Is it too Early for a Christmas Wish List?

Normally, at this time of year I am thinking about my annual pilgrimage back to my hometown in Pa for the historical Run for the Diamonds. It’s on my mind and I am planning on the trip which will mark my 40th time running the race. Had I never moved to Maryland I would be approaching 50. Either way there are only a handful who have even done 35 so 40 is an accomplishment in itself. Racing hasn’t been the same focus for me for the last decade but going out and running is still a passion. But back to the topic at hand. I’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to possibly shoot some winter sports but this last week has seen those hopes placed on hold. The Governor of Maryland has told us we would be stepping back in our progress to reopen. As the holidays approach the COVID numbers are increasing once again. So while I would normally be excited to spend some time with friends back home I sit today wondering if in the next week I will hear the race has been cancelled. Some college leagues are already calling of winter sports programs and putting a hold on their spring. It’s hard to say where professional baseball will be come the spring. Also, the restructuring of Milb teams is in progress leaving many teams and many of my friends wondering about their future. Surely the Atlantic League and the Blue Crabs will be effected by the restructure as well. The winter is often a time I will take time to shoot something different for me. It’s a time where I get to imagine the great events I will be shooting when the spring comes. Sadly nothing these days can be counted on at all. I’d be the first in line at this point to jump on Santa’s lap and beg for everything to be open again. It isn’t likely that a Santa will be anywhere to be seen for anyone to ask for their Christmas wishes. We all have missed out on so many life memories this last year. It seems that we will continue to miss out on many more memories as well. So we are all looking at virtual holidays since we are being told not to be with family and friends. Probably time to sit down and write the jolly old man a letter. We all need to get back to our lives and our loved ones. We need to celebrate our lives and make memories that will get us through troubled times like we are going through now.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Well, hit again by COVID. The Governor has been speaking about every three days and each time he adds more and more restrictions. Not much better in Pa. So I have had to cancel running the Run for the Diamonds this year. I’ll have to wait to get that number 40.

Fall Brings Shutdowns?

This last year has brought troubling times for our country. Regardless of party affiliation we have seen hardships for businesses and artists all around the country. Schools have been closed for going on nine months. COVID has sent us into a spiral we just don’t seem to be climbing out of. As we head into fall and winter we seem to be told that COVID is leading us back into possibly more shutdowns. Just as we near the possibility of sports starting up for the winter sports seasons, the signs of spikes in COVID threaten to end it all. I have little confidence as we enter November that I will be shooting sports before the start of the new year. I also don’t see the new year starting any better than we are ending this year, but hope is all I have to keep me in any sort of positive frame of mind. I have built my brand on sports and music events. The last few months have lead me into other areas of photography. While not as fulfilling, in an artistic way, as sports and live music it has allowed me an outlet for my passion of photography. As we near the end of the year I will challenge myself to find ways to continue to fulfill my desire to shoot. My love will always be sports action and live music but I fully understand that my focus may take a road not intended in the months ahead. I am currently and will always seek out opportunities to shoot events that drive me artistically.

Importance of Feedback

For years I did my own thing and never really sought out the opinions of others in regards to my work. I’m not talking about having people compliment me on my work but rather having others give me critical feedback that will lead me to improving my work. I can’t really explain why but I guess I find myself to be my biggest critic. I find myself often never really satisfied with where my photography is at any given time. I’m always looking to improve and to capture better images. I guess I was maybe looking for a time when I knew photographers that I respected and admired to ask them to provide me feedback. I’ve recently had that opportunity. I really wanted that constructive feedback, that regardless of what it was would drive me forward. I wanted it to come from people who weren’t going to sugar coat everything. So, getting critiqued is pretty cool coming from those you admire and respect. Sure it was good for my ego to hear positive points and they also gave me things that I can think about an apply to work going forward. When it comes down to it, we are the ones with the final say in how we present our work. We need to take our vision and consider all the input from others to progress in a manner that fits our vision of our work. I look forward to continuing to seek out feedback, especially from those who want me to continue to grow as a photographer.

Be Supportive of Other Artists and Photographers.

Passions are meant to be shared. Knowledge is meant to be passed down to others. Every chance you get to pursue your art should bring you pleasure.

If it’s not fun and you aren’t excited by it, why would you be doing it? Photography is an art, although I don’t see myself as an artist like I do other talented people. To me photography is a passion that brings me great pleasure and satisfaction. Regardless of the form of art you are involved in, being active in that art should be fun and bring you happiness. Like any form of art some will love what you do and others will not find it to their taste. That shouldn’t effect your passion for it, or how you treat other artists and photographers. I have had the pleasure of having other photographers help me learn what I have, and I don’t view what I do as a competition. I do feel that I have a responsibility to give back to my passion, and to others who wish to have my help or input. I don’t feel the need to hide techniques or knowledge I have learned from other photographers because I feel threatened by their existence at the same event I may be shooting. I see these moments as opportunities to build friendships and to network and collaborate with others who share a similar passion. Unfortunately, I have dealt with both types of personalities. I steer away from the negative types and enjoy the many friendships I have made on my journey. I also appreciate the knowledge gained through those friendships. I feel the same when working with other types of artists. It’s important that we all help promote each other when ever possible. Being difficult to work with can only close doors of opportunity for any artist. It isn’t possible to collaborate if one person is only in it for themselves and has no regards for the other artist. Putting down other artists won’t raise the quality or level of your own work. Being positive and passionate about what you are doing will raise the level and quality of every collaboration. Helping to promote those you work with will not only provide opportunities for others but it will open up opportunities for yourself. It’s important to respect the work of other artists as you want others to respect the work you do. The day my passion for photography feels like a burden or an intrusion on my time is the day I pack up my gear and find someone who will find the passion with it that I once had.

Don’t Throw in the Flag

Since I have been shooting more nature than I would normally ever do or have time to do, I realized I probably don’t have the patience to do landscape and nature photography. I just don’t like waiting for the photo to develop in order to take the shot. I like things being hectic and full of action. That challenges me and gets my creative thoughts rolling. That being said I guess the last few months of shooting nature has given me some of that patience. I went out to the local motocross park to shoot a masters event and when I arrived I found that the whole place was a deep muddy mess. The rain over the last few days had devastated the course. I couldn’t even get to the position I normally would have set myself up at. So I sat for a bit waiting to see if they would even hold the event as bulldozers shoved piles of mud all around the course. I surveyed the situation and realized that if they did start the racing where I was sitting was not going to be a place to get any photos of value. So I went on a search for anything that might make for an interesting shot. Found the flags resting on a judges chair along the course. I took a long walk looking for a way to get someplace on the course where I wouldn’t be crossing the course to get a good position. Many places were not reachable due to the mud. I could have just bagged it and counted the day as a loss, but that patience I didn’t think I had much of set in. I finally found several places while not the best and not the easiest to get to were there for the taking. Normally I would go to my normal place and stay there for the entire time. This time I rotated between several positions that I may never had even given thought to shoot at. I felt invigorated by the challenge of new locations and the challenge to find ways to make something from nearly nothing. As I started editing my shots I felt really good about what I had and was glad that I took the time to keep looking. I still don’t think that nature photography is for me but I found that I had more patience than maybe I thought I had. This old dog may have learned a new trick.

Time to Get Out

Finally after more than 7 months I got to shoot some top level athletic competition. It was a dreary, misty morning but it felt so good to be out shooting some action. It was fitting that it was a X-Country meet since that was my passion back in my school days, and I continue to run today. It wasn’t your normal meet as COVID had it’s hand in the season and Navy had no team to run against so they set up a Blue and Gold meet. Everyone was clearly happy to be doing what they train each day for. It won’t be a normal season by any means but these runners will get to compete a couple of times, including their battle against Army. This is a hard time for many people. I for one need to be out and finding purpose in life. I am not one to sit and do nothing. My mind and body need to be active and I need to be out and experiencing life. There has been so much we have all lost this year so far and I don’t want to lose any more. I know there is much more to come in the pandemic and I will no doubt miss out on many events I normally would be shooting. That doesn’t mean I won’t be finding my passion for life. I hope everyne finds a way to enjoy life and find happiness each day. I’m glad for this one day there were smiles.

Fall Comes Early

Usually as September winds to an end I start looking back at the baseball season and all the memories from all the games. I start feeling down about the end of the season and the off season to come. Well, COVID even took that from me. The Blue Crabs hosted a drive in fireworks show Labor Day weekend. The only fireworks the stadium would see this season. Normally my final photo of a season would be the stadium empty but the lights saying see you in the spring. At least this photo shows signs of life and celebration. There was hope for some type of competition at the Naval Academy but as each possible date approaches the events get cancelled. Perhaps the Army Navy competitions will still be held. I’m hoping for some of my favorite fall events to take place. The Cornstalkers Trail of Terror and the Pax River Car Show are two events that always provide an opportunity to be creative. I’m hoping Navy will be able to hold it’s Veteran’s Day Basketball games. That could be at least the start of getting some regular events for me to shoot. I don’t hold out much hope for music events to continue after the next few weekends. They probably won’t allow shows indoors yet. I don’t think I have ever felt so pessimistic in all my life. Difficult for me as I always look for positivity in all I do. One thing I know is I will find something to shoot.

A Story Never Told

Spent part of the day today at the ball park visiting some of my baseball family. The stadium and field are just as beautiful as ever. It’s ghostly silent now when it should be filled with the sounds of baseball. I feel robbed of all the memories a season brings. All the great moments of late night come from behind wins, pitching battles, home runs and crushing one run loses. The pages of those moments I would have captured are empty. I’ve missed out on the relationships with staff, and all the coaches and players. I would have spent about 600 hours at the ball park this season. I never gave up hope even until that very last moment the final league phone conference said it was over. This ball park has been a summer home for 12 years. The last 10 I have documented from behind the lens of my camera. I guess 13 was a very unlucky number for this season. The ball park and the team have always been a place of hope. I can honestly say for the first time in all these years I can’t say that we will take the field for next season. We survived this season but I don’t know how the league as a whole can survive another lost season. The lights could go out for good and that’s not the final chapter I would want to have for this book.

Personal Projects and The End of Summer

Well, it’s not officially the end of summer but for me it is. I have however, decided to do a project for myself. I haven’t done many things for myself over the years. I will usually keep some of the work I create for the baseball season but those projects don’t exist this year. I am going to do a photo book for myself using black and white photos from various shows I have shot. Until I decide to do this type of project I never really thought about the thousands of photos I have taken at shows over the years. I have already put in several hours going through albums and have many more to go. If this goes well I will do a photo album for baseball and Navy athletics. It’s been fun to go back and pick photos to edit re-edit. My style is still evolving and I find I’m putting a new slant on some old photos.

Stay Positive and Stay Ready

Well, normally this is the time of year I am gearing up to go back to work at my regular job. I start wishing I had more time to shoot and have so many ideas of what I want to shoot. I love having a schedule and usually have a schedule of sporting events and concerts that I plan on going to a few months in advance. There hasn’t been a need for about half a year now with the COVID pandemic. The summer has had a few bright spots with music shows going on at least outdoors. I’ve done a few sports camps to get the feeling of some sort of normalcy. As we head into the fall sports season the chances of any sporting events is unlikely. Concerts will come to an end as the opportunity to perform outdoors ends. I have to stay positive through all the endless cancellations and stay ready. When the opportunity to cover some type of event comes up I can’t have that moment be the first time I am getting out to shoot. It’s important to stay sharp and to work on the skills to take the quality of shots I want to shoot. I try not to go more than a couple of days without going out to shoot. It’s not important as to what it is but it is important to go out and keep my eye and mind sharp and ready for any opportunity. I can’t worry about the things I have no control over. Games will return when they return. I can control weather I am ready and if I have worked to improve my skills. So, for now, it’s getting out to shoot nature. I am always searching for events that provide an opportunity to be creative. Fall will provide an opportunity to do some day trips and shoot various locations. I know I will be ready when the athletes are allowed to take their spot on their field of competition.

Let the Music Play

Open Mic Night

How long will the music last?

Well, my last few blogs have been a lot about me and what I am missing in this pandemic. I want to focus now on some of the others. I am trying to do all I can to support local businesses. We go out to eat and I am always tipping very heavy. These servers have not had work for so long. I am also trying to get out to shoot musicians as often as I can. They have not had the chance to work for months. It seemed like we were making progress and things were opening up but we seem to have taken a step back and masks are pretty much required inside and outside. Naturally people are worried about being out but the musicians are getting a chance to play in outdoor venues and get a chance to make some money. When the crowds are down that isn’t going to be the same as it would be any other summer. A local place had an open mic night indoors but they are very limited as to how many people can be indoors and they have to place them so far apart. It’s now August and in a few weeks the local outdoor spots will be closing and the music will probably go away again. It’s hard to see people who have a gift and a passion struggle to share that gift. These are gifted young men and women whose lives depend on their music to help pay their bills. If you have the means to help it’s important to do. Many have Venmo account to take tips and donations. At 61 I have had the chance to live out many of my dreams. I have had many years of great running and competition to feed my passion. I’v had 11 years of photography opportunities to share my passion as well. Now even though I have so much I want to do with photography I can live putting that on hold or use it to help others. My work will come back. I can find other ways to challenge myself. It’s important to encourage these young artists. For all the young athletes who are missing out on their seasons, I encourage you to do what ever you can to train for your sport. You need to be ready when the opportunity is there. If you don’t, you need to know your competition will be. Don’t be the one who says they missed out because you weren’t ready when the time came. I don’t think we are close to being out of this at this point. It may be another year before we are. We all need to support others and to keep finding our own ways to keep challenging ourselves.

A Little Me Time

Well, it’s not the summer I would usually be having. I’m trying to get out and shoot as often as I can. A lot of the time it’s a spare of the moment finding of an event. Getting to shoot more bands. At least for now they can play at outdoors events. Doing a little nature too. Actually I am getting a little me time. I am getting those tattoos I have been wanting and usually don’t have the time to go and get done. After getting my camera tattoo I was surprised with a package from a great friend. He sent me the actual vintage camera that is one of my latest tattoos. I have started to shoot with film for really the first time since I have been working as a photographer. Spending more time with family has been relaxing. This week is going to be a real treat just for me. I am heading to the baseball Hall of Fame. I have wanted to go for years and with shooting so many games I just have not found the opportunity to go. Well, now is the time. I am hoping that the photo I gave of Tony Thomas is still on display in the hall. I am looking forward to spending hours just roaming the hall and getting as many photos of my trip. Summer is about half way over and it’s not the summer any of us had hoped for. I hope you all are finding ways to find time for yourselves as well.

Celebrate Your Passion

How often do we actually stop and take time to celebrate our passions? If you are like me, it’s probably not nearly as often as you should. Personally, I am never truly satisfied with my work in photography. Don’t get me wrong I love what I do and so happy to have the ability and opportunity to shoot what I love to shoot. I’m just always looking to do better than I did the day before. I do enjoy allowing my photography to help others celebrate their passions. For the last few seasons I have used proceeds from my work with the Blue Crabs to give back to the guys in the clubhouse. I just tell them to do what ever they want to do with it. I don’t do it with any expectation of anything in return. It’s just my way of saying thank you to all of you guys for allowing me to do what I love doing. I will do some prints from time to time for myself too but I probably need to do that more often. I have an office with photos framed but most sit on the floor and a few are hung on the walls. I keep some momentos from events I have shot. Sometimes I think I get so excited about the next thing that I don’t take the time to enjoy what I have done. I guess these last few months has made me slow down and look at where I have been and think about what are the things I want to do most in my photography and start working on getting that accomplished. I don’t want to look back one day and ask myself why I didn’t try and shoot that. This is the time to take advantage of the slow down to refocus and challenge myself to reach the next level.

What’s Up For Summer

A new look for Memories Photography. Here is my new logo. Thought I would get someone to design a logo this time around. I plan on getting some shirts made in the weeks ahead. The last time I sat to write, it looked as if baseball was a good possibility. Sadly with all the things that would be required to be done, the season is lost. It has been so long since I had any real sports to shoot. I used to have a bit of an off season but shooting at the Naval Academy kept me well motivated during the long months between baseball seasons. I have some hope for fall sports but it’s so hard to predict what will happen. Even now some states are going backwards and music events that had started to happen are being called off. I hope to get to as many shows this summer. I guess it is time to look deep and start to be creative and see what projects may be possible. I will do what I can to make the most out of this crazy time we are all dealing with. Who knows, perhaps some family day trips to shoot nature. Let’s hope for lots of shows.

Summer is Here

Well it’s the middle of June and the schools are out and Summer is here. Well, sort of. I should be in full swing with my baseball season. Instead, I am still waiting to see if any baseball will be played at all. I am also looking to see if maybe some college summer league baseball is going to be played. They gyms are opening today so my normal day of running, going to the gym, and shooting a ball game is just missing the baseball. Ok, it’s probably the biggest thing to be missing but it is what it is for now. I could reach out to the American Association to go to the Mid-west to shoot a couple of games but it’s way down my list of possibilities. At least the music continues to expand. Maybe this is the summer I get to a lot of shows I would not normally get a chance to go to. I do want to get to Nashville. I got a couple of hours there last summer but I would love to spend a couple of days and just shoot at my leisure. It seems like the last months since we started the shut down have crept by so slowly. I am guessing the next couple of months will fly by with a quickness. I guess I will find what I can to get out and shoot. I will apologize for the nature shots in advance. I do get to shoot some baseball next week in the form of baseball camps at the stadium. I know I have not had it nearly as hard as many so I will remind myself of that blessing each day. So let’s hope we progress through the opening stages and not have any setbacks. I will keep searching for anything that will motivate me and hopefully be of interest to everyone who follows my work.

UPDATE…. As of June 19th, it looks like the Blue Crabs and a couple other teams will make an attempt to compete in a 70 game schedule starting in July. It’s going to be a very unique season but I am hoping to step way out of the box and do something very different shooting the season. Hard to get more excited than I am right now but that will be surpassed when I see the first pitch.

The Music Returns

Run Catch Rain at Running Hare May 30 2020

A little more than 2 months after I shot a show at the Tiki Bar, before the total shutdown, I was able to shoot live music once again. The governor allowed businesses to serve food and drink in outdoor setting provided they followed social distancing guidelines. Little did I expect that friends would get the chance to play the next day at a local vineyard. Soon as I saw Run Catch Rain would be preforming I knew where I was going to be. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors and it was great to see friends I hadn’t seen in so long. More importantly, for my mental health I suppose, I was getting to shoot something that wasn’t standing still. It was so good to be shooting something with action and emotion. Capturing nature allowed me to keep my sanity but it didn’t satisfy my passion quite the same. Maybe it had something to do with moving myself as I shot the show. The music and fellowship was awesome and so dearly needed. As good as it felt we are far from back to normal. I am also probably still very far away from shooting any sports. Indoor shows are probably not a possibility for quite some time as well. In the days ahead I will be searching for shows and events that I can possibly shoot. Who knows, I may still keep shooting some nature in the weeks ahead. I still am holding out hope for some baseball but that will probably lost if something doesn’t change in the next few weeks.

A Coach, Mentor, and Friend

The morning of his passing I went to the track to take this photo to honor him.

Two months into this pandemic close down of 2020 and what else could go on? My last blog was about passion. Well, for over 45 years my first passion was running. The man instrumental with instilling that within me and hundreds of others was Lanny Conner. I grew up in what was a premier football town and if you weren’t a football player you were sort of an outsider. Well, Lanny created a family and a culture where ever he went. He taught us so much more than just how to run. We learned how to handle disappointment and success. We learned what it meant to give your all for not just yourself but for the others around you. We were family and to this day, all of us who are Lanny’s guys still are. I probably grew more as a runner and did my best running after high school. All due to what he gave to me. About 10 years after high school I had the opportunity to join Lanny as a member of the Bloomsburg University X-Country team. It was an honor to be part of that. He took a program that was pretty much trash and built it into a success. For years he was part of the running community in Berwick and the NE Pa region. One of the fun parts of going back to Berwick for the race every Thanksgiving was seeing Lanny. He could tell you every time of every race you ran. You could sit and talk running or just talk about family. When I first was dealing with my achilles injury I could have said that was enough. I had been running for over 40 years and had a lot of great times and great memories. What Lanny instilled in me wouldn’t let me do that. When I started photography I took it on like Lanny taught us how to take on running and life. Photography has pretty much taken over top spot for me compared to running but I love my time out on the open roads. This time off from what I would be doing has allowed me to enjoy and appreciate those miles even more. There are certain people who will compliment me on my work and it will mean the world to me. Over the last few years he would message me about my work. It meant a lot to hear him talk about what I was doing. After decades we are all still trying to make him proud of us. It’s been a little over 2 months of not doing what I want and should be doing. I don’t even want to do a count of all the games and shows I would have shot in those 8 weeks. What this time has given me is time to set goals to work to what I am going to do once we can. That’s what Lanny taught us. For the first time in years I have running goals. I want to test myself again. On the roads and on the track. I’m taking steps to take on my photography bucket list. He made sure we were prepared for every race and everything that presented a challenge to us. Our losing him is just another challenge he would expect us to take head on and move forward. He had such an influence on so many and everyone of us will pass that part of him on to someone else in many parts of life besides running. We will be getting together in a couple of weeks to share a run over the Run for the Diamonds course to honor his life. I know he will be with us. He will always be with us. Thank you for everything, Lanny

Be Open to New Opportunities

Look for opportunities in places you normally wouldn’t go.

Many of us are feeling stifled during this difficult time. Many are unable to do the things they are passionate about. Athletes are without competition. Musicians are without crowds to play for. Creatives are shut in and confined. As a sports and concert photographer I am missing out on the busiest time of the year for me. I should be shooting baseball 4 to 5 nights a week. I should be shooting concerts. None of this is possible for me right now. I have hope for it starting in the months ahead but that is probably not as realistic as hopeful. My passion for running has seen an upswing as I am able to get out for longer and better runs than I would be if I was shooting every night. My passion for photography was built on my love of baseball and sport. Shooting concerts was an easy offshoot from sports because of the spirit of the musician’s performances. I’ve told others that I will never learn all I want to about photography. There are so many areas to be creative. Some of the most rewarding experiences come from stepping out of our comfort zone and trying something new. We just need to be open to the opportunities when life presents them to us. We may not always have a say when that time is. Such is the time I am experiencing now. I can not shoot what I most want to shoot and be where I most want to be to shoot. That doesn’t mean I should bag up all my gear and store it away until I am able to step onto a field or into a concert pit. The flame of passion you have for something will die out if it isn’t fueled. A musician’s love for music will smother under the dust of his guitar sitting silent in the corner or in the closet. An athlete’s love for his sport will wither without the training he puts into his sport. I can’t put my camera away and be angry that there is not sport or music for me to shoot. I can’t feel sorry for myself and think about next year. I need to test myself, step out of my comfort zone, and look at what is there in front of me. I’ve always loved looking at other photographers work. I’ve always watched videos of other photographers and creatives to see what they do with the style they have created for themselves. As I watch others. I wondered what could I do with that to add my own style. When I had my sports and shows, that is pretty much where the wonder ended. Now, I need to do more than wonder. It’s been nearly 2 months since I last shot a sporting event. It will probably be much longer than that before I shoot another. I have been going out as much as possible and shooting what ever presents itself, mostly nature and landscapes. Not every attempt we take at something has to be a success. Not everything we do will be the best we want it to be every time. So, I am testing my skills in ways I never imagined I would do on a regular basis. Now, I will be looking to do more documentary and street photography work. Documenting the times we are going through. I plan on doing some photo stories about people and businesses that intrigue me. I am going to work with other creatives that will add to my style and what I do. I want to do more glamour photography and shoot photos of people with a variety of loves and interests to capture who they are. If you are someone with a unique style or passion contact me and let’s see if it’s something we can collaborate on. There is a lot that can be done. I will focus on that rather than what can not be done. Long lenses are perfect for social distancing. I have some projects that are in the planning stages and I am always open to new opportunities.

Fuel Your Passion

This was a photo I submitted to a photo challenge during the COVID19 Shutdown of 2020

I don’t know anyone who has ever been through the change in times we are experiencing today before. For those of us who have a passion that we aren’t able to do they way we usually would it is a frustrating time. For many it is a extremely difficult financial time too. Musicians who would normally be having shows throughout the week have no jobs. Professional athletes have no games. Olympic athletes have seen four years of training wiped out. Senior college athletes have lost their final season. Some of these musicians and athletes may never see the stage or field again. The question is how do we fuel our passions during this time. One of the greatest things is seeing musicians go live to their fans on Facebook and other social media. They can share their music and their fans can support financially as well. Athletes are still preparing for what may or may not be their season. We must see hope in a return to normal rather than some new normal. My first passion was running. I ran in high school and college and have continued that love of running for some 45 years now. I get up every day and lace up to go out on the roads. Running has been so wonderful as it is something I am controlling in a time we feel little control over. There are virtual runs we can compete in. The Navy X-Country team is having a virtual run to support students who are missing meals while schools are closed. I will include a link in this blog. For 10 years now I have developed this passion for photography. My passion has been fueled by countless people who have supported me and provided opportunities for me over all those years. Part of what fuels my passion is what my work has and can provide to others. From supporting athletes and their families to local musicians being able to help others through my work is my greatest reward. I can’t shoot what I love most right now but I have the desire to find ways to get out or stay in and shoot every day. There are so many areas of photography so I try to step out of my box and comfort zone and try new things. I will never learn everything I want to learn about photography. Frankly no photographer could ever say they have. I spend lots of time watching videos and studying what other photographers do that I normally would not be doing. I read and learn about different techniques that I can try and add to my skill set. I’ve participated in photography challenges which I have never really done before. I even had one of my entries used on a episode of Fro Knows Photos. I was invited to be on an episode of Ambition Radio with Chris Tondevold to share my passion for photography. You can find that podcast and give it a listen. I find myself shooting nature and sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, at least in my mind. But when I feel I have failed I am so anxious to go out and try to do it differently or better. Even when I feel some success I want to go back out and do it better. I think if you have a true passion for something you are never truly satisfied. You always want to find a way to be better. I have gone out and shot some to document what we are going through. I find that process very uncomfortable. My photography has always been around the celebrations in life. Sharing those times is what means the most to me. Documenting these times when many are struggling is probably and important and valuable thing but it gives me a very uneasy feeling about the the results I get. I suppose I should do more to document these times, as doing so is stepping about as far out of my comfort zone as I could possibly get. I encourage everyone to feed the beast that is their passion in life during these unusual times. I’ll be ready for sure the first chance I get to step onto a lush green baseball field or into a concert pit. Please stay safe and keep healthy. Be ready when we can come together and celebrate.

Here is a link to the Navy X-Country teams benefit for hunger.

https://pledgeit.org/ncc-hunger-2020?fbclid=IwAR2sbBeXoTukxLzfI2BdSk_0pDupLUgxVB5silBuAepHWTVkuSLzgqVNVj8

Here is a link to my episode on Ambition Radio Podcast

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ambition-radio/e/68282158?autoplay=true

This Is Not Normal

Restaurant window during the COVID19 shutdown in Leonardtown, Maryland March 2020

Our world has changed very quickly in just one month. The COVID19 virus has turned the world upside down. One day I was shooting baseball at the Naval Academy and looking forward to a great outdoor track and field season. Spring training was about to start for the Atlantic League and my Blue Crabs and Milb was ready for opening night. 24 hours later everything in sports came to an abrupt halt. What a terrible time for all the athletes who had their season ahead of them. In a blink of an eye it was all gone. There was hope that other sports might have a chance but very quickly that possibility was dashed too. Concerts were gone. Community events were cancelled. Baseball was and still as of this date very much in doubt. As the days roll on I try and seek out something to shoot every day. I always think it is good to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Now, I am so ready to get to a concert and step on a lush green ball field. My thoughts and prayers go out to every athlete and every musician who is struggling through this time. We need to continue to feed our passions in any way possible. I refuse to think in terms of “The New Normal” but it seems that may be the end result of all this. I am ready to get to what I love to do most and when the day comes I will be ready and will look forward to covering all the teams and bands with the best of my ability.