This is my fifth year photographing the Ham City Jam and every year it just gets better and better. I’ve talked about it plenty, but just in case you are new to my photography, action sports photography takes me back to my roots. It was because of Freestyle Motocross and BMX that I originally got into photography back in high school. Since then, my dream was to photograph the X Games. It hasn’t happened yet, but one day it will. Until that day comes, and even after, I’ll continue to photograph events like the Ham City Jam. There’s something pretty special about going back to your roots, your first love for a lack of a better term. The day, for me, started around 10:30am and lasted until about 5:30pm. All day, outside, very little shade, and a ton of humidity. Unless you go to the event, it’s hard to know just how hard it can be to individualize a skater in these pictures. In between heats and best tricks, it’s mass chaos. Skaters everywhere. It’s tough to get lone pictures of each skater, but it’s one of those things that just adds to the challenge of photographer that I love!
The thing I love about action sports photography is that you have on opportunity to capture the moment. In a blink of an eye, that moment is gone. When I was in high school, it was because of this one shot opportunity that I wanted to be an action sports photographer. This then transitioned into my love for wedding photography, because it’s very similar, you have one chance to get the shot. During this Ham City Jam, my love for action sports photography and wedding photography intertwined as Deano, my friend and event coordinator, proposed to his girlfriend. OF course, I knew it was coming, he kept me in the loop and then it happened. He wanted to get a group picture of everyone there. As we set everyone up, the DJ then switched the song to a slower, more romantic song. That’s when Kacie thought something was up. As everyone fell into place, Deano asked Kacie to come closer to him. At this point he dropped to his knee and asked! Of course, she said yes! What a fun moment. As a friend, I couldn’t be more excited for these two, and as a photographer, especially a photographer that loves storytelling, I’m so thrilled that this competition turned into a storytelling moment too.
Overall, it was a great day! I love this competition and already can’t wait for next year!
