2013: Year In Review.
I always like to take just a bit of time to reflect at the end of each year. The world of journalism is a fast-paced whirlwind of ups and downs, and 2013 was certainly no exception. For a photojournalist in Boston, it was a year filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. What I’ve posted above is one photo from each month of the year, and one more for good luck to make a group of 13.
I started my year off in Washington D.C., where I covered the inauguration of President Barack Obama as part of my coursework towards my M.S. in Journalism at Boston University, which I completed in May. I came out of that program with a new set of skills related to multimedia journalism, but more importantly, with a new network of friends and colleagues. In our world, nothing is more important.
I completed my fourth season working as a photographer in Major League Baseball, and it was without a doubt the most thrilling, rewarding, and downright fun experience I’ve ever had. Documenting the Red Sox run through the playoffs and World Series victory, particularly in the way it all happened this year, was literally a dream come true. Not many people can say they’ve lived their dream, so I feel very grateful.
For others in this city, this year was very difficult. We were all shaken by the tragedies at the Boston Marathon in April. My marathon coverage pales in comparison to the work of the journalists who were at the scene of the bombings, and their work has not gone unnoticed. I did my part to cover this story that has continued through the entire year and will carry on in 2014.
I stayed busy on the professional tennis tour as well, working as a tournament photographer, videographer, and social media guy at my first BNP Paribas Open in Palm Springs, California, my second Championships Wimbledon in London, England, and my first New Haven Open in New Haven Connecticut. I love the tennis scene, and look forward to more coverage of those events in the new year. All the while, I was grateful for some wonderful freelance opportunities, among them the Patriots vs. Broncos game on the coldest night of the year.
Measured in page views and numbers, it was a down year for me on this blog compared to years past, but I’ve loved continuing to keep this record of my life and work, and I’m thankful for those who follow along. Here are the statistics from my yearly blogging report:
“The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 24,000times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 9 sold-out performances for that many people to see it. In 2013, there were 120 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 458 posts. There were 938 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 358 MB. That’s about 3 pictures per day.”
2013 was an incredible year, and one that I’ll never forget. Given everything that’s happened in Boston and throughout the world, I feel very lucky to be able to say that. I’ve loved meeting so many new friends, colleagues, professional contacts, and role models. I’m also surrounded by an amazing group of friends and family, and it’s very cool to see how far we’ve all come this year. Everyone continues to do big things, and I’m so excited to see what another year brings for everyone.
Happy New Year! Much more to come in 2014!
Photos: Preparations Underway For Frozen Fenway 2014.
Here are a few shots of the preparations around the park for Frozen Fenway 2014. It’s shaping up to be a pretty neat event!
Photos: Red Sox Spread Holiday Cheer Throughout New England.
I’ve been busy over the last several weeks out on the road with Red Sox players, coaches, and personnel, who have been making World Series trophy visits as part of the Red Sox Holiday Caravan to various locations throughout New England.
It’s been lots of fun to follow the trophies around and to document the guys as they do their part to spread some cheer this holiday season. These are the highlights from some of those visits, as well as from Christmas at Fenway last weekend.
Happy Holidays!
Video: Boston Strong – Red Sox Win World Series.
Click the four-arrow icon on the bottom right to watch this video in full screen!
We’re now just over a month out from the 2013 World Series, during which the Boston Red Sox made history by winning the championship at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918.
As I’m sure one could imagine, things haven’t slowed down one bit around here in the aftermath of the win. We’ve been busy with trophy tour appearances around New England, as well as with all kinds of requests for photos.
Recently in the Red Sox photo department, we’ve also been busy working on this multimedia piece, for which we conceived the idea in the days prior to the World Series. Using both photos and video that we shot, we wanted to tell the story of the Red Sox in the World Series from beginning to end. What results is a wild ride from team workouts to two opening games at Fenway Park to a team flight to St. Louis to three intense games at Busch Stadium to a game six win at Fenway Park and an unforgettable celebration and parade – all in three minutes and seventeen seconds. What a journey!
Watching this piece in its final state brings all the memories and moments rushing back, and I hope that’s the case for you as well when you watch it.
We all know Red Sox culture is nothing without the Dropkick Murphys, so a huge thank you to them for giving the Red Sox permission to publish this piece to the backdrop of “The Boys Are Back,” a song that turned out to be an anthem for the club this year.
Enjoy!
Photos: Sunday Night Football – New England Patriots Vs. Denver Broncos.
I was lucky enough to be asked to come out and assist for Sports Illustrated during last Sunday night’s classic match up between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The storyline was clear: two of the best quarterbacks of all time battling it out in front of a national Sunday Night Football audience on the windiest, coldest night of the year in New England.
The game lived up to all the hype, although it didn’t seem that way at the end of the first half. Peyton Manning and the Broncos came out on fire, shutting out Tom Brady and the Patriots 24-0 through the first half.
I don’t follow football to the extent that I do some other sports, but I know enough to never count out Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the Patriots’ ability to make adjustments mid-game. I knew they’d make things interesting in the second half, and sure enough, the Patriots came roaring back, forced the game to overtime, and won on a 31-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.
What a game, not just for what happened on the field, but for the conditions we all were working in. This was the coldest weather I’ve ever experienced, and despite my endless layers of clothing, it was impossible to keep completely warm. With the wind chill, temperatures hovered around five degrees all game.
It wasn’t comfortable, and it wasn’t easy to work in, but as a photographer out there, you can’t be distracted by the conditions. That’s just part of the job sometimes.
24.
It feels great to turn 24. I’m usually at home in Baltimore during this time of year, but thanks so much to everyone up in Boston and everywhere else who made the birthday weekend so special.
A Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone!
Photos: University of Maryland Field Hockey Wins ACC Championship.
I got the chance to show my Maryland pride up here in Massachusetts this weekend, as I was called to shoot the ACC Field Hockey Conference Championship game between the University of North Carolina and the University of Maryland.
This was fun for me to shoot, especially because the Terps were able to pull out the win. It’s been a little while since I’ve shot college sports, so this was a nice change of pace from the professional scene. Sometimes, these games outside of the pro leagues make for really exciting photos. Great subjects, great passion, and great emotion. This was one of those games, and I’m thankful for being asked to cover it.
Photos: City Of Boston Hosts Red Sox World Series Championship Parade.
The past several weeks covering the Red Sox historic and dramatic ride through the playoffs and into the World Series have been unbelievable. For me, it still hasn’t sunk in that we won the World Series, and all of the games and events leading up to now seem so surreal.
Speaking of surreal, how’s shooting photographs on a duck boat with Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and second basemen Dustin Pedroia and John McDonald while over a million of Boston’s best fans scream at you as you roll along Boylston Street and along the Charles River during the Rolling Rally championship parade? That’s the situation I found myself in last Saturday, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget as long as I live.
Covering a parade is something not many photographers get to do, let alone be stationed on a float or duck boat, so I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity. It’s moments like these which serve as a refreshing reminder why the life of a photojournalist can, at times, be so rewarding, unique, and just plain fun.
These are my favorite images from the parade. There wasn’t much room to maneuver up on top of the boat, but I tried to get some good shots of the guys interacting with fans and holding the trophy, as well as to set the scene with both overall and close-up fan features.
I think my ears are still ringing from all the screaming. Not that I’m complaining, for the record.
Photos: Boston Red Sox Win 2013 World Series!
Photos: 2013 World Series – Game 5.
After a painful end to game three of the World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Red Sox responded in the best way possible, taking the next two games from the Cardinals. Last night’s game was tense, but it was a huge win, as the team now returns to Fenway Park just one win away from a World Series title.
These are the highlights from game five, which although a great game, wasn’t fantastic for pictures. We flew back to Boston right afterwards which made for a long night of travel, so I’m not going to post much more right now.
Tomorrow is a huge day, as the team has the chance to win a World Series at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918.
Here’s hoping!