Patrick Murphy-Racey Photography Blog

Winning when you lose...

2012-01-27T23:20:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday I travelled over the Nashville to shoot the Tennessee-Vanderbilt men's basketball game. It was a longer ride home that to get there for three reasons:
1. It's always tougher to travel East over a time zone than West.
2. We stopped at White Castle at 10pm and then sat in the car for 2.5 hours (ouch).
3. We lost big-time
But it wasn't a total loss. I made this frame at the game, which for obvious reasons, didn't get put into the web gallery on utsports.com:

Part of my job at UT is to train students and I'm always telling them, "keep concentrating on the game, focus your mind as well as your lens," and, my favorite, "quit texting and chimping and shoot!"
We really went down fast but I kept shooting. And this little jewel popped up on the back of my D3s.
It pays to stay in the game because images like this come along very seldom, even though I think the reality is that they happen all the time but there is usually no one there to capture them.
By now, I figure I have shot many hundreds of basketball games in my career. But images like this keep me coming back, contorting my old knees, coaxing them into a Crazy Creek chair on the paint.
There is a great shot at every game, it's just a matter of looking hard enough and capturing them. I'm convinced this is true, otherwise I wouldn't keep doing it.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a great shot in all respects... but it's worthy of a blog post because writing all this down makes me remember why I decided against a real job so long ago. Because what I do is special, different, and fun. Photography has never been a drudgery affair, quite the opposite... And even when we lose, I win sometimes...

Old School, New Technology: The Fuji X10

2011-12-17T13:50:00.004-05:00

This is NOT a complete X10 review of this new product from Fuji, but it is a first of many posts I will likely make about a more than interesting hybrid camera that has recently come available from Fuji. It has been said by many of my friends here in the South, that once you own a pick up truck, it's really tough to go through life without one. I have found this also to be the case with owning a Leica M series camera body and lenses. As my own financial situation has ebbed and flowed throughout my career of the last 25 years, I sometimes find myself with a Leica but mostly without one for cost reasons. In order that I can remember, I have owned the following Leica cameras: M4P, M3SS, M4, CL, CLE, M6, M6, M8. The last time I had a camera, I put together an M8 kit with all Voigtlander lenses and took it all to Rome with my wife and had a gas. Still, even buying the M8 used for $3000 + glass, it remained too rich for me to keep and so off to the internet chopping block it went.

Like many shooters that have held and shot Leica's, I always miss the feel, process, and results of shooting a rangefinder. It is the true street photography camera from way back. Now days, they are similar in size to Best Buy point & shoot cameras so they are non-threatening, small, black cameras that no one takes seriously. This is the key to getting closer to your subjects. Last, they have no mirror flapping up and down creating noise that draws attention to the photographer. Think stealth bomber technology coming to photojournalism. The advent of the first Leica rangefinder in 1913 changed forever how people made photographs and we left the tripod and bulky view cameras behind, allowing for the first time, for cameras to go where they had never been before. It also created a new job title: photojournalist.
Alas, the current Leica M9 which offers a full-frame chip, small size, and excellent files costs $7,000.00. Oh yeah, and no lens. So that put myself and a bunch of other photographers out of position to own the ultimate rangefinder and they were left once again in the back closets of the silly rich who are the only people that can afford them.
Then Fuji announced it would make a real digital rangefinder and after a long wait the X100 came out. This is a really cool camera and the closest thing yet to a real Leica M body. But the achilles heal of this guy is that there is only one lens which is permanently fixed on the body. It's a great camera and give you a real 35mm f/2 field of view (lens is actually 23mm but it's a crop sensor), but for $1200, I was hoping for more flexibility.
Then, with little fanfare and not too long after the X100 has been out, the X10 was announced. Late one night when I should have been sleeping, I was on the net and found a link to a review of the camera. I read it and then went to Amazon and just bought one right then and there. The next morning I had no buyer's remorse but I hoped that the camera would meet my expectations. I have no regrets and feel it was the best $600 I have spent in a long time.
I can go places, get closer, change the boundaries of my access, and make solid images that I would have difficulty making with a big fat scary looking Nikon
DSLR. I just recently shot an entire assignment with the X10 over a two day period as I traveled with the Tennessee men's basketball team. As you look through these photos, keep in mind where I was when I shot some of these. My subjects barely noticed my presence as we traveled so this $600 bet has paid off big dividends. This camera makes no noise when you shoot and it can fire up to 5 fps. It's a little black ninja!

Please click this link to see: ON THE ROAD WITH THE VOLS (FUJI X10)

I always look forward to the quieter jobs, away from the screaming fans and NCAA rules. And when I head for those assignments, you can bet I'll have this little guy in my hands. Is it a replacement for a Leica M9? Absolutely not! But will it tide me over until I can buy a used M9 in four years for $2700? Probably, but if Fuji comes out with a new digital rangefinder with interchangeable lenses will I wait for that M9? Nope...

U2 Poster or Golf Team Photo?

2011-11-09T23:48:00.001-05:00

Today was a good day because I got to shoot three times in one day. I started at football practice, which I always enjoy covering. Later, I headed out to the new Golf Facility to shoot a team photo. While we were waiting for the coach to arrive, I shot something pretty quick that looked interesting:

I looked at the back of the camera and got a little excited. I love b&w although few people even ask for it anymore. But sometimes I light images for the sole purpose of being converted to b&w or a duotone. This is a great example.
We managed to get all the photography in before it started to rain, which is always nice for the photographer as well as the gear.
This was shot with a Nikon D3s, SB900, a Chinese radio TTL thingamabob from ebay, and a Chimera Small lightbank on an Avenger stand. Men's Golf SID John Painter was on hand to hold the whole thing down so it didn't blow into Alcoa Highway.
It's nice to get lucky now and again, when it comes to seeing stuff, weather, timing of things, etc... If coach Kelson had come two minutes earlier, I probably wouldn't have even shot this, or if had rained 15 min. prior to when it did, etc...

Never give up...

2011-10-29T00:15:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you just can't let it go. You can never give up, especially when surrounded by your team-mates. I'm going to share with you two photos I shot tonight over at UT during a contest between the Lady Vols and Florida volleyball teams. The first image shows UT's #15 Mary Pollmiller diving for a ball that she already knows she can't save, but she dives for it anyway:

  This frame was shot during the second of the games tonight. We won the first one easily. The Gators won the second, and then we came back to win, but it was really close.

  There is no shortage of energy in volleyball; some cheer squads could learn a lot from a typical volleyball match. After each point, the team meets in the center of their side of the court for direction, encouragement, and to recharge those batteries and get ready for the next play.

  This image is my favorite from the end of the game and it represents the split second after the match-point play when the Lady Vols won the series. Notice how Florida is already celebrating their point on the other side of the net...

  Mary never saw that because she was focused intently on returning that ball, paying no mind to what expense it might cost her own body in the process. She managed to strike the ball but it was too late and her angle was bad so it went off into the stands, much to the delight of the ball-girls waiting for some work. But she got a piece of it in any case.

  There is a life lesson here. Never give up! Keep playing even when it looks like the game is over. The reality is that if you add up ten or twenty plays like Mary's in a game, you are going to win, no matter the odds against you. Heart often wins out over skill. Mary is teaching all of us a valuable lesson here and we'd be smart to receive it in the spirit it was offered. Mary is diving, not for herself, but for the good of the team. She is showing good example so that they can all benefit from her diving try. Florida celebrated too early this evening and now their long ride home the the "Sunshine State" will lack a certain satisfaction.

  What will you dive for this week, and for whom?

Reunited with an old friend: Nikkor 400mm f/3.5 EDIF

2011-09-25T20:46:00.000-04:00

As part of a master plan to hopefully be able to retire someday, I recently took a new position at UT as "Assistant Director Digital Media." I pretty much do what I've always done for UT football but now they've added 19 other sports to my responsibilities.
As I looked at how to plan for this transition, I looked at Nikon seriously for the first time in 19 years. UT already had a nice new 400mm, a 200-400mm zoom, the short glass, and 2- D3s bodies. If I switched systems, I could sell off all of my Canon gear, get UT to buy some more Nikon stuff, and pocket a bunch of money to pay down debt, etc..
So I took the plunge and began the monumental task of selling off everything I'd amassed in the Canon system since 1992. It was not a trivial few weeks. Some days I went to the post office with as many as ten boxes. Other big days involved carefully packing up my trusty 600, 500, 400, and 200L lenses, respectively.
Nikon was good enough to send me a bunch of gear to try out and it's going pretty well with one exception...
I have been manually focusing my longer lenses for my entire career. Most of us stopped this practice when we left Nikon the first time and got Canon in the early 90's. But I have always enjoyed shooting tight, especially in football, and I could never figure out a way to get the AF system to not get fooled all the time by linemen passing in front of my view of the QB in the pocket. So, I kept up this relatively antiquated practice for my whole career. The longer the lens, the more I manually focus. The shorter the focal length, the less AF I do.
I was doing great until "the switch." The focusing rings go the other direction (note I didn't even say wrong), as do the aperture rings, shutter speed dials, exposure compensation, and even the lens mount is reversed on the Nikon gear.
My issue was every time I manual focused the lens, I went the wrong way, ruining every shot. Even when I put my mind to it, I still ended up daydreaming and my fingers just twitched the wrong direction and "bam," I was in fuzzball-land.
So, I got this crazy idea...
I got on sportsshooter.com and put out a message looking for an old Nikkor 400mm f/3.5 EDIF lens. I told people I didn't want to spend more than $1200 or so and it was just a temporary lens for me to get this manual focus thing down again. I reasoned that if I was shooting an all MF lens, I would eventually learn to go the "other/wrong/opposite" way.

My old friend (he's really old) Byron Hetzler called me from CO to tell me that he had exactly the lens I wanted... all he had to do was find it. He wasn't sure where it was, "maybe in the garage or in a closet, but I'm pretty sure I still have it," said Byron. The next day, I got a message, "found it!" My check passed his lens a few days later. I took it out to football practice and shot it for the first time.

At first, I was terrible. "Close, far, close, far...." I had to work away from other media so as not to embarrass myself. "Close, far..." I shot a few frames. One sharp, three out. I shot a few more. Five sharp, two soft. And so on. After twenty minutes, I went back to face the awful truth of the Mac 27" monitor. But all I needed was about fifteen images, and Ruth was there to back me up too. I had what I needed. Score!
That night, I sent a message to Byron to ask him where he got it from. He told me from Gary Casky whom I had known as a student at Marquette in Milwaukee. Gary was the UPI shooter that replaced Ralph Schauer who had been a wire service fixture for years in Milwaukee. Well, I was FB friends with Gary and I got to thinking... So I asked him if he remembered where he got the 400 from. A few days went by and he finally got back to me. "Yes Patrick, that is the lens you used to shoot President Reagan and a some Brewer games before you dumped me for AP back in 1985."
And so it has been confirmed. The lens I now shoot practice with once belonged to the UPI bureau in Milwaukee prior to even 1980. The thing works great, it's tack sharp, even "razor," as Gary Bogdon was so fond of saying back in the day.
All I had to do to make it truly useful is fashion a lens shade out of an old flip card from a UT game so I could shoot back-lit. I don't know how those guys used to shoot that thing with such a shallow shade, but it works great with a little gaffer's tape. And now you know... the rest of the story.

Big Changes...

2011-09-20T23:31:00.002-04:00

A few days back on Sep. 12th, I celebrated my first month on the job as the photographer at the University of Tennessee Athletic Department. I haven't worked this hard or as much since I quit newspapers in 1992. Still, it feels really good to drive home each day (I'm working almost every day of the week) tired from shooting. I've gone from sometimes not shooting for weeks at a time to shooting multiple assignments a day, and this has been really great for me because shooting pictures is what I do best.

The nice thing, other than my first steady paycheck in 20 years, is that I know so many of the people I get to work with each day. While there are many new faces in the AD, most I have known for over 20 years. It's like going to work with my friends each day, which is a long ways from the sometimes lonely reality of working for yourself, which most often translates as working "by yourself."

I lost 10 lbs. in the first three weeks, which is a great thing. But now I'm hitting a little bit of a stride as the days are coming much easier than when I first started.

The other big change is that I switched back to Nikon from Canon so everything is backwards for me. I'm getting better at follow focus but I have a long ways to go to get to where I was with the big white lenses. I switched the last time in 1992, so it's been a long time for me to go the opposite direction in terms of focus, zoom, lens mount, etc... I've been having success as well as disaster as I re-learn to shoot with different gear so I will try to post some photos soon. For now, know that I am a work in progress as I have always been...

Moonshine, Power Systems, and the big white wall...

2011-07-28T07:48:00.002-04:00

This summer has been busy! First, my son Patrick and I made a most excellent road trip out West and visited 11 states in 2 weeks and logged over 7,000 miles on our new Kia Sorento. We had a blast visiting a family reunion in CO, and then WY, MT, ID, UT, and AZ. On the way home from AZ, I drove 1169 miles in one day, stopping only for fuel and food, which broke my prior record of 973 miles set back in 1995 or so, shooting minor league photos for Upper Deck on the east coast.

The guys up at Ole Smoky Moonshine have been busy too. They needed a new 30 second TV commercial spot that showcases their ginormous new expanded store and distillery. I love working with those guys because they really set me free creatively to shoot interesting footage and stills.

While work on my portrait studio has slowed some this summer, I got back in there recently and hired Doug Kiser to remove the rollup door and build me a new perfectly straight wall for the back end of the studio. Wrestling with background paper has been a pain and I was really limited to how many people I could shoot in a family portrait session until now. I have a perfect 16' wide x 12' tall white wall as a background now. I'll be shooting Savannah Rogers in the next few days in the studio so I'll post some images of her senior photo shoot. Savannah drove up to Knoxville with her Mom Elane, all the way from Florida to have me shoot for her; I've known Savannah since she was a baby so it's a treat for me too.

The Good Doctor...

2011-06-13T13:55:00.005-04:00

A couple days ago, I got a call from Dr. Allison Dooley. She needed a new portrait shot for speaking engagements, for magazine articles, and for general use. She was kind enough of come to my studio for the shoot because I wanted to give her as many options as I could not knowing who might need her portrait in the future.

Often, this blog is a place where I talk shop, experiment with new lenses, Photoshop & LightRoom workflow, or even complain. Not today...

Every once in a while you run into a person you are assigned to photograph that stops you in your tracks. This was the case with Allison. She might be one of the nicest people I've met in a long time. She's a great conversationalist, she's smart, sharp, and has a great sense of humor. The time flew by for us in the studio and an hour evaporated. Still, after we were finished and I had thanked her for her visit, she stayed to talk, and to ask young Ben Ozburn about his college plans. She was a delight to meet for the first time and obviously, she doesn't make bad pictures...

At the end of the day, being a photographer has many advantages, one of the most important being all the people we meet throughout a career. My life has been enriched by the thousands of people that have been captured first on film, and now digitally over the span of my career. I love what I do and have always lived to work, rather than work to live. I thank God for the varied experiences He allows me and I never take for granted that I could be doing a different kind of job that I hate every day...

Location shoot for Health Magazine today...

2011-03-18T17:31:00.001-04:00

My thanks to Stacy Oliver for doing such a great job for me today in terms of hair and makeup on this shoot. There are often many people involved in the photos you see in magazines that never get their due. Ashli was a perfect subject, took great direction and just overall was very patient with the process of making the photographs today. The clean backgrounds are mostly due to the lens I used to achieve this simple effect, the Canon EF400mm f/2.8L IS lens. I also used a Radio Popper to send wireless signals to sync my strobe to fire on each frame, which is a great help to be cordless on location. Here are the results:

The Eternal City Awakens My Soul...

2011-03-16T16:02:00.001-04:00

I have few words to offer today but I'm just thankful for all the many opportunities I've had to see much of the world and make photographs of parts of it. Here are two images that will never make me money, pay a bill, or get me an assignment, and I could care less. I wish I made more opportunities to just make photos I love rather than the ones I have to shoot all the time for others. I don't shoot enough for me so this week in Rome was incredible for me as a visual artist. I felt free to break rules, escape convention, and eat a lot wonderful food!!!! Hope you enjoy these but if you don't.... well whatever.

Sometimes even the lighting guru goes available...

2011-03-07T10:04:00.001-05:00

  So, back in 2005 when I bought the building on Clinton Hwy., I tore out all the windows and replaced most of them with glass block as it affords great security, you can put steel bands in between the blocks, and the light refracts all over the place so that you get more light from a smaller window. The other day, I was shooting some moonshine for Ole Smoky as they have a new product out now: Apple Pie Flavor. I shot a ton of stuff with various lenses on white and changed around the lighting a lot. We spot lit the label at one point so the exposure on the front of the mason jar was the same as the one on the top, for instance. I have a ton of strobe heads made by both Dynalite (USA) and Elinchrom (Swiss). But my real investment in lighting isn't about power or number of heads, it's about control. I have a whole building chucker-blocked full of light modifiers such as light banks, reflectors, grid spots, fresnels, rolls of black cine-foil, grip equipment, boom arms, remote control devices, etc...

  Just as I finished shooting that day, the sun was setting outside the building which faces West. The light was blasting through the glass block with warmth & power. it was getting better by the minute. This image was shot with one light: The one God put up, not me: the sun! I used a large piece of white foam-core as a reflector but it's all God, really.

  Just like the huge rains the other day here in Knoxville and all the flooding that happened afterwards, sometimes we need little reminders about Who's in charge. Even with all my skills, equipment, and experience, sometimes it's good to just let God be God. There is great freedom in that realization, that God is there always and all we need to do is to rely upon him to provide the light we need to go through our days.

  God is good all the time. All the time, God is good!

A hero I'm related to:

2011-03-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

watch my Uncle John Murphy BEAT CANCER!!!!

My Uncle John was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma just a short time ago. As with everything he's ever done in life, John Patrick Michael Murphy has once again proved that he's a fighter that never gives up.

Please take a minute to watch this TV news report from Boston that aired about his fight with cancer recently. He and his wife Mary are awesome together, don't you think?

Studio is almost there...

2011-02-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

  Just a few more weeks and I should be properly open for business as a real, honest to goodness portrait photographer. Why is this such a weird thing to say, you ask? Because I've never seriously seen the studio as a legitimate place to perform my art/craft/work or whatever you want to call it. I've always been a location photographer so I always considered people who shot in a studio to be sort of the "short bus" crowd. I mean, how basic can you get inside a box, right? Wrong.

  I have a new appreciation for what people do in studios day in and day out. While the space might be limited, there are actually endless possibilities of how to shoot people and products, what lens to use, how to light them, how to pose them, etc...

  Today, I finally finished a set of images for a friend of mine's son Walker. here is my favorite image from that take:

2011: a year of opportunity...

2011-02-11T23:22:00.001-05:00

I guess my last posting here was pretty depressing. I have been talking to many friends about their experiences as freelance photographers and at least I now know I'm not alone. I have seen huge changes in my career already. I started shooting and hand processing b&w, graduated to color slide film, then went on to neg. color (yuck), and then learned to transmit with a $16,000, 40 lb. metal briefcase (double yuck). After that it was Photoshop 2.0 which I was certain I'd never learn..., until I tried it...

Then suddenly digital came about. At first I only used it for fast turnaround on bad PR assignments.
And then came the 1D, which changed everything...

Now I'm shooting more video than stills and spending more on LED's and HMI's than strobes. I no longer own a flash-meter or Polaroid back... in fact, Polaroid is out of business and Minolta sold off their meters to some other outfit even though they still look the same.

Maybe the most ironic thing is that after such a longstanding, exciting, and storied career, I'm now preparing to make my next leap into studio portrait photography, which is what I swore I'd never do when I started. LOL!

So, for those of you that were worried about me from my last post, worry not. I'm just fine. I just need new clients that pay for what I produce and I need to dump the ones that take advantage of me and my unique and unusual skill set. 2011 is a new dawn and I still LOVE to make images that are beautiful and matter to people. I'm not done yet, in fact, this was just the mid-term. While I may not have a lot of money in my pocket, I am wealthy beyond my wildest dreams in the currency of the love of family & friends, and I have the sure satisfaction of knowing that I'm mostly operating within God's will for my life.

This economy won't last forever, and people can tell the difference between my work and posers who only want to live my life without paying the dues so many of us have. My gift is longevity, consistency, and the most hardcore work ethic. I'm a really fine photographer, and I'm looking for some new clients that will collaborate with me and produce projects that we can all be proud of, lacking in nothing.

Though a little overweight and with occasional back pain, I am Spartacus! Hear me ROAR!!!

Studio is almost ready...

2011-01-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

While I've made some serious progress, I'm getting closer all the time to actually finishing my work-space on Clinton Hwy. I've been shooting some there lately in the studio but the gallery still has no photos on the wall but I'm getting closer all the time. Yesterday, I made some window sills for the upstairs and sanded sheetrock mud in preparation for painting the window trim. Next will come blinds (bright up there in the am and pm), and then touch-up paint for the walls. Hopefully, I'll have some kind of opening in May or so... We'll see... In the mean-time, I'm finding my studio legs again after not having one for years. I've been shooting friends and friends of friends in hopes of building a specific gallery on my site for these styleized b&w portraits. Here is an example:

and end of an era?

2010-11-17T13:39:00.001-05:00

  I've always thought that I've lived through an interesting time in my career. I started shooting black and white film. I later went on to learn how to expose color slide films which had so little lattitude that you'd have to "bracket" your frames to make sure you hit that narrow correct exposure by overshooting. I even learned how to make color prints in a darkroom. In the mid-80's, I began learning the early versions of Adobe Photoshop, and have been moving steadily along upgrading every time they come out with a new one.

  When I started working for newspapers, we had to make color prints on the road in makeshift darkrooms created with black plastic bags in hotel-room bathrooms. Once the print was dry, we'd attach them to a transmission machine that used the phone lines to "move" the photos, each one taking 27 minutes.

  When I later graduated to magazines, I learned how to use medium and large format cameras, extensive lighting equipment, and many advanced techniques to create highly graphic and involved technical photographs.

  Digital photography has now come fully into it's own. Everyone can make great images just by pointing and shooting. It's become more and more difficult to make a living as a photographer as art directors and even ad sales reps. shoot their own photos for advertising and marketing purposes. It seems to me that there are fewer people out there with budgets that know the difference between what I can create in an image and what someone else can simply "grab."

  My recent foray into HD video has been fun and while I'm really enjoying training with new weapons of communication, I have to admit I miss doing as many still photo assignments as I used to. I'm just not shooting enough these days and it kind of hurts inside when I can't use this most important muscle that I've worked so hard to form throughout my 25 year career.

  While real estate values seem to be on the rebound, I'm getting this ominous, dark feeling that permanent damage that has been done by digital photography, Getty Images, work for hire contracts, shrinking budgets, and entire groups of publications that no longer exist, seem to all be confirming my sense of the state of still photography. It's not good.

  As I continue to scan my film images from the early part of my career, I see the beauty held in that thin bead of gelatin and silver. It makes me sad that our craft has been so damaged that so many shooters are out of work. Perhaps the greatest thing I mourn is what seems to be the untimely death of my beloved photojournalism. It's not good. Telling true stories with still photos seems to have been hijacked by "reality TV shows," and "lifestyle wedding reportage," which seems to me to be nothing more than bad photos of cute people with severe photoshop actions applied. That is not what I signed up for when I graduated with my PhotojournalismB. A. in 1989. It's not good...

  I have to tell you that part of me wants to give up and maybe do something else that would be easier to make a buck. But the other part of me says "Hell No!" I'm not done yet. People need to see the difference between passing fads and style and the concrete and ultimate Truth of black and white. Things are tough right now for most of us that make a living shooting. I plan to never give up, to keep the faith, and to ignore Darwin and his crazy theory. I'm going to make meaningful images for the long haul until they pry the 120 megapixel DSLR from my cold dead hands... I hope someone will take good care of my Diana lens for my EOS when I'm gone...

Digging through the files in search of treasure...

2010-11-05T00:21:00.001-04:00

Over the last two months, I've been setting aside time each week to open up Rubbermaid containers, old Fedex boxes that were sent to me long ago from Sports Illustrated, and even the many filing cabinet drawers that haven't been opened in my office since long before Facebook existed. I've been hunting.

I've definitely hit gold a few times, finding original, never before seen portraits of Tee Martin shot in 1997, photos of Sam Sneed at the Greenbriar, images of Peyton Manning that I shot in black and white at a night game against Vanderbilt in 1996, and many other important images.

It's the first time I've really handled film in a very long time. Once I find an image I want to keep, I place it in a neat pile on the light table (the thing you use to look at film), and then either Ellyn or Wade scans them into an external hard drive. It is a laborious process and very time consuming, physically hunting for important images that are hiding all over the place in the labyrinth that is my studio.

I'm getting an idea about how important these images are. You have a lot of time to scan as you edit, and there are always stories that various photographs call to my mind. What I shot the photo with, where I was, what was happening with the team at the time, etc...

The image of Peyton Manning posted here was actually shot in my first studio on Gay street here in downtown Knoxville. Bud Ford brought him over in a state car and waiting while I made the photo. Imagine that Peyton Manning came to my studio... Do I have a photo of him there? No. At the time, he was just the son of a great QB but he hadn't come into his own right yet. He's sure there now...

...On the Road Again

2010-10-08T14:11:00.002-04:00

It seems crazy to be driving down I-40 on a bus headed for UGA with full wireless. I can remember my first phone that was web capable. I never used the feature because of it's expense and that it wasn't able to really look at the real internet, but only sites that had crappy small sites that the early pda's could access.

Tomorrow, I'll load a 64G CF cards into three cameras and shoot the game. Two hours after the last whistle, Ill have edited the entire take from 3,000 images down to about 700 or so, will have built-out a movie slideshow for the internet, and have sent it to an online drop-box site where it will be embedded into a new recruiting site that is still under construction. Now all of this to most of you will seem pretty normal, and it is, I guess, except when I reflect on the process of the old days of how we covered football games on deadline.

In 1989, I interned at the Palm Beach Post where we would charter a plane, put two photogs and a lab tech on board and fly from West Palm to Gainesville. We shot color slides back then. So we'd shoot the game, and then rush to the small airport where we'd jump on our twin engine Cessna and as we climbed out, we'd use dark bags to roll film onto steel reels and then process them as we flew. We'd use a Coleman cooler set to 110 degrees when we left so when we got back to the plane it would be about 105. By the time we landed at the airport back in West Palm, we'd have the film all processed and in the final solution. A shooter would pick us up at the airport and then rush us all back to the newspaper where we would dry the film and begin to edit. Each roll cost about $7ea and the processing was around the same cost. So we'd spend a lot of cash just to cover one game to make our deadlines for the next day's paper.

So, I'm old. but I'm really glad that my career launched at the time it did. I've processed black and white film, even done color prints in a hotel bathroom when I worked at the Milwaukee Journal, and now I've got 64G cards. I love technology and the speed at which I can work these days but....

You still have to make good images. No matter what technology brings, there will always be a need for people to shoot well, and make fantastic, important, and historical reportage of the world around us. I'm 45 years old for a few more weeks, but I'm not done yet. Video fascinates me as it brings in a new weapon into my arsenal with which I can bring to bear for my clients. In a few weeks I will be launching a brand new companion website devoted only to my videography. Stay tuned... oh yeah, and GO VOLS!!! BEAT THE DAWGS!!!! pm-r :)

Purple Out slideshow video...

2010-09-20T23:39:00.000-04:00

click here to view the "PurpleOut" slideshow!

Wade continues to do really well... thanks to all for prayers, thoughts, smiles, texts, good vibes, etc...

Lisa and Wade's brother Rod have been really moved by the outpouring of support, concern, and visitors who have been so faithful at the hospital.

The Purple Power of Prayer!!!

2010-09-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

This logo was designed by Barry Rice & Link Hudson over at UTK Athletic Dept. They plan to put it on the Jumbo-tron today at some point pre-game. Amazing!!! Thanks so much guys!!!

Say that ten times fast...

Wade is awake, eating, smiling, and talking!!! Just two days ago, I had thoughts that we might be burying him this week. God is good, all the time! Thanks to everyone who said even a short prayer for Wade's healing. Miracles DO happen!!! Photogs and even some writers will be sporting purple tape on their equipment as a show of support and thanksgiving for Wade's progress towards good health. "Purple OUT!"

Please Pray for my friend Wade Payne...

2010-09-15T14:47:00.000-04:00

Many years ago now, I got some courage together and I decided to quit my job at the Knoxville News-Sentinel and try to go it as a freelancer on my own. The people at the newspaper were used to seeing photographers leave to go to bigger papers, to live abroad, or to stay home with kids, but to stay in this little Southern town and try to freelance seemed crazy to most. A few years before I decided to go out on my own, Wade Payne quit his job as a graphic artist to pursue photography as a full-time career. We found each other at UT games and Wade began to work with me. Just as I was getting ready to launch into my tenure as a regular at Sports Illustrated, Wade was the guy that captioned slides that would be sent off the the NFL and a few other agencies that I would submit stock to.

Wade has perfect handwriting. I see his penmanship all the time when I'm looking for football images of Peyton Manning and Heath Shuler. Wade would accompany me to assignments in Nashville and Memphis. We drove a lot of places together and he was like a sponge that never got saturated. He had gotten his certificate in photography from then State Tech. (Pellissippi), but he knew there was a lot more to learn, and he was a fast learner!

Wade was absolutely tireless and never stopped pushing himself to be a better shooter. It wasn't long before the time came for him to truly hang his own shingle, and he left me on very good terms to be his own man and shoot sports every minute he could. I remember a long time ago, I had to shoot something at the last minute for the Associated Press back in maybe 1993 or so. I took Wade with me, showed him how to process the film fast, and how to transmit the photos using the now ancient Leafax 35 unit. That was the last time I worked for AP as Wade just swept in there and has been shooting every major event in Knoxville since. Wade Payne has become the AP in Knoxville, at least in terms of photos.

Wade is from the school of hard knocks. Every piece of gear he owns was paid for by hard work, and often for very little pay, and yet he immediately looked to sharing what he had gained with other newbies. Wade is a constant fixture at UT's Photography Certificate Program where he helps younger shooters gain valuable experience through his teaching and longstanding experience behind his purple lenses.

Wade is now in a position where he needs your help. Wade has been very interested in working out in recent years and he loves to get up early. Yesterday morning, after spending some time working out, he collapsed and suffered a heart attack. He is currently in ICU and we just don't know what his status is.

I'd like to ask for your prayers for Wade and his family who are obviously very concerned about him. Also, keep in mind that Wade, like myself, is self-employed, which means he doesn't get paid if he's not working. In a best case scenario, if he makes a full recovery, it will be months before he's strong enough to shoot again. Please pray for his healing, but also pray that he will find the resources he needs to pay his bills throughout that time.

Thanks to a dead photographer...

2010-08-10T00:27:00.001-04:00

  This last week, I had the pleasure of going through my Mom and Dad's wedding photos, trying to decide which ones to scan to put to music for their party. As near as I can tell, the photos were mostly shot with a 120mm camera fitted with a flashbulb type flash. The photographer actually lit the portraits in the church afterwards and shot the ceremony as it happened from the left side of the altar.

  Thing of it is... the stuff was great looking. I found myself marveling at the quality of the 8x10 prints which were, of course, black and white and fiber-based. They are beautiful to hold in your hands and the detail is amazing due to good processing, great exposures, large negs, and, they were lit well. This last part seems lost on many high priced photographers that shoot weddings these days. Setting up lights is a part of what I do in my own coverage of a wedding day. Yes, I shoot the PJ stuff all day long, but at a certain moment, it's totally appropriate to drag out the big guns and do it right for the formal portraits.

  Since my Mom and Dad got married in 1960, the chances of that photographer being still alive are slim to none. The Studio they came from is probably long closed and the negatives in the land-fill. But these prints are really awesome. At a certain point, my grandmother had to make a conscious decision to pay real money to this studio to shoot my Mom's wedding, the formal portraits, and even come to the reception to shoot the dancing and even my Dad singing, "Danny Boy," to my mother in the middle of all those people. My grandmother is also gone now, but I'm glad she made the investment she did fifty years ago.

  Here is my Dad singing to my Mom:

My Mom and Dad's 50th: One Day at a Time

2010-08-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

click here to watch a long slideshow with interviews

Fifty years ago my Mom and Dad stepped up to the plate at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Colorado Springs. Against all odds, they stood to a standing ovation yesterday at Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago surrounded by family and many friends who gathered to celebrate their achievement.

Putting this together meant going through boxes and boxes of old photos that we all have stored in our basements and garages, they are treasure waiting to be found. It was a great treat for me to spend the time I got to looking through all the images... I hope you enjoy the results... patrick :)

Twins Pitcher Joe Nathan at Gate 10

2010-07-20T10:10:00.001-04:00

I had a bit of deja vu when we arrived at Gate 10 last week with Minnesota Twins Pitcher Joe Nathan. the last time I'd been to Gate 10 at Neyland Stadium was when I shot Peyton Manning there with a 4x5 view camera (where is that negative now????). I remember Peyton telling me that his Mom Olivia wasn't very happy with me because his hair was too long, as if that was somehow my fault.

Anyways, at UTK, they have this great trainer guy named Herman who works with the VOLS baseball team as well as with pro athletes trying to rehab right here in Knoxville. When USA Today called me, I was happy to spend time with the two of them and make a few images. This was shot with the new 24mm f/3.5 II TS-E lens. It's way more expensive ($2200) than the original version but well worth the cash. For one thing, it has a ton more movement than the old one and it's much sharper too-- with loads more contrast.

Canon 1DMIV, f/3.5, 1/640th sec, ISO 100, 24 TSE II lens

So, you're thinking, that's not a tough shot, a 24mm wide lens with a guy just a few feet in front of you... Well, remember these don't auto focus! And add to that that I'm cranked all the way in swing mode to the max so the plane of focus is all whacked out. The only thing I could do is try to keep his face sharp as he literally "lunged" up the ramp at Gate 10. I shot a bunch of frames but nailed this one as my favorite from this part of the shoot. Now, USA Today didn't use this one but that's OK as I know I got it and I get to show it to all of you here, so, it's cool. Once I was forced for economic reasons to abandon my Sinar F1 and my much beloved Fuji GX680 system, the Canon TSE lenses have given me some solace in terms of being able to bring view camera like images to my clients. I love them!!!

UTK Lighting Workshop is done... and my back hurts:

2010-07-18T17:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of offering a photographic lighting workshop to about 60 people here in Knoxville through the University of Tennessee Photography Certificate Program. Veronika "fishstick" Chieslik came and acted as the model for our demonstrations and judging from the feedback forms, it was a success, which is good because it's called, "Shooting for Success." While it was frustrating to have so little time to try to do too much (my style I guess), I'm hoping a lot of people gained something from the day.

photo by Ron McConathy

I came to realize that I have too much stuff I never use while packing up for the workshop. I'm excited to be making headway towards finishing my portrait studio, gallery, and office space on Clinton Highway up in Claxton soon. I'm planning on shooting senior portraits, family portraits, and even a little product photography once I get the studio really setup and going strong. I have spent so many assignments away from home through the years so I'm looking forward to working in town for a change. More on the opening of my studio in Sept. or so. Thanks to all that came to the workshop Saturday!!!

Brian's Brains and other stories of assistants made good...

2010-07-16T08:25:00.001-04:00

Through the years, I have had many young photographers come through the hallowed walls of my various messy buildings to help me out with lighting on assignments, painting, work on rental houses, and to expand my dreams as a shooter. Each of these people have brought me friendship, much needed help, and each have helped me to raise my gaze a little more into what is possible. Sometimes their ideas are better than my own, sometimes I've provided the much needed light bulb that ignites and gives purpose and direction to them in their respective journeys. Here is a photo of Brian Wagner, who began helping me out on Linden Ave. back in maybe 1997 or so. Int he photo, he is working with me back in January of 2006 on my then, "new studio." we spent a few days with another friend, Frank, on removing the tile floor, ripping out the old steel framed windows, and attaching metal to the walls of what was supposed to be a small gallery of my work.

Brian has been a faithful friend for over thirteen years. We've shared a lot together, spent a lot of time together on what Brian always called, "free food in another state." Brian was my constant assistant during the sort of heydey of my Sports Illustrated run in the late 90's. I used to call him, "Shirpa X'er dude,"which has the meaning as follows: Shirpa is for the crazy cats that drag hikers up into far reaches of Mount Everest and other such peaks around the world. "X'er" is for Gen-X of which Brian is a part. "Dude," is for Brian because he's such a cool guy and my buddy. There have been many people that have helped me along my way through the years... People like Wade Payne, Sarah Huff, Jason Gregory, Jason Bazel, Sam Simpkins, Christy House, Andrew Smith (UK), Jonathan Thrasher, Alex Jennings, Jason Davis, Steven Bridges, Elise Stephens, Adam Brimer, Mike Wesson, Abe Quilling (MT), Tyler Pelan, Jesse (CAN), and a whole bunch more that I can't think of right now. I guess I was thinking about the value and impact all of these people have had on me through the years and I'm simply thankful for them taking part in my life and in my work.

2010-07-14T07:33:00.006-04:00

This is a group of images and video set to some music that I shot for Laura and Neil last weekend (see "Recent Weddings at Left). We all had a blast together, working our way through the day from the salon to the reception. I found Neil to be a man of few words, humble, quick to smile, but excited about the day and deeply in love with Laura. The bride was all class as she didn't sweat the small stuff and kept the big picture in mind. She shed a lot of tears, each one filled with joy at the love she felt from her Mom and Dad, her friends, and the heart-busting stuff that comes from a sure knowledge of God's will that Neil was the one Jesus wanted her to be with for the rest of their lives together.

7D/70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, 180th @ f/2.8, 200 ISO

It is always a great honor for me to be selected as the photographer for a wedding day, for this is part of my call as well. While it's always a target rich environment, this day was special even for me, getting close to those involved and getting to see God's plan unfold right in front of my lens. It was my honor to be there to document, record, and capture the fleeting moments that will never happen again. May God richly bless this new couple! patrick

To purchase photos from this wedding, go to this link:
pmrphoto.smugmug.com/Weddings/Laura-Craig/12918075_CXfYF#933498384_5eqRx

Shoot for USA Today TODAY!

2010-07-12T23:14:00.001-04:00

Things is life are really cyclical in many ways... I used to drive the wheels off my car and truck driving all over the Southeastern U.S. shooting magazine assignments, and not just for Sports Illustrated. I found many assignment editors would change jobs and take their contacts with them and so over the years, I gained the trust of many art directors and photo editors. I had one such friend who started at Sports Illustrated and then went to the NYT, so once he landed there, I began shooting for them too. At the women's magazines like Marie Claire, Redbook, Vogue, and Cosmo, people would move around, one to an ad agency, another to non-profit, and another still to a book publishing company. So the old adage was the more you worked, the more you worked. Things are very different now...

Back in the mid-90's, I used to earn a free roundtrip airline ticket about every 10 days through flying to many assignments. I had a great gig going with SI but I was also working for Upper Deck trading cards, and tons of magazine assignments. I got so busy that I was never home and my wife Ellie and I were trying to have a baby, which was very tough when I was always at a Marriott in a different zip-code. Then everything changed. Digital cameras came into out reality, we stopped shooting film, "live" assignments meant not that the photos would be in the magazine next week but the next day. As SI began to try to compete with daily newspapers, they began to "pick up" more and more photos from AP, and a host of new technology driven "wire services." The assignments began to decline in numbers. My decent rep. no longer got me a double rate and I began to turn down work when editors couldn't pay me what I thought I was worth. I turned to more lucrative clients in the corporate world and started working on getting advertising assignments that paid double or even triple what the best magazines were offering. The internet was taking over the world, and fast! Advertising rates plummetted as did home subscriptions for first magazines, and then newspapers' circulation dropped like a stone in just a few years.

Now, many good friends of mine are out of work. Thing of it is, they are AWESOME photographers. And they got laid off, downsized, RIF'd, fired, demoted, lost benefits, and in some extreme cases, the publications they worked for simply closed their doors. Which brings me to today's assignment for USA Today.

Their day rate is $350 + expenses but they control what you can bill them for... Sounds strange, right? Yeah, but that's editorial for you. Just a few years ago, I would have flipped this one to a worthy assistant or just turned them down, but not anymore. I'm happy to have this work again in this economic climate.

I can't tell you who I shot or why, because the story is cheduled to be in this Thursday's paper, so for now, here is a rather odd image that was actually a mistake. I was trying to get only the guy's head sharp and let his legs and feet go way out of focus, but instead, it looks more like an Ad for New Balance shoes. This is shot with a Canon 1D Mark IV, a Canon TSE 24mm f/3.5 II lens. I think the exposure was like 1/500th @ f/3.5 at around 1000 ISO. Once they run the story (if they do, that is), I'll try to get a copy and scan the photo they actually use from my take. One thing for sure... it won't be this one!

China? weird to be actually going there...

2010-06-15T00:41:00.000-04:00

I have many pre-conceived notions about what it will be like there... Loud, hot, crowded, and busy to name a few. One thing I was thinking about is that it might be like visiting the USA in about 1920 pr so, with the industrial revolution going like mad, etc...

I really struggled with what camera stuff to bring with me... I was trying to weigh being with my family versus dragging gear literally to the other side of the earth, and CARRYING it every day. For better or for worse, I chose to go with one point & shoot that shoots 16:9 video and good stills and that has a true wide angle lens. I'm taking the Canon SX1 IS. I'm hoping I won't regret my decision. It is the ultimate in small compared to what I'm used to.

I like to think that the camera is secondary to the photographer, so it will be a good challenge to make nice pictures with it in spite of it not being what I normally use on assignments. I've got one 16G SD card and two sets of AA batts for it, so I should be good to go.

We leave for LAX tomorrow and then we fly Wed. night for Seoul, South Korea and then on into Beijing. I have no idea what to expect but I suppose a lot of things taste like chicken... right?

from Deacon Tim Elliott 10pm Easter Sunday:

2010-04-04T23:39:00.002-04:00

Deacon Hieu Vinh - The tube in his throat has been removed and he was able to have a full conversation with Deacon Sean and Bishop Stika. His condition is still listed as Critical. He is improving and has a fantastic attitude...

Trang Vinh - Trang's condition has improved and she is now listed as Stable. Deacon Sean and Bishop Stika were both able to have a full conversation with her and were amazed at her positive attitude.

from Bishop Stika April 4th at 7pm:

2010-04-04T23:34:00.002-04:00

Dear friends,

As you may have heard, three members of Immaculate Conception were burned following a mishap with the Easter Vigil fire. Deacon Joseph Hieu Vinh, his daughter Trang Vinh and Patrick Connelly were airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center’s burn unit. I spoke to Hieu and Patrick and assured them of the prayers of the good people of Knoxville. I plan on traveling to Nashville tomorrow.

Please remember them in your moments of prayer. Will keep you updated via the website.

Have a blessed Easter Season and I hope you also are able to enjoy a few days of rest.

+Richard F. Stika

Most Reverend Richard F. Stika

Diocese of Knoxville

805 Northshore Drive SW

Knoxvile, TN 37919

Easter Fire: Please pray for my friends...

2010-04-04T17:14:00.002-04:00

Last night, on the holiest of nights, three people were injured in an accidental fire as part of the Easter Vigil Liturgy at Immaculate Conception, Knoxville's oldest Catholic parish. We heard this news after coming out of our own Masses all over the diocese. It went from "three people," and later in became "two men and a woman," and finally we know Deacon Hieu Vinh and his daughter Trang Vinh were two of the people injured. A third was an altar server who is a freshman in high school. I know them all.

I first met Hieu because he quickly became my brother as we both entered diaconal formation together so many years ago. Deacon Hieu is a good friend and so is Trang, his daughter. Trang was a near perfect student at KCHS and was one of those kids who just did well in everything academic. So often it is the case with first and second generation immigrants to our country. Their past is often filled with heartache, tragic loss, and danger; this was certainly the case with Deacon Hieu. Deacon Hieu has been shot at and almost died at sea, trying to escape his native country of Viet Nam.

Trang is an awesome kid who told me two weeks ago she really likes college and is still playing competitive soccer with some of her old friends from KCHS, where she graduated with first honors, tons of scholarships, and a future filled with promise.

Fr. Joe Ciccone is said to have helped get them on the ground immediately after their albs caught on fire, and helped to roll them on the ground and he helped pat the fire out, burning his hands in the process. He then went straight in and celebrated Mass, burned hands and all.

I ask for your prayers for my friends. First, that Jesus would make his presence known to all three in various ways through his mysterious means-- through people, answered prayers, and signs from heave itself. That the doctors and nurses at Vanderbilt and their burn specialists can diagnose well, give the proper meds, and treat the three of them with the utmost care. That Hieu's business will not suffer badly from his not being there. Hieu and his wife Kathy own two locations of L.A. Nails here in Knoxville and are hard workers, often putting in 60 hour work-weeks. That their families are comforted by friends, priests, and deacons as well as strangers who are moved at their story.

Pray also for IC's pastor, Fr. Joe. That his injuries will heal quickly and that he not be in too much pain.

There is a weird lesson in this for all of us in that we don't realize how precious and fragile life is. A flick of a wrist, we glance away at a text message while driving, a left arm goes numb suddenly... Everything can change in a matter of seconds. Life is a gift. Our health should not be taken for granted. We should see every sunrise and an opportunity to give thanks. We are a Eucharistic people!!! He is risen!

Please pray for my friends and their families... dpat

"Will Bill" Ewart

2010-03-01T01:16:00.002-05:00

This is my twentieth year covering UT Athletics and so by default it is my 20th season shooting the Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena. I started out as a newspaper shooter for the Knoxville News-Sentinel and began learning about the Lady Vols right away as I began my tenure at the paper in September of 1989. I shot the Women's Final Four in New Orleans for the newspaper, and then later covered Final Four appearances in Charlotte, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and maybe a few other places for Sports Illustrated (can't remember). Blogs should not always be about the photographer who runs them and so this time, it's all about Will. While I have had some images published in Sports Illustrated and many other magazines through the years, everywhere I go there are shooters like Will. They are tireless, huge fans, they are committed beyond reasonable expectations to the teams they cover, and they are truly a part of history. They often work for the love of the game or for peanuts.

Now, you can go back into the early and mid-90's and find my photos on file of Lady Vol F4 wins at Charlotte and New Orleans, but try looking back further than that. Try finding photos of the Lady Vols very first F4 victory in 1987... You won't find much, but Will was there. And Will was there last night when the Lady Vols pummeled Florida for the umpteenth time as well. Will rarely misses a game and when he's not court-side with his Nikons, he serves his fellow photographers by making sure the pizza is hot and set out for the halftime feed for the media. Will is one of those guys no one notices. He works quietly and without fanfare. Pre-game, he can usually be found walking around offering ear protection to the shooters on the sidelines which he pays for out of his own pocket. During the game, he speaks little and his concentration is second to none. Will is humble, friendly, and always has a bright smile to offer you when you're having a bad day. I'm pretty sure there is no one who has a photo file like Will's from Tennessee. My images from the 91' Final four were mostly lost in the newspaper's library but Will still has every frame.

I can remember some time ago a former editor of mine asking me this loaded question: "PM-R, who is the best photographer at the newspaper right now?" I thought hard about that question and finally answered honestly, "I am..., about two days a week." Sometimes talent will only get you so far. Will shows up my talent with sheer consistency that I will never have. He never misses a game! About four years ago, Will retired his Nikkor 85mm f/2 AIS lens and his Nikon FM2 for a fancy new digital rig. My guess is that he just wore the two out, and all of that wear and tear would have happened between the baselines at Lady Vol games. So, rather than tell you how great I am as a shooter, I'd rather tell you about my buddy, Will. Will has been making great photos of the Lady Vols forever, he makes sure our pizza is hot, and that we won't go deaf in the process. Will mixes Christian service with longstanding skill and knowledge of the game every time the Ladies take the court. Will is the man!

The Power of Voices Joined Together...

2010-02-07T00:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Tennessee Basketball fans were in for a very special moment. Usually, we all look forward to hearing Jackie Pearl sing the National Anthem before each game but tonight we got to hear from what I think was a UT choral class. They sang in four or five parts tonight and literally held the place spellbound with their very creative take on the common song we are used to hearing. The place was dead quiet as they sang. You could hear people just stop talking, texting, mouths open, taking it all in. As they sang their way into the anthem, what they were doing became more difficult and beautiful and as the song came near its end a lone alto reached way up there and nailed the final phrasing and she was dead to rights on each of her notes. The chorus gave us a gentle reminder I think about who we are: we are all people of gifts and talent, maybe not the same ones, but to each of us God as granted us individual creation that is ours to discover. His perfect vibe, force of growth, and creative work can only continue towards its end if we zero in on His plan for our lives. The voices joined were very powerful indeed because they all found a common gift from God in their praise of the Creator. Even if some of them don't believe in God, they sure believe in each other as well as their respective voices and so they praise Him anyway! Awesome!!!! Oh yeah, UT beat the pants off of the Gamecocks 79-53...

A story about my football video work from Norway???

2010-02-04T00:48:00.002-05:00

http://www.storytell.in/hdvidz/entry/video_commentary_patrick_murphy_racey

3 NFL QB's eat pancakes...

2010-02-02T20:43:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, you realize that you're getting old. Tonight, my buddy Adam Brimer sent me a link to a photo gallery at Sports Illustrated of old Manning photos, as in the Manning dynasty in football. Back in 1996 I spent a lot of time with the Mannings who I found to be gracious hosts to me in New Orleans on many occasions. I shot Cooper when he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Oxford," and Future Superbowl QB Eli in a high school baseball game, and many other situations that the family allowed me access to. If you want to see Olivia serving up pancakes to three NFL quarterbacks, check out this link:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1002/manning.family.rare.photos/content.8.html

It's amazing to see how much time has passed since 1996. It's fun to look back and remember those jet-set days of SI, Upper Deck, NFL Properties, and countless magazine covers that I used to spend all my time shooting. At one time I used to average a free round-trip airline ticket about every 10 days or so.

Getting to know, Archie, Olivia, Cooper, Peyton, and Eli has got to be a highlight of that time in my life which I was lucky to document and capture. the Mannings are all class, every one of them.

The first two funerals in our little Haitian village...

2010-01-17T09:46:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

News has been quiet lately from our little village in Boucan-Carre, Haiti. This is the first we've heard of structural damage since the quake, other than the second floor of the hospital's ceiling crack. The rectory's kitchen wall has a crack in it which was just discovered yesterday.

I wanted to explain who Deacon Onac is as most of you I don't think ever met him. Deacon Ocan is a transitional Deacon who grew up in Boucan-Carre. He has been in seminary for a long time and is due to be ordained a priest on Feb. 7th. His deceased cousin is named Laromie, 23, whom I honestly don't remember but I'm sure I've met in the past.

I gave Deacon Onac $300 from last year's Thanksgiving Day collection for Haiti towards the purchase of his chalice and patton that he will need in less than a month if the schedule of his ordination doesn't change. You have to wonder where they might have that ordination though as the Cathedral is in ruins. I'm certain there are bishops around that could do it but where????

People keep asking me about if there were deaths in our village. The answer is no, to if people physically lost their lives in BC. However, Port au Prince draws thousands of people from rural Haiti as it's the one place where there is work to be found. Young people, especially, migrate there to the "big city." In PAP, there is a way to find work, make a little money, continue your education, and improve yourself. There will be thousands and thousands of funerals in the coming months in small villages like Boucan-Carre, for people lost in the earthquake.

Fr. Chris Michelson gave an awesome homily last night at the vigil Mass in which he used the interplay between Jesus and Mary at the wedding feast at Cana. He called us all to ask ourselves, "how does your concern affect me? Mary's response: "Do whatever He tells you." And so the first miracle is performed and the water is turned into delicious wine. So we must ask ourselves now, what is Jesus telling us? Certainly to help in various ways through intense giving, through prayer for the suffering and those mourning the loss of loved ones, for all those orphaned last Tuesday...

Let us remember the first two funerals in BC... for Deacon Onac's cousin Laramie, and for St. Lot, Fr. Fitho Jean's brother. Both were just 23 years old.

My the souls of the faithful Haitian departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.

Each of us is being called by Christ to respond to this tragedy. we can honor the dead through self sacrifice, through talking about Haiti with everyone we know, and not let it drift outside of our consciousness. We must keep Haiti's people squarely in front of our hearts and never forget... never.

-dpat

If you saw Sophie and I on WATE tonight, go here to donate!

2010-01-15T23:26:00.001-05:00

www.givehaitihope.org or to www.pih.org

thanks and God bless you for your servant hearts!!!

deacon patrick :)

Do it Dooley!!!

2010-01-15T22:56:00.002-05:00

A little over a year ago I watched as Lane Kiffin stepped to the microphone amid the buzz of reporters whispering. Kiffin seemed insincere to me even then, and while I loved it when we went for it on 4th down on the 50, we lost a storied and deeply respected representitive of UT in Fulmer, who did so much more than just coach. Phillipp raised money, was generous in giving from his own pocket to his alma mater, and was a standup guy off the field who never once embarrassed himself as a man.

Tonight, I have to tell you I got a warm fuzzy listening to Coach Dooley speak "southern." He seems like a straight shooter and seemed to be humble in his confidence and hopes for our collective future as a team. Speaking of team, those buys have been through the ringer and Dooley might just be what the doctor ordered.

We need to put everything behind this guy and forget Kiffin. We don't want to be defined as the fans who intensely hate one coach, but rather who can rally to Dooley and show seamless support for our players and program.

There are moments when it hits me how important what I do is. I was a double major in history and journalism and I've been so very lucky to document so much since 1989 here at Tennessee. Tonight was no exception. The Rock may have said it all tonight... "DO IT DOOLEY."

Where should you Give for Haiti???

2010-01-15T11:19:00.001-05:00

https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=homepage

Just got out of Haiti in time....

2010-01-14T12:54:00.004-05:00

My daughter Sophie and my Mom and I just returned from Haiti last Friday. Little did we know we would be just a few hours away from the worst disaster in the country's history. It was the first time Sophie and my Mom had been there, but it was actually my 10th vistit. As I sit here in the comfort of our home in Knoxville, I'm overcome with a terrible guilt that I'm not there doing something to help. It's always difficult for me to make time to do mission trips to Haiti each year, especially since my business is so far off what has been considered normal, in the last ten years. But it's important for me to go there for a number of reasons.

First, I like what it does to me. I'm a typical 45 year-old fat white guy with good insurance, pretty much living the American dream. I'm self-employed, and have some measure of freedom over what I do each day. Haiti is a very uncomfortable place to be, even for a week. It's hot, most of the country lacks power so you spend most evenings talking by candle-light or a newer fancy LED headlamp. There is no noise from AC units, no sounds of traffic or cars in rural Haiti as there are only about 5 vehicles in our village at this point. You see the stars, which we are robbed of in most places in the US because we create so much light pollution. Instead, you fall asleep in real blackness to the sounds of mosquitoes buzzing, the faint sound of the Boucan-Carre River flowing in the distance, the wind, and roosters crowing and dogs barking and fighting. You hear goats and only occasionally, babies crying.

Morning comes early and you just wake up with the sun, especially in the summer heat. You can try to lay in bed for a while but once you start sweating, that loses all of its luster. Your needs are broken down into the most basic: what to eat, when to use the bathroom (if there is one), and what do do that day. We usually have projects lined up so that we are working on something when we're there. It's a good feeling to know that you contributed something more than just the carbon footprint of your airline travel for the 9 million people there.

Second, my faith is always renewed, even if I'm doing OK when I go down there. I have always told people that you get to see the gospel in color in Haiti, rather just in black and white. The gospel of Christ is exposed in raw form there every day. You are struck almost every moment with intense suffering of the people. They are hungry, have little or no healthcare, most have some evidence of malnutrition, and almost all of them are very thin. Most are not super healthy, owing to the fact that clean water remains to be elusive for most there. It is possible to visit the sick, those in jail, pray over the dead, and share your food and clothing with others all in a 12 hour time span. It's possible to live out Matthew 5:3 right in our little village in an afternoon. Yesterday a reporter asked me if my faith had been shaken by the tragedy that is unfolding in Haiti. My response was immediate and certain: "no!" It's actually swinging the other direction. The Haitians may have nothing of monetary value compared to us, but I know in my heart that is is we who are starving spiritually. We are suffering mightily in ways they would have trouble understanding. I go back again and again to learn their faith in God, to try to get into their hearts, and to learn about the true meaning of the word hope. I try to understand the mystery of Job from the old testament, and how through intense suffering it is possible to experience an intimacy with God through the worst of times. It's almost laughable to call ourselves missionaries when in reality, it is we who are schooled when we encounter this very special people who are filled with grace and dignity in the midst of their extreme poverty.

The story that I hope will be told somehow is that Haiti was a tragic catastrophe of epic proportions long before the first earthquake hit this week. It's sad that it might take this massive loss of human life to finally get our collective attention as a human race, and try to finally repair the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We all should take seriously our responsibility to give not from our excess, but from where it hurts us deeply in the coming weeks and months. We have a responsibility to ourselves as human beings to look out for those who need what we have: safety, wealth, education, a future that holds promise, and to help our brothers and sisters someday arrive at the dignity God had always intended for Haiti. We all need to look at our finances and make contributions not just in money but in deep, long term, and sustained prayer.

The reality is that it is Jesus himself that is buried under all that rebar and concrete. It is He who suffers, it is He who lies covered by a bedsheet, dead in the gutter of Delmas Ave in Port au Prince. But it is also Christ that digs through the rubble, and yes, scribbles a number on a check to offer at the church f your choice.

This month would be a fantastic time to set aside all those things that we hold as different from one another in terms of our faith perspectives, and lean more on how we share the same faith in the basic goodness of people. We need to pull together if we are going to meaningfully offer solutions and much needed change for Haiti. I pray that each of us will do that in the coming months, for the Haitians offer us something huge right now: the chance for our professed faith to cease to be nominal. it is a special opportunity that we don't want to miss out on. There are no two countries that need each other more than Haiti and the United States. We are obese, they are starving. We are rich, they are poor. We get our teeth cleaned, they get theirs extracted. They have faith and grace, and we have nice homes and cars. We are really desperate for each other.

May we all realize our interconnectedness as one family on earth and do the right thing as opportunities to give and pray present themselves in the near future. Let's dare to be the America that we should be rather than the one we are.

-patrick

my own wedding video:

2009-11-17T14:23:00.001-05:00

Patrick Murphy-Racey Photography: Weddings from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

At the Swamp, again...

2009-09-19T10:33:00.003-04:00

I'm not quite sure how many visits to Gainesville I've made since we moved to Knoxville in 1989, but I have not missed many contests between Florida and Tennessee, and it's been a great ride. The Head Trainer and my longtime friend, Jason McVeigh, has this morning upgraded my status to, "Probable," for today's game. I spent and hour in the training room at the hotel last night receiving treatment on my left knee and another two hours in there this morning. Rob used all available means of PT on it today, offering me a veritable tour of the most modern equipment and techniques available. I've had heat, ice, electric stimulation, ultra sound goo (really tickles), and ice again as part of my treatment. But the best treatment I received both last night and today is friendship and laughter in the training room. They tell funny stories in there and it's a fun place to be with a lot of good-natured chiding and joking around. ESPN HD is on pretty loud and as soon as Coach Kiffin appears on the screen, all is suddenly quiet. The players aren't the only ones who have been preparing for this day. There is a very serious undertone as long as they are talking about Kiffin or Tebow. Once Gameday moves to the next preview, it's back to business as usual.

The most longstanding rivalry between any VOL opponent is definitely Alabama. But if you were born after 1980, it's all about Florida for those coming late to the Vols fan base. When we beat Florida in the Swamp in 2001, it seemed like it was a bigger deal than even the national Championship just two years prior. It had been a 31 year drought and I remember rolling out of the airport in Knoxville at 1:30am on bus #3 seeing whole families who had pulled over on the northbound lanes of Alcoa Hwy. They would wave like crazy, standing out in the road, with their hazards flashing in the darkness. Tom Black Track had 10,000 fans waiting for us. It was amazing. In big time D1 football, and especially in the SEC, there is always the chance of an upset. This is what we're hoping for as we face #1 ranked Florida in a few hours. For my part, I'm going to do my best to show our effort on the field, win or lose. Shooting at the Swamp is hot, humid, loud, and even dangerous. The fans are obnoxious and try to get your attention any way they can. One guy stole my ball-cap as I ran behind the bench one game. A THP trooper was standing about five feet away and watched the frat-boy take my hat off my head. He just smiled and said, "welcome to Gainesville."

Most photographers wear non team colors but I've been wearing orange since 1999, and today is no exception. In the words of Peyton Manning, "I hate losing even more than I like winning." Those words are never more true that the game we'll play today.

GO VOLS!

911 Reflection...

2009-09-13T19:15:00.002-04:00

I was thinking the other day about where I was on 911. I had just picked up a new intern who had flown from York, England to begin working with me for six months. His name was Andy Smith. I had met Andy whole teaching lighting at a missionary school called YWAM in Kona, HI a few months before. We were busy in my old office working. The phone rang and it was a guy I was sending something to via Fed-X. He had just called back to switch the shipping to UPS ground. When I asked why, he said that he didn't think any planes would be flying for a while... Once he told us what happened, we tried to get on CNN.com, NYT.com, and a bunch of other websites. All the web servers were jammed and we couldn't get any news. Finally, Andy tried the BBC online, and we got right online and began to watch the terror unfold. We ended up leaving my office to head to our house to watch CNN. The rest of the day we spent in awe of the tragic violent strike at our country. Andy was terrified, being on American soil, away from his family and his home country. It was a weird day. I can remember wanting to join the Marines, like they would have accepted the likes of me...

A few days later, I sat in Sunday Mass and listened to a new priest preach forgiveness to those who had perpetrated this madness on all those innocent people. I wanted to get up and leave the church!

I thought of little else for the next few days, and finally the following Wednesday after that Sunday, I called Fr. Gerrard and left a message on his answering machine. I told him that I hated his homily, that I wanted nothing to do with his words filled with mercy and forgiveness, and that the mere thought of praying for the cell that did all that damage and murdered all those people made me angry. Then I told him that he was incredibly brave to have truly spoken God's Word and that everything he said was righteous and true. I realized how far from God's will I had gone and I asked him to hear my confession as soon as he got the chance. The thing of it was, it was his first Sunday as our pastor, having been moved from another community the week of 911. Fr. Gerrard and I became good friends after that and he very patiently helped me with spiritual direction.

Sometimes it's important to remember how far we've all come, and to realize how much further we have to go in this humanity business. The Gospel is the most important thing we have. We must give thanks for all the gifts we receive from God but we must also give to others from what we have. I could have as easily been born into slavery before the civil war or a few years earlier so that I might have died fighting in Viet Nam. But God chose me to live now, in this time and place. And so each of us needs to carry our own cross, stop being so selfish, and get with the program. We need to work on our humanity by being kind to one another, by building up people in relationships based on trust, humility, and service, and through being honest with ourselves about who we are, where we are headed, and not be afraid to speak life into every facet of our lives. In this way we can truly do battle against terrorism and find meaning as we mourn those who were killed on 911.

photo above was shot by TIME photographer and personal hero, James Nachtwey VII

Lane Kiffin's first game of his career at UTK

2009-09-07T21:05:00.003-04:00

University of Tennessee Football: VOLS vs. WKU, Sept. 5, 2009 - First game for Lane Kiffin as Head Coach from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

Jesse Mahelona, May he rest in peace with the Lord...

2009-09-06T15:24:00.008-04:00

I received some very sad news this morning, that a former Tennessee Volunteer has died at the age of 26 in a car wreck in Hawaii. Jesse Mahelona played at UTK through the 2005 season. He was like most Hawaiians, happy all the time, deeply spiritual, and friendly as all getout. Jesse was the cover of the media guide for UT Football in 2005. While 05' was a year most of us would like to forget, that cover image is probably my best effort ever that made it onto the cover of a magazine. My old friend Scott Altizer really helped pull it together and was really on board with the concept.

I remember while we were shooting, I kept telling him to look serious and mad, and he continually would bust out laughing because looking mad and serious was not Jesse's style.

I met his wife Brandi once after he graduated and was at UT for a visit. Jesse is survived by his wife Brandi, their little boy, and Brandi is expecting their child soon.

My prayers go out to the entire Mahelona family. Family is everything for all island peoples. They will mourn his passing together as a huge family. They will fiesta and share a huge meal together, and they will laugh at stories going back to when he was a kid. They will speak with pride about his contributions to the University of Tennessee Football program as well as his time in the NFL. And they will cry together as a huge family.

Godspeed to you Jesse, and thanks for being my best cover photo ever. You were so much fun to be around... As a Catholic, we always pray this prayer: "May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace." And so I bid you farewell, Jesse, and know that running through the T has now moved to second place compared to your new journey into Christ Jesus.

I put together a short video tribute on Jesse from some of my photos of him when he played with UT in 2004 & 2005:

please copy and paste this into your browser: http://vimeo.com/6552733

patrick murphy-racey

Michelle and Ben's Wedding slideshow...

2009-08-18T14:06:00.000-04:00

Michelle (Curley) and Ben Painter Wedding from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

This is a short video slide show of my most recent wedding, Michelle (Curley) and Ben Painter from August 1st. They are a great couple and part of my extended faith family at Sevier Heights Baptist Church. While I'm an ordained Catholic Deacon, my friends at Sevier Heights sort of took me in as their unofficial photographer, so whenever there is a big event at the church in the college ministry or they fire up their massive "Living Tree" ministry at Christmas, they call me in to shoot for them. Along the way, I've gotten a chance to meet most of their young adult ministry staff. I'm pretty sure that Ben and Michelle's wedding is the fourth wedding I've shot for that staff at SHBC. We Catholics make up just 6% of the population here in East Tennessee, but it's so cool to have healthy relationships with other believers from various denominations and different head spaces. Most people that hire me for work are on the other end of a long distance call or they find me on my website. It's great to have local clients who I can actually get to know, learn what their needs are over repeated assignments and catch their vision and do even better work for them over time.

I've often reflected that all meaning flows from relationship. This is certainly true of humanity and God, but also on a more personal level between people too. I have found many clients through the years that like my work and hire me. A greater gift for me though, is finding people that hire me because of who I am and not just based on my images and video. Here is what Ben and Michelle wrote to me on a small card they gave me on their wedding day. I think it sums up what I'm trying to talk about better than the way I put it here:

"Patrick, we are so glad to have you be part of our wedding and we're thankful for the talents, skills, knowledge, and desires that God has given you. Thank you for using them to bring glory and honor to our Father. We can't wait to see your work when we get back from Jamaica! Thanks again Patrick, you ROCK! :) Ben and Michelle

Praised be god the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. EPH 1:3"

Another SI cover for the books...

2009-07-26T07:19:00.000-04:00

Getting onto the cover of sports Illustrated is a rush, even when it's a regional cover that only part of the country will see. I appreciate so much the patience and time Coach Lane Kiffin allowed me as this was a pretty technical shoot. Emily Rose Bennett and I literally had to bury him in lighting equipment and foam core to make this one work. Lighting is everything when it comes to portrait work, and it can be said that it is the most important thing on a cover shoot. The content must be there as well, don't get me wrong, but when you pull in this close to a human being, you want to be on it in terms of the overall look you want. This man is intense, so I was so happy that they chose one of these as the looser images just didn't convey that at all. This was shot with the 5D MII (of course), 85mm f/1.2L at f/1.4, and it might surprise you to know that this was all shot in live view on a tripod using only hot lights. Video has really pushed me into using hot lights more than ever before and I feel like sometimes using constant light sources can be much better than using strobes. Yes, I just said that. There is more of a creamy sort of mellow and organic look the contrast has when using hot lights. This was shot primarily with Arri 150W fresnels. i love those things because I can shoot all the fast Canon glass wide open and really take advantage of the zoom feature of the heads as you can move from spot to wash and control the contrast really well that way. Shooting like this reminds me of doing 4x5 portraits back in the day. working in live view on a portrait shoot is much like that, though the results are actually much better. I cannot shoot the 85mm f/1.2L wide open hand held very well--just too many frames are soft. Even the slightest movement of the frame can cause you to lose your focus easily. Also, DOF is so shallow with these 1.2 and 1.4 glass that you must manual focus AFTER you compose, so using the AF square in the middle will actually cause you to blow the shot every time. Anyways, I digress. It's great to be on the cover of SI, especially since I haven't really worked for the magazine on a regular basis since I was ordained back in 2007. I know a sting of e-mails will come over the next week or so as old friends find themselves getting their teeth cleaned at the dentist will pick it up and see that they went into the deepest part of the closet and pulled me out of mothballs for this one. I am greateful to Jeff Weig and Karri Stein for the assignment. Nice to know people still remember me up there in NYC. Kindest regards, pm-r.

follow me as I ride to Canada's Labrador Coast..

2009-07-02T12:45:00.001-04:00

http://feistkids.blogspot.com/

PM-R does TV....

2009-04-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

I am doing more and more TV commercials and other video projects as of late. Here are two new 15 second TV spots for TVA Credit Union that I shot last week:

Pink-Out at TBA...

2009-02-16T22:48:00.000-05:00

Each year women's basketball teams across the country dress in pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. This year's game was tonight and there was an added sadness at the game at the recent loss of coaching great, Kay Yow, from NC State. Pat Summitt wrote a personal check to pay for the T-shirts left on the student section seats. That Lady's stock just keeps going up and up...

For photo geeks, this is shot on a 1D Mark III with an 8mm f/4 EX Sigma fisheye lens. I opened it up in PS4 and did some correction to it but it's still way wide. I'm exited to use this lens for football season at Neyland this year, especially with the 5D MII and it's HD video capabilities...

What do Batman, Evel Knievel, and GI JOE have in Common?

2009-02-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, I used to be a newspaper photographer. The last paper I worked for years ago was the Knoxville News-Sentinel where I joined the photography staff in 1989. After I worked there for about a year, a new guy was hired. He was a hot young shooter just having been an intern at the LA times and the Philly Enquirer. I knew him by reputation from the NPPA clip contest, which used to be important for me back then. Anyway, this guy was a good ole' country boy from Kentucky who learned how to shoot at UK up in Lexington and his name was Clay Owen.

Clay was a big guy with a little infectious laugh and we became fast friends. He'd walk in the door and start every sentence with "weeeeel?..." and then tell you what was on hims mind.
For instance, he might say, "weeel pm-r? What's the plan for lunch today?..." but it would be like 8:15am. Or he might be looking over a light table trying to pick an image from his take and say, "Weeel pm-r, Gee (he really used that word, and 'nifty' too), I wonder if you'd take a lookseee here at these images (but he's it would come out 'imuges'). Clay always got me smiling just by the way he spoke.

Other than photography, we also had a love of motorcycles in common, and once we figured that out, we'd talk all the time about bikes and riding. I would talk about new modern bikes and Clay would talk only about the various dirt bikes he had ridden as a kid. Clay loved to jump dirt bikes and pulled monster wheelies all the time. His Dad told me a story the other day about him pulling a wheelie that he rode for 175' down a country road in front of his whole family. For those of you that don't ride, it's hard to understand the draw to something so dangerous but take my word for it, it's awesome for those of us that do. Nothing can get you out of a bad mood faster than hoppin' on a two wheeled machine, firing up the engine, dropping it into first, and letting out the clutch with 100 HP between your legs. Anyway, I digress...

Thing is, Clay gave it all up flat one day. His sweetie Jackie pretty much laid down the law and told Clay that if they were going to be together, then the bikes and riding had to go. As far as I know, he never got on a bike again. I offered him a ride a few times but he always declined. Smiling real big, he said, "Weeeeel pm-r, (hee, hee) it sure would be fun, but I don't think I'd better, "and if Jackie found out, weeeel..."

I've known Clay ever since he and Jackie moved to Knoxville seventeen years ago. We drifted apart when I left the newspaper in 1992, but we were always happy to see each other at UK-UT games and at events with Catholic Charities.

He sent me a message on Facebook the other day. "Hey pm-r, let's get together for lunch, just you and me, so we can catch up and talk about video. - Clay" Clay became addicted to Facebook in recent weeks, and was madly scanning photos of friends and putting them online.

Sadly, he got busy at work the day we were supposed to meet and had to postpone to the next week, and then one thing to another... you know how it is, and so we never really firmed up our meeting. Last Tuesday, Clay got off work, went to work out, and returned home. He walked in the door, complained to Jackie that he had heartburn, and sat down on the couch. Within a short few minutes, God took him home to heaven with Jackie frantic at his side. My heart is broken because Clay's gave out, not that I'm surprised. Clay was a big guy and like most of us, he needed to lose a few pounds, but I think his heart gave out because he worked his more than the rest of us. He was a gentle soul; a ten-year-old kid that never gave up his love of fishing, GI-Joe, Batman, and his boyhood hero, Evel Knievel..

I swear I never heard Clay swear in all the time I've known him. He didn't drink or smoke but the dude had all kinds of fun. While I saw him frustrated from time to time, I never saw him get angry or shout ever. He always had a kind word for people and that big heart of his just gave and gave to all of us till it could give no more.

Early tomorrow morning, I will climb on my trusty steed before dawn, and make my way North on I-75 into the Bluegrass state, hang a left in Lexington, and ride on to Louisville, where Clay's family and his many friends will celebrate his life in the context of a memorial service, and lay him to rest. I'm not sure if the ride there will be easier or harder than the ride back, but I'm riding no matter what. I will pray in thanksgiving for all the time I got to spend with him, all the laughs we shared together, and thank God that he was a part of my life. I will invite him to join me in the pre-dawn hours. We'll watch the sunrise together, coming up through the old mountains as we'll trace the path he knew so well: back home to Kentucky and beyond, one last time.

Call a friend today you know you should. Don't pass that person as you scroll through your contacts on your phone this week. Reach out and touch the people that have touched you this week because you never know when one of us will get a case of heartburn.

Last, if you have a spare minute when you read this, please offer up a prayer for Jackie who has her plate full trying to cope, understand, grieve, and figure out what to do with all that love she has for Clay who is gone for a while. Pray also for Clay's Mom and Dad. Parents aren't supposed to bury their kids and so keep Clay Sr. and Betty in your prayers as well. - pm-r

Pat Head Summitt: 1000 Wins since 1974. GO LADY VOLS!

2009-02-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

Since 1974, Pat Head Summitt has been building an amazing list of achievements as the Head Coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols. Tonight many of us got to see something special as Pat reached her 1000th win since her start at UTK in 1974. Her record now stands at 1000-187. Think about that! 1000-187. Whew. In that time, she has won the NCAA Final Four 8 times. It's significant to recognize that no coach, man or woman, has ever reached 1000 victories in their career. I've been to many of these Final Four appearances and have shot hundreds of games since moving to Knoxville in 1989. But one achievement reigns supreme in my book even higher than all the trophies and championships: Her 100 % graduation rate of all her players. It's difficult to really see the "amateur" in big time D1 sports these days, but not in Knoxville, Tennessee where we are proud to Call Pat Summitt our coach...

"The Sophster," and the new 5D Mark II

2009-01-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

This image was shot with the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera body and a 135mm f/2L lens at my daughter Sophie's basketball game last Friday night. She is the tall kid on the left side of the frame boxing out her opponent (in blue) with her friend Emily Kiser (at far right). The exposure was 1/500th @ f/2 @ 2000 ISO. The new cameras from Nikon and Canon both offer unheard of film speeds and unbelievable quality in almost any light. And the new 5D Mark II makes pretty awesome 1080i video, too, which is really cool!

It's important for me at times to pick up a camera and just shoot something that I'm not being paid for. I chuckle when people that receive my photos from Sophie's games say things like, "wow, it looks like Sports Illustrated or something!" Anymore, I don't bother to explain that it's what I used to do, I just enjoy making other parents happy as well all enjoy watching our kids have fun at sports.

Sophie is a great kid, the tallest in her 8th grade class. She just made her very first 4.0 in school, and that's with playing tennis in the Fall and basketball in the Spring. We couldn't be more proud of her!

With sadness a great coach and friend will depart...

2008-11-27T00:46:00.000-05:00

I've never gotten a good answer for UT Head Coach Fulmer about why he said yes to give all access to a total stranger back in 1998, but I'm glad he did. What I signed on for was supposed to be for a year's worth of games and ended up to likely be the most important relationship of my post Sports Illustrated career as a photographer. I grew on Phillip and he on me. It's not often that you actually get to know a "great man" in life. You mostly read about them and admire them from afar. Like him or not as a football coach, his retractors would never accuse him of being a bad husband, father, friend, or mentor to hundreds of young men. Never have I seen him not offer a prayer of thanksgiving, win or lose, in the locker rooms from Gainesville to Southern California. The man and his family are just all class.
Sixteen years ago last June, I took the plunge and quit my job at the paper here in Knoxville to live out a dream of being a self-employed freelance photographer. Within a few months I was hopping on planes to shoot assignments for SI, ESPN, the NBA, and Upper Deck, and a whole bunch of magazines that you never heard of. Fulmer took the reins of UT football in the same year and began his climb towards the big "phat" ring he wears on his right hand. I will miss him next season and wish him well in whatever is next for the "big man" from Winchester, Tennessee. Thanks for the access, your trust in me, all those wins, the memories I will share with my son and daughter, and for showing me how to be a standup guy in all things.

If you make it to the KY game this weekend, you'll get to see two things, the end of an era at UT as Phillip coaches his last game of 2008, and a two minute slide show of some of my photos which will be shown on the JumboTron in the stadium. They span his career as Head Coach, and in a quiet more subtle way, my own career as a photographer shooting what I love most: Tennessee Football!

Phillip, may God richly bless you, Vicky, Courtney and Robert, Brittany, Allison, and "the boys": Phillip Jr. and JP...

2008-11-04T13:40:00.001-05:00

dixie stampede photo shoot

2008-11-01T11:24:00.000-04:00

A great day outside...

2008-10-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

As a freelance photographer, you have to take assignments sometimes that are beneath your experience or just complete jobs that you're not really that into. You have to pay the bills and so you just go and do it. Then occasionally, you get a fantastic challenge and you have to bring everything you know into the assignment and when you come out on the other end with good images, you feel good about yourself. Like in my Son Patrick's world of Thomas the Tank Engine, you want to be "useful."

Last Wed. I got challenged by one of my favorite clients: Dollywood. The first photograph was shot in the Eagle Sanctuary Theater with the challenge of capturing a bird in flight at just the right moment as it flew overhead. Admittedly, the people are hired talent, but it's still not an easy shot. The lighting was two systems, one lighting the stage and interior of the theater and the other on the people and the hawk. The strobes have to have an extremely short flash duration to capture that kind of motion so I always use Elinchrom Style units. We did it in three takes with this being the last one.

The second shot is shot outdoors with more Elinchrom strobes plugged into a Dynalite inverter, which gives AC power anywhere. The guys from Dollywood had set rigging between two trees and then flew the actor in the air about ten feet. Again, we lit with Elinchroms and had hone light on the guy in the air and the other on the two actors below.

All in all, it was a great day. we shot a lot more than just these two images, but these were my favorites by far. Hope you like them! patrick :)

The Cloud is Falling vs. the Sun is Shinning...

2008-08-05T23:31:00.000-04:00

Recently, one of the most respected photojournalists of our time wrote a compelling article http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/2014
about the state of affairs in our business and culture as shooters. Vincent Laforet quit his coveted job at the New York Times two years ago to go freelance. Everyone said he was nuts. The article is a must read if you plan on a future in photography or want to continue living as one.

The funny part about his article is that all of the observations he makes, and the moves he makes (like quitting his job), are all things I did in 1992, when I said goodbye to the newspaper business. I headed for Sports Illustrated, and though I was only to achieve a "B" rating as a shooter there, I had a ball for a few years, running around the country and shooting football, hoops, athlete portraits, and generally having fun. then as time went on, I grew more interested in a long term assignment/project and began working on a book on Tennessee Football . Shooting the book project took me off the travel schedule at SI ( and they called in all the contracts in 1998), so I wasn't getting all that much work form them anyway. People thought I was nuts... leaving SI like that.. Imagine!

My self published book did well, and we make a few bucks doing it. So then another book project came my way, . that was a REALLY fun project that also paid well and I got to shoot crazy portraits all over the country and completely dictate my own style of how to do that.

Somewhere in the early 1990's, I started shooting weddings in black and white. I'd shoot all b&w PJ stuff and then haul out lights for the portraits after the wedding was over. I started spending more time with the people... getting to actually know them on Friday so that on Saturday, I could blend into the wallpaper and make photos...

Next came my foray into shooting TV commercials, learning how to edit video (still working on that), and using hot lights... That has been going well too...

I digress... Laforet is telling everyone how great it is for laid off PJ people to shoot weddings for big money, do personal work, and learn new technologies... Wish he'd writen that article back in 92' when I quit Scripps-Howard! Would have been nice to have a road map rather than figuring out all this stuff on my own...

I'm not really that obnoxious... It's actually nice to have someone that I respect that much sort of vindicate what I've been doing for the last sixteen years. And I thought it was just my ADD kicking in... COOL! :)

Shooting for myself is good....

2008-07-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

As time has gone on, I shoot less and less for myself. Seems like I can't remember the last time I shot something for someone who wasn't paying me to do so. When you get paid all the time to make pictures, it can wear on you in that there is always an agenda in the back of your mind. You are shooting something for someone else and not fully for yourself. This summer my wife and I got to travel to Italy and spend some time there. It was great to be there with Ellie, just the two of us.. but there was a third party that got to go along for the ride as well. It was a small compact camera called a Leica. It looks like an old timey point and shoot, but is NOT. My favorite photo from our Italy trip was shot with a 21mm lens on a Leica M8 in St. Peter's at the Vatican in Rome. It was a God moment in very much a God place, a double-whammy if you will. I hope you like it as much as I do...

Hello Dolly!

2008-07-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

One of the coolest things I get to do as a photographer is to be able to see and witness things that others don't get to. For the last fifteen or so years, I've been the unofficial photographer for Dollywood. Every couple years or so, I get to shoot Dolly in a studio situation where I go where she's going to be and then create a lighting setup to shoot her in various outfits for the park's needs for the year. Last Wednesday, I got to do this once again but this time in Nashville while she was shooting various TV commercials. Dolly is a unique person and is one of the most recognized faces in the world. You'd think that after all that fame and fortune she'd be a pill to be around... She is really fun, professional, beautiful, and awesome to photograph. If you've ever seen Dolly in an interview, in a motion picture, or on TV, she is just like you see her. She doesn't change for anyone. I've always been so impressed with her in this regard. She always speaks of prayer being a big part of her life and I've seen this first hand. It's not every day you get to photograph someone like her, and I try not to take it for granted. Dolly and the people that she surrounds herself with work hard and they expect me to do a good job. I take pleasure in that task and enjoy every minute. She teaches us all about how to be genuine, real, and authentic. Dolly is the real thing; we should all be more like her...

My 19th Season shooting the VOLS...

2008-06-17T01:31:00.000-04:00

In September of 1989, my wife Ellie and I moved to Knoxville so I could take a job at the Knoxville News-Sentinel as a staff photographer. We planned to stay a year or so and then head on to a major city where I could get a better job with another staff. Then we got to hiking a little in the Smokies, I started whitewater canoeing and kayaking, and before you knew it, we realized we actually loved living here. Once our daughter Sophie was born, we realized this was our home. Neyland Stadium became my home as well, along with 107,000 new friends. I started shooting the Vols first for the Knoxville paper, then for Allsport, and then for Sports Illustrated, once I quit the paper to go freelance in 1992. While on assignment for ESPN in 1998, I gained access to the locker room in Tempe after the National Championship game. The following year, my friend Barry Rice got me a short meeting with Coach Fulmer. For some strange reason, Coach trusted me with total access to his team for my book project which was published in 2003, "Run Through the T." To this day, he still has yet to tell me why he took that risk, but I'm glad he did. I sort of eased my way into the family that is Tennessee Football, and over time my Nikes turned to Adidas, most of my golf shirts are UT orange, and I find myself humming Rocky Top in the strangest places. Needless to say, we are Vol Fans through and through at our house. I am filled with excitement as the first week of the season approaches. Right now, many of us are putting the finishing touches on the Media Guide for the 2008-2009 Season. The photo above is one under consideration for the cover.

Allyson & Matt's Wedding, Cleveland, TN

2007-08-12T23:04:00.001-04:00

About three weeks ago, I had the good fortune to shoot a wedding for two way-cool families... One was from Green Bay, WI, and the other from a mixture of places, but mostly Cleveland, TN and Cincinnati, OH. This image was by far my favorite of everything that I shot that weekend. It has something special in it, and after all my years of shooting, I can't really put my finger on exactly what that is... But they are very comfortable together; that is obvious. They know all eyes are on them at their reception, and I wonder if they even see anyone else in the room at this moment. The picture works because of the content... the body language, the moment, thier expressions, their hands... The technical aspects of the photograph like the angle of view, the illumination, ambient/flash ratio, and copmposition are really secondary to them in the frame. Too see the rest of my selects from this very fun weekend, please visit the following link: http://pmrphoto.com/warren I love shooting weddings. I used to be embarrassed to let other shooters know that I was doing this kind of work, and then I just got sick of that attitude. There are tons and tons of awesome moments that happen throughout a wedding weekend, and I want to be a part of capturing as many as I can. It's a lot of fun to get to know a bunch of people that are all in a great mood, happy, and filled with joy. You can't miss! pat