Hall of Fame Breakfast

This year I was asked by the ISC to cover the ISC Hall of Fame Breakfast. I had attended before as a guest, but coming in as a photographer gave me a different insight into the event. For all the inductees, this is a very important moment in their lives. Their years of playing the great game of fastpitch is finally recognized not only by the ISC organization but by their peers and fans. So I wanted to do justice to the moment and cover as much as I could of the event. Of course, I am never satisfied but I hope that the resulting images satisfies everyone that attended and participated. Click HERE to see the gallery of photos of the breakfast.

2010 ISC World Tournament - Opening Ceremonies

The ISC Opening Ceremonies, a favorite of mine, is truly the start of the great ISC Men's Fastpitch World Tournament. Unlike the action photos that I like to take during the tournament, the photos from this event have a more relaxed feel. They show the optimism and hope of the first day of play as well as the spirit of the players. It is a time to bring the kids in, march in with your fellow team players, honor those that will enter the Hall of Fame, and stand in a great field with dozens of players. For me, it is a time to see old friends (wearing a different uniform?), see how big your kids have grown, and maybe make new friends. Any which way you cut it, it is a great day and I hope you enjoy looking at the photos as much as I did taking them. Click on the link HERE to take you to the gallery of photos.

Raymond Angulo Memorial Tournament

This past weekend I went to the Raymond Angulo Memorial Tournament hosted by Ernie Marez and the So Cal Rebels, and held in Corona, California.

Each year this tournament helps raise money for 8-year old Joseph Raymond Angulo, a little boy who suffers from cerebral palsy. It is our hope that we can continue the fundraising by giving the proceeds from the sale of the photos from the tournament gallery to the Angulo family. So, if you have a few minutes, and some spare change, we urge you to purchase one of the photos and we will send 100% of the profits to the family. All you have to do is click HERE and make your purchase.

Ribbon Cutting

The iconic Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport recently reopened its doors (and its famous rooftop) after a 3-year, multi-million dollar renovation. This renovation was triggered by the deterioration of the 50-year old building; the deterioration being to such a degree that some pieces of it started to fall on the street below. The photos which you can access by clicking HERE are of the press-conference announcing the reopening.

The perfect weekend

This past June 19th and 20th I went down to San Diego to shoot the first annual California Classic Tournament hosted by he California A's (Dave Welding & Greg Hicks) and the California Silverhawks (Christopher McGhee). The tournament was held in a beautiful new facility: Sportsplex, USA, in Santee and the weather, as is common in lovely San Diego, was absolutely perfect. No less perfect, for me, was being able to finally meet, after many years of quiet admiration, a photographer that in fastpitch circles needs no introduction: Bob Otto. I have been a fan of Bob since I first discovered fastpitch and always strived to copy his great work. So it was indeed an honor, for a few brief hours to share the fields with Bob under the sunny skies of San Diego. You can see Bob's photos HERE and you can also browse mine by clicking HERE.

Best of the West

This past June 6th, I dropped by the 2010 Best of the West fastpitch tournament being held in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. As always, this tournament did not fail to provide many gifted players and many an exciting play. Although, I was only there for one of the two days of the tournament, I think you will agree that there was plenty of action to go around as well as some unique moments. You can see the photos by clicking on the 2010 Best of the West gallery under the Sports/Fastpitch galleries or simply click HERE.

Balancing Act

This past May 23rd I dropped by Santa Fe Springs, California, to photograph a SCIFL (Southern California Independent Fastpitch League) weekend tournament. Digital cameras have revolutionalized photography, with ever improving equipment available. However, it's also a balancing act -- wanting the newer technology that is better or faster -- while at the same time, having the equipment that is battle tested and reliable. At the shoot this past weekend, I was armed with the old and the new. I had my trusty, "steady Eddie" D200 with which I've taken thousands of shots over the past few years, along with their newer, faster, D300s to try out. I was looking forward to testing out the new Nikon, billed to be faster, the better to capture the talented, and ever-increasingly faster players that I photograph. It is faster, to be sure, but I was disappointed that it malfunctioned in its first use, and prevented me from sharing all of the shots I took that day. Looks like this new Nikon could have used a bit more beta testing. In the end, the balancing act was won by "steady Eddie", my D200, which produced the photos shown in my latest gallery of shots. Tried and true, hope you enjoy "Eddie's" work (and mine).

Tommy Scott Memorial Run

This past Wednesday the LAX Airport Police observed the 5th anniversary of the death of its first fallen officer, Tommy Scott, with a 5k run in his memory. More than 50 officers/civilians ran the length of the course which circles the LAX Airport and finished the run by doing 20 push ups, followed by a moment of silence. I had the honor of recording the event. The attached video is a compilation of the photos that I took. (Click on the arrow at left in the bar below). You can also view all the photos of the event by clicking here.

Cuba Libre

This past Sunday I was in Los Angeles photographing a rally in Echo Park. This particular rally was close to my heart as the catalyst for the event was based on some recent events that occurred in Cuba (my birthplace). The event was to support the "Ladies in White"; relatives of prisoners of conscience, these women (who dress in white) recently went into the streets of Cuba to protest the wrongful imprisonment of their loved ones. In return the government beat them as they walked the streets in silent protest. The event in Los Angeles was to show solidarity and support for these women and to bring attention to human rights violations on the island. The event was put together by actor Andy Garcia and other celebrities. Present were Maria Conchita, Steven Bauer (of Scarface fame) and Perez Hilton (entertainment blogger) as well as Mexican comedian George Lopez who is married to a Cuban. Click here to go the gallery: 2010 Cuban Rally in Echo Park

First Day of Spring

It is a sure sign that spring is here when the fastpitch fields are filled with players and surrounded by fans. This past weekend, and on the first day of spring, I found myself in Santa Fe Springs once again, sharing the ballfield with our local (and talented) Southern California players. Other commitments had kept me from shooting the first day of this their first tournament of the season but with camera in hand I went on Sunday to at least catch some of the action. As always, there was no shortage of action to be captured and friends to say hello to. So, although the gallery is not very extensive, I share with you what I consider the best rite of spring: playing fastpitch under sunny skies and sharing it with the best of friends. Click here to see the photos: 2010 SCIFL.

St. Patty's Day 2010

This year the Los Angeles' St. Patrick's Day celebration was a bit different. There was no parade but instead a festival which was held at the LA Live complex. This complex sits in the middle of downtown Los Angeles and is quickly becoming the place to go in downtown Los Angeles. Surrounded by large venues (Nokia Theatre, Staples Center), loads of restaurants and nightclubs it is a vibrant center. It was no less so on St. Patty's Day when the wonderful Dublin All-Star Marching band played for our fellow Angelenos. We were also graced with the wonderful sounds of Ken O'Malley and the Twilight Lords and no less impressed by the ballads sung by Ms. Connie Monroe. The ever-present Emerald Society's Bagpipers were there as well bringing that special Irish touch which only bagpipes can bring. All in all, despite there being no parade, it was a great Irish celebration and I was happy to be there and see it all unfold. You can see photos of the day at our 2010 St. Patrick's gallery. Enjoy!

2010 AAU International Tournament Photos Posted

The photos of the 2010 AAU International Tournament have been posted in the 2010 AAU gallery. The tournament as always was excellent thanks to the hard work of Alex Linares and Ken Hackmeister who are the brains behind this wonderfully run tourney. Thirty eight teams graced the fields of Disney's Wide World of Sports and I was there to see (and hopefully, capture) it all. I am a lucky girl (ahem, photographer) indeed!

This was my seventh consecutive visit to this tournament and I have to say it just gets better every year. It also gets harder to try to photograph everyone and everything that happens on those fields. So, if you don't see yourself in the photos, do not despair; I shall be there again next year with camera in tow. Just tap me on the shoulder and let me know you are out there and I will do my darndest to capture you in your full glory! Enjoy the photos.

Slideshow Update

I have updated the opening slideshow on the homepage to include some more recent photos. For those of you not familiar with the slideshow, it resides in our home page and it plays a series of photos of different events that I have photographed throughout the years. I know that many of you are familiar with my sports photography but I also do a great deal of event photography and some travel photography as well. So, if you have a few minutes, log onto our website and take a look at our updated slideshow. Who knows? You may be featured on it!

Go to www.maddysphotos.com or click on the photo to go to our home page.

2008 ISF Jr Men's Championship - Yukon, Canada

Some of you may have wondered whatever happened to the photos I took in 2008 at the Jr Men's World Championship in White Horse, Yukon, Canada. I was particularly excited about this tournament because of its location: the Yukon and because I do not often get to shoot young fastpitch players. However, access in this tournament was limited as the tournament already had an official photographer. Nonetheless the good folks at White Horse graciously allowed me to shoot anywhere around the ballpark as long as it was not on the field. I have not posted these pictures until now in deference to the official tournament photographer and to not impact her sales. It has been almost 18 months now but reviewing these photos brought back all the excitement. In particular the game between Argentina and New Zealand stands out. The heart shown in that game can be seen in many of the photos but those of us who were lucky enough to watch it in person will never forget the hair-raising ending, the reaction of the winning Argentine team, and the standing ovation given by the fans.

The photos are posted under 2008 ISF Junior Men's World Championship (click link or photo above).