Hoop Fest!

Last weekend, I spent two days photographing 16 teams and eight games of basketball at a really nice, pretty well lit (relatively speaking) high school gym in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The National High School Hoops Festival featured teams from Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Mississippi which happened to showcase some of the top talent in the country. A few people of note in attendance..Roy Williams, Bruce Pearl, Tom Crean and Michael Starghill. Funny thing about these high school "showcases": about 20% of the people are parents, friends and family. The other half (Yogi Berra) are scouts, coaches, media, hangers on, sponsors, fans and folks who's hands will be out if/when some of these kids make it to the Association. Just my two cents. Shout out to Nike who had the Lebron VI's on sale for only $140. No checks, no credit cards. Straight cash, homey.

Experimentation

Not much of a game Saturday afternoon when Georgetown played Drexel. So I decided to try to move around to some non-traditional spots. First I squeezed between a media table and some courtside seats and tried to get some shots there. It wasn't long before some guy in a suit told me to move, so I went way up into the stands. I also utilized some slow shutter speed. Shout out to important guys in suits.

FotoWeekDC Gallery Show

FotoWeek DC has been going on here since its kickoff last Saturday. Tonight, your boy will have some work on display at Contemporaria in Georgetown tonight (Nov.20, 2008) from 6:30pm-9:00pm. Contemporaria is located one block south of M Street in Georgetown on the corner of 33rd Street and Cady's Alley. Stop by if you've got the time.

Hoya Dolphin

Fresh off the football field into the arena. Good thing too because it's getting a little cold outside. My first basketball game of the season was in the pretty well lit Verizon Center, home of the Georgetown Hoyas and some other team called the Bullets. Shooting basketball is a little different from shooting football. The game is quicker and continuous so you really have to be alert and pay attention. With that said, I'm obviously not there yet. Jacksonville made it close at the end, but the new look Hoyas pulled it out. Shout out to Mr. Ron Bailey.

3 years and counting

I thought this was the year. I thought this was the year my Coolidge Colts (yes, MY) were going to the Turkey Bowl and taking the championship to 5th St. The third time was supposed to be the charm. This year, this season, I thought that I would have the privilege of photographing high school football on Thanksgiving morning before I jetted off to visit my girlfriend and her family. But now I feel like the Chicago Cubs...wait 'til next year. Every practice I attend, every game I photograph and every halftime speech that I've clicked the shutter through has made me more and more partial to the orange, gray (allegedly) and white.

Last Saturday, for the second year in a row, Coolidge fell to HD Woodson in the semi final. 30-24, bad guys. To Emanuel Yeager, Derrell Person, Dewayne Jones, Tisean Redmon, Kwaizi Butler, Waaiz Bell, Mark Whitehead, Donald Stewart, Irvin Proctor, Aaron Wallace, Tim Sunkins and Dana Rhea, it's been real and best of luck to you after graduation. But to everyone else, we still got next year. Shout out to the 2008 Coolidge Colts.

Rivalry Game

Again, we're reaching the end of the high school football season. In this Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) match-up, St. John's (already in the playoffs) played Gonzaga (needed to win to get in). Unfortunately, Gonzaga took the L, but at least they won the soccer championship. The game was held at Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD as St. John's has played all away games this year while their new field was being constructed. More game coverage here.

Broadway and Water St.

Last week I photographed friend and hip hop artist Broadway Miller for his upcoming project called "Catch Up or get Caught". We went down to the SW Waterfront where there was a lone fisherman and a bucket of about three 20-30 pound catfish taking their last breath. It's been a long time since Broadway and I last collaborated, but not much has changed. He's still making music, I'm still taking pictures. Both are still waiting to stack real money to the ceiling.

Looking Ahead

Last Friday, the Coolidge Colts played their last regular season game against the Cardozo Clerks. As the playoffs get closer, the team gets more and more excited about finally getting that chance to play on Thanksgiving Day in the DCIAA championship dubbed, The Turkey Bowl.

Rare Read

Only because I don't usually shoot girls high school sports. But this championship occurred on the same day and field as the boys championship, so why not. I don't know much about the two teams (St. John's and O'Connell) but the fans were crazy. St. John's, ranked #1 throughout the season, took home the title with a 2-1 victory. For a more thorough explanation go here.

Gonzaga = Champs

I've kind of been following this team a lot this season. Partly because of talent but mostly because of proximity. For example, Good Counsel's football team is ranked #1 in the area (DC, Maryland, Virginia) by the Washington Post, but you won't catch me out in Olney, MD. Okay, you might. Anyway, Gonzaga plays great soccer and this past weekend I photographed their championship game. I was hoping for a Gonzaga vs. DeMatha three-match, but got O'Connell instead. Shout out to all of the parents that ordered pictures from me throughout the season.