Growing up my hero was Sandy Koufax who pitched 12 seasons for the Dodgers. I've never been much of an athlete, but I did like to play baseball    and football. I didn't for any high school or college team, but out in the streets and fields.  I wanted to be a pitcher, throwing ball after ball to my dad.  It was the dream of a young boy who had spirit but lacked in coordination.  These days I'm creating portraits of people. Recent jobs found me photographing high school athletes aspiring to perform well in their chosen sports. Shooting athletes is fun because it gives me a chance to be a little edgy in my creativity.  Most if not all of these boys will not go on to play college or professional sports, but for now they are enjoying the game. My desire is to capture them in a serious way, depicting their concentration when they play.  They look tough in these portrait because they are serious about what they do when they do it.  In fact had to work on a few of them to get that expression because off the field they are all smiles and about having fun. Creating these images took me back to another time when I went door to door collecting my friends for a rousing game of baseball at a neighborhood lot where I imagined the crowds as I threw the ball across home plate wanting to be my hero, Sandy Koufax.