The Shell Eco-Marathon for Royal Dutch Shell

Photography: Action and behind-the-scenes at Sonoma Raceway

I had the fantastic opportunity to cover the 2018 Shell Eco-Challenge at Sonoma Raceway last month. The four-day event was a competition between college and high school engineering students to design, build and race the most fuel-efficient vehicle possible. The top winners of each category - electric, gasoline and hydrogen - proceeds to the big race in London later this year.

Check out some of my favorite images below and let me know what you think!

Team B-17 with their vehicle the B-17, #511, from Braham High School, Braham, Mn, United States, competing under the UrbanConcept - Gasoline category, hits the track at Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, April 22, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team #316, E-Team UDA Elec, of Universidad del Azuay, in Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador, Prototype, Battery Electric work on their car in the paddock during day one of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team Cal Poly Supermileage with their vehicle the Donald Duck, #4,from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States, competing under the Prototype - Gasoline category waits before a group portrait during day two of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Friday, April 20, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team #5, University of Toronto Supermileage, of University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Prototype, Gasoline works on their car in the paddock during day one of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team #201, Wheat Ridge STEM Gold, of Wheat Ridge High School, in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, United States, Prototype, Hydrogen is pushed out of the paddock during day one of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team OSU Beavers with their vehicle the Beaver Bolt, #302, from Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States, competing under the Prototype - Battery Electric category, and Team SEMA PUCP with their vehicle the PUCP 1, #21, from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Lima, Peru, competing under the Prototype - Gasoline category leave the paddock during day two of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Friday, April 20, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team HydroAggies with their vehicle the Streamline, #211, from North Carolina A&T State University , Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, competing under the Prototype - Hydrogen category in the paddock during day two of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Friday, April 20, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

A Saskatchewan Polytechnic SaskEco participant carries a car part to the paddocks, competing under the Prototype - category at Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, April 22, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Participants take in the experience during day two of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Friday, April 20, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif. 

UBC Supermileage Team with their vehicle the Zephyr, #520, from University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC, Canada, competing under the UrbanConcept - Gasoline category work on their car near the paddock during day two of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Friday, April 20, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team members prepare signage to signal their driver during day three of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Saturday, April 21, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Team Mavericks with their vehicle the The Tank , #508, from Newburgh Free Academy, Newburgh, New York , United States, competing under the UrbanConcept - Diesel category on the track during day three of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Saturday, April 21, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

The driver of Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team Alpha with their vehicle the The Doppler Effect, #701, from Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights, MN, United States, competing under the UrbanConcept - Battery Electric category took 1st place in the Drivers World Championship on the final day of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, April 22, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team Alpha with their vehicle the The Doppler Effect, #701, from Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights, MN, United States, competing under the UrbanConcept - Battery Electric category gets the checkered flag during the Drivers World Championship on the final day of Shell Make the Future at Sonoma Raceway, Sunday, April 22, 2018 in Sonoma, Calif.

On Commission: Non-profit photography for Plant It Forward Farms

A recent commission to create fresh imagery for a Houston-based non-profit organization allowed me to see first-hand how refugees are being helped to establish themselves in their new country. Plant It Forward serves mainly Congolese refugees by allowing them to farm unused land in urban areas while letting participants keep all their profit. Farmers sell their fresh veggies at local farmers markets as well as farm-to-table based restaurants.

The images were used to build a new website, create print collateral and for social media publication. 

From the archives: Bull Riding School Student Portraits

I recently took time to reorganize some of my negative archives when I came across some portraits I took at a bull riding school in 2014. I remember my goal was to make a portrait of the students immediately following their first-ever ride on a bull. The students, to my surprise and initial disappointment, looked nonplussed. I wanted to see a modicum of vulnerability in their faces, but instead only saw pictures of teenagers in cowboy clothing. I scrapped the idea and moved on.

A second look this month, at least three years later, revealed there is an underlying tension in the images, for me at least. Whom of us as adolescents couldn't wait to grow up to be the archetype we most admired? In some of these images, I see some who easily slide into the role, and others have a long trail ahead of them.

In case you're interested, the images were shot with a Hasselblad 553ex and Tri-X film. Let me know what you think!

Cheers,

Eric

October and November portraits

October and November were thankfully busy months. Below are the results of some of my favorite portraits from the last two months.[gallery]

Toni Hickman - Overcoming Obstacles

Toni Hickman, an Atlanta native, overcame two aneurisms to become an aspiring hip-hop artist. Doctors originally told her she would be in a wheelchair the rest of her life. Through her own efforts and the efforts of the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, she was able to beat the odds. We wanted a hip-hop feel, so we used the east-facing wall at Java Java Cafe in the Heights neighborhood of Houston. The owner was very accommodating and even let me use his AC outlet for my lights. Also, we had to shoot on what was probably the coldest day of the year, another testament to Toni's grit and determination underlying her beauty.

New Arcade Fire tearsheets

On a random visit to the magazine store, I picked up a copy of the Nov. 28, 2010 edition of The Observer, a newspaper from the UK. I happened to find one of the photos I made of Arcade Fire on an inside page (the cover shot is a brilliant portrait made by Carl Lessard [fancy website - it will take some navigating to find his work, but it's well-worth the effort] originally shot for Vanity Fair). I was pumped. Then, I moseyed over to the music magazines and lo and behold, some other work of mine I did for the band is featured on the cover and also some inside shots for Billboard Magazine's Musician's Guide. Lastly, I received an honorable mention in PDN's Ultimate Music Moment contest. For those who don't know, PDN (Photo District News) is an industry magazine for photography. Christmas came early this year, or Hannukah came late, whichever suits your needs :-)

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Vote for me!

Gentle reader - At the risk of sounding obnoxious and self-serving, I'm asking for your help by voting for me in a photography contest. I've entered a few of the photos I made of Arcade Fire in the long shot that I might actually win. It wasn't cheap to enter - $35 an entry - so as you can see, I'm all in on this one. I have 13 images entered into the contest and you're allowed to vote for each one if you so please.

That being said, please vote for me in the Ultimate Music Moment contest. It would mean so much to me - specifically a free tripod, a gift bag, and, quite possibly and best of all, publication in the photography industry magazine PDN.

Place your vote here.

Primarily portraits