Life, one Slice at a time

06•28•15

Summer Camp – a time to Get Ready for the Sidelines

Sideline Class at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg

“I got it” Lauren announced loudly to her new friends gathered nearby as she peaked up from her Canon Rebel T5 viewfinder. She just captured Phoebe dressed in her ballerina outfit as she leaped in flight. She turned the camera’s 3-inch LCD screen for Darby and Reese to see and then smiled. Jacqui and I knew instantly that on this final day of shooting sports photography the camp was a success.

Summer Camps at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg, Maryland was the sponsored location for Game Day Poze photographers Jacqui South and I, Phil Fabrizio to perform as day camp teachers. The Arts Barn is situated in the small, intimate neo-traditional community on the lands of the former Kentlands farm in suburban Maryland. The city of Gaithersburg created a district Center for the Arts in the old Kentlands barn and adjoining Mansion complex. The Arts Barn houses a 99-seat theatre; numerous art studios and common area exhibit spaces. The barn was full this week with a variety of camps. We were in Studio 104 for our first ever week of Sports Photography Views from the Sidelines camp.

Our curriculum was created for students aged from 12 to 17, middle school through high school students. Various age ranges signed up. I will admit the all female camp participants surprised me at first since I had envisioned that the subject matter would attract a few budding Walter Iooss Jr’s. We both quickly learned from the campers that sports and photography were not necessarily a focal combination because not one family had a subscription to Sports Illustrated. Thanks goodness we had a dozen old SI’s for them to look at as teaching examples.

The camp’s daily structure included small group discussions, lectures, short videos, a review of nightly assignments, photo editing and theme days. Blessed by the scenic Kentlands Arts district where we safely allowed all to wander nearby and practice, this was the real plus for those Arts Barn student campers who have a passion for photography. Our classes were aligned in this manner:

Day One – Get C.L.O.S.E – covered subjects such as composition, lighting, opportunities, seeing well and exposure metrics. Time was spent on learning how to use a DSLR camera and lens, either the ones they brought or one of our own NIKON’s.

Day Two – Get Wet – baptism by rapid-fire camera motor drives was the theme. Here we had a long session on sports field composition, on field positioning and sports field layouts all leading towards how to best take advantage of space and time. We also covered ways to seek proper permissions to gain on field access. Together we focused on the processing of digital captures and analyzing magazine photography – what makes good photos and what key items to look for. Then it is off to shoot swimming and tennis at nearby pools and courts crowded with swim teams practicing and tennis camp participants.

Day Three – Get the Shot – shooting wide open was our theme for the morning and it was practiced at a local outdoor basketball court and tennis court. By the afternoon we were deep into basic photo editing and discussion of sideline photography as they and we experienced it. Jacqui gave the camp participants her perspectives as a women photographer and what it is like working in a male dominated environment.

Day Four and Five – Get a Sense 4-It – The Who’s infamous rock opera Tommy tune See me, Feel me, Touch me – was the theme for the day putting together the learning’s gathered in the prior three day to compose the ultimate sports photos. The best fun was saved for the final day when we had a Sports Portrait session using camp participants. Schlepping photo materials, setting up gear and then photographing the occasional wild life whose lakeside habitat we now invaded. Students modeled their own brand of action sports wear/paraphernalia as we all directed and photographed them.

Showtime – Artwork display on the final day – its parent’s day. Now all the photo editing made sense to our students. Over the course of the camp we had the students judge each other’s work daily with the objective of them editing the best photos for a slideshow montage display on the last day.

Well over 3,000 photos were taken during camp week and in the final 45 minutes before the show time deadline they choose the 50 best photos. Our daily editing efforts paid off, as this less glamorous side of the sports photography business challenge was met head on with students equipped to know what makes a great sideline photo, the when and how to get a photo and, of course, the why.

The first British women’s sports photographer to shoot from football sidelines [touchlines], Hy Money, would be proud of these budding women sideline photographers, both Jacqui and I are.

06•11•15

Seven on Seven – Spring Football

Seven on Seven football has become a spring rite of passage for rising High School sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in playing varsity in the fall. The 2014-2015 sports calendar for high school students ends with the last pitch of the Varsity Baseball state championship, which coincides with Memorial Day weekend. The following week prospective varsity football players and their coaches can take the field in a game of touch football in round robin league play. This “spring football” season is quick and ends before the last day of school, which this year is Monday, June 15.

I caught a few spring games as played at Seneca Valley HS in Germantown. What I like about these spring games is that first, it is a low-key event and two, and you can get close and find great expressions on these student athletes.

Here is a short slideshow of the a few area teams that include Paint Branch, Clarksburg, Damascus and Quince Orchard.

06•02•15

Wine and Swine from the Sidelines

Wine and Swine from the Sidelines
Tuesday, 6/16 to 7/7 – Gaithersburg, MD
Arts Barn in the Kentlands
7PM -9:30PM

Join me for this 4-week class for budding action sport photographers. Class includes off-site assignments and discussion. Last class features overview of photography and BBQ dinner with wine. Dinner price TBD. Participants must bring a digital camera with a minimum of a 4GB SD card. Age: 21 years and up. Register code #42180 with the City of Gaithersburg –

02•12•14

Clueless ISO – 3 Blonde Women – two 78’s and one 74.

My editor at the Town Courier News is great. She gives you all the assignment facts but every now and then I miss the buried clue. Thus, I am clueless.

Here I am last evening siting near the bar at Not Your Average Joe’s (NYAJ) looking for three women who write a blog called “Hardly Getting By” (www.hardlygettingby.com). I need to take a picture of them for the paper in their creative environment. It somehow has to do with wine.

So going without their names (it was lacking from my editor’s email) I go out approaching groups of seated women at NYAJ – with the introduction line – “Do you write a blog?” After about a 4 turn-downs and strange looks from the wait staff – I slink back to my four-seat table top across from the bar.

The waiter again approaches me to ask if I wanted to order something – so I picked the first appetizer – teaser – that sounded good and ordered a beer so that he would go away. I flip to my smartphone – why do I call it smart – to re-read my editors note. I get a bit more frustrated and write her (it’s dinner time) and ask for the women’s names – which she earlier described as being between 40 & 50 in age.

Then the ah-ha moment – I see the link to the blog site in the editor’s earlier email and click on it – bingo up pops their blog – and what do you know there is even a picture of 3 blond women – yucking it up in what looks like – a booth at NYAJ’s. They look like they are laughing at me – this fool with a bunch of cameras – searching them out.

Just then I hear women laughing from behind me and to my left. I spy through the break in the glass panes that separate the dinning area from the bar and what do I see – 3 blondes.

Emboldened by my prior bar pick up line failures this time I get “smart” and take my phone with me and approach the booth.

“Excuse me” I begin – “but I have been looking for 3 blonde women all night and you all look like the ones on this blog site”. I turn the smartphone towards them – they all start giggling – and basically say – where the heck have you been all night didn’t you hear us. Of course that makes me explain my sojourn of introductions to would-be bloggers/diners.

I cajole them to bring their drinks and join me at my special table – photo booth – where I promised to make them all look cute – and tell my story.

As it turns out we all live around the Darnestown / Gaithersburg area – have lots in common – and even write blogs from homes that have the same Zipcodes 20878 – all but for Kristen – who really lives in old Darnsetown, she is the 74.

They treated me to a beer and my teaser – appetizer and now I owe them a mention in my blog and perhaps a few future glasses of wine with waters all around.

Here is their picture – and you can catch their blog at www.hardlygettingby.com

Hey Girls – Game On – tag your it!

Two 78’s and one 74

08•18•13

Boardwalks and Sea Gulls – Seaside Heights NJ

Seaside Heights NJ

It has been slightly over 2 years since I was last up to Seaside Heights NJ with my camera. And about 10 month since Hurricane Sandy stormed through the area.

I don’t know what I was expecting but in a way it was a pleasant surprise to see that the recovery efforts were visible everywhere. That is not to say that all is back as it was or has returned to normal. It hasn’t and it won’t be the same as it once was. Hopefully, it will be better.

My sister and brother-in-law who live in Toms River, NJ experienced enough discomfort and fortunately for them their respective damage was done more by the Nor’easter snowstorm that followed Sandy than her hurricane winds.

The boardwalks in Seaside and as well at Lavallette have been rebuilt. The people/summer residents have not returned in mass to Seaside – and the locals there claim that it is the draw of the boardwalk rides (lack thereof) that populate that stretch of beach.

The Sea Gulls too, seem few and far between along that shoreline. Maybe that is because there is not as many handouts and leftovers from the day beach goers – and maybe they don’t have their high perches off the boardwalk rides to rest and spy on what’s left on the beach.

What I know is that the Jersey shore is bustling. Homes are being lifted higher, construction crews are on every street, residences and business are still boarded up along long stretches of Ocean County NJ – but there is progress.

So enjoy these photos from last weeks visit to the Jersey Shore and then check out my Seaside Postcards photos from August 2011 – for a view of the way it was.

New Boardwalk Construction – end of the line at Seaside

New Boardwalk Construction – end of the line at Seaside

Construction worker – building a walkout on the boardwalk