For the pep rally photo, I wanted to showcase just the energy and fun the students were having as they were getting to do a game that was not allowed a year ago. Despite an empty chair right next to these two students, they fought over the one chair they wanted and had everyone in the crowd laughing and cheering.
Seniors Brayden Jones and Elizabeth Carvajal fight over who gets the chair during a round of musical chairs in the final pep rally of the year in March. "My favorite moment was playing musical chairs and pushing people out of the way to get the chair," said Carvajal, who was the girls soccer representative. She finished in second place.
I always enjoy shooting sports. In the middle of the first home tennis match of the year, I captured Talmage's match. I just liked the crispness of his focused face, the racket, the ball and his hands during the backhand slice near the net.
Junior Talmage Hammond tosses a backhand slice back over the net in the team's first home match of the season in August.
While there was a crazy mass of people in the middle of the dance floor, these two juniors had found a quiet spot on the edge of the floor where they were in their own world during one of the few slow dances played at the homecoming dance. It was the first dance on campus since prior to the pandemic, and their quiet moment showcased the pure joy kids felt that night.
Juniors Abby Hunt and Cameron Williams slow dance together during the homecoming dance. More than 1,000 students showed up for the school's first formal dance since 2019.
I wanted to get the expression of surprise from the winner of homecoming king or queen. I positioned myself toward the middle of the field and memorized where each person was standing. As soon as I heard the winner, I turned the camera toward Kade, whose mouth was agape in shock. His mom was looking on with such pride.
Senior Kade Terrell looks in shock to his mom after hearing his name called as the homecoming king during halftime of the homecoming football game in October.
I focused my camera on the senior who seemed most upset when the game ended. She was originally bent over alone and after shooting that, I about moved on to photograph other athletes on the team. However, I then spotted the reserve goalkeeper going onto the field to comfort her and walk her back toward the bench with her other teammates.
Senior captain Kathleen Ortiz allows sophomore goalkeeper Arleigh Doehring to help her off the field after Kingwood Park was eliminated by Magnolia in the Regional Semifinals at Turner Stadium. Ortiz had played in the state semifinals as a freshman and had hoped to return to the state championships as a senior.