Aswe strolled the university hallway last week, my professortold me thathis family was going to spend a fewmonths in China, leaving himbehind to teach in Austin. He said, “I think I may need to develop a vice.” I immediately responded, “I’m the right woman for the job.”
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not morally bankrupt; the last time I checked I still had a positive balance in that account. I’m just a person that can throw themselves into a project or a topic to the exclusion of almost everything else.And my history tells me it can be anything; from weaving to statistical ARIMA analyses. My passions can last weeks or years -or as in poker, they couldlast a lifetime.
One of my latest vices started in September of 2005. I had been hired to cover the Ultimate Bet tournament in Aruba. It would requirea full compliment of reporting, including photos. Up until then, I had dodged the digital cameraage (I had only recently succumbed to a cell phone). But with a job at hand, I did my research andbought a camera and off I went.
Initially, taking poker photos was more challenging than I realized.Tournaments don’t allow flash, and the venues are generally poorly lit.Poker is hardly an action sport. And players spend years trying NOT to show any expression.I was lucky that one of my favorite poker photographers, BJ Nemeth, was also in Aruba.He started me off with the basics. By the timewe caught up with each other again in Tunica in January 2006, I had a better lens – and we tackledmore photographic terrain.
Today, I’m a full blown poker photo junkie; albeit with still much to learn. I live for the challenge: tocapture one fraction of a second thatcan say more about a player or the moment than the proverbial thousand words. And I love that each player is different. I could take a hundred pictures of Ted Forrest, and they mightall lookthe same. I could take a hundred pictures of Gavin Smith and not find any two that captured even a vaguelysimilar expression.
So today I thought I’dunload a fewmoments with some players you probablyknow.
-Scotty Nguyen and Michael Mizrachi celebrating after the 2006 WPO
-Mike Matusow articulating in Aruba 2005
-Men “The Master” Nguyen and Corona at the 2006 WPO
-Mike Caro looking for my tellsat the 2006 WSOP
-Erik Seidel likes the boardat the WSOP Circuit at the Grand 2006