Eye Candy - Sponsored by ZHP Mafia/Detailer's Domain/C. Withers Media/Khoalty.com

[Gheybe]

I was joking, but be careful what you wish for young buck.

Gheybe....hello? You in there?

Here is what I have learned through over 15 years of playing soccer at a VERY competitive level:
You only become better by playing people who are better than you.
That goes to everything. How do you become a better driver? By driving against better drivers than you.
Casey, the day a photo I take can be even compared to a photo you took, I know I'm on the right track.

So, I say again: Bring it on.

Let's have fun and make challenge ourselves to become better. It's not even about winning. It's about always improving yourself, no matter the outcome. Life is a continuous practice session, and guess what? It will end at some point. And when mine ends, I wanna be sure that I did all I could to better myself each day in my skills, relationships, habits, mischiefs, whatever the case may be.

/life lesson from the 20 year old.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Gabe, words to live by, pal. You're going to do good things, kiddo.

[Gheybe]

Gabe, words to live by, pal. You're going to do good things, kiddo.

[C Withers Media]

Gabe, on some levels I agree with you...Keep in mind I played collegiate football...I do however, translate art completely different than sport. You do want to be around people you can learn and grow from, but forcing competition in something as opinionated and non definitive as art or photography is not my way. I have long since stopped competing against others. I compete against myself daily. That is not to say that I don't study, admire, or flat out embrace the work of others I consider great, it just means that at the end of the only I will truly appreciate what I went through to get a shot or what went into a particular shot time or skill wise.

Instead looking at things on a competitive level, I try to reach out and connect with those I can learn from. Not because I want to compete against them, but because they have knowledge or insight that I want and if I can possibly share something back, even better.

Remember Gabe.. The only Zen you will have when you get to the top of the mountain is the Zen you brought with you.

/middle aged hippy life lesson.

[Gheybe]

Gabe, on some levels I agree with you...Keep in mind I played collegiate football...I do however, translate art completely different than sport. You do want to be around people you can learn and grow from, but forcing competition in something as opinionated and non definitive as art or photography is not my way. I have long since stopped competing against others. I compete against myself daily. That is not to say that I don't study, admire, or flat out embrace the work of others I consider great, it just means that at the end of the only I will truly appreciate what I went through to get a shot or what went into a particular shot time or skill wise.

Instead looking at things on a competitive level, I try to reach out and connect with those I can learn from. Not because I want to compete against them, but because they have knowledge or insight that I want and if I can possibly share something back, even better.

Remember Gabe.. The only Zen you will have when you get to the top of the mountain is the Zen you brought with you.

/middle aged hippy life lesson.

I didn't mean to come out so competitive. I'm not really competitive, I just know that YOU know a lot, and I really wanna learn how to be better. I'm my own adversary and if I can do better than the former me, I feel great. You take some great shots and that goes without saying, so in a nutshell, since you are the closest one to me and the one I see most work from, you're sorta my measuring stick/inspiration/guide.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Gabe, Casey, ZHP Mafia membership:

[C Withers Media]

I didn't mean to come out so competitive. I'm not really competitive, I just know that YOU know a lot, and I really wanna learn how to be better. I'm my own adversary and if I can do better than the former me, I feel great. You take some great shots and that goes without saying, so in a nutshell, since you are the closest one to me and the one I see most work from, you're sorta my measuring stick/inspiration/guide.

Thanks for that, I am flattered...I have helped in the past when I could and I will in the future if I can. I get what you are saying about bring it on...It translated a bit stand offish in context and I may have misread that so I apologize, I think this discussion has been good anyways as I rarely get the chance to dispell the myths that I am some giant beast who seeks and destroys mercilessly.

I am a big softie. You guys probably dont even realize how humbled I often am by your comments and compliments, but I am just a regular guy....

[Gheybe]

Oh stop it, you're a gorgeous man and you smell awesome.

[az3579]

Ooooooh boy, let's not get into how he "smells", shall we?

[Oli77]

This is good clean American fun right there.

Casey, if you have the time, a line or a comment on each of the submitted photos would be extremely helpful to all of us I am sure.

While I did enter the photo contest to win, this is NOT important.

Instead, learning why I didn't win IS important. So, if you could comment just a little on the lighting, the editing, the composition, the alignment etc... that would be worth a great big group hug to us all.