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).