when the people you are shooting are so focused on their preparation. When I shoot something for the first time I am not usually pleased with the work as I am shooting. No exception tonight. Feeling out of your element makes you focus more but it also takes awhile to figure things out. I have a list of things I would do differently. I had the chance to chat with one of the coaches before things got started. He gave me some things to look for and it was cool to hear from his perspective. We shared a lot of information and that’s a cool part of doing something new too. Add boxing to the list of sports I would love to shoot again. I want to thank Knowledge of Boxing for allowing me to cover their event.

Always Something New

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost August. The first half of the season will be over by the end of July. When the Blue Crabs return not only will we begin the 2nd half but because of our working relationship with MLB the pitchers rubber will be moved back 1 foot. I will be documenting the entire process. Nothing is more controversial than this move. I suppose there could be a 1% chance it may not happen but I have already started the documenting of this historic move. While the guys are on the road I will be shooting another event for the very first time. I am going to be shooting local boxing this weekend. I have asked for complete access and shooting from ringside. This is going to be a great opportunity to shoot something new. It’s these types of projects that really get me into a creative mood.

Teaming Up With AWA

I was contacted to be part of a new pro wrestling promotion starting in my area. It’s exciting to be asked based on the work I produce. I am really excited to be part of something new from the start. It will be a great way to get creative in new ways. I love that challenge and look forward to working with everyone involved. It has been awhile since I last shot pro wrestling but the experiences I had and the great people I got to meet and work with was an amazing time.

Father Time is Watching

Well, we just finished just our 3rd homestand and we are in first place. At a time, during a normal season, when we should be hosting the All-Star game we hosted the Power from WV. As much as I wanted the All-Star experience again being in first place with just a few weeks left in the first half is pretty awesome. Nobody expected our guys to be where they are but now I hazard to say they probably don’t want to see us right now on their schedule. That being said I have come to realize that father time is sternly looking over my shoulder. Maybe even just looking me straight in the face. I don’t think I am taking more photos than I normally would but I seem to be getting to bed later after working on them after the games. I also am not as fresh and ready to go the next night, let alone doing a series of 6 games in a row. The brutal heat of July doesn’t help and maybe the fact that this was the first time we had more than 3 days at home this season. August is going to be brutal with as many home games as we will have. I am also starting to realize that I am losing some hearing. Yes, well aware that shooting all the concerts is probably the biggest factor. In the end I wouldn’t change anything. I love what I do and the work I put out. In fact there are still things I look forward to shooting when they are back from the pandemic. I am looking forward to shooting Roller Derby and getting back to promoting those great folks. I am also looking forward to partnering with AWA pro wrestling. Something special about being part of a new organization. This weekend is a big music fest just a few blocks from my house. It’s a long all day affair and I am wondering how it will take its toll on me. There will be many hours of editing and only a day to get them done before the team returns for the next homestand. Despite it all I wish I could slow it down as it seems the summer is going way to fast. Father time might be doing his thing on me but I am going to do what I love doing until I can’t possibly do it any more. I think I got a few more years in me.

Been Awhile

So, when it gets busy it gets busy. I’m in full summer mode. The Blue Crabs have spent most of the season so far on the road but as they returned home last night we were closing in on first place. After sweeping the double header last night we can take over first with a win tonight. The Baysox have the best record in Milb. They have some amazing prospects that will be moving on to Baltimore very soon. Along with that I got to collaborate again with Jack Nutter at another charity golf tournament. It’s great to work with like minded artists and even better when you can be helping a great cause. As I head into July I expect to be shooting my fill of baseball. I’ll get out to shoot some nature and a major music fest in my own backyard here in SOMD. This is what I live for so it’s an exciting time.

The Business of Baseball

Well, the first homestand and opening night are over. It was an amazing opening night but not a lot else went as hoped for. We had back to back rain outs. Not a good thing this early in the season. Wins were hard to come by. We have a lot of new guys and a very young team. They have passion for the game though. I don’t think we have had a player that wasn’t a great guy. That’s when the business of baseball gets real. I am glad I just capture the game and not have the stress of who plays and who is let released. When your team isn’t winning and not scoring sometimes there is a short leash on how much of an opportunity to give a player before you release them. I can’t imagine that is a pleasant conversation. After Sunday’s game some of those conversations had to be had. I always say that they are always part of our family regardless of how long they spend with us. I guess the situation isn’t always right or it just isn’t their time yet. When you have a passion and you are told that there isn’t a place for you right now it has to be a gut punch like no other. You have to use that to fuel your desire to get better and do what it takes to reach your goals. I suppose the opposite can happen to and you just pack it in and move on. I have had times when I think maybe it’s time to move on from something I am shooting but it’s so I can move on to something bigger or something I really want to test myself on. I did wonder the other day what it would be like the day I just say that is it and stop shooting. I wondered what my very last photo would be. I don’t think that day is around the bend just yet. It was an exhausting few days. Long nights and getting up early for work. I’ll be on summer break for the next homestand so I will have more rest. It was great to have baseball back in my own back yard.

A 625 Day Wait

Well, it took 625 day but the Blue Crabs had their Opening Night. The first game since last season was lost to the pandemic. There are lots of protocols but the state allowed for 100% capacity and no masks. This would not have been the case if we had started the season on the regular date we normally begin the season. The stadium was sold out. 6,000 fans in attendance. We had a brief shower in the early afternoon but it was a beautiful night for a ball game. The teams rode out in rescue vehicles to honor first responders. The diamond was lined with flags to represent each person from SOMD that had passed away due to COVID. The team wore jerseys that looked like a doctor smock to honor health care workers. The Blue Crabs took the win over the Long Island Ducks. We are just a week or so into the season and we just had our first home series with the next 2 series to be played this week and weekend. Excited to be back on the field shooting, unlike what I have to do for Milb.com. It’s going to be a long summer and fall but I am looking forward to the exhaustion. Welcome back baseball.

Opening Night Awaits

Well, this is the week I have been waiting for over a year and a half. Opening Night with the Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. We have a lot of new guys and a very young team. I think they will make a lot of noise this season. It’s exciting to see the stadium getting ready to welcome fans back to support their hometown team. I can’t wait to walk into the stadium on Friday and just take it all in. I am going early, like that would be a shock to anyone, and just let it all wash over me and take in every moment and cherish every feeling I experience. I will be able to shoot from the field as I have for spring training but it will just feel so incredible to do it for a regular season game. I have already worked on a lot of composite photos of players and I plan on doing everything I can think of to be creative this season and just take it to the next level every night I step out on that field. I had my Milb opening night and have shot a few games but it’s a different feeling shooting from the stands. So much baseball to come. Such a positive feeling after such a difficult time for us all.

Opportunities and Opening Night

You never know when an opportunity will present itself. I had the chance to work with a friend at a celebrity charity golf tournament in NC this week. The night I got back home I shot opening night in Bowie with the Baysox for Milb.com. It has been a long year with all the pandemic restrictions and I felt it was important to go out and shoot whatever I could during that time. That meant doing things I wouldn’t otherwise think about doing and going out of my comfort zone. I think in the end it all pays off making me better at what I love doing most. There are so many restrictions in shooting professional baseball this season. Shooting from the stands for Milb.com and sometimes ever further away than the stands will be a challenge but everyone is in the same boat. I can throw up my hands or get creative and figure it out. I prefer to figure it out. Opportunities are built on the work you put in over the years and the relationships you foster along the way. That’s why I refuse to stop learning and growing. That next opportunity is just ahead. You can be ready for it or someone else will be.

No April Fools

April 1st and it’s opening day in baseball. Cold and wet on the east coast with a few rain outs and a game PPD for COVID. So I had time to watch games and work on some creative ideas for the Blue Crabs season. I try and give back to the guys every season by selling my work in the team store. This year there won’t be as many fans and there won’t be chances for fans to get autographs. So I decided to work on some poster ideas to get the guys to sign and then sell in the team store. I like to be creative but shooting the games is what I love most. I have started to work on doing some things in photoshop. I knew my way around really well in my ancient version on my old computer. Just haven’t gotten to sit and learn about the most updated version. It does some cool things but it’s a learning process.

It’s Spring But Wait

So it’s April first but no April Fools jokes here. Winter is in the rear window, or so let’s hope so. Normally, after spring break I would be looking forward to the start of the Milb season and the Blue Crabs spring training and opening day. Both will have to wait a few more weeks. At least I have more faith in the season starting than I did before. Not sure how shooting for Milb will go if we have to shoot from stands but I will try to make it work. The late start does give me time to add in a new adventure by shooting a golf tournament in NC. Also, there are a couple of shows that will be fun to shoot during my wait. Navy sports are open again so I have some great baseball games to look forward to. So despite all the signs of spring that should bring with it opening day, I will continue to wait a bit longer.

Back in the Saddle

After 4 weeks of a shutdown of all Navy sports I was back at the ball park today shooting baseball. So many ups and downs and always in the back of my mind uncertainty. It seems like everything is so fragile. At any moment we can be shut down again with the pandemic. After a year of not getting to do what I love it was so amazing to get back to it but then in a blink it was gone again. It’s like you wake up wondering what will today bring. Wasn’t sure waking up today that I would be shooting with the weather it’s worst in a week. The storms cleared out just an hour or so before game time. It’s a little frustrating having an idea for a shot and not being able to just get 10ft closer or just a different angle that I used to be able to get. The pandemic keeps us all limited as to where to shoot. It’s also frustrating to know it’s 2 months before I start shooting with the Blue Crabs. Just over a month before I can shoot Milb. I know it can sound like I am ungrateful but it’s just my desire to be out doing what I love most. Trust me I feel blessed for every moment I am out at a ball park or show.

One Year Later, Oh Boy

One year later after the pandemic shutdown and instead of shooting baseball today, I was out shooting nature. It was a hard weekend that I thought was going to be actually an ok time even though the Naval Academy sports shutdown went into week two. I was going to shoot moto-x Saturday but they were going to charge me $35. It was more for fun than to shoot for money so at that price I wasn’t about to take my time to provide them with the exposure. Saturday night I was going to shoot some bands at a local spot but by the time I was about to head out it was very crowded for the size of the place. I didn’t feel it was worth it to go and try and get a few shots. In that small of a setting. Hard to keep out of the way of people there for the show and get shot I would want to to get. So the day was shot and on top of it we lost an hour of sleep changing the clocks. Read an article that the shutdown may go even longer depending on the medical data. So I am not optimistic that games will be played next weekend. So today I went out in the sunny but windy day and looked for things to shoot at a local state park. Much of where I had hoped to go was closed off. Not a lot gave me much inspiration but I always love going out to shoot. I should have taken my 60-600 as I passed the college sailing team out for a practice or maybe it was a race. Hard to get much of anything with my 24-70 from the dock. I would think I should know better than not be better prepared. So after 365 plus days of the COVID shutdown it is still throwing off my schedule and forcing me into nature. Hopefully next weekend I will be back in the ball park.

Call to Duty

I’m not big into getting political but when the governor of your state comes to visit your ball park that is being used as a mass vaccination site you make sure your team is represented in the photos. It’s a shame it was such a windy day but that’s March in Maryland. At least it wasn’t snowing. All the major DC stations were there to take it in. I’m not afraid to mix it up with the media. Besides they were in my house. You can get the same shots everyone is getting or you can get photos that show your stadium in the background. You also pull his aid aside and ask to make sure he poses with the GM so we can give him a ball cap because you know he is going to put that baby on.

And Just Like That…

What a great two weeks of shooting Navy sports. Ok, so for sports in February I expect some cancellations due to weather. It was such a good feeling to shoot LAX and Baseball at the Naval Academy the last 2 weekends. It was cold but I was back doing what I love so much after a year. But just when optimism is looking to take the lead, the pandemic strikes back. The Naval Academy is probably the most secure bubble for athletes in the fight against COVID. This morning I wake to the announcement that the Academy is being closed down to all visitors and sports will be on hold for at least 10 days. So just like that it’s like we are back to square one. Nothing to shoot for awhile and in the back of my mind I wonder if it will be back in 10 days. I never would have given that thought a year ago. Now nothing surprises me.

Keeping a Routine

With the pandemic sort of in control of everything the last year I have struggled to keep a good routine. Maybe it’s just me but life is so much better when I keep on a schedule and have a regular routine. Not to say I don’t do things spare of the moment. I spend a lot of time looking at sports and concert schedules to set up my shooting schedule each month. Often far in advance of a month. I am always looking to see what I can do to get tot he most events I can. Especially events I really want to shoot and support. COVID ruined any sense of a routine for me as event after event was cancelled. Now some things are opening up to me and with going back to work, not from home, I know my daily routine will be thrown off. Especially the first week or two. No more early morning runs and saving the gym for later in the day. Now I will have to do both after work. Add to that getting other things in order for the weekend of shooting ahead. Once May comes around and I am shooting during the week as well I will need to really keep up with my routines. It’s a sign of things turning around but I will take it with cautious optimism.

Baseball is Back

I finally got back onto the field to shoot Navy Baseball this last weekend. It was typical weather for February and despite all the ice and snow the days before the game they managed to play. I was in heaven. I missed shooting this level of athletics. I will be able to get to most of the home games this season as the Atlantic League and Milb don’t start until May. That is the other good news. The Atlantic League has gained 2 new teams and will start their season May 28th. The Baysox will be starting their season May 11. I have few restrictions shooting Navy but with Milb there will be more restrictions that will limit where I can shoot from. All limitations are based on COVID protocol. I will just work around them and get the best photos I can. I expect it will require some creativity. This week has been the best in over a year. Now, if I can only get clearance to shoot outdoor track and field.