Hockey mom, Soccer dad, Photographers both

Parent with a camera.

Whatever my son does, I am there with my camera capturing the moment. My kid has had more photos taken of him than Paris Hilton, and Brittany Spears combined or at least that must be how he feels. Being anywhere without my camera is so alien to me. I am one of those people who, if I don’t have a camera, I’m asked why and where is it? I took a trip to Italy many years ago and at the time I was into playing with a video camera, so I had that and my still camera. Japanese tourists pointed at me laughing. I’m joking, but I was asked ‘Why don’t you just enjoy where you are and soak it in?’ To me, taking pictures is my joy. It makes my vacation more enjoyable. Now with a four-year-old traveling is more about what I’m doing with him and being that he is now officially my favorite subject, I have my camera at the ready, continually taking pictures.

The perfect place to have a camera.

Youth sports are huge. My boy will begin his involvement in team sports next year, and I’ll join the millions of American dads whose weekends will be spent standing at the sidelines cheering my child’s team’s efforts and deriding the referees who say anything that deprives his team of that scoring opportunity. What I’ll have with me is my camera. On it will be the biggest baddest lens, I’ve got. For me that means my Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 or perhaps my seldom used but ‘I had to have it’ Nikon 300mm 2.8. I say this trying to be self-deprecating. When it comes to camera equipment, being in this business means, I get the chance to have the top of the line toys. It DOES NOT mean I get any better photos than the Mom or Dad next to me with the point and shoot with the 12x zoom lens. The great shot is there for the taking, and we’re all equal in our chance to capture the moment. I do have the advantage in regards to equipment I use allowing me, under equal circumstances, a better opportunity to control my outcome as long as my skill is in play as well. I have been taking pictures for a long time, and I am good at what I do. I’ll say, I’d rather have a simpler camera and my experience than be the guy who has the latest and greatest equipment that I’ve hardly ever used. Case in point, this photo was taken by me with a Canon Powershot Elph SD600. A tiny, consumer level point and shoot. Why did I choose this photo? Because it’s good! It’s a moment captured in my boy’s life where he is defying gravity and full of joy. I would never enter this photo in a contest nor do I think its worthy of being in my portfolio. It is, however, a photo I’m sure will bring a smile to anyone who has a four-year-old they’ve seen having this much fun.


Practice makes for great memories.

Take pictures of your kids. Lots of pictures. These days there’s no excuse not to since film and processing cost is no longer a factor. Take photos of your kid’s friends too because there’s a good chance their parents aren’t and there’s no way to better bond with your neighbors than to share pictures with them. Heck, you might even find yourself headed towards a side business as the team photographer. Take a look at an article I wrote for Shutterbug magazine. You’d be surprised how many pros started out being the defacto official photographer at an activity. You get a name and doors open for you. I’ll close with this shot taken a few months ago at a qualifying session for the U.S. Tennis Open at UCLA of Marat Safin.


A shot taken with skills learned at simpler venues. It’s easier to capture the decisive moment when you practice on smaller and slower moving targets (like children) before getting into the big leagues.