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Jim Low . . Web Slinger! (Priest River Photographer)

 

This afternoon I published a little teaser on my facebook page for today’s blog post, if you did not see it here it is for your viewing pleasure:

That is right, today’s blog post is about Jim Low, Web Slinger.

There is a story involved here and of course stories, to be rightly understood, require context.  If you want to properly interpret the following photos you have to read the story, otherwise you might come up with some very wrong ideas about Jim. . . . . .  trust me, that is not a good thing!

We saw in the first blog post, “The Many Faces of Jim“,  that Jim is a young man with exactly that, many faces, some might even say many different personalities.  We found out in the second blog post about Jim, “The Jim Low Band“, that he has a musical side.  Here is another peek at that side of Mr. Low, caught almost in the act of carving “The Jim Low Band” into the wall of an abandoned building:

He looks so innocent, but we know the truth!

Yet another personality of Jim is the one that I came to know him by.  I have spend the last few months photographing many of the North Idaho basketball games, including those of the Priest River Spartans.  While capturing a Priest River game there was one thing I could always count on, if Jim was there I would always see “The Jim Low Point”.  It just was not the same if Jim was not there to point his finger in my direction during a game, something kind of like this:

So what about this other personality of Jim?  What is this Web Slinger thing I began the post with?  You did not know it but Jim is also your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!  Oh but wait, before the proof of this claim I must continue the story.  Just as the Spider-Man you have grown to know and love has an alter ego, that of Peter Parker, so too Jim Low is the alter ego of Priest River’s own Spidey!  Here is an example of the fairly reserved, slightly dorky, Jim Low that we all know and love. Yes, I know he is not really reserved and slightly dorky, but work with me here, after all this is fiction!

Ahhh, now isn’t that cute!  You look at Jim here and you know that this guy could never be North Idaho’s famed crime fighter, he has cheeks that you just want to reach out and pinch, gently of course because you don’t want to hurt him!  Oh, but there is so much more to Jim!  Inside of this mild mannered high school student there is a stoic and brave superhero, courageously defending the poor and helpless and standing up for Truth, Justice and the American Way!  (Oh no, I think I just stole Superman’s line, oh well on with the photograph)

Pretty intimidating isn’t he?  Who would have known Jim was this cool!

You might have thought that the “Jim Low Point” was only for basketball games, but sure enough there is so much more to that index finger, it is actually the part of Jim’s body that is responsible for those famed Spidey senses!  You thought all those points were just a pose for his photo, but all along he was using it as a disguise to employ his super hero senses to find out if any one was in trouble and in need of help.  Wow, ingenious if you ask me, almost as brilliant as Clark Kent’s glasses!

Not only is Jim a fearless warrior, there is a softer side to this champion.  He has a warm and compassionate side too, one that reaches out to those in need.  Always willing to lend a hand to the helpless and downtrodden!

And now, the evidence that you have been waiting for.  The photographic proof that Jim Low is indeed “The Amazing Spider-Man”, here he is caught red . . . .  I mean web-handed!

Well folks, that is today’s story.  But that does not mean that there are not more photos to view.  Here are a couple more that I simply did not take the time to work into the story line:

The Jim Low Band (Priest River Photographer)

Here is the second installment of photos from my session with Jim. Did you know that Jim is a musician? No, he does not actually play little kid’s instruments like in the last blog post ! Here are a couple of photos with Jim’s prop of choice, his recording microphone.

Now,  how about a future album cover?

And of course we need a few promo shots of the band’s front man . . . .

That’s enough for tonight, tomorrow I will work on editing and publishing Jim’s favorite shots of the day for the grand finale!

The Many Faces of Jim (Priest River Photographer)

Today Jim and I set out to do some testing of some new lighting equipment that I had not yet tried in the field.  We set out to get our testing done quickly and then just have some fun playing around.  Well, we ended up with some really cool images that I can hardly wait to share, but for tonight I am going to share some of the goofy ones.   Here are the many faces of Jim, starting with his band!

Now with a little more psychedelic flair added to it.

Good thing Jim had plenty of friends to hang out with while he waits for the bus.

“Oh Jim”, calls out mom

“Yes mommy dearest”, replies  Jim

“Time to take out the garbage.”

“Now worries ma, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim and Jim already took care of it!”

This last one makes me think of the classic song, “Stop in the name of Jim”.

Phil and Britt’s Engagement #1

Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph the engagement photos for Phil and Britt, we had a perfect break in the weather and a very fun location to shoot.  They were so much fun to work with and I can hardly wait to photograph their special day in May!  Hope you enjoy this preview!

Senior Posters – Basketball

We are right in the middle of the High School basketball season, but before you know it “Senior Night”, the night of the last regular season home game will be upon us.  For senior night one of the traditions of many schools is that the seniors will create and display a senior poster for people to view at that last game.   I thought it might be fun to come up with a few of my own.  I randomly picked a few seniors, here is what I came up with.

This first one features Priest River Senior Guard Jaden Barrett.

For this one I could not find a vector graphic that even closely resembled the Spartan mascot of Priest River so I decided I needed to spend the time to make my own replica of the one that is displayed in the PRLHS gym.

Next is Sandpoint Senior Wing Cole Fuhrman

No, I did not create that bulldog graphic, I bit the bullet and forked out the money to buy one with an unlimited reproduction license.

Lastly check out the poster of Sandpoint Senior Guard Erik Nikssarian . . . .
Eric, the Basketball Roster spells your name Erik but on facebook you have it Eric, I concluded that you probably spelled your own name right when you created your facebook account, but if I I concluded wrong let me know and I will fix it!

When I took this shot I remember seeing this lane open up and Eric bursting through it, I used an effect to try to give him the same sense of motion that I saw through the lens of my camera.  Whether or not I was successful, you be the judge.

The Beach In Black and White (Sandpoint Photographer)

Over the Christmas and New Years break break my family and I have been near the coast in Northern California visiting family.  On the last day of our visit we had a bright ad sunny day to go and visit the beach together.   Of course I brought my camera!   After a short time at the beach I decided to give myself an assignment, that assignment was to use the harsh direct sun light to create some dramatic lighting for some black and white photos.  Here are a few of  my favorites from the day.

Here is the favorite of grandma Juju and great grandma Pat.  I was seeing spots for a while and had difficulty focusing (my eyes) after shooting a few into the sun, but it created a fun effect and some interesting lens flare.

Originally I was planning on focusing my black and white venture on landscapes, as you can see my focus shifted quickly to my kids!  But, none the less, here is one landscape photo to round out the post.

A Few Favorites

Basketball season is well under way and this week I had the pleasure to photograph the first games of the season for the three Sandpoint Bulldog Boys Basketball teams as well as the Boys and Girls teams for the Kootenai Thunder, a local Christian sports organization. I wanted to share a post tonight of a few of my favorite photos from those games, but . . . . . they are not of basketball players, they are of a few of the fans, in particular the youngest of the fans.

Here are a couple from the Thunder Games

I have heard of referees receiving bribes, but I think these two bribes were much more valuable than any cash payment!

Not only does he bribe the ref, but he also like to entertain the photographer. I love it when kids like to ham it up for the camera!

Not to be outdone by his friends near by, this guy begged me to take his photo as he literally “hung out”!

Now a few photos of another entertainer, this little guys is well known for his entertaining half time shows at the Sandpoint volleyball and baseball games.

I know as of late I am getting a reputation as a sports photographer, which of course is a part of what I do, but really I just love to photograph people. I love to capture the action of sports and the interaction between families; The emotion of victory and the emotion of relationships; The milestones of championships and the milestones of life in general; The once in a life time moments that happen on the field or in the corner chapel. We are surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation here in North Idaho, but I still find the most fascinating part of His creation is that which was created in His own image, people!

Keeper of the Year

The parents of Kanyen Bauer (the SHS Boys Varsity Soccer starting Goal Keeper and IEL Keeper of The Year) approached me about getting a large print of one of Kanyen’s saves.  I figured I could come up with something even better than a large print, so I worked up a montage of the play to be printed as a 16×24 on metallic paper and mounted as a standout display.  The finished product was delivered to the Bauer family after being on display at the Boys Soccer banquet where it received rave reviews from all who saw it!  With Christmas shopping gearing up I thought it would be a good idea for me to start dropping some hints about possible gift items, perhaps a custom photo montage might just fit the bill.  Take a look at this one, your screen is not quite the same as that metallic paper, but it will have to do.  Click the photo for a larger view.

The Challenge of Photographing Sports

Last night (Sunday, October 30, 2010) I had the privilege of watching and photographing one of the most exciting football games I can remember.  It was the 8th Grade Junior Tackle Championship game featuring the underdog “Dawgs” from Sandpoint and the highly favored, undefeated for 4 seasons, Shadle Steelers.

One of the things that immediately stood out to me was the fact that this Steeler team was a passing team.  I could count on one or maybe two hands how many times they handed the ball off to a running back and as I watched the Quarterback it was obvious that he was a talented player and that the Dawgs were going to have their hands full.  Nonetheless, the rain falling from the sky in combination with the tenacious defense that Sandpoint brought to the Dwight Merckel Sports Complex was more than the Steelers could handle.  As Steve Russo, the Sandpoint head coach, announced to the team after the game “Defense wins championships”, a statement true in the NFL and in 8th Grade Junior Tackle!

This evening when I sat down to start working on the photos I jumped ahead to the photos from the end of the game, there was one play in particular that I wanted find.  I needed to know, did I get a good shot of the pivotal play, the play that opened up the door for the victory.  The play was an interception by Tyler Harris that was returned for a touchdown.  This touchdown provided the opportunity for Jeff Kappen to kick the winning 2 point kick.   Yes, that is right I said winning 2 point kick, in YMCS Junior Tackle the kick after a touchdown is worth 2 and what we normally call a 2 point conversion is only worth 1.

I titled this post “The Challenges of Photographing Sports” and to this point you might still be scratching your head wondering why I titled it that way since thus far it has been a report on the game, but it was when I looked at the series of photos from this play that this post and the title came to mind.  As I surveyed the series of photos I felt a mix of gladness and sadness.  I experienced gladness that I was able to get a few decent shots of the play.  Then the sadness,  due to a few different variables that were out of my hands I missed out on the best shots.  Sorry Tyler, but to be totally honest if I did not admit it I would be the only one that knew!

The following sequence of photos shows how the play went down and I think that the photos, as well as my brief comments, will show you why this is titled as it is.

All good so far, a decent shot of the Shadle QB making his throw.

Now here is “The Shot”, there is Tyler with the ball just coming into his posession . . . . . but unfortunately, number 11 Tanner Jacobson happens to be the player in focus.  You know, I think maybe instead of calling this one a missed shot I am going to claim “Artistic License”, because in my interpretation Tyler in the distance out of focus with Tanner in the foreground in focus adds to the drama of the photo . . .  Ok, I am convinced!  By the way, nice catch Tyler!

Tyler Emerges with the ball . . . . .  he, could . . . .

go . . . . all . . . .  the . . . .

oh no, the referee!

Oh no, it’s Tanner again!  Glad your happy Tanner, but could you move a little to the left?

And now it is the Field Monitor’s turn!  (note: all of the games have a field monitor, the YMCA claims that their role is to make sure that their special rules are adhered to, but I know the truth that their real job description is to watch for the key plays of the game and make sure that they stand in between that play and the photographer!)

And the post touchdown celebration!  Great game Dawgs, way to play hard all the way to the end.

And now, As a final note, a shout out to the coaches of all the Sandpoint Junior Tackle teams!  I was on the sidelines with you for a number of games and I was often very blessed to see how you interacted with the kids.  So often in football emotions can get intense but it was great to see how you fired up the team and when they made mistakes you coached and instructed instead of yelling and making a kid that was already disappointed in his play feel even worse!

Sports, Sports, Sports!

The last couple of days have been filled with many hours of editing and uploading sports photos, I am happy to now report that I am caught up on the sports photos and am posting the links to the galleries here in my blog. On a technical note, I will set up the links so that they will open in a new window, that way if you want to view more than one gallery you will not have to navigate back to this page.

Boys Soccer: Sandpoint vs. Moscow


Volleyball: (JV) Sandpoint vs. Lakeland


Volleyball: Sandpoint vs. Lakeland


Football: Sandpoint vs. Lakeland


Football: (JV) Sandpoint vs. Lakeland


Sandpoint Junior Tackle Football: 5th and 6th Grade


Sandpoint Junior Tackle: 8th Grade


Sandpoint Junior Tackle: 7th Grade