Haute Times in the Caribbean

One of my favorite past times is sailing in the Caribbean. While in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Saturday, the Jamaican Tourist Board invited me and a few girls who met me in Jamaica on a Reggae cruise by Island Routes. When we got on the boat, the fun started immediately. There were a group of people from Trinidad who really showed us how they “drop down low and sweep the floor with it!” We had so much fun watching them dance since as American girls, we’re a little more modest about suggestive dancing with men that we don’t know. But the chemistry between all of us mixed well. And they wanted to exchange contact information so that we could stay in touch.

So after the cruise around Montego Bay, the girls from Trinidad want me to hang out with them for Carnival next year! I’m thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” But, I’m up for visiting their island and getting to know a little more about their culture and island influence. Travel is a lifestyle and one has to adjust to the fashion and beauty of it no matter where it takes you… ;)

Have you ever gone to Trinidad during Carnivale?

Daisy By Marc Jacobs for My Haute Travels Bag!

While on my beach get-a-way, I brought these Daisy Petite Flower fragrances by Marc Jacobs to add a bit of an Indian summer garden to my weekend. The new spin on the “Iconic” Daisy design packaging is super cute and makes for a great conversation piece when you pull it out of your travel bag.

The duo fragrances in their retro chic charm offer two scents. Daisy is full of top notes like wild strawberry, violet leaves and ruby red grapefruit… with musk, vanilla and white woods as a base note. While, Daisy Eau So Fresh offers ruby red grapefruit, raspberry and green leaves as top notes with musks, plum and cedarwood as its base.

My favorite is Daisy! The set retails for $59 at select stores nationwide.

What's Haute in My Travel Bag?

When it comes to great products for my haute travels bag, I love a dual purpose moisturizer. I just tried the 100% all-natural, eco-friendly Hair and Body Butters by Yamerra. I use the body butters as after sun moisturizer to keep my skin soft and smooth. Although, I don’t put oil and butters in my hair, I found my own multi-purpose use for these cute little, travel-size butters. They’re also good to use on knees, elbows and feet to help soften the skin. Sensual Bliss is my favorite so far. I like that these products were designed with love in mind. To learn more visit www.yamerra.com


What’s your favorite use for a Shea butter product?

The Portraitist Of Hang Ngang Street

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy

Little excites me more than walking the streets of a crowded and vibrant city like Hanoi, and meeting people with stories, history and talent in whatever craft they exercise. Nguyen Bao Nguyen is one of those.

Walking down Hang Ngang Street in old Hanoi, I stopped at Nguyen's storefront/atelier...drawn by his very realistic portraits of French and American actors, and other luminaries as well as other common folk. His store's walls covered with his work, showing erstwhile French actors such as Jean Gabin, Yves Montand and even Alain Delon...Gary Cooper and John Wayne represented the United States.

Nguyen's craft is in drawing/copying old (or damaged) photographs in exquisite details; a painstaking task that can take him many days. Very cheerful, he announced that his English wasn't too fluent, and his French was somewhat limited.

Notwithstanding, we got along well...and he immediately grasped I wanted to make a short story of him and his work. He was very proud I had come into his "atelier" as he described it, and it took no effort whatsoever to have him speak of his work, his youth and his work. Normally, I have to goad the person I'm interviewing to talk more, but Nguyen needed no encouragement whatsoever.

Returning to my hotel, I listened to the audio I had captured during my couple of hours with him, and it was fine and perfectly suited to what I hope to produce.  Depending on what I find in the couple of days to come, I may well return for another photo shoot at Nguyen's storefront.

In Sapa...Or Is It Sa Pa?

After a somewhat restless night spent on the Victoria Hotel Express Train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, we are now in Sa Pa...the launching hub for treks into the territories of the hill tribes such as the H'mong, Red Zao and Zao. Visiting minorities always carries issues relating to whether payment should be made for taking photographs of these very photogenic people. But I have no time here to go in any depth as to what is right or wrong.

However, if the Red Zao and H'mong seek to sell some of their handmade wares to visitors, I see no wrong in buying a trinket against taking photographs of their lifestyles. Having no need for the stuff they sell, I decided to buy large pack of biscuits/cookies for a group of Red Zao women, and gave it to them as an expression of 'giving back'.

That said, the Red Zao (in particular Mamei -shown in the lower photograph-) are incredibly persistent...some do so with humor and wit, while others do it less well and it becomes a drag. 

Notwithstanding these issues, the eventful day will be on Sunday during the Bac Ha market during which many of the hill tribes come down from their villages to the market to sell, buy, socialize and so forth.

In Hue....Day Two

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Having driven from Da Nang to Hue yesterday, I noticed a Cao Đài temple close to our hotel. I had wanted to visit and photograph the rituals associated with this religious tradition for quite a while now, so the presence of this temple was extremely exciting.

Cao Đài is a syncretistic, monotheistic religion, officially established in the city of Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam in 1926. Its adherents engage in ethical practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism. Estimates of its adherents range from 3 to 6 million, most of which are in Vietnam. Some of its saints are Buddha, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, William Shakespeare, Joan of Arc and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Following a few telephone calls and a visit by Maika Elan and Quoc Anh, we secured the approval of the head priest to photograph its daily prayer at noon. Both Maika and I had to meet him again this morning, and to reassure him that we were serious photographers, interested in documenting world religions.

We were allowed to photograph at will during the prayer ceremony, and to interview the congregation. It was extremely fortuitous that we were allowed to do so, as my understanding that the main Cao Đài temple in Southern Vietnam doesn't allow visitors except on the upper balconies during prayer times.

Photo © Quoc "Ron" Anh- All Rights Reserved

My Haute Thoughts on Following Your Heart

Just a couple of months ago, I decided to return to Jamaica but this time driven by purpose. I invited women who wanted to follow their passion and investigate their purpose to join me. I also decided to make giving back to the local community a priority and therefore participate in “Pack for a Purpose,” a program supported by the Half Moon Resort to help the Barrett Town Elementary School by encouraging their guests to pack school supplies, games and recreational items like soccer balls for the kids.

In an effort to make this work, I reached out to those who support me and my Haute Travels projects and got a few generous donations and words of encouragement. When I decided to do this, I wasn’t sure how it would come together. I just knew that I was divinely led to do it. And I didn’t focus on how it would work out. I just knew that it would; there was no need to worry. As I get closer to the date of departure, more people have reached out with generous donations, like Najah, Owner of Like the River Hair Salon in Atlanta or my friend Kimberly Patterson, a talented makeup artist in Chicago, who highlighted the beauty of Iyanala Vanzant, as seen in her new show Iyanla: Fix My Life.

My family has even stepped in to make contributions… my mom and my cousin have been inspired to support the kids! My friends, Robin, Greta, Vernon, Samantha, Rolanda and others like Christa, Angela Myers, April (an absolute travel addict) and Debbi Howard have been generous with their support of my Haute Travels endeavors. Their sponsorship has allowed me to help more kids on this trip because of their recent contributions to my love of mixing beauty, travel and philanthropy. Although, their angel investments were for a Paris project, I redirected some funds to help the kids. I love Paris but this was more important at this time.

But the love doesn’t stop there… the girls who are coming along with me are also buying school supplies to encourage the kids to discover their passions. And even the Half Moon and the Jamaican Tourist Board sponsored activities or covered costs to help offset our expenses so that we can give more. The spirit of giving is contagious!

Those who stepped up to help did so without reservation, but others who could help just remained silent, even though, in the past, they’ve benefitted from my help in a number of ways, including getting paid to work with a brand that I sent their way, receiving fully funded press trips or helped promote their projects using my own platform. I’m reminded of those things because it shows that when God puts a promise in your heart; nothing can stop it from manifesting. There is always something so much bigger at work. I’ve learned… what you give out, you always get back and this is an example of what giving and karma is all about. Sometimes people want to help but simply can’t financially, but nothing can stop them from using their own platform to spread the word or encourage someone else to do something good if they want to. If you take nothing else away from my story… know that when something is in your heart to do, just believe that it will all fall into place as the universe intended. You already have everything that you need to move forward... just believe and trust that it was put in your heart and spirit for a reason. You can do it.

In Hoi An...Day Two

Photo © tewfic el-sawy

Having woken up really early in the hopes of catching the fishermen  hauling their catch did not make any difference, as there were no fishing boats which venture out to sea this morning....the level of water was unusually high so that may have played a part in it.

The main objectives of the rest of the day was for the participants start working on a personal photo essay, and learn the fundamentals of Soundslides. We had also booked a model for an afternoon photo shoot.

I initiated a photo essay which deals with an octogenarian and his wife who both own and operated coffee house, and hope to produce along the lines of the successful One In 8 Million series by the New York Times.

Photo © tewfic el-sawy

Finally, we hired Tien...a beautiful model from Hoi An, and spent the better of a late afternoon photographing her in the Old Quarter of Hoi An. The photo shoot lasted longer than anticipated as we sought to squeeze every little moment of light.

Photo © Maika Elan- All Rights Reserved

The Soundslides session in the afternoon was held in the bar of the Hoi An Hotel. Sound editing classes via Audacity will start in Hue.

In Hoi An....

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Immediately upon arriving in Hoi An, we had a walk-about in the center of this historic small town, with its well-known yellow decaying walls, small alleys and tiny store fronts.

Whilst walking, we encountered a group of movie technicians huddled with their lights and cameras around a gorgeous Vietnamese woman. Naturally, I quick-footed over to her to see what was all the fuss about, and it turned out that she was Ngô T Vân, one of the top Vietnamese actresses. We chatted while her handlers fussed around, and she was just delightfully approachable.

Subsequently, I and Maika chanced on the house of an elderly couple, who welcomed us in their living room. Octogenarians, they had worked in the coffee business all their lives. I intend to return today and try to develop a photo story on their lives.

This morning, we woke up really early to catch the fishermen delivering the daily catch to the fishmongers in the market, but we were either too late (5:30am?) or the fishermen didn't make any deliveries. We heard conflicting reasons...however, we spent around two hours documenting the fishmongers and the going-ons in that market.

Photo © Maika Elan- ALl Rights Reserved

Morning photo shoot in Hoi An Old Quarter with Victoria Alexander, Colleen Kerrigan and Sharon Tennant-Johnson.

More to follow.

In Hanoi...Third Day

By midday today, the workshop group had all arrived and had met in the Golden Silk Boutique Hotel's lobby.  For a couple of hours, I described the general parameters of the workshop insofar as multimedia was concerned. The participants are (by order of arrival to Hanoi) Colleen Kerrigan, Sharon Johnson Tennant, Graham Ware, Frances Bruchez, Victoria Alexander, David Regehr, and Shane and Julie Green.

Following lunch at a nearby restaurant, we then brought our photo gear out and walked in the streets of Hanoi, to explore the teeming street life, the pandemonium of zigzagging scooters, and the endless street food stalls.  Street photography in Hanoi is both simple and difficult. The mass of people on the streets sidewalks is breathtaking, and lots of opportunities abound...however, it's quite difficult to figure out eye-pleasing patterns because there are simply too many people in one spot.

In the evening, we had dinner at the notorious Xoi Yen, where we all had xoi xeo ga (yellow glutinous sticky rice) with chicken breast, and fried shallots. This is a very tasty dish, and one we shall return to when we're back in Hanoi.

Tomorrow, we fly off to Danang...onwards to Hoi An and Hue.

In Hanoi...Second Day

Instagram Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy

By mid morning, three of the 8 workshop participants are already in Hanoi, and have already started to familiarize themselves with the Old Quarter. Three more will arrive this evening, and the last two arrive early tomorrow morning.

Hai Thanh and I along with Graham Ware has a wonderful lunch at Highway 4, which I understand is one of the best restaurants in Hanoi as described by the Lonely Planet. And since we were alerted to the weekly night market by the Golden Silk Boutique Hotel, we spent most of the evening taking the sights there, photographing...and ultimately having dinner in an open air restaurant, joined subsequently by Hai and Maika Elan, who'll be assisting me on this workshop.

We ordered a hot pot that came with prawns, tofu, beef, pork liver, clams and other stuff including mushrooms. It was way more than we could eat, but we pretty much polished the wonderful broth off.

After all, we had photographed the length and breadth of the night market all along the Hang Duong and Hang Dao walking streets, and that had honed our appetite.

Photo© Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

In Hanoi....!!

 After a long flight on Malaysian Airlines (excellent service, brand new aircraft, etc), and connecting from Kuala Lumpur, I landed in Hanoi and whisked to the workshop's hotel Golden Silk Boutique Hotel in the midst of Old Hanoi.

Grabbing my street photography favorite, my scarf and my cell phone I chanced the notorious streets of the quarter. I have to say that despite my having not slept for quite a while, the photo opportunities in these streets are just staggering.

Having risked my life in the streets of Cairo, Delhi, and New York City...amongst many other large cities, I found that crossing the Hanoi streets and dodging the scooters not such a big deal (so far).

Most of the group participants are arriving in waves today, and the workshop officially starts tomorrow.

  

Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2013: Sarajevo!

Eric Beecroft, the co-founder of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, has just announced the tentative dates for the 2013 workshop which is to be held in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The door for Pre-Registration is already open!

The tentative dates for the workshop are July 14-20, 2013. The initial list of instructors consists of Ron Haviv, Robert King, Andrea Bruce, Maggie Steber, James Whitlow Delano, Alison Morley, Tewfic El Sawy, Paula Bronstein, Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson, Adriana Zehbrauskas and more to come.

The cost:

Local Tuition: $475. Any photographer from the Balkans/Former Ottoman Empire (Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Moldavia, Romania, Macedonia, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Cyprus 

BONUS: Anyone coming from South or Southeast Asia, since 2012 workshop was in Thailand, gets one year of locked-in tuition at: $475 for this year's workshop. 

Standard tuition: $975.

What are you waiting for?

Colonels fall to AAA power Washington

By Watson Cook

The IA Colonels faced an uphill battle Friday night as they took on one of the top AAA teams in the state. The Washington School Generals, who came in as the #5 team in AAA, looked every bit the part in beating the overmatched Colonels 48-8.

From the opening kick, the Generals showed why they should be in contention for a state title come November. While holding the Colonels to only 1 first down in the first half, Washington found the endzone on 5 of 6 first half possessions to race to a 34-0 halftime lead. The Generals ran 26 plays for 268 yards in the half. Meanwhile, the Colonels ran 14 plays for 16 yards.

Playing with a running clock in the second half, the Colonels continued to struggle with the Generals’ powerful running game and stout defense. Washington ran only 8 plays yet managed 2 touchdowns. The Colonels ran 14 plays and were able to get on the board in the 4^thquarter. Jonathan Holland ran it in from 2 yards out to cap a 10-play, 78-yard drive with 4:40 left in the game. Ashton Knight added the 2-point run. In total yardage, the Generals outgained the Colonels 360-92.

The loss drops the Colonels to 2-2. IA will return to AA action Friday, September 14 when they travel to Central Hinds Academy. The Colonels will be looking to return the favor as the Cougars came to Indianola last year and ran away with a 47-21 win. Kickoff from Raymond is set for 7:00.

The Travel Photographer's On His Way To Hanoi

I'm on my way to Hanoi to start my Vietnam: North Of The 16th Parallel Photo Expedition/Workshop.

During the coming two weeks, my posts will not be as frequent but I'll try to update my readers as to the progress of the workshop, and upload a few photographs.

Cedric Arnold: Sacred Ink

Photo © Cedric Arnold-All Rights Reserved

Having just spent some 10 days in Chiang Mai, I'm glad to have found Sacred Ink, the impressive work of photographer Cedric Arnold featuring the tattooing culture in Thailand.

The sacred tattoos in Thailand are much more than just an art form, and with a culture deeply rooted in superstition and spirituality, such tattoos are believed to have magical and healing powers. Thai men and also women have their sacred tattoos done at Buddhist temples, for protection against evil spirits, and as good luck charms.

Cedric Arnold's website tells us that these sacred tattoos can be scripts based on ancient Khmer, and the original Buddhist Pali, along with figures and mythical creatures. Using large-format and Polaroid cameras, formal black-and-white portraits were made of boxers, monks, construction workers, policemen, soldiers, taxi drivers, shipyards workers, a shaman, and tattoo masters.

A few years ago, I photographed at Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple about half an hour's drive from Bangkok. It is here that every March 30 thousands of Thais and foreigners gather to watch or participate in the 'Sak Yant' festival. Sak means "tap tattoo" while Yant translates into "sacred design". 

After being granted permission by a head monk, I photographed during a non-festival day, a couple of Buddhist monks were already busy tattooing Thais. The 'sak yant' is done with a 'mai sak'- a long bamboo stick sharpened to a point. The ink is said to be made from various ingredients including snake venom, herbs and cigarette ash. I was told these was no payment made nor expected, but that gifts of cigarettes and food were accepted by the tattooing monks.






The above short clip is also by Cedric Arnold and I believe must have been filmed during the annual Sak Yant festival at the Wat Bang Phra temple.

Thumb Rests For The Fuji X Pro-1

Back in April 2011, I was getting used to the ergonomics of my then-new Leica M9 and found that it needed an add-on in the form of the extremely well made Thumbs Up EP-1, produced by matchTechnical (see above photo). It has remained on my M9 since then, as I found it to be invaluable while shooting with it...adding stability and improved handling.

With the advent of the Fujifilm X Pro-1, I was expecting a similar add-on from matchTechnical, and true enough, it has recently produced the Thumbs Up EP-75 specifically made for it. 

The quality seems to be as high as the remaining models by matchTechnical, and is claimed to provide the most efficient shape for holding your Fuji camera more securely and more comfortably...reducing any camera shake. It also claims that it would not inadvertently disturb the position of the program control buttons on the X-Pro 1.

Without seeing it, I'm certain about the quality of the Thumb Up EP-75 ($118 inclusive of shipping), but hope it doesn't interfere with the X Pro-1's Command Dial.

Since well-thought and successful products are frequently imitated, I should also mention the Lensmate Fujifilm X-Pro1 Thumbrest is also available. It's described as being milled from a block of 6061 T6 alloy, and has the fit and finish equal to the camera itself. It sells for $75.

The Lensmate Thumbrest

I have no relationship with either matchTechnical Services or with Lensmate (and/or any of its retail outlets) other than having bought a Thumbs Up EP-1 from the former.

New Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm has just announced the new X-E1 mirrorless camera, which is a smaller sibling to the successful X Pro-1. It features the same 16.3 mp CMOS sensor as the X-Pro1, but has a smaller and lighter body.

It features a 2.8-inch LCD, a pop-up flash, ISO of 200-6400 (expandable to 100-25600), and RAW and built-in RAW conversion, but doesn't have the hybrid viewfinder found on the X Pro-1. It only has a EVF. It's much lighter than its larger sibling, and in terms of size, it's 30% smaller.

I haven't used my X Pro-1's video mode (relying on the Canon 5D Mark 2 when I needed to) but the X-E1 can shoot 1920×1080 video at 24fps, and Fuji's Film Simulation option can be enabled during video recording...nice!

I leave it to you to decide if the X-E1 will be as successful as the X Pro-1. My initial reaction is that it might be too small...even for a second body. However, it's supposed to have a retail price of $1000...$700 cheaper than the X Pro-1.

All time MAIS softball wins record broken

Southern Sports & Travel

If you asked Veritas senior Jordan Warriner about the Lady Lion's doubleheader sweep over Porter's Chapel on Tuesday night she would instantly talk abnut how important the two wins are to the team but what the flame-throwing pitcher accomplished in the two games is amazing.

Warriner tied the MAIS all time record in wins with 126 in the Lady Lion's 8-0 victory in game one and followed that by leading her squad to an 18-4 win and her 127th to break the record previously held by 2008 Jackson Prep graduate Kelly Chandler who went on to play at Ole Miss.

"She's our hardest worker," said Veritas head coach Rachel Wright. "Anytime the girls are down she steps in and gets us back on track."

With six regular season games remaining Veritas (15-1) is getting primed for the playoffs and hoping to make a serious run at a Class A state championship. The Lady Lions lost to Winona and eventual champion Bayou in the state tournament last season.

Warriner, whose career mark stands at 127-29, will be a double threat for Veritas. The senior also leads the squad in hitting with a .607 avg and on base percentage of .711.

There's no doubt that the success of the Lady Lion's post season depends heavily on the pitching of Warriner who has an impressive ERA of 0.42 and 2012 record of 14-1. The senior has recorded 65 strikeouts to only 4 walks in 62 innings of work.

"She has carried us," said Wright. "When she gets down in a count she just works that much harder."

Warriner has been a starter at the varsity level since the seventh grade and in her 703 total innings pitched she has racked up 1,017 strikeouts and a career ERA of 0.89.

"I am so excited about breaking the MAIS all time wins record but I would trade that any day to win state for my teammates this year," said Jordan Warriner. "My journey in softball has been so amazing and more than I ever could have expected. I couldn't have done anything without the amazing teammates who have backed me up every game over the years."

Warriner is also quick to call attention to her coaches such as Bobby Waterbury who has coached her since age 10. "Without him none of this would be possible," said Warriner.

"She understands this is her last year and she's going out hard," said second year head coach Rachel Wright.

"My dad has had to put up with me since I started pitching and has coached me through the good and bad and I really appreciate all he has done for me as well as all the other coaches," said Warriner.

Warriner will pitch at Hyte-Wolcott Field one last time on September 18th against Rebul Academy, the Lady Lion's last home game, before heading to play in the South State tournament in Liberty on September 22nd.

MAIS Football data compilation

Southern Sports & Travel

Much work was put into compiling an MAIS rushing leaders list and it must be mentioned that the response from MAIS schools was tremendous and very appreciative. While the list isn't 100% completed it is close. A small percentage of schools either chose not to participate or don't keep accurate stats for their football programs.

A friend of Southern Sports & Travel is helping to compile MAIS football data. Mike Kelly will be working on a total touchdowns leaders list (passing, rushing, receiving & returns). Please submit your team leaders to Mike via text (1-225-413-0024) or email mkelly@ibervillecompanies.com or me at 985-750-3455 or aafandaman@yahoo.com.

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See ya somewhere...............

Vietnam Is Next....

In under 10 days, I'll be once again back in South East Asia...this time in Hanoi, to lead another of my photo trips Vietnam: North Of The 16th Parallel Photo Expedition/Workshop™!

The itinerary will only include the northern half of Vietnam...so the title of the photo expedition is based (almost) on The Seventeenth Parallel, which was the provisional military demarcation line between North and South Vietnam established by the Geneva Accords of 1954. It will include Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue, Halong Bay and naturally Sapa and Bac Ha.

On this itinerary, the participants will be emulating real-life photo assignments, and produce multimedia bodies of work ready for publishing. The workshop is devised for photographers interested in documentary photography, ethno-photography and multimedia, and for those ready to create visual projects from their inventory of photographs, and learn how to control story length, intent, pace, use of music and ambient sound, narration, field recordings and interviews.

The participants are from the United States, Canada, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Australia...a veritable multinational group.  I will be assisted by Maika Elan (Nguyen Thanh Hai), an award winning freelance photographer from Hanoi.

From a technical standpoint, I will be putting my two "rangefinders" (M9 and the Fuji X Pro-1) through their paces on this trip. Probably shooting in monochrome in the Sapa and Bac Ha, and color (with the Canon 5D Mark II) on the rest of the itinerary...with mostly wide angle lenses on all my cameras.

Everything is prepared and ready...the hotels, the visas, the internal flights...and even the local eateries seem to have been alerted of our arrival.

Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

Lamar School running back Corey Skinner is the Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week. The 5'9", 190 lb. senior led the Lamar ground attack by rushing for 204 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns and had two receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown in the Raider's 55-27 win on the road over Winston.

Skinner picked up 151 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Raiders to a 42-14 blowout win over MHSAA 2-A Enterprise in week two.

The senior has been a key factor in Lamar's 3-0 start and is averaging 156 yards a game on the ground and ranks fifth in the MAIS in rushing with 467 yards.

Lamar hosts 8th ranked Central Hinds this Friday night in a matchup that will feature Skinner and Central Hinds tailback Bryan King who is the second leading rusher in the MAIS with 529 yards. 

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Colonels impress on the road

By Watson Cook

A cross-state trip to West Point didn’t slow down the IA Colonels last Friday night. Facing a 2-0 Oak Hill team, the Colonels were impressive on both sides of the ball and were able to celebrate a 36-20 win on the long ride home.

The Colonels got going late in the first quarter following a Raider fumble. Tristan Tackett capped a 14-play, 83-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run with 0:24 to play in the quarter. Trey Roberson connected with Michael Sykes for the 2-point conversion to put IA up 8-0. The Raiders responded on their next drive, going 59 yards on 11 plays to score with 8:21 remaining before the half. However, they could not convert the 2-point try and the Colonels held on to an 8-6 lead. Less than two minutes later, Ashton Knight would find paydirt with a 25-yard sprint to the endzone, his first of three touchdowns on the night. The 2-point try was unsuccessful, giving IA a 14-6 lead. The Raiders threatened to answer again but their second fumble of the game gave the Colonels the ball at the IA 28 with just over three minutes to play in the half. The Colonels drove 72 yards on 6 plays, helped by a 3^rdand 14 conversion, and Wheeler Timbs punched it in from 2 yards out (A. Knight 2-point run) to put the Colonels up 22-6 with 0:48 to go in the quarter. Oak Hill managed to drive to midfield but Dalton Sykes put an end to the Raider threat with 2 sacks, including one for an 8-yard loss on the last play of the quarter.

The Raiders pulled closer on their first possession of the third quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion to trim the Colonel lead to 22-14. That’s when things started to get interesting. The following 3 Colonel drives resulted in a punt, fumble and turnover on downs from the Raider 11 yard line. Oak Hill answered those drives with a turnover on downs, interception (Tristan Knight), and fumble which IA recovered at the Raider 16. That set up A. Knight’s second touchdown run of the game, this one from 2 yards out. Roberson added the 2-point run to put the Colonels up 30-14 with 6:25 to play in the game. The Raiders immediately went into a hurry-up offense that they were clearly not comfortable running. It resulted in another turnover on downs, giving IA the ball at the Raider 46. Five plays later, A. Knight added his third touchdown run, a 17-yard scamper to give the Colonels some extra breathing room, 36-14 (2-point try failed). The Raiders were able to get on the board one last time with 0:35 remaining to close the final margin to 36-20.

The win improves the Colonels to 2-1 on the year. Next up is the #5 team in AAA (The Clarion Ledger), the Washington School Generals, who will come to Legion Field with a 3-0 record. Kickoff is set for 7:00 Friday, September 7.

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KL Photo.BOM: Asia By Asians

One of The Travel Photographer blog's objectives has always been to provide a modest platform to further the exposure of emerging travel and documentary photographers from all over the world, so it's a distinct pleasure to feature a slideshow of photographs by KL Foto.BOM, a collective of documentary photographers from Asia/Malaysia. The actual slideshow presentation was held at The Leica Store Malaysia, Avenue K on 2 September 2012.

The photographs/photo essays are by Andri Tambunan,  Adli Ghazali,  Maika Elan, Edward Khoo,  Lim Paik Yin, Binh Dang, Azahari Salleh, Ahsan Qureishi, Ridzki Noviansyah, Mervyn Leong, Azreen Madzlan, Izzat Yahaya, Khairil Safwan, Vignes Balasingam, Rahman Roslan, Javad Tizmaghz, and Hanif Maidin. 

Some of these photographers are alums of The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop and others of the Angkor Photo Festival...and some of both. Accomplished photographers and photojournalists, they have varying styles and different visions...but all of them are united by the common thread of creativity and dedication to their craft.

The slideshow can also be viewed directly on YouTube

Trinity tops Bowling Green in Labor Day meeting

For Southern Sports & Travel, by Kent Knee

The Trinity Saints defeated Bowling Green on Monday afternoon in Franklinton, 41-20.

Bowling Green scored first in the 1st quarter on a 1 yard run by Drew Varnado, but their 2 point conversion attempt failed.

Trinity scored only 7 points in the 1st half, with Garrett Vinson running in from 26 yards out, followed by Carter Smith's PAT, all in the 1st quarter.

The Saints scored three times in the 3rd quarter: Tanner Cage's 13 yard run, Wyatt Boothe's 4 yard touchdown reception from Vinson and Tanner Cage scored on a 31 yard touchdown catch from Vinson.

Bowling Green also returned an interception of a Garrett Vinson pass 28 yards for a touchdown and was successful on the 2 point conversion.

Trinity scored twice in the 4th quarter, Dee Fleming went in from 1 yard and Dee Fleming again on a 59 yard run.

Bowling Green also scored on a pass play in the 4th quarter but their 2 point attempt fell short of the mark.

Dee Fleming rushed for 110 yards on 14 carries to lead Trinity, Tanner Cage added 67 yards on 13 carries and Vinson 64 yards on 12 carries for a total of 251 yards.

Vinson also completed 12 of 17 pass attempts with 1 interception for 158 yards.

Five different Saints caught passes: Peyton Young 1-3 yards, Jacob Sandrock 3-32 yards, Wyatt Boothe 3-24 yards, Tanner Cage 3-62 yards, and Arzell McCoy 2-34 yards.

On defense, Vinson and Sandrock both intercepted one pass and recovered a Bowling Green fumble. Sky Logan, Peyton Young and Jared Hedrick were the teams leading tacklers.

The Saints are now 1-2 in season play.

Caleb Cross and Wyatt Franks were sidelined for the game with injuries, but should be ready for Friday's game against Silliman.

Ed Peters: Beyond The Indus

Photo © Ed Peters-All Rights Reserved

"It’s the challenge of capturing the texture of life, created by these contradictory elements, which draws me to India’s streets." -Ed Peters

And so writes Ed Peters prefacing his Beyond The Indus photo gallery... and what a photo gallery of captured moments of life! Just take a look at the photograph above...a man asleep, horizontally inert..and sort of Hindu angel floating above him, next to an askew small painting of the Taj Mahal, and a sliver of a woman staring at the photographer...

I was torn between featuring Beyond The Indus or Mexican Proximity (many of the photographs are from Oaxaca, my favorite Mexican town), but I decided to feature Ed's work from India because I was so taken by the above image.

A New York-based retired photojournalist, Ed is a Leica M9 user, as well as a Canon 5D Mark II for his photographic work. Possibly influenced by the work of Costa Manos and Alex Webb, Ed is obviously drawn to color...to the interplay of contrasts between shadow and light...and to the streets.

In an interview with Leica Liker, this is what he says about why he does street photography:

I find it enjoyable. Otherwise why bother? I like the process of walking, the challenge of making successful images, and the element of gamesmanship involved.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Ed Peters worked as a freelance photographer, before joining the staff of The Star Ledger in Newark, New Jersey. He subsequently relocated to Asia where he photographed the plight of Burmese refugees, and the pro democracy movement in Nepal. Returning to the United States, he joined a photo agency and photographed a wide variety of stories. These include the famine in Somalia, war in the former Yugoslavia, traditional wrestling in India, and the continuing AIDS crisis. He is now focusing on his personal work, especially street photography.

WEEK FOUR "PICK EM" GAMES
MAIS TOP RUSHERS

 

Lamar endures slow start to hammer Winston
Southern Sports & Travel
The Lamar Raiders took their 2-0 record and #5 Class AA ranking into Louisville on a soggy and humid Friday night and earned a tough fought 55-27 win over the Winston Patriots.
Senior tailback Corey Skinner continued his quick start to the 2012 season with a 219 yard rushing performance that included two touchdowns behind a make-shift offensive line that has been ravished by injuries this season.
"We started four sophomores and a senior who had never started before on our line against Winston," said Lamar head coach Mac Barnes. "We had some guys out and we were pretty thin."
Lamar took an early 6-0 lead on Corey Skinner's 3 yard plunge with 8:51 remaining in the opening quarter but Winston answered quickly and tied the game at 6-6 on an Orien Dailey 58 yard dash one minute later.
Lamar capped a wild opening five minutes of the game with a Lee Martin 81 yard kickoff return to regain the lead at 13-6 just seconds after Winston had knotted the contest at 6-6. Winston finished the quarter on Zach Taylor's 3 yard touchdown run with 25 seconds remaining and followed that up with a successful 2-point conversion to take a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.
Lamar fired back with a strong second quarter as senior quarterback Barrett Dudley connected with Corey Skinner for a 40 yard touchdown strike at the 8:44 mark and the Raiders extended that lead to 21-14 following a successful 2-point conversion.
The Raiders increased the margin to 27-14 on a Chase Davis 8 yard reverse with 4:43 left in the half.
Winston got back into the game less than two minutes into the second half when Logan Webb hit Taylor Moody with a 23 yard pass to trim the deficit to 27-21 but Lamar was about to explode.
Lee Martin scored from 6 yards out and Corey Skinner added an 8 yard burst to give the Raiders a 41-21 cushion to close out the third quarter.
Lamar quarterback Barrett Dudley's 17 yard run with 5:09 remaining in the game pushed the lead to 48-21 and sealed the win. "It was a battle against Winston, they really took it to us," said Mac Barnes who is in his 12th season at Lamar. "We've had a rash of injuries and wound up playing guys Friday night that we hadn't worked with on defense and on top of that it's been a really chaotic week, we didn't even practice Thursday. Our skill players did well and that was the difference in the game."
Lamar racked up 329 yards rushing on the night and for Barnes that's not a stat that most of his past Raider squads have been known for. "When they're healthy this is the best offensive line that we've had in a long time, we average around 250 lbs," said Barnes. "We have only thrown the football 39 times this season and I can't remember that ever happening while I've been here."
Barnes says he's pleased with his team three games into the season and thrilled with the production of his senior quarterback Barrett Dudley and senior tailback Corey Skinner. Dudley was 6/11 for 147 yards and a touchdown passing and rushed for 76 yards and a score. "Barrett played free safety and was our backup quarterback last season," said Barnes. "I feel really good about him."
Lamar will look to improve to 4-0 next Friday night when they host much improving Central Hinds who shocked Class AAA Copiah 13-7 behind 257 yards rushing from tailback Bryan King. "Central Hinds has a big offensive line and a good running back," said Barnes. "Mitch Mitchell is an excellent coach and it will be a challenge for us."

Centreville tops Parklane to remain unbeaten
Southern Sports & Travel

It wasn't the familiar setting that both Centreville and Parklane are used to as the two met for a 10:30 am kickoff Saturday morning at Centreville due to Hurricane Isaac forcing the delay of the scheduled Friday night start but after spotting Parklane a 12-0 halftime lead Class AA top ranked Centreville shut the Pioneers down in the second half and earned a 13-12 win behind 137 yards rushing from senior tailback Randy Bell.

"We had a hard time getting everyone to the school on time and it seemed as though they were still asleep in the first half," said assistant head coach Brian Stutzman.

Centreville scored on a Randy Bell (file photo left) 26 yard scamper with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter to narrow the deficit to 12-7 and took their first lead of the contest at the 6:19 mark of the fourth quarter when senior tailback Colton Terrell ran in from 28 yards out to give the Tigers a 13-12 advantage.

Centreville sealed the win on a Randy Bell interception of a Brady Lea pass attempt from deep inside Parklane territory and time running out.

"We woke up in the second half," said Stutzman. "Our defense played lights out the entire game and kept us in it early. We did a great job of controlling field position."

Bell picked up his 137 yards rushing on 19 carries while Terrell added 39 yards on 10 carries.

Sophomore quarterback Casey Haygood passed for 53 yards.

"They don't come any better than Randy Bell," said Stutzman. "He ran hard each time he touched the football and gave us 110% on both sides of the ball."

Parklane quarterback Brady Lea was held to 57 yards rushing on 17 carries and went 6/18 for 138 yards through the air.

Centreville improves to 3-0 and will make the short trip to take on WCCA next Friday. "We can't go in over confident against WCCA," said Stutzman. "They have a solid squad and play us tough every time we play them."

Parklane suffered its' first loss of the season falling to 2-1 following last week's 26-0 shutout of Oak Forest. The Pioneers will host Brookhaven next week.