Photo of the Day - Riley Ben in 2010:



Well, there you have it. If you didn't know our son's name before this morning, you do now! I held off making an "official" announcement until after the baby shower but since that was this weekend, and he is due exactly one month from today I figured I would make a Monday post out of it! After much consideration and debate over the past few months we arrived at his name - Riley Benjamin Darby - and we love it. Some fun facts:

- There has been a Darby male with the name Ben or Benjamin for the last 5 generations
- We incorporated the other side of my family's name with the first name Riley - initially we picked it only because we liked the name only to find out later that there were 2 Atteberry cousins with the name Riley
- The last letter in his first name "Y" is the same last letter in both of our first names - Brittany & Timothy
- The last letter in his middle name "N" is the same last letter in both of our middle names - Lynn & Benjamin
- The last and most important fact, regardless of his name or the importance to us, we couldn't be more excited and ready to share our love with him.

The baby shower on Saturday was awesome! I had the chance to hang around for a few minutes at the beginning and the end but the rest was a party for the girls. Everything was perfect and Britt had a blast. It was so amazing to see all of the friendship and love and we are SO blessed to have such great friends and family that care so much about us and Riley. There's no way to name everyone that had a part in this without leaving someone out but thanks needs to go out to everyone who had a part as a planner, as a doer, or as a participant this weekend. Thank you so much!

As I mentioned in an earlier post and facebook update, the nursery is 100% complete minus that one essential element. I caught a rough time from some for not posting pics but if you would have read the whole entry I said I'd be posting the shots at a later time ;-) Today is the day! What better day to post the shots of Riley's future bedroom than the day we officially announce his name. Here's a short virtual tour of his room:















If you haven't already had enough of the Darby baby madness click here for a few more shots from his room and the baby shower this weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in at least a little bit of our joy and excitement. Can't believe Riley is due a month from today! Absolutely can't wait! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Tuesday's photo of the day!

Photo of the Day - Pigfest!



Sorry for another late post but today has been busy. Got to cut out early from work and play some golf this afternoon with Dad. Played like crap but had a great time and it was nice to get Dad out! Tonight was the first night of Lakeland's Pigfest and it was a blast. The food that these groups create and sell is unbelievable. This was our first Pigfest now that we are back in Lakeland and we ran into a bunch of old friends - it was a blast! The above photo is of one of my favorite stickers from the evening from a booth and makes a great reference to a place that anyone will get if they've ever driven into or out of Gainesville for a game. I saw it and had to have it so thankfully my father in law gave it to me at the end of the night! :-)

Thanks for stopping by (even if it may be on Saturday) and I hope you all have a great weekend. If you're near Lakeland be sure to stop by Pigfest. Be sure to stop by here on Monday as I will officially announce our son's name and post some shots of the nursery! See you then!

Photo of the day - Sports Shooter:



Post is a little late this evening. We went to the basketball game in Gainesville last night and had a long work day today so there really wasn't much time to post until now. The good news is the Gators played great last night and took down another SEC opponent. Lots of good momentum heading into Sunday's game in Tennessee - they're going to need it but they can definitely win!

Some other good news that I received yesterday is that my application to join SportsShooter.com was accepted and I am now a member! If you go to the front page fast enough you may still my page featured since I'm a new member. I have known about the site for quite a while but really didn't have the portfolio necessary to 1. get a member to sponsor my application and 2. submit my portfolio for review. It's a pretty serious process but once I finished this football season I thought I would give it a shot. It's a pretty serious process and I'm happy to say I survived! If you've never been to the site definitely check it out as there are some things that you can view/read without being a member. It really is a great resource and I'm very happy to be a part of it! If you've got a minute be sure to stop by and check out my member page.

Thanks for stopping by today for an early evening edition of the photo of the day. Be sure to swing by tomorrow for Friday's photo of the day! See you then!

Photo of the Day - Mr. Edge



This is a post I've wanted to do for quite some time but haven't had the time to properly commit to editing the photos. I'm finally around to it so here it is. The above photo is of my new buddy and cousin Edgerton better known as "Edge" who I got to meet for the first time over the holidays. Just like his name, he's a cool character and a great baby. It was so nice to finally meet him and spend some quality time with him and the rest of the family. With us expecting ours in less than two months (whoa!) it was great practice and I hope our son is just as well behaved and fun as Edge was. If you'd like to see the rest of the set of photos click here!

Thanks for stopping by today and checking out my awesome baby cousin Edge! Hope you have a great day and please don't forget to check in tomorrow for the next photo of the day!

Photo of the Day - Sis:



Keeping with the theme so far this week I figured I would continue with the portraits and this time around showcase our Shiba Inu Kohana. With Otis's outgoing personality and eagerness to be the center of attention it's easy to end up with more photos of him. Kohana is literally the Yin to Otis's Yang. Shiba Inus are an amazing breed but terriers they are not. If you haven't heard of the breed you're not alone so check out the wiki page. They do look very unique and we get a lot of comments that she "looks like a fox" and even more questions as to what she is. She never barks and is very calm but still very loving in her own way. She is absolutely the perfect fit in our "animal family" since she absolutely loves our cat Milo and does a great job calming and keeping our Rat Terrier Otis in check. She's definitely daddy's girl but loves all of us.

When we got her we had no idea on a name. We did know that we wanted to aim for a Japanese name to keep some of her Japanese heritage here in central Florida and once we knew her mother's name we had it! Her mom's name is Hana which means flower in Japanese. Kohana means little flower and just like that our little flower had her name.

This shot was actually taken in an outdoor portrait session in the yard of our rental house in Jacksonville. She loves to be outside so she has no problem just sitting in the yard taking in all of the sights and smells. She really made it easy for me and I ended up with the above shot.

Thanks for stopping by today for Tuesday's photo of the day. Hope to see you back here tomorrow for Wednesday's photo of the day!

Photo of the Day - True Love:



Good morning! I figured I would start off your week and mine with two beautiful smiling faces. Had a great weekend but as always it was too short. Went up to Gainesville for the basketball game on Saturday and we weren't disappointed as Chandler Parsons once again saved the Gators with a last second shot. I still don't have my voice back! Hopefully this win gives the guys some great momentum for the rest of the conference season.

During some down time this weekend I was going through my Lightroom 2 library cleaning things up a bit and looking through some "old" photos. Something interesting happens every time I go through my catalog because I always find "new" photos that I either didn't have time to edit or just didn't get around to uploading. The above photo is one of them and I absolutely love it. Not sure how this one was lost in the shuffle but I'm glad it isn't lost anymore. This shot was taken last June and it really shows how happy my wife and our dog Otis truly are. This is only a fraction of how happy they make me.

This shot sums it all up. Otis is a perfect example of a mama's boy and Britt is an amazing example of a mom. We'll see much more of this in the coming months but I know we're in great shape based on how she takes care of me and the pets! :-) I am in no way shape or form a portrait photographer and it is definitely something I need to work on but the best and most natural looking photos are just that, natural. The elements matched up perfectly in this shot. Happy wife + happy dog = happy husband & photographer. This will be a favorite of mine for quite a while and I'm glad I found it so I could share it with you!

Thanks for checking in this morning as you start your week and I hope it is a good one! Looking for something else to do on the internet today? Check out my ask me anything page where you can post a question for me whether it be a photography question, a question about me, or if you want to know why I keep posting these blog entries, I'll do my best to answer them all! I found this site thanks to my good friend Doug Levy who is an amazing photographer so if asking questions aren't your thing check out his blog. Whatever you do, be sure to come back here tomorrow for Tuesday's edition of the photo of the day!

Photo of the Day - Almost Ready:



Yesterday was a pretty good day but I have been feeling a bit under the weather for most of the day which may explain why I didn't feel like taking any "fresh" shots to use this morning. Some good news from yesterday - the Gators won in Arkansas last night. Any conference road win is a great one so I'm happy for the guys.

I figured I would post the rest of our 2nd 4D sonogram from Wednesday since we have now finally completed the nursery. Everything is ready except for one important final piece of the puzzle and I can't wait. Of course there will be some shots of the nursery but I'm going to hold off on that until we "officially" announce his name since the contents of the nursery would definitely give it away. Here are the rest of the shots:







Thanks for stopping by this morning and I hope you've had a great week and have an even better weekend! Be sure to check back in on Monday morning for the start of another week! See you then!

Photo of the Day - Along Came A Spider:



A Spiny Backed Orb Weaver to be specific but I'll get to him (or her) in a minute. Man yesterday was a busy but awesome day! It was capped off with us going to the Florida Southern vs. University of Tampa basketball game which Florida Southern won in overtime after being down over 20 points with under 10:00 left to play in the game. WOW. If you appreciate basketball in any way you would have absolutely loved this game! This is always a huge rivalry game so regardless of the records of the teams it is always hard fought and close. Last night was no exception. I couldn't be happier for our guys - they battled and really pulled it off when it mattered most! So proud!

The above photo has, well, nothing to do with that. :-) This is actually one of the last shots I took while touring Mom's Camellias last week. I've always been a bit shaky shooting spiders after a rough experience I had a few years ago when a very large banana spider fell down the back of my shirt while I was shooting another one in front of me. I guess I was too caught up in the moment and bumped his web and down my shirt he went. Fortunately we were both so shocked about the whole experience that no one was bitten or stomped in the experience. Needless to say I pay a little more attention to what is behind me while I'm doing macro work now. I found this little guy and decided to give some more hand held macro photography a shot. If you think hand held macro of flowers is tough give it a shot with a spider no bigger than a dime on a web blowing in the wind. I took way more shots than I published but these four really worked out. This is a Spiny Backed Orb Weaver that managed to get it's web between two of the Camellia bushes. These guys are great pest control and aren't much of a pest so enjoy them! Anyway here are some more shots of the weaver in action:







Thanks so much for stopping by today and hopefully the spiders (or the one of dropping straight down the back of my shirt) didn't creep you out too much and you'll be back here tomorrow! Have a great day!

Photo of the Day - Head Over Heels:



Yesterday was a great day! As I mentioned in an earlier post we had to go back to the doctor for another ultrasound. Although we were concerned we were greeted with great news and got to see his face one more time before the due date. Even though Britt measured a little low on the outside, everything going on with the baby inside measured just right and weighs about 4.5 lbs right now and we are on track for him to be around 7.5 lbs if he holds off until the due date. I usually don't like posting photos that I don't take but this is one exception since I don't quite have the gear necessary for this kind of photography.

Last time we went in for a 4D ultrasound he was less than cooperative and kept his hands and forearms over his face for most of the ultrasound. We did manage to get a few shots the first time but the technician said if the doctor ordered another ultrasound she would give it another shot for us. We definitely reminded her of what she promised when we walked in and she was more than willing to help us get one more glimpse of his face. This time he was head over heels to see us - literally. Last time he was covering his face with his forearms and hands, this time, his feet. If you look closely to the right side of his face you can see one of his feet. Can't help but laugh as it looks like he is about as cooperative as his dad when people are trying to push him around. Looks like we may have our hands full with this one but I absolutely can't wait! Nice seeing you yesterday kid - see you sooner than later!

Thanks for checking out my blog this morning and feel free to check out my web page if you're still looking for stuff to do this morning! See you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - White Out:



Day 2 of posting the POTD early and so far so good! Yesterday was a pretty good day at work for a Monday but being at work on a holiday makes it pretty difficult to get much done if all of the people you are trying to contact aren't working. I expect a ton of returned calls and messages today so hopefully I can keep up!

We had a routine check up on the baby yesterday and everything went pretty well. We have been making our rounds of doctors at the office in case Britt goes into labor and our chosen doctor isn't available and someone else is on call. Our doctor at this visit noticed that Britt's belly measurement was a bit low and hadn't changed much since our last visit. Apparently you are supposed to be +/- 2 from how many weeks into the pregnancy you are. Britt is 34 weeks along but only measured 32 - this is still within the acceptable range but the doctor ordered an ultrasound today to check on everything. He said it could also be because the baby has already begun to drop. He did not seem terribly concerned but obviously in our position it isn't as easy to not be concerned. Hopefully everything looks good this afternoon and we are able to turn our concern into just one last pre-natal photo shoot before the big day. All I know is it's not in our hands and we've just got to have faith.

So after the blast of reds, pinks, and purples yesterday I figured I would white things out a bit and show another flower that I took shots of on Friday. Like I said yesterday my mom has quite a diverse group of Camellia bushes and the above shot is of another type. After I shot the pink and purple Camellia (sorry don't know the exact type but if any experts on horticulture out then please chime in) we took a walk around the yard to see if there were any flowers still on the bush that were ready for their close up. Sure enough there were a few. This was a bit more of a challenge since I was taking macro shots hand held in the wind and shade. Shooting something that close up hand held can be difficult with even the slightest camera shake let alone less than stellar light and wind but I managed to get a few that I'm proud of. Click here to see the rest of the set.

Before you go back to work or whatever you are up to this morning be sure to check out my updated Flora section on my web page. You may recognize some of the updates but some of the other shots may be new to you. I also think they look great in that gallery with the black background really putting the focus on the image so be sure to check it out! Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back here again tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Camellia:



Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was relaxing but oh so short as I will head back to work today and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from my office. I may be working but I will never forget what an important part of our nation's history he is.

I am going to try something new this week or at least for the first few days and see if it sticks. My goal now is to have the POTD up earlier in the day so that you aren't reading a post I made on Monday night on Tuesday morning etc etc. We will see if this is an easier way for me to do it and how many hits I get but if it works I'll stick with it.

As I mentioned on Friday I headed over to my parents house to take some photos of a few of my Mom's Camellias. She has quite a few very old bushes in her yard that produce some amazing and beautiful flowers. It's really interesting to see the differences between the different Camellia bushes as well as the differences in the flowers depending on the time of year and the temperature. She clipped a few flowers prior to the freeze last week and kept them outside so the ridiculously cold temperatures acted as a refrigerator and kept the flowers really fresh. This really worked out for me since I was only able to find time to shoot them on Friday afternoon.

I posted one of the shots as my photo of the day on Friday but over the weekend I had a little bit of time to edit and created a small gallery of some of the shots. I really enjoyed taking these pictures and love the set. The colors in this Camellia were so unique and I really fought with finding a way to properly capture it in a photo. The house I was shooting in has amazing natural light that flows in through a massive window in the front of the house but the more I shot the more I realized it was less about the light and more about the balance of light and shadow to really capture the true color of this flower. I could properly light it according to my camera's light meter but it just wasn't working for me until I sped up the shutter speed and let some darkness and shadow creep in to show off that amazing color. All in all I'm pretty pleased with the result! If you'd like to see the other 21 photos in the gallery click here. Be sure to click on the individual thumbnails to see the larger version of the photos and please let me know what you think either on here or in the comments section on Flickr.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday if you have the day off and I look forward to seeing you back here again tomorrow for Tuesday's photo of the day!

Always Remember:



The quote in the photo above reads:

"They said to one another,
Behold, here cometh the dreamer...
Let us slay him...
And we shall see what becometh of his dreams"
Genesis 37: 19-20

While we observe this day to celebrate such a great person in our nation's history we cannot forget how far his dream has come and we must always be reminded of how far we still must go.

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Photo of the Day - Camellia Friday:

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My mom grows the best Camellias around! Today was a great day. Survived day 2 of being in the office alone while dad was at a conference and managed to work in a photo shoot at the end of the day. Can't get much better.

Mom has quite a few Camellia bushes in her front and back yard and has done an exceptional job of keeping them alive and producing beautiful flowers. Some have been there the whole time and others are transplants from friends and neighbors yards but all have produced some beautiful Camellias over the years.

Just before the freeze she clipped a few flowers from some of the bushes and placed them on our breezeway in some small vases with water. This was brilliant and I didn't even think about it but the cold weather acted as a refrigerator and kept the cut flowers fresh for much longer than they normally last. There were two flowers in particular that had a very pronounced purple color at the edge of the petals which is pretty rare for Camellias so I made a note to get over and get some shots of these beautiful flowers. As a photographer it is so great to have a mom that is constantly working to find and create beautiful subjects to shoot. I'm truly blessed. It is also a blast to come over to the house and shoot while spending some quality time with mom.

The above shot is one of the many I took this afternoon of one of the most interesting Camellias I have ever seen and I only have mom to thank. Unfortunately I was not able to edit all of the shots from this afternoon so this is just a preview of the gallery I plan to upload before Monday's photo of the day so please stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a relaxing and fun weekend. Be sure to check in Monday for the full Camellia gallery and Monday's edition of the photo of the day! See you then!

Photo of the Day - The Big Picture



Happy Thursday night - Friday is right around the corner! Pretty busy work day again today and Dad was out of the office at a conference so I had to hold down the fort on my own. Got a lot done but still managed to get a hair cut and have a nice visit with my grandmother before the end of the day.

I did something different with today's photo since I really didn't know where I was headed with today's post I figured I would leave it to chance. Since the date is 1/14 I went into my most popular photos on Flickr and picked my 114th most popular shot and there we have it. This could have ended with you looking at a shot of the inside of my camera bag and me trying to explain it. Sometimes it's amazing which photos are considered "popular" by Flickr's standards. Fortunately we ended up with something a little bit better than a "what's in the bag" shot.

The above photo was taken last year at the Player's Championship while I was working as an assistant for the Florida Times-Union. It is kind of fitting that this shot was the one that a random draw chose for us all today since the PGA Tour season officially started last week. I love golf and love watching the final rounds of all of the Tour events. This shot is of Phil Mickelson hitting his tee shot on the infamous #17 at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. As far as typical sports photos go this is almost the exact opposite of what most people look for in a sports shot. Most of the time sports shots are supposed to be tight on the subject at peak action and a clean background. Like I said, this shot doesn't meet any of those standards but I like it and it does something else that is essential to sports photography - it tells a story about the event. There's a TON going on in this shot so much so that it's almost distracting to the viewer but it's fitting for the event that is The Players Championship and the event that is every golfer's tee shot on #17. #17 truly is a distraction in itself so I think it works with the massive crowd, the marshals keeping the crowd back, the jumbotron, and Phil Mickelson teeing off it really tells the story.

So there you have it, a different take on sports photography for today. Thanks for giving it a try and I hope to see you back here tomorrow for Friday's photo of the day!

Photo of the Day - Freeze Out



Whew - long day today. After the late game last night we had a full work day and then headed to St. Leo to watch my D2 basketball team (Florida Southern). Unfortunately last night and tonight both resulted in a loss for both of my teams but hey, a bad day watching basketball is better than a good day doing a lot of other things!

There is some good news that has come about over the past few hours as it will not be freezing tonight or tomorrow when I get up. The above photo is of the lids of our garbage cans when I went out to get them on Tuesday morning. It may sound pretty soft to some of my northern friends dealing with snow and hard freezes all winter long but for central Florida, this past week has been just a bit much. Goodbye freezing temps - we're not going to miss you!

Thank you for checking in today and I'm sorry to treat you with just a simple iPhone pic of a frozen garbage can lid but hey, it's late and I wanted to at least get something posted. Hopefully it's not too much of a letdown - compared to the letdown you experience when stopping by most days - LOL. Take care and I hope to see you back here again tomorrow! :-)

Photo of the Day - From One Seat:



To Another:



Well since football season is officially over I have gone from my seat (or standing area) on the football field to my full time seat at the scorer's table for UF Men's basketball. I have been working the early non-conference basketball games during football season but now that conference has rolled around the corner the season has truly arrived and I am pumped! Tonight the team faces one of their biggest conference rivals and probably the best team they will face all regular season when they face off against the University of Kentucky Wildcats and their new coach John Calipari. I'm excited to watch both teams play and hope that our Gators can pull off the upset. If they play hard and execute it is more than possible! Go Gators!!!

Both of the above shots are from my good buddy and Gator Country photographer Tim Casey. Thanks Tim! If I keep using his shots of me "working" he may stop taking them. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing :-)

Time to head to the game! Thanks for checking in and hope to see you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Some Warmth:



Since we haven't had much of it down here in Florida over the past week or so I figure I would try to warm things up a bit with a sunny shot for Monday. In case anyone out there was wondering, we DID get snow in Lakeland early Saturday morning but we did not get any at my house. We may have but it definitely wasn't around when we got up. Staying in bed is made much easier with this cold weather! Unfortunately it was a tough sports weekend for me as both my Division 1 basketball team and my Division 2 team lost on the road but life, and the season, must go on. I hope things will pick up for both teams soon.

The above shot was taken on a warm summer day in 2007 at a Jacksonville Suns baseball game with a close friend and fellow photographer who is now living in London. I imagine we could both use some sun to warm things up this week!

Today also would have been my boyhood dog Spunky's 16th birthday. He passed away this summer but I'll never forget January 11th or him for that matter. This shot of him and our 2 pups waiting for him to get to the gate for a visit always brings a smile and some warmth to my heart:




Thanks for stopping by today and I hope to see you back again tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - Will it or won't it?





The weekend is finally almost here and I couldn't be any more ready! It was a great week but I'm beat. Hearing that there was a possibility for snow tonight and tomorrow morning, once I made it home from the office I climbed up on the roof and finally installed my weather station so I could document just how cold it gets. If you want to see what the weather is like on TOP of my house check out the live updating data frommy personal weather station. I think it would be pretty historical for it to snow this far south and I know it has been a long time since it did so - 1977 I believe. I'm ok for a little on the ground and some flurries but I don't want it anything like it was in the above photo. This shot was taken while on my cross country drive from Jacksonville, Florida to Seattle, Washington. This was just as we were entering Yellowstone National Park in late may and there was still this much snow on the ground - crazy! The car in the frame is what helped us travel safely from Jax to Seattle and I used it to kind of show the scale of how much snow was still left. Being a native Floridian I had never walked on snow until we were out on some pretty serious trails (the few that weren't closed and some that were) where I learned by doing. Sometimes I learned the hard way, which can get pretty interesting while wearing thousands of dollars of camera gear :-)

So the question of the night and in the morning - will it or won't it? If I don't sleep through it I'll have photographic evidence and if I do sleep through it at least I will be warm and well rested! :-)

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Photo of the Day - End of a Season:



Today was a crazy day at work filled with client meetings and research but it felt good to get so much done! Now I'm sitting here watching the BCS Championship and it appears that the SEC will take the national football title for the fourth year in a row - pretty impressive! It is kind of sad to think about however and truly believe that if UF would have played with the motivation that they played with in the Sugar Bowl there was a legitimate chance that I would be in Pasadena shooting in the Rose Bowl. I'm not saying that UF would have definitely won the SEC Championship but it would have been a true game.

The above photo was taken by Gator Country photographer Tim Casey at the SEC Championship this year. Tim is one of the best sports photographers around and I learn something new from him every time I have the chance to shoot with him. I had the chance to ride with him to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans last week and it was a blast! He is a big part of how far I have come shooting sports and one of the many people that I owe many thanks.

I figured I would post a shot of me shooting since tonight is the last night of the college football season. Based on my expression I'm concentrating on what is going on downfield and possibly not too pleased with what was happening on the field at the time. I am definitely sad that this season is coming to a close but I am happy that I was blessed with such an amazing opportunity to shoot the full season and 2 post season games. I had a blast shooting and learning a ton along the way. I can't wait to do it all over again next season!

Thanks for checking in today and be sure to stop by again tomorrow for the Friday edition of the photo of the day!

Photo of the Day - Tebowed:



I will be the first to admit that I am a very big fan of the University of Florida and all University of Florida athletics. Having worked for the men's basketball team while in school at UF and actually lettering, it has been in my system for a long time. Actually it started well before that when I was 4 or 5 and dad was bringing me to UF football games. He certainly didn't make me go to UF, but there were some subtle influences there the whole time :-)

With the opportunity to photograph this past football season however I have had to (at least slightly) reign in my fandom in order to focus on shooting the game and not be completely biased during the process. It has been difficult but I celebrate and root the guys on in my own (quieter) way while shooting. Fortunately at home games I have 90,000+ fans carrying the load for me. I am also a HUGE Tim Tebow fan and I cannot tell you how much of an honor it has been on so many levels to have had the opportunity to photograph his senior season.

Along with being a huge UF and Tebow fan, I love collecting memorabilia and autographs relating to UF athletics. How big a fan you ask? Well, I have a 95"x35" frame that holds autographed jerseys of the starting 5 from the UF basketball team that won back to back national championships a few years ago in our bar room. I'd say it verges on fanatical but I digress.

One of the few autographs over the past four years that I have not managed to get is that of the man, the myth, the legend, Tim Tebow. For the first three years of his career I have watched and enjoyed his play from afar but this season I had the amazing opportunity to photograph Tim as he played his senior season at the University of Florida. So for the first time ever I was close enough to touch him, yet so far away. Unfortunately, with access to the sidelines, locker rooms, and athletes there are some major restrictions. It is (very understandably) a major no no to ask a player or coach for his autograph or a picture while on the field using your media access. It makes total sense - these guys are inundated constantly with requests and it would not be fair to allow this type of activity to go on while they are on the field pre, during, or post game. I have actually heard of people losing access because of such requests and to be honest they deserved it. Respect the athletes and do the job you were there to do or be a fan and sit in the stands. Even though I feel that way, it is so crazy to be so close and able to talk to them, shake their hand, get run over by them etc. but not be able to make an autograph request. For an autograph guy like me that's an unbelievable challenge but I managed to contain myself. I did have a few moments throughout the season where we bumped into each other or spoke but other than that it was completely professional - he was the Heisman winning athlete that was the apple of the eye of his coach, teammates, and the Gator Nation and I was one of many photographers running around trying to stay out of the way while capturing his historical season on digital media (film for you old coots). As it turns out, fate had something else in mind for the final game of Tim's season and the final game of my first season taking pictures.

All of this leads us to the above photo - my Tim Tebow "autograph." Before the game started when the Cincinnati band was on the field playing the Superman theme song and the announcer said they were there to "pay tribute to the real superman, the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcat football team" I couldn't help but smile. As if this kid needs any more motivation than he already had, the opposing team's band is taking one last jab. Gotta love it. That is all I will say on that but needless to say, whether he heard it or not, he came out more than motivated and had one of the better games of his career. I was more than pleased. Towards the end of the game I started to get ready for the Gatorade bath that coach Meyer was about to receive and the victory lap and trophy/post game activities. Part of this process involves changing from one of my longer lenses to a wider lens, adding a flash, checking my levels, and finding a place to put the longer lens and 2nd camera body while I jog all over the field taking pictures. It is NEVER advisable to leave that kind of equipment laying around anywhere, but really you have to deal with the lesser of two evils and either carry it and try to take shots, or leave the big stuff in a safe(ish) location while you take pictures. Some photographers would argue differently but I chose to leave it in a "safe(ish)" location while I did my post game work.

A combination of fate, bad luck (or good luck as it may be) had me place my camera against a wall in the end zone. What I didn't know is that it was right below an aisle in the Super Dome where Tim's parents and family were going to come down after the game to hug him and talk for a while. Unfortunately my camera was at the epicenter of this meeting, specifically at the bottom of it. Sometime during the crush of photographers (including myself) following Tim to the spot and shooting his meeting he stepped on the plastic LCD protector on my back up camera body as he tried to climb up to visit with his family. Sure I'm upset that I have a cracked LCD protector but if you look closely you can see an orange line where his cleat impacted it and scratched the plastic before breaking it. If you squint hard enough and have a few drinks it almost looks like a "T." I may not have ever gotten Tim's true autograph during his senior season but I definitely got something much more unique: being so close to and shooting such a historical football season, and having him "autograph" whether he knew it or not, my LCD cover after the last game of his college career. My season and his, couldn't have ended any better than it did.

Thank you for all you have done this season Tim as a student athlete, as a person, and as a Nikon BM-7 Part #25343 destroyer/autographer. I won't hold it against you, but when you are drafted I'd sure like a replacement, or at least a complete autograph as a fan and not as a member of the media. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by today for my photo of the day and for putting up with my Tebow fandom one last time, but it was a funny story and one of the few souvenirs I brought back from New Orleans this past weekend. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another edition of the shot of the day!

Photo of the Day - Still Underwater:



Like I said in my post yesterday we got up on New Year's day and headed out for some sightseeing before heading to the Super Dome. This wasn't just any type of sightseeing, we were headed to the lower 9th ward. Honestly, I hate calling it sightseeing because it almost cheapens the experience and emotions we felt while driving around the area. The 9th ward was severely impacted when Katrina hit in August of 2005 and many of the areas in the ward remain just as the storm left them so many years ago. We didn't have a plan once we got there but just to drive around and see where the roads and sights took us. I think the expectations were mixed - some fear as to what we would see and run into in that area, maybe even some confidence that after all of this time it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it was right after the storm. I think we were all surprised in one way or another.

The drive was unbelievable and so powerful but there was no need for words or explanation. I knew that it would be in bad shape but there was no way that I could have prepared myself for the destruction still there today. One thing that specifically stood out to me was how some families had returned and were living a relatively normal life with well kept yards and Christmas decorations etc. and the houses on either side would be gutted and completely destroyed with the spray painted symbols left by the crews who cleared the homes while on their search and rescue missions in September of 2005. The destruction and disparity all at the same time was quite a bit to take in. We aimlessly drove around quite a few neighborhoods and in some cases what was left of them for well over an hour and a half. At one point we stopped and climbed up to view the Mississippi river. It seemed really odd that the river which seemed peaceful and calming could cause so much damage if the conditions were right.

Towards the end of our journey we rounded a corner and literally saw three or four blocks of what used to be a neighborhood completely leveled. All that was left were a few cinder block foundations and light poles. I have great respect for hurricanes because I have been through quite a few as a native Floridian. In fact, while in Gainesville I left our safe shelter and walked around during a few to actually feel the power of the wind and rain. Even with those experienes and living through so many storms seeing that kind of destruction this long after landfall is really difficult to put into words.

I did not take photos while we were driving around for a few reasons. It just didn't feel right taking photos of the destruction of so many homes and the pain that losing these homes and likely everything in them. There have been many amazing and award winning photos that I have seen that do an unbelievable job expressing the pain and loss that occurred after Katrina but my experience that day wasn't about taking time and being distracted by taking pictures, I wanted to feel it, not just shoot it so the gear stayed in the car. I knew I wanted to post about this amazing experience but I also knew I didn't take any pictures so I had to go back to the archives and find the above shot. This is a shot of the same angry river that took so much from the residents of the lower 9th but a different flood. This shot is from St. Louis in the summer of 2008 when we were in the area visiting family. It is not the best to show the destruction and pain that we saw in the rubble but it is kind of what I was imagining it was like after the initial storm surge and the water was at unimaginable levels.

It wasn't all doom and gloom driving through the 9th ward however. There were some very positive signs during our drive amidst all of the destruction. There were plenty of families refusing to give up and rebuilding their homes while creating as much normalcy as they could after such an unbelievable natural disaster. It was an amazing and powerful sight to see on New Year's day - both happy and sad but a strong reminder that even with unimaginable circumstances and destruction it is impossible to keep the human spirit down.

Thanks so much for checking in today for the photo of the day and I apologize for a bit of a long/emotional post but I really think it was a gift to be able to visit the lower 9th ward on the first day of a new year and wanted to share the best I can. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for my post about the autograph Tim Tebow gave me after his final game as a Gator. Stay tuned & see you tomorrow!

Photo of the Day - A Sweet Weekend:



Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year and I wish everyone the best in 2010. I had an awesome start to my year with my time spent in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I had the amazing opportunity to shoot the Sugar Bowl and finish off my season of photographing the University of Florida football season at a BCS Bowl game. My weekend was great because I got to shoot the game but that definitely wasn't the only reason I enjoyed myself while I was there. We had a great New Year's eve celebration on and around Bourbon Street Of course it wasn't the same without my wife and I definitely missed her during the celebration but it was heart warming to know that she appreciated how unique an opportunity I was given to be able to travel and shoot the bowl game and she was all for me going even though she was unable. I can't tell you how cool that is! Just one of the many daily reminders she gives me that she perfect for me and how lucky I am. After celebrating the new year most of the night we headed back to the hotel for a little rest before the big day.

We got up fairly early based on how late we were out and headed out to do some sightseeing before we headed to the Super Dome. I will save details of that sightseeing for a post later in the week. Once we were done driving around we headed to the Super Dome and actually made it in right as it opened for media and headed to the digital work room to find a spot and get set up. I will admit we may have gotten there a little early but that allowed for more than enough time to get my gear as well as myself ready to shoot one of the bigger game of my (very young) sports photography career. As we walked in we were instructed to read and sign an agreement to be issued a vest for field access. Each vest was numbered and the luck of the draw gave me #15 - so Timmy and I got to share the same number for a game. That was a pretty cool omen as it turned out to be one of his best games, and I gave my best effort shooting it as well. It always makes the photos great when a player or team is playing at it's highest level and this game was no different.

The pre game meal was great and definitely was designed to show off the amazing food that New Orleans is known for. What a tasty start to the night! After watching some of the warm ups and checking the light levels it was finally time for the intros and the game to start. As you can imagine the intros, anthem, and everything that goes with a pregame show was done right since it is after all a BCS Bowl. All was very impressive and with the crowd going nuts and the atmosphere it was very easy for even the photographers and media to get into the moment.

The Gators played great and had an answer for their disappointing performance in the SEC Championship game and ended the season right. I had a great time shooting and before I knew it we were already back in the work room and then to post game interviews. Man time flies when you're having fun! It seems like just yesterday I was shooting the first game of the season and here we are in January. It has been a ton of work and shooting 10 games in a season may not sound like a lot but it wore me out. Honestly it's nothing compared to the schedules that some of these professionals have. They are stronger and more in shape physically and mentally than I am. I don't know how they do it! I have learned a lot this season but I definitely still have a ton to learn.

The above shot is actually an iPhone shot of the Sugar Bowl logo that was on one of the signs posted all over the Super Dome. I wanted to find something to take a picture of that wouldn't violate any of my contractual obligations but still show a somewhat "behind the scenes" look at the Sugar Bowl. Hopefully I will have some shots of me shooting at some point but if not, this shot, in addition to the experience and photos I took will be more than enough!

All in all it was an amazing Sugar Bowl weekend and I have had such a great time shooting and learning this season. I was truly blessed to have had the opportunity and I look forward to doing it all over again next year!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope to see you back here tomorrow for another edition of the photo of the day!

This post has been a long time coming. Well, not that long really, just about 34 days to be exact but even though it is late it is definitely something I need to devote a post to. On December 1st I had the opportunity to shoot the first ever college basketball game at the new Amway Center. I was pumped to be shooting the game but getting to check out the new arena was also a very exciting prospect for me. The arena was beautiful. The fan areas, display boards, and seating were all spectacular and employed all of the newest technology. If you live in central Florida or are in Orlando visiting you have to go check it out. You will not be disappointed.

I was a bit disappointed in the lack of professionalism of some of my fellow "photographers" during the game. I am not a full time professional so I guess I shouldn't complain too much and I don't plan to give any details but there were a few instances when I just had to shake my head.

Moving on.

The only other disappointing thing about the whole experience was the fact that my team and the team I was shooting for ended up losing a close game to the University of Central Florida Knights. I couldn't be that upset though because one of UF's former assistant coaches is now in his first year as the head coach at UCF. I had the opportunity to work as a manager under Coach Jones while I was in school at UF and he was a great coach, mentor, and most importantly a great person. Although UF lost I was very happy for Coach Jones and they are having a great season so far. Good luck to both teams as they head into conference play in a couple of weeks.

Here are a few of my photos from the game:
















I even had the chance to sneak into the stands and get a family portrait before heading back down for to shoot the 2nd half.




back to the game shots...
















Click here to see the rest of my photoset from teh UF v. UCF basketball game.

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon!

TD