Missed me?

As you can see from the surrounding photos, headway has been made in the “camera situation” at the newspaper.

By hook or by crook, I’m back to making the best photos I’m capable of, my hands untied and camera gear ready to rock after a prolonged hibernation.

You can view all of my photos from yesterday’s Bandera Bulldogs vs. Ingleside Mustangs varsity football playoff game over at the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account or in the Bandera.net Photo Gallery (pro tip: Bandera.net is faster, the images are bigger and higher quality and you don’t need a degree in Computer Science just to look at them).

Below are some of my personal picks from the gallery. Let me know what you think: comment below, hit me up on Twitter @BanderaOutlaw, e-mail me at James@team-outlaw.net, or call/text me at 830-688-1564.

My friends, it is so good to be back.

(UPDATE: Check out Spencer Smith’s gallery of photos from the Bandera-Ingleside game at www.Bandera-ABC.com)

I’m a week behind, but I just came across the Austin American-Statesman’s coverage of the Bandera-Wimberley football game from Sept. 18.

Great write-up and a set of 10 very nice photos from Statesman intern Jordan Smothermon. He was working the sidelines hard throughout the game to get a set of 10 top-quality shots. I got to chat with him briefly and he said he has been a sports shooter since he first took up professional photography.

Where do you guys get your Bandera, Medina and Utopia sports story and photo fix? In the papers or online? Where? Leave a comment below on this blog post, hit me up on Twitter @banderaoutlaw, e-mail James@team-outlaw.net, or call/text me at 830-688-1564.

I apologize for the lack of photo updates here on Bandera.net. If you’ve spoken with me in person, you know why this is. If you haven’t, I’m not really at liberty to be candid with the details here on the Net.

As vaguely as I can explain it, I am no longer subsidizing the Bulletin’s photography budget with my professional equipment, and the newspaper has given me a broken point-and-shoot camera with which to shoot Bandera County sports for the foreseeable future.

If you want to know my feelings on this, don’t hesitate to ask.

I hope that the situation will change for the better in the near future, but from what I’ve been told, it’s highly unlikely. I think this is quite unfortunate.

Luckily there is some light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a number of very good local photographers who are shooting Bandera County sports as freelancers this year. Check out the work of Spencer Smith, Ken Lane and Rick Mender to get your sports photo fix.

And what of Bandera.net? Many good things are on the horizon. Bookmark away and come back often; what you’ll see here in the near future is unlike anything that’s graced the Internet landscape of Bandera County. Those of you who know me well know I don’t make such boasts without warrant.

Stay tuned – it’s about to get good!

The Medina Bobcats fell to the TMI Panthers 53-14 in varsity football action last night, Sept. 4.

You can see all of my photos from the game at BanderaBulletin.dotphoto.com.

Bandera fell 16-7 to La Vernia tonight in their varsity football season opener.

You can find all of my photos from the game over at BanderaBulletin.dotphoto.com.

Reportedly Bulldog QB Cole Hubble broke his nose in the game. He left with trainer Mary Bolan in the second quarter after taking a blow to the face. He scored Bandera’s only TD in the game on a long breakaway run.

I’ll have a full report from Coach Larry Prince for this week’s story in the Bulletin.

Want to weigh in on the game? Leave a comment below or drop me an e-mail to James@team-outlaw.net.

The Bandera Lady Bulldogs varsity volleyball squad did not fare too well against the Llano Lady Yellowjackets tonight, Aug. 25,  losing in three sets.

You can find all of my photos from the varsity, JV, and freshman games over at BanderaBulletin.dotphoto.com.

It was great to get out and shoot some Bandera volleyball, though! The action was great and volleyball is always one of my favorite sports to photograph.

See you all this Friday when the Bulldogs kick off their 2009 football season against La Vernia!

The Medina Lady Cats stomped on San Antonio Cole last week in volleyball action.

Photos from the varsity and JV games are freshly posted to BanderaBulletin.dotphoto.com.

Welcome to a new season of Bandera County sports linkage here at Bandera.net!

Thanks to everyone who has already ordered photos of their graduates! Your images were sent to the lab on Sunday for printing and most shipped Monday. You should receive your package via USPS very soon!

(To answer our most Frequently Asked Question, yes, you can still send in your graduation order form and get early-bird prices!)

There are plenty of great outtakes and other images available for viewing and purchase in our online gallery. Don’t miss the hat toss and post-graduation hug-fest, as well as the NSFW Class of 2009 “Goofy” class photos. I take no responsibility for Caleb Murphy’s outbursts. I don’t think anyone could.

I like to keep in touch with Bandera graduates, just to see how you guys fare in life after Bantucky. E-mail me and let me know your plans for the future and I will send you a link to the full-size, hi-res copies of the 2009 Class Goofy photos. Trust me – these have to be seen in high-def glory to appreciate fully. We have never before done a goofy class shot at graduation, and these are epic.

Enjoy! If you would like to purchase any of these photos, feel free to use the online shopping cart or e-mail me image numbers and sizes and I will be happy to send over an invoice. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you, as always, for supporting The Outlaw!

Great set of school-year-ending sports and events in this week’s photo update.

Freshly posted to the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account include:

Redux: Bandera High School Prom 2008 – May 17, 2008

Water Board Meeting – May 7, 2009

Big Lou’s Hot Dogs and Fellow’s Auto Parts Grand Opening – May 8, 2009

Bandera High School Prom 2009 – May 16, 2009

Medina River Ranch Boys and Girls Club Dinner – May 9, 2009

Bandera Lady Bulldogs softball vs. Sinton – May 14, 2009

Medina Bobcats baseball vs. Charlotte Trojans – May 15, 2009

Looking forward to adding Bandera baseball playoff photos from this coming Monday night! See you guys in San Antonio!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

I was honored to photograph the Luminaria Ceremony at tonight’s Bandera County Relay for Life, benefiting the American Cancer Society.

No image could capture the immense gravitas of this wonderful event, but I did my best to create a photo that captured the beauty of this symbolic ceremony.

Both of my parents died of cancer, so Relay for Life always holds a special date on my annual shooting calendar. My sincere gratitude to all of the amazing people who make this event happen each year.

I will post my full set of images from tonight’s relay in the near future, but for now, please enjoy this panoramic photo of the always moving Luminaria Ceremony. A hi-res copy of the image may be downloaded here (right click and Save As…).