Fotographic Phriday...

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“Our task must be to free ourselves...by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

- Albert Einstein
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Little to say, in fact I'm not sure which photos I'll be posting. I usually gather 'em up and hold them in a folder until I'm ready to post. So... pardon me while I dig thru my virtual pile of photos and find some recent goodies. I'll be right back...

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ok... these are all recent.

And seriously? The photos scattered throughout the Morning Donut's archive are for sale as prints, and I could really use the money. I could use a lucrative shooting assignment as well. Heck, even a moderately good paying schtick would help. So contact me... anyway... here ya go, enjoy:

Shot at Portland's Saturday Market. The fellow with the accordian was great. I went and met a friend for lunch (Hi Cinde!) and was amazed at the quality of the street musicians... I'm not much on Arts and Crafts so I have no idea about the merchandise there but I sure enjoyed a perfect Sunday afternoon of Portland summer weather.

The couple here is from Brazil. They asked if I would take a picture for them on their camera and I said "sure, as long as I get to take one of you two for my blog." I didn't even get their names but as you can see they were enjoying their NW summer visit and more than happy to share their day with me/us.




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The Ems continue to be a wonderful venue for my work. These two shots represent a couple of different aspects of the game for me. The first, of Ems' manager Greg Riddoch, is another image portraying the human, family oriented aspect of minor league ball. The player is left-handed pitcher Nick Greenwood, introducing his dad to Rid. These guys may look like men but they're really young men - kids - and no amount of talent will serve them better than their bonds and relationships and the quality of people they encounter on their road thru (or out of) the minor leagues.



This second shot is Ems' catcher Jason Hagerty tossing his bat aside, just taking off for first after launching a pitch for a hit into the outfield. The pose is classic sports photography and it's so cool to be able to grab that specific split second. Just like Chick Hearn, Jim Murray and Vin Scully (I'm a west coast guy so forgive the obvious territorial nature of the examples) are classic sports voices, there are those moments where image wise, it all comes together. Others have done it, obviously, but within a game there are really only a limited amount of visual moments to capture and they're repeated game after game after game so it's natural to see similar images throughout a sports history.


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The rest of today's pics are from here at the farm.




























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The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”

- Albert Einstein

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It's baseball time again!

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“Baseball is a game where a curve is an optical illusion, a screwball can be a pitch or a person, stealing is legal and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire's eye or on the ball.”

- Jim Murray
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For 3 months of the year I get to be part of professional baseball. I am the photographer for the Eugene Emeralds here in Eugene. The Ems are the minor league single A short season affiliate for the San Diego Padres.

Photographically it's a pure joy. Socially... I get to hang out with jocks. And I'm grinning as I say that. I play sports (or at least used to) - softball, football and basketball. I ran track and cross-country in High School. Not well, but I liked running and what better way than competing at it and working out on a regular schedule to get to do it. I know my competitive lack of success came not from lack of ability but from lack of application. I didn't take it serious and I didn't care that I didn't take it serious. My gawd! I was a teenager in southern California, there were girls, beer and rock and roll. And tackle football on the weekends...

But these guys... this is serious stuff for them. With enough hustle, skill and a few strokes of luck any one of 'em could make millions of dollars a year and have a place in the limelight.





And really, seriously... as political as I am, as much as I dislike pro sports and the overpriced entertainment industry sports has become, at the pro level these guys are still just playing ball. I'd sure play a game with a stick and a ball and lots (sometimes) of running, for money. Besides, the game may be played by them, but they are watched by us. Because we want to. We like going out to an evening baseball game, sitting in the stands and watching not just the game, but each other. And the kids?

It's magic for them... it's peanuts and hot dogs and crowd roars and the beer guy "COLD beeeer herE! Getcher cold beer!" It's action, it's other kids, pennants and ice cream and color. It's autographs and uniforms and the cracking of bats... and lots of people. It's bugs lit up up as they fly under the stadium lights and foul balls and bigger kids with mitts running to get a ball hit into the parking lot...















For me, as the Ems' photographer, it is a pallette of color and motion and emotion. It's focused intensity...



and occasionally there is a visual twist



And there is always the ongoing teaching. The young guys listening to their manager and coaches. And if they listen well, they will learn what they need to know. This is no different than any aspect of society... the handing off of information, the sharing of knowledge because certainly, this is a game of skill. And those who demonstrate the best skills, will be rewarded.



I'm a fan of the Ems. I'm a part of the Ems and images like these are what they have me there to do. How cool is that? If you like baseball please visit my Emeralds' blog:

Eugene Emeralds - baseball photography

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“Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off.”

- Bill Veeck

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