Here are a few images from the engagement session I shot this weekend. Shyla found my website with a search on Google for “engagement photography”. It’s very exciting that I’m starting to get business through organic web searches like Google. I’m sure my website was on page 60 of the results, but that’s still a WIN in my book! I have always wanted to shoot on this dock near OMSI. It offers a great backdrop of the city along with the Hawthorn Bridge. I have a wedding I am shooting in September that is very close to this location. I may try to get the bride and groom here for a sunset shot in the same spot. The road with the leaves was in the Lloyd district by the State Buildings. I can’t tell you what type of tree produces these pink leaves, but they look great blanketing the road. Shyla and Jason were great to work with; they were up for just about anything, floating docks, puddles and dodging street traffic to name just a few. Best wishes to them. Oh, and let me know if you need anyone to shoot the wedding in Maui, I know a great photographer  

I went to college at Wichita State University, where we lacked a football program due to several circumstances in the 70’s & 80’s. I feel that I missed out on the experience of tailgating and cheering for a college team on Saturday afternoon’s in the fall. However, I feel a lot of people missed out on watching their college baseball team during the spring. Baseball was a substitute for the football ambiance at WSU, and its the main reason why I’m a college baseball fan today. I don’t watch a lot of regular season games, but I always catch the Super Regionals and College World Series. I thought it would be fun to give my thoughts on the best venues across America. Note: I haven’t traveled to these stadiums, so the “atmosphere” could not be considered in my judging.  I know I’m going to get an email suggesting a stadium that I forgot, and I will probably  have to reconsider my list. Oh who am I joking,  no one comments on my blog posts…

10. Lupton Stadium – Home of the TCU Horned Frogs – Fort Worth, TX.

The right field score board really makes this a cool park
 

9. Miller Park – Home of the BYU Cougars – Provo, UT

This is the smallest of all the parks I have listed with a capacity of 2,200. The stadium itself has a unique canvas like awning, but the true reason I chose to include this location was the view past center field.

8. Clark LeClair Stadium – Home of the East Carolina Pirates – Greenville, NC

The stadium will hold 3000, but the field also hosts an elevated viewing/tailgating area beyond the left and center fences.
 

7. Turchin Stadium – Home of the Tulane Green Wave – New Orleans, LA

This stadium was opened in 2008 as the previous complex was destroyed by hurricane Katrina.
 

6. Russ Chandler – Home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Atlanta, GA

There is nothing like a downtown ballpark.
 

5 USC Stadium – Home of the South Carolina Gamecocks — Columbia, SC

Built in 2009, this is one of the newer stadiums I have noted. It seats nearly 7,000 and the outfield scoreboard towers over 80 ft.
 

4. Eck Stadium – Home of the Wichita State Shockers – Wichita, KS

I’m partial to this stadium as I am an Alumni of WSU, but it really is a great park. It holds close to 8,000, not including the outfield hills, which was developed do to the lack of funding to carry way excess dirt.  

3. Doug Kingsmore  Stadium – Home of the Clemson Tigers – Clemson, SC

With the brick face, this park looks more like a minor league facility than a collegiate. It holds over 5000 spectators and has boasted the best attendance in college baseball numerous years.
 

2. Plainsman Park – Home of the Auburn Tigers – Auburn, AL

This place is actually called Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park and its got loads of character. Probably the most notable is the 37 foot high left field fence that measures 315 feet from home plate. The original facility was first built in 1950 and gone through numerous renovations. Today it seats 4,000 and offers a brick backstop like Wrigley and a Green monster like Fenway.
 

1. New Alex Box Stadium – Home of the LSU Tigers – Baton Rouge, LA

This stadium is ridiculous. It holds 8,500 fans with 17 suites, championship plaza (what ever that is) and two picnic areas.
 

So what have I learned from writing this blog post? The south loves its baseball and if your mascot is a Tiger you have a great chance of having a state-of-the-art facility. Unless your from Missouri… Let me know if you think im wong. I would love to hear about it.

Sunsets are hit and miss this time of the year in Oregon. If you want to practice with lighting during one. you really cant hesitate or it will be cloudy before you know it. I packed up my gear and sweet talked my wife into being my test subject the other day. This is with a two strobe set up. One strobe is set up to the left of my camera at about 6ft high and the other is set up behind her, and to the left, at around 8ft height. If I didn’t have a second strobe I could have slowed down my shutter to around 1/50th of a sec and used the setting sun  “hair light”. However,  in this case I used  a shutter speed of 1/200 of a second @f4 to darken the background and leave the blue haze of the sunset. The trick is keeping your flashes set on low or they will easily blow out your subject at this low of an aperture. At least she has some new Facebook photos now!