The Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000

In what is starting to become a New Year’s tradition, I traveled to Las Vegas on January 2nd to shoot the World Series of Beer Pong V. Being my second year on the job, I sort of knew what to expect, but I would have never guessed that Smashing Time would repeat as champions. Ron and Pop defended their crown, giving official notice to the beer pong community that they are THE team to beat. While watching Smashing Time decimate the competition was enthralling, I also enjoyed getting to meet the 800+ other participants. The Jay Leno Show sent a team; and international representatives from Canada, Japan and Ireland were among the contenders. The event truly is a cross section of life: DJs, frat boys, husbands and wives, teachers and even strippers make the trek to battle the world’s best players. With the tournament in its fifth year, it is obvious that competitive beer pong is just starting to hit its stride.

(continue reading…)

Since we have officially closed the books on Summer 2009, here’s a little snapshot from the season that was. In July, Sharat graciously hosted Alex, Josh and me at his favorite country club municipal course, West Seattle Golf Club. Sharat, a course regular, guided us through 18 holes and more than a few dozen cold ones. This picture is from the tee on the 15th hole. The tee box is perched on a hill that features a grand view of downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound and Mount Baker.
(continue reading…)

Chase Jarvis is the man. Not only is he one of the most highly regarded commercial photographers in the world, he lives in Seattle and is a pretty friendly chap. On Monday night he hosted a photo session that I was lucky enough to secure an invitation to. About thirty of us met up at his studio and walked over to Inner Space, an indoor skate park in Seattle. Chase and his crew had rented the park for the night, hired models (read ‘skateboarders ready to shred’) and outfitted the space with six Broncolor lighting setups. After doing a quick demo where Chase shot a Nikon D3 tethered into a MacBook Pro and 30” Cinema Display, he turned us loose with PocketWizards, 3200 w/s packs, and all the kick flips and mute grabs we could shoot. Having gotten my start in photography 10 years ago by shooting aggressive inline skating, I was stoked to ‘get back to my roots.’
(continue reading…)

Yesterday, a few us cruised out to Redmond Ridge to knock around the Titleist. I helped organize a four person scramble with eight teams. We certainly didn’t win, but our team was pleased with an inspired one-under score (thanks to a 15 foot biride putt on 18 by yours truly). The majority of the glory hardly belongs to me—my golf skills are certainly inferior to the two other things I did yesterday: take pictures and drink beer.

(continue reading…)

For most Americans, soccer is about one of two things: you’re either a fan or a player. Most soccer players are little spaz-kids jacked up on Capri Sun who roam in packs, chasing a ball and kicking each other in the shins. Most soccer fans in this country are the parents of the aforementioned spaz. You probably drive a mini-van/SUV and alternate with the other parents on who brings the post game snack. But wait… there’s another kind of fan: the PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, er soccer, fan. You pay money to go to matches, wear your team’s colors, and pretend you live in Europe/South America. These are the kinds of fans, check that, hooligans, that give soccer such a great reputation internationally. Americans have some catching up to do, but someday I believe we can be as obnoxious as our international counterparts.

Enter the Seattle Sounders FC. The Sounders are a football club that gives everyone in Seattle something they have always longed for: a reason to act like they live in a socialist European country. It also welcomes a departure from the AYSO standard of behavior; hello boozing and fighting!
(continue reading…)

Alfonso Soriano breaks a bat at Wrigley Field. April 18, 2009.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR lens @ 200mm.
Shutter Priority. 1/1000 second @ f/5.6. ISO 1600.

Historic rivalry. That’s how sports writers often describe the tradition of competition between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Baseball inspired booze-fueled block party is how I refer to any game at Wrigley Field. I lived on Chicago’s north side for two years, and during that period I stumbled among the masses at Clark and Addison more than a few times. Last weekend I returned to the Windy City and was able to catch the marquis event that only happens 9 or 10 times a year: Cubs/Card at Wrigley.
(continue reading…)

Billy and the guys at BPong.com did a helluva job putting on the World Series of Beer Pong IV. For four days at the beginning of 2009, over 400 teams competed at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for $50,000 and the distinction of being crowned beer pong champs. I was asked to cover the tournament as a publicity photographer. Below are some pictures and thoughts. (continue reading…)