Sickboy says "NO" then stares you down.

Otis Griffin - Road Back to the Title: Slide Show Edition

A couple of months ago, I posted about a project I was working on with a boxer from Sacramento. His name is Otis Griffin and I photographed him training for his first fight in a series of five to get him back into title contention. You can see that original post here. I decided to re-visit and experiment with ProShow Gold, channeling my inner Ken Burns and here is the result.

As a side note, the song sound tracking  the slide show is a boxing-themed record that I recorded with my friends Jordan and Roger in college in 2004. So if you've never heard me rap...here is your chance!

Monterey Trail Hoops

The NBA kicked off late last month and college hoops tips this Friday. As soon as the football post season wraps this month, the high school season will begin. Thank goodness! I shot a few portraits for the Monterey Trail Mustangs hoop squad. Lights, Camera, Simulated Action!

Full Contact, No Pads: Part IV

I made another visit up to Natomas High School where the Gridiron Gang calls home. This time, with a light. While a few of the weekend warriors were taking a break from the action, I got to work and shot some portraits. Didn't get a chance to get everybody, but I'll be back. Of course, I had to get some shots of the armor-less action. I still think they're crazy for playing tackle with no cushion, but even the experts say the game could be safer without helmets.

Monterey Trail Mustangs vs. Grant Pacers Football

As we creep towards the end of the year, the days get shorter and shorter. The weekly Friday football events that I often attend and which once gave me at least of quarter of dusk, has truly become a night time activity. Even when photons are at a premium, I refuse to flash with on camera devices...a la Terry Richardson. The Mustangs were once again in action at the Mark Macres Memorial Stadium, deep in the heart of bustling Elk Grove, California. They played the Pacers of Grant High School and suffered a 14-7 loss. I was there.

Inderkum @ Laguna Creek Jr. Football

12 hours. 6 football games. It was a pretty long day to say the least. Bottles of water and Gatorade kept me sane and Tony Kornheiser kept me company. Tiny Mites, Mighty Mites, Junior Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Junior Midget, and Midget are the names of the 6 divisions with kids ranging in age from 6-13 years old. As the day went on, the players got bigger, faster, stronger and more skilled. It was like watching a sped up version of the evolution of football.

Tuesday Bruise Day

Tuesday is just early enough in the week to get in a good hard day of practice before having to go all out on Friday night. The Mustangs run through a rigorous series of drills, honing the simple principles of football: blocking and tackling. You throw in some agility work outs and a little bit of game instruction, and Tuesday night might bring a really early bedtime. Unless, of course, you have a bunch of homework to do. Ha...teenagers.

Monterey Trail @ Pioneer Football

Just another Friday night. After a 17-14 loss to Antelope in the opening game of the season, the Monterey Trail Mustangs have been on fire. I was a little worried when the Pioneer Patriots came out wearing "all black everything" including the matte black helmets. As Neon Deion says, "You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good. You play good, they pay good." Let's just say the Patriots didn't get paid at all. Shout out to the Mustangs for the 28-3 victory and rolling to this 4-1 start.

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Monterey Trail @ Florin Football

An away game at the home stadium. Weird, right? The Monterey Trail Mustangs walked out of the same locker room, touched the same rock and walked onto the same field that they do every home game on a Friday night. But this time, they were the away team. Donning the away white uniforms and banished to the visitor's sideline, the Mustangs played the Florin Panthers, with whom they share the Mark Macres Memorial Stadium. Florin hung their banners on the outside fences and wrapped their "Panther" cushions around the base of the field goal uprights but they never quite gained that home field advantage, losing to the Mustangs 55-14.

Grant @ Bella Vista Soccer

My high school soccer practices consisted mostly of jogging and running and I hated it. Now and then we'd get to take a couple of shots. In 2012 when I show up to high school soccer games, I take a seat somewhere on the goal line in this super comfy chair and take a couple hundred shots. Two reasons I'm out shooting soccer: 1) the golden, early evening, directional sunlight 2) Gotta keep my action game sharp...I haven't done it in a while. 

Shout out to Grant (blue and yellow), who like my team, consisted of an overwhelming majority of Spanish speakers. The technical soccer terms of "cruz a la", "medio", and "cabrón" sounded all too familiar.

Martha + Nate: Engaged!

Well, they were actually engaged in October when Nate got down on one knee in the middle of running a marathon. No big deal. He approached and proposed to a cheering Martha, adding precious seconds to his overall time and I was right there to witness it all. Nate is my brother-in-law and the two currently live in the great city I grew up in. We had a great shoot early, early in the morning in Hermann Park and their laughter and interaction with each other made everything so easy. As a side note, I had no idea how many people take photos in Hermann Park. As we were heading back to the car there was a crying baby on train tracks and at least three other couples all being photographed. I felt a little bad hogging all of the good light. Anyway, shout out to Martha and Nate. Congrats and see you in March!