Excuses, excuses...

I just wanted to make a quick post to let everyone know that I have not forgotten that this blog exists.  Things have been very busy lately, both shooting and business wise.  I've got a lot of new things that I'm working to make happen before the end of the year.  I'm making plans to start doing a lot more tutorial posts here on the blog (even some with video).  

Over the Labor Day weekend I started working with Marshall (the best web programer I know) over at Fun Sun Studio on version 1.1 of my website, and I'm really stoked to see what he has come up with.  I'm busy adding new content to the framework of the site, making design nit picks, and he's slaving over a hot keyboard to make the changes like a champ.  Here is a quick preview of what we've got going on...

Goodbye Flash... Hello JavaScript... This is really exciting for a wanna be techno geek like me.  But I haven't been spending all of my time in front of a computer screen... I have gotten out, and made some images lately.  Here are just a few that I shot the other night as the University of South Carolina opened up their season on ESPN's Thursday night game, against North Carolina State (this is for Angie my new blog bud over at OH MY GOFF! who is a Gamecocks fan, but now lives in D.C.) I hope you all enjoy...

Above: USC starts their opening drive after receiving the kick off from N.C. State at Williams-Brice Stadium, in Columbia, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.
Above: South Carolina, quarterback, Tommy Beecher, right, takes a snap in the shot gun formation during their opening drive against N.C. State, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.
Above: South Carolina, tailback, Mike Davis, 25, left, gets a fist full of N.C. State, corner back, Jeremy Gray's, right, face mask, while trying to stiff arm.

"Rockstar" Photographer...

It has been a busy couple of weeks.  I just finished up with some player portraits from Media Day at the University of South Carolina's, Williams-Brice Stadium on Sunday afternoon.  It felt like it was 120 degrees on the field, and I was soaking wet by the end of it, but all of the players took my requests in stride, and I had a great time with it, and had the opportunity to make some nice images of some great student athletes.  I was caught in the act of shooting the portraits of new starting quarterback, Tommy Beecher, by friend and shooter, Drew Stewart of local NBC affiliate WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C., and according to his package from last nights newscast, I'm helping to contribute to quarterback, Tommy Beecher's "Rockstar" status.  

Thanks Drew, Hope you are doing well in your quest to kick Brain Cancer's Butt.  On a final note, here is the finished image, which Drew filmed me making during the chaos that was media day.  For the few seconds I had to work with Tommy he was a great sport, and did exactly as I asked. Its really great to see someone with a great outlook, and mindset like Tommy, in a position like this. I'd like to say a special thank you to the sports information department at South Carolina, and to my my lighting assistant for the day Jeremy (this was his first time helping out, and I really put him through his paces).  I don't think I could have done it with out everyones help.

Football is back...

Its the time of year when things start to cool off, kids go back to school, and football fields at high schools and colleges come alive on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. It has been so long since I've had a Friday night or Saturday afternoon off during this time of year that I don't even know what it would be like. While the rest of the world tailgates, and starts to put on those winter pounds, its time for me to start running up and down the sidelines, trying to make better images than I did last year. Here are some of the results from my first week back at it. Its been a year since I did this, and I'm pretty happy with my early results.

Benedict College hosts Livingstone College, in their annual season opener the Palmetto Capital City Classic, for the first time at their new stadium, in Columbia, S.C.

My high school alma mater Irmo, takes on their hated rivals Dutch Fork. Irmo won, glad to see some things don't change. Now they actually play their away games for this rivalry at Dutch Fork, when I was in school, at the start of this rivalry, we had to share a stadium, and sit on the away side every other year... I'm glad to see that some things do change.

Hope everyone is doing well out there, stay safe, and make good images.
-Flashnick

p.s. If anyone out there can figure out how to get my BlackBerry Pearl to transmit images from the above mentioned games any faster than the abysmal 8kbps I'm getting now using this method posted on fibble.org please let me know. It moves so slow that all of my FTP transmissions keep timing out. It is killing me paying for this BlackBerry service and not being able to use it to its full potential.