The summer is time for freelancer photojournalists like myself to take a breath. Business slows down because school is out and most newspapers and magazines get summer interns. This is when freelancers relax, travel, work on personal projects and basically have time to catch up on all the stuff they haven’t done in a while.
But now it’s August.
School will soon be in session and football season (my busiest time) is days away. Assignments have started coming in at a faster pace, and like a high school kid coming back from summer, I’m not exactly in shape to get myself up for a full day of work. For the past few weeks I’ve been avoiding the heat and retaining every moment possible of Olympic TV coverage.
Last week I pumped myself up and decided to venture out on my own. I didn’t have an assignment, I just left my house with camera in hand and headed to San Marcos in search of a picture.
Of course, when most people think of San Marcos in the summer, they think of tubing in the river, so I started in City Park, home of the Lions Club Tube Rentals.
I took a few shots, but wasn’t terribly excited about any of them, so I moved down river to Rio Vista Falls, where there’s a bit more action.
I got these shots of a heroic beer save, plus a few others, but they were all shots I’ve gotten many times before.
I got in my car, thinking I could go to any number of the “usual places” where I know I’d be almost guaranteed a publishable photo. I checked the time and remembered passing by Strahan Coliseum, where the Texas State University summer graduation ceremonies were underway. I wasn’t about to crash the ceremony in shorts and sandals, soaked in sweat, but I thought about another idea.
It’s tradition after graduation ceremonies for graduates to jump in to the San Marcos River fully clothed in their caps and gowns. I checked the ceremony schedule and waited outside for the festivities to finish up. Sure enough, cap and gown clad grads migrated slowly to the edge of the river and a little at a time they jumped in.
I worked in San Marcos for years and never shot this. I was a little surprised at how awkward it was to shoot. The best place to be seemed to be in the middle of the river, but the current’s strong and I can’t tread water with a DSLR in my hand.
All things considered, it turned out great for a feature hunt, and a couple Texas State grads ended up in the Statesman.
When I got home, thoroughly soaked from sweat, I heard that we hit a heat record of 107 that day. I thought to myself, “Huh, I was out for hours and it only felt like 101.” Maybe I’m more prepared for football season than I thought.
One Comment