Actually the photos taken by me at Red's Tournament in Houston were initiated by accident. Mr. Walling saw me taking photos of everyone and I appeared that I knew what I was doing. He asked me if I would take photos of the players, spectators, whatever would make a good photo for him during the tournament. I had his sanction and I begin telling everyone Red asked me to photograph them. Many players did not want to be photographed and many did not like the flash, believing that they would have that little light spot hanging around for hours imparing their vision. But when they saw others getting the attention and believing that these photos might be published somewhere in some pool magazine, they usually relented. That is how I managed to get some really decent shots of pool legends like Jersey Red, Buddy Hall with his afro, Jummy Reed, and Mike Segel. But the highlight of my photo experiences were getting "trio" shots like Ronnie allen, Pucket, and Eddie Kelly together in one photo. Priceless. I have not seen many shots like this and consider myself lucky to be there in the right spot at the right time. Red Walling told me that I still would retain copywright on the photos but he got first prints of the negatives. I agreed. My only regret was that after it was all over with, I could not find my shots of Efren Reyes @ Cesar Morales. Did Red forget to give them back? I dont know. Efren definately did not want to be photographed for obvious reasons. He was about to change pool in America forever!! He brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "kick shot" and safety play in 9 ball. As I watched him play Wade Crane in the finals, he did not completely overpower Wade, but the way he moved the cue ball around the table mystified everyone as he did all week. He wasnt playing the same game Wade was. I believe that week no player was able to 6 on Efren except Bobby Hunter. No one could get there. Interesting memories of someone who years later would be considered the best all-around player maybe who has ever lived. Certainly if Efren had won a US Open Straight Pool championship, there would not even be a discussion on the matter.
