My favorite Sport Photos of 2016

Back off a two year hiatus, I’ve charged through my Top Pix & pulled some favorites. This is simply coverage that I like. Images that may not have seen publication, but are exciting to me: with great emotion, of perilously tight captures & prime light, or just peak action. It’s exciting finding a shot with great jubilation that includes the referee, laying out some narrative.

This is a relatively chronological & “straight out of camera” set witnessing the youthful exuberance of athletic competition makes my work really fun.

Thanks for looking.

F&M Rowing on the Susquehanna

10/03/16 - Wrightsville, PA: I went out with F&M's Rowing team for their morning & evening practice sessions. Sometimes when covering competition is challenging, we opt for practice. Though these conditions weren't as ideal as my last session, I was still able to capture some usable content, stock, & some documentation for use when they're writing feature pieces on godiplomats.com

I Need a Caption

09/09/16 - Arlington, VA: Yes, an unusual lack of light for a soccer game at 8:30p. Marymount's stadium lights suddenly turned off, and after some expletives & uncomfortable telephone calls by nearby Admins the lights began to flicker again. This single lamp first, just backlighting the Men as they were stood waiting to defend their goal. Overall it was a nice break for everyone in some thick humidity well into the 1st of two Overtimes at Long Bridge Park.

2016 Centennial Conference Swim Champs!

02/19-21/2016 - Gettysburg, PA: It was another amazingly wet weekend in Gettysburg covering the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship. This 3 day marathon is certainly the most physically grueling of my work. But with all its challenges it presents us with some fabulous moments. Unlike the formulaic developments of most of my other land-based sports, swimming rivals most with explosive action & emotion, as well as beautiful candid opportunities on the deck. As long as I'm physically able, I hope to be able to get my knees & elbows low on the deck, fight to keep too much water off the elements, and freeze those drops in time - in wonderfully infinite & unique patterns.

Lancaster Country Day's Cougar Bowl

10/02/15 - Lancaster, PA: It was just another friendly flag football game between staff & students, indoors this year due to a passing monsoon … which made it extra interesting: close-quarters, close metal bleachers, and close cinder-block walls. They kept me on my toes! The stakes were low … it was just for fun, school spirit right? And maybe some Monday morning bragging rights.

It was a wet one today

09.12.15 - Westminster, MD: It was a wet one today. Both I in Westminster, & Ryan in Lancaster were out covering in a real mess as seen here at McDaniel. There was even a rolling lightning delay that stalled mid-day action. But everyone trudged through & it even cleared up in early afternoon ... but not after this Women's game versus York was called for poor field conditions with 19:44 remaining in the 2nd half.
On a side note, I'll be working to increase the frequency of posting, following some technical issues I continue to have with multi-image posts. Stay tuned.

Women's Lax opener

02.18.15 - Gettysburg, PA: It's going to be a weird seasonal transition this week as I move between a snowy Lacrosse & a balmy Swimming Champs, both at Gettysburg. It's weird first because Lacrosse, once the stalwart of my outdoor athletics, has issued three postponements in my first four Lax games due to the prospect of "inclement weather". All already following my Baseball opening day on 2/7. Hopefully, this won't be trend, otherwise I'll need to build a staff of photographers to cover work in an already narrow spring season. And as far as the changing conditions ... weird is interesting right? Credit to Nikon for forging weather-tight gear.

Platinum Milestone

11.09.14 - Winfield, MD: In 1944 as World War II was nearing an end, Ruth & Herb Shipley were married in a county clerks office in rural Maryland. No time for a fancy reception, no dancing, no cake. Seventy years later they & their family are blessed to have had true celebration with a fully grown family, great grandkids, bluegrass music, and a little cake cutting. Well done Shipleys!

McDaniel Tangles a Sweep

01/22/14 - Westminster, MD: My alma mater was chomping at the bits to defame conference darling Johns Hopkins last week. Both McDaniel teams did so soundly and I couldn't have asked for better PR photos during such a big conference sweep. As a bonus there was a bunch of loose-ball/struggle for possession action, which I can't get enough of. But if I had to choose a favorite, I'd have to take this leading frame taken during a halftime scrimmage of the Westminster 2nd & 3rd Grade Girls teams ... this is the real deal kids!

Shipley Wedding

9/21 - Westminster, MD - The Shipley Family & I go way back. There's great energy between Steve & Cathy. They have so much fun, it was great to witness. Thank you Guys for asking me to cover this for you.

Maine Maritime Winter Double-Double

Last weekend was my final weekend road trip of the year. I traveled up north to cover winter action at Maine Maritime Academy. It was an intensely thorough visit with a Friday & Saturday doubleheader where I needed to cover all of my bases, from general school stock images to overhead remote action. Here's a recap of some of my favorites including an attempt to stay in sync while firing three bodies ...

Arm Chair Jockeying

… a moment from a private party this weekend, near the finish of the Kentucky Derby, when the attendants diverted their attention from each other to "I'll Have Another".

Bankers' Hours

I guess it's that time of year ... when the sky opens up unexpectedly and you just have to roll with the punches. But that makes it fun, & my school needed some rain-out stock anyway. Plus, I made it home before dark ... it was a good spring day.

Pic of the Day - Green Men

3/3/12 - Lancaster, PA: It was the second round of the Men's Division III NCAA playoffs, and all came out to cheer-on their Diplomats drop Western Connecticut State 82-72.

Pre. Focus.

I covered a Indoor Track & Field meet recently at Hagerstown Community College. Available light in this arena is hard to come by. However, there are three 30 foot tall windows and with a bright day, I had some great natural light infusion. Here are some moments during the Shot put - as these athletes enter the circle, focus on form & balance, and prepare themselves for their throw.

Orange & Blue Revolution

I was asked to make some high impact portraits of student athletes to help cornerstone an upcoming Gettysburg College Orange & Blue club fundraising campaign, which will help fund the school's athletic teams & the very athletes I was to portray. The focus of the project was to communicate intense game-focus determination through intimate portraits, without an overbearing suggestion to a specific sport.

So I choose to approach it with a simple black background to highlight the subjects; and with the use of striking lighting, I attempted make a bold impression that would translate well into print publications for National distribution to their alumni.

It was an exciting opportunity to research & orchestrate a new creative production, travel with my mobile studio, & make images of athletes who I normally only catch on the field or court.

My Martin Luther King Jr. Day

  I was in D.C. today and I'll be honest, it wasn't for any altruistic reason. I had a piece of gear that was broken & my favorite camera repair shop is in town … so with the combination of a government (thus traffic) holiday & free parking, it was a match made in heaven. With some midday time waiting for my repair, and I decided to jog the mall. It was a beautiful crisp day, and I was heartened to see many other people and their families enjoying it. I went out simply for some exercise & to wander through many monuments that I haven't seen for a while or even at all. Soon I found myself at the foot of The Lincoln Memorial. I didn't preconceive this adventure in this way. To be walking grounds where thousands of citizens have stood to rally for their rights. Who listened to Martin Luther King Jr's famous words echo through the District's Mall valley.
  I felt so fortunate to be in here, on our Nation's annual holiday to honor his work for the Civil Rights of minorities & the poor. It was a refreshing day well spent. I even got to meet some new people … pictured in the first image: Lynda Jone-Burns of Washington D.C., walks through the World War II Memorial with her family, & with an original copy of The Washington Post from Friday April 5, 1968.

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.

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.

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 ...