Time and Space

Make the Rink Pink: RIT vs Elmira

2012-02-13T22:58:00.000-08:00

Elmira goalie Lauren Sullivan skates passed the goal during the introductions against RIT.

Tanis Lamoureux (left) and Kolbee McCrea (right) fight for the puck.

Ali Hills, Lindsay Grigg, Morgan Scoyne, and Marissa Mauguri celebrate the first goal of the game.

Elmira goaltender Lauren Sullivan makes a save moments before RIT player Kolbee McCrea will score to bring the Tigers up by 2.

Ella Stewart (left) and Kolbee McCrea (right) exchange pleasantries after the whistle has been blown.

RIT forward Marissa Mauguri cuts toward the net to get around Elmira defender Haley Welch.

Kristina Moss reaches to grab the puck out of the air to keep it in the zone.

RIT forward Kolbee McCrea pushes the puck toward Elmira goaltender Lisa Marshall in hopes of scoring another goal for the Tigers.

Kim Schlattman (left) and Kolbee McCrea (center) celebrate after a power play goal against Elmira goalie Lisa Marshall to bring the score to 5-0 for RIT.

2/10/12 - Henrietta, NY - The RIT Tigers beat the Elmira Soaring Eagles 5-1 at Ritter Arena on RIT's campus. RIT women's fraternity Zeta Tau Alpha hosted their second biennial Make The Rink Pink weekend by getting pink jerseys for the players, and raising money for the Lipson Cancer Center and Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation.

Game-Day Guru

2012-02-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

The third and final article. It was around the time of the Super Bowl, and everyone was getting antsy as they prepared for the big game and party. My partner, Francesca Fontanelli and I thought it would be cool to do an article about throwing the best game-day party. How to become a game-day guru.

It was a a fun project. The photoshoot(s) were fun, and even the retouching was fun.

Concussions in the NHL

2012-02-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is the second article I've produced for my Editorial Photo class. Apparently concussion rates in the NHL have been rising to that of professional boxing, and I believe that warrants some attention.

Originally I had planned on photographing the second shot in an actual boxing ring, but I couldn't find one that would let me use their ring when I wasn't photographing an actual boxer. So, I built my own in the studio! Below is a time-lapse of the set-up and shoot.

Thanks to my partner Kim White for the design, Erik Ellingson for helping with the set, and to Chris Haltigan, Daniel Spivak, and Dan Roder for modeling!

RIT vs Mercyhurst Game #2

2012-01-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

This just looks like it hurts...

January 28, 2012. The RIT Tigers ended their second game of the weekend in a tie against the Mercyhurst Lakers at Ritter Arena on RIT's campus in Henrietta, NY.

RIT vs Mercyhurst

2012-01-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2012. The RIT Tigers beat the Mercyhurst Lakers 5-1 at Ritter Arena on RIT's campus in Henrietta, NY. With this win, RIT took over the number one spot in the AHA.

Joel Grimes Emulation Project

2012-01-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

In my advertising photo class we had an emulation project in which we had to emulate the style of a commercial/advertising photographer of our choice. I had been wanting to try Joel Grimes' gritty portrait style for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity. Here's what I came up with.

There were hiccups along the road of course, but it was a fun project that I definitely want to push further.

Thanks to Ryan Caraboolad, Mike Bradley, Lindsey Gibson, and Carol Alderman (not shown) for modeling for me!

RIT Tigers vs St. Lawrence Saints

2012-01-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Best of 2011

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

RIT student Troy Johnson practices the hammer throw event.

Philadelphia International Cycling Classic 2011

RIT goalie Shane Madolora poses for a portrait.

October 28, 2011. Brandan Morrisey signals to the referee during a match at the NEIC Paintball tournament at Headrush Action Sports Park in Syracuse, NY. The RIT paintball team placed fourth at the SUNY open #2 tournament.

RIT hockey players (left to right) Chris Saracino, Cameron Burt, Daniel Spivak, and Chris Haltigan pose for portraits to be used on a billboard truck sponsored by RIT SportsZone. The truck drove around Rochester during RIT's Brick City homecoming weekend.

RIT tennis player Lindsey Gibson poses for a portrait on the campus tennis courts.

Amanda Wilks (left), Cindy Fortin (goaltender), and Sarianne Lynn (right) celebrate their 5-2 win against the RIT Tigers naming them the 2011 NCAA champions.

August 28, 2011. Hurrican Irene hits Main Street in Manayunk, Pennsylvania.

Air Force goaltender Jason Torf skates out to the blue line during the pre-game introductions on February 4, 2011 at Frank Ritter Memorial Arena in Henrietta, NY.

Christine Schievello (left) and Breanna Kalmeta (center) tug the rope for team "ASA 1" while Lexi Craig (right) cheers them on during the campus-wide tug-of-war event at RIT. The Mud Tug is an annual event hosted by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority at RIT.

RIT senior Katie Stack (left) shows her emotion with Sarah Dagg (right) after losing to the Norwich Panthers in the NCAA Division III finals at Frank Ritter Memorial Arena in Henrietta, NY on March 20, 2011. RIT finished the season with only four non-winning games, which is the best record in the history of the program.

Charles Corby Jr. sifts through empty milk cartons at the Pittsford Dairy Farm in Pittsford, NY. Charles and his dad own the dairy farm, and cater to many local restaurants and businesses throughout Rochester.

RIT paintball team member Tony Tharayil dives from behind a bunker during a photo shoot.

Midtown Mauler player Goldie Fox (center) stretchesand prepares herself for the team's game against the 5-H8-5's.

Alec Humski poses for a portrait at NVP Paintball in Rochester, New York. Alec is on the RIT Paintball team and will be traveling to Huntington Beach, California in March 2012 for a national tournament.

NBA Lockout Editorial Article

2012-01-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Kyle Redefer for writing the article and the design!

This quarter I am in an editorial photography course in which around 20 photography students work with 20 design students to produce a 100-page magazine called Positive Negative. The course gives me the chance to work with designers on all aspects of magazine editorial assignments, so it's pretty great experience.

The first article my partner and I chose to write for the class was concerning the recent NBA lockout. We wanted to write it based on the views of the fans. I chose to photograph a close-up of a fan with logos painted on their face. I want to thank Dylan Heuer (shown) and Dani Guitelman for modeling as well as Francesca Fontanelli and Aly McIntyre for doing the face painting (there's no way I could've painted it myself). I am happy with how the shoot went, and I definitely achieved the style and look I wanted.

Simple Paintball Portrait

2011-11-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

Alec Humski

This photo is also part of my final project in my advertising class. While I was doing the paintball diving shots again, I wanted to shoot this as well. A much more simple portrait of a paintball player.

I just love the blue shine to the gun!

Tennis Beauty Portrait

2011-11-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

Lindsey Gibson

As part of my final project in my advertising class, I was photographing athletes with really wide angle lenses with whatever the main object they use as the foreground element (ex. serving hand, paintball gun, baseball bat, etc).

I had photographed Lindsey playing tennis before, and as always, she was a great model. The photo is actually very similar to my other high-angle tennis photo of John Albers, but I was closer to the subject for this one.

When editing this photo, it actually felt as though I was editing a beauty or fashion photograph. Then I realized that even the light lends itself to a beauty shot. I really like that quality just because I have never photographed something like that before. My sports portraits are usually serious with harsh"er" lighting. It was a nice change of look for me.

If I were to do this shot again, I think I would be more conscious of the styling (hair and dress). That said, I will probably to it again with those things in mind.

Hammer Throw #2

2011-11-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to redo the hammer throw portraits I had previously shot. More drama. Closer. More danger. More intense! Well, this is definitely better (although I wish I could see a little more of his face, but that's probably me just being picky).

The whole shoot I was having trouble getting what I wanted, and then at the very end, everything came together: the angle, the light, the sky, the moment, everything.

Again, thanks to Troy Johnson for being a great sport and putting up with all the repetitions.

Hockey: RIT vs Army

2011-11-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2011. Adam Hartley celebrates after scoring the first goal of the game against Army at Ritter Arena at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The RIT Tigers beat the Army Black Knights 5-3.

November 5, 2011. Army player Maurice Alvarez awaits the drop of the puck during their game against the RIT Tigers. RIT beat Army 5-3 at Ritter Arena at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

November 5, 2011. RIT player Ben Lynch takes a shot at the net against Army at Ritter Arena in Rochester, NY. The RIT Tigers beat the Army Black Knights 5-3.

November 5, 2011. Army forward Mike Hull looks for a teammate to pass to against the RIT Tigers at Ritter Arena in Rochester, NY. RIT beat Army 5-3.

November 5, 2011. An RIT fan runs the perimeter of the rink with a poster of Cameron Burt's head after Burt scored the tying goal late in the second period against Army. The RIT Tigers beat the Army Black Knights 5-3 at Ritter Arena at the Rochester Institute of Technology

November 5, 2011. RIT player Mark Cornacchia gets hit into the boards against Army at Ritter Arena on The Rochester Institute of Technology campus. The RIT Tigers beat the Army Black Knights 5-3.

November 5, 2011. Army goaltender Rob Tadazak reacts after RIT scored late in the third period at Ritter Arena in Rochester, NY. The RIT Tigers beat the Army Black Knights 5-3.

Liberty League Finals: RIT vs Vassar

2011-11-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2011. RIT goalie Ben Frazier flies through the air as he tries to make a save against Vassar College during the Liberty League final at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Vassar beat RIT 3-2 to advance to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. Jon Rosebrook (left) and Ross Macklin (right) jump in the air to head the ball during the Liberty League final game at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Vassar won 3-2 to advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. RIT player Jon Rosebrook protects himself just before the ball gets kicked his way during the Liberty League final game against Vassar College at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Vassar won 3-2, and will advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. Vassar College players celebrate after Zander Mrlik scores the go-ahead goal during the Liberty League final game at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Vassar won 3-2 to advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. Vassar player Evan Kamber (center) prepares to charge the field as they beat the RIT Tigers 3-2 in the Liberty League final game at the Rochester INstitute of Technology. Vassar will advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. Vassar College players rush the field after beating the RIT Tigers 3-2 in the Liberty League final game at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Vassar and will advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. RIT senior Donnie Maguire reacts after losing to the Vassar College Brewers 2-3 in the Liberty League final game at the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. Vassar will advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

November 5, 2011. RIT captain Jimmy Forbes shows his emotion after losing to the Vassar College Brewers 2-3 in the Liberty League final game at the Rochester Institute of Technology campus. Vassar will advance to play in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Paintball Sportrait Redo

2011-11-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Mike Burns

So, I was asked to redo my paintball sportrait...the original can be found here. The complaints (or should I say criticisms) were that the main light was too harsh. I needed a much larger and broader light, so I used an XL softbox. That did the trick. The other comment was a question as to why I used a fisheye lens. Well, honestly it was because I thought it was different and a cool application for that lens. I have this saying or "brand promise" about my work: to create action sports photos from angles and with light that you normally can't produce during an actual game. Or more simply put: the most realistic sports photography (I have Vince Bove of the former Greg Booth & Associates studio to thank for that phrase). So, I thought I'd experiment with a fisheye, but I guess it didn't work.

Oh well, this shoot was also really fun! Mike was a great model, and took the beating for me. I really should have bought a pad of some sort for him to land on...hmm.

Which one do you like better?

Make The Rink Pink

2011-11-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

Warning: tarps gets slippery when covered in paint

I found that out the hard way. Thankfully no one got hurt.

The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will be hosting the Make The Rink Pink event again this year, and I was asked to do the photoshoots for it (the photos were also for one of my friends class projects, so it worked out). I have mixed feelings about the photos. I wasn't exactly prepared as far as equipment is concerned for the men's shoot. So I had to improvise a bit, and the light didn't turn out how I wanted it. However, the "client" liked it, so I guess I'm just being picky.

The models were great to work with just as they had been for previous shoots. None of them objected to covering their teammates in pink paint!

NEIC Paintball Tournament

2011-11-01T23:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday October 29, 2011. For the first time since I started photographing the RIT paintball team last fall, I was able to get away from their practices, and see them in real action. I hitched a ride with the team over to Syracuse at 5am for an all-day tournament. It was cold (very cold), but definitely a lot of fun, and I have the bruises to show for it!

Unfortunately, it was a completely overcast day, but once the games finally started at 11am, the action took over my mind. It was exhilarating! It's fast-paced, dirty, dangerous (for the camera gear), and fun. I find it very interesting to step back and take a look at the little world of paintball. I have learned the lingo, the strategy, etc and it has been cool to become immersed in this culture that I would've otherwise never known about. I think that's what I love most about my job. I get to experience a vast range of cultures and sub cultures that most people don't.

As a side note, I have been invited to come with the team to Huntington Beach, California in the spring to photograph huge annual tournament. I hope I can go!

Paintball Sportrait

2011-10-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

Tony Tharayil

This was a really fun shoot! It was also messy because that green carpet you see, is literally caked with sticky paint from months and years of exploded paintballs.

After a number of scheduling difficulties, I finally make it to NVP Paintball in Rochester, and walked onto the field. It was empty. It was quiet. I had been to this field probably two dozen times since last fall, and I had never seen it like this. It was nice. It was an empty paintball field for me to do what I wish.

Tony was a great sport during the shoot as he flew through the air countless times with me giving him weird instructions on where to look, where to point the gun, etc. I think this might be a new addition to my portfolio!

RIT Paintball Practice #1

2011-10-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

Does this green dungeon look familiar? Well, it's the same place I spent many Tuesday nights last fall photographing the RIT paintball team, and now I'm back for more. I actually missed shooting (pun intended) these practices just because of how intense the sport is.

I spent most of this practice working on getting panning shots because I think that expresses better what it "feels like" to be there.

CAB Paintball Event

2011-10-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

I thought this one was just cool timing.

In my sports photography course this fall, I need to photograph another story. Although, it doesn't need to be as extensive as the ones last year. So, I took my professor's advice and continued my story on the RIT paintball team (since I did "such a terrible job last time").

This was an event held by the College Activities Board (CAB) at a local paintball venue. It was open to any student who wanted to participate, so it wasn't strictly relevant to my story, but there were a couple attendees who are on the RIT team.

In other photo tech related news, I think I may need to send my 400 2.8 lens in to Canon to be looked at because I don't think it is focusing accurately anymore.... *sigh*

Broccoli

2011-10-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

An editorial "cover shot" for an article called Recipes for Health. The idea was to make the broccoli heroic and grand (positive), but some of my classmates during critique made comments saying that it looked evil and daunting (negative)...hmm that's not really what I was going for. I think I have a lot of work to do in the still life department. It's always fun trying these shots though.

Brick City Homecoming Hockey: RIT vs St. Lawrence

2011-10-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

October 16, 2011. Players from both teams line up for the introductions before RIT's Brick City Homecoming game at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. The RIT Tigers beat the St. Lawrence Saints 6-5 in overtime.

October 16, 2011. (left to right) Bryan Potts, Adam Mitchell, and Greg Noyes celebrate with the crowd after Potts scored the go-ahead goal against St. Lawrence to make the score 3-2. The RIT Tigers beat the St. Lawrence Saints 6-5 in overtime at RIT's Brick City Homecoming game hosted at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester, New York.

October 16, 2011. Matt Garbowski (right) goes in for the hit against St. Lawrence player Rick Carden. The RIT Tigers beat the St. Lawrence Saints 6-5 in overtime at RIT's Brick City Homecoming game hosted at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester, New York.

October 16, 2011. RIT foreward Adam Hartley scores the tying goal with nine seconds left in the third period against St. Lawrence at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. RIT beat the St. Lawrence Saints 6-5 in overtime at RIT's Brick City Homecoming game.

October 16, 2011. RIT celebrates after Adam Hartley scored the tying goal with nine seconds left in the third period against St. Lawrence at RIT's Brick City homecoming game. The RIT Tigers beat the St. Lawrence Saints 6-5 after scoring just 14 secinds into overtime at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester, New York.

This year's Brick City Homecoming hockey game was a lot of fun (stressful, but fun). I had a lot of prep work that needed to be done before the game started.

SportsZone had a number of things they wanted shot at the game: a time-lapse of the sell-out crowd of 10,056 as they piled into the arena, a panoramic shot of the arena once filled with fans, behind the scenes photos of the SportsZone live pre-game show, and then of course, game action. So, a couple of these things, I delegated to my two other shooters I had working, but I was still stressed.

I arrived at the game at 4pm (the gates opened at 5 and the game started at 7). I set up the time-lapse camera, and then two other remote cameras at various locations around the arena. I then had two other cameras that I had around my neck for photographing the game. Looking back, I think I spent way too much time worrying about the remote cameras than I should've. This seems to be the case a lot of the time, but then again, the point of setting them up so often is so that I can gain a ton of practice. That way I can eventually set them up and not have to worry about them, and I can therefore focus on shooting the game. So, until then I can just keep experimenting.

Now, as for the actual game: it was crazy! The third period was coming to a close, and RIT was down by just one goal. Then with nine seconds left, they found the back of the net to tie it up! Before I knew it, overtime had started and the buzzer went off again. RIT had scored 14 seconds into overtime to win the game! As my dad used to say growing up, "AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!"

It was a great way to end a sell-out homecoming game, and to start the season.

RIT SportsZone Mobile Billboard

2011-10-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Left to right: Chris Saracino, Cameron Burt, Daniel Spivak, Chris Haltigan

SportsZone wanted to create a mobile billboard truck ad again this year! I took the challenge. The billboard truck was driven around downtown Rochester and then up to RIT's campus during the Brick City Homecoming weekend at RIT.

Since Robert Bredvad graduated last year, I have become the Director of Photography at SportsZone, and one of the styles that Robert used frequently was the "on black" portraits. So, we wanted to break away from that this year and use a white (or high key) background.

While brainstorming ideas for the photoshoot, I thought to myself what it is that makes this ad so special. Well, for one, it's about 13 feet in the air and 22 feet long! From there, I knew that the photos had to be of the hockey players looking down intensely. I think it was pretty effective. It was also a really fun shoot!

Brighton vs Honeoye Falls-Lima

2011-10-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

October 6, 2011. Brighten defenseman Adam Watson tries to take down Tim Segrue as he charges toward the endzone at Brighten High School's stadium. The Honeoye Falls-Lima Cougars beat the Brighton Barons 52-21.

October 6, 2011. Honeoye Falls-Lima quarterback sits on the ground after throwing an incomplete pass in the first quarter of Honeoye Falls' game against the Brighton Barons. The Honeoye Falls-Lima Cougars beat the Brighton Barons 52-21 at Brighton High School in Rochester, New York.

October 6, 2011. Honeoye Falls-Lima running back Ryan Quackenbush runs around the Brighton defense at Brighton High School in Rochester, New York. The Honeoye Falls-Lima Cougars beat the Brighton Barons 52-21.

October 6, 2011. Honeoye Falls-Lima assistant coach John Russ celebrates alongside player Glen Schubert after another touchdown in the third quarter against the Brighton Barons. The Honeoye Falls-Lima Cougars beat the Brighton Barons 52-21 at Brighton High School in Rochester, New York.

More Rochester high school football! This game was interesting because it was VERY one-sided (it was also terrible football in my honest opinion). The score was 45-7 for Honeoye Falls-Lima by the end of the first half...

It only took me a few frames to realize what made this stadium unique, however. It was small stadium, and one of the endzones had nothing behind it (no buildings or streets or lights). Therefore, when I shot in that direction, the players were lit by the stadium lights, but the background went completely black. This resulted in a very cool effect that gave a nice punch to the action in the foreground. So, I photographed the first half normally, but then spent the second half laying on my stomach with a long lens (400mm) gazing down the field waiting for the right "moment." In my mind, the perfect action never came to that area, but I'm still pleased with the results. Unfortunately that was the last home game of the season for Brighton, but maybe I'll try to photograph a pick-up game or something there.

Hammer Throw Portrait

2011-10-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been trying my best to keep all the assignments in my advertising class in line with my main interest of sports. These environmental portraits were a great way to do so. I searched through the RIT athletics website and found a only a few "throwers" on the track and field team. I contacted Troy Johnson randomly from the list, and asked if he could come out the next day to model. That morning, I got confirmation that he was up for it!

I finished up the photo shoot with the guys from Recycling Makes ¢ense (previous post) and quickly changed gears to shoot this one. It was over quickly, but it was a lot of fun! I spent the shoot laying on the ground with my head and lens poking though the netting as Troy swung the hammer only about four or five feet from me. That's what I call thrilling!

I want to bring him back out at some point and really push it. When reviewing these images, my professor, William Snyder reminded me of what this style that I love so much is about. It's about recreating game-action sports images that you usually see, but in a more dramatic way, and from an angle that isn't normally possible. I think I tend to forget that sometimes. I need to start getting really creative. I need to bend the rules. I need to push myself.

Recycling Makes ¢ense

2011-10-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Tommy (left) and Larry (right) Kinsella pose by bags of sorted cans at their small local Rochester business Recycling Makes ¢ense.

I was pumping gas at the Hess station on Jefferson Road (right next to RIT's campus) when I heard someone ask "Are you from Texas?" I turned around and before I knew it, I was in a great conversation with Tommy Kinsella (a native of San Antonio) about life in Texas.

As it turns out, him and his brother run the can and bottle return business right next door to the gas station. I saw this as a great opportunity not only to meet new, interesting people, but to make a portrait of them. So, I went in randomly, explained who I was and what I wanted to do, and they let me right in. They are both very nice guys, and were ready to do anything so that I could get a good photograph of them.

Recycling Makes ¢ense has been open for just more than 4 months, and is already a great success. I would suggest to anyone near RIT to use it as their place of choice for returning bottles and cans. You can't beat their service!

Rochester Junior Hockey

2011-10-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Fredrick Freeze goaltender Daniyal Hannan dives across the crease to make a save againt Maksymum at the Sports Centre arena at Monroe Community College. Fredrick lost to Maksymum 12-3.

Fredrick forward Ian Cleary celebrates after teammate James Thayer scores the first goal of the game against Maksymum at the Sports Centre arena at Monroe Community College Rochester, NY. Fredrick lost to Maksymum 6-3 in their second match of the weekend.

Two young fans try to get the players' attention during the huddle before the first period in their game against the Fredrick Freeze. Maksymum beat Fredrick 12-3 at the Sports Centre arena at Monroe Community College.

Fredrick defenseman Denzil Cotera (center) picks a fight against players from Maksymum at the Sports Centre arena at Monroe Community College Rochester, NY. Maksymum beat Fredrick Freeze 6-3 in their second match of the weekend.

Lucas Gsellman (left) tries to prevent Mac Rushing (right) from getting to the puck at the Sports Centre arena at Monroe Community College Rochester, NY. The Rochester Stars beat Capital District 5-4 in the final minutes of the game.

This weekend's assignment for my sports photo class was to photograph the season opening games of four junior league teams. We had to shoot at least two of the four games (I shot three).

Hockey, as many of you know, is a personal favorite and past time of mine. It was great to get back into it! I'm excited to start photographing RIT again.

Yokoyama

2011-10-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

SportsZone asked me to photograph RIT hockey captain Ariane Yokoyama for a large banner that's going to be put in Ritter arena on RIT's campus. The portrait was supposed to to be the same style as the women's hockey cards I photographed last year. So, it was a simple, quick portrait with easy lighting.

Edit: Thought I'd include a screenshot of one of the "smiling" shots. (completely unedited by the way)

Product as Hero

2011-10-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

The second assignment in my advertising photography class was called "Product as Hero." This was the first time I had felt like a real "ad kid."

I had to go prop shopping...interesting experience I must say. I found myself walking from aisle to aisle in Target waiting for something to catch my eye, and when something did, I'd grab it and walk more. The trouble came when I tried matching items and trying to find ones that worked together. I found that I couldn't envision a photograph or composition as I was walking through the aisles of Target. I'm sure it comes with experience, though.

I spent many nighttime hours in the studio to get this shot. In the end, I am very happy with it, and I actually had a lot of fun creating it!

RIT MudTug XVI

2011-09-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Christine Schievello (left) and Breanna Kalmeta (center) tug the rope for team "ASA 1" while Lexi Craig (right) cheers them on.

Nathan Cooper and other members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity yell "Pull!" as their team fights to win the campus-wide game of tug-of-war at RIT's annual MudTug event.

Members of the team Student Government participate in a campus-wide game of muddy tug-of-war.

Spectators of RIT's Mud Tuf event try to block themselves from incoming mud splashes. Mud Tug is an annual fall event hosted by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.

The annual Mud Tug event! For this year, I wanted to build a strobist jetpack and attach two strip bank softboxes on either side of me. I would then spend the event photographing portraits of people covered in mud and such. However, with the DC trip (and therefore diminished funds) I was unable to build such and apparatus.

However, I went in, had a lot of fun, got covered in mud, and came out with some decent frames (in my opinion).

I was photographing this event on deadline for my sports class, and unfortunately I completely flubbed the captions. I didn't ID most people, and I missed a lot of important information about the event...oh well, live and learn.

Also, this year's event broke the record for number of teams, competitors, and money raised: 155 teams, over 2,000 competitors, and over $10,000 raised!

Product on White

2011-09-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

As a senior this fall, I am taking the Advertising Photo 1 course that is required of all the junior advertising majors. Why? Well, why not? In the past year I have come to really enjoy the studio environment (whether in a studio or on-location). I love photographing ad-style sports stuff.

So, this is the first assignment of the quarter. It was a very basic technical lighting assignment:

- Photograph 2 different objects
- Shoot each with hard shadows, soft shadows, and a drop shadow

I'm very excited to see where this course takes me!

Photojournalism DC Trip Day 5

2011-09-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

An appropriate way to end the trip.

On the final day of the trip we visited NPR, Reuters, and the Washington Post.

Even though NPR isn't exactly my job of choice (too much video), it was very cool to again meet David Gilkey, and hear what he has to say about modern photojournalism.

Reuters is right up there on the list with AP and Getty. They are also a wire service, and even though they don't cover every single MLB game of the season like AP, they encourage unique and different photographic styles which is a cool concept. AP has become known as "the wire service of record" because of this difference in style.

Photojournalism DC Trip Day 4

2011-09-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Professor William Snyder's wife, Amy reacts with laughter as she sees an image of her husband from years prior in an interview. The interview was taken for a documentary on the Pulitzer Prize Snyder won for the 1992 summer Olympic games held in Barcelona.

Great quote.

After attending the Isaiah Thomas Award In Publishing ceremony, we all went to the Newseum to explore. The Newseum is a museum for news and journalism which includes an entire section devoted to Pulitzer Prize photographs and photographers. Very cool!

Photojournalism DC Trip Day 3

2011-09-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a big day for the senior photojournalists on this trip (at least it was for me). We visited National Geographic, the Associated Press, AARP, and then attended a RIT alumni dinner.

My focus was on the Associated Press (AP). I has visited the bureau in Philadelphia this summer, so it was cool to visit in a different location.

We mainly talked with David Ake, the assistant chief of photo. An interesting thing about this trip was actually the location. In Washington DC, everything revolves around politics. Most photographers have a good portion of their assignments at the White House, or Capital Hill, etc. However, David said that if you are outside DC, 60% of your work is sports. Awesome!

After the meeting, we got to get our portfolios reviewed. After looking over my work, David said something that made me skip a beat: "Nice start. You've got skills, and you'll do alright." Wow. To hear that from the assistant chief of photo at the AP was definitely a confidence booster.

Photojournalism DC Trip Day 2

2011-09-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

Day 2 was definitely more eventful than day 1. Today, we hit USA Today, Education Week, and then Getty Images.

USA Today was cool because we got to talk with their sports editor. With all this video talk lately, it was nice to hear him say that the sports department is still primarily stills. During lunch, I got to talk with one of their photographers who had been with the company since before Day 1: Dar Beiser.

Then we went to Eduction Week, "the most important newspaper you've never heard of." It is a small publication with a circulation of 45,000 that is highly rated in their market of education. What was interesting is that they had one of the best (if not the best) day rates in the industry. Nowhere I have ever been has even been close. It's too bad I have zero interest in working there...where are the sports??

And lastly, Getty. The purpose of this meeting was to be shown first-hand the stressful working environment of the modern wire photojournalist....but really it was us eating 5 Guys, drinking beer, and talking about photography. It was relaxed and chill. I liked it! One of the photographers, Louie Palu was a fellow Canadian with an amazing accent. The Canadian jokes were flying!

"The gold-plated Magnum helicopter isn't going to land in your backyard and whisk you away to the perfect assignment."

The photographer that really caught my eye, however, was Chip Sododevilla. He made politics seem like the Super Bowl (no easy task)!

"You have to be good at turning chicken shit into chicken salad." He was very good at that.

Photojournalism DC Trip Day 1

2011-09-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

This week I got the opportunity to go on a trip to Washington DC to meet and talk to professionals in the photojournalism industry.

Day 1: McClatchy Tribune.

I had never heard of this organization before, but it was pretty neat. They basically operate 30 daily newspapers throughout the country. All photos are streamlines to this agency, and then wired everywhere. They are the second largest wire behind the AP. They would directly with the newspaper photographers, and they hire freelancers as well. I think it could be a pretty cool gig to get in a a freelancer with them.

Seems like I need to get on the NPPA "find a photographer" list because that is what they uses exclusively if they're in a bind and need a photographer.

Friday Night Lights

2011-09-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

In the sports photo class I'm taking this quarter we had to photograph Friday night football around Rochester. I chose to go to the Gates-Chili vs Churchville-Chili game.

Now, I grew up in Texas watching Texas high school football. So, attending a Rochester game was a little disappointing, but hey, I wasn't expecting much anyway (lol).

The assignment requirements were:

- We had to shoot in single frame (no motor drive)

- We had to bring a copy of the rosters back to turn in

- We had to have frames showing that we used a custom white balance

- Exactly 2 hours after the clock hit zero, we had to edit, caption and transmit 5 images from varying scenes of the game (action, sideline, crowd, etc)

I hadn't photographed football since high school, but the weird thing is that my better photos (in my opinion) didn't come from game action maybe I have learned something from Snyder!

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

A short time-lapse video of the hurricane clouds as they clear.

Hurricane Irene blasted through the northeast leaving billions of dollars worth of damage. I woke up that morning to find out that Main St. in Manayunk Philadelphia had been flooded during the night. Can you say, photojournalist opportunity? I grabbed my gear, notepad, and flip-flops and left. Only a short walk down the hill later, and I was confronted with a flood (pun intended) of media, spectators, and an abundance of water from the Schuylkill River flowing through the street. I wandered and photographed for four hours until my knee injury forced me back home.

What interested me about this flood is that it actually happened. What I mean by that is that I grew up in Plano, Texas, and every year we had about a half dozen or so legitimate tornado warnings. Every time my family and I hunkered down to prepare for the touchdown. But here's the thing: it never happened. In the 10 years I lived there, I can't remember a single tornado hitting Plano. They would hit surrounding towns and cities, but never Plano. Therefore, I have grown to worry very little when natural disaster warnings arise.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm glad that Irene came and ruined everyone's party, but it was just interesting to be down photographing it, and realizing all those warnings and speculations had actually amounted to something.

2011 Liberty Figure Skating Competition

2011-08-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

At some point I want to find a figure skating pair and do this shot, but as a set up with lights and everything. I'm actually really excited to try it.

Avg 80-90 photos per skater. 4-6 skaters per group. 3 groups per event. 9 events per day. 2 days = about 20,000 photos

Craigslist is a real hit or miss place to find jobs. However, I still check it daily because of jobs like this! I was brought on as an extra shooter for Straw Productions at a figure skating competition is Aston, PA (and apparently it's a rather big one, too). The job: stand in the penalty box, and follow every skater while banging off as many frames as I can. So, from 8am-8pm on July 13th and 15th, I did just that.

Now, I must say, this style of photographing becomes very monotonous, but hey, it's a paying job. The worst part about the gig, however, was that there was zero room for creativity (and I like creativity). It was cool to photograph pairs skating, though since I had only ever shot singles.

All in all, it was a paying job that got me connected with some cool photographers, but I would like to stray away from this style of shooting as much as possible.

Independence Day Fireworks 2011

2011-07-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

2011 Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade

2011-06-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday June 12. I woke up and found out via Twitter that it was the day of the Gay Pride parade. I had to go! I mean, why not? I knew it would be interesting, and it definitely was. After getting to center city Philadelphia on the train (which I am always nervous about riding since I have very little experience with public transit) I started heading to the parade. Unfortunately, I only caught the last 15 minutes or so of the actually parade, but I forked over $10 and got into the festival.

27th Philadelphia International Cycling Championship

2011-06-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the 27th annual professional cycling race in Philadelphia. The race consisted of 10 laps of a route which connected the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the hillside of Manayunk (where I am). The cyclists rode a total of 156 miles starting at 9am this morning.

Now, apparently lots of these riders will be competing in the Tour de France...pretty cool! I didn't know going into this what to expect, but I spent the day roaming with my girlfriend and her family shooting and doing a bit of day drinking. I quickly found out why Manayunk is sometimes known as a college town. While roaming the streets, the houses along the race route were filled with college students (or a bit older) drinking all kinds of cheap beer, and playing a variety of drinking games. It was pretty fun just to go around people watching.

FC Dallas vs Real Salt Lake

2011-05-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday May 22. FC Dallas forward Fabian Castillo (right) fights against Real Salt Lake defender Jameson Olave (left) as he tries cutting toward the net. The match ended in a 0-0 tie after being postponed for an hour and 52 minutes in the 83rd minute of play due to dangerous weather conditions.

Shawty Lo Expressionism

2011-05-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to wait until I had this class project complete to post it. The class was named "The Idiosyncratic Photographer." WTF does that mean? Hmm I didn't know either, so I looked it up:

id·i·o·syn·cra·sy

n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies

1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.

2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.

3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.

Well, I think we can rule out #3! However, a "characteristic peculiar to an individual." The class was about taking those personal peculiarities, and making a photography project around it. So, for me, as a photojournalist, I am always looking outwards to my subjects. Everything is about my subjects: an athlete, a local business, etc. Fall quarter of this past school year, I took some time to relax and shoot in the studio. The first thing I photographed was fruit splashes. Since most of my photography revolves around sports, and action, and motion, I realized that even when I'm in the studio, I can't get away from ACTION. So, this project was about my peculiar need for action, and motion.

This particular idea came from a commercial for a Canon Pixma printer, where they did the same type of motions, but with a high-speed camera. So, how are these abstract paint sculptures created? Take a black rubber balloon, and stretch it across a speaker. Then, place dots of paint on the rubber, and blast sound through the speaker. When timed correctly, the results show very abstract forms that are invisible to the naked eye.

Shawty Lo Expressionism was a title thought up by my friend Michael Conti when I told him that the song I had been using was Dunn Dunn by the rapper Shawty Lo (I was looking for strong, fast bass.....and obviously quality music haha).

All in all it was a very fun project to work on, and I actually have a number of ideas on how to take it further. I am excited for the fall to roll around so I can get back to RIT and continue the project.

RIT Goalie: Shane Madolora

2011-05-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

I got the opportunity to photograph RIT's hockey goalie Shane Madolora for Sports Zone. The original plan was to shoot on-ice action portraits of him making saves, but the timing just never working in my favor (the ice was taken out for graduation, and then the nets had been stored away, etc). So, the next idea was just a quiet, but intense headshot. This photo will end up on a bike shelter in the new bus stop by Gleason Circle on RIT's campus!

It was one of those photoshoots where during and right after the shoot I wasn't too happy with the results, but then I waited on it for a day. I then showed it to my boss, who really liked it, so then I warmed up to it. I feel like that happens whenever I do straight portraits since I don't do them very often. So, during the shoot, I don't really know what I'm doing, and I'm not very confident. I am hoping to do more portraits, so I can gain the experience.

Imagine RIT Festival 2011

2011-05-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 07. (from left to right) Uryah Taylor, Carson Van Wyngaarden, Ruby Taylor, Jayden Van Wyngaarden, and Joshua Van Wyngaarden perform in front of a green screen which brings them to the Amazon Forest. This is among the hundreds of events at the Imagine RIT festival. Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival is a campus-wide event that showcases the innovative and creative spirit of RIT students, faculty and staff.

Isac Chapman gets hit by a water balloon as it falls and pops on his head at the Imagine RIT Festival in Rochester, New York. The action was caught by slow motion video cameras, and displayed immediately.

Hannah Reale learns how to juggle plastic bags during the 2011 Imagine RIT Festival in Rochester, New York. Hannah and her father, Lewis have attended every Imagine RIT estival since it started in 2008.

Today was the 4th annual Imagine RIT Festival, and it was a doozy. Under the direction of Mr. William Snyder, and the Rise Above The Crowd program, we were given assignments (as well as general features) to shoot, and had to upload photos every chance we got (from 9am-5pm). If we shot something, we uploaded it ASAP. It was busy, but actually kind of fun. I had never realized truly how much there is to do at this festival. It was the end of the day, and I was still finding exhibits and events I didn't know about. While, I wasn't exactly looking foreword to the assignments today, I enjoyed it because it got me photographing a lot and interacting with the attendees more than usual. I think that even next year when I won't have the crazy deadlines, I will still shoot like I did today.

It was great practice for my future!

Empire 8 Semifinals: RIT vs Ithaca

2011-05-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Friday May 06. RIT junior Jordan Collins-Hartwig celebrates his goal in the second half of the Empire 8 semifinals against Ithaca. RIT will go on to play inthe finals on Sunday May 8 against Nazareth.

Friday May 06. RIT senior Jordan MacIntosh fights for the ball in the Empire 8 semifinal gme against Ithaca. RIT won the game 13-9, and will advance to the final game on Sunday May 8 against Nazareth.

Friday May 06. RIT junior Jordan Collins-Hartwig fights to keep posession of the ball as the clock ticks closer to zero signifying the Tigers advancement to the Empire 8 finals. The RIT Tigers (16-0) beat the Ithaca Bombers 13-9 in the semifinals on the RIT campus.

Friday May 06. RIT junior Matt Lescezynski celebrates from the sidelines as the Tigers gain the lead against the Ithaca Bombers at the Empire 8 semifinals. RIT will go on to play in the finals on Sunday May 8 against Nazareth.

RIT went into this game undefeated at 15-0. It's the best record in school history (behind the 1985 team). The season looked bleak, however, as the Tigers went down 6-1 at the half. The game quickly turned, though as RIT came out strong in the second half. RIT beat Ithaca 13-9. It was a very intense, and fun game to photograph!

It always amazes me how much larger of a crowd RIT sporting events have once the team is in the playoffs. Granted, that is the case with most school sports, but the RIT men's lacrosse team went undefeated...you would think they would gain more recognition by the time the playoffs came around.

I am very excited for the final game on Sunday!

RIT Spring Fest 2011

2011-05-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 30. Erik Smolinski (left) and Abe McAndrew (right) stretch their limbs to get their marker the farthest. The 2-lane Bunge Run is one of the many activities featured at the 2011 RIT Spring Festival.

Saturday April 30. Duncan Topley and his opponent (not pictured) fight against each other and the tension of a bungee cord to get the ball in the hoop.

Gallaudet Sports Weekend: Water Polo

2011-04-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

The Gallaudet Sports Weekend is a yearly competition between RIT and Gallaudet University (one of the most prominent deaf and hard-of-hearing schools in the country).

It was weird going to the pool, and seeing tons of spectators, but have it be relatively quite. Until the game started that is. Then, it was just like any other sporting event. I could only stay for the first quarter, but when I left, RIT was up 8-3.

Breezeway Battle of the Bands 2011

2011-04-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Friday April 8, 2011. Patrcick Church fine tunes the audio in preparation for RIT's Battle of the Bands contest, The Gamma Nu chapter of Phi Kappa Tau at RIT hosted the event showcasing the work of six different Rochester local bands.

Friday April 8, 2011. Guitarist Kenny Ende solos at RIT's 3rd annual Battle of the Bands contest. Phi Kappa Tau at RIT hosted the contest showcasing the music of six local Rochester bands.

Friday April 8, 2011. Members of the band Nasty Habit shake the foundation at Clark Gym at RIT's 3rd annul Battle of the Bands contest. Phi Kappa Tau at RIT hosted the contest showcasing the music of six Rochester local bands.

Friday April 8, 2011. The instruments from band members of The Steakouts await the upcoming performance at RIT's 3rd annual Battle of the Bands contest in Clark Gym. The Gamma Nu chapter of Phi Kappa Tau at RIT hosted the event with showcased six local Rochester bands of varying genres.

Friday April 8, 2011. Members of RIT's Phi Kappa Tau fraternity dance arm in arm to the ska music of The Steakouts. The fraternity hosted the 3rd annual Battle of the Bands contest at Clark gym on RIT's campus.

1) Shoot for 30 minutes

2) Run up and upload to my computer

3) Go shoot a bit more

4) Run back to upload, edit, caption, and transmit

5) Repeat

Last night we got an assignment to photograph the Breezeway Battle of the Bands on campus. For this assignment, however, we were to shoot on deadline. We had to transmit images (both via email and online) every hour, on the hour. It was intense and exhausting, but very fun. I don't think I stopped sweating the entire time. It was also a great learning experience for shooting and transmitting on very tight deadlines.

Men's Lacrosse RIT vs Geneseo

2011-04-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Bobby King takes a diving shot against RIT goalie, Robert Tennossen in the first quarter. RIT beat Geneseo 11-10 in the first overtime period.

Geneseo player gives a hard hit against Ian Dominick of the RIT Tigers.

Matt Murano celebrates from the sideline as the Geneseo Knights go up 7-4 in the second half against the RIT Tigers.

The RIT Tigers celebrate their 11-10 overtime win against the Geneseo Knights.

NYC Photojournalism Trip Day 4

2011-04-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED!! Today we went to SI (among other places), which has been my dream job since I was 14. We met with the director of photography, Steve Fine. Now, I had seen a presentation done by Steve before, so I knew of his personality, but I was in awe seeing him speak in person. "You don't get your foot in the door here. If you get a job here, I already know you better than you do." This really got me thinking because SI is literally the best sports photography agency in the business, and they know it. Only the greatest photographers get there (even as freelancers). To start, SI not only uses their 10 staff photographers and their freelancers for content, but they also spend hours scanning through the wires looking for photos. So, Steve's point is that if you get a shooting job at SI, you have already been working for a well known newspaper or a wire service (and have been knocking every assignment out of the park), so the editors at SI already know your work very very well, and they know if you are up to their standards. It was a scary thing to hear, but like a lot of things from this past week, it was also very motivational.

Sports Illustrated has done an amazing job transitioning into the digital era. In my opinion, they have done it better than any other news agency in the country. Why? They have an iPad app that is completely different and separate from their print magazine (it includes video, slideshows, and way more photos than could ever fit in a magazine). They have the Google Chrome "Snapshot" app that gives viewers a daily updated site showing the top 10 photos from the previous day. Very cool! And now, just recently, they introduced the Front Row app for iPhone/Android. This app gives live updates from any major sporting event...in photos! You can be watching your favorite teams in the Final Four while the court-side photographers beam you photos instantly showing you that game-winning dunk from a different angle than you had seen otherwise. I think this is the biggest and greatest part about Sports Illustrated. They know that the age of the print magazine is whittling down, but instead of complaining or trying to put all their effort into keeping the magazine alive, they invest in great ideas for the age of personal digital technologies. iPhone, Android, iPad, Zoom, etc, these are all outlets for SI to get their content to viewers instantly and creatively. They are doing an amazing job, and I can't wait to see how they evolve (and maybe one day work there)!

So, that is where I was to work, period. It's been a goal of mine for years and years, and I am going to work my ass of to get there!

As a final thought about the week, I went into it not understanding New York City at all. I didn't understand what was so amazing about it. However, after this trip I would say that I'm warming up to it. I wouldn't go so far as to say I love it, or even like it, but I'm starting to see the appeal.

NYC Photojournalism Trip Day 2 & 3

2011-03-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Random guy at the subway station talking about his flute playing. He said that the "eagle" feather was used for "spiritual reasons."

Mirror mind trick outside of Mediastorm.

Day two in the big city was spent at VII, Mediastorm, and then Getty Images. VII is a small gallery based around seven photojournalists who work with conflict photography. One of the coolest parts about this trip is getting an inside scoop on how these different companies and agencies work to produce their content. Even though I have no interest in ever working in conflict or war zones, it was still fascinating to discover how they get the photos that they get.

Then we took off to Mediastorm: a small video company primarily working with the post-production process. They receive raw video, still, and audio content, and once it leaves their hands, it's a beautiful masterpiece.

Finally, Getty Images! Now this is what I'm talking about! We met with four of their editors including the director of photography, Pancho Bernasconi. I left this meeting both excited and scared. It's scary hearing that if I am out photographing a football game, I need to shoot the kickoff, then (with my laptop next to me) transfer, edit, caption, and wire straight to the editor while still shooting the game. Then 15 minutes later, wire more photos. However, this is what I want to do. It's perfect for me and my sports endeavors (keep in mind I have yet to visit Sports Illustrated). What is cool about working for a wire service is that you don't have to be located in the city of their headquarters, and in fact most aren't. I take the photos, wire them via satellite to headquarters, then they ship them off to any publication who wants or needs my work. I think I was one of the only students in my class who actually left the offices wanting to work there. It is very demanding and stressful, but I feel like I would love it.

I just finished up day three, and I must say, I'm excited to see what this summer will bring. Today we visited the Wall Street Journal, AP, Human Rights Watch, and the studio apartment of Clay Patrick McBride (all very different). What was interesting about the Wall Street Journal was that the don't actually employ any staff photographers, only freelancers. Also, their front page editor, Matt Craig (who I also met at Northern Short Course two weeks prior) is only 25 years-old...! That's weird to think about.

Then, a company quite similar to Getty, the Associated Press! This is a wire company that I would also seriously consider working for. After meeting with both Getty and AP, my consensus was that the offices of AP are much more laid back then that of the Getty offices. Although, I do believe that the differences in presentation and environment of the meetings have a lot to do with that distinction because at Getty, we were in a meeting with four of their editors, and the conversation seemed to be a lot more intense, whereas our meeting with AP was with only one editor, in a smaller conference room, and held a lighter mood. One thing that was said at the AP meeting was that "[AP has] photographers at every single game of the four major professional sports every day." That's something I can get on board with!

We ended day three by visiting Clay Patrick McBride at his home. "Oh you're photojournalists? That's why you all have cameras then." He was an awesome guy, who differed greatly from the rest of the people we had visited so far. He was decked out in tattoos, and wore a black beater with a black leather jacket over top. His work out of college was what we would call at RIT "fine art." He scratched negatives, created montages, and created all kinds off artistic effects in the darkroom. However, in the 15 years since, he has slowly transitioned into a music celebrity portrait photographer. What got my attention were his "sportraits" from his hip-hop portfolio. This was not the most conventional visit, but definitely one that was well worth the time.

NYC Photojournalism Trip Day 1

2011-03-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

View of the city from William Snyder's temporary apartment.

I am not a city person. However, I am slowly (and I do mean slowly) finding things that I don't hate. This week, almost our entire photojournalism class has taken a trip into New York City to visit various businesses, photographers, and agencies in hopes of creating life-long contacts. I have pitched tent in a surprisingly decent hostel around East Harlem.

Today, we started by visiting Frank Fournier of Contact Press in his studio. "If you have to tell someone you hate their guts, tell them you hate their guts...visually I mean." From there we headed to Foto Care rental for several presentations including Anthony Suau and Alan Chin with Facing Change, and Andrew Fingerman with Photo Shelter. What really interested me was Andrew's presentation on Photo Shelter, and even though I already have an account, it got my brain churning with ideas of how to optimize its usage. Plus they gave us one free year for the site!

We finished to day by walking to William Snyder's temporary apartment (with the beautiful sunset view of the city), and hanging out with the guys from Facing Change for food, drink , and portfolio reviews.

Roc City Roller Derby

2011-03-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Lethal Lorelei of the 5-H8-5's watches the game against the Midtown Maulers from the sideline bench.

Midtown Maulers player, Goldie Fox stretches and prepares herself for the game against the 5-H8-5's.

Midtown Maulers captain, Asa Clubs shouts to her players from the sideline bench.

So, roller derby is interesting. The Gordon Field House at RIT was hosting the Roc City Roller Derby and I just had to go. This is another sport I have never photographed before (let alone witnessed). After finagling my way in, I was given the rundown on where I can and can't stand, where I should and shouldn't look, and that if these women get mad at me for let's say a direct flash, they will beat me up (and they will win). It was a lot of fun, and I hope to photograph it again soon! Needless to say, these girls are very, very fierce, and I have no doubt in my mind that they could beat me up quite easily.

Breakdance Competition

2011-03-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

I had to include this one just because it's always funny when you catch someone else's flash.

One of my goals for this quarter is to spend my weekends photographing events both on campus and around Rochester that have nothing to do with class assignments. Just go out and do it! RIT Breakdance contest: why not? I had never photographed breakdancing before, so this was a fun experience. I am still amazed at how much more comfortable I've gotten photographing things where I may feel out of place. For instance, when I arrived at this contest, I scoped out the environment, and then went straight into the crowd, and sat in the front row (with the real fans). I've said this before, and I'll say it again; I love being right in the middle of all the action. People are a lot more comfortable with me being there photographing them then I ever would have thought in the past.

NCAA Women's DIII Finals: RIT Tigers vs Norwich Cadets

2011-03-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hannah Epstein celebrates after scoring RIT's first goal of the game during the NCAA finals at Ritter Arena.

Norwich goaltender Cindy Fortin looks back at the puck just before it gets batted into the net.

The RIT bench jumps for joy as they score their second goal bringing it to a one-point game.

Amanda Wilks (left), Cindy Fortin (goaltender), and Sarianne Lynn (right) celebrate their 5-2 win against the RIT Tigers naming them the 2011 NCAA champions.

Melissa Rundlett (left) hugs Sarianne Lynn (right) after winning the NCAA final game at Ritter Arena in Rochester, New York.

Norwich goalie Cindy Fortin (left) celebrates with Joanie Plomondon (right) after winning the NCAA final game at Ritter Arena in Rochester, New York.

RIT senior Katie Stack (left) shows her tears after losing to the Norwich Panthers in the NCAA finals. RIT finished the season with only four non-winning games, which was the best in program history.

RIT assistant captain Traci Galbraith (left) and Norwich assistant captain Melissa Rundlett are brought to the center as they are awarded as the All Tournament Team for the season.

It was the NCAA finals, and the RIT women were in it for the first time in program history. I was set for the game. I set up a remote camera high in the TV broadcaster's crows nest facing the favored RIT bench. Unfortunately, the game didn't turn out as expected. RIT allowed more than three goals and one power-play goal for the first time all season. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have a camera facing the Norwich bench. However, it was still very fun and exhilarating rushing onto the ice after the game for the celebration! I felt bad when I was standing in front of the RIT girls as they were crying to photograph them, but I guess I should get used to that.

On a good note, (even though the men lost as well) the success of both the men's and women's hockey teams over the past two years has really gotten RIT on the map. They are finally being taken more seriously in the sports world, and not just the technical and photo worlds. It's been fun watching the teams grow in the three years I've been at RIT. I can't wait for hockey season next year!

NCAA Women's DIII Semifinals: RIT Tigers vs Middlebury Panthers

2011-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

RIT forward Kylie Mazzetta takes a shot against Middlebury goaltender Alexi Bloom during the NCAA semifinal game at Ritter Arena.

Megan Kobar celebrates after scoring in the second period. RIT beat Middlebury 5-2 to move onto the final game against Norwich.

Colbee McCrea celebrates RIT's first goal of the game.

RIT fans give high fives to goaltender Laura Chamberlain as she exits the ice from their 5-2 win over the Middlebury Panthers in the NCAA semifinal game at Ritter Arena.

Right after the men's game in downtown Rochester, I had to rush back to campus to photograph the women's semifinal game against the Middlebury Panthers. I walked in the back door right as the anthems were finishing up. By the time I got my media pass, a minute or so had passed in the game. It was a little frantic going from one game to the next in such a rush, but it was great to see the Tigers do so well.

NCAA AHA Semifinals: RIT Tigers vs UCONN Huskies

2011-03-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sean Murphy celebrates after scoring the goal that clinched the win for RIT against UCONN at the AHA semifinals. RIT won 4-2, and plays against the Air Force Falcons in the finals on March 19.

Shane Madolora makes a glove save in the first period of the NCAA AHA semifinal game against the Air Force Falcons. "I don't think we brought our "A" game, but Shane held us in there, and we were able to find other ways to win" said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson.

UCONN goaltender Garrett Bartus deflects the puck off his blocker in the NCAA AHA semifinal game against RIT.

RIT's Taylor McReynolds and UCONN's Sean Ambrosie send each other in different directions at the NCAA AHA semifinal game at Blue Cross Arena. The Tigers will face the winner between Air Force and Holy Cross in the championship game on March 19.

Sam (left) and Riley (right) Heckman gaze in awe as their hero Tigers win against the UCONN Huskies in the NCAA AHA semifinal game at Blue Cross Arena. Sam and Riley are part of Margaret's House day care center on the RIT campus, and they are "die-hard fans" says teacher Susan Lamb.

RIT fans heckle the UCONN Husky bench during the NCAA AHA semifinal game at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. The RIT "Corner Crew" aims to distract the opposition with chants and cheers that no child should hear.

Sean Murphy celebrates after scoring the goal that clinched the win for RIT against UCONN at the AHA semifinals. Murphy scored twice in the game, tying his career record for goals in a playoff game.

UCONN players bow their heads after losing to RIT in the NCAA AHA semifinals by a score of 4-2.

This was the first time I had photographed in the Blue Cross Arena in about a year and a half, and it was great! I'm actually glad that no one was allowed to shoot from ice level because it got me walking around and talking to people. For the sequence from the upper deck (including the first photo), I had actually gone up there with a plan to capture a specific shot. When Murphy scored the fourth goal, I knew I got what I was looking for! I was so excited, I just wanted to gloat to everyone! I won't be photographing the AHA final game against Air Force, but I hope they win!

Spring Break at Disney World

2011-03-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Kids get their faces painted like pirates after experiencing the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

The "good guy" at the stunt show escapes the bad guys in a ball of flames.

The Magic Kingdom.

Spring Break 2011!!! This year I got the chance to be a kid again and take my first trip to the magical Disney World. I drove down with my girlfriend and her family, and had a blast! There were times I wish I wasn't on vacation and I could actually photograph as usual, but relaxation and warm weather usually overcame me.

Final Dairy Farm Shots

2011-03-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

These are some of the last photos I shot of the Pittsford Dairy Farm before the end of the quarter. When everything was said and done, I actually had the beginning of a decent story. I was in the middle of the second to last shoot when I finally realized what "the story" was: a local dairy farm that has been working out of the same building since the late 1800s, and their struggle to keep up with daily routines/production and ancient machines as they make the transition to a new building. I am hoping the timing of their move to the new building will allow me to continue the story.

2011 Polar Bear Plunge

2011-02-18T19:13:00.000-08:00

February 13, 2011. The Polar Plunge: a winter frolic in the freezing waters of Lake Ontario. Stupid or courageous? Hmm, it seemed pretty fun to me! The 11th annual Polar Bear Plunge was a charitable event to help raise money for the Special Olympics. The water was 34 degrees, but that didn't stop more than 1,200 people from taking the plunge.

RIT Tigers vs Canisius Golden Griffins

2011-02-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

RIT beat Canisius 3-0.

Charles Corby Jr. Continued

2011-02-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

More photos from my story on Charles Corby Jr. of the Pittsford Dairy Farm.

Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2011. Brenna Thorpe (left) and Ashley Tarriff (right) cheer for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Wild Wings during the Super Bowl. They came up to Rochester with a group of friends from Penn State to compete in a mock trial tournament.

This year's Super Bowl was the first year I have had a legitimate assignment surrounding the event. To be honest I was actually excited to sit on a couch with friends, eat pizza, drink beer, and watch the game. I was pretty upset when I was given the assignment, however, I ended up enjoying the shoot. My original idea was to follow a pizza delivery guy around as he made his stops, but I was rejected by both Papa John's restaurants I went to. My next stop was Buffalo Wild Wings, which I knew would have a crowd given their room of massive flat screens. While waiting to speak with the manager, I noticed two girls who jumped up and screamed after almost every play. Once I introduced myself, and gave them my speech, I took a seat across from them right in the middle of their group. It was fun to just concentrate on their reactions, and wait for the right moment.

Freeze Fest 2011

2011-02-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

This is when I love going to a school that has such a huge deaf community.

RIT's annual Freeze Fest weekend (February 4-6) was filled with all kinds of events. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the greatest on Saturday, so it didn't draw the largest crowd. Some events included a sledding derby, ice sculpture demonstration, horse & carriage rides, and of course the hockey games.

RIT Tigers vs Air Force

2011-02-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2011. The game was scoreless going into overtime, and RIT needed a goal. With just under two minutes left in the overtime period, Adam Hartley sent a bullet one-timer to the back of the net. This was unfortunately a game in which I had set up the goal cam, but had resulted in very little action (and no goals) aimed in that direction.

RIT Rail Jam

2011-02-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

To kick of the weekend of Freeze Fest, RIT held their annual Rail Jam freestyle snowboarding and skiing competition. I took this as a chance to experiment with a lens I had used only a few times before: the Nikon 600mm f/4. The only other time I had used a lens of this focal length (the Canon version) was for photographing soccer and lacrosse, and I can tell you that it's a lot different photographing moving subjects with it when they are within 100 feet of the camera. It was a lot of fun though because I could just focus on the boards, the snow flying through the air, or everyone's faces and expressions.

JT Michalko

2011-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

My second story I've been working on is about JT Michalko. JT plays on the Rochester Wheels competitive wheelchair basketball team. When he was nine months old, he suffered from a fever of 107.9 degrees, and he actually died for a minute and a half in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. This event effected some of the receptors in his brain, which resulted in him having to get both his hips, thighs, and shins worked on by the time he was in second grade. He has been in a wheelchair ever since.

As I spend more and more time with JT, I am digging deeper and deeper into his story. We'll see where it goes.

Charles Corby Jr.

2011-02-08T00:46:00.000-08:00

These are the beginnings to my story on Charles Corby Jr. Charles and his father are the two main employees and operators of the Pittsford Dairy Farm (or Pittsford Farms Dairy as they are formally know) in Pittsford, New York. Most of Charles' time is spend at the farm. His "sleep" usually consists of a nap from 10 or 11pm to 3 or 4am. He is the backbone to the farm's daily routines and procedures.

The Pittsford Dairy Farm is known famously in the Rochester area for their unique taste to their milk. Their secret is in their pasteurizing. The milk has a significantly sweeter taste, and any of my friends here in Rochester can attest to that.

RIT Women's Hockey Card Photoshoot

2011-02-07T23:14:00.000-08:00

My job with RIT's Sports Zone allows me to do some photo shoots that my normal classes wouldn't. The final weekend of home games in the hockey regular season is scheduled for the weekend of February 11th. For these games, Sports Zone wanted to recognize the seniors on both the men's and women's teams. To do this, they are creating and printing traditional hockey cards to be handed out to the attendees of the games. I was assigned to the seniors on the women's team, and I was also given free reign to produce whatever style or kind of portraits I wanted. Inspiration struck as I noticed this tiger flag as it got skated around the rink before each game, so I had to incorporate it in my portraits.

Photo Set: World Psychic Expo

2011-01-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

When searching for events to photograph around Rochester, I ran across the World Psychic Expo. While it's not something I would usually attend, I thought it would be really interesting. It was definitely interesting, to say the least. Now, I am a non-believer, but I know that as a journalist, I need to leave my opinions behind. I went in with an open mind, and I was very respectful to everyone else's beliefs. It's always fun talking to the people at events I go to photograph, and listen to them talking about what they are passionate about. In the photos above, Kris Faso searches through the spiritual guides of his customer, Gwen White.

RIT Tigers vs SUNY Plattsburgh

2011-01-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

January 22, 2011. SUNY Plattsburgh goalie Mandy Mackrell dives from the puck to make sure it doesn't get in to the net. Plattsburgh stopped RIT's undefeated season with both weekend games ending in a tie.

January 22, 2011. RIT freshman Erin Zach argues with the referee and the SUNY Plattsburgh players during night two of the double-header. Even though both games ended in ties, the RIT Tigers (17-0-2) still hold the #1 spot in the country.

January 22, 2011. RIT's mascot Ritchie gestures to the opposing players to try and distract them. Even though both weekend games ended in ties, the RIT Tigers (17-0-2) still hold the #1 spot in the country.

Martin Luther King Day 2011

2011-01-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2011. Shawn bunch helps his daughter, Nevaeh skate around at Rochester's Manhattan Square Park Martin Luther King Day event. Every 10 minutes or so, audio clips from Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech came over the stereo system.

It was Martin Luther King Day, you know a national holiday. However, RIT being RIT doesn't cancel classes. Anyway, my professor decided to do it anyway, but he said as a "general news" assignment, we should go photograph MLK events around Rochester. After doing some research, I found out that Manhattan Square Park was holding a skating party to commemorate the holiday. It was 5 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill, and I decided to shoot an outdoor skating event. Obviously a great decision. In spite of the weather, I had a fun time meeting some of the people who attended.

RIT Tigers vs Bentley Falcons Night #2

2011-01-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

Cameron Burt slashes at the puck as he falls to the ice. Even though the game ended in a tie (3-3), Burt assisted Andrew Favot's goal late in the third period to start the Tigers' comeback from a 1-3 deficit.

Christina Ascani (left) and Meghan Jordan (right) scream "Tigers!" at the end of the national anthem. Christina and Mehgan are part of the Corner Crew at RIT, which means they are contribute to the loudest section of the rink.

Players from the Canandaigua Knights Squirt A hockey team crowd around the locker room door after the game to get autographs from their favorite players. They were screaming, "Burt! Burt! Burt!" in anticipation for Cameron Burt to finish his post-game routines.

RIT Tigers vs Bentley Falcons

2011-01-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

January 14, 2011. This weekend I got to try a goal cam remote for the first time. While I ran into a few problems, it was a very cool experience! Framing was a huge issue for me. The mount wasn't turned as much as it needed to be, and therefore the post in the back of the net was in the way of the housing rendering a tilted horizon. But you live and learn.

This was the first remote camera I had ever set up that I couldn't go and check multiple times just to make sure it was working. I did, however, take the chance to do so in between periods while the ice was being cleaned. These kind of remotes are very nerve-racking since I'm just standing behind the glass, pushing the button, and hoping everything is working. While there is a lot of luck involved with remotes like this, being able to anticipate the action is also a huge factor.

The best part is that the camera housing is mine until I graduate, so I'll be able to practice and experiment!

RIT Tigers vs Stevens Ducks

2011-01-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

Friday January 7, 2011. Everyone knows the theatrical sports scenes where the team that had been trailing the whole game magically comes back in the final seconds to win it! Well, this was kind of like that. The RIT Tigers were playing against the Stevens Ducks. RIT was winning by around 20 points halfway through the first half, but the gap was slowly closing in. With a minute left, it came down to a one point game. RIT threw a last shot up to win 73-70.

What made my day was during halftime a cute little kid came onto the court to shoot some hoops. He was quickly accompanied by "The Orange Man" which made an entertaining show for everyone in the gym.

Needless to say, I came out of that game in a great mood! It was a nice getaway from some of the other work I had been doing.

Family Skating Party

2011-01-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

On December 30, 2010, the Snell/Harper family held their annual skating party. Friends and family were invited to the North Wentworth Arena Ice Skating Rink in Flamborough, Ontario, Canada. Loaded with 250 Timbits (donut holes for my friends from the States) and gallons of hot chocolate, the Snell's took to the ice. While it was great to see family, and skate around for 2 hours, I had so much fun taking my camera on the ice for the hockey game. I have always wanted to take a wide-angle lens on to the ice during a hockey game. It's times like that when I'm glad I am Canadian, and have been skating since I could walk.

Window Seat With A Camera

2011-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

DFW Airport E Terminal

There was a question posted via Twitter a few months ago asking what the optimal seat is on an airplane (window, middle, or aisle). One of my friends responded with "Window, always with a camera," and I couldn't agree more! I tell you what, being 35,000 feet in the air to view a sunrise is spectacular. So, take my advice, and choose the window seat, but never forget a camera.

OASIS Cricket Tournament

2010-12-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

The Organization for the Alliance of Students from the Indian Subcontinent (OASIS) club at RIT held a cricket tournament on Saturday, December 11. As I walked into the Gordon Field House, I saw a sport I had never witnessed before. I had done a bit of research before attending the event, but I had never seen the sport of cricket being played in person before. My consensus: it is awfully similar to baseball. I hope to photograph it again in the future, though because it was fairly fun.

RIT Track & Field Meet

2010-12-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Close-up Splash Photography

2010-12-06T17:05:00.000-08:00

To continue my fun experimental (non-pj) studio work, I wanted to try more splash photos, but this time a lot closer and with color. I went again with my friend Mike Cutler, who helped me out. We had some problems aiming the pours right where I wanted them, but the shots I came up with were exactly what I was going for: close intricacies of water splashes. I definitely want to go into the studio again and get more of these. What I ultimately want is shots of splashes that take on new forms as they fly through the air. I want to show how familiar forms and shapes are created by something we can't distinguish with our own eyes.

Hmm maybe that's too "fine art" for me.

RIT's 45th Annual Wrestling Invitational

2010-12-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

December 4, 2010. RIT hosted it's 45th annual wrestling invitational on Saturday in Clark Gym. 9 schools crammed into the gym along with 6 wrestling mats. SUNY Cortland took 1st place while RIT unfortunately held last.

I went to the meet with 4 lights and a plan to light it really well (like I had in the past), but I didn't do my proper research pre-event. When I got there, where I was expecting one mat in the center of the gym, I found six mats covering corner to corner. So, I decided to stick with ambient light. Wrestling is a sport I have shot since high school, but I never really paid attention to it. I'm slowly starting to understand more and more of the intricacies of the sport.

Women's Hockey: RIT Tigers vs Neumann Knights

2010-12-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

December 3, 2010. The RIT Tigers women's hockey team holds the #1 spot in the country right now with a record of 12-0-0. They tied the program record when they beat the Neumann Knights (4-4-0) 6-1. It's a shame more fans don't make it out to the games to watch the #1 (albeit division 3) team in the country.

The Hooters with special guest Beru Revue

2010-11-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Friday November 26, 2010. I got to photograph my first concert on Friday. I was in Philadelphia spending Thanksgiving with my girlfriend and her family when her dad, Jack McIntyre asked if I wanted to come along with him to a concert at The Electric Factory. Of course, I said yes! It was The Hooters with special guest Beru Revue, and even though I had only heard a few songs by each of these bands, I couldn't pass up this opportunity. The concert was amazing! We got to go backstage and into the dressing room of Beru Revue, which was a blast! Bob Beru is quite a character.

RIT Tigers vs UCONN Huskies

2010-11-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

November 14, 2010. I finally got to photograph my first hockey game of the season! It was so nice to get back into it. The Tigers beat the Huskies 5-3, with Andrew Favot grabbing his 100th point as a Tiger.

Open Paintball with the RIT Team

2010-11-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

If you've been following my story on RIT's paintball team, you have an idea of what I'm doing. With critique just around the corner, I had time to photograph them one last time. A few of the guys went to an open paintball event for fun, and I must admit, I never really realized how good they all were until they duked it out with other "advanced" players.

Since my quarter with the team is at an end, personal analysis is in need. First of all, I had a lot of fun! This is the reason I love shooting sports so much. I was in the middle of it all. I was, at times, in the line of fire, getting shot at myself. It was very intense! It was also, of course, a great learning experience. Needless to say, I have a new respect for war photographers. I will admit that I failed to cover enough stuff outside the action. I learned that some of the best photos occur outside the line of fire. As my professor William Snyder put it, I need to stop trying to capture "the definitive paintball picture." As I gain more and more experience with storytelling, I will start to think and see more of the in between moments. The thing I love about spending over 5 weeks with a particular subject is the relationships you gain. By the end of the quarter, I was being asked to play with them, party with them, etc. I have made many friends through this that I normally would've never met. I am definitely going to go back to a few practices in the future to follow up and photograph them more.

Twins!

2010-11-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

Joelle Eckenrode gave birth to twin girls the evening of November 5th, 2010. With another daughter (2) at home, Joelle couldn't be happier for the new additions to her family.

For my Photo as Narrative class, we have to photograph "rites of passage," and a birth definitely counts. I was a little iffy about the whole thing at first, but I surprised myself at how I handled it. It was an incredible experience, and it really is the miracle of life (cheesy I know). I caught myself tearing up a couple times just because of how emotional the whole thing is.

RIT Paintball Team Practice #5

2010-10-31T14:01:00.001-07:00

As the end of the quarter is closing in, my story needs to get tighter (and a lot better). I finally finished building my wooden/plexi camera housing and it works fantastically!! It's so fun being out there getting shot at (and hit) with them! Only a couple practices left...

High-Speed Make-up Photoshoot

2010-10-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Before anyone gets all excited and flustered, just know that I stole this idea from someone else (although I wish I could call it my own). I am, however, brainstorming my own rendition. Anyway, I saw a behind-the-scenes video for this shoot, and just had to do it. This was only my second time in the studio all quarter, and it was nice to step away from "Snydoland" (as William calls it) to do some studio work. The images have a very artistic feel to them. I almost want to put them in a slideshow with slow piano music. It was a fun shoot with the help of my friend Mike Cutler, and Jack McIntyre as an observer.

Might I add that I shot this with the Canon 200mm f/2.0, and it exceeded all my expectations for studio shots. It is ridiculously sharp!

RIT Paintball Team Practice #4

2010-10-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

For this week's paintball practice I built a wooden/plexi housing for my camera so I could be out there shooting during their practice games (as opposed to hiding behind the netting). However, right before I left for practice, I went to pull the film off the plexi and it wasn't clear, but fogged. :( So, I had to do without it, but I'll definitely have it for next practice.

RIT Soccer

2010-10-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

This past week I have rekindled my summer love with soccer. I shot three games, and I surprised myself when I said that I missed it.

Brick City Weekend

2010-10-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Chuckin'

RIT Hockey Tailgate Party

Autographs After Practice

Last weekend was RIT's Brick City Homecoming weekend. Every day is full of events of all different kinds. For my Photo as Narrative class, we had an assignment to shoot a few events throughout the weekend. That Saturday, I photographed 5 events in 5.5 hours. I was busy! First of all, I had work from 8:30am to noon. I went straight from work to shoot the last 30 minutes of Pumpkin Chuckin', then to the men's soccer game, the alumni lacrosse game, the women's soccer game, and finally to the hockey tailgate party. Whew!

Photo Set: Foggy Night (The Human Element)

2010-10-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

RIT Team Paintball Practice #2

2010-10-12T05:11:00.000-07:00

Week 2 with RIT's paintball team. Since it is ridiculously dark in this arena, I decided to bring lights this time. Unfortunately, with cinder black walls and a high wooden ceiling, it's a pretty big challenge to light the place too. I got to mess around, but most importantly I learned about what to do and what not to do for next practice.

The team's tournament on the 16th was canceled for some reason, which was going to be the main part of my photo story. After asking my professor what I should do, he told me that he's glad I didn't go photograph the tournament. A big thing this quarter in my PJ as Narrative class has been not "photographing what's there but photographing how it feels (to be there)" So, that's what he wants me to do for the rest of my paintball story: photograph how it feels to be on that field playing paintball i.e. the intensity, the teamwork, the pain, etc.

Photo Set: RIT Mud Tug XV

2010-10-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

This was one very dirty competition. An all-out tug-of-war contest with an unforgiving mud pit for those not strong enough. Hosted by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, RIT's 15th annual Mud Tug event brought many groups of students outside to play in the mud. I had a blast! These kind of events are so much fun because of all the intensity and fun happening in every direction. It's almost impossible to come away without good pictures.

RIT Paintball Team Practice

2010-10-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

The quarter-long photo story I have taken on for my Photojournalism as Narrative class, is photographing RIT's paintball team. I went to their first practice of the year, and got to be on the field as they practiced! It's very intense! I have run into two problems, though: 1) it is ridiculously dark in there (so I am going to try and bring strobes next practice) and 2) I don't really have a story yet...... kind of important I'd say, but I'll figure it out. Stay tuned for more.

RIT Hockey Faceoff (billboard)

2010-10-01T18:30:00.001-07:00

This morning I photographed Andrew Favot and Cameron Burt of RIT's division 1 hockey team for Sports Zone. This shot took a lot of planning and was a shot I was very nervous about. The test shots didn't turn out good at all, but fortunately during the real shoot everything just fell in to place. The VERY cool thing about this photo is where it will be printed. Along with the usual posters pinned throughout campus, it is being printed on to a 22 by 10 foot wall on the side of an advertising truck! I am so pumped to see it! The truck will be driving around campus and around Rochester during RIT's Brick City Homecoming weekend (the weekend of the 16th). Keep an eye out for it!

Photo: Splash Photography

2010-09-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today I attempted my first splash photos. I knew some of the basics, but I had never tried it before. I brought my friend Mike Cutler (who incidentally is also new to splash photos) to help me out. I must say, this shoot was a lot of fun! I know these are very stereotypical splash photos, but it's pretty cool to know how to copy it. Whenever I have the time, I am definitely revisiting this shoot to experiment more.

Photo: Rainy Night

2010-09-23T17:40:00.000-07:00