Sterling High School Basketball

A couple of weeks ago, I photographed the Sterling High Raiders boys hoops practice before they went off to San Antonio to play in the state tournament. It was Monday March 9th and shout out to senior guard Avery Ragland for paying homage to The Notorious One who probably died before Ragland was even born. The practice which consisted of a fast break drill, a scrimmage, free throws and an impromptu dunk contest was about as light and as loose as you could get. Coach Andrea (pronounced Andre) Young assured me that it was mostly a rest day and the practices would ramp up tomorrow and the rest of the week.

At the end of that week, the Raiders went on to advance past the semi-final and on to the state championship game where they suffered an 83-53 loss to Bridgeport (a team powered by 4 junior transfers). Shout out to Houston hoop legend Clyde Drexler who apparently wore #42 and wrecked shop at Sterling High in the late 70s before moving on to the University of Houston.

Kathleen Jennings and BeautyNow for the Houston Chronicle

BeautyNow, started by Kathleen Jennings, is an app that lets you quickly book salon and spa appointments on your iPhone. I was called upon by the Houston Chronicle to photograph Jennings in her home for an article written by Joy Sewing. Despite my dashing good looks, I don't know much about beauty. So while Joy and Kathleen talked about a numerous array of beauty products they've used and/or tried, all I heard was the musings of Charlie Brown's teacher. But shout out to the nice light flowing throughout then Jennings' household.

Andre Johnson - Houston Texans

Well, it looks like the AJ80 era here in Houston has come to an end. According to the NFL rumor mill, the Houston Texans and Andre Johnson have agreed to part ways. Johnson spent 12 years with the team and is undeniably the greatest player in the franchise's 13 year history. Even with quarterbacks like David Carr, Matt Schuab, Case Keenum and Ryan Fitzpatrick (sorry guys), he was able to amass 1,000+ receptions, 13,000+ yards and 60+ touchdowns. HOF? I think so.

I took this photograph of him shortly after a 2014 regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens. It was the game 4 days before Christmas and I was actually there to take portraits of all the Christmas-costumed Texans fans. My assistant and I roamed around the famed Blue Lot and the concourses on every level, for hours, asking strangers if we could take their pictures. Toward the end of the game, we headed down to the field and the bowels of the stadium where I noticed a huge Texans logo painted on the wall. It was right along the path where the team leaves the field and heads to the locker room. The hall was dark but I had this ring flash connected to my camera so I thought I would try my luck. I practiced a few frames on a passing security guard, then the punter, then Mike Vrabel. I got shots of owner Bob McNair, coach Bill O'Brien, Brian Cushing and Arian Foster. I even got a shot of fan favorite and probably the second best player in franchise history JJ Watt...but that picture was trash. My favorite of the small series of images was this shot of Andre Johnson. I snapped it as he walked to the locker room to shouts of "What up 'Dre!"and other pleasantries from nearby, lucky fans. It's not perfect, but I like it. Shout out to the great 80.