Saturday, December 31, 2011

My Best of 2011

It has been a good year with some new challenges, & lots of road time. This is my third year for this "best-of" ritual, and though the theme is run into the ground around this time, I find it a good practice to help evolve & grow. It helps me see where my strengths play out & where I'd like to improve. It continually helps to focus me toward a year long goal of capturing quality peak-action & emotion. This is a tighter set; here chronologically, beginning and ending with winter season sports. Thanks for taking a look. Feedback is always welcome.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Pic of the Day | Swimming

12/4/11 - Lancaster, PA: F&M senior Katherine DeCrosta, during the breaststroke.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Unassuming Fan

11/27/11 - Westminster, MD: These kids were really into the game. Really. It's just that their team took a turn for the worse, so they turned to their iPods. Seriously. Fair weather? How dare you. Hardened fans? Yes. And slightly sensitive too, so please refrain from your judgement.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Franklin & Marshall Squash

11/20/11 - Lancaster, PA: Another one of my toughest sports to cover, primarily because I'm always behind glass and shooting backs (@ F&M). Maybe it frustrates me because I'm boxed out. I'm still waiting for permission to shoot physically on court. Come on, John White let me! What's the big deal? This lead shot I've been trying for a few years. It's one of those where I'm just spent on shooting backhands in the corner … and then the mind starts to wander. I try for symmetry, good emotion, and ideally two balls. This one may be my favorites yet. The remote work is a little more fun, maybe because of my slightly medieval homemade remote box ... these were a few of my favorites.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Pic of the Day

11/19/11 - Haverford, PA: Senior Forward #40 Bo Friddell draws a foul on Merchant Marine #5 Zach Karczewski en route to the hoop. He missed the bucket, but sank both from the foul line. The Fords went on to secure their first win of the season, a 64-51 victory in their 20th Annual Equinox Classic.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Football finale | Franklin & Marshall vs. Gettysburg

11/12/11 - Lancaster, PA: With the conclusion of this season with a classic matchup, which first began in 1890, my football coverage for the year comes to an end. The game itself continues to be one of my most challenging, thankfully each year I pick up a little insight for my approach. There's so much happening on-field, with 22 players often engaging in their own micro battle and/or deception (which often deceives me), that the game regularly stretches my level of engagement.
  But Saturday's game was fast. It was the fourth quarter before I even knew it. The two teams were quick to get off plays & that helped keep my mind out of the game. Leaving me with a few focal points & my reactions. Still as always, I left the field missing a few things, but walked away happy with a few different shots & modest general coverage. With the 28-14 F&M victory over Gettysburg, the series is now 45-45-7.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Winter? Yikes.

11/9/11 - Gettysburg Wrestling: I'm kind of bummed that my last football game is this weekend and that I'm covering winter season athletics already. I should be mentally prepared to move indoors, with the October snow & end of Daylight Saving Time, but I'm still a little upside-down about it all.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Pic of the Day

11/6/11 - Lancaster, PA: Covering the Centennial Conference field hockey championship yesterday, for the National Anthem, they brought the flag directly onto the field. Apparently, the latest storms snapped their pole. So, I attempted a shot for which I usually don't have the opportunity ...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Franklin & Marshall Football

11/5/2011 - Baltimore, MD: F&M vs. Johns Hopkins - 23-28 Final.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Pic of the Day | Goucher Soccer

10/27/11 - Towson, MD: Freshman Forward #19 Sherlanda Buskey plays soccer like an unleashed Pit Bull, here attacking the ball early in first half action against Washington Adventist. It's going to be a fun four years covering her on the field (and the court).

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tweaked-out Marymount Soccer

I've had some late night gigs over the last two days with Marymount … even kind of scary-creepy. You know where midnight fog rolls in following a lightning delay, and you can't feel your limbs anymore. And there are these deep weird red, & orange, & green colors cycling through my frame. So, I pushed for some grainy late season action & ended up with some cool captures - all of which scare me in some way.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Gettysburg Homecoming

10/22/11 - Gettysburg, PA

Friday, October 21, 2011

Rapid Inside Work @ Gettysburg Field Hockey

10/21/11 - Gettysburg, PA: The chaos that occurs at the goal in field hockey is so rapid with minute motions, it's often tough to make a clear capture. There's the feeder, who often distracts me too much to follow the ball into the inside girl, who's looking for a deflection, a slap, or a redirecting flip. There's so much rapid activity & obstruction that I usually don't have a real clear view. This worked out well - and just as the sun popped out.

Yup, another Volleyball post ...

10/20/11 - Arlington, VA: Marymount University Volleyball

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Pic(s) of the Day

10/15/2011 - Westminster, MD: Franklin & Marshall's C.T. Marsh (#6) sacks McDaniel Quarterback Nick Valori (#5) with 1:58 remaining in the game. Recovering the ball in the scuffle, Marsh ran it back for a 24 yard touch down. Struggling to recover from a 24-0 halftime deficit, the Terror attempted to regain momentum scoring in both the 3rd & 4th quarters, then they recovered a fumble preceding this play. However, this final & brief possession for McDaniel added insult to injury and sealed a 31-14 victory for the Diplomats at Scott S. Bair Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Pic of the Day

There were lots of great celebration this weekend, this moment topped the chart for expression ... 10/9/2011 - Lancaster, PA: Franklin & Marshall junior defender Alex Grassi (16) erupts after his blast found empty net. The second team goal in 46 seconds and third of the second half left McDaniel's defenders stunned. The Diplomats dug in further with a final score at 87:31, ending with a 4-1 win over the Green Terror at home.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

A Fresh Perspective

9/23/11 - Pittsburgh, PA: On the road at a new location, Carnegie Mellon's University Center, I spotted a balcony. With two simultaneous matches, my first wasn't near the overhang. Unexpectedly the second was. So I pounced on the perch to get an exceptional volleyball angle with which I'm not usually blessed. Here are a few of my best …

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Salisbury Volleyball

9/21/11 - Owings Mills, MD: Here are some of my favorites from coverage of one of the best DIII Volleyball teams in the mid-Atlantic, headed by one of my favorite coaches - Margie Knight.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Pic of the Day

9/11/11 - Haverford, PA: Gwynedd-Mercy forward Dan Panepresso (#11) scores early in the second half, on a rebound off the post, past a recovering Nick Kahn (#0) of Haverford. The Fords regained momentum and took the Griffins 3-1 earning the Jimmy Mills title at home.

McDaniel Football

Monday, September 5, 2011

Opening Weekend

Back in action last weekend, from Lexington to Lancaster & a few places in between, here are some of my favorites as I work off the rust …

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Urban Roots Farm


8/9/11 - Springfield, MO: I photographed my first urban farm last week. It's something I really find fascinating and inspiring. Urban farms are a complete reversal of conventional perceptions of what a city should be … and I like that. They help redefine a cityscape, and often reclaim land that has long been overlooked as a dump site or unsafe open space.

Melissa & Adam Millsap are owners of Urban Roots Farm. They're civic pioneers with a bold vision to help their city, feed and educate its citizens, and maintain a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their family. They lobbied city legislators to establish urban agriculture, and funded their business with social lending which has helped energize their West Central neighborhood. They use spent grain as compost from a local micro-brewery, and have developed a non-profit called The Springfield Urban Agriculture Collation which is helping to feed school students in their USDA declared food desert. They are making exponentially positive changes in the Ozarks.

Thanks for viewing some of my favorites from a day on the farm …

Monday, June 27, 2011

Noodling ...


Summertime is a time for me to regroup, plan, wander, and do some decompression … like digging in the earth. My Father in law is an old share cropper from Missouri, so he felt right at home as we were walking around my garden looking for a little extra something for dinner … when he dove straight into my potato patch and pulled out a new potato. "We call it Noodling for potatoes" … and that just made me smile.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Urban Bounty



It doesn't get much better … on a slow summer day … to forage for fresh fruit in the city. Mulberry trees are near the end of their production this time of year. You know these trees … when you walk under them the ground is stained purple with its berries. Well, we went on a three person mission ; ) on foot, for these sweet treats. And we hit the jackpot … and then stumbled upon some black raspberries … and then I found a cherry tree! I'm afraid I'm unable to reveal the location of this Oasis … but needless to say all parties involved were satisfied.

Monday, May 30, 2011

USILA Classic


5/27/11 - Towson, MD: The United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's North & South divisions competed in a DIII, and then a combined DII & DI matchup. Here are some of my favorites from Friday's games.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

My Greatest Work


5/20/2011 - Paradise, MD: The pride & joy of the Sinclair Clan, Mason Paul Sinclair, born at home 6 pounds 12 ounces 21 inches @ 12:17 pm.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Champs | Mt. St. Mary's Men's Lacrosse


5/6-8 Emmitsburg, MD: Here are some of my favorites from the North East Conference Men's Lacrosse Championships last weekend. Friday's games matched Quinnipiac & Robert Morris, then Mt. St. Mary's & Bryant. The Mountaineers won Friday night's game and then took Quinnipiac in Saturday's Championship 14-9. Here's their full story.

Friday, May 6, 2011

American Ingenuity ...


... or as my neighbor calls it an "Old Hill Billy Trick" used on a water pump off a 1973 Firebird, to protect the flange belt from its hose.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Champs | F&M Women's Lacrosse


5/1 - Lancaster, PA: This classic rivalry extended into this weekend's Centennial Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship game where Franklin & Marshall met Gettysburg College for the ninth time in as many years. It was an exciting game on both ends of the field, even as F&M pulled away 7-4 with 11:55 remaining. I was sure we were in for overtime as Gettysburg had the momentum after two quick goals at 3:28, bringing the score to 7-6. But F&M kept possession and killed the clock, that's where the score ended.

With the victory, F&M gained an automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament, their 14th trip. Gettysburg will also likely win a bid.

Here's F&M's story, as well as the game's full coverage. Also picks from their 4/20 match up.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Lemonade Stand


4/30 - Paradise, MD: Small-time entrepreneurs Emily Bardle (10) & Kelly Bochamp (11) sell lemonade, water, and freshly baked brownies with their friends on the corner of Frederick & South Symington in Catonsville. I found if you buy enough stuff from them, you'll get a free freeze-pop. They won't be putting themselves through college with their profits, but it's a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

HIT of the Day


4/23 - Emmitsburg, MD: Mt. St. Mary's Freshman midfielder Lindsay Diaz breaks through Sacred Heart Junior defender Kelli Rutledge en route to the goal. The Mount's heart-stopping 10-9 win, sealed in the last 21 seconds by Senior Nicole Price, advances the Mountaineers into NEC Semifinal competition to take place Friday against Robert Morris.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

A Classic Rivalry

Here are some top pics from last night's Lacrosse double header with one of my favorite rivalries - Franklin & Marshall vs. Gettysburg. These two teams play harder against each other than maybe anyone else. They're almost always atop their Centennial conference; and in the case of the Women, both have historically been near the top of the National D3 NCAA rankings. Emotions run high and it's a great opportunity for some peak action.

Women's Lacrosse

Women's full coverage.

Men's Lacrosse

4/20 - Gettysburg, PA
Men's full coverage.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Track & Field Monsoon


4/16/11 - Gettysburg, PA: I'm still drying out from this one.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

From the hip


I don't think I could do this again (intentionally) with better symmetry. This happened some where between lining up the 4x100m relay and not trying to break my neck on drenched metal bleachers. Is this the best shot of the day? … hopefully not … I'll let you know. But it is awesomely accidental.

Catch of the Day


4/15/11 - Gettysburg, PA: Gettysburg College freshman center fielder Patrick O'Grady.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Down to the wire | F&M Baseball

It was a good day to cover baseball yesterday, overcast & almost warm. Here are some of my favorites ...

4/10 - Lancaster, PA: It was a back and forth battle that came down to the wire. With no outs and an F&M runner on second, it looked like Coach Taylor was going to try to break the tie with some small ball. But when the bunts couldn't find their way fare in the bottom of the ninth ... third basemen Kevin Shields hit a two-out single scoring pinch runner Tyler Veterano for the game-winning run as F&M defeated Ursinus 7-6.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Women's Lacrosse | F&M @ McDaniel


4/2/11 - Westminster, MD: Franklin & Marshall 19, McDaniel 5.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

An offensive backing ...


3/30 - Haverford, PA: Haverford's Baseball club calls on their tenth man on the field, a tiny Buddha, for a little offensive support. Here against Penn State-Berks, the belly shinned in their favor sending the Fords on the winning path. They added a go-ahead two run homer in the sixth and four more in the eighth to end up ahead of the Lions 8-3.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Pic of the Day


3/29 - Gettysburg, PA: Gettysburg College's Women's Lacrosse team pauses for the National Anthem prior to a twilight match against Dickinson.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Pic of the Day


3/25 - Emmitsburg, MD: Mt. St. Mary's right fielder Tommy Flynn.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

All out ...


3/19 - Erie, PA: Penn State Behrend junior defender Anne Lawrence (14) goes all-out to force a turnover atop Carthage freshman Amanda Kuchan (19). But the Lady Reds went on to sink the Penn State Lion's 14-1 in Allegheny Mountain Conference competition at the Junker Center Pool.

I made a lot of shots Saturday, but in this series, I really liked Lawrence's facial expression & the splash formations that resulted in the struggle.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

2 days | Men's Lacrosse


3/15>16/11 - PA: Both my teams came out on top, a pleasant occurrence that translates into energy & into my frame. F&M powered through Susquehanna 16-7, & Gettysburg earned a back and forth double overtime win over Cabrini 8-7. Great days too ... slightly overcast and mild. I tried to spread the focus across the field except when needed, tried to avoid flying plastic, and I traveled with my 20mm prime wide open with relative success (tweaked).

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Women's Lacrosse | F&M vs. Stevenson


3/12/11 - Lancaster, PA: Here are some highlights from today's Women's Lacrosse match up where the #3 F&M Diplomats tamed the #20 Mustangs of Stevenson 14-4.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Softball | Gettysburg


3/11/11 - Salisbury, MD: Here are some pics from today's Softball roadtrip. I had to extend a little from the corners & camp behind metal to avoid absolute obstruction, but it helped me to find some newer angles for myself. Some of these are a bit grimy, without ball, and imperfect, yet interesting I think.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Detail | Baseball


3/5/11 - Falls Church, Va: Annandale High School

Men's Lacrosse | Mt. St. Mary's vs. Towson


3/5/2011 - Emmitsburg, MD

Thursday, March 3, 2011


2/9/11 - Hyattsville Middle School, Auxiliary Gym, Bleachers

Monday, February 28, 2011

F&M Basketball | Conference Champs


2.27.11 - Lancaster, PA: The Franklin & Marshall Men's Basketball team defeated the Dickinson Red Devils 65-55 in Centennial Conference championship action Sunday afternoon in Mayser Gymnasium. The win earns The Diplomats (22-5) their 22nd NCAA Division III Tournament bid, & they will travel to Virginia Beach to take on North Carolina Wesleyan Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Centennial Conference Swimming Championships | 2/18th-20th


Here's a recap of my favorites from last weekend's Centennial Conference Swimming champs at Gettysburg. It was a long, wet, work intensive meet that I couldn't have covered without a little help from my friends ; )

Friday, February 11, 2011

Basketball 2/9 | Gettysburg vs. F&M


Two of my favorite teams went head to head in a Wednesday night doubleheader in Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Women fought through a game, where in the second half F&M battled back within four, but were held at bay and the Bullets eventually prevailed 66-55 over the Diplomats. The Gettysburg Men, hampered by a diminished roster, fell behind early to F&M. The Bullets weren't without highlights when Senior forward Andrew Powers surpassed a 1,880 career point record set by Ron Warner ’62 late in the second half, ending with 1,882 on the day. The main attraction was Diplomat head coach Glenn Robinson, who in his 1,100th career game, won his 800th over Gettysburg 68-46 - becoming only the 13th coach in NCAA history to do so.

Friday, February 4, 2011


Breast cancer awareness month was honored Friday night with with an array of colorful support as The Franklin High Girls Basketball team took on Milford Mill. Unfortunately, their regalia didn't help propel the girls to victory as they lost the varsity match-up 51-29 at home.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Gettysburg Swimming 2/2

This was my first meet in Gettysburg's sparkling new pool & a warm up for the conference championship weekend 2/18. It was nice and bright - ISO 6400 with around 1/800th - 1/1250th of a second shutter at f/2.8. With the generally high shutter speeds I was able to capture some pretty cool water formations as the athletes swam. Here's some of their water art ...

Monday, January 24, 2011

F&M Squash vs. Trinity 1/23


It was another challenging day of Squash. For both F&M and myself. Squash is one of the toughest sports for me to cover. Set remote, clean glass, find a white balance, stretch, don't whack anyone in the crowd with the camera. The box where it's played is the smallest arena for competition & there's no day dreaming with the speed of play. I so often sit at the corners and capture the backhand, so I posted a few of those - with a few others that I really like ...

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011

Mt. St. Mary's Men's Basketball


Mt. St. Mary's dropped Sacred Heart 61-45 Thursday night in Emmitsburg. At half time they honored Coach Jim Phelan, who coached at the Mount for 49 years ending in 2003. Phelan is the 7th highest all time DI coach with 830 wins and was just inducted into the inaugural class of the NEC Hall of Fame. Following the game I made a photo with Phelan the present Mount men's team.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

This week's Basketball


Ranging across a few Centennial Conference games, a little DI action, and ending on last night's Patch work ... here are my favorite basketball pics from the last seven days.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Lucky 3 Barbershop - Paradise


Micah and Valerie Stanovich independently own and operate Lucky Three Barber Shop & Salon, the newest eclectic business in Paradise, a community in Catonsville, Maryland. These are images accompanying my Focus on Business piece, a continuing series of independent projects for the Paradise Community Association.

Friday, January 7, 2011

My Best of 2010

This year I continued to attempt "off-peak" images to balance a sometimes overwhelming volume of game action. So I've filed my favorites chronologically & separated them into two groups.

Sports

These Sports images contain game-action shots, including a few from new attempts such as Crew and Water Polo, as well as the ever challenging (for me) Squash.

Editorial

This second group's focus is away from peak action. I've used the Editorial classification loosely, assembling images taken on & off field as well as some Commercial and Personal projects that I really like. Also this year, I began experimenting with Lightroom and there are a few enhanced examples here too.

It was an overall good year of challenging work that sent me all over the mid-atlantic and brought some new leads and adventures.

Thanks for stopping by. Feedback welcome.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

The best sequence of the year = )


OK, it may be a bit early to call it the best of 2011. But I was stoked to find my favorites #4 & #5 fell into frame and focus. There was so much loose ball action Wednesday night at the Junker Center I almost thought I was shooting soccer. Here Behrend's Abby Henderson (10) & D'Youville's Ellen Remillard (1) battle it out at midcourt. The Lion's defensive pressure stunted the Spartans offensive and led to their 72 to 37 win.