a Sporting Life Interview

I was recently interviewed by Charley Mendoza and the good folks over at a Sporting Life about photography, my love of basketball and inspirations. Check it out here! By the way, a Sporting Life is an awesome resource of "daily inspiration for sports creatives" and I strongly suggest you stop by and have a look!

The Struggle of Olympic Weightlifting

Glory exists in some form in every single sport and it exists in multiple iterations. It's not only present in the form of a late game offensive triumph. Glory can emerge from the limbs of a quick handed defender or land in the glove of a leaping outfielder. But where does the glory lie in Olympic weightlifting?

I suppose it occurs when the lifter successfully raises that heavy bar accessorized with heavy plates on each end, up and over their heads for a period of time. But in this case, that glory is boring. At least from a photographer's perspective. Second to "peak action" on the sports photographers list of what makes a great picture, is great faces. And the struggle of Olympic weightlifting weighs a thousand kilograms.

In my first attempt at capturing the sport at the 3rd Annual Midtown Classic in Sacramento, I've found that the unsuccessful lifts make for the most compelling images. The grimace on their faces combined with the gravity defying lean of their bodies mixed with a bar and weights that seem to have gone rogue paints the perfect picture that makes you wonder, "What the fuck just happened?" The tiniest breakdown in technique could be the difference between the struggle and the glory, but photographically speaking, the gap between the two is quite large.

Check out some more images here.

3 On 3 For All The Marbles

What do you get when you mix the following ingredients: 3-on-3 basketball tournament, outdoor courts, the hot summer sun, and a $600 cash prize with no entry fee? A whole lotta shit talking, hard fouls and a few scuffles. But all in all, everything went pretty smoothly.

Last weekend, the Show Out Boyz (a classic car club) held a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Swanston Park here in Sacramento, CA. So far I've been unable to find any internet evidence of the Boyz or their tournament except for this jpeg of a flyer. But when I pulled up to the park, it was going down! There was a total of about 39 teams with games occurring on three half courts. The tourney dragged on for about 7 or 8 hours and as I was losing daylight, the main event was finally underway.

In a game that started 12-3 (first to 15 wins), there was a near impossible comeback with a final score of 15-12. The man with the crazy haircut and his team representing "The Heights" split the $600. Shout out to the Show Out Boyz for putting on the tournament and their success in keeping everything in order. Looking forward to the next one.

Click here to see more photos.

Pacific vs. Cal State Fullerton Baseball

I'd photographed about 0 baseball games since 2009. Now I've got two under my belt in the last week. This time the Pacific Tigers took on the perennial contending Cal State Fullerton Titans. Thanks to CSF and a 10-0 win, there was a lot of action on the base paths for the Titans and plenty of Tiger fielding activity. Shout out to myself for watching and shooting my first college baseball game. 

Diamond Neglect

Baseball? When is the last time I shot baseball? I'll tell you when...2009! Needless to say, I've got a little rust on me so a tune up is in order. The tricky thing about shooting baseball is that it's a slow game. You have to be patient and you have to pay attention and you have to do both. So little action happens during the course of a game that if you miss it, you might as well close up shop and go home. I went to shake some of the cobwebs off at a McClatchy High v. Sacramento High game near my home base. Shout out to lanky, left handed pitchers. Hits off them are hard to come by. Ask Randy Johnson.

Full Contact, No Pads: Part III

The third installment includes some interesting faces and wild hair. Football players are much more photogenic without helmets. Looking forward to shooting some more this weekend. 

Sac Lady Dragons

Waaaaaaay back in March, I photographed a girls high school basketball game for the Sacramento Bee. Sacramento High School is a perennial basketball power in the area and that night, they showed it. The Lady Dragons defeated the Mustangs of San Marin 72-34 in a state playoff match-up. Shoutout to pressing, trapping, turnovers and defense. You need all of that to beat a team by 38 points.