My favorite photo gear that isn't a camera...

Without a camera, I could not be a photographer, but without good shoes I wouldn't be a very good photojournalist.

The day before the wife and I went for a two week trek in Peru, I stopped by REI and bought a pair of waterproof boots. Little did I know that when I returned and started working at the Tribune I would come to love those boots.

The salesman suggested these particular boots based on personal experience, saying that they had done well on a trip to Hawaii. He said they held up well on the lava when other peoples' shoes were being shredded. Sold.

Why are they important for being a PJ?

They take away an excuse for not going to take a picture.

We have had a cold, wet winter, which is a story unto itself. The blue truck in the background is mine, and what you cant see is the 2-3" of water and slush under the snow. If I had only sneakers or loafers, I probably would not have ruined them to get photos of these folks playing in the snow.

Getting this photo involved walking at least 1/2 mile, part on icy road and part through the muddy roadside. If I had only normal shoes on, I may have snapped a photo out the window from the bridge back there.. but probably not because it would have been a crappy photo and I was sliding on the ice like everybody else... both hands on the wheel please.

One more... If other people have to work in it, we do too...

I love my cameras, and want newer, nicer, better and shinier ones.

But if even if I had the 1DmkIV that my piggy bank is reserved for, I would miss photos if I didn't have my boots.

Don J.

Slideshow - Tiger Baseball vs. Mabank

The slideshow capability on the Tribune's site is not working at the moment, so here is a selection of images from Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Mabank at Ben Gill Park.

I hope everyone gets to enjoy some Spring Break, then come back ready to play Red Oak next week.

Don J.

Sharks vs. Silverbacks

The Sharks had another dominating win on Saturday, but this one was a little bit odd. The visiting Arkansas Silverbacks only brought 15 players.

I'll give them their due credit... they played hard. After playing poorly the first quarter, they came back and held the Sharks scoreless for most of the middle of the game.

By the fourth quarter, they were obviously worn out, but still playing some tough football. That made it very unfortunate when their coach/owner/player called it quits with only four minutes left in the game. I heard several players on the team complaining loudly that they did not come all the way here to quit... Having a team quit during a game delegitimizes the whole league, so I hope they put a stop to that kind of behavior.

So it was an odd ending, but another win for the Sharks who remain unbeaten.

Don J.

A little more February football

Wrapping up February... another home win for the Terrell Sharks, and another fun Saturday afternoon.

Football in February?

In Terrell we now have a semi-pro football team called the Sharks.

I would bet that each and every player on the team has an interesting story about why they play.

Saturday was their first home game, and it was a 36-0 rout of the Dallas Spartans. That puts them at 2-0 on the season, with another home game next Saturday...

As sports photography goes, it was fun. Unfortunately there are hardly any clean backgrounds to be found, but still, the action and access were great.

Have a great weekend... more posting planned for March, but I said that about February too.

don j.