Hank

I cut my teeth as a photographer as the photo editor/sports photographer of my college’s newspaper (a MONTHLY newspaper!!!)  using a camera that took floppy disks and a version of photoshop that didn’t have a BACK function.  I guess a lot hasn’t changed in the last 5 years…I still have that Sony Mavica somewhere in a closet and my current version of photoshop isn’t much newer, but I’m having more fun than ever shooting in Austin, Texas.

Since my last update, I’ve been fortunate enough to make some new photographer friends, put several hundred miles on the road bike,  mentor two photographers who are new to the ever shrinking world of (paid) photography, eat lots of Tex-Mex and shot some photos of my best head tilting pal, Hank (above).

May is a pretty crazy month for freelance photographers in Austin, as the spring UIL championship season is in full swing.  I spent an entire week shooting Texas UIL State Golf, Tennis and Track for various outlets, big and small, across Texas.

Daniel Brown, of Montgomery, celebrates his state championship win over Brady Bohrnstedt.

Like I say in just about every update, shooting sports is a blast and photographing the top high school athletes in Texas makes it that much better.  I spent 4 days waiting out rain showers, running between 12 courts while shooting the Texas UIL Tennis Championships in Lakeway.

Nate Lammons, of Conroe The Woodlands College Park, returns a short ball.

For a really good reason, the UIL also schedules the golf state championships on the exact same day as the tennis championships…Meaning the poor media folks (like myself) get to drive 50 minutes across Austin trying to catch the winning player making the winning shot while not missing the any other shots at either venue.  Pretty fun and a little stressful…

Portland Rosen, of Clements, attempts to talk her ball onto the green after teeing off during the 2010 UIL Golf State Championships in Austin on Thursday.

The Texas UIL Golf State Championships weren’t as exciting as they were last year (no one threw their clubs into the lake this year!), it was nice to relax under cloudy skies and not get too bad of a sunburn.  On the last day of the tournament, the skies opened up and a 4 hour and 50 minute rain delay nearly cancelled the tournament.  It was choas as everyone tried to stay dry under what little cover there was and we all just waited….and waited for the storm to pass.

Claire Thompson, second from left, checks her cell phone as other members of the Katy Seven Lakes golf team take a quick nap during a 4 hour and 50 minute rain delay during the 2010 UIL Golf State Championships in Austin on Friday. Surrounding Thompson are, from left, Evelina Keifer, Cecilie Nordahl and Maren Platou.

After the rain delay, an emergency trip to Rudy’s BBQ, and following our golf cart disaster (think the biggest splash ride at Six Flags…Water went OVER the top of the cart..Sorry Jenny!), I got on my way to shooting a few kids before running over the the Texas UIL State Track and Field Championships.

Christina Stringham, of Pasadena Memorial, shoots out of the bunker during the 2010 UIL Golf State Championships in Austin.

Taking a break from high school sports for a few days, I shot the Austin Aztex, Austin’s professional soccer team, like I do every home game.

Austin Aztex

Last night’s game was absolutely amazing, with over 6,000 people in attendance.  While a 3-3 draw wasn’t the score the Aztex were looking for, it provided the fans, many of them new to Austin’s soccer team, a lot to look at.

Austin Aztex

Goals went back and forth all night, until Tampa tied the match late in the final minutes of play.

Austin Aztex

You can always see more galleries at www.austinaztex.com and a few photos here and there at USLSOCCER.

I’ve also been shooting a little bit of music here and there.  I got the call to shoot the supergroup The Dead Weather, but I was more interested in the band that opened for them, The Ettes.

The Ettes lead singer Lindsay "Coco" Hames performs at Stubb's in downtown Austin on Friday.

Apart from sounding better, they actually had lights on them!  I haven’t shot a lot live music, but The Dead Weather was one of the darkest, most backlit bands I have ever shot….Except for these sporadic bursts of a bright strobe light which I set my camera settings for.  I don’t understand it, but I only had to sit through three songs so I can’t complain too much!

The Dead Weather's Dean Fertita, from left, Alison Mosshart and Jack White perform at Stubb's in downtown Austin on Friday.

I’m still waiting on the call to cover Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen myself.  (Although I did shoot and get to meet Lyle at a private event a while ago!)

I’ve also been shooting a lot of University of Texas softball recently.  I’ve had a blast doing it because the access is great, the girls are hilarious, it isn’t crowded with other photographers and the backgrounds are clean!

The University of Texas softball team celebrates on home plate as they wait for Amy Hooks to round third after hitting a solo home run.

Georgia's Laura Trout rounds third base after hitting a solo home run off of Blaire Luna.

Blaire Luna delivers a pitch during the Longhorns game against OSU in Austin.

Apart from all the usual events I cover, I try to spend as much time with friends, my dog, and now that it is summer, swimming!  I love taking my dog, Hank, out to the local dog parks and everywhere else I can.  He loves soccer balls!

Hank at Zilker Park.

Hanson Little at Barton Springs.

As usual, I’ve got many more photos that I want to show, but work is calling and I’m off to shoot the NCAA Regional Championships here in Austin.  Look for another post soon!  -PM

(all photos by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith)

Juan Castillo, left, and Cody Lofgren celebrate after Lofgren scored a goal during the Panthers 3-2 loss to Frisco Wakeland in a shoot out during the 4A state championship soccer game in Georgetown

These past two months have felt like a whirlwind as I’ve been rushing around taking pictures as a freelance photographer in Austin, Texas.  I’ve managed to shoot every high school state championship event, along with the women’s NCAA championships at the Erwin Center, a small ad campaign, portraits, general assignments and somehow squeezed in time to move to a new house in downtown Austin and put in some time on the bicycle.

I shot 6 high school state basketball games for various news outlets across Texas and had the chance to meet some great kids and take some photographs that I enjoy….even though these are all from one game…  -

Adrian Tepker hoists the state championship trophy for the Fort Bend Bush fans to see following their 65-58 state championship win over Lakeview Centennial in Austin

Texas Governer Rick Perry presents the Fort Bend Bush basketball team with the state trophy.

The Fort Bend Bush basketball team celebrates following their 65-58 state championship win over Lakeview Centennial in Austin

I also got to spend three days shooting the state soccer tournament, which is always a blast.  I started photographing soccer in Austin last year when I covered my first Austin Aztex game for a local newspaper and I’ve been hooked since.

Ryan Nolan, right, wins a header over Frisco Wakeland's Len Smith during their 4A state championship loss to Wakeland.

The backgrounds are so ugly at the Georgetown stadium that I spent a lot of time up in the stands shooting down on the action with a long lens.  Even with the terrible backgrounds, the staff at the stadium were awesome.  It was the most well staffed state championship I have ever been to.  Not only was everyone helpful, they constantly had the fridge packed with food and even had breakfast tacos for those 8am games.  I wish the UIL could take note of the accomplishments that Rhonda Farney and the rest of the staff pulled off in making the event bearable for the media. Thanks GISD!

Kyle Trimm, left, and El Paso's Jose Moreno fight for the ball during Kingwood Park's 5-2 semifinal win over El Paso on Friday.

Kingwood coach Ryan Smith talks with his team before the start of their 4A state championship match against Frisco Wakeland.

Kylie Cook, left, and Meghan Gibbons celebrate after Cook scored on a penalty kick in the final minutes of the Highlanders 3-2 state championship win over McKinney Boyd.

And in a total different direction, I’m still editing down my take of photos from my Arizona road trip.  I took a few hundred photos while riding shotgun and in the backseat with the

View from the car seat in Arizona.

View from the car seat in Arizona.

View from the car seat in Arizona.

I’ve also shot a few games of Texas baseball.  There is something great about being on the 40 acres shooting baseball on a brisk, sunny day.

Austin Dicharry delivers a pitch.

I also spent some time at the 2010 Texas Relays at the University of Texas.  The Texas Relays are always a blast to shoot and are one of my favorite events to cover.  I shot a number of high school, university and international athletes for a few clients and somehow managed to not get sunburnt over the course of three days.

Yesterday was another fun day for me as well, as I got the call to shoot the 26th Annual MS 150 Bike Ride.  The MS 150 takes cyclists from Houston to Austin, via a 180 mile back country route, in order to raise money for multiple sclerosis.  I’ve wanted to do the ride for the last couple of years, but I can’t seem to find the time.

Riders participating in the 26th Annual BP MS 150 Bike Ride celebrate as they cross the finish line Sunday morning near the Texas State Capitol.

A cyclist participating in the 26th Annual BP MS 150 Bike Ride celebrates with fans while riding through a bubble machine near the finish line Sunday morning.

It was a blast seeing everyone in such high spirits, including the riders on the tail end of their near 200 mile ride.  I managed to capture a few moments here and there and even nabbed another 1A lead art photo for a local paper.

Houston Chronicle

Our local professional soccer team in Austin, the Austin Aztex, also kicked off their second season with a 2-0 win over last years USL-1 defending champions and took down another opponent to stay unbeaten on the season so far.  Like a lot of my other jobs, shooting for the Austin Aztex is always fun.

Austin Aztex

And you can’t forget the loyal fans who have made the move to House Park with the team.  These guys and gals rock.  The billboard agrees.

http://www.chanticosarmy.com/cajoomla/

The Aztex are kicking up some waves online using social networking tools and have made a few funny videos to help promote their upcoming season.  My favorite so far…Heads Up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO8bpql9aRU

And last but not least, I’ll leave you with one of my more light hearted assignments from a few weeks ago.  There are a few people in Austin that love their pets so much that they will go to extremes to help them live better lives.  Jake happens to be one of those dogs.  His owners spent a lot of money buying up a small parcel of property behind their condo, installing a doggie door with a ramp, and having the stairs built at an angle that suits the older dogs aging body…Talk about awesome!

A dog door with a ramp helps Jake, along with two other elderly beagels, get in and out of the condo.

I’ve got a lot more photos that I want to share with everyone, but they are going to have to wait until next time.  Thanks for stopping by.

Photographs by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.patrickmeredith.com

Here is a mixed bag of photos from the past week or so.  I’ve been experimenting with turning photos B&W in Photoshop, so please bear with me.

I shot the UIL State Wrestling Championships held at the Austin Delco Center, which is one of the darker gyms in Austin. Luckily I shot a basketball game here a few days before this assignment, so I knew to bring some lights. I went for a backlight look for this match and I think it turned out alright...

It was pretty amazing, watching some of these athletes compete. This kid had a separated shoulder but he fought through the pain and won the state championship.

I also shot some swimming at the University of Texas, which is usually a blast. It is always fun to see my old photography buddies from across the state converge onto Austin for the state tournaments.

Kara McCormack Speaking of swimming, I also shot a few photos of LBJ diver Kara McCormick. She was a trooper and let me splash her with water.

The girls basketball state championships were in town the last few days, so I spent a good amount of time in the Frank Erwin Center shooting the best teams in Texas.

But along with the celebration, I shot a lot of dejection. I really felt for the Wylie team as they missed a three point shot with a second left that would have won them a state title.

While shooting the girls hoops, I also set up a basic remote kit near my lap. Camera with a 14mm lens, pointed up to get the big lights and scoreboard in the shot. It was pretty cool seeing the Haley Fowler show. The girl scored 35 points in the championship game (2 of them are above).

Even the coaches were getting in on the celebration action during the game. It is always great to get a shot of a coach outside of them sitting on a bench with their arms crossed.

It also snowed in Austin! It dumped about an inch at our place up north, so I took the dogs out for a little romp in the snow. Not necessarily work, but it was fun!

I shot some motorcycles out at a track in San Marcos. That was a blast. It was pretty crazy watching these guys and girls haul along the track.

Jordan Etier I've also been shooting a little bit of the University of Texas Longhorns baseball. I've got a few hundred photos that I'm going through to put on Photoshelter...I've been running a little late!

It is always fun shooting the winning team. I'll share more Longhorn baseball photos in the near future....

I also got to meet and photograph a cool kid by the name of Kevin, who races mountain bikes all across the world. Hopefully I'll have a few more photos in the future of him. I'm pretty jealous!

Elle Pishny Austin Marathon I also shot the the Austin Marathon. It was pretty awesome, except I made the mistake of riding in the press truck. I ended up shooting the same person for about 2 hours, until I finally got off the truck and made it to the finish line.

Elle Pishny was the first woman to cross the finish line. I've got some ideas for next year, so I hope I get the chance to shoot it again!

University of Texas fans I also shot the last University of Texas home basketball game at the Frank Erwin Center. It is always a blast shooting UT sports, and the fans never seem to disappoint either.

I'll be updating my Photoshelter with Texas Longhorn basketball images as well, so look for more soon!

(ok, one more)

Arizona I also went to Arizona and I have well over 4 gigs of photos that I still need to go through. I shot a sunset there...It is amazing with the mountains, saguaros and other awesome scenery.

Arizona And there is much, much more but it is 12 at night and I'm going to sleep. More to come!

And there is much, much more but it is 12 at night and I’m going to sleep.  More to come!

With that in mind, I went through my hard drive and pulled a few of my favorite images from last season where the Horns almost brought the national championship back to Austin.  Here is to the #1 ranked college baseball team for the 2010 season…

Kiss performs at the Frank Erwin Center in front of a packed audience on Friday in Austin.

I hardly shoot live music, but when I do, it is usually a blast…  Seeing Kiss live was pretty cool, but I couldn’t imagine paying $500 for a seat directly behind the photo pit.  I thought it was hilarious to see these guys come out with full makeup and the whole suits, but then again this band was making albums before I was born…They still put on a good show!   I was pretty jazzed about only being allowed to shoot the first two songs of their performance…I was home by 10pm!

Kiss performs at the Frank Erwin Center in front of a packed audience on Friday in Austin.

See more images of Colt McCoy from the Longhorns 51-20 win over Kansas here:  www.sportsshooter.com/meredith

So many irons in the fire, not enough time in the day to properly update.  I need to get my hockey (!), tennis, volleyball, football and the rest of my softball images online.  These past few weeks have been crazy and I’m trying to take a couple of days off with family up in Missouri….That said,   have a good Thanksgiving!

The Brenham volleyball team storms the court after sweeping Richardson Pearce in the 4A State Semifinals in San Marcos on Thursday.

I’m shooting the 2009 UIL State Volleyball Championships in San Marcos and it is a blast, as usual.  I’ve shot state volleyball tournaments consecutivly for the last 4 years and I always enjoy it…Even if they did turn off the ‘tv’ lights this year, making the court two stops darker.  Unfortunatly I can’t make the championship games on Saturday because the Texas Longhorn football team is hosting Kansas…I just hope the rain holds off long enough for me to shoot a few frames of Colt McCoy breaking NCAA records….

More to come…

Ron Dorsey, who served in Vietnam in the late 1960's, pauses for a moment outside of the Texas State Capitol Building following a Veterans Day parade in downtown Austin on Wednesday.

I spent a few minutes in downtown Austin photographing the Veterans Day parade this morning.  I met a lot of interesting people and heard some even more interesting stories.  Don’t forget to thank a veteran…not only today, but any day.

Charley Randall, who has served in the military from 1962 through 2002, stands outside of the Texas State Capitol Building during a playing of the taps following a Veterns Day parade in downtown Austin.

Regent volleyball players attempt to block a kill during practice on Wednesday.

The challenge in shooting high school sports is to harness and exploit what little light there is inside a gym or on the field and to get a nice clean background in your photo.  Sometimes you win with plenty of light and clean images, but sometimes you lose with poor light and clutter everywhere.  I fell into the latter category tonight, but after attending the SportsShooter Academy Workshop in California, I’m working my butt off to find an image and capture it.

Regents volleyball practice 1 – me 0

I am photographing AC/DC this week and I’m really looking forward to shooting some live music again….