I’ve always loved sports, especially football. Truth be told, I would have loved to play in high school, but I’ve never been an athlete. I went to one football practice, and after getting the shit kicked out of me I realized “no pain, no gain” wasn’t written for me.

OK – so I’ll never play in the super bowl, and I’ve come to terms with that. However, I’m pretty good at this photography stuff, and much to my dismay there’s no “super bowl” for photography.

Lately there’s been some “shoot outs” and live competitions, and I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in one with Zack Arias. On a personal level it was a great challenge, and I think we offered some fun entertainment (and perhaps education) on a community level.

Sure there’s lots of photography contests out there as a way to challenge yourself, but can you go as a crowd to watch? You know, to cheer on your favorite team, eat hot dogs, and pop corn, and maybe throw back a few beers? Other than print competitions, me thinks not….. and I’m pretty sure popcorn and booze would be frowned upon.

I’m gonna kick things off by attempting a World Record “The most flashes ever fired by one person to create a photograph” and to make it official, I’ve placed an application with the Guinness Book of World Records.
“Midwest Photo Exchange is proud to provide all of the lighting equipment used in this After Dark World Record Setting Event. Located in Columbus Ohio we provide camera and lighting equipment to photographers across the country, including distributing LumoPro products exclusively in the USA. We will be selling the LumoPro LP160 World Record Edition flash units used at this event, reserve yours today!. The LP160 World Record Edition will come with a signed letter of authenticity, and the 4 AAs originally used with the flash during the event. We will also be selling the LP633 Umbrella Swivels open packaged used in this event at a discounted rate of $14.99. Any additional gear used for this event will also be sold at a later time. For more information and availability, visit the sites below or call our store!”

“Joe Switzer and his team at SwitzerFilm will be filming the World Record Attempt in a totally real way. This is the story of how After Dark Education and Jason Groupp are preparing for such a monumental event. The tools used will be a DP Slider, Stedi-Cam/Glide Cam, Mono-Pod, and a small Jib Arm. As far as equipment goes, a Canon 5D with every lens that will fit into my cinebag. My real secret to success will be roller blades and a jet pack of some sort to keep up with Groupp.”