Shot from the Sky

MSG+ Excellence

2011-01-23T13:17:00.001-05:00

Yay for good production and editorial work.

ohai

2011-01-16T02:01:00.001-05:00

Lately happenings.

2010-10-18T21:23:00.005-04:00

Rookie Camp

2010-09-16T16:41:00.005-04:00

Sub-titled: zOMG HOCKEY IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!

CrUnCh!

Is that as awkward looking to you as it is to me?

Owuya made a slick pass to Aliu, who popped the water bottle off the net with his shot.

I got to speak with Craig Ramsay, the new head coach of the Thrashers. He told me that he didn't expect many of the participants of this rookie camp to make it to the full team's training camp (which opens this weekend) and that most of them needed a little more seasoning. He did say he was impressed with Fredrik Pettersson and expected him to move on to the main camp on Saturday. When asked if he had any specific goals for the team this season, he said, "I haven't made any of those types of goals yet [with respect to making the playoffs]. All I can say is that we will be able to compete with everyone; compete at a very high level".

Burmistrov and Cormier battle for position (well away from the net, I might add).

Zubarev races to the puck

...and blocks a hard shot; it appeared to hit a soft spot in the pads as he skated gingerly to the bench shortly after.

Aliu tried his sneaky power move to the outside and got summarily dismissed.

Come on, Angelo... open your EYESSSSSSSSSS.

Well.....

2010-09-14T00:36:00.001-04:00

*ahem*....

In case you share my appreciation for hearing loss...

2010-09-05T23:25:00.001-04:00

Vintage-ness

2010-08-29T12:53:00.004-04:00

Airshowoff

2010-08-16T20:45:00.009-04:00

They ain't jokin' when they call it the Dugout Level

2010-07-23T19:02:00.004-04:00

B-Mac, pensive.

Martin, swingin'.

Jay-Hey, swingin'.

Jay-Hey, runnin'.

Telekinesis- ur doin it rite.

Hanson pitched surprisingly well.

Ahh! There's a bug!

Brian McCann's home run shot.

Fisheye from the lower level.

Prado didn't actually tag the runner, but the 2nd base umpire gave it to him anyway.

McCann's appeal to the umpire was unsuccessful, San Diego tied it up.

Get Lowe :)

Base-Balling

2010-07-18T17:16:00.005-04:00

The Ted

Prince Fielder, later at the center of trouble.

Matt Diaz's HR

Fielder's HR

Jay-Hey, pinch hitting.

Venters raised a little hell by plunking Fielder after throwing over his head, and hence got tossed from the game.

Prospect Camp

2010-07-13T19:18:00.004-04:00

Just for all you photo buffs out there, today was a great day for me. I got to shoot at the Duluth Ice Forum (notably the Thrashers practice rink), which means great pictures. How, Stefan, when it's a badly lit hockey rink? Because the ceiling is covered with a foil-like wrap, I can bounce my external speedlight off it and get almost better pictures than I can at Philips Arena.

Ed Pasquale looking good, looking at the puck.

Burmistrov, with Virginia creeping in the background :)

Burmistrov shooting.

Mike Forney scoring on Ed Pasquale (not looking so good this time).

Akim Aliu and Burmistrov goofing around.

Aliu and Kilngberg

Laughs all around, toothless smiles for one young gun (Kilngy I think).

Idk who that is shooting on Chris Carrozzi.

Patrice Cormier

Paul Postma

Powder Springs native Vinny Saponari.

Klingy again.

Cormier, pensive?

Shootouuuuuuuuuuut

Burmistrov's got it, others don't.

Fishy

2010-06-26T22:55:00.000-04:00

SpaceFace

2010-05-15T19:55:00.002-04:00

Fisheye

2010-05-06T17:35:00.004-04:00

Philips Arena

Ditto in the kitchen

Philips Arena

Mellon Arena

Fake Jerseys

2010-04-23T17:21:00.004-04:00

Original Puck Daddy inspiration for this rant

^^^ That's a link to a Puck Daddy article that basically summarizes my attitude towards Reebok and their monopoly on licensed NHL jerseys. Here's my take:
(DISCLAIMER: None of the facts or figures in this essay have been scientifically proven.)

Welcome to capitalism, Reebok. Yes, your jersey sales are great, and you're making a killing on them. But you seem to be missing something pretty obvious. Ever sent a representative to a hockey game at the United Center in the past few years? How 'bout Mellon Arena?

These two arenas were close to empty for most games before the lockout (and a few years after in Chicago), but are now thriving hockey markets thanks to the recent improvements of the teams. What do the large, happy crowds bring (especially following a convincing win)? Money. To buy things branded with their new favorite team's crest. You seem to have noticed, and now a majority of those filling the seats every night are sporting your cute little 'Vector' logo on the back of their necks. But again - you're missing something big.

Peer closer at (unscientifically) a number of these jerseys. At first glance they all seem cut from the same die - colors, logos and their locations, etc. But wait - why is the "Malkin" lettering on that guy's jersey so much fatter than on the guy in front of him? In fact, the more you look, the more you notice of the fat lettering. What gives? They're all cheering for the same team, and seem to walk with the same swagger whether their font is slender or could stand to skip some meals.

Catch my drift Reebok?

It's time to face the facts, Reebok. You inherited a cash cow when you struck an exclusive deal for the uniforms of the NHL. But what have you done with it since? Let's look at some numbers, shall we?

Pre-Reebok(-lockout), a replica jersey, no name or numbers, cost between $75-100 at the team's store in the arena. That was a nice, thick, sturdy piece of team spirit. My CCM Avalanche jersey from the late '90s is still in great shape - and it's been played in, worn to games and to school. Authentic jerseys, with their double-sewn elbows, fight strap and quality embroidering all over, ran about $150-175.

Post-lockout? Forget those double digit prices. Currently, shop.nhl.com lists replica jerseys as $114.99. A little steep, but nothing completely unreasonable, until you feel the jersey itself. Since when have hockey jerseys been made out of a stretchy, soft, pajama-feeling fabric? Oh, yes, that's right, since Reebok took over. I wouldn't even buy this jersey if the price hadn't jumped after the lockout. The emblems are cheapy, plastic laminate cut-outs rather than a nice embroidered patch. The only thing stitched onto the jersey? the shoulder patch. Awesome! Hockey is about being tough! and durable! - not being cuddled by a $115 throw blanket with some glue-on cardboard screen printed cutouts. Remember when a hockey jersey would keep you warm between the parking lot and the arena, and inside the arena? Forget those days, this thing wouldn't be considered to keep someone warm overnight in the tropical rain forest. Not to mention that more often than not, the stitching of the jersey itself will fray or begin to unravel after mere casual wear throughout the hockey season.
Oh, the authentic jerseys. Almost forgot them, like I quickly did upon seeing the price tag. For a fight strap, stitched and raised-embroidered logos (as is expected), and a slightly heavier material, you're asked to pay the measly sum of $300 - no name or numbers attached.
Are. You. Kidding. Me.

Remember those fat-letter jerseys from earlier? Here's their story.
Made out of a similar, albeit slightly heavier fabric, everything stitched on. Fight strap? check. Most of them even have the cute little 'Vector' logo on the collar.

The difference?

Average price for one on eBay: $50. Including shipping.

That's right. For something that to the normal eye looks the same as the "authentic" jersey, I can pay ONE SIXTH the money. I can pocket that $250 for a later purchase, and have a very comparable product on my shoulders when I walk through the gates on W. Madison Street to cheer on the Blackhawks.

While I would like to show my support to the team(s) I like in the NHL, I cannot justify spending so much of my money (especially as a college student in such a bad economy) on something that can't even withstand normal wear. Reebok, get a clue. You may be pulling great profits on your apparel, but it appears that you're ignoring the growing market of counterfeit jerseys because they're showing up in more and more arenas around the league as people struggle to even find the money for tickets to the games, much less another three digit sum of money to support the team. On my trip to Mellon Arena towards the end of the regular season, I noticed (and I'm good at noticing nuances like this) that of the powder-blue Penguins Winter Classic jerseys, more than 60% were fakes. More of the standard home and road jerseys fell into the 'official licensed' category, but the fakes were still making their presence known.

We live in a capitalist society, and because of that there is no reason Reebok can't charge whatever the heck they want for their product. But, remember, in capitalism, the consumer holds the power. Slowly but surely, the consumers are realizing how badly they're being stiffed at the arena and turning to the third party unlicensed jerseys in droves - myself included.

What would I like to see happen in the NHL jersey world? One of two scenarios:

1)
Reebok drop their prices by a small margin (10-15%) and makes the jerseys (logos too) out of better material and stitches the stuff on there rather than the glue that dissolves after 5 washes. Sorry Reebok, the whole EDGE (r) system isn't necessary for fans - the 20% less wind resistance in these flimsy jerseys won't help us get back to our seats before the intermission is over.
2)
Reebok can keep making their paper-thin team color nightgowns, but prices must be slashed to, if not lower than, the prices of their equivalents from the pre-lockout era.

Either way, until Reebok changes their ways dramatically (or gives up their exclusivity in the professional hockey market), I will be there singing Chelsea Dagger in my gloriously fake, obese-font Toews jersey.

Your move, Reebok. Impress me.

Bittersweet. Actually, quite awesome.

2010-04-12T10:29:00.013-04:00

So this game, as the Thrashers had already been eliminated from playoff contention, had little meaning other than pride for us. It had slightly more important implications for the Penguins, as a loss would likely put them in the 4th seed for the playoffs, rather than 2nd or 3rd. :D

Hopefully not Moose's last game in the Blue, but you never know....

As a part-time employee for the Thrashers, I got to wear the Game Operations headset occasionally. One of those games was Evgeny Artyukhin's first game as a Thrasher. The producer was very excited, as he likes big hitting players like Artyukhin. So every time Artyukhin stepped on the ice, the producer would growl into the mic, "RELEASE THE KRAKEN", taking the line from the movie Clash of the Titans. I found this line funnier and funnier the more he used it during the game. It caught on with me and some friends as I used it in everyday life, so I decided to make my first sign ever.

Evgeny not only noticed it, but told Kozlov, who shared a laugh with him. It was gonna be a good night :)

I just thought this shot was cool, you know, the puck being about an inch from the netting and all....

Kane was on fire for most of the night, and did everything but score a goal. He didn't have to though :)

I <3 this picture.

So, if you have a pulse and watch hockey, you know about this fight. I was fortunate enough to have seen Cooke's little shot on Kane along the boards and started firing when the gloves came off. This is probably my best sequence of shots of the year, but not because they're great pictures. it's what is being done to whom.

Hey Matt, watch out.

Didn't I tell you to watch out?

Don't mess with the kid named after Holyfield.

So after all that excitement (Boulton and Goddard went at it in a slightly more evenly matched bout 5 minutes later), Bryan Little decided it was time to step up by collecting a Slava Kozlov rebound and slinging it past Fleury. It was all that was needed for the Thrashers.
Also, Blogger apparently decided to vomit code on top of the next picture. Ah, technology, never failing to befuddle us.

href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KvAedQIag4A/S8MwQXrjQxI/AAAAAAAAA04/5OyhPnG6xnU/s1600/DSC_3890_1.jpg">

Peverley did his best to make it 2-0 but was thwarted by the ever-ready Flower. (Did that sound as weird to you as it did to me?)

It was likely Slava's last game as a Thrasher, so I made sure to get plenty of pictures.

Malkin got up-ended at the whistle (or wanted to go swimming, there's no telling for sure).

Ohai, Mr Puck, I see you.

Again, if you have a pulse, you will be warmed by this story. T.R. and Maria Benning were selected as the Thrashers 7th Man for this season. T.R. is a decorated WWII veteran and Maria is a Cuban who defected to the US many moons ago. They've had season tickets since day one and are continually featured on the Kiss Cam, which always gives the Thrashers fans something to cheer about. When initially approached, T.R. didn't want to be recognized for simply going to the games. He insisted that someone else be chosen, but when Maria found out that the winner got the jersey of whichever player they wanted, she leaned over to him and said, "That'd be so nice." T.R. quickly consented to accepting the award.

The boys lined up to give their jerseys away to some season ticket holders.

Slava and the Moose share in the camaraderie.

Pavel looking like a tough guy, popping his gum as he struts to the fans. Not that he doesn't have the right to, basically captaining our powerplay after the departure of you-know-who.

Well, it was an interesting ride, to say the least. In the off-season, expect a few more airplanes and some other hockey related posts, but be warned: come October, HockeyFever will have made its return.

SPSU - A Photographic Essay

2010-03-20T00:31:00.013-04:00

So somehow my photography is reversing its trend of costing me money - this post won me $50!

Welcome to Southern Polytechnic State University - the bridge between where you are and where you want to be.

Small class sizes let each student get a more personalized, effective learning experience.

When it's time to relax, there are lots of options for you.

SPSU embraces the diversity of its student body, and has many opportunities for studies abroad.

SPSU is located close to Interstate 75, allowing quick access to downtown Atlanta, Marietta and Kennesaw. However, the campus is secluded enough to provide a peaceful, learning-oriented environment.

The well-designed campus and buildings of Southern Poly allows you to be where you need to be, when you need to be there.

Since 1948, SPSU has been providing Georgia with cutting-edge, accredited education.

SPSU is home to nationally ranked baseball, basketball and soccer programs. Intramural athletics are available for those of us who just want to have fun.

Southern Polytechnic State University - Georgia's technology university.

RELEASE THE KRAKEN

2010-03-19T01:59:00.009-04:00

Michalek landed funny and caught his knee on the post. He had to be helped carefully off the ice and did not return.

I love Travis' reaction :)

Pay close attention to the jumping man (#73, Jarkko "I bite" Ruutu). What he does next shouldn't surprise you.

Yeah, that's Ruutu punching Hedberg in the head. Wanna know what the moose thought of all these shenanigans?

^^^ That's what. As in, "WHAT THE ________?"

Score! See if you can do a better job than Elliot did of finding the puck :)

5 in a row, The Wrong Way.

2010-03-13T23:32:00.003-05:00

:/

2010-03-11T09:25:00.003-05:00

So I have about 500 pictures from the last two Thrashers home games. There are a handful that would be nice to publish. Too bad both games were lackluster, pitiful showings by the Thrash, leaving me with 0.0 motivation to post, much less look through and edit, the pictures. Hopefully tomorrow night vs. the Rangers will yield better results.

SupahSkillz

2010-03-02T15:39:00.005-05:00

People :)

2010-02-22T11:06:00.004-05:00

Atlanta in Chicago

2010-02-14T17:37:00.002-05:00

SPSU Baseball

2010-02-09T13:57:00.001-05:00

Well, there goes that.

2010-02-04T22:04:00.002-05:00

8 years, 594 games, 615 points later. Bye-Bye, Ilya! I will be sure to BOOO as loud as I can should you do anything upon your return to Atlanta on April 6th.

:( oh well

2010-01-30T23:37:00.007-05:00

Well, the boys managed, once again, to give us false hope at the awkwardly asymmetrical Sommet Center.

Quack Quack

2010-01-27T11:54:00.003-05:00

A Bitter Congratulations

2010-01-22T00:09:00.001-05:00

As much as I hate to say it, congrats to Eric Staal on his hatter in his first game as captain.

Teddy Bear Toss

2010-01-17T23:18:00.000-05:00

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu0LJzSl_vM

Gladiators vs Chubby Checkers

2010-01-17T18:50:00.003-05:00

Gladiators

2009-12-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

THanks to Micah Lillard and the Gladiators Staff for letting me invade the press box and areas for last night's game between the Gladiators and the Florida Everblades. Florida won, 4-1.

In reply to Getting Pucks Deep

2009-12-27T22:07:00.001-05:00

RE: Getting Pucks Deep

In other news, I just found out I'll be shooting Gwinnett's Tuesday night game against the Florida Everblades with press credentials. I <3 the ECHL.

More Thrash

2009-12-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

50th post!

:( Sad day...

2009-12-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

I learned today that John Martin, the Zamboni driver for the Gwinnett Gladiators, died of a heart attack. I guess all those times of trying to re-do the ice in 5 minutes finally caught up to him.

My Shot of the Year

2009-12-19T15:11:00.001-05:00

I don't care what you say, this is my nominee for shot of the year - Thrashers-related or not.

I <3 Kovy

2009-12-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

More Hockey...surprised?

2009-12-05T14:00:00.001-05:00

Blackhawks 12/4 vs. NSH

2009-12-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

Thrashers 12/3 vs. NYI

2009-12-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

12/3 Atlanta vs. NYI

Thrashers 11/5/09

2009-11-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

Thrashers

2009-11-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

Blackhawks

2009-10-12T17:52:00.001-04:00

recent photos

2009-09-26T00:23:00.001-04:00

2009-09-14T22:42:00.000-04:00

Europe 4

2009-05-29T09:10:00.000-04:00

Today we visited Xenia and Vivianne's school, had breakfast in a small town about 30 minutes away, and went to a small train museum.

Europe 3

2009-05-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

Today we did a lot. Had a big breakfast with some new friends, went to an old coal mine/coking factory, and had ice cream at (no way) an ice cream café. wooooo.

Europe 2

2009-05-27T12:16:00.000-04:00

Today we went bike riding to pick strawberries and visit some new friends. Ethan took some of these shots.

Europe 1

2009-05-26T04:54:00.000-04:00

Hello to all 2 people who look at this blog... I am currently in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (NW of Frankfurt), and here are some pictures from the journey so far.

Berlin Airlift Commemoration

2009-05-19T14:01:00.001-04:00

2009-05-05T22:05:00.000-04:00

Thrashers vs. Blackhawks, 2/11/09

2009-02-12T11:51:00.001-05:00

Dad's shots

2008-11-24T14:39:00.001-05:00

These are shots Dad picked out.

Thrashers vs. NY Islanders 11-6-08

2008-11-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

Curves- This time, it's for real.

2008-10-31T11:00:00.001-04:00

curves+more airshow

2008-10-29T11:27:00.000-04:00

this one is the curves assignment...i was in the darkroom when it was being taught so i just fooled around with it.

Dobbins ARB '08

2008-10-21T16:58:00.001-04:00

Please reply, with comments, to this thread.

2008-10-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

wheeeeeeeeee

Photoshop- Grayscale layers with color

2008-10-07T10:51:00.000-04:00

yeah idk what happened with that last one...

Second Photo accepted to A-NET!!!!

2008-10-04T15:45:00.001-04:00

http://www.airliners.net/photo/-/-/1406148/M/

First Photo accepted to A-net!

2008-09-29T10:17:00.000-04:00

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boeing-B-17G-Flying/1403530/M/

Good Shots

2008-09-22T11:28:00.001-04:00

These are the four best shots from my first roll...oh well.

Ritz Photo Contest Final Submissions

2008-09-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

The Bean

2008-09-10T15:22:00.000-04:00

I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I put all three up.

New edited shots

2008-09-10T11:35:00.000-04:00

2008-09-10T11:10:00.001-04:00

first photoshop compilation, using only two images.

2008-09-10T10:41:00.000-04:00

how bout that epic failure on the second half of the roll, huh?

2008-09-09T11:30:00.000-04:00

these will be among the next uploads...i need help picking which ones though

next upload

2008-09-08T15:20:00.001-04:00

this picture will be the next one i attempt to submit to a-net.

airliners upload #2

2008-09-08T11:36:00.001-04:00

improved versions of the other two uploads.

Airliners.net upload #1

2008-09-04T11:24:00.000-04:00

Hopefully one or both of these will be accepted by the sticklers an A-net...

2008-09-03T11:23:00.000-04:00

choppy photoshop first compilation. yuck

Pulitzer Stuff

2008-09-01T11:13:00.000-04:00

Denver Rocky Mountain News- Once again violence's wrath is captured by a shutter.

Alan Diaz- No shots were fired, but the menacing MP-5 and Elian's face tell the story.

Adrees Latif-Another prime example of good timing and however disturbing it may be, violence evokes the most emotion in a phtograph.

Robert H. Jackson - I liked this one because it captures the moment in between action and reaction.

Hong Kong/ Thailand

2008-08-26T11:24:00.000-04:00

Aluminum Overcast (photoshop #1)

2008-08-25T10:57:00.000-04:00

I like the last one...it gives the false impression that the plane is so well polished that the sun reflects off it like glass.

Pinhole

2008-08-22T10:25:00.000-04:00

3 things I learned:
a: Make sure your camera is properly sealed.
b: Trial and error is the only way to get it right.
c: Pinhole cameras have a WIDE angle 'lens'.

2 things I would make better:
a: I would make my own camera, so I can know the operations of it.
b: I would test the focal length of the camera to assure maximum clarity.

1 statement:
I am glad to have learned about pinhole photography as much as I have. This information will help me be a better all-around photographer.

DreamLifter

2008-08-21T11:06:00.001-04:00

This is the 747-400 DreamLifter in Oshkosh, WI. It weighs over 800,000 pounds when full of cargo, and has a large enough hold to carry 87 Mini Coopers.

Uelsmann's Floating Tree

2008-08-21T10:44:00.000-04:00