"Final miles," New York, November 2006

NYC Marathon series, Central Park

The New York City Marathon is coming up again on Sunday, so what better image to depict strength? (OK, one that has the principal subjects in focus.) But even with that minor flaw, I like the contrast in this shot -- the two runners on the left, relaxed, chatting; the one on the right pushing, straining through the final miles through Central Park, the finish line only a few minutes away.

"Broken bat," Trenton, July 2006

"Broken bat," Trenton, July 2006

Brett Gardner lost his lumber on this swing last week in Trenton. I'm still amazed I caught this one. It's why I love shooting sports. There can still be moments missed even with the new digital SLR. What I love is the whole image -- the ball still in the frame, the barrel of the bat parallel with the ground and the splinters flying off in blurred motion from the space between the windmilling barrel and the broken handle still in his hands. Easily the best shot I got all day, and in the past week at several games.

I also definitely like the larger format I've set up for posting through Flickr. I still think I need to play with the template to even out the text with the image and get the right column to appear nice and neat without being too narrow.

Central Park cyclist, February 2005

On my first shooting expeditions to Central Park last February during the Gates extravaganza, I walked up the west side of the park from Columbus Circle to 81st Street. On a crisp but clear winter day, the park was teeming with people, many of them, like me, walking around with cameras on a day off or a lunch break. When I reached the back of Tavern on the Green along the road, I stood there for 15 or 20 minutes waiting for the cyclists to come by for a blurred shot like this. Other than the University of Michigan riding uniform the guy's wearing, it's just about perfect.