As far back as seventh grade, my favorite day of the month was the day that Sports Illustrated hit the newstands. Sometimes I would mark it on my calendar. Other times I just knew it was time.

On that day, as soon as the last school bell rang, I would ride down to the corner drugstore on my two-speed Schwinn. There, I would walk briskly to the magazine rack at the back of the store. Without pausing, I reached into the stack of fresh copies and picked out one that hadn't been opened yet, whose pages were still untouched.

Then, I savored the moment. I would stand, almost transfixed, slowly turning the pages to look carefully at each picture. The athletes' facial expressions - exulting and grimacing - and sprawled, flying and contorted bodies amazed me.

That was my introduction to sports photography. And that was my dream.

My first NFL assignment landed a photo in Sports Illustrated.

Today I'm living my dream. After a 22-year career in advertising, I'm doing what I love. Exhilarating. Challenging. Exasperating at times. But immensely satisfying.

Because you're reading this blog, you may know the feeling. You have a new DSLR camera, or piece of fast glass, and you're wanting to make better pictures of your son or daughter. Or maybe you're a college photographer with assignments for your school's sports department. Or maybe your smaller digital camera just doesn't capture the images the way you wanted And you're wondering what type of camera to shop for. Or, you've been using your camera and lens for several months, but the images just don't turn out the way you'd like them to. Why? What should you do? How can you improve?

These are the questions I receive along the sidelines, in the stadium aisles or coffee shops I frequent. And in this blog I want to help, by offering insights, advice and tips on how to create Better Sports Photos.

Like many of you, I'm self taught. But I've also learned from some of the best (e.g., Mark Reis, Dave Black, Bob Rosato, Joey Terrill, Mark Terrill, John McDonough, Keith Ladzinski, Rod Mar, Robert Seale, Brad Smith and Rich Clarkson). And I keep teaching myself, I keep studying. I don't believe I've arrived, but rather, I'm a work in progress. And I have the notion that I can help others learn. If what you learn here helps you make better sports photos for whatever purpose, then I will have accomplished my goal.

Today I still savor the newest issue of Sports Illustrated. It's the first thing I grab at the physical therapy clinic or grocery store. Only now, in addition to looking at the great images, I'm also reading for photo credits. And along with recognizing names of other photographers I've met or studied under, now I'm on the lookout for images I've made.