Walking out onto the home field for Red Raider football with my camera in hand: surreal.

The music, stadium lights, crowds, masses of people on the sidelines clutching media passes, eccentric students in the stands, and the sea of pink Tech shirts: invigorating.

The number of pictures I took: 650+.

This past Saturday I was able to go to the Texas Tech v. New Mexico football game, and learn some sports photography from Norvelle Kennedy. It was fast paced, and I found myself wanting a better camera and bigger lens to get right in with the action and actually stop it in a frame. During the second quarter, tech finally made a couple of touchdowns, and it also started raining. It was still fun. And so tiring!
I have wanted to take pictures of college football since I was 15 years old. I had football calendars (TEXAS A&M of course!) in my room at school. When the calendar expired, I pulled the pictures out and hung them up in my study area. I love football. I love pictures of football. After shooting the game though, I realized that no matter how much I love football and sports photography, I am not sure I love being the one doing it. Perhaps I was just frustrated because I did not get the shots I wanted. The perfect pass and catch…I missed. I was still trying to find who had the ball in my viewfinder. I understand football, but I cannot predict what will happen next. I wish I could have! Once I get the chance to review all the pictures, I might be able to make a more decisive call on everything.

On the drive home, I realized that in my life now, I have everything I’ve “always wanted.” I have a good job, I’m working on projects that are exciting to me, I’m driving the vehicle I want to drive, and I’ve been traveling to see friends weekend after weekend basically since June. I’ve been paid to do portraits for people, I am working on a website, and now, I’ve gotten to photograph a football game. Sure, I still want to go to Australia and a few things like that, but really, I could not ask for more. But do all those things fulfill me? No. I could still think of more things that I would like to have.

The only thing that makes life and all its perks worthwhile is someone to share it with. For some people, that person is their significant other. Even after a time though, that fades. For me, I love life the most when I am with the friends that are dearest to me. But in the day in and day out grind, the only ONE that can walk through every mountain and every valley with me is God. Out on the football field, I find myself telling God how awesome it is that He has brought me here, oh and look did you see that pass! In this case, it was more like “look, incomplete pass!” But if God is not in all of that for me, then it will never be enough. But because He IS in it, everything I have is “enough.”

I realized too…how much I love football.