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.

Mario and Luigi.
Think tossing a ping pong ball into a cup is difficult? Try battling through 14 levels and only being allowed to move in two dimensions. Respect.

Strategy.
In sports, it is often said that defense wins championships. This team appears to have selected the “Oops… I Did It Again” strategy.

Remembering years past.
Do you remember World Series of Beer Pong IV. I barely do—thank goodness for blogs.

Alliances.
In an effort that even Madeline Albright could be proud of, the Garden State and the Empire State decided to put a stop to the bloodshed and join forces for the World Series of Beer Pong.

Wingspan.
Scientifically speaking, leaning is the name of the game. Shortening the distance between the point of release and the target makes perfect statistical sense, even when you’ve had four or five pitchers of Bud Light.

Team Slogans.
Drunks 4 Hire remind us that ‘shit’ and the amount of clothes you’re wearing have an inverse relationship. Party on, Wayne!

Kilts.
Suiting up for a beer pong match is all about comfort and freedom of movement. Choosing clothes that restrict you might cost you the match. The logical progression of this philosophy is to avoid wearing pants… but how to achieve this in public? Simple. The Scots (another nation known for seriously enjoying their libations) figured it out years ago: the kilt.

Badgers.
If there is a competition that involves drinking beer, you can almost certainly count on Wisconsin to send a delegation.

Strippers.
These young ladies are the representatives from Team Sapphire. Ever wondered who might work at 70,000 square foot gentlemen’s club? Look no further. (The place even has skyboxes—what?!).

Intimidation.
Being a pro beer ponger means vigilantly defending your rack. Never let your opponent have a free shot. And if you’re girlfriend is available to talk to some smack, hoist her up and let her run her mouth too—all is fair in beer pong (provided you follow the rules).

DJ Whoo Kid.
Having a-list beats to get your pong on is crucial. The folks at BPONG.com recognize this and recruited G-Unit’s official DJ to keep the Flamingo rockin’ during the three days of game play.

Team Portraits.
One of my favorite aspects of shooting the World Series of Beer Pong IV was meeting all types of colorful characters. For WSOBP V, I wanted to shoot some of these folks on white seamless with quality lighting. I flew from Seattle to Vegas with 130 pounds of gear shoved into three bags and setup shop on Day 2. Check out this photo to see the setup. After getting the lights set with Josh’s help, one of the first teams I photographed were the WSOBP II Champions, We Own Your Face. Despite the menacing graphic on their uniforms, these guys could not have been nicer. I’ve included several more portraits in this post, and the whole project is on Flickr. Also, check out the video below for a quick run down of the gear and a few of my favorite shots.

Greenman.
No one showed more enthusiasm for having his portrait taken than Greenman. No one also smelled quite like Greenman. The suit did little to mask a potent mixture of beer, sweat and God knows what else. Regardless, The Explosion 5000 salutes you, Greenman.

Chauncey and Big Ben.
Even though Joey D couldn’t afford to keep Billups around, Mr. Big Shot and Ben Wallace reunited at the World Series of Beer Pong. Goin’ to work, yall.

Tables, Beer, Balls and Cups.
The more the better.

Ink and Hair-dos.
Nothing says you’re ready to decimate your opponents like a cobra tattoo and a fucked up haircut.

The Irish.
Fellow beer loving nation, Ireland, entered a team into this year’s WSOBP. Despite being nearly impossible to understand (heavy accent + heavy drinking + loud music = mainly communicating with hand gestures), these guys kicked ass. For all the Irish readers of the Explosion, you should be proud of your boys. They very diplomatically demonstrated your county’s ability to pong with the world’s best.

The Ladies.
Co-ed competition is one of the best aspects of the WSOBP. These ladies do more than keep the dudes honest and break a few hearts, they also win games. Try explaining to your frat bros that a girl-girl team knocked you out of the WSOBP… ouch.

Guns.
Rip your sleeves off, ’cause it’s beer pong time.

The Old F U.
They say a picture speaks a thousand words—I happen to think this one clearly conveys at least two.

Jim and Pam.
Beer pong at the office? Great idea. I’m telling my boss tomorrow.

Japan.
For the first time in WSOBP history, the Japanese made their way from across the Pacific to battle it out on the tables.

Good luck charms.
Whatever works, ladies.

And if you can’t borrow some cleavage, improvise. Just rub, toss, rinse and repeat.

Who can argue with a tank top?
That settles it… I’m wearing my “Sexy Photog” hoodie to WSOBP VI.

A Lifetime Sport.
Just like skiing, tennis and golf… beer pong is something you should be able to enjoy, no matter what decade you were born in.

SCBP.
Peter Rusch and the SoCal Beer Pongers were in full force at this year’s WSOBP.

No look shots.
Some beer pongers are so good, they don’t even need to see it to believe it. Kris Fraser of perennial contenders Not Even Close confidently looks away as he sinks yet another clutch shot.

A Hostess with the Most-ess.
Leah D’Emilio came back to anchor this year’s television coverage of the WSOBP V. Leah’s ability to cut through the the beer breath and get the real story always impresses—a true pro.

The Gangster Lean.
Complete with chalice and corn-rows, SCBP Founder Peter Rusch shows what it takes to be a WSOBP contender. For this year’s tournament, Peter separated from his long time partner (his wife) for a shot at beer pong glory. While the partner switch up did not ultimately lead to the $50k crown, WSOBP fans hoping for a soap opera will be disappointed: the Rusch’s are still happily married.

Play-off Superstitions.
Defending champ Ron of Smashing Time said that his weird haircut helped him win last year’s tourney. He either had an unfortunate incident with farm equipment between day 2 and day 3, or is carrying on his tradition of doing up the do for the final day.

Defending Champs.
After their debut on the televised feature table, Ron and Pop were kind enough to sit for me and make a portrait.

Technique.
It’s the Air Jordan of beer pong.

Crack kills.
Especially in New York.

Shhh.
Even though the boys from Iowa were eventually silenced, they put together another respectable WSOBP run.

Rest up.
Three solid days of beer pong can be grueling, not to mention all the distractions of Las Vegas. There’s no shame in catching a quick catnap in between rounds.

Pre-Shot Ritual.
Dunking, foot twisting, tossing, fore-head pressing… these are all techniques employed to avoid:

Missing the cup.
It’s something that happens to everyone. If you have trouble consistently hitting the cup, have a talk with you doctor to see if you’re physically capable of engaging in beer pong activity. In the rare case that you and your partner miss the cup for four hours or more, just call it quits. You suck at beer pong.

Show your colors.
The Californian contingent proudly displayed their bear. The Canadians waved their leaf. The Texans brought their star and bar. Even Maryland displayed what is possibly the coolest state flag ever.

Bruce Buffer.
For the second year in row, Bruce Buffer of the UFC announced the final round of the World Series of Beer Pong. Bruce is one of the classiest showbiz people I’ve ever met—love that bro.

Ready to strike.
The final round is all about seeing your opening and taking it—something Smashing Time know a little bit about.

Comebacks.
After dropping the first game of the final match to Since Sliced Bread, it looked like Smashing might be down and out (literally).

Winning Shots.
After three games, Ron and Pop closed out Since Sliced Bread and repeated as champions of the World Series of Beer Bong.

Check presentation.
BPONG.com and World Series of Beer Pong founders Skinny, Duncan and Billy present Smashing Time with a check for $50,000.

See an image you’d like to use on your Facebook profile or blog? Cool! Check out my terms of use or email me at andy@explosion5000.com. I have many more images on Flickr. Check out the slideshow below or visit the set here.

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.

The view here is basically north, which puts the setting sun behind Sharat. To offset the light coming from the west, Alex suggested that I add some fill from the east. I tossed him a SB-600 with a LumiQuest Softbox II and told him to stand facing Sharat, pointing the light at him. Alex “Hollywood” Chu dutifully obliged—not only a lighting genius, he also makes a great lighting stand (or VAL). I dialed in f/11 to get a generous depth of field and let Nikon’s TTL and Aperture Priority mode figure out the exposure. Later in Photoshop, I cranked the saturation a bit. I also juiced up the skyline and background with the incomparable Shadow/Highlights tool. Observant Explosionites will notice Mount Baker next to two cranes in the left center of the image. Click here for a larger view.

To give you an idea of what we were dealing with all day, pictured above is a silhouette of Sharat’s swing. Notice the nice, balanced finish. Now look at the image below. Mr. Chu’s technique, informed by a Tecate or two, is obviously a departure from Mr. Reddy’s.

I like this picture of Josh because it represents several things that are illegal to do in cars, yet still perfectly fine to do in golf carts. What a game.

Whether we were hitting the ball well or not (I happened to be putting like Ty Webb), nobody could complain about the gorgeous view of the Emerald City during twilight.

Check out a few more pictures on Flickr, or just watch the slideshow below.

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.’

I worked primarily with Bobby who lives in Capitol Hill. Bobby is 20 years old and has been skating for half his life. He’d never done a shoot like this before, but you’d never know it—dude was totally a professional. In addition to killing it in the park for nearly 2 hours, Bobby indulged me by posing for several portraits outside. I grabbed this shot with my Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens and one of Chase’s Broncolor Mobil packs outfitted with a beauty dish.

Shooting with the Broncolor Scoro A4S pack was easily the photographic highlight of the night. I was able to throw my D300 into cH and let it rip at a full 6 frames per second while still getting a full flash pop with every exposure. Siiiiiiick.

After the photo sesh Chase invited us all back to his studio to tap a keg and hang out. Not only was it a great opportunity to pick Chase’s brain on everything from iPhones to music, I got to chill with his really cool staff and chat with a bunch of talented Seattle photogs. I even got to try the Chase Jarvis Inc. signature cocktail, Possum Hunt—which can only be made with a particular vodka sold exclusively in New Zealand.

A big thank you to Chase, Scott, Mikal, Dartanyon and Kate for setting up and hosting this event. It was some of the most fun I’ve had with a camera. Also, thanks to the folks at Inner Space and all the skaters who tore it up while being blinded by strobes.

More photos on Flickr.

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.

Brian Stewart and I shared a cart with Keith and Dustin rounding out our team for the scramble. The beautiful thing about a four person scramble is that when your play starts to detiorate (due to beer, attitude, general poor golf ability), you hardly notice. As long as just one of your teammates doesn’t follow your Pro V1 donation to the woods, you’re good.

Of particular concern to me were the signs that attempted to assign responsibility to the golfer for errant shots that result in property destruction. I wouldn’t quite call my golf game “a bull in a China shop,” but it certainly has unpredictable moments. Redmond Ridge weaves through several neighborhoods. Some homes were well inside the ‘Andy Aupperlee Spray Zone.’ Although I am 99% sure I did not break anything, let’s just say that the neighborhood kids will find a few new treasures mixed in with their swing sets and sandboxes.

For this shot, I laid down on the ground to the right of the tee box. I figured it was a relatively safe spot to capture a unique perspective. I dialed the D300 to the fast framers-per-second setting and set my exposure program to shutter priority at 1/2,000th of a second. The combination of camera controls and location allowed me to grab a shot of Keith moments before he blasted his drive.

I also shot Dustin from the same spot. Dustin did not quite hit the ball the way he wanted. This was very obvious to me as I heard a ball whiz two-feet by my head. Ever wonder why pro cameras are so big and heavy? It’s to protect the photog for when he (stupidly) puts himself in the line of fire.

Dustin’s game did have moments of glory though. He closed out several holes with inspiring putts to secure birdies.

Brian’s consistent and skillful game unquestionably carried our team. While I was busy drinking Coors Lights, Brian knocked out big drive after big drive. He then proceeded to hit greens, giving us birdie opportunities.

To view more pictures from the day, please check out Flickr or watch the slideshow below.

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!

Last month I attended a Sounders match with the Boeing Bungalow and friends. The ‘Bungalow’ is home to four young, male Boeing employees. They also love soccer and are Seattle Sounders FC season ticket holders. I was lucky enough to snag an extra ticket and tag along for some classic Northwest soccer debauchery.

Brett, who is always an entertaining character, consumed the contents of a flask on our way to the XBOX 360 Pitch at Qwest Field. Keeping on eye Brett were his roommates and BCFP peers, Matt, Scott & Keith.

After monkeying around in the streets of Pioneer Square, we eventually made it inside the stadium. Qwest Field is the home of the Seattle Seahawks, an American football team. To accommodate the smaller Major League Soccer attendances, the folks at Qwest covered the upper deck seating with inspiring murals stretched over canvas. Even though the Sounders draw an impressive 20,000 fans, the decorations go a long way in making the 72,000 seat stadium feel more full than empty.

In true Euro fashion, the match opens with some bizarre ceremony that involves flags. How long do you have to do something to have it be considered a tradition in the MLS? 1 season? Three games? If the flags and confetti aren’t Anglo enough for you, don’t worry, the Sounders have employed a British stadium announcer. Cheers!

Although I joke around about the obvious European envy of most soccer fans, the opening ceremony was unique. It certainly reminded me that I was not at a baseball or football game—this is futbol, American style. Part of the appeal of MLS is that it isn’t the same old sporting stereotypes applied to soccer. Despite what my tongue-in-cheek Europhobic comments might suggest, I actually was entertained and had a great time. Everyone should be so lucky to go to a soccer game with Brett. Hint: there is more than Dr. Pepper in that can.

Using soccer standards, I was also satisfied with the action on the field. Despite being down a player due to a red card, the Sounders hung with the Kansas City Wizards through the first half. After 45 minutes of play the game was deadlocked at 0-0. The Wizards must have had better orange slices at halftime; they took a 1-0 lead in the second 45. After both teams punted the ball back and forth for a few more minutes, the refs blew the whistle and the match ended. It was mildly historic as this was the Sounders first ever loss.

To view more pictures of the Bungalow, Qwest Field and Seattle-style-soccer, check out my Flickr set or view the slideshow below.

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.

An old friend, Scott Zaleski, found amazing seats for the game. We sat only a few rows behind first base and had a great view of all the action on the field. The seats were so good that the only real advantage press photographers had on me were their $9,000 400mm f/2.8 lenses. That said, I think my Nikon D300 with $785 Nikon 18-200mm VR lens and killer vantage point gave me the opportunity for some great shots.

The photo above is of Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano breaking a bat. I took this shot later in the game when there was a mix of natural and artificial light. To stop as much action as possible, I set the camera to shutter priority mode and dialed in 1/1000th of a second. Since the light was fading, the camera compensated for this quick shutter speed by choosing ISO 1600 and selecting the widest available aperture, f/5.6, on my fully extended Nikon 18-200mm VR lens.

Scott and Chris pre-gaming at Murphy’s Bleachers.
Sheffield and Waveland. Chicago, IL.

After grabbing a few Old Styles at Murphy’s Bleachers; the gang was ready for some Cubs baseball. In addition to Scott; I attended the game with a fellow Loyola alum, Ross, and also Chris, an old friend from Grand Rapids.

Chris, Ross & Scott at Wrigley.

The Cubs put Ryan Dempster on the mound to start the game. He pitched decently well and although he didn’t pick up the win, he kept the Cubs close.

Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR lens @ 200mm.
Manual. 1/1600 second @ f/8. ISO 1100.

I shot most of the game in manual. I dialed in f/8 as it is reasonably sharp at 200mm (on the 18-200mm VR, the maximum aperture setting at that focal length is f/5.6). To freeze the action, I selected a shutter speed of 1/1600th of a second. With aperture and shutter speed fixed, I let the camera auto choose ISO to get the best exposure using Nikon’s matrix meter.

Ryan Theriot at bat.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR @ 200mm.
Manual. 1/1600 second @ f/8. ISO 1250.

Chicago loves beer.

Albert Pujols fouls off a pitch.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR @ 200mm.
Manual. 1/1600 second @ f/8. ISO 1600.

Cubs first base coach gets to first base?

Molina slides in.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR @ 200mm.
Manual. 1/1600 second @ f/6.3. ISO 1400.

Lou Piniella, Manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Cardinals Reliever.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR @ 200mm.
Manual. 1/1600 second @ f/8. ISO 1400.

Jay Cutler sings take me out to the ball game during the 7th inning stretch.

“Go Cubs, Go!”

Derek Lee takes a cut.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR @ 200mm.
Manual. 1/1000 second @ f/5.6. ISO 1600.

As the game wore on we started losing natural light. I still wanted to get decently fast shutter speeds, so I switched to shutter priority and dialed in 1/1000th of a second.

After several lead changes, the game was tied at the end of the ninth inning. Aramis Ramirez homered in the bottom of the 11th to secure a walk-off victory for the hometown Cubs. Wrigley erupted and sang a boisterous rendition of “Go Cubs, Go!” as the delighted fans spilled onto the streets and into the local bars.

Check out these pictures and several more in the slideshow below. Click here for a full screen version or visit the set the on Flickr.

Update: Portions of this post are now featured in the Chicago Sun-Times blog Sports Pros(e), Photography Class: When cameras meet Confines.

UPDATE: 2010 World Series of Beer Pong V coverage is here.

The World Series of Beer Pong mixes gaming drunks with the Las Vegas strip. While this is not necessarily a new combination, the resulting ponger/Vegas mashup provides for a highly entertaining weekend. The BPong.com guys impressively fielded nearly 500 teams, yet it takes more than just willing and able drunks/ball throwers to make a tournament happen. Here are a few ingredients you’ll need to throw your very own beer pong spectacle.

Famous Sportswriters.
Rick Reilly was on hand to cover the event for ESPN. His sons also competed in the tournament. Don’t worry, Rick did enjoy a beverage or two while “on assignment.”

Beer.
Obviously you’ll need beer. Lots and lots of beer. PBR was the official beer sponsor of the WSOBP IV. On my way to the airport in Seattle, the cab driver told me his first beer ever was a Pabst Blue Ribbon. He did not know much about alcohol, but as a kid he said he used to watch “Friday Night Fights” where PBR was a main sponsor. When he got to the Air Force, his buddies told him it was time to start drinking. “‘Whadya want?’ They asked me. I said, ‘I dunno, a Pabst Blue Ribbon, I guess?’” God only knows there is a 5 year old boy watching the WSOBP IV who will order a PBR 16 years from now.

Did I mention beer?
You better have palette after palette of fresh, crisp, refreshing Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap to satisfy the needs of the beer pongers.

A Television Set.
Together with several other media companies; my old friend, Alex Chu, executive produced a television series of the WSOBP IV. Alex also acted as director on the project. Teams played on a “Feature Table” off to one corner of the ballroom. The set was complete with four cameras, lights and microphones. There were even PAs to get us coffee (thanks Josh).

Executive Producers.
Pictured here is Alex Chu with one of his partners on this project, Kevin Lewis.

Tables.
The beer pong folks set up dozens of official BPong.com tables. One of my favorite touches? The cleverly branded BPong ball.

Reality TV Celebs.
Amazing Race winner and love interest? Check. Dallas and Star were on hand to act as hosts and compete in the event.

Stage.
Billy Gaines frequently addressed the throng on a range of topics. Billy is Steve Jobs to beer pongers. Whenever he picked up the microphone, the entire ballroom stopped and listened.

Crass Team Names.
My Couch Pulls Out, but I Don’t. We Bone Your Face. Two Balls One Cup. Wet Balls. Wet Ballz. Children of Champion Kingdom (COCK). Zack and Screech. HOGS (Hot Old Guys). Slippery France. The Finger Bangers. Dixie Normous. We Shit On Donkeys! Yeah, we heard your ridiculous team name. Hilarious.

Director.
Someone needs to be in control. I mean, just look at who is playing beer pong these days. Thank goodness Alex had the Feature Table television set on lockdown.

Your Mom and Your Grandma.
Shred the Gnar’s mother and grandmother made it out for the tournament. Although she will not admit it, Shred told me his grandma actually plays beer bong.

Balls.
About every team maintained a splash cup to dip the balls in before shooting. Even though most players told their opponent about all the foul things they planned to do to his sister/mom/dog, they always made sure to clean their ball before splashing it in his beer. I found this to be extremely thoughtful.

Camera guys.
Our camera guys were real pros. During this match, Fat Kid, of Chauffeuring the Fat Kid, was hammered. He even wandered off the set and demanded that I give him back his hat. What? This camera operator had little choice but to console Fat Kid during the round too.

Defense.
Dallas plays defense. Intimidated? Part of the game is psyching out your opponent while they shoot. If you are an attractive girl, you have a pretty obvious weapon in your arsenal: the fact that you are an attractive girl. On average, the typical beer ponger is a bro’d out dude who will not be able to resist the flirtatious defense of a young lady. That said, I’m not sure what angle Dallas is trying to play here.

Canadians.
God bless Canada. These guys were ooout and abooout all over the tournament. Even though they were tragically out-________ (numbered/played/gamed/country’d), Canadians never let anyone get them down. Every time there was a big USA vs Canada match, half the province of Alberta showed up and waived that flag.

Cups.
Beer pongers may use only water, or a combination of water and beer. Of course, you have to have a container for the liquid of your choice. The BPong guys have developed a cup with exact specifications to meet the modern demands of the game.

Girls.
Plenty of dudes play beer pong. Fortunately for them, companies like Fringles.com and After Shot sponsored teams of young ladies to play in the tournament. Within moments of the tournament starting, everyone was buzzing about the Fringles girls. I overheard this exact phrase about 20 times: “there are two girls here from some website that are completely trashy/slutty/hot/naked. Awesome.” As the publicity photographer, I felt compelled (even required) to document the struggles and triumphs of these women in the tournament. View a slideshow of all the beer pong ladies that wandered in front of my lens.

Don Purnell.
Question: What do Nicole Kidman and The Beer Pong Nation have in common? Don Purnell was there to capture their worst (and best) moments.

Love.
When it comes down to it, you don’t play beer pong to become rich. You play for the love of the game. Or because you love to get drunk. These two old timers played for both reasons.

Intensity.
This bro is Cobra from a team called Llamas. People in the crowd were calling him the zen master during the match.

Drunks.
Start serving beer at 10 AM and you’ll wind up with more than one dude who looks like this. I’m not saying he is drunk, but I bet that massive beer stain did not just magically appear.

The stretch.
Even though “a player may not place a hand/foot/leg/penis/whatever on the table in order to gain additional reach and/or leverage,” leaning over the table is not illegal. In fact, it makes perfect scientific sense to shorten the distance between the point of release and your target. Beer pongers=physicists? Hmm.

Chest bumps.
Practice. Practice. Practice. Despite what Allen Iverson says, nailing the perfect beer pong toss and nailing your buddy in the perfect beer pong chest bump takes practice. If you plan on competing in WSOBP V, do yourself a favor next time you are at the bar. Bump your best bro’s chest in mid air a few times. I promise; it’ll help.

Ink.
Are these guys partners because they are both tatted up; or they both tatted up because they are partners?

Trash talk.
I loved this match. Shred The Gnar incessantly talked trash to this guy about what he was going to do to his sister later. The best part, the sister was his partner.

Reconciliation.
At the end of the match, everyone is friends again. Go figure.

Table cleaners.
Looking good, Josh!

Talented talent.
Leah D’Emilio, of Mahalo Daily, hosted our coverage of WSOBP IV. She’s a real a pro. She maintains perfect composure while Fat Kid drunkenly cautions his partner, Chauffeur, not to “look her in the eyes. Don’t look her in the eyes.”

A Ringmaster.
This is Billy Gaines of BPong.com. Along with Skinny, Duncan, and a cadre of college buddies from Carnegie Mellon; Billy put on one hell of an event.

The masses.
On the final day, the top 128 teams competed in a double elimination tournament. Teams were seeded with no, one or two byes based on their win/loss record and cup differential. Due to the limited number of competitors, only one square was used. Bleachers were brought in to line the playing area.

Star shooters.
This guy was lights out. When he shot, the crowd chanted MVP. They only made it as far as the semi-finals, but he was easily the most skilled beer pong player in the whole field. I watched him hit clutch shot after clutch shot to force overtimes and win matches.

Accuracy.
You can get as drunk as you want, but just make sure the little white ball lands in the cup.

Winning shots.
This shot won the match for the team from Central Michigan.

Celebration.
Hitting cups is important. Whenever you do, grab the nearest After Shot girl and hug her.

Defeat.
We can’t win them all. Iron Wizard Coalition knows this lesson well as they were runners up at WSOBP III.

Clutch shots.
Beer pong has a redemption rule that allows you to claw your way back into the match. If all your cups are gone (as seen above), you can force an overtime by hitting all of your opponents remaining cups without missing.

Dramatic entrances.
Smashing Time stand poised as they await their introduction in the final round of the World Series of Beer Pong IV.

Bruce Buffer.
Bruce Buffer, ring announcer for Ultimate Fighting Championship, introduced Smashing Time and Getcha Popcorn Ready in the final round. Bruce brouht his A-game, including awesome hair, a fresh looking tan and a pure show business smile. In fact, everytime he noticed my camera pointed at him he looked in the lens and gave me that $100,000 grin.

$50,000 tosses.
With this shot, Smashing Time defeated Getcha Popcorn Ready and became WSOBP IV champions. See more pictures from the WSOBP IV Final Round here.

Giant novelty checks.
Ron Hamilton (left) told the press his success came from chugging a bottle of Jack Daniels. “The key today was me getting real drunk.”

Curious hand gestures.
Nice Billy. Nice Skinny. Classy.

A kick ass crew.
The folk in orange and yellow t-shirts worked for WSOBP. The guys in black are the crew from 702 Productions, which helped us shoot the television coverage. Everyone else worked with Farmer Brown and Recess Media as producers, directors, assistants and talent.

A lovely host and a badass publicity photographer.
That is me with our host, Leah. Thank you Deb Loftis for taking this picture!

Check out a slide show featuring 290 pictures from the WSOBP IV.

Or watch a highlight reel of my favorite 80 or so shots.

You can also read this post at Sports Pros(e) on the Chicago Sun-Times website.