Volleyball can be a challenging sport to photograph. The plays are quick. Tracking action through the net can cause problems for the camera’s autofocus system. And sometimes all the action looks the same. I was lucky this year. The main volleyball teams I covered had really emotive players. While I got decent action, the reaction really made this season. Here are some of the photos that really stood out this year. And of course, a few action photos from the season.
War veterans offer great perspective on many issues. It should come as no surprise that photojournalists regularly are photographing vets. On the Fourth of July, I met with a Vietnam vet who had PTSD. The fireworks booming all around the city caused extreme stress. Situational awareness was critical when making his portrait. I didn’t want to do something to make things worse. Before setting up lights, I asked to make sure that he was ok with it. I didn’t know if […]
We’re all familiar with the saying K.I.S.S., Keep It Simple Stupid. Sometimes that the best advice we can follow. I’ve been known to get carried away with lighting setups. I’ve used as many as eight speedlights in repeating flash mode to create some of my sports portraits. However, often times the simple setup can yield just as nice of results. Case in point, I was tasked with photographing a tennis doubles team that was dominating the conference. I had a short […]
I’ve talked about covering hard stories. Usually, it’s breaking news like a shooting or car crash, or something like a funeral or memorial service. Over the years, you become calloused to these things. You have to in order to maintain composure and tell the story. Those things are in the moment. Coverage is reactive. But sometimes you’re covering the aftermath of something tragic. In those instances, you have time to think and relate to your story. Recently, I had to […]
I don’t get to vacation often. When I do, I tend to prioritize doing and minimize resting. You know, making the most of it. In mid April, my wife and loaded up the Subaru and headed east. All the way east. Well, New Jersey. About 14 hours of driving through the night. (Side note: We were kept awake the whole way by listening to Rainn Wilson’s strange life story in his book, “The Bassoon King.”) Why New Jersey? We were […]