Hoyas and Leopards

Upon my post Thanksgiving return to DC, I photographed the Georgetown Hoyas beating up on my alma mater's Patriot League foe, the Lafayette Leopards. Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Greg Monroe, Jason Clark and Julian Vaughn are all back this season seeking redemption for their previous disappointing campaign ending with 16-13 record. They've jumped out to a 4-0 start this season after a 97-64 win over Lafayette in which the crowd wanted badly to see triple digits on the scoreboard. So far so good. Mt. St. Mary's is next. Shout out to new uniforms, the Hoyas have them every year.

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Capitals and Canadiens

Last Friday I shot my first ever ice hockey game, high school, college or pro. I don't know if it was because it was my first time or what, but my final assessment of shooting hockey: fastest and most difficult sport to shoot ever.

I think there are about 5 ice level photo positions where holes are cut in the Plexiglas boards which the photographers shoot through. Being the low man on the totem, I was unable to shoot from ice level positions. I started the game up top in the 200 levels shooting down. The action was easier to follow up there, but the TV guys' heads kept getting in the way. For the last two periods, I sat next to John McDonnell of the Washington Post and shot through the glass. It wasn't ideal, but it worked out pretty well.

I had no idea what made a good picture so this is going to take some more practice to figure out. Shout out to hockey...I respect you, but I will conquer you.

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The 6th Time is the Charm

I couldn't wait for the football season to start at the end of August and just like that, it's over. For me, it began at a dusty field in Georgetown where The Model School for the Deaf played Maret. It ended in Annapolis at Navy's Stadium where Good Counsel finally beat DeMatha. I was able to squeeze in 12 games this season. It should have been 13, but since Coolidge isn't playing in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day, I'll be in New Hampshire.

For the past 5 years, Good Counsel football has run into the buzz saw that is DeMatha football in the WCAC championship. For the past 5 years, Good Counsel has gone back to Olney, MD without a victory. This year, my first year shooting the WCAC championship, Good Counsel beats the odds. Read about it here. It was a emotional game for both sides and I was able to get some pretty good reactions. Shout out to Louis Young who had two huge interceptions and holds the trophy below.


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Leaving Stagnation

Had the opportunity to photograph Brooklyn MC Deontre Blayz early Sunday morning. You might have seen him here before. His upcoming project is a mixtape entitled Leaving Stagnation (also hosted by DJ Anonymous) due to drop 01-01-10. He says Leaving Stagnation "is about the feeling of being stuck and the sudden realization that you should just take off and leave that place behind." Something that all creatives can probably relate to.

We hit Gravelly Point at about sunrise to maximize the quality of light and minimize the number of people standing around in my frame. It turned out that the planes didn't depart as often as we thought they might nor were they as big as we thought they should be. I guess all of the puddle jumpers are slated for early flights. We also ventured inside of Reagan National to see what images we could find. We found a few in baggage claim but luckily we didn't find any airport security. Follow Deontre Blayz on Twitter. Shout out to airports. I might want to explore them a little more.

Catch Up or Get Caught...

is the name of North Carolina MC Broadway Miller's upcoming mixtape. I photographed him and the mixtape's host, Washington DC's DJ Anonymous, for the project. Although everyone looks so serious, it was a pretty fun shoot with a pretty simple set up. One light, one white wall, one record, a pair of headphones and a 1961 Kodak camera purchased at a garage sale for 4 bucks. Check out Broadway's music and follow him on Twitter. Hell, follow DJ Anonymous on Twitter too. And while you're at it follow me too, although I don't say much. Shout out to one light, it's been working out pretty well for me lately.

Battle of the...

BANDS! I remember going to the Labor Day Classic one year with my sister. It was an annual game between the Prairie View A&M Panthers (her alma mater) and the Texas Southern University Tigers (Michael Strahan's alma mater). At the time she was in school, the team was so bad that the only time the stands were full was during halftime when the bands went at it. The rest of the time was spent milling around in the concourse of the Astrodome, getting phone numbers and seeing what everyone else was wearing.

That wasn't quite the scene at Cardozo high school last Friday during the Ballou/Wilson playoff game, but the way the Ballou Majestic Marching Knights performed brought back memories. The show included the band playing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" while completing all of the choreography with trombones and sousaphones in tow.

I played the trumpet in middle school. Shout out to bands.


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Wilson vs. Ballou DCIAA Football Semi Final

The Ballou Knights polished off the Wilson Tigers 43-7 to advance to the 2009 Turkey Bowl to take on HD Woodson in the DCIAA championship game. The game was pretty slow and Ballou scored, scored and scored again. Wilson proved to be no match but how did they beat Coolidge?

I saw some players preparing the old Gatorade shower on the coach bit except it was a All Sport (do they still make that) cooler with water in it. I tried to get in front of the action without getting on the field but did not succeed. The players drenched the coach and he tried to escape by running onto the field. The only problem was that Wilson just snapped the ball and was right in the middle of a play. Oops. Shout out to the Ballou marching band, coming soon...


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DeMatha @ Bishop McNamara Football

With this game being the last of the regular season and both teams already in the playoffs, what was there to play for? You would think it would be a battle of the futures with both coaches sending in their clean-uniformed youngsters a la Manning and Brady in weeks 16 and 17. But that wasn't the case. DeMatha had a perfect season on the line and Bishop McNamara was trying to take down the perennial juggernaut. In a tough game, DeMatha left the field with a 0 in the loss column with a 10-7 victory. You can read about here. Oh...and I took some pictures.


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QB Jake: Part II

Last weekend, I went back to photograph Jake this time against the rival Potomac School in McLean, VA. Not only did the Maret Frogs take home a 13-6 victory, but they did it during Potomac's homecoming. The good thing was that there was no rain this time. The great thing was that Jake threw a sweet touchdown pass in the winning effort. If you click here and go to picture #13, you can see me missing the second half of that touchdown pass. But here is the first half of the play, right before he gets crushed by a defensive linemen.

Dunbar Knocks Coolidge out of the Play-offs

Since I came around in 2006, the Coolidge Colts have made the playoffs every year. After Friday nights game against Dunbar, they are in serious jeopardy of not. It was a tough, defensive game and Coolidge led 7-0 until the 4th quarter. Dunbar scored two touchdowns and won 14-7. Read Tony Owusu's DCSportsFan article here. As the clock flashed 0:00, the Coolidge Colts' tears and dejection were on display as if they would not play another game. Their last game of the season will prove to be meaningless as a trip to the playoffs, barring a miracle, is not likely. The disappointment shone most vividly on the faces of the seniors who have never had the chance to play in the Turkey Bowl, DC's public school championship played annually on Thanksgiving Day.

I'll photograph the Coolidge Football Colts on Thanksgiving one day. I will. Shout out to the seniors.