It's great to be back at the Wells Fargo Center for the NHL! I was a bit rusty on my timing and framing, but it's been a while since last season and hockey is FAST. Here's Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Elliott (37) as he stops one of the 38 shots on goal that he successfully defended last night. This was in the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks tried feverishly to get their game together.
Nikon D4 Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ 1/1600 f/3.2 ISO 1100
A few years ago I was assigned to cover my first soccer matches. My local team is the Philadelphia Union and this picture is from when the venue was called PPL Park. Fan favorite Conor Casey (6) was in the air and the sweat spray from his header is flying out from the impact. I thought it was pretty cool at the time, and I think it represents a throwback to one of my earliest professional soccer matches.
This has been a great season for NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. The winingest driver this year with 7 wins and an amazing average finish of 9.9. There's a lot to Martin's story which you can learn more about on the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation site, but I wanted to tell a brief example about how he is a winner in more ways then on the racetrack.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to photograph Martin as he helped out at Dover International Speedway with a presentation for Falci Adaptive Biosystems. The work this organization is doing for the disabled is remarkable, as you can see in this video. The disabled people that had come to the event wrangled on fire suits and rode with Martin in a Furniture Row Camry around the speedway. The participants were full of questions for Martin and thrilled at the opportunity of being driven around a NASCAR track by the most frequent visitor to the Monster Energy victory lane this year. Just when I thinking about how great this ride-a-long was for the people something really astounding happened. Not only were these disabled people going for a ride, they were going to be able to drive this specially designed racecar around the track by themselves. I can't describe the emotion, the joy, the power I saw in these people's faces. It was inspiring.
Here's Martin as he prepares to head off in his racecar.
Nikon D4 Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm 1/500sec f/3.2 ISO 1250
Sedona has long been a favorite place for my wife and I to visit. During the most rescent excursion, during this past October, I was able to convince Heidi to get up very early and join me at one of the lookout points on Schnebly Hill Road. It was the only morning there was any significant cloud cover, so I was very happy to be shooting.
This is a little while after sunrise. You can see the mountain in the back is fully illuminated on the right side (the Sun is behind my right shoulder) and the closer Red Rock edifice is still in shadow. I felt it made for a nice composition and explored the nuance of the early morning Sun.
Nikon D800E Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8 @ 1/160 sec f/6.3 ISO 100
Well the easy answer is that he takes pictures. The truth is a bit more complicated. Without deadlines and demands from clients the world slows down. Time can become a luxury rather than a pressure. I can wait for a cloud to move, or for the wind to recede, I can interact with the landscape and breath with it. I can immerse my craft into the world and let beauty fill the viewfinder. Purchase a print
Nikon D800E Sigma Art 135mm 1.8 @ 1/30 sec ISO 100
