K-State’s Chelsie Bonds competes in the women’s weight throw during the KSU Open indoor track and field meet at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas on February 18, 2011.

Recently, I entered PocketWizard’s MAKE IT POSSIBLE photo contest. PocketWizard manufactures radio transceivers so photographers can fire their camera systems by remote control. The rules were simple: the photographer had to use a PocketWizard Wireless Triggering System with at least one off-camera flash. 396 images were submitted and then narrowed down to ten semi-finalists. The final judging was done by Mark Wallace, a commercial photographer in Phoenix , Arizona.

I submitted a photo of K-State’s Chelsie Bonds that I shot from a catwalk overlooking the weight throw ring. I used two PocketWizard MulitMAX Transceivers: one set as a transmitter in the camera’s hotshoe and another set as a receiver to a single White Lightning X1600 flash unit with an 11″ reflector. The flash was mounted on another catwalk at the end of the weight throw ring.

I was excited when I received an email from PocketWizard notifying me that I had placed as a semi-finalist. It meant I had the opportunity to win the contest’s grand prize: two FlexTT5′s and one MiniTT1 for Nikon, an AC3 ZoneController, a G-Wiz Trunk bag, and a 1-year subscription with SmugMug plus photo website customization. Unfortunately for me, PocketWizard posted the results on their website a few days later and I was neither the overall winner nor the first or second runner-up. Trevor Mahoney, a sports photographer in Waterloo, Canada, won the contest with his beautiful image of a hockey goal that he made with a remote camera from inside the net.

As cliche as it sounds, I was honored just to be considered as a finalist. There are some truly talented photographers making some amazing images around the world everyday. I would be proud to have any of the other top ten images in my portfolio. I encourage everyone to visit PocketWizard’s website at www.pocketwizard.com to view the other winning entries.

-scott weaver

A few months ago, I had to photograph K-State men’s basketball coach Frank Martin for some various marketing materials. Coach Martin is an intense and spirited leader on the court but a calm, cool, and charismatic man off of it. The art director wanted several shots of Coach Martin’s expressions that he usually makes during a basketball game. When Coach Martin arrived at the studio and I explained to him what I wanted, he jokingly replied, “It’s not a button I can push.”

Since we only had a few minutes together, I asked him to imagine he was in different hypothetical situations and I shot his expressions. Sometimes he reacted with a smile, sometimes it was a smirk, sometimes it was an icy stare, and sometimes he would erupt in a fiery outburst.

The photo shoot was a team effort of five people: Joni Smoller, director of fan experience and sales at K-State; Tom Gilbert, K-State’s assistant sports information director; Ron Cook, K-State’s graphic designer; Coach Martin and me. Together, we created a hugely successful advertising campaign for this year’s team which includes billboards, posters and the media guide.

The media guide cover has become as popular as Coach Martin himself. It has been the subject of articles on Rivals.com and in the Topeka Capital-Journal and Kansas City Star newspapers. Many Kansas City television stations featured stories about it during their 10pm newscasts and Tim Fitzgerald, publisher of Powercat Illustrated, wrote an article about it in his magazine.

Kevin Haskin, a sports columnist for the Topeka Capital-Journal, wrote a story that included a quote from Kansas’ men’s basketball coach Bill Self. “There was one of him smiling that I’d never seen before,’’ Self joked about one of the photos. “They must have caught him with what he wanted at Christmas when he opened a present or something.” Tim Fitzgerald, of Powercat Illustrated, wrote that K-State’s senior forward Victor Ojeleye said, “It’s a great way to show off Frank Martin as our leader. It’s the best media guide I’ve seen in four years.”

Not surprisingly, the biggest fan of the entire project has been Coach Martin. When Haskin asked him for his opinion on the media guide cover, Martin said, ”I was fine with it. I’ve gotten, through emails and phone calls and now that I’m a Twitter guy, nothing but positive remarks.”

-scott weaver

December 31, 2011: K-State’s Logan Ortiz poses for a photo with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders during a Welcome Dinner at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

January 1, 2012: K-State’s head coach Bill Snyder shoots pool with the team.

January 2, 2012: K-State’s Nigel Malone answers questions from the media.

January 2, 2012: K-State’s David Garrett has his caricature drawn by Bob O’Brian.

January 3, 2012: A video of Fergie and Slash performing at Super Bowl XLV is shown on the high definition video board as the K-State football team holds practice at Cowboys Stadium.

January 5, 2012: K-State’s Arthur Brown and head coach Bill Snyder greet Patricia Sweeney and her daughter, Alasandra Manidiu, at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

January 5, 2012: Arlington police officer Deric Sheriff lets K-State’s Zach Nemechek sit on his motorcycle after the team visited the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

January 5, 2012: K-State’s head coach Bill Snyder introduces the football team to 20,000 fans during a K-State alumni pep rally at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.

January 6, 2012: The K-State Marching Band enters Cowboys Stadium.

January 6, 2012: K-State’s David Garrett tackles Arkansas’ Joe Adams.

Recently, I returned from a week in Dallas, Texas to document the K-State football team’s trip to the AT&T Cotton Bowl to play against Arkansas in Cowboys Stadium on January 6, 2012.

We had a great time in the “Big D”, but unfortunately, Arkansas defeated K-State 29-16.

I posted additional images at www.sportsshooter.com/scottweaver/cottonbowl

-scott weaver

K-State’s Brooke Sharp competes in the women’s high jump during the KSU Open indoor track and field meet at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas on February 18, 2011.

K-State’s Chelsie Bonds competes in the women’s weight throw during the KSU Open indoor track and field meet at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas on February 18, 2011.

K-State’€™s Kelsey Hill is lifted up by her team after the game against Texas A&M at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas on March 2, 2011.

The K-State baseball team takes the field against Texas A&M at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas on April 2, 2011.

K-State’s Kayvon Bahramzadeh looks towards home plate as he pitches against Oklahoma at Tointon Family Stadium on April 10, 2011.

The Skyhoundz Canine Disc Championship was held in Lawrence, Kansas on May 1, 2011.

Texas Tech’€™s Reid Redman fields a ground ball against Texas A&M during the Big 12 Baseball Championship at Redhawks Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 25, 2011.

Missouri’€™s Andrew Thigpen bats against Oklahoma State during the Big 12 Baseball Championship at Redhawks Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 26, 2011.

K-State’s Tristan McCarty and Kathleen Ludwig celebrate match point against Texas A&M at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas on November 5, 2011.

The K-State men’s basketball team is introduced before the game against Alabama at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri on December 17, 2011.

Here are my ten favorite sports images from 2011. Happy New Year to everyone.

-scott weaver

A billboard for the Big 12 Conference is framed by the U.S. Highway 71 overpass.

A few weeks ago, I shot an image of Kansas City, Missouri for a Big 12 Conference billboard. Recently, the sign went up along U.S. Highway 71 just east of downtown. The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball championships will be held in Kansas City on March 7-10, 2012.

-scott weaver

Quick. . . name all of the presents you received for Christmas last year.

If you received toys, do you still play with them? If you received an ipad, does it still work? If you received an Xbox 360, do you still own it? If you received clothes, do you still wear them? If you received exercise equipment, do you still work out? If you received money, did you spend it?

Why do we give presents to each other at Christmas? Traditionally, we say that we give them to symbolize the gifts that were given by the Magi in celebration of Christ’s birth. But the Magi gave their gifts TO Jesus, not to each other BECAUSE of Jesus. ”On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” - Matthew 2:10-11 (NIV)

Jesus wants one gift from us: “If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15 (NIV)

His commandments are simple: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

Jesus also instructs us to invest our lives in other people: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” – Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

At Christmas time, remember that God has already given us the most precious gift of all, his son Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  - John 3:16 (NIV)

The Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

The entrance to the Sprint Center.

The American flag in front of the Sprint Center.

Dressing room lights in the Sprint Center.

A basketball net in the Sprint Center.

A rack of basketballs in the Sprint Center.

A stack of towels on Alabama’s bench in the Sprint Center.

An aisle in the Sprint Center.

Seats in the Sprint Center.

A sign near the front doors of the Sprint Center.

Due to a scheduling conflict, I had to arrive at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri at 3:00pm for a 9:00pm tipoff to the Alabama and K-State men’s basketball game on December 17, 2011. What else to do for six hours than to grab my Lensbaby 2.0 and make some artistic images of the arena using selective focus. Incidentally, K-State defeated Alabama 71-58.

-scott weaver

2011 KC Freelance Exchange: Silver Award, Color Editorial

2011 KC Freelance Exchange: Silver Award, Color Advertising

2011 KC Freelance Exchange: Gold Award, Book

My winning entries included: a Silver Award for a photo of a maintenance worker closing a room divider at the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tip Off Banquet in Kansas City, Missouri, a Silver Award for a photo of a butterfly at Royal Gorge Park in Canon City, Colorado, and a Gold Award for my hardcover, coffee table book: All Access – The Photographs of Kansas State Athletics.

-scott weaver

K-State’s Erik Kynard, 2011 NCAA Men’s High Jump National Champion.

K-State’s Ryann Krais, 2011 NCAA Heptathlon National Champion.

Recently, I had to photograph K-State’s 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Champions Erik Kynard and Ryann Krais for some marketing materials. Erik won the men’s high jump and Ryann won the heptathlon. The art director wanted some simple, individual shots of them on a white background. We finished the shoot in less than 15 minutes. I asked Erik and Ryann if they were willing to hang around and try some different portrait ideas because it’s not everyday I get to photograph two of the nation’s best college athletes. Surprisingly, they agreed to it.

I had read a magazine article about Erik where he stated that he could literally jump over a car. That would have made a great photo but the K-State athletic directors would not allow it. Erik and Ryann were set to compete at the USA Track and Field Championships and nobody wanted to risk injury to either one of them. Ironically, Erik wished we could have shot the photo.

Instead, I tried a different approach with him. I grabbed a white dress shirt and black blazer from the football team locker room and had him tear out of it to reveal his K-State track jersey much like Clark Kent tears out of his clothes to reveal his Superman suit. Since Erik can fly horizontally through the air at 7’6″ off the ground, I thought the Superman reference was a good analogy.

Ryann competes in seven events in the heptathlon: the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meter run, long jump, javelin, and 800 meter run. I felt it was impossible to show all seven events in one photo. So, I focused on her best event, the hurdles, since she is also a 400 meter hurdle champion. We shot on the outdoor balcony overlooking the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The football team was working out below us and they started whistling and cheering for Ryann minutes into our photo shoot. It made her laugh and smile for the pictures.

The three of us had enough fun that our session lasted almost two hours. Erik and Ryann are wonderful young people. I would feel extremely blessed if Erik was my son or Ryann was my daughter or they were dating my kids. The best part is that Erik is a sophomore and Ryann is a junior so I hope that I can watch them compete at K-State for a few more years.

-scott weaver

Ron Coker, vice chairman of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, speaks during the group’s Annual Luncheon at the Grand Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri on December 9, 2010.

Jason Ryan Dorsey, the Gen Y Guy, speaks during the Downtown Council of Kansas City’s Annual Luncheon at the Grand Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri on December 9, 2010.

Recently, I photographed the Downtown Council of Kansas City’s Annual Luncheon at the Grand Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri. The DTC is a nonprofit organization that promotes and markets the revitalization of Kansas City, Missouri’s downtown business and housing districts.

The theme for this year’s luncheon was “A Millennial Makeover” which highlighted the DTC’s plans to attract growth companies and younger residents to downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

-scott weaver