Football Memories

I got my start in sports, shooting UCF football games for the Valencia Voice, under Ken Carpenter's leadership. My first game (UCF's first from the 2010 season) yielded 5 shots, none of which were worth publication. A long talk from Ken, many hours of research, and many more hours field-side, I'd like to say I've improved quite a bit. Those first games in no way were an indication of the season I was going to have. From awkwardly walking into Brighthouse Stadium for the first time, a stop in Jacksonville to shoot the Jaguars of the NFL, a season of heart-ache from the Florida Tuskers in the UFL, and a trip to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl to finish it off, it was an amazing rookie season for me. I'm hoping to find a publication that needs a shooter for the upcoming season, as I lost my credential access when my time at Valencia CC came to an end. Want to hire me? I am the epitome of amazing (refer to photo of myself on the right while reading this sentence).

This was from one of my first games (UFL, the former Florida Tuskers). I was using my Nikon D40 and a slow lens, in an old stadium at night. Reverting my focus from the field to the sidelines, as Ken suggested, yielded quite a few solid reaction shots. I was never too impressed with this one, but it got a feature in the flickr blog, which served as a nice compliment and motivator.

As close as I could get without being injured. This was a touchdown and a hell of a catch. I was using a 70-300 4-5.6, and backed out all the way. Varying aperture lenses can yield some "fun" results. This was overly blown-out, but a trip to photoshop really saved me from missing this moment.

It is an impossibility to properly describe how fast, strong, and passionate an NFL player really is. Within 5 minutes of me being on the field, I went face-first into the ground, with a ref taking me out. It was a punt, I was aimed downfield to shoot the catch, and the defenders found their way to me. This doesn't happen in college. The ref and I were ok, game resumed, and I learned to watch my back. There were many "face to face" moments between the players, during the game. Afterwards, all of that was erased, they shook hands or hugged, prayed together, and exited the field. True professionals in a very violent arena.

I told my managing editor (Collin Dever) that I was going to take a fish-eye lens with me to the Jags game. He wished me luck, doubting my ability to use it. He's quoted, upon reviewing my shots as saying, "that bastard actually pulled it off." The color from the Canon-mount Tokino fish-eye is just amazing. I did a lot of drooling as I processed the shots.

UCF won the Conference USA championship in my rookie shooter season. It was an amazing run, and did well towards erasing any big game jitters I had experienced. I still stand in awe, remembering these huge moments.

This one picture properly summarizes the UCF season. The opposition just couldn't keep up.

The kick-off from the Georgia Bulldogs at the Liberty Bowl was returned for a touch-down. A holding call then pulled it all the way back to within the 20. This shot was pointless from a publication stand-point, but I love the concentration in his eyes and the stunned look on the Georgia side-line behind him.

As the clock ticked to :00, the skies opened up and UCF celebrated in the rain. They were heavily under-favored to win this bowl game. Georgia seemed to view this game as a let-down. They're used to bigger bowls, against bigger teams. Their large fan-base seemed subdued, as well. This was the big show for UCF. They brought and used every ounce of fight they had, and won against a stunned Georgia nation. The eery silence from the Bulldog's side still raises the hair on my neck. I got to witness my first upset.