So I'm sitting at the office yesterday, still laboring on the new website. The process of pouring through images, processing promising ones, uploading some, and deleting others is not complete yet but I am definitely seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Anyway, while at the computer, I'm alerted to an e-mail that, ironically enough, was sent through the contact page on the new website. So much for having second thoughts about launching the new website after terminating my account with Wix, even though it wasn't finished.
The e-mail was from the managing editor of Photoshop User magazine inquiring as to whether I would be interested in writing a 4-5 page article (with images) on the photography aspects of shooting youth sports for the magazine's September issue. The focus of the issue is going to be all the ins and outs of youth sports imagery with in depth, instructional articles on Photoshop techniques that will make these kinds of images sing. For the one and only "photography" article included in the issue, he needed someone to write about the actual photography aspects of shooting sports.
Little League, Pop Warner and youth soccer leagues are everywhere and there is quite the market out there for photographers who are industrious enough to set themselves up with local leagues and photograph all the budding A-Rods, Ronaldos and RG IIIs for trading cards and portrait packages. That doesn't begin to take into account all the high school programs out there which are ripe opportunities as well. This kind of sports photography might not be as hoity toity as shooting NFL games but it can sure pad the ol' wallet with buckeroos.
I called the editor to learn more about the assignment, stressing that I have only shot a couple of high school football games in my time, and only because it was my female offspring unit's school. I was supposed to help out a friend a few weeks ago, to help her shoot a number of Little League teams for portraits and trading cards but it never happened. However, shooting youth sports is really no different than shooting college or pro sports as the same things that make for a good action image on one level is the same for any other level. Moreover, since I have some studio photography experience, I felt I could walk readers through some basic portable lighting ideas that would generate good portraits for photo packages and trading cards.
No problem, he said. He had taken a look at the sports images on my website (reason #2 that makes me glad I launched the site Monday) and felt that my sports photography background would more than serve as a basis from which to write the article. He had not thought about the lighting aspects or portraiture as a part of the article and thought that would be a great addition. So, I've been hired to write the article and look forward to being published for the first time in something other than a Blog.
As The Website World Turns...
Still finding the occasional diamond in the rough by going through more hard drives, like the image above from a trip to Yellowstone. It's funny how easy it is to forget images that were taken and transferred to hard drives but never processed. I think this one will make a nice addition to my landscape portfolio, as will the image below which I found in the Yellowstone folder too.
I also completely forgot about several black & white processed images from Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Tetons and other Western U.S. National Parks that I may use, in conjunction with others that are already on the site, to create a separate Project gallery of images from the Western United States. Many of the images were part of a 6-week exhibit I had at the local airport back in 2011 and I'm thinking that they should be back together again in one gallery. Here are a few of the ones that I am thinking about including.
Time permitting and if all goes well, I should be finished with the website this week and in between sports photo assignments, I can move on to something I've been itching to do for a long time...a photo project involving detail shots of classic, antique cars. I may have just gotten access to hundreds of vintage, rare cars to photograph and if things work out, I am going to be like a kid in a candy store. More on that to come.
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