"What have you up to lately, Jason?" Answer: Plenty!

People ask me all the time what I've been working on lately. The fact I haven't posted on my sites might lead you to believe I've been sitting around doing nothing all 2018.

Quite the opposite.

My lack of recent posts—which I plan to rectify—are mostly a result of being too busy, but in a good way.

Obviously, the task that keeps me busiest is chasing our fleet-footed 13-month-old boy Jackson (a.ka. "The Adorable Tornado). His first birthday happened on March 27, and per his mother's request, I put together a little video documenting his first year.

Adorable, ain't he? Maybe I'm slightly biased.

But this isn't a blog about domestic life.

Since my last post, my part-time my role in the WRAL sports department only increased as football ended and basketball and hockey seasons progressed.

Highlights included, fighting off the celebratory mob at PNC Arena when NC State upset Duke:

Covering an amazing game between 2nd-ranked Virginia at 4th-ranked Duke:

Traveling to Dayton, Ohio to cover North Carolina Central in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament and turning one my my favorite feature stories ever on Eagles coach Levelle Moton and his son:

​Covering the Panthers' win versus the Vikings:

​Strapping on the figurative skates for a few Carolina Hurricanes games: 

​Plus several more game stories:

I've even shot and written a few stories for the newscasts to be voiced by the main anchors. My favorite one, by far, is of local 8-year-old golfing prodigy and Jack Nicklaus lover Ella June Hannant. Click here to see how it aired on TV:

I've been thrown into the mix to shoot several stories for other reporters too, such as a Scotland County deputy killed in a car crash, reaction to Billy Graham's death, live coverage of Rod Brind'Amour's introductory press conference as the Hurricanes' new head coach, the disease that would eventually take the life of UNC radio broadcaster Woody Durham  and several more stories, including snow coverage.

I've also had time to continue my freelance work.

The year started by wrapping up an edit for a wedding I shot the previous fall. The edit became a multi-day event because one of the brides had a certain vision for the video, which is fine. Ultimately, it's about making the customers happy with your work and this couple was.

I have a few more weddings booked for this summer and fall, but I'm always looking to add more!

Sometimes, I get requests for pretty basic shoots for corporate speaking gigs. It's light lifting and not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

In March, I shot the Smithfield area Chamber's Women's Business Network conference.

And as can often happen, as a result of that, I got a recommendation for another job to shoot author Vernon Mason Jr. give a humorous speech at a luncheon in Wilson the next month.

It's looking like the Smithfield shoot is also going to land me an extensive project that can last throughout the summer but further details as they become available.

There's a lot of work potentially on the table, and I hope to do a better job of documenting it as it happens.

But for now, one more Jackson pic...