Photos

Sun, Waves & Balance

Windnsea Beach

Quarantine has been filled with a variety of emotions for everyone. Uncertainty & worry interwoven with peace & presence as we are forced to slow down and focus on what’s important.

As I was going through old photos, this one stood out. Peaceful sunset vs. endless ocean waves.

In all situations, we have the ability to choose what we focus on. Our focus can make us happy, optimistic, creative & kind. Or it can bring us into misery, negativity, fear & criticism.

Times are tough for everyone right now, and some more than others. But during this crazy time, ask yourself how you can focus on more of the sun and less of the waves. The photo was taken in May, 2009 at Windansea Beach in La Jolla, CA.

Two Years of Instagram

I recently passed the two year mark on Instagram - here are a few of my favorite images.   See the whole feed here.

Ice Hockey Photographs: Camera Settings

Here are some recent images I have taken at various NHL, World Junior, and College Hockey games.  Shooting hockey games (and playing) is one of my biggest passions, but it also took some time to learn which camera settings were best to use.  When I first started out, many of my images ended up coming out exteremly dark and blury.

Hockey is such a fast paced game, and as a photographer you do not have the luxury of bright sunlight that outdoor sports have.  So you will need to adjust your camera settings to make sure your camera is able to handle the speed of the game, and the low light of the indoor arena.  Below I have listed which settings I use when shooting hockey games.

To get best results for Ice Hockey Photographs (or other indoor sports) typical settings should be:

  • Manual Mode (M)
  • Small-medium f-number (f/5.6)
  • Shutter speed 1/500s
  • ISO level 800 - 1600 (go with a higher ISO level if the lighting is poor)

X Games Pictures: 2010

The X Games never disappoint. Every year each athlete lays it on the line to progress their respective sport. This year I took some photographs ofX Games 16 on Thursday.  Thursday's events included Moto X Freestyle, Skateboard Street, Super X Adaptive, Super X (men & women), and Skateboard Big Air. Thursday's X Games events took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Event Deck at L.A. Live (across from the Staples center).  Take a look below, and check out my picture documentary of the 2009 X Games.

Some of the athletes that participated in this years X Games include Ashley Fiolek, Andy Macdonald, Travis Pastrana, Nate Adams, Jake Brown, Bob Burnquist, Ryan Sheckler, Shaun White, Robbie Maddison: check out the full list of invited athletes here.

1. A picture of the Super X start at the L.A. Coliseum.

2. Travis Pastrana salutes the crowd after he lands his double back flip.  Watch it here.

3.  Nate Adams gives a fist pump to the crowd after his final run.

4. Jake Brown launches off of the mega ramp.  Jake won gold in Skateboard Big Air, which is his second gold in as many years.  Remember the biggest fall in skateboarding history?

5.  Freestyle Moto X semi finals.

6. Adam Jones taking a turn during one of his runs.

7.  Bob Burnquist gets some air on the mega ramp.

8. Bob Burnquist salutes the crowd after a great run.

8. Robbie Maddison launches off of a ramp during FMX semi final rounds.

9.  Maddo is attended to after a crash.  The crash took him out of FMX but he finished second in MX Best Trick a day later.

10. A look down the street at X Fest.

11. Live music at X Fest.

12.  Fans at the VIP section taking a look at the Skateboard big air finals.

13. A look at the mega ramp.

14. A few skateboarders taking a cart up to the top of the mega ramp.

15. Jake Brown getting ready to dive in.

16.  Jake taking a break after a fall during practice.

17. Ashley Fiolek on her way to a gold medal in Womens Super X.

18.  The start of Mens Super X.

19.  Travis Pastrana taking a victory lap.

20.  Skateboard street at L.A. Event Deck.

21. Pastrana was one of the only riders to make use of the wall in the middle of the FMX course.

22. Pastrana talking to the ground crew before one of his runs.

23. Ryan Sheckler after a run at Skateboard Street.

24. Sal Masekela looking over his notes before going on live TV.

25. Adam Jones adjusts his handlebars before hitting the ramp.

26. Unreal.

27. A FMX rider salutes the crowd.

28. Travis Pastrana entering the course.

29.  The Cat out preparing the course before FMX.

30. Ryan Sheckler during one of his runs to a gold medal.

31. A few of the skaters getting ready for Skateboard Street Finals.

32. A view of the L.A. Coliseum during sunset.

Check out my pictures of the 2009 X Games.

Here is a full report of all of the 2010 X Games Results.

X Games Pictures: 2009

The 2009 X Games lived up to all of the hype and expectations of previous years. I had the chance to take pictures during the Friday night X Games events at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, and all of the Saturday events at the Home Depot Center. I posted a few of my pictures from the X Games below.  I had a great time watching these athletes compete and push their sport to another level as the Extreme Sports progression continues.

1. Motocross riders cross while the green flag is waved at the Home Depot Center during X Games 15. Here is some footage from the Super X final.

2. A freestyle motocross rider looks out at a fellow rider as he waits his turn during a practice run.

3. Dave Mirra takes a break at the top of the BMX Big Air jump at the Staples Center during X Games 15. Take a look at the double front flip that was landed by Anthony Napolitan during BMX Big Air.

4. Sctt Murray prepares for his double backflip attempt at the Staples Center during the 2009 X Games.

5. Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg waits to roll into a Freestyle Motocross run at the Home Depot Center. The back of his helmet pays tribute to a fallen Metal Mulisha teammate, Jeremy Lusk.

6. A Red Bull SuperMoto Rider turns a corner at the Home Depot Center. Here is some footage ESPN posted to Youtube of the Supermoto race.

7. Close up of Jamie Bestwick riding in the BMX Vert Finals during X Games. Here is some footage from his gold metal run.

8. Travis Pastrana takes flight and attempts his newest trick, the Toilet Paper Roll, in front of a packed house at the Staples Center. The trick was created to show off at X Games 15. Here is some pre X Games footage of him practicing his new trick. Watch his X Games 15 attempt here.

9. Fans look on during the Skateboard Vert competition.

10. Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg waits to get the go from the event staff before one of his runs.

11. A FMX rider airs out during a run in the Freestyle Motorcross Finals.

12. Todd Potter takes off during the Freestyle Motocross Elimination Round. Potter won gold for MX Best Whip.

13. Motocross Best Trick warmups inside the Staples Center in LA.

14. All eyes on the Skateboard Vert ramp during X Games 15.

15. A cameraman across the way captures the same moment, but different angle of skateboarder Pierre-Luc Gagnon during the Skateboard Vert Final. Here is his gold medal run.

16. A fan looks down on Scotty Cranmer during the BMX Freestyle Park warmups. Here is some footage from Scotty's gold metal run.

17. Dennis McCoy getting the crowd pumped up before the BMX Vert Finals Start.

18. A FMX rider takes off the opening ramp during the Elimination Round.

19. Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg goes big at X Games during the FMX Finals as the Home Depot Center watches.

20. Riders jockey for position during the start of a Motocross Race at the Home Depot Center during X Games 15.

21. Jamie Bestwick gets some air during his championship run at the BMX Vert ramp.

22. X Games 15 Skateboard Street final.  Here is some footage of the final.

23. Supermoto Finals at the Home Depot Center.

24. A Freestyle Motocross rider eyes his landing during the Freestyle Elimination rounds.

25. A cameraman gets up close and personal for a unique angle before the start of a Motocross race.

26. Blake Williams ponders his run before he drops in the freestyle course. Take a look at Blake's gold medal run here.

27. Fans cheer before the start of a Motocross race at the Home Depot Center.

28. David Beckham signs autographs outside of the Staples Center after filming a commercial after the X Games.

29. Concerned fans, riders, staff, friends, and family look over Travis Pastrana after his failed attempt during Moto X best trick. He was able to walk it off, salute the crowd, and compete in the Rally Car races two days later.  Take a look at an interview two days after the crash.

30. A FMX rider holds on tight during the Freestyle MX Elimination round.

31. Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg takes a look into the camera.

32. An ESPN X Games 15 reporter glances over some notes before she goes live.

33. Close up during the BMX Vert Final.

34. Two riders race for position during Saturday's Motocross Race.

35. A BMX Rider prepares for his run during a BMX Vert Ramp practice session.

36. A supercross racer is attended to after a crash at the X Games.

37. Staff at the Home Depot Center make some adjustments to the track before the Motocross Qualifiers.

38. An interview for FuelTV after a BMX vert run.

39. Freestyle skateboarding qualifiers.

 

Check out my pictures of the 2010 X Games.