Well, at least the sun was shining the other morning that I was assigned to shoot crew racing.

The races that are held on the Opening Day of boating season (Opening Day? Does that mean the first tilt of your boat to the left is the "first pitch?") are the local highlight of the crew season.

Washington's oarsmen will have more important races (last week's victory over Cal in Berkeley, the upcoming Pac-10's and the IRA Championships after that), but none will be bigger for local race fans.

Yachts started lining the log boom outside of Montlake Cut on Thursday in anticipation of the races and the boat parade that follows:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, 1/640th sec., f6.3)

Despite the drizzle, fans still lined the Montlake Bridge and the shores along the cut:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, 1/250th sec., f5.6)

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 100-400mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 800, 1/400th sec., f5.6)

Meanwhile back in Conibear crewhouse, men's varsity eight coxswain Kaitlin Snyder put the finishing touches on her race plan:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 26mm, ISO 1000, 1/160sec.,f2.8)

And the guys in her boat stretched out to get ready for their Windermere Cup race against Poland and the US Naval Academy:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 1000, 1/100sec.,f2.8)

One of the things that makes this race so special is the Montlake Bridge, which is lined with fans watching the shells pass beneath it during the race, so I wanted to make sure to incorporate it into my image for the sports cover. The men's varsity eight is undefeated this year, so I chose to focus on their race:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 35mm, ISO 800, 1/1008sec.,f2.8)

Moved to a telephoto lens as they passed. One challenge with shooting the wide-angle from close to the bridge is that I wasn't able to shoot the finish line. As the men won by a fair distance, not having photos of the finish didn't end up being a problem:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 100-400mm lens @ 270mm, ISO 800, 1/500th sec., f6.3)

As I looked towards the finish line, a group of young women in swimsuits had jumped into the cut at the conclusion of the last race. I found out they were members of the UW swim team, and that this is somewhat of an annual tradition:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, 1/250th sec., f10)

One of the great sights of Opening Day is seeing all the boats make their way back through the cut back to the boathouse after the races. It's a cool sight from the top of the bridge, but I couldn't hustle up there fast enough and settled for a shot from the shore:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 100-400mm lens @ 375mm, ISO 800, 1/250th sec., f14)

An awards ceremony followed the races, but the best part of post-race is when they throw the winning coxswains into the water. It's an easy, cliche' photo, but one that's always fun to shoot:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 75mm, ISO 800, 1/1000sec.,f4.5)

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 800, 1/1600sec.,f9.0)

Shooting crew is a blast. I wish I could follow them as they compete in the Pac-10 championships and the IRA Nationals.

And the added bonus to hanging around all those fit bodies is it makes me want to go work out!

Dang.

Time flies when you're having fun!

Doesn't it just seem like that one dude caught the ball on the top of his helmet and that one team beat the other team in the Super Bowl?

Heck, I feel like I just finished thawing out from hat playoff game in Green Bay.t

The NFL draft took place last weekend, and I am so sparing you the "big dudes holding up their jerseys with the coach and general manager" photo.

(If you really need to, just close your eyes and picture it....is it still has boring in your imagination as it was was when I shot it?)

The Seahawks broke out the helmets and pads for their first minicamp of the season.

I could picture my assignment now:

"What: Seahawks hold their first minicamp of the season without recently released running back Shaun Alexander. Please get photo of Shaun Alexander not being at minicamp."

Fortunately, my editors trust me a bit more than that.

I did go out and make photos of new running back Julius Jones and transmitted them right away for our home page.

Whereas we used to go to minicamps and spend the day shooting for news stories and file photos, now I spend the first part of most events shooting for the web, and then going back and shooting for the paper.

Minicamp practices are largely uneventful, much like any other practice, so I ran down the list of players I needed to shoot and then started practicing on my football shooting and tracking receivers.

Receiver Logan Payne made a nice catch in front of cornerback Josh Wilson:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender = 560mm, ISO 800, 1/640th sec., f4.0)

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender = 560mm, ISO 800, 1/640th sec., f4.0)

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender = 560mm, ISO 800, 1/640th sec., f4.0)

It's one of those weekends in sports where lots of sports blend together. For example, there are NFL minicamps being held all over the league, Major League Baseball is in full swing, the NBA playoffs are moving along, and the Kentucky Derby is running for the roses.

6am?!!!

What the....?

"They LEAVE the dock at 6am. You gotta be there well before", intoned Dan Lepse, sports information director for the UW crew program when he called me to inform me that yes, I could accompany the crew out for one of their morning practices.

Lepse's tone also seemed to say, "I remember you in college, and you never woke up before noon, even if you had a class."

I can't argue with that.

But here's what I learned by spending a morning with the UW men's crews and their coach Michael Callahan.

As the old Army slogan used to say, "They do more by 6am than you'll do all day".

College kids. Gotta love 'em. They drag themselves into the crewhouse only 30 minutes (or less) before they're due to hit the water ("the procession of the walking dead", someone describes it to me) and in no time at all, they're laughing, stretching, running, working out on rowing machines and getting ready for another workout.

Walking down to the water's edge you'll pass a sign that shows some of the destinations the crews have traveled to in previous years:

Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 185mm, ISO 400, 1/1250th sec, f3.2)

The weather was perfect and the dawn provided a great backdrop to the varsity eight putting their shell into the waters of Lake Washington:

Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 16mm, ISO 800, 1/100th sec, f22)

I'm on a launch piloted by men's coach Michael Callahan, and we slowly make our way alongside the crews through the placid Montlake Cut. Callahan reminds me that in only a couple of days, the environment along the cut will be so loud that rowers will not be able to hear instructions from the coxswains during the races.

It seems a far cry from the quiet solitude of the waters and the Montlake Bridge silently looming above us, the occasional car crossing its grates.

We make our way into Lake Union, and the light is beautiful and the Space Needle gives the image a sense of place:

Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 125mm, ISO 320, 1/320th sec, f8.0)

As the crews do some warm up pieces, I mess with exposure and shutter speeds:

Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 zoom lens @ 22mm, ISO 50, 1/4th sec, f22)

The oars coming out of the water are a nice detail:


(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 300mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 500, 1/640th sec., f7.1)

Callahan arranges races between the different boats, and because of the different ages and skills, he staggers the starting point for the boats. They do two heavily competitive race pieces and the guys are giving it their all:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 300mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 200, 1/800th sec, f4.0)

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 300mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 200, 1/800th sec, f3.5)

After they return to the crewhouse, I pack up and leave, fully intending on taking a nap.

The crew, however, they're off to class. Their day has just started.

"They" say it's early in the season, and that there's time to right the ship.

"They" also say that the Mariners are hovering around .500, so they're okay for now.

"They" not to panic, that good teams prevail over the course of 162 baseball games, and the Mariners are a good team.

Who the hell are "they", anyway? Are they us, the media? (Well, technically not ME, because I'm not a reporter), but you get my drift.

Who are they (we?) to tell us (us?) how they (them?) will fare?

Sorry, couldn't help myself. I'm speaking to a group of sports editors in the morning, and just so no one gets confused, remind everyone out there that I'm not a writer (one of "them").

As if this elegant wordsmithing could ever be misconstrued as real writing.

Back to the game.

Felix Hernandez pitched seven GREAT innings, dominating Oakland some innings, and extracting himself out of jams in others. He recorded 10 strikeouts before getting into trouble in the eighth. In those middle innings, I realized he was pitching special, and so I shot from behind the plate hoping to show his dominance:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender = 560mm, ISO 640, 1/800 sec.,f4.0)

Even though Seattle's bats failed them for much of the homestand, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt managed a great smile after his solo home run in the fourth inning gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead

And then, as the song goes, "the weather started getting rough..."

How bad was it at Safeco Field? Well, it started to rain, and the technicians took an unusually long time to close the roof. It was so bad that SOME FANS ACTUALLY GOT WET! In Seattle. In April. I know, right?

I didn't care how hard it rained. The photos are always better with the roof open. More light, and it's baseball, for goodness' sake. Anyway, my long-misplaced journalism gene kicked in and I realized it was actually unusual for Seattle fans to be rained on during a game.

Bring out the umbrellas!

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/800 sec.,f2.8)

Seattle's anemic offense couldn't pick up their pitching once again, and some walks and hard-luck relief pitching left Hernandez at the end of the bench watching his walks become runs in the eighth:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 25mm, ISO 1600, 1/640th sec.,f2.8)

Seattle gave up four runs in the eighth and trailed 4-2. What looked to be a great outing by Felix Hernandez and a victory over a division rival at home turned into a tough loss that was reflected in the faces of both...

...the players...

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 195mm, ISO 800, 1/320th sec., f4.5)

...and the fans.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 125mm, ISO 800, 1/320th sec., f3.5)

Here's today's sports cover:

Ichiro almost took my head off with a foul ball tonight.

In the first inning, he sliced a ball foul that made like a heat-seeking missile.

Right. At. Me.

I saw it coming (albeit briefly), and just as the ball got bigger in my sight, I bailed, falling to the floor of the third-base photo well.

I was holding onto my 400mm lens and camera by the monopod, and the ball scored a direct hit on the side of rim of the lens, missing the glass of the front element by only an inch.

My lens now has a dent the exact size of a Major League Baseball.

Probably would have taken my head if I hadn't moved, rendering me a life-sized bobblehead on Ichiro bobblehead night at the ballpark.

Luckily, I happened to be looking at the hitter, since it was Ichiro. Had the Mariners been in the field, I might have been focusing on the pitcher and never seen it coming.

That could have been bad. Or, it could have knocked some sense into me.

Time to get a batting helmet.

P.S. Tom, thanks for calling me on your cell phone from the 300 level to make sure I was okay...now that's friendship.

Baseball is a game of signs.

The catcher gives signs to the pitcher. One finger for a fastball, two for a curve.

The third-base coach signals the batter and any baserunners. A touch of the belt could mean a bunt. Tip of the cap followed by an arm down the sleeve signal a hit-and-run.

Don't forget the umpires signaling balls, strikes and outs.

When I'm shooting a baseball game, I rely on signs, too.

If my photo editor touches her hat, it means, "get one in focus for once". Two claps followed by a tap on the elbow means, "you're missing deadline". A tap of the nose followed by one to the ear means, "you're being relieved by another photographer warming up in the bullpen".

Seriously, a major league stadium is full of information that helps me do my job.

Unlike the spoiled sportswriters in the press box (who, by the way, have been complaining of the cold because the windows are opened up there during games), photographers have to relatively fend for ourselves. No television monitors, no one to tell us the pitch count and distance when a home run is hit.

I'm kidding about them being spoiled. Obviously they need more of that information than we do to write their stories. And, they'd have to put down their hotdogs and coffee.

KIDDING!

Aside from the traditional scoreboard in left field that tallies runs per inning, the score, hits and errors, another valuable source of information is the batting order that is listed on the centerfield big-screen. Armed with a roster in my pocket that notes left-handed and right-handed batters and pitchers, the batting order tells who is coming up to bat.

Say Ichiro is hitting for the cycle in the late innings, and left-hander Arthur Rhodes is on in relief pitching for Seattle. When Seattle's in the field, and Rhodes is on the mound, I'd like to be on the first-base side of the field shooting. This way, I can see Rhodes' full throwing motion and release. If I'm shooting from the third-base side and a lefty is on the mound, it's hard to see his face and the ball at the same time.

However, if left-handed hitting Ichiro is at the plate and I want to get a photo of him hitting the ball, I'll need to be on the third-base side of the field. From the first base side, I only see his back.

The upshot to all of this, is that by knowing who is pitching and what batters are due up, I have a better chance of being in the right spots to make photos. It's obviously an inexact science. If I'm in the first base box shooting right-handed hitters like Beltre and the Mariners rally until Ichiro comes up, I won't have the opportunity to switch sides of the field (only allowed between half-innings).

You can see that there is a mark next to the current batter (or, if they are in the field, the batter leading off the next at-bat).

When hitters are at the plate, there's an infographic on the scoreboard that tells me the player's stats for the year. What I want to know when I look at this board is usually the stolen base numbers. Obviously, this lets me know if the player is a threat to steal (and yes, there other other ways of knowing, like the player's position in the batting order -- speed guys can be found at the top and bottom of the order). If I know a player is a basestealing threat, I also then know that there could be pickoff attempts, like when Seattle's Felix Hernandez went to second base twice in the first inning to keep Baltimore's Brian Roberts close to the bag. Knowing that Roberts is speedy, I was able to be ready when Hernandez spun and threw to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt in the first inning.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/800 sec.,f2.8)

Now, I can tell just by looking at him that Jose Vidro is usually no threat to steal, and the graphic on the scoreboard tells me he has one stolen base this year. Obviously these are just clues not givens, because both Kenji Johjima and Richie Sexson have tried to steal this season, and neither are speedsters.

There's also a board that tells the speed of each pitch. It's good information because I'm curious about such things, but really doesn't help me shoot the game. Pitches are blurs whether or not they're thrown at 96mph or 78 mph.

Regarding pitching, the pitch count scoreboard does give me a lot of information. I noticed that Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie, a righty, had thrown over 100 pitches when Seattle's Jose Vidro, a lefty, came to the plate.

The Orioles left Guthrie in, and Vidro pounded out a two-run single in the eighth that was the difference.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/800 sec.,f2.8)

We were past our first deadline for the night, and I was hurrying to edit, caption and transmit the photo of Vidro. Here, another scoreboard, this one telling me the results of the past three batters, told me what had happened previously. I could have used my wireless internet to look up the play-by-play, but snapping a shot of the board was quicker.

Another noteworthy aspect to last night's game was the reappearance of closer J.J. Putz, who'd been on the disabled list. With the Mariners protecting a two-run lead in the ninth, Putz would have a pressure opportunity for a save. I moved from my spot outside of first base to one nearer home plate. Putz always yells and pumps his fists after collecting the final out of a victory and I wanted to be ready. Usually, a photo of Putz pumping fists is cliche, but since he'd been out for two weeks, it would be part of the story.

He gave up a double, then collected the next two outs as the small crowd roared (it was a small roar, okay?).

And then, as the third out was made, I focused, got my trigger finger ready and Putz...did...nothing.

Look, I don't know if all this stuff helps me make better photos. Maybe they just keep my head in the game. At least I was prepared.

All the signs pointed to it.

How might Seattle's basketball franchise end?

With a Sonic boom? Or with a whimper?

However it ends, it won't be the performance of point guards or power forwards, it will be the work of litigators. That we know for sure.

I was at KeyArena on Sunday evening when the Sonics played their last home game of the season, a game against the Dallas Mavericks, who are battling for a playoff spot.

Seattle, on the other hand, has been playing for pride for months and struggling to reach the 20-win mark...still.

As most of you know, Seattle is struggling to keep the Sonics in Seattle.

I'm not a sports columnist, but I made my feelings known last week.

Because there is the possibility that this could be the last Sonic home game EVER, we decided to add shooters. Staff photographers Steve Ringman and Greg Gilbert joined me. Steve is a great photojournalist who has a knack for finding timely and storytelling features at big events. Greg shot the first-ever Sonics game back in 1967, so it was fitting that he be there for the possible finale.

Game action was going to be an afterthought at this game. The big story was the end of the season, and possibly the franchise's life in Seattle. With Seattle cruising along with a record of 18-62, post-season implications were nil for the home team.

One challenge that I discussed with my editors before the game was trying not to go overboard with "sign" photos -- fans holding up signs. Visually, they get old very fast, but on the other hand, signs are the voice of the fans in times like these, so we knew we'd have to have some of them in the mix.

First job was to get a photo on our homepage before the game started. The great thing about having terrific co-workers is that teamwork is not a problem. Greg headed outside to shoot fans coming in, Steve headed to the upper reaches of the arena to find fans and I headed down to the court.

Jillian Jackson had a big ol' homemade sign and she and her dad were down near the court during warmups. Her dad, a lifelong Sonics fan, wrote about witnessing the final game. I'm always careful and really skeptical about kids holding signs at news events (as in, finding little three-year olds holding signs at strike rallies..."Really, little Joshua? You're not even in preschool yet but you understand labor law?!"). But I asked Jillian about her sign, and she told me she'd spent two hours with her parents making it. She had perhaps the best quote of the night when the Sonics won, asking her dad, "Do we get to keep the Sonics now that they won?"

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 1600, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

Kevin Durant, Seattle's rookie superstar, was introduced before the game:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, 24-70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1600, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

Thought I might as well as document everything, in case this would be the last game in Seattle. To that end I tried to make a different photo of the opening tip, but it fairly sucked:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 24mm, ISO 1600, 1/500 sec.,f2.8)

Durant got loose for a breakaway dunk. Wish he was approaching the basket from the opposite side so he'd be facing me instead of in profile. Damn.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 1600, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

"Sign photos" were everywhere to be seen. I was once a high school English teacher (not that you'd know by my writing), but note to Sonics fans -- learn to spell.

At least this first sign has no spelling errors.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 1600, 1/125 sec.,f2.8)

Dude, before you call someone a "theif", learn to spell it. Or, at least call him a "criminel". Oh, and spell the guy's name right, too. I'm kidding!

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 300mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 1/250 sec.,f2.8)

Boy, it was sure easier to spell the name Locke than Gregoire correctly. Or Evans, or Ray.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 1600, 1/200 sec.,f2.8)

Former Sonics were in attendance including "Downtown" Freddie Brown, nicknamed so for his propensity to shoot long-range jumpers from "Downtown". He's leading a group in trying to build a new sports arena in Seattle.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN, EF 300mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 1000, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

The biggest ovation was saved for former Sonic Gary Payton, who came into town for the final game. It was interesting on so many levels that Payton was in attendance. His jersey would surely be retired and hung in the KeyArena rafters should the team stay, but more than that, Payton served as a lightning rod of sorts when the team changed direction and eventually became the failing franchise they are now.

Payton was a brash, cocky, trash-talking point guard whose toughness Sonics fans came to appreciate. But when Howard Schultz bought the team, it was obvious that Payton was not the type of player Schultz thought was the right image for his franchise. I'll never forget the media day when Payton chose not to show up over some perceived slight by the franchise (the Glove was not a perfect citizen by any stretch), and Schultz reacted by denouncing him to the media, suggesting that if Payton worked at Starbucks, that sort of absence wouldn't fly.

I think that was the day when most of us who cover the team realized that Schultz might not be fit to be an NBA owner. Heck, the media wasn't even mad at Gary for skipping media day, and Schultz was threatening to punish him like a lazy barista. Good in principle, but bad in the business of the NBA where the players are the show.

Anyway, Payton got a well-deserved standing ovation.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 24-70mm/f2.8 lens @ 42mm, ISO 1000, 1/400 sec.,f2.8)

Even though Dallas had an early lead, the Sonics battled back late in the fourth quarter. I was in the upper reaches trying to make a better overall photo of the arena. "Try and get some fans or something in there," said my editor. Kevin Durant hit a huge three and I got some fans in my frame.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 18mm, ISO 1600, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

Time was running out in the game and it was close so I hustled down to the court for the end and made a jubliation photo. It's not great. It's barely even good because you can't see faces, but it was "good enough" to make the paper.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 19mm, ISO 2000, 1/500 sec.,f2.8)

Seattle won in the final seconds and in that fourth quarter it seemed like old times. The place was rocking, the fans were chanting. Except for chanting "SUPER....SONICS!" like they did in the heyday of the '90's, they were chanting "SAVE OUR SONICS!" and "BENNETT SUCKS! BENNETT SUCKS!".

And for once, basektball fans weren't referring to referee Bennett Salvatore, they were referring to Clay Bennett.

It was once the game ended that things got surreal again. No acknowledgment of the end of the season, no video recaps. I didn't expect and acknowledgment that this might be the last game ever -- even Clay Bennett and his boys aren't that stupid. But seasons usually end with something -- a group wave by the players, a brief speech thanking the fans by a star player or coach. But this time, nothing.

And as Lear said, "nothing becomes of nothing."

Once the players left the floor and the excitement of the victory was gone, there was a still emptiness about the arena. Most fans simply left. Some stayed and took photos to commemorate the occasion, just in case, to be able to prove "they were there" the day it all ended:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 18mm, ISO 2000, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

Others just stood, stunned, or so it seemed:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 90mm, ISO 2000, 1/160 sec.,f2.8)

Finally, I found an image that seemed to put it all together when I spotted a sign left by a fan. By getting low with a wide-angle lens, I was able to put the sign in the foreground and empty seats and lingering fans in the background:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 2000, 1/320 sec.,f2.8)

After heading back to the photo workroom to transmit once again (for the fourth time in the evening), I decided to go foraging again. I caught Kevin Durant and his brother Charlie exiting the arena and made two frames.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 3200, 1/160 sec.,f3.2)

I had always thought that the deep ramp that the players use to walk in and out of the arena was kind of lonely and foreboding at the same time. This frame has more mood, and it's because of the ramp.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 16-35mm/f2.8 lens @ 16mm, ISO 3200, 1/160 sec.,f3.2)

So that was it. In my estimation the season ended with both a boom and a whimper. Boom when they defeated two playoff-contending teams in the heat of April in games that brought life back to KeyArena.
Whimper when the fans left the arena, not knowing the future of their team.

It's been a busy week. The Dalai Lama was in town, the Sonics played the home finale for the season, and work was full of drama. I'm going to take a week off from work. When I come back I can discuss my recent forays into multimedia, or finally (!) get around to some questions and answers, so if there's something you want to know, hit me up.

Same Dalai, actually.

The Dalai Lama, head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet.

Day Two was at Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks.

Unlike Friday's event, where we were further from the stage than we were told we would be, on Saturday I was at right about 150 feet, which was mentioned in the press briefings. Alan Berner and I were shooting together again, and he was at a riser a bit further away, but more centered than I was (Alan is at the far right of the riser as you look at it)

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 90mm, ISO 100, 1/500th sec.,f5.0)

Still, there were problems (yes, photographers like to bitch...a lot.). The main problem, believe it or not, was the weather. It was a summer-like 70 degrees, and the stage was under a canopy. However, because of a children's choir seated behind, the stage was open in the back, not closed with a backdrop.

With the bright sun falling everywhere but on the stage, it was hard to shoot clean images. The background behind the Dalai Lama was two stops brighter than where he was standing, so in order to get correct exposure on him, you had to overexpose (or "blow out") the backgrounds, making them harsh and bright. (Note to organzers -- this wasn't very photogenic. And if it was hard for us to see, I can only imagine how difficult it was for people sitting in the stands).

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 70mm, ISO 400, 1/320th sec.,f2.8)

The event started with a "Meditation Movement Performance", which was kind of a circular, whirling modern dance. I chose to pan, to get a sense of the motion and the colors:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 170mm, ISO 100, 1/8th sec.,f32)

This was followed by the "Procession of Cultures", in which different cultural groups entered from different corners of the field. The harsh light helped me backlight a photo of the Tibetan flag being carried in:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens @ 200mm, ISO 100, 1/2000th sec.,f2.8)

When the Dalai Lama took the stage, I managed to make a nice simple photo of him bowing and greeting the audience. You can see what I mean about the blown-out backgrounds:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender, ISO 320, 1/200th sec.,f7.1)

Washington governor Christine Gregoire joined His Holiness on the stage:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender, ISO 320, 1/200th sec.,f5.6)

A friend of mine mentioned how photogenic he is, and it's true. Peace and compassion do seem to radiate from his face:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 300mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender, ISO 400, 1/320th sec.,f4.0)

Searching for different angles, I sought to use the hearts in the Seeds of Compassion logo to match how and where Gregoire and the Dalai Lama were sitting. In order to do this effectively and get the proper angle, I had to come down off my riser and lay on the ground.

If you read this blog regularly, you'll note it's not the first time I've laid flat on the turf.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/640th sec.,f3.5)

I don't know these gentlemen and security wouldn't let me get their names, but I'm guessing jet lag, not boredom, drove these men to sleep during the event:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens, ISO 400, 1/320th sec.,f3.5)

After the Dalai Lama finished his speech and answered some questions, there was a reading about compassion that asked all audience members to rise and put their hands in the air. Some parts of the stadium were full and it made a decent frame:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender, ISO 400, 1/1250th sec.,f4.0)

Some parts of the stadium were empty and that also made a decent frame:

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 400mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender, ISO 400, 1/250th sec./f4.0)

The last order of the day was for audience members to tie "compassion bracelets" around their neighbors. I chose to shoot this as a detail frame, thinking it would complement all the other looser photos that I was sure would be part of our coverage.

(Canon EOS 1D Mark III, EF 70-200mm/f2.8 lens + EF 1.4x extender at 230mm, ISO 400, 1/320th sec.,f4.0)

Not many things amaze me in this job any more. Sure, I get to witness lots of great history, and some outstanding performaces. But being in the presence of the Dalai Lama was pretty special, and something I'm excited to tell my kids about.

So I've got that going for me, which is nice.