Sideline Distraction: Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ashley W.

With audition season in full swing, I bought a 4 TB hard drive a few weeks ago in anticipation of optimizing my image archive.  As I was going through my files, I came across my photos from my visit to D.C. and I rediscovered a few forgotten images of one of the most amazing cheerleaders I’ve ever seen, Ashley W.

A little back story.  When I visited D.C. in 2011, I was looking forward to shooting Ashley and a number of other Redskins Cheerleaders, but I was to be disappointed in that she was not on the sidelines for the game.  She did dance in the pregame performance and I was able to snap a few photos, which you see here, but that was little compensation for not being able to shoot one of the most special cheerleaders during the game.

Ashley W. – the one that got away.

Perhaps one day I will return to D.C. and photograph the Redskins Cheerleaders again.  That would be great because they have some of the hottest cheerleaders in professional sports and they wear some of the sexiest uniforms in the NFL…and that’s a positive when it is your job to photograph cheerleaders.

2012 Charger Girl Retirees

With the NFL audition season winding down and the 2013 squad announced, I thought it would be nice to recognize those 2012 Charger Girls who retired from the squad.  A girl’s time in the uniform is short, so we should enjoy them while we can.  Let’s take one final look at those girls who are no longer with the squad.

We begin with two Captains, Lauren O. and Marissa.

Lauren was a four year member of the Charger Girls, the last two as Captain.  For two years, she had the good fortune to dance with her sister Jennifer, who is currently a 49ers Gold Rush cheerleader.

Marissa was a three year veteran Charger Girl and her story remains one of the most inspirational that I’ve come across.  She tried out nine times before making the squad and I guess perseverance pays off because she eventually became a Captain and then the Charger’s Pro Bowl representative.

Lauren P. was a member of the Clippers Spirit Dance Team before becoming a Charger Girl and she was a pleasure to shoot because she was very photogenic.  She was a three year member of the Charger Girls.

Starkesha, another three year member of the Charger Girls, was a former Detroit Automotion Dancer who made the move from Michigan to sunny California.  Michigan’s loss and our gain.

Amanda was a two year member of the Charger Girls and she had the distinction of being a top 30 finalist on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”.  And those of us who watched her on Sundays, knows she can!

Alexis Ann was on the squad for two years, but in 2012 she did not perform during the regular season. She only was on the sidelines for the two preseason games then suddenly disappeared. Our loss because she was very striking.

And know we turn our attention to some one year wonders, whom I hope may make a return appearance in the future.

This is Rachel and she was a Charger Girl for only one season.  And this is unfortunate because I was looking forward to shooting her again this season. She was on the end of her line and as such I didn’t get to photograph her as much as I wanted, but fret not.  Rachel auditioned for and made the 2013 New England Patriots Cheerleaders.

Good for her, bad for us.  And while it will be below freezing in December in Boston, it’ll be a sunny 70 degrees in San Diego.  Perhaps those cold New England winters will induce her to move back to sunny San Diego.

Another one year wonder was Nicole. She was another girl that I didn’t get enough photos of her because she was also near the end of the line. We sometimes think we have more time with these girls, but unfortunately, they are only on the team for a relatively brief time.

Katie was another one who was only on the squad for the one year.  Tall, leggy and blonde. Everything you could want in a Charger Girl.

I don’t think she tried out again this year, but hopefully she will do so again in the future because I would love to photograph her again.

Allizon, another one year wonder, is working on her PhD in history and hopes one day to teach on the university level. What a coincidence, I was a history major in college…European history.  Care to discuss the impact of Napoleon Bonaparte on modern Europe? Oui, oui?

Erin was a former member of the Washington Wizard Girls and I first met her a couple of years ago at the PRO Convention in Atlanta. When I saw that she made the 2012 Charger Girls, I was pleasantly surprised because the PRO Convention attracts the very best professional cheerleaders each year.  Erin was a great addition to the Charger Girls.

I think its really neat that girls like Erin, Starkesha, and Lauren P., who have cheered professionally for other teams, auditioned and then joined the Charger Girls. It’s really quite refreshing to see them in a Charger Girl uniform.

Well that’s concludes our look back at the “retiring” 2012 Charger Girls. I hope some of them make it back to the squad in the future, but if not, I want to wish them well in their future endeavors. The girls have a saying, “once a Charger Girl, always a Charger Girl”. Let’s hope their time in the uniform was enjoyable and provided them with memories that will last a lifetime.

More Photos from the 2013 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders Auditions

I think I took a little more than 2,000 photos over the course of the six hours I was covering the auditions.  Of course, many were not what I consider to be worthy for post processing, let alone the finished article.  And of those that were, I have several that were redundant or didn’t quite tell the story as well as some others.  Nevertheless, the ones that I like, I have posted here.

In a pageant style final audition, there really isn’t a lot of down time.  It is pretty much a show, so the girls are all business for the most part.  They come in.  They get their hair and make up done.  They have a brief run through.  And then the show goes on and there is little time in between performances.

So that’s all for the 2013 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders Final Auditions.

Spirit of St. Louis: The 2013 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders Auditions

The spirit of St. Louis is alive and well and last Tuesday night it was at The Pageant theatre, where the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders were holding their final auditions.

Though they might not get as much attention as some of their more famous cheerleading sisters, the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders are one of the most beautiful and glamorous squads in the NFL.  The girls are absolutely beautiful.  They wear Angela King designed uniforms, which in the opinion of this reporter, are both sexy and classy.  And they put on one fabulous final auditions show.

This past Tuesday, I was fortunate to be present for the 2013 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders final auditions, a pageant style affair.  It was an exciting evening of entertainment, consisting of an interview segment, a swimsuit portion, and a final dance audition.  Just the thing for the most ardent cheerleader fan.

People started lining up a little after 3:30 pm to ensure that when the doors opened an hour and half later, they would have a prime seat for the start of the festivities.  I was lucky.  I had a media credential that allowed me all access to the event, so no waiting for me!

Well, that’s not quite true.  I misunderstood the show time and arrived inauspiciously early, but that wasn’t all bad as I was able to photograph the pre-event preparations.  The girls began arriving a little after 3:00 pm to get their hair and make up done.  With 49 finalists, this would be a huge logistical undertaking.  Around 4:00 pm, the retiring veterans and 2013 Captains arrived to rehearse their dance performance which would kick off the night’s events.

More Photos from the 2013 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Auditions

When I go to an audition, I pretty much cover everything. I spend most of my time focusing on the girls and don’t really do those “impressionistic” photos you see on some newspaper’s online gallery… you know low angled shots, high angled shots, or silhouettes.  I just concentrate most of my efforts on the girls…shots that tell a story, the whole story.  Some other photographers try to take those impressionistic photos because they are only there for part of the auditions and want something that looks “different”.  They tell their story in a handful of photos and don’t really focus on the girls, just the “concept” of an audition.  That’s their gig.

I don’t do that.  I just focus on the girls because the people that visit UltimateCheerleaders.com want to see “real” audition photos of real girls, not some stylized vision or conceptualized photo.  They want to see the real deal.

I take a lot of photos because you never know what image is going to tell the story you are trying to write.  So I have a lot of of photos that are redundant or don’t help visualize the story.  They are interesting photos, but didn’t make the article for one reason or another.  And I like to post those left overs here because they are worthy of your consideration.

I am going to begin with the girls who I thought were special.  So here are some photos of those that stood out to me.

2013 Charger Girls?

Looks like it.  This is a photo from the Charger website.  It’s the final photo in the gallery of Charger Girl photos from the final auditions.  No formal announcement yet, but this looks like the official Charger Girl photo that usually comes with the formal announcement.

We should know soon!

UPDATE: Wow, seconds after I posted this article, the Chargers website was updated with the official announcement.  Yep this is the 2013 squad!

Desert Bloom: The 2013 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Auditions

Spring time in Arizona is a wondrous site to behold.  The flowers are in bloom and the weather is pleasant.  It is a beautiful time, indeed.

This past weekend I was in Phoenix, not to enjoy the flora, but to cover the 2013 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders auditions.  It too, is a wondrous site to behold with over a hundred beautiful women trying out for a handful of spots on the Cardinals cheerleading squad.