Graduating with a Moment of Clarity...

Last Friday was Wylie's graduation. I can't remember the last time I didn't cover a Wylie graduation. And it was as I was driving over to the ceremony that I realized every one of the kids graduating that night were bore AFTER I had graduated from high school, talk about a moment to make you feel old. Oh well, not much you can do about that, life goes on and I am enjoying life a lot more than the day I graduated high school and wasn't sure what the hell I was going to do after that.

So, back to the Wylie graduation ceremony. In my 12+ years at the newspaper, I'm not sure exactly how many of these I've shot but I'm guessing at least 10. It makes it nice because I know how things work and where to go, etc. It's good, both when I'm in a hurry and when I have time to cover the whole thing. If I'm in a hurry to shoot another assignment I can get my shots and get out quick. If I'm staying for the whole event, I just end up with more photos and am able to do a slideshow. The other nice thing about it, is Wylie has such a ridiculously high participation rate in extra curricular activities, it seems like many of the kids are ones I've already shot before over the last few years so I recognize a lot of them, that makes things a little easier too there at the end.

A Whole Lotta Pomp and Circumstance...

Shooting Wylie's graduation has become a yearly ritual for me. I'm not sure how many consecutive years I've shot it, but it's got to be at least five. So, my challenge every year is to try to find something a little different than what I've shot in the past. This year I was running a little late, because of an earlier assignment. So, getting a lot of pre-ceremony photos didn't happen. So, my shot had to be from the commencement itself. I got a couple of decent shots, but figured I'd stick around for the end. Wylie is one of the few schools I've seen that still throw their caps into the air at the end of graduation. I actually shot that photo last year, but wasn't thrilled with it. I shot it up close with a wide angle lens and didn't like the look. So, this year I decided to get high and shoot with a longer lens hoping the compressed look would look better. I was a lot happier with this year's photo then last. My only complaint about it, is the graduates aren't real coordinated in throwing the caps into the air. Hopefully they'll do better next year.

Graduation...

I've said it many times before that my goal when shooting graduations is often to be gone before the start of the ceremony. In the past I've been able to do it because of other assignments needing to be shot. This year I didn't get so lucky, in fact, I had to stay for the ceremony to shoot a photo of one of the graduates for a Life story the following week. However, with my feeling of the best photos are always taken before the ceremony I still got there 45 minutes before the start of the program in order to get the preparation photos. Also, with the push to the web and need for more slideshows for the web this allowed me to get enough photos for a decent slideshow. Besides, I didn't have any other assignments that night and I can assure you I'd MUCH rather be out shooting pictures than sitting in the office!

I am kind of glad I had to stay for the kids walking across the stage. Since I had been there so long and I did have enough of a cushion on deadline I figured I'd stay until the end to get the shot of the graduates throwing their caps into the air. I know it's been overdone, however, it's not often shot here. Either because we've needed to get photos in early in the past or, like I said earlier I've just left early. Plus some of the other schools won't allow it for safety concerns (it kinda hurts to get hit in the head with the corner of one of those mortarboards! As I was leaving I began to feel really old when I realized that most of these kids were born the year I graduated from high school... so not cool.

State Track, Day 1

Last Friday was the first day of the state track meet. The first day of the meet is incredibly long, I start shooting at 8am and the last race is shot at 9:30pm. And that does even include putting together the slideshows, which is another couple of hours.

Austin in June isn't exactly the most inviting time to be spending 14 hours outside, but it's what must be done. Not only is it hotter than hell and humid, the press box at Mike Myers Stadium doesn't fit all the media covering the event, so of course the photographers gets stuck outside in the press tent. Of course, we get no air conditioning, heck there aren't even any fans. But, at least there is power.

The morning starts out with the 3,200m runs, after that the late morning and afternoon is all field events. It was nice because most of what I had to shoot was pretty spread out and I had time to concentrate on making good photos.

One thing that was different this year was graduation. Because all the regional meets were postponed for the swine flu scare, the state meet got pushed back three weeks. Which was also graduation weekend for many schools across the state. To make up for make of the kids who were missing their own graduations, the UIL made plans to hold a special graduation ceremony for all the athletes who were missing their commencement services back home. I actually wrote about a couple kids who had to decide whether to give their speeches of run at the state meet. They participated in the service along with a few Abilene High seniors. My favorite photo was of Abilene High's Jamar Sims and his bright yellow shows, which paired with his graduation gown made for the school colors of black and gold.

Getting done before it starts...

Well, it's graduation season again. And, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that every graduation ceremony is EXACTLY the same! The more I go to these things, the less I like that. Not that I've ever been a fan, but the more I watch, the more I notice I see nothing new. That's why graduations are one of the few event I make sure I show up to early. The Wylie High School graduation was the perfect example. The put the staging area in a different place this year and had all of the seniors lined up in two rows of chairs. So, basically I spent about 20 minutes looking for the shot above. I wanted something where everyone was doing something a little different, and I actually find the photo I was looking for. Then, as they were lined up in the parking lot to go into the coliseum for the ceremony I got another one I liked (because I'm a sucker for silhouettes). Then I spent 40 minutes watching the same exact graduation service I saw for the last 10 years, and making no new photos. Oh well, maybe next year.

The biggest decision of their lives...

Last Friday morning I got a call at 10:30 waking me up (working the night shift rocks). I had to shoot photos of a pair of kids at Clyde High School, about 15 miles from here. We were doing a story on the school's valedictorian, P.J. Martinez, and salutatorian, Emily Yates. Because of the swine flu overreaction the UIL, Texas' governing body over high school competition, postponed all athletic events for 2 weeks, which made all the regional track meets get pushed back, which also pushed the state track meet back three weeks. The problem with this is the state track meet was falling on the same weeks as many high schools' graduations, including Clyde's. And to make it even worse, the events that both these kids were qualified in were relays. So, whatever decision was made was going to effect three other students. Not a situation I'd want to be in (not that there was ever any question as to whether I'd be the val or sal of my school, it wasn't even close, but that's another post!).
I was really nervous while heading out there. Someone else had set up the assignment with the coach, and it wasn't the reporter. So I had no idea what I was going to shoot, or what they would have available. When I got there the coach was waiting for me. As we were walking in, I asked if they had their cap and gowns and track uniforms available, then held my breath hoping to hear they had something available more than what they wore to school. Luckily as we turned the corner into his office everything I asked for was spread out on the table. Ok, possible crisis #1 solved. My next question was "How much time do they have?" I actually laughed after asking it, these 2 kids had the best grades in the school, I doubt if they missed class they'd have much trouble. So, possible crisis #2 averted. Now, we just needed a place to shoot it. So, the coach says, "We can use my classroom." I figured it was going to be empty, but they were holding lunch detention in there, well, not for long it was kind of cool watching him tell everyone to leave so we could use the class.
I began setting up all my lights after we cleared some desks out of the way to shoot the photo. The kids showed up after changing into their track uniforms, and were suprised by how much went into taking a picture. One of them said "I thought you would just come in and take a quick photo and leave, this is pretty cool."Yates then mentioned the super team photos, and asked if I was the one who took those. After answering in the affirmative she said, "Those are such cool pictures." It was kind of nice to know that people look at them and also that someone appreciates the work put into them.
Sadly, the school wasn't able to reschedule its graduation, but both Yates and Martinez both decided they were going to run at state (both relays are going in as favorites to medal). The school is going to either video their speeches before they leave or put together a live video feed from Austin. I think they made the right decision, whether they spoke on tape or live they can't have their class staus taken away from them, they already earned it. But they can't go back an re-run their race or win a medal based on their qualifying times.