Houston Portrait, Documentary and Sports Photographer | Michael Starghill Photography

Roberts' Family World Series Watch Party

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 17:41:00 +0000

Dave Roberts, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has some ties to Houston, Texas. So when the Houston Astros met the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series in 2017, there was a small percentage of Houstonians wearing the Dodger Blue. Some of them were related to Dave Roberts.

I along with Rhiannon Walker of The Undefeated gathered with some of the Roberts family at a small church north of Houston to watch Game 5 of the 2017 World Series. The game that started on October 29th and ended on October 30th was one of the best I'd ever seen. There were multiple highs and lows for both teams but in the end, the Astros were victorious 13-12 after 10 innings of baseball. Read about it here - https://theundefeated.com/features/dodgers-manager-dave-roberts-biggest-fans-live-in-houston-cheering-him-on-in-the-world-series/

Tony Farmer - Lee College Basketball

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 18:00:00 +0000

I worked on a story almost a year ago that never ran. It still probably won't, but who knows. Tony Farmer was a high school basketball star in Cleveland who beat up his girlfriend in an apartment building lobby. He was sentenced to 3 years in jail and became an internet meme when he fainted in court after being sentenced to three years in prison. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ku6vyVoqsA After his release, he made his way to Lee College, a junior college in Baytown, TX, to play basketball. In 2017, he declared for the NBA draft but went undrafted.

Houston Rockets Media Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 15:00:00 +0000

I shot my first media day with the Houston Rockets for ESPN shortly before the season started. The goal was to make the photos look like yearbook pictures. I think I nailed it! Check out the rest here - http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/20983014/nba-school-picture-day

James Harden and Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:00:00 +0000

Before the Rockets racked up a 25-4 record, Harden and Paul were doing rooftop photo shoots in Houston. Well, maybe one rooftop photo shoot in Houston for the cover of ESPN the Magazine. I was in the cut for some behind the scenes photos. Check it out.

Houston Astros come home after Hurricane Harvey

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 21:40:00 +0000

The Astros came home from a road trip on September 1, 2017 to a city devastated by Hurricane Harvey. They were scheduled to play a three game series against the Mets with two of those games being played in a single day. ESPN gave me a shout to cover the games and the atmosphere of a post-Harvey crowd at Minute Maid Park. David Fleming wrote about it here - http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20294325/houston-astros-teammates-hold-visit-home-even-back-road

No Excuses League at the Fonde Rec Center

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 15:00:00 +0000

If you know anything about hoops in Houston, you've heard of the legendary Fonde Rec Center near downtown. It's where all of Houston's pro basketball residents have played pick up and/or worked out over the years. Hakeem, Moses Malone, Clyde Drexler, Calvin Murphy and Elvin Hayes have all squeaked their sneakers on this hallowed gym floor. It's also home to a summer pro/am league called the No Excuses League. I showed up a couple of times and took some pictures. It was cool.

4th Annual Kick & Roll Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 15:00:00 +0000

I'm a little late on this...actually very late on this post but the 4th annual Kick & Roll Classic was held again in Austin back in August. The fourth edition was bigger and better than the previous three as this thing continues to grow. Lots of sneakers were rocked, lots of hoops were played and lots of money was raised for the Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation, once again. BIG shout to George and LaTashia for putting on this wonderful event. See y'all in Houston!

Arian Foster x Scarface x VICE x Callaway Golf

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 15:00:00 +0000

I spent some time with Houston legend Scarface and former NFL running back Arian Foster as they hit the course for a round of golf. Once again, was on the south side of Houston, Texas near where Face grew up and Arian scored touchdowns as we overcame the sweltering July heat and endured 18 holes of a good walk spoiled. But before it was game time, Arian had to get in a work out...because he's an athlete and they like to stay in shape. You can check out the video of their shenanigans here:

PART I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Vlf8NhtTU&t=218s

PART II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqP4l4kIksU

PART III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxkg-ABxUXk&t=184s

Timothy Russell aka Guilla x Tennis

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 16:06:00 +0000

Ripping off his shirt, screaming into mics and jumping off things is how Guilla is known around H-Town when he performs at various shows around the city. But you can also see Guilla aka Timothy Russell display his athleticism in other ways. You can find him on the south side of Houston, Texas at MacGregor Park. He is an excellent tennis player and teaches lessons daily on the hard court. Literally.

I've photographed him during a show and his constant kinetic energy makes him a difficult subject to capture. So I asked him to be the hero of a tennis project I'm working on. I wanted to convey the hard work and solitude involved in becoming really, really good at tennis. He nailed it. It helps that he kind of looks like he straight out of the 70s. Shoutout to Mr. Russell and the MacGregor Park hitting wall.

The Athletes of Emery/Weiner - Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 15:08:00 +0000

Remember Part I? This is Part II!

Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Mary Austin for STAT News

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 23:30:00 +0000

Less than a week after my daughter was born, I got a call to photograph pediatric surgeon Dr. Mary Austin...in the same hospital. What's incredible about Dr. Austin's work, as if being a surgeon wasn't already incredible, is that she operates on fetuses while they're still in the womb! I spent half the day photographing Dr. Austin before and during surgery. I'll let writer Charlotte Huff tell this story a lot better - https://www.statnews.com/2017/06/19/spina-bifida-surgeon/

NCAA Men's and Women's Division III Swimming and Diving Championships

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 00:27:00 +0000

I shot the NCAA men's and women's Division III swimming and diving championships in a place called Shenandoah, Texas aka The Woodlands. I haven't been in many natatoriums, but they're always humid and they always fog up your lenses when you come in after driving in a cool, air conditioned car. Anyway, Emory University won both the men's and women's national championships so everyone there must be really, really good at water activities.

Tom Herman + The Houston Cougars

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 17:22:00 +0000

Last year, I worked on a college football story that ended up not getting published :(. It was about Tom Herman, his rise with the University of Houston football program and the relationship with his players. I was pretty much assigned to follow Coach Herman on game day. This particular game day was one of importance, relatively speaking. The Louisville Cardinals came into town with a 9-1 record, the eventual Heisman Trophy winner and sights set on the College Football Playoff. Well, the Houston Cougars had other plans. They had already lost two games in that season and rumors were swirling of their coach leaving...which he eventually did #hookem. The Cougar defense had their sights set on shutting down all that Heisman noise. And they did, even if it was just for one night. 11 sacks, 9 hurries and 3 fumbles later, Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals were sent home after just scoring 10 points on the night.

Shout out to all of the special guests that showed up on the sideline during that game including, Carl Lewis, Z-Ro and Waka Flocka among others.

NCAA Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 01:59:00 +0000

A few months ago, I photographed a bunch of college students running fast, jumping high and throwing heavy things at and indoor setting on the campus of Texas A&M. I think my favorite events to photograph were the pole vault because the athletes looked like they were falling out of the sky and the 100m races because the celebrations came less than a second after crossing the finish line. Also, there were so many events going on at once that if you blinked...you might have missed something. Big shout to the Texas A&M men's squad and the Oregon women's squad for taking home the national titles.

Univision 45 Houston for Houstonia Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 16:23:00 +0000

I spent a couple of days making my way through the hallways and newsroom of Houston's Univision television station for Houstonia Magazine. It was quite fascinating to see how a nightly newscast comes together from gathering information, meeting with the news team, discussing stories and eventually writing the copy and presenting it to the audience. Oh, and anything can happen at any time so you have to be ready for that as well. Big shout to Univision 45 for letting me kick it with them at work. Check out the article written by Adam Doster HERE!

The Reality of Wrestling

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000

I recently worked on a wrestling project that was a winner in PDN's Adrenaline competition! Reality of Wrestling is an independent pro wrestling circuit based in Texas City, Texas and founded by former WWE + WCW 5-time champion Booker T. I spent the night backstage and ringside while the wrestlers prepared, practiced and then performed for the audience. The athleticism was obvious and incredible but the real fun was watching the wrestlers transform into their personas once they slipped through the sliver of black curtain and made their way to the ring. Check out a gallery of images from that night HERE!

Mike Davis - Head Basketball Coach at Texas Southern University for Houstonia Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 22:41:00 +0000

When I got this assignment, my initial thought was Mike Davis? Mike Davis who took over for Bobby Knight and was almost a national champion at Indiana Mike Davis? Mike Davis who was dangerously close to signing Boogie Cousins to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Mike Davis? Yep, that Mike Davis who has been quietly killing it in the SWAC winning the conference 3 of 4 years and leading the Tigers to the NCAA tournament in two of them. Cool, I get to meet Mike Davis and chop it up about Jared Jefferies and Tom Coverdale. But of course, that's not how it went. He was a super cool dude and amenable to all my ideas but he's a D-1 basketball coach trying to prepare his team for an all away game non-conference schedule. Ain't nobody got time for Starghill saying "hold the ball with your left hand and look to your right." Mike Davis has a team to coach. Big shout to Monica for coming through with the assignment!

Kick & Roll Open Gym at Stance Socks HQ in Orange County, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 00:55:00 +0000

Every year in Austin, TX the Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation unleashes the Kick & Roll Classic on the sneaker community for an eventful day of hoops, sneakers and colon cancer awareness. But sometimes there are warm up events along the way. This time was at Stance HQ in Orange County, CA. Some people got crossed up, some people got J'd. Some took Ls and some took Ws...but EVERYONE got socks. Big shout to the George Kiel and the KCCF fam and all the homies at Stance!

TJ Ford Basketball

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 21:36:00 +0000

Y'all remember TJ Ford right? The diaper dandy, the whirling dervish, the Longhorn legend? I remember watching a few of his games in high school when he played on that super team at Willowridge. They pretty much blew out every team on their way to a Texas state championship. Good times, good times. Well, now Mr. Ford is running a basketball camp/AAU squad here in Houston with some of H-Tine's top high school hoopers. I spent a Saturday with the crew as they worked hard and reached for greatness.

Lutheran South Academy Football

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 19:00:00 +0000

Earlier this season, I made what is turning into an annual trip to the campus of Lutheran South Academy to photograph some good ole Texas high school football. The Pioneers, fresh off of a coaching change, have not had a great start to the season. They lost both of the games that I attended and currently have a 1-4 record. Hopefully they can get their season turned around starting tonight with a game against Fort Bend Christian Academy. Shout out to the early season September games when the sun sets about 20 minutes after kick-off.

The Athletes of Emery/Weiner

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 18:02:00 +0000

Last year I photographed a bunch of athletes at the Emery/Weiner school here in Houston. These smiling/game-faced teens are now on banners hanging outside of the school's new stadium. Home of most of the outdoor sports and the defending state champion 6-man football team. Big shout to the Jags!

Houston Texans Training Camp 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:55:00 +0000

Football back! But before football was all the way back, I spent some time in late July, early August with the Houston Texans at their annual training camp for Houston Press. Some of the players were returning stars, and others were trying to make the team. But there were a few newly acquired players with high expectations *cough* Brock *cough* Lamar *cough*.

It was hot, there was a lot of waiting around and did I mention that it was hot? The Texans are off to a 1-0 start after beating the Chicago Bears yesterday. So it looks like training camp paid off. Or is that not how this works? Big shout and good luck to the Bulls on Parade. Check out the gallery HERE!

3rd Annual Kick & Roll Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 18:01:00 +0000

The third edition of the annual Kick & Roll Classic has come and gone and was bigger and better than the two previous years. The sneakers were dope, the hoops were competitive and lots of money was raised for the Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation. Big shout to George and LaTashia Kiel for organizing this thing and bringing it to life once again. Until next year...

Simone Biles for ESPN the Magazine and The Undefeated

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 18:27:00 +0000

The 2016 Olympics in Rio has been an incredible show of talent by many athletes but I'm partial to one in particular...for a couple of reasons. The first reason is, #HTown. And the second is I had the great opportunity to photograph the 3-time world champion and 5 time Olympic medalist (4 of them gold), Simone Biles. I spent 3 days in May photographing her along with an ESPN crew doing an E:60 piece about her family life and her rise in the world of gymnastics.

I'm sure you've heard it before or can glean some of her personality via television but the way she talks, you wouldn't know that she is the best gymnast in the world or perhaps the greatest of all time. She's just outchea doing her. All 4 feet 9 inches of her effortlessly completing some of the most difficult routines en route to multiple championships and medals.

Big shout, Simone! Congratulations on a remarkable run in Rio. Check out more images HERE!

TaKasha Francis and Melvin Hopkins for Houstonia Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Starghill Jr.) — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 11:18:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, I photographed TaKasha Francis and Melvin Hopkins for a story about Houston's Department of Neighborhoods for Houstonia Magazine. I met and photographed Francis at city hall where she runs things as the head of the department. I don't think I've ever actually stepped foot in the offices of city hall before the assignment but everyone was just so damn nice! Is it a function of the new administration (big shout Sylvester Turner)? Or is just how people usually get down in my city?

Then I rode around with Hopkins on a hot summer day in his city issued white vehicle looking for property violations. Y'all better cut your grass and get those vehicles off the lawn...or else the Department of Neighborhoods is coming for you! Anyway, check out the article HERE.