First Win

"Boxer Yueri Andujar (R) shares a moment with his trainer Sensei Guerrido after defeating Crystian Peguero (not pictured) in his pro boxing featherweight debut bout at 2300 Arena on September 14, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."

Every time I speak to students wanting to get into this business of photography, one of the many pieces of wisdom I try to instill is that you never know what you'll have the privilege to visually document.

A couple weeks ago, I found myself chasing a story in which I decided to shoot a couple of fights prior to what I was actually in the building for.

Sometimes when I find myself in a situation like this - I think of the future. Will one of these athletes become a superstar later in life? Or will I never hear of them again? I hope for success for everyone.

In one of the bouts, Yueri Andujar won his very first professional fights. But what moved me was the moment he had after with his trainer.

Juxtaposing moments like these are powerful - it shows the quieter side to the physically demanding sport - which is something I'm always trying to show viewers.

Tiger's Prowl

"Tiger Woods of the United States looks on from the 18th green during round two of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston on September 1, 2018 in Norton, Massachusetts."

There are a few athletes that make sports photography not only a fun challenge, but have a huge historical impact. Tiger Woods is one of those people.

No matter what tournament it is, whether it's The Masters or in this case the Dell Technologies Championship - Tiger is an iconic figure.

In writing this, Tiger has won again, but when this image was captured, he was looking for his next victory.

When photographing athletes in play, I always like to play with possible story lines in my head. How can a dramatic lighting picture of Tiger be used in future stories?  He isn't swinging a club, but his body language and look can say a lot.

Tiger looks focused, hungry and determined to get back to the top. His prowl is evident. An image like this can be used so many ways.

Everyone loves a comeback story and I'm sure all sports photographers are eager to see how 2019 pans out for him.