Surfing - Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaii

Now here's something I don't get to shoot much of in central Texas.  Looking forward to some bigger waves later in the week courtesy of storms pushing swells south from the north Pacific.      http://omaui.com/

This is like trying to shoot a touchdown pass from 200 yards away.  The really good shooters are in the water with their camera and watertight case....me?  I'm shooting from a cliff 100+ yards away and can still feel the power of the ocean.  Some pretty impressive moves and sometimes I get the shot...

Full gallery at www.ralphmawyerphotography.com

Then again, these guys really know how to work the water...

Basketball - Boerne Middle School South 7th Grade Girls vs Kerrville-Peterson

Ever wonder where the high school varsity players come from.  Just check out some middle school action sometime and you'll see the foundation being built.  I had the opportunity to shoot the Boerne Middle School South 7th grade girls take on Kerrville-Peterson.  As with many sports, even when one team like Boerne dominates, down in the trenches there is still great action and emotion.

Game photos at Ralph Mawyer Photography.com

Boerne-Champion Basketball vs Kerrville Tivy & MacArthur

After a long football season and some time-off I shot a bit of basketball Friday.  Forgot how hard it is, with tight action, limited ability to move around and the usual constraint, poor lighting for photography.  Really need to setup some strobes in the gym so folks can see what a difference it makes.

Interestingly enough, at least for photographers, is that I went in expecting to use my expensive f2.8 glass and ended up shooting most of the game with a 50mm/f1.8 lens that retails for around $100.  Just goes to show that you don't have to have expensive gear to get good pictures, you just need something that will collect the light. ;-)

Boerne-Champion boys varsity vs San Antonio MacArthur

Boerne-Champion girls varsity vs Kerrville Tivy

AirLife Helicopter @ Boerne Home Depot

I was taking a break from editing 800+ photos from the Boerne-Champion vs Brennan and TMI vs La Pryor football games and dropped by Home Depot in Boerne. They had a great display of emergency vehicles on display for the kids and I had a chance to shoot the Baptist Health System and University Health System AirLife chopper shortly before they departed.  Pretty cool stuff...

"Admiral, there be whales here!"

You think trying to capture a photo of a pulling guard in a nighttime high school football game is hard, try getting a shot of one of these guys feeding...

This is image is of one of a group of humpback whales practicing cooperative feeding north of Monterey Bay, California.

This feeding behavior is what you won't see while the whales are mating or giving birth in their winter homes, such as Maui, Hawaii.

Summer is all about turning krill into 1000s of lbs of fat to live on during the winter.  What you will see in Maui is more acrobatics as the males fight over the females or just engage in what seems to be a higher level of competitive or protective interaction.

Boerne-Champion Football vs Marble Falls

A Thursday night early start with lots of action. The Boerne-Champion Chargers came out on top with a lop-sided win, but as always there was great action to capture from both teams.

You can see the entire gallery at ralphmawyerphotography.com.

I can't make every game, so if you have a favorite player and would like full photojournalism style coverage of him or her at a particular game or event, please contact me to discuss your needs.

TMI Panthers vs Holy Cross

TMI, The Episcopal School of Texas, hosted Holy Cross on September 3rd and I was there.

Pretty nice light on Friday, but the clouds did close down the late afternoon sun earlier than I would have preferred, but the 600mm lens I've been using while the light permits continues to produce wonderful portraits with that beautiful creamy background.