But I did know a whole lot about concession stands. And being a parent of a student-athlete, I wrote my stuff from that angle. I wrote about a kid’s integrity in general with the sport as a backdrop. Like Donald Bush, and my kid, and Brandon Bridges to name just a few. Saying I know .01 percent about any sport compared to Scott Brown would be very generous. I watched many games through a 200mm lens. Didn’t always know exactly what I got a shot of, I was just looking for action in focus.
In baseball, I would pick a base where thought the action would be, and that’s what I watched. If I had a dollar for every time I asked “what happened?” I’d have a lot of dollars. To get to the point, I started really looking forward to game day (or night) to get some photos and a story. It might just be a story about getting to an out-of-town game. I never knew until I saw it. Game day became like an Easter Egg hunt. Looking for a few good photos and a story. Good times.
Well, as all good things do, the seasons end but the paper goes on. Fifty-two times a year. Now, with no sports, I’m traveling to and from work with my camera gear looking for a good shot or two while trying to find something to write about. Not a bad way to move through this life – looking for something cool to photograph while mentally writing. You’ll probably find yourself, like I did, changing your attitude about many things. Just try converting feelings into sentences. If you look for something good that’s worth sharing while trying to think of something positive or funny to write, your day will breeze by and, at the end of the day, you’ll be more content and pleased to be alive.
The opposite is also very true.
Monty Stagner is a columnist and can be reached by email at montystagner@bellsouth.net.
