Team Sin Bin

… become a Detroit Red Wings fan? Simple, my dad was from Grand Rapids, MI and he raised me as a Wings fan. I’ll never forget attending my first playoff game, because it was at The Joe, and it went to triple overtime! It was Game 2 of the 2009 Western Conference Finals, Red Wings vs. Ducks. From that point on, I was hooked on going to games, and once we got home to Dallas, we started to go to more Stars games, especially when the Red Wings were in town. Through the years, I’ve gone from a casual fan of the sport, to basically hockey obsessed. My love for photography started on a family vacation where I stole my mom’s point and shoot camera to start photographing mostly nature. It escalated into my mom getting me my first DSLR one Christmas. In 2014, my mom won tickets to the Mike Modano retirement game, and I decided that I was going to take my camera, and see what I could do. In Dallas, fans can stand on the glass for warm-ups, and this was my first time doing that, and boy oh boy, I fell in love. I didn’t have social media at the time (just a blog for my photos), but I posted some of the photos I had taken, and they somehow made their way to Twitter/Instagram, and someone informed me that a Stars player had used one of my photos. I was like, wow, people like my photos that much? My photos are really that good? (Questions I still ask myself to this day.) Since then I fell even further in love with hockey and hockey photography, as well as the Dallas Stars & Texas Stars.

While living in Virginia, I became a huge Washington Capitals fan & continue to support and follow them since moving to Florida. I have been a motorsports photographer for over 20 years, primarily shooting pictures at Monster Truck shows. I started shooting pictures at the Jacksonville Icemen ECHL games that I attended during their inaugural season. The positive response to the hundreds of pictures I shared on Facebook pages prompted me to start a Jacksonville Icemen Photography Facebook page. I’m now happy to be able to share my pictures on the Sin Bin.

… the Rochester Americans. I put photography on hold for three decades while I was both active duty Air Force, and then Civil Service. After retiring from the Air Force, and Civil Service, I realized it was time to finish my BFA degree in Graphic Design, with an emphasis on photography through the University of West Florida. I’m planning on graduating in the spring of ’20. I started as a game day photographer for the Pensacola Ice Flyers for the ’18 – ’19 season. After the start of the ’19 Spring semester, I transitioned to student intern. I’m now a proud member of #TeamSinBin.

I have been hooked ever since I overcame my hesitation and watched the Macon Whoopee play. A few years later I was able to see the Macon Trax play for a championship against the rival Columbus Cottonmouths. Unfortunately, that was the last time there would be a hockey team in Macon for 10 years. In 2015, the Macon Mayhem were announced and I was ecstatic. During the second year of the Mayhem, I started taking photos at the game for fun and posting them on my Instagram. The Mayhem liked the work I had done and asked me to be an official photographer for the 17-18 season. I am constantly upgrading my equipment and abilities as I start my photography career. I am proud to be part of #TeamSinBin.

… photos for her high school magazine, she always went to take photos for the soccer team, that’s where she fell in love with sports photography. Now working as the Photography and Social Media Editor for her award-winning college newspaper, she still finds herself on the sidelines. Throughout the years, she started her own photography business and started doing professional portrait, wedding and sport photographs. She loves working for many organizations like FC Wichita Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Wichita Selection Indoor Soccer, El Dorado Broncos Baseball, and the National Baseball Congress World Series. Hockey has been apart of her life since she was younger. Going to watch many Thunder games and then in 2018 going to see her favorite NHL team, the Philadelphia Flyers.

… NHL game during the “Broad Street Bully” days. I still love my Devils. I joined the U.S. Navy in 1986 and became a rabid Washington Capitals fan while stationed close to D.C., ultimately becoming a Caps Season Ticket Holder for several years. Upon retiring from the Navy in 2009 and setting permanent roots in the Hampton Roads area, it was just natural I became a Norfolk Admirals Season Ticket Holder. My love of obscure esoteric photography subjects and styles led me to seek permission from the Admirals to volunteer to shoot pictures for fun (how that all became, is an entirely different funny story) as Ice Hockey is the hardest thing ever to photograph. From there, things just expanded. When not glued in front of the TV watching Caps games, NHL Center Ice, CBC HNIC or at an Admirals game working, I can be found playing with my ham radios (call sign W4CPO), helping out with regional Feline TNR programs, working on my house and vegetable garden, fabricating lies to get out of marital trouble or out riding my Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited. As Jerry Garcia used to sing – “Nothing left to do but smile. smile, smile”

… and started going to Stingray games and became hooked on live hockey… taking pictures of the action is just an extension of the action for me.

… Providence Bruins v Monarchs. I’ll admit, I wasn’t immediately interested in the sport. That changed one year later when we suddenly had to move, and after a lot of searching for houses, we wound up in Manchester! My son and I had nothing to do one night, so I said, let’s go check out a Monarchs game (it was Mullets in Movember night). Well, we were hooked instantly! This is our fifth year as Season Ticket Holders. I have always loved taking pictures, mainly of people and the outdoors. One night I decided to bring my camera to a Monarchs game, and I happened to get some good shots. I now am always seen with my camera at the game, from warmups right to the announcement of the Three Stars of the Game. I’m always trying for the next best picture. When I’m not at hockey or taking pictures, I am a travel agent and love working with people to plan their amazing getaways.

… hockey game with the Greenville Road Warriors, and I was hooked! I have been one of the game day photographers with the Road Warriors/Swamp Rabbits ever since. When not shooting hockey, I am shooting concerts, and other sports in Greenville. I am happy to share my work with the Sin Bin.

Though he does enjoy watching just about any sporting event if given the opportunity. His interest in hockey grew when the team he occasionally followed (Quebec Nordiques) moved to Denver and raised the Cup in their first season. His love of hockey continued when his FSU-based fan size was rebranded in 2010 to become “Free Sports Press” and expand their sports coverage which included the Rapid City Rush (in their 2nd year of existence). Witnessing them raise the Presidents’ Cup that season was an experience he’ll never forget and his wife have both enjoyed covering the Rush ever since. You can follow along as I tweet all things Rush on Twitter @SinBinRush.

… invited me to a Reading Royals game and that game got me hooked on hockey. The next season I had season tickets and started to also go to as many away games as I could. That season I realized that some goalies had artwork on their helmets so I started to bring a camera to all hockey games I went to and would stand at the glass during warmups to get the goalie helmets. Eventually, it turned into me taking photos from my seat and finally going to college for photography. I have my BFA in Photography. I have been a photographer with the Reading Royals since 2012-13 when I was their photography intern. I still take photographs of all goalie helmets every game and I am extremely offended by white/blank goalie helmets. I enjoy traveling to new arenas and I am currently trying to get to all 31 NHL arenas, I have been to 13 so far.