Life through my lens

Denver editorial photographers

Denver editorial photographers | Jose Guerrero for DU Magazine

2011-08-31T18:49:00.003-06:00

Late on a Sunday afternoon my phone rang, "Hey, it's Jose. I'm taking my son over to my mom's house and then I'll probably head to the Mercury Cafè later. Is that cool?"

Not having much background information on Jose or even a rough draft of the story yet, I had no idea that he even had a son. "Is it cool if I hang out with you guys for a little while?," I respond.

"Sure," he says.

I grab my gear as fast as I could and raced out the door four hours early from when I was supposed to meet the young slam poet at the "Merc" as they like to call it and I'm really glad that I did. Jose, his son, JT, and Jose's parents welcomed me into their west Denver home without hesitation. They went on about their business making a snack, playing some basketball and brushing JT's teeth before Jose had to leave him behind to head out to the weekly poetry slam.

I had heard plenty about the cafè but never been. Although terrifyingly dark from a photo perspective, it was great to work in. The colors and atmosphere were something that I hadn't experienced before.

I followed Jose through his pre-stage routine that mirrored that of an athlete getting ready for a game, save for a few cigarettes in the back alley. Clearly this wasn't his first time; the nerves never showed.

Greg Glasgow's article eloquently describes the evening, in addition to Jose's rise from several struggling times. You don't have to take my word for it though, read it yourself.

This was one of my favorite stories that I've worked on. It probably doesn't hurt that it turned out to be my first magazine cover story. The next one won't be as big of a deal but the first anything in your career is always exciting.

The magazine used a few photos in the spread here, here and here.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Astros v Rockies

2011-08-25T02:15:00.003-06:00

"Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin #45 of the Colorado Rockies warms up in the bullpen before the start of a game against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on August 22, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Catcher Humberto Quintero #55 of the Houston Astros receives a ball from starting pitcher Brett Myers #39 in the bullpen before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 22, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Brian Bogusevic #19 of the Houston Astros breaks his bat during the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 22, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"A fan sits alone in the purple row of seats that are exactly one mile (5,280 feet) above sea level during a game between the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies goes airborne as he slides safely into second base for a stolen base during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field on August 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

A staple concept among those knowledgable about baseball is that more often than not, good pitching trumps good hitting. It's a healthy contributing factor as to why the Phillies are so good. Their starting pitching rotation has four the of the best in the game.

So what about when you have bad pitching? Lots, and I mean lots, of action.

The Astros are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball and the Rockies aren't having much of a season either but the games between them the past three days have created more photo worthy action than probably all of the games I've shot this season.

In the three game series, the two teams combined for 43 runs on 73 hits.

Oddly enough some of my favorite images from the series are of the feature variety. When I saw Patrick, who is a great Maryland sports photographer, filing some features from his game on the other side of the country on Monday I grabbed my cameras and dashed out of the press box in search of a little friendly competition. At this point in the season there aren't many photographers at the games so I have to find other means to motivate myself.

Naturally his bullpen photo kicked my bullpen photos in the rear.

I'm looking forward to having two weeks off (as of now) before September gets crazy again but the competition isn't over. We're both doing NASCAR in Richmond next month. Hopefully he wins again because if not he may make me hitchhike my way back to Baltimore to catch a plane.

-JCE

Colorado sports photographers | Bills v Broncos

2011-08-23T03:28:00.003-06:00

"Safety Brian Dawkins #20 of the Denver Broncos storms out of the tunnel admits smoke before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Cornerback Cassius Vaughn #41 of the Denver Broncos breaks up a pass attempt for wide receiver Donald Jones #19 of the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Running back Willis McGahee #23 of the Denver Broncos beats linebacker Reggie Torbor #53 of the Buffalo Bills to the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Running back Anthony Elzy #39 of the Buffalo Bills looks stiff-arms cornerback Perrish Cox #32 of the Denver Broncos as linebacker Mike Mohamed #53 and Jason Hunter #52 give chase during the third quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Bills 24-10."

"Linebacker Wesley Woodyard #59 of the Denver Broncos tackles running back Bruce Hall #36 of the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Bills 24-10."

"Defensive end Elvis Dumervil #92 of the Denver Broncos pauses to pray after a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Bills 24-10."

It's good to have football back.

For a while there I was worried that the rich NFL players and the richer NFL owners weren't going to play nice with each other but they solved their differences and here we are.

There is no question that football has become one of my favorite sports to shoot. The speed of the game at the NFL level makes it a challenge to shoot but that's what I love about it. The harder something is the more fun I tend to have. That's just the competitive side of me, I guess.

Considering that it was my first game of the year and I was shooting it solo, I'll take the results. I managed to capture my 10th picture of the week honor in 10 games for Getty so I'm sure I did alright. I made what would have been a killer photo of Brandon Lloyd if it weren't for the god awful background. Planning and a little luck are the key factors to making an image with a moment and clean background. Sometimes you only get half of that equation correct.

My NFL coverage will be limited this season for a few unknown reasons but hopefully I'll be back out there again soon.

More photos from the Broncos game.

-JCE

Estes Park wedding photographers

Estes Park wedding photographers | Season & Jacob

2011-08-15T02:24:00.005-06:00

Saturday afternoon I walked into Taharaa Mountain Lodge and heard a voice say, "Justin, you're here!"

I stared at the gal on the other end of that line and although I didn't know who she was I figured that she must be part of the wedding party. My best guess led me to believe it was one of the bridesmaids.

Ten or so seconds later I realized it was Season. Combine the fact that I hadn't seen her since last fall and she didn't have her glasses on threw me through a loop. Her transformation to gorgeous bride reminded me of a recent Acura television commercial.

While I was with the ladies, Stephanie was down the road with Jake and the boys. Clearly her lens was drawn to the little ones as she managed to capture two of my favorite moments of the day.

My favorite thing about photographing a wedding in the mountains is the great light and distinctive look that says Colorado. After the ceremony they ventured down the road to Mary's Lake to take everything in. Stephanie and I worked from a distance to give them a moment to themselves. Crawling down by the lake's edge and climbing up the mountain provided me with a few great perspectives of both them and the surroundings.

It goes without saying that my shoes didn't return home as clean and shiny as when I started the day.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Miracles on Ice Day 4/5

2011-08-14T19:09:00.004-06:00

The last image above says it all. On Monday many of the kids have never put on a pair of skates in their life and by Friday afternoon they've learned that a little hard work goes a long way towards accomplishing anything.

A victory in the big game just makes it that much sweeter.

I love working with kids in similar situations because I once could have been one of them. I, like them, was faced with challenging situations at their age but an amazing set of parents and a few adults with a positive impact kept me on the right track. Sure, this camp teaches kids how to skate but it's the big picture that is what it's all about.

If just one of these kids goes on to college we've done our job, and seeing one of them walk across the stage to receive their diploma at DU would be the cherry on top.

After five years that is what keeps me coming back year after year.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Miracles on Ice Day 3

2011-08-10T21:39:00.003-06:00

In the interest of pushing myself again this week, I brought out the 400mm.

95% of the time it was way too tight and wildly unsuccessful. That's ok, though. As odd as it sounds I wanted to fail...trying something new. I tend to learn more from failing the first time around and then applying that newfound knowledge with better success each subsequent opportunity.

Consequently, both images above were made with said lens so it must not have been that bad of an effort.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Miracles on Ice Day 2

2011-08-10T00:49:00.002-06:00

Sometimes all you need to do to get a fresh take on the same situation is to mix up the lighting.

Magness Arena has strobes permanently installed in the catwalk of the arena. Since I previously worked in the DU athletic department and still have a great relationship with the University, I have access to using them each year for the camp. It makes a world of difference in terms of both light and image quality. The huge sheet of ice acts as a reflector and helps get light under the kids helmets so I can better see their eyes.

Tuesday things were slow so I played around with a couple of different strobe combinations by turing some or most of them off to get a more dramatic look.

-JCE

Beaver Creek wedding photographers

Denver sports photographers | Miracles on Ice Day 1

2011-08-09T02:34:00.004-06:00

It's that time of the year again. 32 very deserving kids from DU's Bridge Project descended upon the Ritchie Center for the fifth annual Miracles on Ice camp.

If you're new to the program you can check out a few posts from years past in the archive here, here and here.

Having photographed the camp each year since its inception, it becomes increasingly harder to make new, different images that please me. I imagine that it is similar to a small town newspaper photographer documenting the same events year after year.

In an effort to keep things fresh I tried to focus on moments more so than my usual graphic driven style. We'll see if I can keep that up.

More tomorrow.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

NASCAR photographers | Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150

2011-08-07T14:39:00.006-06:00

"Justin Funkhouser, driver of the #5 Bay Bio Diesel Chevrolet, Luis Martinez, Jr., driver of the #6 King Taco/Sunrise Ford/Lucas Oil Ford, Alex Bowman, driver of the #59 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Toyota, Dylan Kwasniewski, driver of the #03 Rockstar/Royal Purple Chevrolet, and Greg Pursley, driver of the #26 Gene Price Mtrspts/Star Nursery Ford, stand on the grid as a rainbow emerges in the sky above them prior to the start of the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Colorado National Speedway on August 6, 2011 in Dacono, Colorado. Kwasniewski, who set the pole, went on the win the race at the age of 16."

In most of what I do, access is everything.

Yesterday's assignment was a perfect example of how some of the best images can be made at the lower levels of any given sport. NASCAR's K&N touring series is akin to Class AA baseball. The big names are nowhere to be found and they welcome the media with open arms.

Having covered a few Sprint Cup races (read: the big boys) this season I can tell you that you practically get zero access.

On the other hand, I was able to walk into the garage (read: pop up tents) and stick a wide angle in anyone's face that I wanted. Prior to the race I was able to hang out on the track with the drivers sans any entourage and make a picture that would be impossible at the higher levels.

To top it off, my lens somehow gravitated towards the 16 year old eventual winner all day long.

Getting excellent access made covering the race by myself so much easier than I had anticipated. Now if the track wasn't the darkest venue I'd ever been to...

More images here.

-JCE

NASCAR photographers

Beaver Creek wedding photographers | Kirsten & Adam

2011-08-06T01:41:00.003-06:00

You know it's going to be a good day when the groom insists that you do a shot of Jameson and a pint of Guinness before returning to your regular scheduled duties...photographing the wedding day.

Naturally, I downed it like a champ and went right back to work.

Walking up the mountain, in dress shoes, is never an easy task but the resulting images are usually worth it. At the end of the night I often find some resemblance of mud on the soles of them. At least that explains the funny looks I occasionally get as I climb out of a steep riverbed.

Although I had an 11 hour day, mine wasn't as long as Tyson who flew out from New Jersey to be the main shooter and also the bride's cousin. He even managed to dance (read: fist pump) with his wife for a few.

Beaver Creek Chapel, the Donovan Pavillion in Vail and the surrounding areas provided a great backdrop that really exemplified a Colorado wedding.

-JCE

Riverfront Park engagement | Carlyle & Michael

2011-07-27T02:27:00.002-06:00

It's not often that I get to photograph my friends so when the opportunity presents itself it's always something that I look forward to.

Michael has been a good friend since we lived next door to each other in the dorms our freshman year of undergrad and we later roomed together during a semester abroad in Rome. Carlyle and I are both marketing geeks so it's been fun to talk shop while we've been able to get to know each other the past eight months or so.

Along with a few others, Michael helped push me to pursue photography while we were in Italy so I almost owe him for where I am today. With that in mind, I'm excited to be shooting their upcoming wedding.

They met downtown and spent several dates at and around Riverfront Park so that's where we spent most of our time for their engagement photos on Tuesday evening.

After a torrential downpour almost ruined our plans, the clouds parted just enough to give us a dramatic, overcast sky that was great to shoot under.

I'm definitely looking forward to both shooting and celebrating their wedding in Steamboat Springs a few months from now.

-JCE

Denver engagement photographers

Baseball photographers | Braves v Rockies

2011-07-21T03:11:00.005-06:00

"Starting pitcher Juan Nicasio #44 of the Colorado Rockies follows through on his delivery during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field on July 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates his walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth with Jhoulys Chacin #45 as the Rockies defeated the Braves 3-2 at Coors Field on July 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

Who doesn't like a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth with two outs?

-JCE
Baseball photographers

Denver sports photographers | Braves v Rockies

2011-07-20T01:45:00.003-06:00

"A member of the grounds crew tries to wrangle in the tarp as they prepare the field following a 26-minute rain delay prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

Today, I thank Mother Nature for bringing the rain.

Although the Rockies smashed the Braves 12-3 on Tuesday evening there weren't many interesting images to be made during the game. Thankfully I made something I was happy with long before the game started.

My car was at the shop and I didn't get to pick it up until late in the day so I was running a little behind compared to how early I like to arrive at games. As I drove down Colfax it seemed as though I was headed into the eye of the storm as it rained sideways and lightning struck every few seconds.

The whole drive to the ballpark I was thinking of what kind of weather feature I was going to try and make. Just as I made my way into the press box I could see the grounds crew removing the sandbags from the tarp. I grabbed a few cameras and raced down to the field, anticipating the tarp's removal.

I made a few straightforward images before the the above happened. Sometimes all it takes is being in the right place at the right time and Tuesday I was.

-JCE

Denver sports photographer

Colorado engagement photographers | Krista & Matt

2011-07-18T04:21:00.003-06:00

Some couples just get it. I don't have to say anything. They do their thing and I do mine.

Krista and Matt are one of those couples.

It probably didn't hurt that Matt studied photojournalism in college and it wasn't Krista's first time in front of a camera. That really meant that the pressure was all on me.

As someone whose personal style lives through graphic elements and color, I couldn't have asked for much more. It's a blast to walk through parts of downtown and find new locations, colors that catch your eye. The time of day has a lot to do with that.

Sonya, their four year-old 130lb Mastiff, joined for a little bit at the beginning of the evening before we ventured off sans the dog. The light was fantastic and for what seemed like the first time in two weeks it didn't rain.

Winning.

-JCE

Colorado engagement photographers

Denver sports photographers | Whitecaps FC v Rapids

2011-07-10T02:19:00.003-06:00

"Caleb Folan #21 of the Colorado Rapids leaps onto a group of his teammates as they celebrate a goal by Conor Casey #9 during the first half against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on July 9, 2011 in Commerce City, Colorado. The Rapids defeated Whitecaps FC 2-1."

Well what do you know, the Rapids finally won a home game for the first time since April.

This kind of jube was welcome but rather unusual for the Rapids in my experience. Conor Casey who has scored in something like six of his last seven games only gave a boring "hang loose" sign in my direction after scoring the goal.

The image actually reminds me of a similar celebration by DU's women's soccer team over Stanford back in 2007. It's crazy to think how far I've come since then.

-JCE

Denver sports photographer

NASCAR photographers | Toyota/Save Mart 350

2011-07-07T18:40:00.004-06:00

"Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, sits in his car during the practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 24, 2011 in Sonoma, California."
"Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 24, 2011 in Sonoma, California."
"Clint Bowyer, driver of the #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 24, 2011 in Sonoma, California."
"Mike Skinner, driver of the #60 Big Red Toyota, makes a turn with two wheels off the ground during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 24, 2011 in Sonoma, California."
"Kurt Busch, driver of the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 26, 2011 in Sonoma, California."
"Kurt Busch, driver of the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 26, 2011 in Sonoma, California."

I don't know how but I managed to get put on one of the most enjoyable race weekends of the year. When your editor calls and asks if you want to go to San Francisco it's not something that turn it down.

The weather was cool, dry, the food was great and shooting a road course was a pleasure. There was great shooting positions...for practice. I made most of my favorite images during the practice sessions. For the Sprint Cup race I was the low man on the totem so I was relegated to important, yet less popular shooting positions.

We needed an image of turn 11 so I hiked a good quarter of a mile up the hill and into a parking lot outside of the track to get a scene setting picture with the northern California countryside in the background.

Other than the last two images above, I wasn't able to make much more than the standard race photos that you can see here.

-JCE
Denver sports photographers

Colorado wedding photographer | Erin & Ryan

2011-07-07T17:24:00.005-06:00

Wedding season has finally begun, for me at least.

Last Saturday I took on a little different role than I'm used to as I assisted a fellow EAW and rust team alumni, Mike Greener (aka Greener Visuals), with Erin and Ryan's wedding in Parker, Colorado. I still second shoot for friends and colleagues occasionally but this time I was responsible for holding lights and setting up and running the photobooth.

Erin is a big time marketing exec at the Facebook offices in California so I tethered the photobooth camera to a computer, uploaded to Facebook and occasionally tagged folks in real time. It was a big hit among everyone.

When I wasn't busy taking care of those other tasks I made a few frames along the way. I'm used to shooting start to finish so it was a little different for me but I was happy to help Mike execute his vision.

Erin and Ryan threw one heck of a party. It'll be one of those that Zuckerberg will be sad he wasn't able to attend because I'm sure folks will be talking about it for weeks.

-JCE

Colorado wedding photographer

San Francisco Street Art

2011-06-30T00:41:00.005-06:00

"A woman squints while using her phone to take a picture in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, Tuesday, June 28, 2011."

"An elderly man uses an umbrella to keep dry in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, Tuesday, June 28, 2011."

"Knucklehead the dog retrieves a hacky sack from atop a cable car informational kiosk foot in San Francisco, Monday, June 27, 2011. 'I had to get her one of her own because she kept ripping mine apart,' said Steve, her owner."

"A man dressed head to toe in San Francisco Giants attire talks on a cell phone along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Monday, June 27, 2011."

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no Strazz or Smith but that didn't prevent me from taking my camera out on the streets of San Francisco to explore the city.

I was in the city by the bay for last weekend's NASCAR race in Sonoma and seeing as though I haven't been to the city in probably 15 years I decided to stay a few extra days with some friends and have some fun.

As apposed to obvious tourist traps, I like to explore a city through its streets and food. After being on my own most of Monday, Stephen was kind enough to take me to Chinatown for a real dim sum lunch Tuesday. I say real because there wasn't any english being spoken and I was one of just a few non-Chinese in the place. The atmosphere on the streets was great, alive and the rain made things interesting.

I love umbrella photos just as much as the next photographer, however cliche they may be.

The food all week was excellent. Being so close to the water I obviously had to enjoy my fair share of seafood and managed to have sushi, mahi mahi, moules et frites as well as some of the best mexican food around, to name a few. There was plenty of northern California wine to go around but one of my favorite things that I had was a stout brewed with oyster shells and included hints of carmel and coffee. As odd as that sounds, it was dope.

A few pictures from the real reason I was in town are coming up next.

-JCE

Denver editorial photographers

Denver sports photographers | Tigers v Rockies

2011-06-18T23:46:00.004-06:00

"Center fielder Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies goes airborne to make a catch off the bat of Jhonny Peralta #27 of the Detroit Tigers for the second out of the eighth inning at Coors Field on June 18, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Tigers 5-4."

Baseball requires lots of patience. Sometimes you can go a whole game, series or even week without getting the opportunity to photograph some good action.

Such was the case most of Saturday night against the Tigers. Despite shooting a few plays at home plate, most of the game was boring from a photographic standpoint.

Thankfully "Car Go" saved my evening with the above image in the eighth inning. Both of his feet are airborne, the ball is in the perfect spot and I couldn't have asked for a cleaner background.

It's interesting how one image can impact my thoughts on my performance at a particular assignment and this one definitely did.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Padres v Rockies

2011-06-15T02:37:00.005-06:00

"Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies follows through on a double off of Wade LeBlanc of the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at Coors Field on June 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Tulowitzki went 2-4 with a run scored to help the Rockies defeat the Padres 6-3 and break a three game losing streak.
"
"[Left] Cameron Maybin #24 of the San Diego Padres runs towards third base on his way to score on a double by teammate Alberto Gonzalez during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. [Right] Charlie Blackmon #8 of the Colorado Rockies lines up his bat during the fourth inning."

"Jason Bartlett #8 of the San Diego Padres slides safely into second base as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies can't control the ball during the first inning at Coors Field on June 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

With light like this, what can you say that the pictures don't?

The 6:40pm start played right into my hands as the sun was in what seemed like the perfect spot for a few short minutes in the fourth inning. Add Tulo and a base hit and you have a winning combination for a great photo.

Oh, and the Rockies won.

More images from the game here.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Dodgers v Rockies

2011-06-12T00:05:00.003-06:00

"Jamey Carroll #14 of the Los Angeles Dodgers breaks up the double play as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies is upended during the fifth inning at Coors Field on June 11, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 11-7."

That's how you're supposed to break up a double play.

If that wasn't enough, Jamey Carroll, a former Rockies player, went on to tally four hits and two RBIs en route to the win. I'd say that's not a bad day at the office. He seemed pretty excited about it.

It was a rough outing for the hometown bullpen but I'm not complaining. Shhhh, don't tell anyone that I'm a Dodgers fan.

This was my first Rockies game of the year but certainly won't be my last. I'm back at it again for the Sunday day game with the most tedious assignment I've ever had (read: 800ish stock photos). It will most definitely be a Pandora type of day.

-JCE

NASCAR photographers | Coca-Cola 600

2011-05-30T20:56:00.003-06:00

"Kyle Busch drives the #18 M&M's Toyota during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2011 in Concord, North Carolina. Bush was in the news recently after being cited by police for speeding at 128mph in a 45mph zone."
"Juan Pablo Montoya drives the #42 Target Chevrolet during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, 2011 in Concord, North Carolina."

"Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2011 in Concord, North Carolina."

"Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, and A.J. Allmendinger, driver of the #43 U.S. Air Force Ford, lead the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28, 2011 in Concord, North Carolina."
"Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Ford, leads Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2011 in Concord, North Carolina."

"Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Budweiser Armed Forces Tribute Chevrolet, crosses the finish line ahead of David Ragan, driver of the #6 UPS Ford, and Joey Logano, driver of the #20 The Home Depot Toyota, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2011 in Concord, North Carolina. Harvick only led the final lap en route to the victory after Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Denny Hamlin ran out of gas in the final corners of the race."

I'm humbled.

This was by far the hardest sport that I've ever shot, period.

I don't care what folks say about NASCAR, it's considerably different in person than it is on TV. Trust me, I'm still fishing pieces of tire rubber out of my hair to prove it. When you're standing a mere three feet from 43 dudes doing 180mph+ it literally blows you back. It's safe to say that I didn't make much of a picture that first time that they passed me.

I've been looking forward to making the trip out to hot and humid North Carolina to work with the Getty crew since I got the initial email two months ago. Everything about the weekend was a challenge but I can't be more appreciative of the other eight Getty guys who looked out for me, told me how to stay safe and did all they could to help the rookie.

Thursday was practice and qualifying so I mostly shot stock and tried to make a picture in the garage. The drivers do their best to elude the photographers so that proved difficult.

Saturday I was assigned to shoot outside the track at turns 3 and 4 for the Nationwide Series race (read: minor leagues). Crouched down, shooting through small designated holes, in the sweltering heat was something that I hadn't dealt with before but I made a few images here and there.

By the time Sunday rolled around I finally found my bearings and felt much better about my performance. I was assigned to start inside turns 3 and 4 and worked every angle I could find to make a few fames I was happy with. At lap 275 I was taken out to the outside of turn 1. I worked that until lap 388 (of 400) when I moved down to shoot the crazy finish head on. As soon as Harvick crossed the finish line I sprinted the nearly 200 yards to the finish line to shoot his burnout celebration.

It's hard to cram 5 days in Charlotte into a few paragraphs but I can definitely say that I throughly enjoyed myself.

Things that made it a successful trip (in no particular order): tangy BBQ, sweet tea, Nike dri-fit, arcade basketball, cold beer, earplugs, a golf cart, and good pictures.

A big thanks to the talented, helpful and good people who got me through what hopefully won't be my last race: Chris, Justin, Streeter, John, Geoff, Jared, Jerry, Jason and Nikki.

More images from the weekend here.

-JCE

Denver engagement photographers

Engagement photos in Denver | Tamara & Sterling

2011-05-23T05:47:00.005-06:00

Watching Sterling's cool, smooth charm bring out Tamara's bubbly personality was a treat to see. I don't know what he was telling her but clearly, it was working.

They came to me with the one word of inspiration, modern. The architecture of the ultra modern Denver Art Museum was the first thing that came to mind. The sharp lines and white walls made it fantastic to shoot in.

I wanted to shoot in another location with a contrasting style and the timeless Oxford hotel definitely fit the bill. Something out of the roaring twenties, the Cruise Room Martini Bar offered up a fantastic overabundance of color that was definitely much different than the DAM.

I think Tamara and Sterling had the most fun, though, dodging the rain and walking in crisp spring air. Not only did they seem to enjoy each other's company but the soft, overcast light was really hard to beat.

I know that September can't come fast enough for these two when they tie the knot.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Toronto FC v Colorado Rapids

2011-05-23T00:07:00.003-06:00

"Anthony Wallace #6 of the Colorado Rapids grabs the jersey of Nick Soolsma #18 of Toronto FC as the two battle for the ball during the second half at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on May 22, 2011 in Commerce City, Colorado. The game ended in a 0-0 tie."

I usually enjoy shooting soccer, with the only exception when the game ends in a 0-0 tie.

What a bore.

At one point Rapids team photographer Garret Ellwood walked by me near the end of the first half and said, "come wake me up when this game finally starts." It was literally that bad and we still had the entire second half to go.

I made a few images with decent action and a failed bicycle kick attempt but other than that it was a snoozer.

More images from the game here.

-JCE

Colorado sports photographers | CHSAA 5A baseball

2011-05-21T00:35:00.004-06:00

"Cherry Creek starting pitcher Griffin Jax works the third inning against Pine Creek during a CHSAA 5A State baseball playoff game at All-City Field in Denver, Friday, May 20, 2011. Jax finished with five strikeouts en route to the 10-4 victory."
"Pine Creek left-fielder Christian Hinson comes up short on a double off the bat of Cherry Creek's Grant McCabe allowing a run to score in the top of the third inning of a CHSAA 5A State baseball playoff game at All-City Field in Denver, Friday, May 20, 2011. Cherry Creek defeated Pine Creek 10-4."

"Pine Creek relief pitcher Josh Prater is framed by Cherry Creek on deck batter Ian Wilson (4) while delivering a pitch during the seventh inning of a CHSAA 5A State baseball playoff game at All-City Field in Denver, Friday, May 20, 2011. Cherry Creek defeated Pine Creek 10-4."

I walked into All-City Field around 3:30 for what was supposed to be a 4 p.m. start between Pine Creek and Cherry Creek but to my surprise the 2 p.m. game hadn't even started yet. I panicked for a brief moment, thinking I was at the wrong field, before seeing Pine Creek sitting in the stands...waiting.

The delayed start turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I was treated to some of the best late afternoon light that you're ever going to get. Good light and decent action and you'll rarely hear me complain.

The near 9:15 finish had me scrambling to make a 9:30 deadline but I made it with two minutes to spare.

-JCE

Colorado sports photographers | CHSAA 4A quarterfinals

2011-05-18T03:08:00.007-06:00

"Green Mountain's Hannah Miles (3) celebrates her game tying goal with two seconds remaining in regulation with Lindsay Forrest (9) and Katie Marcheso (13) as Air Academy's Saras Schweiss (3) argues to the referee during a quarterfinal matchup at Lakewood Memorial Field in Lakewood, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. After two golden goal overtime periods the score remained tied but Green Mountain advanced on penalty kicks."
"Air Academy's Whitney Morin (2) gets roughed up on a slide tackle by Green Mountain's Claire Miles during a quarterfinal matchup at Lakewood Memorial Field in Lakewood, Tuesday, May 17, 2011."
"Green Mountain's Katie Marcheso (13) celebrates after scoring during penalty kicks against Air Academy during a quarterfinal matchup at Lakewood Memorial Field in Lakewood, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Green Mountain later went on to advance in the 6th round of penalty kicks."
"Cheyenne Mountain goalkeeper Sarah Schneider makes a save on Wheat Ridge's Annie Kunz (8) during the second half of a quarterfinal matchup at Lakewood Memorial Field in Lakewood, Tuesday, May 17, 2011."
"Wheat Ridge goalkeeper Hannah Van Wetter makes a fingertip save over the bar against Cheyenne Mountain during double overtime of a quarterfinal matchup at Lakewood Memorial Field in Lakewood, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Wheat Ridge advanced to the semi-finals on penalty kicks."

"Wheat Ridge sophomore Elise Boisenard races back towards her her teammates as she celebrates her game winning penalty kick towards the crowd following double overtime against Cheyenne Mountain during a quarterfinal matchup at Lakewood Memorial Field in Lakewood, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Wheat Ridge advances to the semi-finals."

Simply put, it was a rough day for the Colorado Springs crowd.

Not one, but both girls soccer teams in the 4A quarterfinals lost Tuesday night. Both gave up game tying goals with under 6 minutes to play in regulation and after playing double overtime, both teams also lost on penalty kicks. Working for my former stomping grounds, I saw it all.

Could it get any worse?

Air Academy even gave up the game-tying goal with two, yes :02, seconds remaining in regulation.

Hoping for the best, I had a wide angle on a second camera body ready to race out onto the field to capture the jubilation. Preparing for the worst, sitting on the opposite end of the Cadets' goal, I had my 400 with 1.4 extender locked in on the action. Naturally what can go wrong, will go wrong and for Air Academy it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

The first picture above says it all.

Things weren't much better for Cheyenne Mountain. Naturally they held a 2-1 lead at halftime and I raced to McDonalds down the street to get wireless and transmit both goals/jubilation. So much for those pictures getting used...

-JCE

Colorado editorial photographers

Denver sports photographers | MLL National v Outlaws

2011-05-15T16:26:00.004-06:00

"Brian Christopher #12 of Hamilton Nationals winds up for a shot as Casey Cittadino #5 and Steve Holmes #8 of Denver Outlaws defend in the second quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on May 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Outlaws defeated the Hamilton Nationals 18-10."
"Jesse Schwartzman #19 of Denver Outlaws makes a save against the Hamilton Nationals during the third quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on May 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Outlaws defeated the Hamilton Nationals 18-10."
"Brian Langtry #6 of Denver Outlaws looks to make a pass while spilling on the wet turf after blowing by Kyle Rubisch #8 of Hamilton Nationals during the dirst quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on May 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Peet Poillon #57 of Denver Outlaws shoots and scores as Steven Waldeck #16 of Hamilton Nationals is unable to defend the shot during the third quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on May 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Outlaws defeated the Hamilton Nationals 18-10. "
"Geoff Snider #4 of Hamilton Nationals wins the face off against Will Dalton #31 of Denver Outlaws during the fourth quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on May 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Outlaws defeated the Hamilton Nationals 18-10."

Battling the elements is just something that I occasionally have to deal with but the added benefit of making images that highlight the weather always makes it worth it.

Saturday night I braved the cold and constant rain for the Denver Outlaws season opener against the Hamilton Nationals at Invesco. A big thanks has to go out to Nike Golf and Think Tank Photo for keeping me and my gear dry.

Lacrosse is ever growing here in Denver and its making a name for itself among the East coast brethren. As I type this post I'm watching my alma mater, DU, take on Villanova in the first ever NCAA tournament game west of the Mississippi. For that very reason I don't shoot much lacrosse so it was a good change of pace.

The obnoxious overabundance of orange and blue led me to convert these images to black and white but you can take a peek at the whole take in color over on Getty's website.

-JCE
Denver sports photographer

Colorado editorial photographers | American Spirit Magazine

2011-04-29T18:10:00.004-06:00

"Jill Haffley in the halls of Coronado High School in Colorado Springs, Monday, March 14, 2011. Haffley, who has been at Coronado for the past 13 years, has created a relaxed environment in her classroom. She has set-up a hands on project for her U.S. History class to interview World War II veterans. 'The best way to learn history is to ‘do’ history,' she says. 'They’ll learn more from those veterans than they will from me—or even from a textbook.

You have to go beyond the textbook.' "

Sometimes it's important to not over think a portrait. One of my favorite pieces of advice that I received was from one of my mentors, Mark Reis. "Sometimes photographers try to be too clever, know when not to do that," he said.

With that in mind, I ventured up to Colorado Springs last month to photograph Jill for American Spirit Magazine.

My time with Jill was limited because of her class schedule so my goal was to get two unique looks in close proximity to her classroom. Travis was in town for the day because his flight got cancelled so he tagged along to help scout and schlep gear. We arrived in enough time to walk around the school and ended up deciding to shoot in her classroom and the hallway just outside her door. If we had enough time there was another location down a floor and around the corner.

After getting a few minutes to chat with Jill about her classes and love for Penn State we managed to shoot the classroom, hallway and third location in just about 20 minutes.

Here is how the client used the above image in the magazine.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | NBA Playoffs Thunder v Nuggets

2011-04-26T18:42:00.004-06:00

"Ty Lawson #3 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 25, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Lawson lead the Nuggets with 27 points in their 104-101 victory to avoid the sweep and head back to Oklahoma down 3-1 in the series."

"Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder goes up for a layup as Nene #31 of the Denver Nuggets contests the shot in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 25, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Westbrook contributed 30 points in the loss."

"Kevin Durant #35 of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores as Nene #31 of the Denver Nuggets is called for a blocking foul in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 25, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Durant led all scorers with 31 points in the loss and head back home to Oklahoma with a 3-1 series lead."

"Nene #31 of the Denver Nuggets falls over the back and fouls Nick Collison #4 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 25, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"J.R. Smith #5 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates a three point basket as head coach George Karl walks onto the court for a timeout against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 25, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Smith added 15 points in the 104-101 victory."

It's amazing what a difference a day makes.

Saturday I couldn't make a picture to save my life. Monday the photo gods were on my side.

By halftime I transmitted nine pictures that I was pleased with including the two images from my glass remote above. Having things go well in the first half essentially took all the pressure off and after that pictures just seemed to fall into my lap.

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

I got to the arena shortly after 4:30pm for an 8:30pm tip off to make a few small adjustments to my remote, get the strobes turned on, eat and relax.

The atmosphere in the building all night was electric. The Nuggets kept knocking down three pointers and with each one the crowd went crazy. For the first time since the first quarter of game one, the Nuggets finally caught their stride.

I'd say that it would be extremely tough to come back and win the series or even the next game but crazier things have happened in life. As my dad has always said, "If you don't come to play, you'll get ya lunch brought to ya."

More images from the game HERE.

-JCE

Denver Sports Photographers

Denver sports photographers | NBA Playoffs Thunder v Nuggets

2011-04-25T00:47:00.006-06:00

"Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores on Ty Lawson #3 and Kenyon Martin #4 of the Denver Nuggets in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Westbrook contributed 23 points in the Thunder's 97-94 victory to take a 3-0 series lead into game four."
"Nene #31 of the Denver Nuggets scores against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Nene led the Nuggets in scoring with 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting."
"(Left) Ty Lawson #3 of the Denver Nuggets goes up for a shot against Serge Ibaka #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Right) Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder is fouled by Arron Afflalo #6 of the Denver Nuggets."
"Frustrated head coach George Karl of the Denver Nuggets paces the sidelines against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Kenyon Martin #4 of the Denver Nuggets sits frustrated on the sidelines during a 97-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Pepsi Center on April 23, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Martin led the team with five turnovers in the 97-94 loss to the Thunder and are down 3-0 in the seven game series."

It was just one of those kind of nights, for both myself and the Nuggets. The home town team struggled, again, offensively and I just couldn't get anything to go my way.

Whether it was the refs/players blocking my view, popping the circuit breaker on one of the strobe packs or missing a good moment here or there, I had my fair share of frustrations shooting game three of the Thunder v Nuggets series Saturday night. I heard about it from all the other shooters at the bar after the game too. I hold myself to high expectations so having a rough game definitely got to me a little bit and they were having some good-natured fun with it.

One of the main personal challenges that I had was trying to get back into the sync of shooting on strobes again. When you're shooting "on the lights" you have to wait for the power packs to recycle so you can only shoot one frame every four seconds or so. You have to really concentrate and pick your moments. I've shot on lights plenty of times and it's been a while but like anything else, it was like riding a bike and by the middle of the first quarter I felt comfortable again.

I had arrived at the arena shortly after 10am to get remotes and clamps installed for myself and Doug who I was shooting the game with. I'm glad I was there so early because I got the opportunity to put a remote behind the glass, again, something that I hadn't done in a few years. It ended up working out ok but one of the circuit breakers that I somehow blew was the key light for the remote. It worked fine for the first half but after the circuit tripped things were pretty dark.

I chalk it all up to a learning experience. I'll make a few adjustments for Monday's game and hopefully things work out a little better...including the Nuggets shooting.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | USASA Nationals

2011-04-23T02:47:00.003-06:00

Earlier this month I was up at Copper Mountain shooting the United States of America Snowboard Association Nationals. For eight days I was stationed on the lower half of the boardercross/skiercross course mostly shooting stock action of each of the competitors for Vast Action.

In an effort to shoot practically every single participant I was somewhat limited with where I could go and how I could shoot. It wasn't hard to complete the assignment but it definitely was a struggle at times to wrangle in my creativity and shoot with the client in mind.

Having seen similar events at the X Games I anticipated much more rubbin' and racin' than I actually saw. Most of the competitors were fairly spread out by the time that they got to my end of the course but I still saw my fair share of epic crashes. Some had to be carted off by ski patrol and to my surprise several got back up and finished the race.

The snowboard/ski season is winding down around these parts and that's just fine with me. I'm anxious to get my tennis and golf games back in form.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships

2011-04-09T21:27:00.005-06:00

"Denver's Jorie Hall twists in the middle of her vault that scored a 9.650 during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Denver Regional at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, April 2, 2011."
"Denver's Brianna Springer preforms a leap during her floor exercise routine that scored a 9.850 during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Denver Regional at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, April 2, 2011. Springer scored a 39.250 in the all-around and qualified for the NCAA National Championships."
"Denver's Kaitlin Moorhead looks skyward during her floor exercise routine that scored a 9.850 at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Denver Regional at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, April 2, 2011."
"Denver's Annamari Maaranen looks for the bar on a release during her uneven bars routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Denver Regional at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, April 2, 2011."
"Denver's Amanda Johanson (from left), Louise Mercer and Taylor Sanford explode with emotion for teammate Jorie Hall (not pictured) on the balance beam during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Denver Regional at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, April 2, 2011. Hall scored a 9.900 tying her for first place in the event which qualified her for the NCAA National Championships."

"Denver's Brianna Springer dismounts the balance beam on her way to scoring a 9.775 during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Denver Regional at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, April 2, 2011. Springer scored a 39.250 in the all-around and qualified for the NCAA National Championships."

One of the best parts about photographing anything at DU is the relationship that I have with their staff and the access that they give me. I worked with them for four years while I was in school there. However, since this was a NCAA sanctioned event things were much different.

Photographers were limited to only three spots on the arena floor that allowed for mostly mediocre photos. The last time I shot a meet in Magness Arena I had free reign and could take advantage of some amazing dark, clean backgrounds and unique shooting angles. This time I had to concentrate on making the best with what I had and let my remotes produce some creativity for me.

I arrived at 2:30pm for the 6pm meet to get remotes in place before the competitors took the floor. I had originally only planned to do one but when I saw the restricted shooting locations I decided to put a second one up. Gino Siller came along to learn a little bit about my setup and do a little shooting of his own. He was a big help to myself and another photographer in getting the cameras focused properly.

Despite the restrictions I was able to come away with a few images that I'm pleased with.

-JCE

Denver sports photographer

Denver sports photographers | NCAA March Madness

2011-03-23T01:15:00.004-06:00

"Demonte Harper #22 of the Morehead State Eagles shoots the game winning three point shot with 5.5 seconds left on the clock against the Louisville Cardinals during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Morehead State Eagles defeated the Louisville Cardinals by a score of 62-61."
"Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals handles the ball against Ty Proffitt #13 of the Morehead State Eagles and Lamont Austin #10 during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Terrance Hill #11 of the Morehead State Eagles goes to the hoop against Mike Marra #33 of the Louisville Cardinals during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Terrence Jennings #23 of the Louisville Cardinals dunks the ball late in the against the Morehead State Eagles during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Mike Marra #33 of the Louisville Cardinals fights for control of the ball against Lamont Austin #10 and Sam Goodman #34 of the Morehead State Eagles during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Terrance Hill #11 of the Morehead State Eagles reacts after hitting a three pointer in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Lance Goulbourne #5 of the Vanderbilt Commodores drives the ball against Justin Harper #32 of the Richmond Spiders during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Darrius Garrett #1 of the Richmond Spiders reacts after a play against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Kevin Anderson #14 of the Richmond Spiders scores a basket late in the second half against Festus Ezeli #3 of the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Marquise Carter #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs fights for the ball against Paris Horne #23 of the St. John's Red Storm during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Mike Hart #30 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs blocks the shot of Malik Boothe #3 of the St. John's Red Storm during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Jamar Diggs #5 of the Wofford Terriers defends against Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"(Left) Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars and Brad Loesing #35 of the Wofford Terriers react after a collision during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Right) Noah Hartsock #34 of the Brigham Young Cougars goes to the hoops against Noah Dahlman #42 of the Wofford Terriers."
"Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles dunks the ball against Justin Harper #32 and Darien Brothers #3 of the Richmond Spiders during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"(Left) Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles goes up to contest the shot of Cedrick Lindsay #2 of the Richmond Spiders during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Right) Sam Goodman #34 of the Morehead State Eagles reacts after a play."
"Kelly Olynyk #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs blocks the shot of Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Robert Sacre #00 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball over Kyle Collinsworth #31 of the Brigham Young Cougars during the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars celebrates after a play against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars runs off of the court after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

Who doesn't love March madness?

In the two days of the second/third rounds last week at the Pepsi Center I shot six games and captured more than 6,500 images between 4-5 cameras. Thank god Getty sent in an editor.

Even though it was just the early rounds of the tournament, the schedule meant that it was one of the biggest and more pressure packed events that I've ever photographed. Out of the more than 24 photographers/editors that Getty used used to cover the opening rounds at eight different sites, I was only one of four freelancers on the list. There was no questioning that I had to produce.

Thankfully I had both a team and technology on my side. I shot alongside Denver Getty staffer Doug Pensinger and editor Michael Heiman flew in from New York to round out our team. To speed up the workflow, on Wednesday Doug and myself ran more than 700 feet of Cat 5 Ethernet cable from each of our shooting positions on the floor back to the media workroom. This allowed us to use adapters on our Canon 1D Mark IV camera bodies that sent pictures in real time back to Michael's computers in the workroom.

Essentially an image could be captured, edited, captioned, toned and uploaded to the clients around the world in under a minute. Such was probably the case with the game winning shot by Morehead State over Louisville (first image above) as my image was the first on the wire and got some great play online by Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports, among others.

I also set up two remote cameras on the opposite end of my shooting position. One was under the press table on the side of the court, perpendicular with the basket and another was in the corner of the stands. Both cameras were triggered wirelessly using a trigger button that I fired from my seat. This often gave me two angles of the same play/moment in time as apparent in the third image from the bottom above. They also gave me a view of players faces because their backs were to me from where I was shooting.

Working an event this big was definitely a learning experience but, for the most part, went off without a hitch. In addition to Doug and Michael, I have to thank my buddy John Leyba from the Denver Post and Sports Illustrated's Robert Beck & Jeff Bottari for keeping the mood light and the never ending supply of candy flowing. Hopefully I'll get to experience the pressure and thrill again next year when the women's Final Four comes to Denver.

-JCE
Denver Sports Photographer

Denver sports photographers | DU Gymnastics

2011-03-15T03:08:00.003-06:00

"Denver seniors Taylor Sanford, center, and Annamari Maaranen, left, sing backstage with teammate Kaitlin Moorhead before being introduced prior to a dual meet against Arkansas in Hamilton Gymnasium at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, March 12, 2011. As a tradition, seniors dress up with props for the final home meet of their careers."

"Denver senior Amanda Johanson sings the National Anthem prior to her final home meet as a Pioneer in Hamilton Gymnasium at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, March 12, 2011."

"Denver senior Annamari Maaranen is congratulated by head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart after she scored a 9.850 on the uneven bars during a dual meet against Arkansas in Hamilton Gymnasium at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, March 12, 2011."

"Denver's Taylor Stanford (right) celebrates her exhibition uneven bar routine with fellow senior Kristina Coccia during a dual meet against Arkansas in Hamilton Gymnasium at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, March 12, 2011."

"Denver senior Kristina Coccia is framed by teammates during her balance beam routine against Arkansas in Hamilton Gymnasium at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Saturday, March 12, 2011."

Saturday night marked the beginning of the end for senior gymnasts Amanda, Annamari, Kristina and Taylor.

I photographed the group for the first time along with now retired gymnast turned team manager Dani Kirchoff as freshman back in 2007 on top of a parking structure with their new team. I photographed them again as sophomores. Since then we've spent many Sunday mornings at Whole Foods recapping the weekend over pizza and iced tea or via iChat at the wee hours of the morning from opposite sides of the country.

I really enjoy what I do but photographing friends means even more so I was really happy to get an assignment to shoot the final home meet of their careers.

Unlike Magness arena where I shot a DU meet back in January, Hamilton gymnasium is a challenge (read: nearly impossible) to shoot in because of the bad light, yellow seats and busy backgrounds. Thankfully DU already has plenty of action for the year and asked me to focus on more feature and team related images.

As a tribute to the seniors, my friends I wanted to share a few of my favorites of them from the meet. I really loved the first image in color but keeping everything in black & white made for a more cohesive set of images.

Congrats on four fantastic years girls and good luck at regionals!

-JCE

Denver editorial photographers | David Lucy

2011-03-08T14:09:00.003-07:00

"David Lucy, 74, takes a break between runs at Loveland Ski Area where he still skis on a regular basis in Georgetown, Colo., Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010. Lucy, a University of Denver graduate, was the first African-American competitive skier in the country."

After some small talk near the top of the lift David turned to me and asked, "where are we headed?" I pointed off in the general direction of the next lift and the next thing I knew he was gone. If I'm still skiing like David when I'm 74 I think I'll consider my life a success.

Myself and super-assistant Nathan Armes found a few nice locations within 100 yards of each other and David gave us plenty of time to make a few images. Transporting and using lighting gear on the mountain can be a challenge so having two locations close to each other was a huge help.

David reminded me a lot of my dad and tons of great, similar stories that made this project a lot of fun. When I drove up to his immaculate home in Erie to shoot a pair of his old skis and awards his wife questioned whether we were going to do any photos or just chat all afternoon. I was able to get what I needed for my client, University of Denver Magazine, and then we continued talking, mostly about his early '70s cherry red Ferrari that was in the garage.

I work hard to connect with people on assignment and talking about cars, skiing and life with David really did the trick.

-JCE

Denver editorial photographers | Dana Cain

2011-03-06T00:15:00.003-07:00

"Dana Cain is surrounded by just some of the sizable pop-culture art collection at her home in Littleton, Monday, Oct. 11, 2010. Cain, who graduated from the University of Denver in 1981, is the founder of the Denver Modernism Show and has hosted more than 150 events in the Denver area since 1983."

Sometimes you walk into a location and wonder how you're going to make a picture with plain white walls as far as the eyes can see. This was clearly not one of those cases.

I photographed Dana back in October for University of Denver Magazine and the story finally ran in the latest issue that came out this week.

There was a lot to work with at her home, almost too much. It took me a few minutes to take in her massive collection of pop-culture art and in a sense it was difficult to determine what would be a great backdrop while not overpowering Dana. After all, the story was about her and her achievements, not the art. I knew that I wanted to work her green AstroTurf carpet in there somehow because really, how often do you come across that?

As a fellow creative, Dana was a pleasure to chat and work with. We actually spent so much time talking during the end of the shoot that she nearly forgot about an appointment that evening.

Dana even loved a few of the images so much that they will be making an appearance on her website soon.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Ruby Hill for DU

2011-02-04T01:30:00.004-07:00

"DU junior economics student Tommy Joyce jumps onto a box at Ruby Hill Park in Denver, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010."

Last year the University of Denver hired me to produce a few action images for their homepage of students jumping and jibbing at the Ruby Hill terrain park. The urban park that is built and open for a few months during the winter for skiers and snowboarders is located just a few miles from the campus which makes it a great place to learn a new trick between your classes.

The final image just went live on the site recently so I've had to wait to share the images with you until now. In addition to what they chose to use on the site (seen above) you can see a few of my favorite outtakes here, here and here.

The original web design had the transparent information box on the right and a completely different photo shape but I made sure to give them plenty of options so despite the new, better looking design we didn't have to re-shoot the assignment. Clients love that!

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Peter Forsberg

2011-01-22T22:40:00.002-07:00

"Peter Forsberg takes a shot on goal during a practice session with the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on January 22, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The 37 year-old Swedish star center who is mulling a comback ran drills with forward Ryan O'Reilly for approximately 45 minutes."

He's back.

Well...almost, sort of, we hope.

My alarm went off at 6:05 this morning and despite every intention to hit the snooze button a few times, I got out of bed and headed to Pepsi Center in search of Peter the great. I'm pretty sure I set a record for arrival time for a photographer and if I never break that record, that's fine by me.

After getting my gear and computer set up I waddled out to the tunnel above the Avs' bench to wait on Peter. He was a little surprised to see three photographers (the Post, AP and myself) as he made his way to the ice shortly before 8am.

The whole practice session was pretty lackluster. What I thought was going to be a complete pre-game skate with the team turned out to be just a 45-minute session with forward Ryan O'Reilly and an assistant coach.

I made a few pictures, transmitted and then went up to the catwalk with Avalanche team photographer Michael Martin to get the run down on the strobes. Getty now owns a set in the building so I wanted to be prepared for my next assignment there.

I hope it all works out for Peter. He seemed in great spirits during the press conference and I'm sure the Avs would love to have him on board if he can get in shape. Only time will tell.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | DU Gymnastics

2011-01-09T15:56:00.005-07:00

"Denver's Amanda Johanson is introduced to the crowd before a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011."

"Denver's Melodie Pulgarin Linero launches off of the vault and scores a 9.60 during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011."

"Denver's Amanda Johanson celebrates her 9.675 bars routine with teammate Kristina Coccia during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011."
"Denver's Louise Mercer performs a gienger release on the uneven bars during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Mercer scored a 9.850 to finish tied for second on the event and in third in the all-around."
"Denver's Louise Mercer celebrates her 9.850 performance on the uneven bars during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Mercer finished tied for second place on uneven bars with BYU's Natalie Eyre."
"Denver's Melodie Pulgarin Linero spots her landing on the balance beam during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Pulgarin Linero scored a 9.725 on the event."
"Denver's Louise Mercer, left, collects her thoughts as she receives some last minute instructions from teammate Amanda Johanson before competing on balance beam during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Mercer scored a 9.525 on the event."

"Denver's Taylor Stanford, left, and Jaleesa Wilson during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011."

"Denver's Brianna Springer shows her flexibility on the floor exercise during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Springer scored a 9.725 on floor to help her finish in fourth place in the all-around."

"Denver's Amanda Johanson tries to spot her landing on the floor exercise during a quad meet against Georgia, Air Force and Brigham Young at Magness Arena on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011. Johanson scored a 9.50 on the event."

As someone whose personal style is driven by strong graphical elements, gymnastics is easily one of my favorite sports to shoot.

A little creativity and a lot of preparation went into yesterday's meet and I think that it paid off pretty well.

Gymnastics is one of those sports where you can often find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and thus, without a picture.

Knowing the routines is half the battle so taking something that I learned from friend and amazing sports photographer Dave Black, I went the day before the meet to watch the girls practice and chart their routines. I pretty much knew exactly where the girls were going to be and what skills they were performing so I was able to map out the ideal place to sit to make the best pictures.

Is it a lot of extra work? Sure, but it makes a world of difference when you only have seconds to make a picture.

I also took advantage of the opportunity to set a remote camera in the rafters above the uneven bars. This also cost me some time since I had to arrive nearly three hours before the meet to get it set up.

Shooting with a camera in my hands and subsequently firing the remote camera at the same time helped me create two completely different pictures of the same moment of time like the pictures of Louise Mercer above. I do remotes all the time at sports like basketball, hockey and soccer but since DU holds their meets in a different smaller gym this was the first time I was able to do one high and above the competitors.

Although I struggled making some amazing feature pictures (new year's resolution) I still think I came away with a solid variety of images. DU next competes in Magness Arena during regionals in April so I have some time to clean up my mistakes and improve upon my ideas, images for that meet.

-JCE

Colorado wedding photographers

Denver wedding photographers | 2010 Pictures of the Year

2011-01-07T00:08:00.003-07:00

The thing that I love the most about photographing weddings is finding the unique, subtile moments that not only highlight my visual style but also the bride and groom.

2010 brought a myriad of fantastic environments from which to work. I experienced everything from rain in the mountains to gorgeous daytime light at a fine art center to the classiest, classic downtown hotels.

More than anything else, I love the opportunity to create amazing friendships through pictures. There is no better feeling than when I run into a former couple and they say, "remember when ____?" I get to spend the entire day with people on one of the most important days of their lives and making once in a lifetime moments tangible, through pictures, is enough proof for me that I have the greatest job on earth.

Cheers to a 2011 that hopefully include grooms with mohawks, endless color, brides who dance before 10am, bow-ties, breathtaking mountain light, and grand exits on a boat with my flippy-floppies.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Pictures of the Year

2011-01-04T23:55:00.005-07:00

2010 was a big year for me. I didn't have any internships to fall back on and finished oh so close to a staff job with The Denver Post but as my first full year devoted entirely to freelancing, I loved every minute of it.

While other editorial and wedding work kept me busy, this past year was dominated by sports. I covered everything from eight year olds to the professionals in just about every major sport you can think of and I endured the entire spectrum of weather doing so. Sometimes I was challenged to bring back the picture by one of my clients and others it was a personal challenge, just shooting for myself.

I made both significant personal and professional strides during the course of the last 365 days. I was published in Sports Illustrated for the first time, I secured a contract with one of the top sports photo agencies in the world but more importantly than anything, I strengthened my relationships with several local photographers, much better and wiser than I, who taught me so much.

It's amazing what can happen when you buy a round of beers and then just listen. Trust me, you'll learn a lot.

Going through my images from this past year also pointed out a weakness: feature photos. While I feel I had a great year capturing peak action, I need to point my lens away from the field of play more often and search out small, intimate moments that tell the story of the game in a way that most of the audience isn't privy too.

I think I've found my New Year's resolution.

I plan on keeping it.

My favorite wedding photos from 2010 are up next so stay tuned.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Chargers vs Broncos

2011-01-03T02:39:00.004-07:00

"Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the San Diego Chargers leads teammates center Scott Mruczkowski #63 and quarterback Billy Volek #7 out of the tunnel before a game against the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."

"Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the San Diego Chargers warms up before a game against the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado."
"Safety Eric Weddle #32 of the San Diego Chargers makes an interception on a pass intended for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd #84 of the Denver Broncos as they battle in the air with safety Steve Gregory #28 during the first quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 33-28."
"Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the San Diego Chargers throws a pass against the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 33-28."
"Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd #84 of the Denver Broncos scores a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers during the first quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 33-28."
"Wide receiver Malcom Floyd #80 of the San Diego Chargers makes a one-handed 41-yard reception for a first down against cornerback Perrish Cox #32 of the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 33-28."
"Running back Ryan Mathews #24 of the San Diego Chargers is brought down by cornerback Andre' Goodman #21 of the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 33-28."

"Wide receiver Kelley Washington #87 of the San Diego Chargers is tackled after a reception by cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson #22 of the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on January 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Denver Broncos 33-28."

That's all folks. After a combined 21 high school and NFL games, football in Colorado is officially over for me until August.

Although I wish I had the opportunity to shoot the playoffs, I really can't complain.

Pro Bowl bound quarterback Philip Rivers came to town so I wanted to focus on him and make a variety of images. Since neither team was in playoff contention I took a few risks. Some of them payed off, some didn't.

I went up to the fifth level of the stadium like last week but this time I chose to shoot the backlit side of the field. Invesco has some great light in the winter and creates a few nice pockets of light to work with. It worked out when Rivers launched a pass in the first quarter in a spot where only the top half of his body and the ball were illuminated by the sunlight, leaving the turf to fall to nearly black.

The second half was relatively lackluster until the Broncos scored two late touchdowns and recovered an onside kick with under a minute to play. Tebow heaved back-to-back 60-yard hail mary attempts but both fell short.

I guess we'll have to wait for him to become a hero next year.

-JCE

Denver sports photographers | Texans vs Broncos

2010-12-28T01:49:00.003-07:00

"Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos prays in the end zone prior to taking on the Houston Texans at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado."
"A Denver Broncos cheerleader performs on the sidelines during a game against the Houston Texans at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado."

"Corner back Jason Allen #30 of the Houston Texans intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd #84 of the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado."

"The Denver Broncos offense lines up for the snap against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos defeated the Houston Texans 24-23."
"Tight end Owen Daniels #81 of the Houston Texans gets up-ended by cornerback Andre' Goodman #21 of the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos defeated the Houston Texans 24-23."
"Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney #10 of the Denver Broncos makes a one-handed catch against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos defeated the Houston Texans 24-23."

"Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos escapes a diving effort by defensive tackle Earl Mitchell #92 of the Houston Texans on his way to scoring the game-winning touchdown from eight yards out during the fourth quarter at INVESCO Field at Mile High on December 26, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos defeated the Houston Texans 24-23."

Two words: Tim Tebow

If you weren't a Tebow fan before, it's hard to complain about him now that he led the struggling Broncos to a fourth quarter, 14-point comeback Sunday afternoon. Oh, and did I mention that he scored the winning touchdown himself?

Now I will admit that I've been skeptical of him from the get go. He's an unconventional quarterback but besides that he's a football player. He found a way to get it done Sunday and for that we have to tip our hat to him.

Since both teams were out of the playoff race I decided to go upstairs to the third level of the stadium and shoot the first quarter from a different perspective. The light was nice and it was a great change of scenery. Honestly it was a cool experience because I had never been up in the stands at the new INVESCO Field. I've been to 11 Broncos games in my lifetime, all at the new stadium and never once have I been there as a fan. Weird, right? I'd love to watch a game one day but it's hard to beat being on the field, shooting.

Back down on the field I made a few frames that I was happy with including the flying Texan above and the subsequent image in the sequence. It was a pretty boring game photo wise until the final minutes when Tebow ran right at me for the game-winner so you're not going to hear me complain.

Check out my other photos from the game.

-JCE

Denver editorial photographers | Health Care

2010-12-24T13:40:00.004-07:00

"Phyllis Resnick, principal economist for the University of Denver's Center for Colorado's Economic Future, stands outside of The Children's Hospital in Aurora, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010."

Creating art for generalized stories can be tough at times but I know that editors come to me because I can solve that puzzle. Such was the case back in October when University of Denver Magazine asked me to photograph Phyllis for an article in the winter issue of the magazine.

The editors knew that they wanted an environmental portrait of Phyllis in a medical setting but the rest was up to me. I spent a few hours scouting a couple of other hospitals but with the help of PR rep Melissa Vizcarra at TCH, I found what I was looking for. Being a hospital for kids, there were tons and tons of great locations with amazing color, lines and texture. The only problem was that the story was too general to use much of it.

Instead, I used two outdoor locations that gave me the opportunity to shoot a few different options in just over 15 minutes. It was a cold, damp evening so I didn't want to keep Phyllis outside long. I did the safe shot first and then moved about 50 yards to use the entire hospital as a backdrop. I wanted Phyllis to really stand out so I used an extremely shallow depth of field to create the nice blurred background or bokeh as it's known among photo geeks.

Alas, the magazine ran something else for the story that you can read here.

-JCE

Denver editorial photographers

Denver editorial photographers | Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T02:59:00.003-07:00

"A total lunar eclipse is seen as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth during the Winter Solstice in Aurora, Colo., Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. It is the first lunar eclipse that has coincided with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, since 1638 and will not happen again on the same day until 2094."

Pretty cool stuff.

-JCE

Denver editorial photographers | Dafna Michaelson

2010-12-20T22:25:00.009-07:00

"University of Denver alum Dafna Michaelson, MBA '01, shares a laugh while enjoying a hot cup of coffee at SAME Cafe in Denver, Monday, Oct. 4, 2010. Michaelson traveled to all 50 states in 52 weeks meeting with people making change in their community including SAME Cafe founders Libby and Brad Birky. The unconventional restaurant allows customers to donate whatever they can afford or volunteer in the restaurant for their meal. SAME is just one of three similar restaurants in Denver, which is more than any other city in the country."

I sure hope Dafna is a member of a frequent flyer program because if so, she's akin to competing for elite status with Ryan Bingham, George Clooney's character in "Up in the Air."

I'd love to travel to all 50 states in my lifetime (I'm at 21 so far) but all 50 in one year would be one hell of a trip. Then again, I bet that if you ask her she'll tell you she has something even crazier planned.

The coffee drinking, tweeting, constantly on the go mother that I met is always in search of doing more, helping folks and putting a smile on peoples' places. As a photographer, she made my job really easy. It's hard to go wrong with a smile like that and bright red lipstick. She has a great sense of humor as evident in this other photo that I liked.

As a DU alum, the University of Denver Magazine picked up on all her outstanding, ongoing achievements and decided to do a feature on her. Here is how they ran the opening spread, with a different portrait in the magazine.

I'm going to leave the rest of the words to the word people so go read Greg Glasgow's article.

-JCE