The Hype is Real

The past six weeks have come and gone so fast my head is still spinning. That was probably one longest stretches of non-stop travel i've had in my life. Not complaining because i'm very fortunate to be in the position I'm in, but fuck was that draining. Following Edmonton we headed to Thunder Valley up by Sacramento. Tournament ran smoothly, Ben Erwin is one of the best dudes, and always takes care of us. 

Thunder Valley is another room that is beautiful, but the lighting is always dark and super yellow. When I was there last year with my D700 it was a struggle, but thankfully shooting on higher ISOs is so easy with newer model cameras it wasn't bad at all. Actually had the pleasure of checking out Folsom State Prison as well which was cool. We were limited to the museum, but it's literally right next door from the prison itself. 

After Sacramento it was back to LA for a quick 36 hours and then off to Maryland Live! The little stints in LA in between trips feels like a layover more than it does a break. Enough time to hit the gym, do laundry, and eat. 

This was my first trip to Maryland Live and I was kind of excited, but more than anything I was burnt out. Upon arriving to the casino it was interesting to see that its attached to a giant strip mall. The event itself ran pretty smoothly and was a blast seeing a bunch of the East Coast homies that I usually don't see. 

The only real hiccup with Maryland Live was the winners photo. While I usually stick the winner in the 5 seat, and shoot from behind the dealers box, the space was super limited surrounding the final table. Add in a dozen empty table with empty chairs behind and I was left with one option. Get low, shoot up, and keep the lens wide open. I actually liked the winners photo but there was one problem...

....it looked like someone ate 3 bags of doritos and then handled the trophy. There were finger prints all over the damn thing. Fortunately I am fairly proficient in photoshop, so after some quick masking and blur, we were left with a better looking trophy. 

For now I'm back in LA. I turned 28 yesterday which is insane because I didn't think I was making it to see 25, haha. I picked up some new glass as a present to myself and could not be more excited to shoot with it. New camera, new glass...I'm starting to feel like a little kid again and itching to shoot.
I am off to Amsterdam on Tuesday for two weeks to shoot the WPTDS event along with the WPT Main Tour stop. Probably going to disconnect for  a few days out there but will try to get some photos up from the first leg of the trip!