Another great contest. But maybe you should spell check your headlines.

Great concept! A wonderful opportunity for the average photog.

Bob
(Boston)

That’s cool, are the prints in your office unframed and hanging on a rail from clips?

Good Morning to all.

I will be posting additional info here and on the Flickr site as time passes to fill you in on developing details. One thing I just learned is that game time has been set for 6:00 pm Saturday, September 12. That means Scott and I will pick you up at your hotel at 3:00 pm to head over to the stadium to check in and pick up our sideline badges. We’ll then head up to the press box (on the 9th floor) for our pre-game buffet in the press box which overlooks the field. The three of us will share a table with other media representatives and photographers covering the game.

Wow, it does look like on of the greatest contest ever made for football & photography fans! Best of luck to everyone, but I have to say I’d love to win this one and I’ll try hard to pick my best shot for this contest!

Way to go Scott and Mike!

Scott, Just when I thought you’ve done it all, you find some new way off getting your followers excited and enthused about photography. This is a wonderfull contest, just like your worldwide photowalk. I get goose bumps just reading about it and imagining being there chilling with you guys at the stadium, rubbing elbos with other photogs and shooting right there on the field. WOW!!!! What a great experience that would be.

I was so about to enter until I saw the last paragraph; I’m not about to go photographing any FSU games, sorry. Let me know when you’re shooting a Gators game and I’ll submit my entry (and I’ll already be at those games anyway).

Folks, don’t forget to check my blog (www.baselineshots.com) for updates and additional info. I will try to post something pertinent as often as I can to fill you in on developments as well as what to expect, etc. Today I will be doing something about what to wear given Tallahassee weather in August….I’ll try to do likewise on the Flickr site where I started a thread.

Last but not least, I simply cannot take credit for certain aspects of this contest as the generosity of Scott Kelby is what is really driving this thing. While Scott has been overly gracious in publicizing the contest as a joint thing between the two of us, I think you should know that all I did was ask Scott if his blog readers might be interested in coming to Tallahassee to shoot a game with us, and that a contest might be fun. I offered to provide my “assistant” credentials as a prize and suggested we do the dinner thing Friday night. Scott is the one who offered to pay for air fare, hotel, meals, lens rental, etc in order to make this something that would be available to anyone worldwide. When you add up what Scott has thrown in the pot just from a financial standpoint, you can see who you should really thank for this. Not to mention the chance for one of you to spend a couple of hours over dinner picking Scott’s brain – you can’t put a price tag on that.

Hey Scott,

The folks over at Sports Shooter are a bit upset about the contest. http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=33723 They appear to feel threatened. Personally, I think that it is a GREAT idea and I have entered my image. Thanks.

Ron

This is intended for any of those folks over at Sports Shooter.com who may visit this site and read this. I really don’t know where to start but here goes.

I was told by a couple of folks (and saw the post above) that a certain segment of people at that web site are extremely upset that one of you will get a chance to be with me on the sidelines for a football game. A thread was started and capped after it was filled, so I did not get a chance to correct all the B.S. that has been posted. After reading some of the stuff posted, my reaction is, my but there certainly are a lot of wannabe’s (defined as people who are legends in their own minds but in reality have nothing better to than spend hours TALKING photography on web sites – they’re obviously not working professionals or else they would not have time to spend pouring over web sites and passing themselves off as professionals – they’d be out shooting instead) who seem threatened by the prospect of an (whispered) “amateur” taking up space on what they consider to be their exclusive domain – the sidelines. Without having the facts, and without taking the time to read the specifics of the contest, and without knowing anything about my relationship with FSU, they have weighed in, casting aspersions at me, but mostly Scott Kelby for running the contest. So, let me set a few things straight for anyone who bothers to be interested by facts.

First, the contest was my idea. Contrary to the many posts at Sports Shooter deriding Scott for dreaming this up to satisfy his ego, I approached Scott and he signed on. Second, neither FSU, its athletic department, nor anyone associated with the school has anything to do with the contest. Third, for all of the wannabe’s that have nothing better to do than talk a good game as if they really are professionals, there’s no whining in sports photography. Deal with it. When was the last time a professional athlete got all bent out of shape because an “amateur” was playing alongside them? The Masters routinely invites amateurs to compete alongside pros. Pros go out of their way to help the amateurs out, not the least bit intimidated by the amateurs. Grow up, wannabe’s. If you’re threatened by the photos an “amateur” might take that will expose you for the fraud you may well be, you don’t belong on the sidelines.

For the record, I receive 2 sets of credentials for every FSU game I shoot. One set is for me, the other for (and I’ll go real slow for the wannabe’s here) ANYONE I CARE TO BRING WITH ME TO SERVE AS MY ASSISTANT). That individual is typically a client of my law firm or a friend with whom I choose to share a sideline experience. As long as I have them under my wing and make sure they understand the do’s and dont’s of being with me, FSU trusts my judgment and allows me to bring whoever I choose. Now, maybe some of the wannabe’s can’t deal with the fact that some of us are valued enough as photographers to be given a perk like that, and for whatever reason, they were not able to get credentialed or they have to lug their gear all by themselves. My condolences. But please don’t pretend to have any say in what I do with my credentials or who I choose to be my assistant.

I broke back into sports photography because someone in the FSU Sports Information Department gave me, a non-working “amateur”, a chance – a floor credential for a basketball game. That led to where I am today, which is really nowhere – just one of the many guys who gets to live a dream by being up close and personal with sporting events. I would love to be able to give someone else that very same opportunity and that’s why I approached Scott with this contest. It’s not about Scott’s ego, but it sure seems to be about yours, wannabe’s.

Now, feel free to whine away.