I shot the Austin Aztex as they hosted Club de Futbol Monterrey in a post season match up at the Palace in Round Rock last night.  Pretty fun with a lot of action.  I’ve got so many shots it isn’t even funny.  I actually have to get back to editing….

More to come….(and I haven’t forgotten about the hockey shots either!)

I set up my background, packed in the lights and got to work photographing my trusty steeds.  When not taking photographs or eating tacos, you can usually find me out rolling on the streets on one of my bikes.

The Peugeot is my main cruiser…I haven’t done a lot of work to it, as I got it in the condition I wanted.  Took the front brakes off, left all 12 gears, put some fly grips on and rebuilt the wheels, headset, bottom bracket and everything else that moved.

Above is my Take Ivy bmx bike.  Yadda yadda custom this and custom that.  People that ride bmx bikes know that these are built from the ground up to handle all the abuse that these bikes take…Although mine takes hardly any abuse these days…That is because of this bike here:

This bike is so much fun to ride.  It is basically a grown up bmx bike on steroids.  No front brakes, single speed, dropped seat and 26inch wheels.  This thing is almost bombproof.  Perfect for flying down the trails and hitting small jumps.

And last but not least is the newest addition to my bike family…A WeThePeople Metric flatland bike.  I haven’t had a chance to put on front brakes or hit up the OG yet, but hopefully that will change this Saturday.

I wish I could photograph all the bikes I have ever owned (I would say over 30 easily)…I think it would be a pretty cool gallery.  I promise I’ll get some more Texas Stars hockey up by tomorrow.  I’m just feeling this day off….

Aaron Gagnon moves the puck during the Texas Stars opening game against San Antonio Rampage at the Cedar Park Center.

It was absolutly awesome…The stands were packed, the lights are bright and the action was good.  It was pretty great seeing a couple of guys go toe-to-toe in the middle of the rink as everyone cheered.  If I’m not working their next home game, I plan on going as a fan.  Tickets are only $9!

I’ve got a ton of photos from the game, along with multiple portraits, football games and other stuff I plan on updating with soon….

The Rockdale cheer squad lines up for the national anthem in Rockdale.

The weather here in Austin is finally cooling down and I’ve been keeping busy photographing football, portraits and all the lunches I’ve been eating.    Here are a couple of shots from this week…  And don’t forget about the Austin Aztex hosting Club de Futbol Monterrey on the 7th in Round Rock.

Austin Locals: The King Sandwich at Avenue B Grocery, complete with a Peach Sweet Leaf Tea.

I’ll be honest….I am addicted to the sandwiches at Avenue B Grocery by my house in Hyde Park in Austin.  I ride by it a few times a week on my bike and I can’t help from stopping in and saying hello while grabbing a sandwich.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sandwich in the area…

I also rode my bike down to my favorite taco place on the planet…the Tamale House on Airport Blvd. near 51st.  I just happened to be behind a guy who ordered 6 tacos but didn’t have enough money to pay for them…So he walked out on his bill and I got his tacos for $3.  A grab bag!

Local Fare: El Cheapo tacos at the Tamale House on Airport Blvd. in Austin.

The Tamale House sign outside of the restaurant is a lighthouse for hungry travelers.

When not photographing my lunch, I’ve been trudging around on a football field…For the most recent and more images, keep an eye on the Austin American Statesman print edition (GO BUY A NEWSPAPER) or take a look online.

Cayleb Jones and Thomas Coffman celebrate Jones' touchdown reception in the second quarter during their game against Akins on Thursday.

Ben Bejil (#20) recovers a fumble from Austin High's Jacob to score Akins only touchdown in the first half.

Austin High's Cayleb Jones catches a pass over Scott Hall in the second quarter.

I also got back my first roll of film from my Rolleiflex 120 film camera this afternoon.  The photos dated back to the Texas Relays when I started the roll all the way back to just last week.  The film was expired and (accidently) left in the trunk of a rental car for two days in the California sun…At least that is the only explanation I can come up with for the results being all over the place…

A horse jockey stands on the weight scale for a 1 second portrait after winning a race in Santa Anita, California. Rolleiflex 75mm f5.6

Rocks on a beach somewhere in California. Rolleiflex 75mm f3.5

Whoops. Hank x2 and the Texas Relays

Destinee Hooker (#21) and Ashley Engle (#10) celebrate a point against Texas A&M.

I’ve shot a number of University of Texas volleyball matches, but this one was the best by far.  Over 4,000 people in attendance….Which I was told it was the fourth largest crowd in history.

A crowd of 4229 fans pack into Gregory Gymnasium in Austin to watch the Texas Longhorn volleyball team take on Texas A&M on Wednesday.

There were so many people there even the swim team made an appearance.  Ha!  Every time  the Longhorns scored a point on Texas A&M, they would take off an article of clothing…Pretty funny stuff.

The University of Texas swim team celebrates on the court after the Longhorn volleyball team closes out the second set win over Texas A&M

I snapped a bunch more, so look for the Thursday edition of the Austin American Statesman.

Hank poses for a portrait at Red Bud Dog Park in Austin on the last day of summer. Photos by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

The summer of 2009 was the hottest summer in recorded history here in Austin, Texas.  It was pretty fun swimming, biking, drinking Dos Equis XX, twittering, taking photos, and playing Tecmo Baseball on my down time all while trying to beat the 104 degree heat.

I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the last day of summer at the dog park, swimming with my two dogs (one of which didn’t want his photo taken today).

I’ve got a bunch of shots I’ve been meaning to put up, but I can’t seem to find the energy.  Look for some photos soon.

Texas Longhorns fans crowd the front row during broadcasting of ESPN's "College GameDay" at the University of Texas.

Take last years ESPN College GameDay coverage at the University of Texas before they kicked off against Missouri.  It was a blast photographing around so many excited people…Everyone was screaming the entire time, trying to get on TV for that split second.  I’m guessing many more people will show up this time around, as the Longhorns are hosting Texas Tech…

ESPN’s Lee Corso dons a giant Bevo head after picking the Longhorns to win over Missouri.

The broadcast is slated to begin at 9am at the University of Texas and you can find some more info HERE.

Lake Travis running back Andy Erickson carries the ball for a touchdown against Cedar Park

I had the opportunity to see Lake Travis extend their winning streak to 33 games (the longest in the state of Texas) as they rolled over Cedar Park in Leander last night at the renovated Bible Memorial Stadium in Leander.

The ‘new’ stadium is a really treat to us photographers on the sidelines…They installed new light banks, 8 total, (including 4 for JUST the end zones) and made a new press box complete with wifi.  Now the old lights weren’t terrible by any means (ISO 3200 @ 1/400th f2.8 for darker uniforms – according to my rolladex of Texas stadiums I keep), but the new lights were just as bright if not brighter than the ‘Palace’ in Round Rock.  I’m talking ISO 2000 @ 1/640th-800th f2.8…But maybe I’m crazy for caring about a few stops of light…

Lake Travis Head Coach Chad Morris reacts to a Cavalier touchdown during their game against Cedar park.

One of the only things that I don’t like about such bright lights are the big shadows they cast under players helmets and people wearing hats, like Lake Travis Head Coach Chad Morris above.  The trick is to get low enough on the ground, either by kneeling, sitting or laying down (AAS photographer Jay Janner’s time tested technique) so you are shooting up into the helmet/hat so you can see their face.  A lot of people try to correct for this by just dodging in post, but it always makes your subject look like…well, you dodged their face (above).

Cody Cloud (#31) breaks up a pass intended for Andy Erickson in the first quarter.

Anyhow, the action was good and it was nice seeing a good team of kids playing some football.  Heck, it is always a good time watching some football.

Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer throws for positive yardage

And speaking of watching some football, it was cool watching Michael Brewer, who replaced Garrett Gilbert at quarterback when he graduated and joined the Texas Longhorns, live up to all the hype I’ve heard and read about on the internet.

Speaking of the Longhorns, I also recently purchased an entire lot of Texas Longhorn photos and films from 1960-1973.  The gentleman was a photographer in Austin that shot and filmed a large number of Longhorn games…I’ve been meaning to give them to the university, but I haven’t had the time to get over there.  Here are a couple of photos from a game in 1960.  If you can find a roster from 1960, please let me know.  I can’t find anything online…

The band plays at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in 1960.

One thing that really got me is that I was told this was the view of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium looking East, where I-35 looms today.  From what I found on the internet, I-35 was built through Austin in 1962.  I’m kind of jealous of everyone that got to see Austin then…

A Texas Longhorn battles for yardage against a defender during a game in 1960.

And try to imagine a Texas Longhorn football game with that many empty seats and NO ONE on the sidelines today!  Kind of crazy really…

Colt McCoy eyes up James Kirkendoll in the end zone during a game against Baylor last season.

Kind of amazing just what a few years can do….

Friday Night Lights tonight!  Hopefully the rain will stay away, as I lost my AquaTech Sport Shield at a game last week.  So if you see a blue rain cover made for a camera and a 300mm lens, please let me know!

Austin goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo reacts after Portland's Stephen Keel scored a goal in the 85th minute during the Aztex v Timbers game in Austin on Monday.

Today has been a pretty interesting day…I started it off with my truck breaking down right in front of my house right before I had a photo assignment.  With the help of my girlfriend who had the day off, I was off to shoot the final game of the Round Rock Express.  It was nice shooting in the daytime and the game was soon over.  I’ll post some shots from the game tomorrow.

After the baseball game, I almost immediately went to my next assignment, the last home game of the Austin Aztex soccer match against the Portland Timbers.  It was a great game with a lot of action.  Pretty awesome seeing the guys play so well.  It was almost heart breaking seeing them lose with just minutes left.  They held their own against the number one ranked USL-1 team…I guess I shouldn’t have said the ‘last’ home game, as the Aztex will be hosting an exhibition game against Club de Futbol Monterrey in early October.

Portland’s Stephen Keel jumps into the arms of his teammate Mamadou Danso after scoring the go ahead goal in the 85th minute during their soccer match against the Austin Aztex on Monday.

It has been a hot minute since I last updated (literally one of the hottest summers in history), but here we go.  As I mentioned on a previous update, I shot the Round Rock Express‘ last home game against Nashville Sounds a couple nights ago.  Pretty fun shooting some baseball again.  They are ending their season this weekend/Monday, so you should get out there and watch some baseball while you still can.

The action was pretty good, including a small collision with the pitcher and the catcher of the Sounds…

Despite having a couple of bad at bats, Reggie Abercrombie came through with 2 RBIs and a couple of nice catches near center field.

I also grabbed a bunch of detail shots (kind of like the one above) and some panoramas from just about every angle I could find…

A view from the stands at the Dell Diamond during a Round Rock Express baseball game in Round Rock.

I also shot the second to last home game of the Austin Aztex.  Pretty fun night as usual, but the lights kill me over at Nelson Field.  Thankfully they are moving to House Park (on Lamar/15th)  next season…The lights aren’t any better, but it is a short walk from my house.

Joining the Aztex again was Jamie Watson, who played in Austin last season.  The kid was the top scorer in the USL-2 with 12 goals and 6 assists.  He didn’t score any of the goals in the 1-0 win over Miami, but he took a couple of shots at the goal when he was put in towards the end of the game.

Eddie Johnson scored the sole goal, which was enough for the win…The first win in 10 games, dating back to early July.  Always good to see our   take the win.  The last game of the season is on the 7th.  If you haven’t been, it is a lot of fun.  Any why wait until next year when you can do it now?

I also shot my first ‘real’ high school football game on Friday, the Taco Shack Bowl.  I say ‘real’ as in Friday Night Lights.  It was a lot of fun being on the sidelines again and I can’t wait until the season gets into full swing…

Above is House Park on Lamar and 15th street, the new home of the Austin Aztex.  Check out that view!  You can see the Capitol Building from the stands too.  The stadium, which seats around 5,000 people, should be a better venue for the Aztex.  The sidelines aren’t big and there is no track running around the field, making it less dangerous for players and allowing the fans to sit almost on top of the action.  All they need to do is install some new lights and everyone (me) will be happy.

In other news, VOLLEYBALL HAS JUST BEGUN!!!!!  I’m very excited about this.  Volleyball has got to be one of the hardest sports to shoot.  Granted anyone can shoot a serve and the players standing around, but only really talented photographers can make great images at a game.  Most venues are dimly lit, the action is really fast and the ball can go in any direction.  In any event, it is one of my favorite sports to shoot, even though I’ve only shot 3 or 4 games.  Hopefully this season will change those numbers a bit and yield a couple images for me to post.  Here are two from last season that I enjoyed…..

And that is it for the moment.

Hank at Pedernales Falls near Johnson City, TX