Kelley L Cox

Warriors Championship Parade

2018-06-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Not to sound spoiled (even though I am), I've covered my fair share of championship parades. I covered two Giants World Series parades. (I wasn't yet working with USA Today Sports Images [then still US Presswire] during their 2010 win, but have quite the memory of kayaking to McCovey Cove for game 1). The 2012 parade Giants one was fair enough, I was stationed to the stage and got some pretty standard photos. Nothing portfolio. The 2014 parade, I had a pass to join the players on the double decker bus and made some photos I'm really proud of and enjoyed taking.

I covered the Warriors 2015 parade and it was a total nightmare. The event management team designed to organize was anything but. Maps were wrong, credentials weren't there nor were staff. They said you could shoot parade -or- rally and that no photographers would be allowed in the rally area after a certain time so anyone covering parade route wouldn't be let in. Myself and a few other photographers sat on a raised platform in the sun for HOURS waiting for the parade to reach the rally location, only to find that contrary to their stated rules, they let photographers who were walking the route walk right up to the base of the stage. My photos of the rally were garbage compared to anything taken from that vantage point, and certainly compared to anything on the parade route. And there wasn't wifi so it was an extra nightmare.

I hoped to never photograph a parade again and managed to get out of it in 2017. But when my assignment editor asked if I could, I caved and agreed.

Early wake up to beat the crowds, walking to Bart with my gear on my back (MindShift makes fantastic backpacks but I always prefer to roll when I can), standing around for HOURS waiting for the parade to start (20 minutes late) I was a bit of a Krabby Patty (understatement). Klay Thompson was just on his phone before the parade because a) that's how engaging a parade it b) phone addiction is so real c) his mom was texting him d) all of the above?

As I would photograph each double decker bus with players (poor Patrick who? accompany Stephen Curry) and follow them along the route for a while, while the other community/Warriors staff groups that I didn't need photos of were in between. I had plenty of time to then walk back to the start and grab the next player bus.

But then suddenly, well before I planned to walk back towards the next double decker of players, is JaVale McGhee walking along the route high fiving fans, taking off his shirt, tossing into the fans and just LIVING it!

Then Nick Young, in his silk robe and cigar in mouth, feeling himself!

Their energy, enthusiasm, and engagement with the fans totally turned around my mood.

Like Draymond Green's trolling t-shirt MOOD...

I went to edit from Specialty's Cafe (free public wifi!) hung around to let the crowds (I think there's people somewhere behind all those phones) die down while Cary stayed along the route, and then caught BART home.

I still wouldn't say I have any desire to shoot a championship parade in the future, but it was as terrible as I dreaded it would be.

In better news, even though my new MacBook Pro (don't buy unless you have to) doesn't fit in My 2nd Brain 11 that use to love to bring my MacBook Air in, it DOES fit in my MindShift Gear Rotation Panorama 22L. Along with an EM-1 Mark II body in the main compartment. And then I had another EM-1 Mark II and two lenses (40-150mm f/2.8 and 7-14mm f/2.8... in retrospect the 12-100mm f/4 may have served me even better if I had it) in the rotating waist pack. Nick Wong caught me in action. Don't mind my really cool visor and expertly coiffed hair ;)

View More Photos from the parade

MLB: Boston Red Sox at Oakland Athletics

2018-04-20T23:22:00.001-07:00

Matt & Kyle - San Francisco City Hall Wedding

2017-09-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

I've covered two San Francisco City Hall weddings (and a non-wedding photo shoot for Daily Kabob) but this one was an extra special treat.

When my cousin and his fiance, Kyle first became engaged, I offered "I'd love to cover your ceremony, I don't want to cover the reception." Ceremonies are so visual and emotional, receptions really just need a handful of photos that sum up any speeches or dance parties and I wanted to be participating in the dance party (and hanging out with other family and friends). Not working but rather workin' it.

As they planned, City Hall would be a small gathering with just their friend Stephanie and my parents as witnesses, and then Saturday would be the big dance party at a generous friend's property in Truckee.

My experience so far with city hall judges, they are AWESOME! They have all been super friendly and sincere, not making you feel like they do this is every 15 minutes and you're just another duo on the docket.

Matt was feeling bashful, but we did convince him to take a few photos afterward.

When we went outside (pro tip: if you ever shoot a city hall wedding, don't get so caught up inside city hall that you forget to take advantage of the plaza) and they were being goofy in the trees my mom playfully commented "they look like little fairies"... before realizing that coming from anyone else, that would be extremely offensive to a gay couple. Matt and Kyle laughed it off, knowing my mom, knowing how supportive she has been of their relationship.

San Francisco Giants 2 - Boston Red Sox 1

2016-06-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

From the south bay back up to San Francisco - covered the San Francisco Giants vs the Boston Red Sox on a breezy Wednesday evening.

A game which lacked a lot of action apart from a home run by each team

Brandon Belt's being a splash hit. Always fun, though not something I can actually capture.

Then Mac Williamson hit a home run (his first MLB home run!) in the eighth which made for some fun photos as the ball went over the wall and everyone watched... including the Chevron cars ;)

Though perhaps he was still too excited from his first MLB home run, that it got to his head, causing him to drop this ball, to put Boston with a runner on 2nd and no outs. Whoops!

Boston tried to send in pinch-hitter "Big Papi" David Ortiz, in what would be his last at bat at AT&T Park.

And he ended up earning a walk against Javier Lopez.

Bochy let Lopez strike out Travis Shaw before going to the third pitcher of the inning, Hunter Strikland to finish it off.

San Francisco Giants defeated the Boston Red Sox 2-1

Think Tank Photo: Helipak Backpak for DJI Inspire

2016-06-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

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Oakland Athletics defeat Minnesota Twins 7-4

2016-06-01T12:14:00.001-07:00

Full set on USA Today Sports Images
Full set in My Archive

Feet

Warriors Win Game 7- Western Conference Champs!

2016-05-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

If you would have asked me last Tuesday evening whether I thought I'd be working Monday night, I would have said "most likely not". Warriors went down 3-1 in the series in almost embarrassing fashion... and the proceeded to win game 5 back at Oakland and game 6 in Oklahoma, only to bring it back to Oakland for a winner take "all" aka Western Conference Championship.

I photographed from up top which gave me two angles on the biggest moments
One: Stephen Curry reacting after a three point basket

Two: Bernie Sanders unannounced appearance.

Big thanks to Carlos Avila Gonzalez who tipped me off about Bernie and had some intel about where he would be entering from. Considering Bernie sat very inconspicuously with the fans and was never introduced on the jumbo-tron like E-40 and other celebrities, he might have otherwise been pretty hard to spot since instead of sitting court side he was 15+ rows up in with the fans. Though I dare say with "the people" considering the average ticket price (including upper bowl) was $980. That's not exactly what the average American pays for 3 hours of entertainment. But at least he wasn't in one of the court side seats that sold for $29,000. Chump change.

For those who could afford a ticket, they got the show they were hoping for.

What a comeback for the Warriors and respect to the Thunder for being the first team to "almost" stop them.

But going up 3-1 isn't enough to take down this team. Warriors ultimately taking Game Seven 96-88 to win the Western Conference!

Even though Riley didn't see too impressed.

This only adds to the legend of their season. Looking forward to covering the Finals. I believe I am assigned Game 2 and Game 7 (and possibly Game 5 if I can get someone else to cover the Copa America game I was scheduled to shoot).

Full set by me and Kyle Terada on USA Today Sports Images

Full set by me in my Archive

And of course - feet!

Warriors Stay Alive in Game Five

2016-05-27T12:32:00.001-07:00

As unexpected (or predicted) as it was, after splitting the first two games in Oakland, the Golden State Warriors lost both games in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, meaning game 5 was a win or go home situation.

And Warriors showed up for a tough win!

Cary Edmondson and I were covering the game together for USA Today Sports Images and were able to share time on the floor v time shooting elevated. Him covering the 1st and 4th quarters on the floor and me covering the 2nd and the 3rd. This meant each of us had a chance to cover both teams on offense and defense.

As luck would have, Curry scored a three (finally get his shot back) and then followed up with a layup against Steve Adams on the next play and went crazy!

They were able to hold on for the 120-111 win.

They will head back to OKC for Game 6... and hopefully win and then return to Oakland for potential Game 7 on Monday!

Switching Blog Platforms

2012-03-09T00:31:00.002-08:00

Hey guys-

Sorry for the delay on posting, but don't think I haven't been busy with assignments and life! With just under 500 blogs - I am switching blog platforms from Blogger to incorporate it into my Zenfolio based website - Though I am a big fan of all google products, I'm looking forward to my website, archive, and blog all being hosted under one roof.

Link to blog will now be KelleyLCox.com/blog =)

All posts have been imported (manually- still some tweaks) and the RSS feed moving forward will be new for those who have been following along that way, please update your RSS readers. http://kelleylcox.com/blog.rss

There's already six (and counting) new posts on the new blog and lots of updates to follow - stay tuned on the flipside! I will probably delete this blog in a few months once everyone has made the switch =)

Thanks,

Kelley

5K Champions

2012-02-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

After a late night in Sacramento made it back to San Francisco a bit before 1am to stay with my friends Nicole and Dan who conveniently live near Golden Gate Park - where we were racing at 8am this morning!

Having never ran more than 1.5miles in my life, and having complained very much when I did, I'm not sure how I let Nicole convince me to do a 5K with her. Other people call this a fun run... I call it torture. Turned out to not be that tortuous, Nicole helped me keep a nice pace so I didn't tucker out. And you can see how happy/ridiculous we look crossing the finish line. Ignore that a small child is finishing the race right behind us.

Then we got to enjoy the free goodies while we waited for Dan who completed the 1/2 marathon in under 2 hours. Way to go Dan!

Then we enjoyed some yummy brunch with Dan's parents who were in town, before I headed back to Vacaville to watch the superbowl with my dad/stuff my face and completely counteract my running.

NBA: Kings defeat Warriors 114-106 in OT

2012-02-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

Headed back to Sacramento for match up between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.

In a bit of a quandry (not that it makes a difference) I was torn on which team I personally wanted to win. I consider myself a fan of both, probably more so Warriors, but since Warriors had defeated the Kings in Oakland, it would be nice for Kings to win at their home.

Also, there would be some poetic justice for former Warriors head coach turned Kings assistant coach, turned Kings head coach to beat his former team. Though both Keith Smart and Mark Jackson seem happy in their current positions.

It was also going to be exciting to see Isaiah Thomas, to battle against another Washington Husky alum, the one he modeled himself after, Nate Robinson.

Such an interesting dynamic to want to beat the person who's footsteps you tried to follow. But I'm sure he's watched enough film of Robinson to know his tendencies and know where he could be beat.

All I really wanted was for it to be a tight and close game. And I got that!

Warriors were up by 9 going into halftime.

But Kings came out and meant business

Tyreke Evans going up for the shot against Andris Biendrins

Then showing off his muscles... really? I think every player on the court is pretty muscular, no sense in trying to show off.

In the fourth quarter I was thinking man, this game is so exciting, I don't want it to be over at the end of this quarter!... And be careful what you wish for because the game went into overtime. This would have been awesome if I didn't have to drive back to San Francisco and run my first ever 5K the next morning at 8am... but let's face it, it was still awesome!

Kings were able to control the ball in overtime for an exciting 114-106 win at home!

NBA: Kings defeat Trailblazers 95-92

2012-02-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

Headed back to Power Balance Pavilion for the game between the Portland Trailblazers and the Sacramento Kings.

Before the game, the fans behind me asked Portland's Gerald Wallace, a Kings player from 2001-2004, if he missed Sacramento. He didn't say anything, just kind of put his head back and laughed. Ouch!

As the game got going, DeMarcus Cousins picked up two fouls before the first timeout and I thought Kings were going to be in trouble.

Later he was asking the ref to "clean up" the game, after some rough and tumble in the paint.

A foul sent Kings leading scorer Marcus Thornton to floor - in his first game back from injury.

At the half, Kings were trailing the Trailblazers by nine points - thanks in part to leading scorer for the Trailblazers LaMarcus Aldridge.

But with 3:39 left in the third Tyreke Evans put up a huge breakaway dunk to tie the game, and fired up the Kings.

With Kings up by three in the final seconds, Portland got the ball and scrambled, shooting/rebounding for three three-point shots, but none of them went in, and Kings came up with the 95-92 win.

I'm super impressed with Isaiah Thomas, who is 5'9" which might be average for a guy in everyday life, but is about a foot shorter than all of the guys on the court. You might be able to guess that by his speed. But you wouldn't guess that when he goes up to block shots.

Or takes jumps shots against the giants on the court.

Also impressive, he was picked dead last in the 2011 draft and logged 17 minutes in this game... compared to first round pick Jimmer Fredette who never got on the court at all. Not to say Jimmer isn't working hard, but Thomas sure makes ya believe in hard work, chasing your dreams, and cheering for the little guy.

I also like Keith Smart. I'm not basketball savvy enough to argue that it's his coaching style, for me it's his expressions.

And that he puts players where he wants on the court... literally. Haha.

Great win for the Kings and I'm excited to go back Saturday as Keith Smart will face his former team, the Golden State Warriors!

BKC: Cal defeat Stanford 69-59

2012-01-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

Headed over to Haas Pavilion for my fifth day in a row of shooting basketball as the California Golden Bears faced off against the Stanford Cardinal.

The game was part of Coaches vs Cancer where the coaches wear white sneakers for cancer awareness.

I thought I'd join the cause and wear one of my favorite pairs of white shoes. As I've been tweeting my feet via instagram to try and get people interested in the events I'm covering... I find more are interested in my shoes haha, oh well!

Cal came out and battled against their rival.

Both the plays and the mascots.

And though Jorge Gutierrez pretty clearly did indeed foul Josh Owens on this play...whups

Coach Mike Montgomery wasn't entirely happy with the officiating on some other calls.

Cal and Stanford went neck and neck for awhile with Cal eventually breaking away for the clear win.

Holding the ball in the final second, Brandon Smith faked like he was going to drive for the basket, but contained himself and the game ended 69-59 for a Golden Bear victory!

BKW: Stanford defeat Cal 74-71 in OT

2012-01-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Headed over to Maples Pavilion for the California Golden Bears against the Stanford Cardinal.

Statistically, with Stanford being ranked #4 in the nation and Cal unranked, you would think Stanford would have easily blown past Cal. Especially considering it's nearly the same team which last year ended Connecticut's NCAA record winning streak, but with one more year for the dynamic duo sisterhood of Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike to play together, and the team had one it's last 72 games at home.

But statistics don't mean much when you are pairing an upcoming young Cal team against their rival.

When players make clutch three point shots, normally Tara VanDerveer is expressionless and will just sit on the bench and make a small comment to an assistant coach. But boy she was animated as her team was threatened to fall in what would have been a crazy upset.

But Cal was definitely animated as well with the whole bench calling out to their teammates on plays!

Cal gave Stanford a run for it's money... and as we know, that's quite a lot of money!

With Stanford not quite knowing how to handle freshman stunner Brittany Boyd flying through their defense.

And some brave playmaking by Layshia Clarendon... Cal sent the game into overtime!!

Ultimately Cal fell to Stanford 74-71 as Chiney Ogwumike scored a career high 27 points. But boy, what an exciting game!! Definitely a game that makes me proud to be a Cal alum!

In the aftermath of the game, both coaches spoke on being proud of their players, but emphasized the bigger picture - or lack there of.. why was this game not televised!?! Women's sports never receive as much coverage as mens, but in a rival game, one team ranked #4 in the nation, and the other threatening to upset them... let's get some cameras on these female athletes!!!

NBA: Thunder defeat Warriors 120-109

2012-01-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

Headed over to Oracle Arena for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Golden State Warriors.

I was super excited because this was my first Warriors game. Before I was even photographing for Cal, I would bring my lil Canon Rebel and a consumer grade 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 and absolutely ZERO knowledge of what I was doing, and would shoot the games from the stands. Though I'm embarrassed to share these raw/horrendous (and they are the best of the takes) images, I hope it will serve something to show how much your life can change in 5 years, and that dedication, hard work, believing in yourself, support of family and friends, and a number of other sappy catchphrases - can put you in places you once only dreamed of!

Pretty cool to see some of the guys in the background of the pictures who at the time were "photographers in the background" and now are my friends!

Speaking of which - a huge thank you to Ben Margot who shoots for AP. As I was getting to the game, trying to find media will call and circling around Oracle Arena, I ran into him walking from the parking lot. I caught up to him and asked him where media will call was, and he let me follow him into the media entrance, waited for me while I picked up my credential (he has season credential) showed me where the media work room was, where the food was, introduced me to some of the regulars and even though he had no need to until the game started, walked me through the underground hallways to the court so I could get some pre game shots. Basically sparing me from looking like a lost puppy dog roaming around. Though on the whole I'll admit, myself included, photographers are a strange breed, they are also really cool people!

Oh, did you want some actual photos of the game? ;-)

Though the team is pretty much all new from when I was shooting from the stands - Monta Ellis and Andris Biendrins are still around.

But there's a lot of new and exciting faces like Stephen Curry. Who apparently just wears his mouthguard for looks.

And David Lee, who the other team liked so much they hugged (aka fouled) him

I was excited to see Kevin Durant for the Thunder who are leading the NBA right now.

With the help of Russell Westbrook.

Thunder proved to be too much for the Warriors as they came away with a 120-109 win.

Allowing Nick Collison to laugh off the comments from heckling fans.

I laugh at myself because I claim I have to take cheerleader photos because my editors request them, which is true.

But I can't use that as my excuse because I definitely didn't have editors in '06 shooting from the stands... and I was still taking their picture!

I also laugh because I spotted Raiders owner Mark Davis courtside. In faded jeans, white shirt and tennis shoes, he sure doesn't dress the part of a millionaire.

And I guess some things never change!

BKC: Weber State defeat Sacramento State 75-60

2012-01-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

Headed up to Sacramento State for their game against Weber State.

Normally I wouldn't be sent to cover a Sac State game. But since they were playing Weber State who happens to have the NCAA's leading scorer Damian Lillard, they figured it was worth covering.

It worked out great because after having a Kings game the night before I was able to stay with my parents in Vacaville instead of having to drive to Sacramento and back two days in a row =)

Though Damian Lillard didn't match his average, he definitely proved he knows how to get to the basket and draw fouls and had a significantly better game than he did when Jorge Gutierrez was guarding him at Cal (blog post here)

But as with any leading scorer, there has to be a complement to him, and that complement is Scott Bamforth, who while Sac State was double covering Lillard was able to be second leading scorer.

Sac State put up a great effort but wasn't able to defeat Weber State as they came up with 75-60 win.

NBA: Nuggets defeat Kings 122-93

2012-01-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

Headed up to Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento for my first NBA game of the year between the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings.

I was excited to see the Kings newest superstar rookie Jimmer Fredette.

It was also exciting to see Isaiah Thomas since he was a Pac-10 (now 12) player I've been photographing since he played at Washington.

And of course Chris "Birdman" Anderson who still kind of terrifies me. Fear the beard? Fear the bird!

Unlike Al Harrington who was grinning and cracking up along the bench.

It was a rough game for the Kings as the Nuggets had 92 points in the paint, and Kings had 93 points total as the Nuggets defeated the Kings 122-93.

Danilo Gallinari had a great game for the Nuggets, knocking down 23 points.

In the fourth quarter as fans gave up, left, and started reading the newspaper?

And Andrew Miller took off his shoes knowing he wouldn't have to come back in from then bench.

During a timeout some of the guys from PBR, professional bull riders who will be competing at Power Balance Pavilion the next few days, partook in a friendly competition. They are used to riding bulls, so to see them on tricycles is pretty entertaining =)

Tough game for the Kings but hopefully they can bounce back and be a little more competitive against their next opponents.

CSUEB Cheerleaders Portraits

2012-01-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

While taking the Baseball headshots for Cal State East Bay, I received a call to see if I could hop over to the gym to photograph the cheer team.

Though it was last minute, thankfully I didn't have any other assignments that day and was able to take some extra time to photograph these girls.

The cool thing is, there is no official cheer squad, these group of girls organized themselves, coach themselves, pay for their own uniforms and other expenses, all to support the Pioneers!

Full set up at: collegiatephotos.com/11-12/csueb/cheer/headshots

BBC: CSUEB Portraits

2012-01-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

Headed over to Cal State East Bay for head shots of the Pioneers baseball team.

Though I love shooting action, I also really enjoy shooting these quick head shots of college athletes. It's what I miss the most about no longer working for Cal, so it's great to be able to take them for Cal State East Bay.

Full set up at: collegiatephotos.com/11-12/csueb/baseball/headshots

NFL: Giants defeat the 49ers 20-17

2012-01-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

Headed over to Candlestick for the NFC Championship game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

There was so much excitement leading up to this game. From the season, to the week, to just the hours, minutes, seconds before kickoff.

Bailey was back with the niners anthem of sorts "Who's Got It Better Than Us?"

Train was on hand to perform "Save Me San Francisco" before the players came storming onto the field.

Kristen Chenoweth was there to perform the National Anthem, while Travis Air Force Base brought out the largest American flag I've ever seen at a football game!

Brad Pasiely even performed at half time! Not sure if that was an agreement with NFL in general, because I wouldn't otherwise predict a country artist for a San Francisco game. But the country girl in me appreciated it!

NFL Fox Sunday Live was there with all our favorite commentators.

With their studio set up wrapped in plastic to avoid the drizzle.

Even the skycam was in place ready to capture that video game angle.

Prepared for the rain, I was thankful for a persistent but light drizzle. And thanks to Sister Cox letting me borrow her purple raincoat so I was nice and dry and warm throughout the game.

Bundled up, I was impressed the cheerleaders performed through the elements, not appearing to care how the rain was ruining their perfect hairstyles, and still looking great!

Niners put the first points on the board with a nice catch and run by superstar Vernon Davis.

Who proved he wasn't done after catching another touchdown in the third quarter.

Giants were matching the scores and trading touchdowns and field goals with the niners.

Regulation ended without much fanfare at 17-17.

After both teams trading back and forth for three and out I really thought niners were going to be able to pull it off, because Manning just didn't look the part of confidence.

But I supposed if I had listened to this literal little birdie, he might have known otherwise.

Giants punted. And on the punt return Kyle Williams fumbled the ball. And in a flash, the game changed. Giants were able to drive and kick for a field goal.

And just like that, Giants defeated the 49ers and are headed to the superbowl.

Though it was a bummer end to an amazing season for the niners, congratulations to the Giants.

As all the wives and girlfriends joined the players on the field.

And you see Victor Cruz speaking to the media, an undrafted free agent, (who guess what... dropped his first career pass and also experienced a twitter backlash like Kyle Williams)

But let's not forget that this team was 6 and 10 last year, spent summer not knowing if they'd have a coach... or even a job. If you can overlook this difficult loss, it was an amazing season and everyone should be proud, and motivated to continue, the impressive play that got them to this point to begin with!

I keep hearing reports of death threats on Kyle Williams... Really?!? Maybe this game isn't part of the highlight reel he's looking for, maybe he was the last player to touch the ball for the niners and made a mistake, but the opportunity to win and lose is throughout the game, as a team, not on the shoulders of one person or play. Sport is a glorious part of our culture that provides fun camaraderie between us everyday folk as we watch our teams win and lose which they inevitably do both of at some point.

Yes, Ace Ventura is one of my favorite movies because it's a COMEDY that someone would steal a dolphin and threaten death based on "laces out Dan!!" To hear something similar is happening in real life with threats from supposed fans?... not funny! Let's encourage Kyle Williams, a kid younger than me, to have a long, successful career! As with many things in life: it gets better!

In happier news. Before halftime I was in the southeast corner of the stadium and I spotted Terry Bradshaw standing near me. I took a quick picture and thought oooooh celebrity status!

Then Bradshaw came closer to the field and was standing RIGHT next to me. I thought "OMG, Terry Bradshaw is standing next to me! Terry Bradshaw is standing next to me! Terry Bradshaw is standing next to me!" There was no cool segeway for me to start a conversation. So I just reveled in my proximity. Then he made some comment like "wow, you guys really need a new stadium!" I tried to be witty and retorted "at least the lights are still on." Then he was asking me about what I was shooting, how many pictures my camera could take and we had a legitimate mini conversation before he was taken away by a producer to prepare for the halftime show. Celebrity Status!!! My dad even spotted him chatting to me on the TV too, haha!

This has been an incredible season for me. The new people I've met, and the people I've gotten to know better, the images I've been able to make! I can only hope that next year not only do the niners come back bigger and better, but I do too! =)

BKC: CSU Stanislaus defeat CSU East Bay 93-82

2012-01-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

Stuck around again for the men's basketball game between Cal State East Bay and Cal State Stanislaus.

It's different for me to have the men and women play back to back but it's kind of nice because the fans who show up early, get to cheer on the end of the women's game... or attend both.

As the men got in their huddle and one player started chanting. I thought hmm, I wonder if I could get my wide angle in to get a shot of him.

So I just reached my camera between two of the guys, and got the shot I was looking for. Sometimes shooting without looking works out!

It was an exciting game, but my favorite competition was the musical blow up chairs.

This is what competition should be like =)

After a neck and neck game Cal State Stanislaus was able to pull away with the win over Cal State East Bay, 93-82.

Full set up at: www.collegiatephotos.com/11-12/csueb/mbb/vsstanislaus

BKW: CSU East Bay defeat CSU Stanislaus 67-59

2012-01-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

After a fun hike at Point Reyes and a quick stop to grab my free burrito from Chiptole, headed back to Cal State East Bay for the woman's game against Cal State Stanislaus.

This time the Pioneer women came up with a win defeating Stanislaus 67-59.

Full set up at: www.collegiatephotos.com/11-12/csueb/wbb/vsstanislaus

Travel: Point Reyes - Tomales Point Trail

2012-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

As part of my New Year's Resolution I wanted to be more outdoorsy. Taking quick hikes whenever I can. Today was one of those days.

Despite the rain, decided to go hiking with my friends Nicole, Dan and Lucy at Point Reyes.

Though it was pouring on the drive, turned out to be a beautiful day in Point Reyes.

Even with a little rainbow!

Lucy (a non-Californian) was very excited to see her first live snail.

The Tomales Point Trail is the perfect quick hike, it's pretty flat and offers a great view of the coast. Though it is a little windy.

And there's Elk along the trail, but thankfully mainly at a distance.

Though some were a little close as we were driving back!

When the rain started coming down a bit, we were able to huddle under some trees and eat some tasty treats prepared by Nicole.

But the rain quickly passed as we were back in action, champions!!

Thanks so much to my buddies who helped me make good on my resolution... I'm so outdoorsy!! ;-)

BKC: Chico State defeat CSU East Bay 93-76

2012-01-20T23:46:00.000-08:00

Stuck around for the men's basketball game between Chico State and Cal State East Bay.

It was great to see an even bigger crowd show up for the men's game.

It's funny because normally I'm looking for shots that have relatively clean backgrounds that would be easy for an editor to stamp out. But I was specifically asked to get photos of fans in the background.

Which wasn't too difficult because they reached over 1,000 people which meant everyone received a free burrito from chipotle... including me, yum!!

Unfortunately the Pioneers fell to the Wildcats 93-76 but a great effort and great showing for Cal State Easy Bay.

BKW: Chico State defeat CSU East Bay 60-51

2012-01-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

Headed over to Cal State East Bay for the women's basketball game between Chico State Wildcats and the Cal State East Bay Pioneers.

After not having done work for Cal State East Bay since a volleyball game in October, it was a great to get a call to shoot back-to-back-to-back-to-back basketball games (you'll see what I'm talking about in the next three posts)

Cal State East Bay is such a great environment for a game with Pioneer Pete, cheerleaders, electric pulse dance team, and even a local dance school put on a show at halftime.

After a close and exciting game, the Wildcats defeated the Pioneers 60-51.

Full set up at: collegiatephotos.com/csueb/wbb/vschicostate