The void that is filled. Thanks Max Preps!

After covering high school football for 14 years, I think it would of been one of the biggest voids after losing my job at the paper. Fortunately I found an online editorial magazine, MaxPreps, where I get paid to shoot, keep my rights and they market resales! They really have started to fill a void where newspapers are falling off. They have nicely written stories and video to go with the photography.

Since the amount of shooting I have done has dwindled to a slow drip, I am working my butt off anytime I get the opportunity. I am working really hard on looking outside of the moments on the field, more than I normally would, just because I had no outlet for it before.

Where to begin...

I just started this and I'm about a million postings behind already. Creating a business has taken a ton of work and there are a million things I want to talk about, but first I'm going to back up a couple weeks.

Friday, August 15, 2008 - A week and a half before I arrived in California to help my dad move to Arizona. The past five days have been non-stop unpacking of boxes. We only stopped to eat and watch the Olympics before going to bed.

I finally took a break and took up an offer from James Gregg, an amazing photographer who works for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, on a trip to Mexico. I had grown up in California, but in 20+ years I had never ventured over the border. I love new things and I love adventures, and this was both. James kept asking me what I wanted to see, but everything was new to me and in a world of new, everything is interesting.

We started out touring around the Arizona side of the border. James showed me the wall that has been so much a part of the news. He said that rocks are constantly thrown at the border patrol over this thing. Drugs are also tossed over.





Flooding has become a major problem because the grates in the wall are so thin that debris gets caught and then the water backs up. It has caused whole streets on the Mexican side of the border to be under water. Through this hole in the middle of the street you can see where the water flows underground. This is some of the water that floods into the streets. I find it crazy that there are just giant holes in the street. I wonder if cars ever end up in these?

This is one of the guys trying to fix the flooding. They are putting pipes underground to reroute the water. Unfortunately they don't have certain pipes they need, such as corner pipes, so they are having to be creative. They are laying down rocks and concrete to turn the water.

James making some of his own shots.

I can't wait to go back to Nogales and shoot some more. I was so overwhelmed this first time.




We had planned to get to Nogales around noon and eat lunch. Unfortunately time flew buy and it was about 3p before we ate. We were starving. James knows his way around Nogales. We cut through this little bar to find an amazing restaurant on the other side.


I had never heard of a Mexican dish called brochette, so I tried it. This is Pollo Brochette w/coconut and it was amazing!

This is a bar in the restaurant we ate at.



And while we were eating, they decided to pull the curtains. I definitely have to go back to this place. This is going on my places to remember for portrait shoots!


Oh, and the on there thing. The restaurant is built into the side of a mountain!


More gorgeous light...


Even the bathroom was cool!


We did a little more wandering after lunch.
Back in Arizona we had a chance to see the Border Patrol and their pups at work!


Thanks James, the trip was amazing. I hope to be back soon for round two!

Charger problems

I will be posting photos, as soon as I get around to actually processing them. I've been shooting a little bit, but most of it has been getting my name out there. It takes a lot to get a business started up and everything that could go wrong seems to. Sometimes it's things going right that take up time too, but right now it seems to be things going wrong.

I have an assignment lined up for tomorrow. I just got back from Arizona yesterday, after being there for two weeks, and sometime before I got to Arizona to being in Arizona my battery charger went on me. I had to wait until I got home where I had my Canon Professional services info, before I could deal with it.

The charge and refresh lights started flashing rapidly at the same time when the batteries are plugged in. The batteries don't charge. Now that I have gotten back, I found a good friend to loan me a charger and the batteries are charging fine.

The best explanation I could find is that the charger will do that if the batteries overheat. Both the batteries charge fine on another charger. Canon Professional Services said they don't work on chargers and unless it's under warranty they won't replace it. They didn't give me any explanation.

I'm assuming it was just random chance, but if it's preventable I want to make sure that I don't do it again. The only thing I can think of is that it may of been in some heat somewhere. Has anyone else had problems with leaving a charger in blistering heat and the charger not working?

To add to my list, I found out I need to update my CPS membership.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get this one working, so I'm probably going to have to get a new one. Anyone have one they are looking to get rid of?