~ Are You Ready For Football? ~

10 long days left. I'm holding my breath for the next 10 days because that's when my life will be consumed with football. I love shooting football and I can hardly wait for the next 10 days to pass.

I wasn't always a football fan. In fact, a few years ago I could have cared less about the gridiron. But I accepted a request to photograph the Murrieta Valley High School football team three years ago and I fell in love.

Now I live for fall and and the 10 glorious weeks I spend next to the hallowed ground of a football field. I am lucky in that I shoot 12-15 games every weekend - which is 120 to 150 amazing hours on the sidelines. As far as I'm concerned, that's not nearly enough football for me.

What is it about football that we love so much? Is is the romantic notion of the epic battle between good (home team) and evil (visiting team)? Is it honor, tradition, cross town rivalries, drama, violence, or bearing witness to moments of greatness? Perhaps it is a sense of community, the collectively felt joy, tears, and pain.

When we watch football, the sum of us is greater than the parts - for 10 breathtaking weeks, every player, fan, coach, staff, band member, cheerleader, and photographer is part of something bigger and more special than we are individually. Together we experience the wonder and magic of football. For a few short hours during a few short weeks, we are of one mind, and everything is good.

~ Jody ~

~ Shutterbug ~

Last year I was interviewed for a feature story in Shutterbug Magazine. It took so long for the article to come out that I had just about given up on it. But a couple days ago I started getting emails from people all over the country telling me that they enjoyed reading the article about me. The emails were filled with various questions, but the question I was asked the most was if it was really true that I got started in photography by taking photos of my son (yes it's true, by the way).

So I decided to head out to the store and pick up the September issue of Shutterbug. I was quite pleased (and a little taken back) to see myself staring back at me from page 126. To be perfectly honest, I started giggling right there in the grocery store while other shoppers look at me as if I'd lost my mind.

I also noticed that an image of mine was used for an ad in the same issue. I can only hope that this is just the beginning of more wonderful things to come for my camera and me.

~ Jody ~

~ Naegleria Fowleri ~

During the dog days of summer many of us go to local Lake Elsinore, Lake Perris, or travel out to Lake Havasu. As a matter of fact, my family and I just returned from a wonderful week at Lake Havasu where we spend our family vacation every year (thanks Mom and Pop). I honestly can't think of a better way to beat the heat than by swimming, boating, skiing, or just splashing around in the warm water.

Although the risks are very small, one thing we all need to be aware of is a nasty little bug called Naegleria Fowleri (or N. Fowleri) which is also known as the brain eating amoeba. N. Fowleri enters the brain through the nose while swimming, splashing, or playing in the water, and once there, it's fatal.

Last summer 14-year old Aaron Evans spent his birthday swimming in Lake Havasu with his family. He died nine days later from N. Fowleri, with the only symptom being a headache. When the cause of death was determined, many of the nurses had never heard of the parasite.

A few days ago, a 9-year old Lake Elsinore boy became the latest victim to die from N. Fowleri. County Health Officials won't confirm where the boy came in contact with the amoeba, but he swam at Lake Elsinore several times this summer.

Of the reported 119 people who have contracted N. Fowleri, 118 have died, usually within 3-7 days of infection. Although N. Fowleri is very scary, the chances of dying from this amoeba are actually quite small, and staying safe while swimming fairly easy. To get more information on N. Fowleri read this article from WebMD, or visit the Center For Disease Control website.

Regardless of whether you decide to read these articles and reports or not, please keep your nose plugged when you swim in any fresh water lake, as it may be a matter of life or death.

~ Jody ~