SecondFocus Blog

I really want to say Happy New Year to everyone, to all of you, everywhere.

It has been an exceptional year for me and I am looking at having an even better year for 2007. I carry forward something which I try to do all of the time, and that is to always try to be a better person. Not bigger, not smaller, not stronger but always remember to just try to be a better person. The rest will follow. I hope 2007 be great for all of you.

One of the most fun things that happened this year was working with BodyBuilding.com to create and photograph much more fun ads to appear in the magazines for 2007. These are among the first released, appearing in the February 2007 issues of Iron Man Magazine and Muscular Development Magazine which are on the news stands right now. So keep watching for more, we are making it much more fun for everyone. Thanks!

The New York Pro was the other show of the one - two punch put in by Phil Heath for 2006. The other being the Colorado Pro only one week prior, which is here earlier on my Blog. Many people figured that Darrem Charles here in the photo with Phil, being the experienced pro, would come back this time and put this new kid on the pro stage into the number two spot. We heard lots of conjecture starting in Colorado like Phil won’t be able to keep his conditioning for another week; Darrem will just tweak his diet and prep and come back and put him away. Even Darrem was very sure that he would come into New York and take it. It was close but it wasn’t mean’t to be. This was really a good show and I am happy I was there to see it. There is nothing like being there. Well except my photos on BodyBuilding.com! Come on back for more.

Well you can’t say that I have a bad job. This was one of my favorite photos from all year. This is Jessie Sumner who I have worked with many times. And many of you know her as the girl from Pro Fight Supplements. We were in a gym doing a photo shoot for Pro Fight with a boxing theme for their ads, stage banners and booth banners. But I always try to work in as much in a shoot as we can. So we decided to do a few more dramatic photos. With the design of my makeup artist and a change of wardrobe, Jessie turned it on as she can well do. Anyway this became the photo on my business card and has become numerous full page ads in National advertising business magazines. Thanks Jessie!

BodyBuilding.com is already way into planning the coverage for the 2007 Arnold, it is coming up fast. But do you remember the 2006 Arnold? Dexter Jackson took the top spot but not without some serious competition especially from Branch Warren who came in second but won the title of Most Muscular. What was surprising was that everyone expected that the Most Muscular title would have put him in as the winner, but not this time. Branch came in with such thick muscularity and amazing vascularity that the crowd actually collectively gasped when he came on stage. The line up for 2007 looks amazing so it will be a great show!

Certainly one of the best staged shows this year was BodyRock in Fairfax VA. Great lighting and production design made for very fun photography as you can see in my photo here of Adela Garcia guest posing. Maybe guest flying is a better term. Steve McAdams along with Monica Brant put on a competition that was very memorable for everyone who attended as well as the athletes. Sadly it was announced that this was the last BodyRock after a number of years of great shows. But I am sure happy I was at this one!

He just turned 27 years old yesterday and to say that Phil Heath, nicknamed “The Gift”, has his whole life ahead of him is so very true. This photo from the Colorado Pro was the first competition of the one two punch that really put this kid on the map. It was in Colorado that he beat veteran Darrem Charles and then came right back and beat him again at the New York Pro. Since Phil came into the sport he only knows how to take first place.

In general I know Phil as a very pleasant guy with a quick smile. When you first see him in street clothes you would not really suspect that he has a world class champion physique. But on stage there is no question. You can find out more information on Phil’s website. And we will next see him on stage at the Arnold. And this lineup is going to be big time. Let’s see what "The Gift" can do. Will he be "The Surprise Gift"?

This was a competition I truly enjoyed. The man who is the image of BodyBuilding.com, Bob Cicherillo, won the IFBB Masters Professional World Championships in New York City on April 15th. This photo is one that I shot backstage as the competitors were getting ready. It was a very long day with the finals not until well late into the evening. But from the moment Bob walked out on the stage early in the morning I knew he had it. Sometimes you can just tell when someone comes in 100%+ and this was that day for Bob.

And as usual there was a lot of discussion on the boards about if it was a deserved win. But I can tell you from being there and from others who were there, that Bob won this one for sure. And the judging results show that it was not even close. You can view those results on the IFBB website.

Keep checking here for more "Looking Back" at 2006. Thanks!

One of the big stories of the year came out of the Nationals in Miami just in November. Stan McQuay finally earned his IFBB pro card. He has been a long time fan favorite and been the cover of many magazines so a lot of people were really behind him on this one. This photo I shot at the Nationals made another Wallpaper of the Week here on BodyBuilding.com.

Stan also then did a really fun FitShow which I think is one of the best FitShows yet. And the Nationals was awarded Competition Of The Year along with the Olympia by BodyBuilding.com.

The Nationals was also significant for me in a number of ways. Yes I had a great time and it was really nice in Miami. I was busier than I ever expected to be because I did some additional reporting and photos highlighting competitors to bring their inside stories to you who you might not have met otherwise. It is also the first competition where I did the majority of the coverage right here on my Blog. This is something BodyBuilding.com first did with the Olympia and in a big way. I found it a lot of fun to report as things were happening so this will be something that I will continue to do and expand on. So thanks again and please keep coming back for more!

When people around the world think about or talk about bodybuilding they think of two things, Arnold and Muscle Beach. And on Labor Day 2006, the two bodybuilding icons came together. Arnold came out to the Muscle Beach International Classic competition to personally hand the first Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Joe Weider himself, the man who really started it all. I was there of course on assignment for BodyBuilding.com.

Despite the heavy security I had a few moments to talk with Arnold and asked him about the dubious show business start he had in the movie “Hercules In New York“. A movie so bad it was funny and became a cult favorite, and again it was Joe Weider and his brother Ben behind it. Arnold actually had really good feelings and good things to say about his distinctive start in Hollywood.

The Muscle Beach Venice competitions over the summer draws bodybuilders from around the world who want to appear on the stage at this historical locale. It is really a lot of fun and they are only bodybuilding shows in the world where you can get something like an F-16 flyover to kick off the events.