I want to cover international conflicts

Nikon D3s, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 500, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000

Before you take a career jump to become a Conflict Correspondent let me give you some insights that come from many years of studying this for myself. First, I have never covered war.

I have many friends who have covered war and conflicts around the globe. I have sat in many presentations by them where they have shared some gruesome to insightful comments on these situations.



These are some of the books that I have in my personal library on covering conflict. I have read all of them and met many of the authors. I recommend all these books and you can still find them on Amazon or eBay.

This doesn't make me an expert, but it does make me more educated about some of the issues of covering war.

This is the latest book I have read on the subject by Lynsey Addario. It is a honest and very transparent biography of a war photographer. Click on the picture for link to the book.

The possibility of being kidnapped and hurt are very real. Daniel Pearl was a journalist for the Wall Street Journal with American and Israeli citizenship. He was kidnapped by Pakistani terrorists and later murdered in Pakistan on February 1, 2002.

from Committee to Protect Journalists

Every time I am teaching a new group of wannabe photographers I have someone wanting to pursue this path. If this is your calling then by all means pursue it, but don't jump out of the plane without a parachute. That parachute should be some resources to help get you out in an emergency as well as people who are in touch with you regularly who can track you down if they lose communications with you. A contract with someone before you go is ideal.

Nikon D3s, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 400, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000

Here are my comments from a recent post on a Facebook group. The person had been in the military and was asking how to do work in hostile environments as a photographer.

My first post was to search for the Committee to Protect Journalists and The Dart Center for Journalism. 

 There were a few posts in between. I could sense this guy was ready to go, so I chimed in again.

Before risking your life I would highly suggest having portfolio reviewed by photo editors that see this kind of work regularly. You need to know before you go if you have a chance of being published based on your ability to capture story. Also will help with finding someone who is willing to consider your work. You need someone interested in your work to send it to before you go. 

I thought that if you didn't know how to find that kind of material you most likely were not going to be good in war trying to find information, but I didn't say that instead I wrote this in response to their question on asking me to tell them who that might be.

VII agency, Magnum, Newsweek, Time, ... most importantly I would not go without being on some contract. You also need a lot of street smarts and kinda know how to research who even uses war photography. Pretty simple. Pick up magazine/newspaper. In masthead are your contacts. 

They thought they would just contact those sources and they would just use them right away on the field. I had to chime in again and say:

Most War Correspondents start at a paper. Often just a small paper. 

Still not understanding I continued:

You start at a paper covering local not going straight to overseas. If you can't tell stories locally you are not going to do so overseas. That is how you build a brand.  

The military didn't send you to battle without extensive training so why do you think you are just as prepared with camera? If your goal is conflict coverage then show you can win the war and not the battle. Take the steps to prove you have the visual storytelling skills. It is similar to showing you passed all the basic training skills necessary to be a soldier. Skipping this step, as all your posts appear to insinuate further demonstrates to me that you are not ready.  

Patience with storytelling is very important. It appears you are in love with the experience and not why journalists cover conflict. 

Storytellers/Journalists want to inform people with truth. They realize how extremely difficult this is. Not just a photo of what is in front of the camera but rather interpretation of the events so as to help inform accurately. You need to be a writer as well. You need to write informative and journalistic captions if not stories to accompany your photos. 

James Nachtwey's heart is so engaged and his head is using every skill it can to provide understanding.  

My last comment that is the most important point I can make. 

What can you provide that isn't already being done? Unless you can truly talk about stories not being told I don't think you have proven to any editor why they need to see your story.  

Publications/Media Outlets have limited funds and need to support those who are already proving every day with their work. Its not fair to those who are producing right now and doing a great job for you to get any work, unless you have a portfolio of work that is superior.

Nikon D3s, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 450, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000

By the way our oldest son served in the Army and just recently got out as a Captain. I can tell you if you go into conflict many of your family will not rest while you are in conflict. I knew many spouses who had to stop working while their spouses served. They were hyper-vigilant waiting for safe return and scared that someone would be knocking at their door with sad news of their loved one dying in service to country.

If you have plans to have a family then you really need to read these books and hear how most everyone had no family life or ended up in divorce.

War will take a toll on you emotionally. You may come home physically in one piece but mentally a wreck.

If you still think you are called then do everything you can to be prepared. Also, if no one will send you this is a good sign that you don't have what it takes. You have to demonstrate you can be a storyteller outside of conflict before anyone will trust you.

Using the ExpoDisc under Friday Night Lights Football

Roswell's (1) Sheldon Evans rushes against Woodstock during the first quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/1000]

Another Friday Night Lights game at Roswell High School's Ray Manus Stadium. By half time Roswell was up 49 - 0, so I left early.

Woodstock's (7) Corey Smith misses tackling Roswell's (7) Malik Willis during the second quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/7.1, 1/800]

I am really pleased with the dynamic range of the Nikon D5 for shooting at such a high ISO of 64000.

Roswell's (1) Sheldon Evans shakes off tackle by Woodstock's (13) Austin Bennett during the second quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250]

The files are good from the highlights to the shadows with detail. the only place is in the shadows inside the helmets where no light was really shining.

Woodstock's quarterback (6) Garrett Bass during the second quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/800]

Now even in the end zone when the quarterback looked up for his receiver I was able to get some great light inside the helmet.

Roswell's (1) Sheldon Evans carries for 98 yard touchdown run while (3) Christian Ford protects him from Woodstock's (12) Grant Jacobs during the first quarter of play of Roswell vs Woodstock high school football game at Ray Manus Stadium on Friday, October 28, 2016 in Roswell, GA. [Nikon D5, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250]

For all these photos I shot from the end zone sitting on a small folding stool. I was at kneeling height putting me about at the belt-line of the players.

Once the sun went down I took a custom white balance with the ExpoDisc.

The latest version of the ExpoDisc 2.0 comes with warming filters. They are slightly a cyan color of different densities to let you pick how much you want to warm up your image. So without them you get a pure 18% grey and by adding these you warm up the photo just a bit.

You just put the warming gel in the front of the ExpoDisc and then take your reading. This way you can keep a consistent warming to all your photos.

So what should you do?  I would advise always doing custom. You can always change it later using Adobe Lightroom if you shot it RAW. 

To the left here is the pull down menu that is available to you in Adobe Lightroom if you shot it RAW. These are very similar to the presets on your camera.

Sometimes the perfect custom white balance maybe not your preference in the end.

Presets in Nikon D5

Check your manual for your camera because this is for the Nikon D5. Somewhere in your menu you can go and adjust using presets for white balance.

On my Nikon D5 in the menu for White Balance you can choose up to five different presets for fluorescent.  Also there is a selection for Sodium-vapor and High temp. mercury-vapor. There is a major problem I have found trying this method, it isn't easy to pick the right color, because the monitor on the back of the camera isn't that easy to see color in all situations.

Fluorescent lamps are manufactured to a chosen color by altering the mixture of phosphors inside the tube. Warm-white fluorescents have color spectrum of 3000 K and are popular for residential lighting. Neutral-white fluorescents have a color spectrum of 3700 K. Cool-white fluorescents have a color spectrum of 4200 K and are popular for office lighting. Daylight fluorescents have a color spectrum of 5000 K to 6500 K, which is bluish-white.

Note that on the Nikon D5 you also have a pre-set for those awful Mercury-Vapor lights or the Sodium-vapor on the other end of the spectrum. Sometimes I have found that I prefer one of the fluorescent settings under some of the newer mercury-vapor lights when using this system instead of the custom white balance.

Capturing Bangor Maine

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/13, 1/200

I shared earlier about doing travel photography and trying to capture a place and mood. Today I want to share my efforts here in the Bangor, Maine area of our country.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/9, 1/320

While Bangor is the biggest city in this area of Maine, people travel this area a great deal from Canada and go to the coast like Bar Harbor which is only about 45 minutes away.

A person who lives in this part of Maine may be from a city nearby, but they all enjoy their state. They love to enjoy the oceans, the parks and other outdoor experiences of Maine.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/9, 1/500

The people of Maine love their water sports and fishing. People of Maine also are a very resilent people. Mainers know one thing is always certain that winter is coming. The have a more pronounced Boston-like accent. It’s “Lobstah,” Not Lobster.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/1250

Maine people are a hearty people. Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack in American folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors. One of the statues of Paul Bunyan is in downtown Bangor, Maine. He exemplifies the ruggedness of the people of Maine.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/10, 15 sec

I will leave you with my last shot of the day. Remember when you travel to do the shots that immediately come to mind and then look for some unique things to toss into your coverage.

Working on capturing the mood and place for a community

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/320

I am working on a story that requires me to go to a few states and capture some of the culture in those communities.

This week I am in Hyannis, Massachusetts. I cannot think of Hyannis without thinking about the Kennedy family. It is also a beach town and this is the closest I could find to bring me to what I think about when I think of this community.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/800

I tried to capture the beach in a way that said Cape Cod. Some of the lighthouses in this area are in private communities guarded by gates. I didn't want to just go all over the coast when the area I needed to concentrate on is Hyannis.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/640

Just turning around is the ocean, but to me this could of been anywhere on the east coast. I was missing something that made me thing of Hyannis which is in Cape Cod.

I am capturing not just moments but symbolism and I needed the building that was classic to the architecture of Cape Cod.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/400

This is a typical home in Hyannis. What I mean is the color of the home and the cedar siding.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/320

Now I went to Main Street and captured some of the shops along the street. While this isn't the peak of the summer when the place would be packed, I do think I was capturing some of the community.

Samsung 7S Edge, ISO 50, ƒ/1.7, 1/18816

While in Lansing, Michigan I went to the local GM plant and shot this through the chain link fence on a bridge. The reason I used my cell phone is my camera lenses were too big and captured the fence. The lens on the Samsung 7S Edge was small enough to fit in the opening of the fence.

Some photos are not as dramatic, but do help establish what a community is about. Many people are employed here from the community.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 2200, ƒ/8, 1/100

The other thing about Lansing is it is the state capital of Michigan. I worked at getting a decent photo of the state capital to help talk about the community.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 1800, ƒ/8, 1/800

Sometimes detail shots like of this lamp around the capital can be very useful in a package to tell a story.

All of these stills are part of a larger story where I will be using motion and interviews to put the story together. My goal with the photos is to have some b-roll that I can use just like Ken Burns does in his films. I often find panning across a still photo is much smoother than video sometimes can be and I can get many more shots in than the time it takes to get a 20 second motion clip.

Here some travel tips that I am using for each of my trips.

• Google the City and look under images for your search
• Make a list of possible locations
• Research where to maybe take some of those photos 
• Schedule my interview early with the subject so I have time to go out and capture some of the images of the things the subject talks about in their comments.
• Talk to people from the area
• Talk to front desk people at the hotel for their input. Sometimes they can give you unique insights

Now many times the city skyline is quite famous. For me this is a photo you need if the community is know for it's unique skyline. Here is a post I did about the St. Louis Skyline.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 2.5 sec

Sometimes like with the famous skyline of Seattle you get what I call a WOW photo. The key is to try and find a way to surprise your audience.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 12500, ƒ/5.6, 1/125

Sometimes it is just getting close to an icon like the Auburn War Eagle. 

Pushing the limits of sports photography with Rodeo

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500

Coming out of the gate at full speed these barrel racers take their horse through a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Keeping up with these animals was challenging.

I would shoot when I could see the rider's face. Due to where you are standing with the camera the horse and rider are facing away from you more than half of the time. Picking your moments was tough. If I were to do this again I might even use remote cameras to give me more viewpoints.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500

The cowgirls are just as good with roping a calf. Breakaway roping is a variation of calf roping where a calf is roped, but not thrown and tied. There is a split second where you can capture the moment where the calf is roped.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/3200

A little side note here. The cowgirls out performed the cowboys when it came to roping at this rodeo. The cowboys missed more than the cowgirls, which lets me know women are showing more and more today their athleticism in our culture.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2500

Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer (typically a Corriente) and two mounted cowboy riders. The time on this event is just seconds. Times on the roping events are in the seconds. For the cowgirl breakaway roping the winner was 2.7 seconds.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

Bull Riding is the wildest and most dangerous event in rodeo. In the American tradition the rider must stay atop the bucking bull for eight full seconds to count as a qualified ride. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope. It is a risky sport and has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports."

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

The bulls are rated and even more famous in many ways than the cowboys who ride them. This bull here had 27 consecutive buck offs, now that is 28. A cowboy must stay on the bull 8 seconds for the ride to count. Then they get a score which takes into account the bull they are riding.

Every once in a while when a bull is determined unrideable the Professional Bull Riders Association has a million dollar ride. At $125,000 per second, this bonus ride is offering one of the largest payouts any athlete has ever received for the amount of time they are required to compete. In comparison, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo received roughly $12 million dollars to play in 15 NFL games in 2013.  At 54,000 seconds per season, it took Romo 4,500 seconds to make $1 million.

Take Aways

As you can see 2.5 sec is really short time to get your photo in the breakaway roping. You don't have time to wait to frame your shot. You don't have time to check your focus. You must have the gear that will allow you  the ability to focus on the event.

The combination of my Nikon D5 and the Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S was perfect for this event. The composition changes so quickly with these events that a fixed lens would have been too tight or too loose. Having the ability to zoom quickly and get the important parts of the event in the photo was possible because the 120-300mm range worked just perfect for the rodeo.

Why I bought the Nikon D5

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 45600, ƒ/2.8, 1/4000

When I reach for a camera to shoot an assignment here are some variables that are important to consider:

• Can it capture the scene?
• Is the ISO high enough for the lighting conditions?
• Is the shutter speed fast enough to freeze moments?
• Do I have to think about which camera I have in my hand?
• Are the controls the same as my other cameras?
• Is the buffer big enough so I can shoot whenever I want?
• Can I use high speed shutter sync and shoot at any shutter speed with my flashes?
• How does if feel in my hands?

This is not a complete exhaustive list but some of the things that made me upgrade to the Nikon D5.

The Nikon D5 is blisteringly fast and has accurate autofocus. The new AF system is nothing short of sensational. If you set the camera up properly the D5 doesn’t miss a beat. User error is far more likely to be the reason for a missed shot than the camera letting you down, even for the best of photographers. [My D5 Settings for Sports]

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 10000, ƒ/2.8, 1/1000–(3) Alienbees B1600, Pocketwizard TT5 w/ AC-9 on strobe, TT1 w/ AC-3 on the camera

I had anticipated needing strobes to shoot the volleyball game due to possible banding issues. I arrived earlier in the day and setup three Alienbees B1600 strobes pointed to the ceiling. I wanted to shoot at a fast shutter speed of at least 1/1000 and to do this required me to use the Pocketwizard TT5, AC-9, TT1 & AC-3 in combination to shoot above the sync speed of 1/250.

Here is the TT5 & AC-9 on the flash. I was not using the umbrellas.

This is the TT1 with the AC-3 that was on the camera.

Well less than 3 shots into the game and the referee said no flash. No time to talk to the school officials and coaches again to fix this problem. So I just switched to available light. The available light was a mixture of LED and tungsten lights.

The Color Temperature was 4700º kelvin with a +25 magenta shift to get a good skin tone. I used the ExpoDisc to get a custom white balance. [Earlier blog on ExpoDisc]

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 25600, ƒ/2.8, 1/4000

As you can see shooting sports is important to me. My clients need sports as well as classroom shots for example.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 2200, ƒ/4, 1/100

According to DPReview.com "Studio report: Nikon D5 has lowest base ISO dynamic range of any current FF Nikon DSLR." Now this is testing more specifically the high ISO range. If you want dynamic range at a low ISO then buy the Nikon D810. As they concluded in their article and I can attest to as a working pro, "For its intended audience, the D5's high ISO imaging capabilities, advanced autofocus and durability are likely to be much more important."

In just a couple of hours I was shooting from inside fluorescent lighting, outside with daylight and shade and finished off the time shooting under the mixed lighting of LED and tungsten. Working without an assistant to keep the costs down for the client the Nikon D5 allowed me to capture all of this at such incredible quality.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I use my Nikon D5's for video shooting as well. Most of the time it is for formal interviews. The cool thing is D5’s entire ISO sensitivity span is available in 4K video recording. So I can shoot at these incredibly high ISOs if needed in video as well.

Missing a shot because you have different camera systems is what sometimes happens. You forget how to make a change because it is different on this camera than another. I feel like right now the Nikon D5 camera has freed me up to just concentrate on any subject in any light and just look for the moments that I want to capture.

Often I find while there might be enough quantity of light to make a photograph the light isn't the best quality. The Nikon D5 works great with their own Speedlights and doesn't limit me to just shooting with them. I can use other systems like the Alienbees and still shoot at any shutter speed.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/5.6, 1/200

Here is the lighting diagram for the photo above.

The main light is an Alienbees B1600 with a 20º grid to keep the light tight on them. I put just enough on the light on the background to just light it and then used a CTO gel over a Alienbees positioned behind the background which had a 30º grid.

So how is the resolution of the Nikon D5. Well this 6' x 9' banner worked just great. You can walk up and look at the detail in the poster.

My hand just for reference 

It is great to have the work horse Nikon D5 in my bag, because I feel ready for any situation.

Do you love your job? You Should!

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 18000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Did I ever tell you how much I love my job? Every assignment is meeting new people and capturing their personalities and hopefully introducing them to you.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 1800, ƒ/4, 1/100

I love meeting a teacher that looks like one of the NFL linemen showing the tender side of caring for children and wanting them to learn all they can.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 1250, ƒ/4, 1/100

With children I get a chance to watch their personalities forming. Watching children work is one of my favorite things to see. You can just picture them working their minds.

Nikon D5, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G,  ISO 900, ƒ/1.8, 1/100

Peaking in on them working is how I often feel when I am asked to photograph children for organizations. I see me being the fly on the wall as they work and play. Here you can see the sensitive moment of the child tenderly placing her Lego block.

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 6400, ƒ/10, 1/100

This little girl is having to re thread the needle on her sewing machine. Catching a child super focused and apparently enjoying herself. Now to capture things like this I believe my personal experiences come into play.

My grandmother sewed all of her clothes. I remember watching her work. Today my daughter is doing costume design for theater. Capturing a passion requires you to first understand it is a passion.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1250, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I also love to capture the group dynamics going on. I love this photo of the boys playing ball. I watched as each of them found their role while one of them was batting. They were learning how to play ball with the school's baseball coach.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 2800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Now what is fun to watch is how patiently the coach is with all the kids and then taking the time with them individually teaching them how to be their best. I could also see where the coach couldn't teach everything they needed to know, but took it one step at a time.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, ISO 45600, ƒ/2.8, 1/4000

The older kids were more coordinated in their sports. Here I was able to capture this young girl spiking during their win over a rival school.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 110, ƒ/4, 1/100

I had my first opportunity to capture these young girls learning manners. Here they are learning how to introduce themselves. How to make eye contact, shake hands, greeting with a smile and have good voice as well.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 1600, ƒ/11, 1/100

While I was shooting something, these two little boys were asking me lots of questions. They wanted to interact with me and hopefully I captured their curiosity here and eagerness to engage with others.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 280, ƒ/4, 1/100

I will end here with another moment that just took me back to our oldest son. When Pokémon came out our son Nelson was the age of Ash Ketchum. In 1997 when it first was on TV our son was 9 years old. These guys were very serious about Pokémon as I remember our son Nelson.

I'll leave you with a quote from the founder of Chick-fil-A S. Truett Cathy said:

"Love what you do, and you'll never work another day in your life.”