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Archive for April, 2011

Professional baseball: Revs defeat Riversharks 8-2

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on April 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday was the York Revolution‘s season opener.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. The Camden Riversharks, umpires and York Revolution stand at attention as members of the York Youth Revolution bring the American flag onto the field before the season opener on Friday, April 29, 2011, at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

I’d covered the team’s first exhibition game last week, so inwardly I was worried about making the same “first game”-y pictures. Fortunately, the fanfare was much different and more grand than it had been last week. And I didn’t make still pictures of the opening ceremony after all because my editor had me on video duty:

The most exciting moment of the game? For at least a few people, this was it:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. After diving into the crowd behind home plate, York Revolution catcher Octavio Martinez shows the ball that he successfully caught bare-handed after Camden Riversharks outfielder Drew Macias' bat in the third inning of the Revolution's opening day game on Friday, April 29, 2011, at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

I happened to be shooting from the stands when Martinez caught that ball for the Riversharks’ final out of the third inning. Otherwise, I’d never have made this shot — and I wished all the more I had a 300mm for less depth of field. (With the access we get in the stadium, a 400 would be almost excessive except for far outfield action.) I’m shooting the game tomorrow, though, and will probably be borrowing Bill’s (manual) 300.

A few more shots:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. The Spring Garden Band and Sovereign Bank Stadium are reflected in band member Michael Bubb's tuba as the band performs outside the stadium before the York Revolution's opening game on Friday, April 29, 2011.

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Aftermath of a fire: What remains

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on April 27, 2011| 2 Comments »

When I first arrived at the 600 block of Wallace Street, where yesterday an unattended cooking-fire consumed three homes, this was all I saw:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Citizens Public Adjusters solicitor Douglas Dardaris leans against the porch rail of 624 Wallace Street as a bassinet, mattresses and other items that Anthony and Katie White's family once used lie on the curb outside their fire-destroyed home at 622 Wallace Street in York City on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The Whites' upstairs neighbor had left her cooking unattended, which started the blaze that consumed three rowhouses and displaced seven adults and three children.

So I went to an adjacent rowhouse that had suffered water damage from the fire hoses, and I made a few pictures there. Upon my exiting that house, I met its owners/former residents, the Follers, and got to know them a bit. Soon, a pregnant woman approached us, and I found out quickly that she had lived in one of the fire-destroyed homes.

I asked her if I could make a few pictures of her around the area. She said no, that she was too emotional for the time being. I let the matter rest and continued to listen to her share stories with her former neighbors.

Then, her husband and daughters pulled up in a van, and her older daughter ran out, in tears.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Mariah White, 4, collapses in her mother Katie's arms, in tears after seeing the family's fire-destroyed home on the 600 block of Wallace Street the day after the fire, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Katie White said Mariah took the fire hard on Tuesday. The Whites had been living in that home for two years, since Mariah was two years old.

Then, with no protest or objections from Katie or her husband, I began to follow them and make pictures as they went through their house once more to salvage any playthings to comfort Mariah.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Debris and damaged belongings litter the water-soaked carpet of the White family's master bedroom in their fire-damaged home on the 600 block of Wallace Street on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Katie White bends over to pick up an undamaged slinky in her fire-damaged home the day after the fire, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Katie White is nine months pregnant with her third child and first son, whom she and her husband Anthony will name Darius.

The Whites have no renter’s insurance. Friends and neighbors helped them remove most of their salvageable items yesterday after the fire was extinguished. For now, they are staying with family — and Katie said they probably won’t return to their old home even after the repairs are made, because their growing family needs more space.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Anthony and Katie White try to salvage playthings and memorabilia from their fire-damaged home on the 600 block of Wallace Street on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The majority of what property they were unable to retrieve on Tuesday, after the fire happened, was water-soaked from the fire hoses.

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Aftermath of a fire: Water damage

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on April 27, 2011| 1 Comment »

Yesterday morning, a four-alarm fire destroyed three homes in York City and displaced seven adults and three children. Bill and John covered the fire itself and the immediate aftermath. This morning, I headed over there to see if anything else was happening.

At first — not much.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. The interior of Edward and AnnaMae Foller's home suffered severe water damage from the firefighting efforts at the adjacent rowhouse on the 600 block of Wallace Street on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. The Follers -- Edward is 77 and AnnaMae is 75 -- had lived in their home since 1958 but are now staying in a hotel suite while their home is checked for moisture levels from the fire hoses. The Follers' home was protected from the blaze by a brick wall.

The fire had destroyed three rowhouses on the 600 block of Wallace Street. The house adjacent to those three had suffered water damage from the fire hoses, so I looked around in the house and followed the restoration technicians at work in there.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Belfor Property Restorations technician Dylan Simkins checks the moisture content of the third-level ceiling of Edward and AnnaMae Foller's home on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Belfor Property Restorations technician Dylan Simkins checks the moisture content of the third-level floor of Edward and AnnaMae Foller's home on Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

Then I went back outside, and found the Follers themselves talking to another Belfor technician. Then a very pregnant woman approached us as we talked, and I quickly learned that she was one of the displaced residents. Then — well, that’s another blog post coming up soon.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Two sooty handprints are imprinted on an upright wall above the stairwell that connects the second and third floors of Edward and AnnaMae Foller's water-damaged home on the 600 block of Wallace Street in York City on Wednesday, April 17, 2011.

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The six-digit tattoo

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on April 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

It’s not every day that you meet a Holocaust survivor.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Holocaust survivor Severin Fayerman shows the tattooed serial number he received in Auschwitz when he was 19 years old. Fayerman, a Pole who later founded a multimillion-dollar hardware business in Reading, Pa., said he never removed the tattoo because he now sees it as "a badge of honor" and a testament to the horrors of the Holocaust.

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York: Old and beautiful

Posted in Journalism on April 25, 2011| 1 Comment »

I’ve been asked a few times whether and why I like York. There are several reasons. One is that it’s old. Old and beautiful.

For example, the churches. Last month, I made pictures in a church that was founded in 1733. The building itself dates back to 1814, but that’s still older than just about anything that’s still standing in Texas.

Yesterday, I returned to the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist — where I’d previously made pictures during a 7 a.m. Ash Wednesday service — because they were serving up an Easter lunch. Founded in 1755, it, too, is an old and beautiful church.

Even the windows in the Parish Hall's kitchen at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist are beautiful.

I mean, really — you won’t find windows like these in any megachurch.

Since this window is quite long and begins about three feet from the ground, I'm not sure how anybody was able to reach up and draw in a smiley face.

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Easter-giving

Posted in Food, Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on April 24, 2011| 1 Comment »

It’s not just about the chocolate bunnies. (Or turkey hands, or Christmas trees, or a lot of other things.)

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. George Riddley of York City walks toward the drinks table after receiving his plate of Easter lunch at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist on Sunday, April 24, 2011. The lunch was open to any public safety workers, the homeless, those living in shelters or those living by themselves.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Tables start to fill up at the annual Easter lunch at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist on Sunday, April 24, 2011. Rev. David Lovelace said the church began the Easter lunch seven or eight years ago. "People were asking what we do for Easter. We do meals for Christmas and Thanksgiving, so why not Easter?" Lovelace said.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. The Easter lunch served at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist included ham, green beans, sweet potato casserole, tropical fruit salad, bread rolls and homemade Easter eggs.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. William Donald, who said he is homeless, sits by himself in the corner during Easter lunch at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist on Sunday, April 24, 2011.

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Professional baseball: Exhibition game against the Heroes of the Diamond

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on April 24, 2011| 2 Comments »

Baseball! Sunshine! Action!

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Revolution third baseman Vince Harrison unsuccessfully tries to tag out Heroes of the Diamond outfielder Francisco Santana in the first inning of the exhibition game on Saturday, April 23, 2011, at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

But first: Music! Overcast sky! Thompson Square!

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. American country duo Thompson Square -- husband Keifer and wife Shawna Thompson -- perform "Let's Fight" as their first song for the crowd who came to Fan Fest outside Sovereign Bank Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2011, before the York Revolution's exhibition game against the Heroes of the Diamond.

Yesterday was the York Revolution’s exhibition game against the Heroes of the Diamond, which is a traveling team of former and active-duty military personnel. Opening day isn’t until April 29, but I worked to make plenty of “first game” feature pictures.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Staff member Jim Knaub scans tickets at one of the Sovereign Bank Stadium gates before the York Revolution exhibition game on Saturday, April 23, 2011. Knaub said he took the first ticket at the Revolution's first-ever game, as well as the 1 millionth ticket last season.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Grounds crew member Bob Darr cleans off the home plate at Sovereign Bank Stadium prior to the York Revolution's exhibition game against the Heroes of the Diamond on Saturday, April 23, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Revolution third baseman Vince Harrison stretches against the foul-line wall before the exhibition game on Saturday, April 23, 2011, at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

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Learning the standardized field sobriety test

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on April 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, I covered police officers who were training to administer standardized field sobriety tests.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Volunteer Brandon Freistat, a Fairview Township firefighter, follows Penbrook police officer Calvin Vanderpool's pen during a field sobriety test on Tuesday, April 19, 2011, at the York County Fire School. Vanderpool and 20 other central Pennsylvanian police officers have been undergoing a three-day training course to administer the standardized field sobriety test.

Two things I learned that surprised me:

  1. Field sobriety tests do not include the driver’s having to recite the alphabet. Or recite anything.
  2. The volunteers to whom the officers administered the tests actually were impaired. The seven volunteers had been drinking beer and mixed drinks in a controlled environment for about four hours before they met the officers.

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At the beach: The final night

Posted in Photography, Travel on April 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Final Dewey Beach post, final night at Dewey Beach.

April 1. Near Ruddertowne in Dewey Beach.

On our final night, Jeff and I sought out the raw bar at a local restaurant that had just opened up for the season. As I’ve already blogged, our efforts were initially thwarted because that restaurant wasn’t in full service yet. But we ordered drinks and had some buffalo wings anyway, and later found another place that was serving raw oysters.

April 1. Facing the bay at Ruddertowne in Dewey Beach.

Then, even after all that food, I decided I wanted onion rings. So on our way back to the condo, we stopped by Nick’s Philadelphia Cheesesteaks, where I took this photo while we waited for the rings to fry up:

April 2. Gotta love the old games and faded photos in the local dive.

This spring break trip was substantially less epic (and less gas-guzzling) than previous spring breaks were, but it was still a great few days-off. And I’m really okay with our not spending too much time on the beach itself.

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Professional baseball: First day of spring training

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on April 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

York has its own professional baseball team, and yesterday was the first day of spring training.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Revolution pitching coach Mark Mason, far left, gives a few pointers to the pitchers during the first day of spring training at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Monday, April 18, 2011. Monday, April 18, was the York Revolution teams first day of spring training for the 2011 season. The team plays its first game on Friday, April 29, at home against the Camden Riversharks.

One of the sports reporters, John, told me that the players have one-year contracts with the team, which means that half of this year’s team is new to York. Their jerseys haven’t arrived yet, so we’ll be getting to know their faces pretty well over the next two weeks of training.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Revolution manager Andy Etchebarren, center, talks with outfielders Chris Walker (not pictured), Scott Grimes and Val Majewski between practice drills on the first day of spring training at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Monday, April 18, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Revolution pitcher Jason Richardson changes out his cleats mid-practice at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Monday, April 18, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Revolution catcher Salvador Paniagua suits up during the first day of spring training at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Monday, April 18, 2011.

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Amateur golf: The YCAGA Better Ball tournament

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on April 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Here’s another spring sport I shot for the first time recently: Golf.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Rollie McSherry, of Out Door Country Club, chips his shot to the 18th green at the Bon Air Country Club golf course for the 2011 York County Amateur Golf Association Better Ball tournament on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

A big storm had hit the region the night before, wreaking destruction and leaving hundreds of people without power. But the golf course remained intact for the tournament, and while it was cold and windy, the quality of light was, largely, stunning.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Brandon Hoffman, of Grandview Golf Club, chips his shot to the 18th green at the Bon Air Country Club golf course for the 2011 York County Amateur Golf Association Better Ball tournament on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Eric Schaefer, of Regents' Glen Country Club, watches his shot after putting at the 18th green at the Bon Air Country Club golf course for the 2011 York County Amateur Golf Association Better Ball tournament on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

And, with one exception, practicality seemed to overrule the golfers’ fashion sense.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Ricky Hoke, of Briarwood Golf Clubs, putts his shot at the 18th green at the Bon Air Country Club golf course for the 2011 York County Amateur Golf Association Better Ball tournament on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

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Hunting eggs

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on April 18, 2011| 1 Comment »

York hosted its 36th annual Easter egg hunt yesterday.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Trinity Melendez, 2 of Dover, hunts for Easter eggs along with other 1- and 2-year-olds at Farquhar Park on Sunday, April 17, 2011. Children ages 1-8 participated in the 36th annual Easter egg hunt hosted by York City Recreation & Parks at Kiwanis Lake in Farquhar Park.

About 7,000 eggs were discovered by children ages 1-8 in almost no time at all.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. About 7,000 plastic Easter eggs were filled with candy -- and slips of paper redeemable for special prizes -- for York City's parks and recreation department's 36th annual Easter egg hunt in Farquhar Park on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. The Easter eggs in one of the Eckenrode boys' baskets lie in separate halves after their candy contents were emptied out at Farquhar Park on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. As their father Jay Eckenrode helps open Easter eggs, Jacob, 4, hands his brother Jon, 6, a Starburst candy he knows that Jon likes, after the Easter egg hunt ended at Farquhar Park on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

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High school track and field: York Suburban defeats Northeastern

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on April 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, I shot another sport I’ve never covered before: Track and field.

Mostly girls’ track, though, since all the events were happening all at once and the reporter was focusing on the girls in track and I could only shoot one thing at a time so I might as well get the shots that would go with the article. </run-on sentence>

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Suburban's Tessa Stewart runs with the baton during the 3200-meter relay at Northeastern on Thursday, April 14, 2011. The York Suburban girls won that race with a time of 11:22.41. Northeastern High School hosted a track and field meet against York Suburban High School. York Suburban girls won 80-70; York Suburban boys won 92-57.

It was a little more difficult than I’d anticipated. For one, hand-offs in the relay races can happen anywhere in a range of 20 feet (guesstimation), so the range of potential exposure was huge. For another, these kids are fast. In basketball and soccer and other constant-motion sports, the athletes have to slow down a little bit before they shoot the basket or pass the ball — but for running sports? They’re running. And god help you if your autofocus isn’t up to speed.

So I tried for some peak action shots, and then I tried for feature shots. Feature shots, I think, won the day.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Northeastern's Katelyn Starner lies on the football field turf in exhaustion after completing her run in the 1600-meter relay on Thursday, April 14, 2011. The York Suburban girls won that event with a time of 4:29.78.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Northeastern's Misty Parshall covers her face after being told her winning time for the 800-meter run on Thursday, April 14, 2011. Parshall won the event with a time of 2:37.39.

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At the beach: Living

Posted in Photography, Travel on April 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Our previous spring break excursions were roadtrips that had us driving thousands of miles and staying in multiple places throughout the week.

This year, we kept it simple. One trip, one destination, one living space. Which was nice, because we had time to just relax. And make food.

March 31. Photo by Jeff, before we made salmon and asparagus for dinner. All the important things are in this photo: the kitchen, lighter fluid, Nutella, gnocchi, wine, Jeff's iPhone and beer.

April 2. Looking out the second-floor patio door. Jeff's uncle's condo in Dewey Beach has three floors, and a deck/patio for each floor. Too bad the weather was just too windy and cold and wet for us to enjoy the decks.

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The newsroom’s backyard wildlife

Posted in Pennsylvania, Photography, The York Dispatch, York on April 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Ten months ago — no, eleven — we discovered wildlife in The Poynter Institute’s courtyard.

Today, I discovered wildlife next to the York Dispatch‘s parking lot.

Mama and Papa Duck, in a puddle. In the middle of York City.

The ducks were gone when I left the newsroom at the end of my shift. The puddle had also evaporated -- or absorbed into the earth -- significantly.

So take that, National Geographic — you’re not the only one around these here parts that has ducks hanging out.

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State of the City: Outtakes

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Politics, The York Dispatch, York on April 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last night was York City mayor Kim Bracey’s first State of the City address. In my pursuit of two other people’s names, I decided to leave the auditorium and venture backstage despite my not knowing my way around. In doing so, I happened to find the mayor waiting offstage.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York City mayor Kim Bracey waits offstage as York City Schools superintendent Dr. Eric Holmes introduces her prior to her State of the City address at William Penn Senior High School on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

I tried making other pictures of the mayor before she took the stage, but it was simply too dark. I tried one photo with a flash, but put it away because using the flash would have been too jarring an effect and ineffective in showing her jitters. (“Is she nervous because she’s about to give a speech or because I’m making pictures of her?”)

Anyway, more photos from last night —

Keys:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Keys to the city lie on a shelf in the William Penn Senior High School library on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, before they were presented to 10 recipients of York Awards at a reception prior to mayor Kim Bracey's State of the City address.

The arts:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Performing as the eponymous character of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," Central York senior Danté Strange sings "Music of the Night" as William Penn senior Maria Houck performs as Christine Daaé, before York City officials and mayor Kim Bracey took the stage for her first State of the City address at William Penn Senior High School on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.

And an iPad oopsie:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York City mayor Kim Bracey bites her lips as she scrolls through her iPad after losing her place while giving her first State of the City address on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at William Penn Senior High School. Bracey said earlier that she often uses her personal iPad to give speeches*, and that she always has her speech on a piece of paper as backup.

* This is what Bracey told me while we were offstage, before she gave her speech. When, 10 or so minutes into her speech, she paused for 30 seconds, I could tell from her arm motion that she was scrolling through her speech.

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Vignettes (V)

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, Vignettes, York on April 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Theme: Stuck in warmer weather.

Or, just flowers and springtime.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Ruth Kober, of Windsor Township, and her daughter Sue Johnson, of Hellam Township, look at pansies at Miller Plant Farm on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Johnson is an avid flower gardener and said she lives for flowers. "She takes after me," Kober said. Miller Plant Farm on Indian Rock Dam Road opened a new greenhouse and retail store on Monday, April 4, 2011. The farm, which has been in operation since 1928 and is in its fifth generation, used to sell its wholesale and retail plants and merchandise in greenhouses further back on the farmland. The new greenhouse is exclusively for retail customers, while the old greenhouses are still in use for wholesale customers.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Alexis Koontz, 2 of Spring Grove, shyly stands to the side and Amiyah White, 5 of Thomasville, watches as Madyson Rupp, 3 of Seven Valleys, high-fives the Easter Bunny near closing time on Sunday, April 10, 2011, at West Manchester Mall. The Easter Bunny will be available for photos 12-8 p.m. on April 10-14, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. on April 15, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on April 16, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. on April 17-21 and 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on April 22 and 23. Domestic pets can have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny 4-5 p.m. on Sundays.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. The York County Administration Building and a Bradford Pear tree are reflected on the side of the Susquehanna Bank building in Continental Square on Monday, April 11, 2011. The York area hit a high of 85 degrees on Monday, one of the hottest days so far in 2011.

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At the beach: In the winter

Posted in Diptych, Photography, Travel on April 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

It’s 80-something degrees and hideously sunny here in York now, but a week and a half ago, the beach in Delaware was cold, rainy and blustery. Too cold for typical beach-y things, but the rainclouds did part in time for some really lovely evening light on two separate occasions.

April 2. Photo by Jeff. At Rehoboth Beach. Somewhat of a Cartier-Bresson moment (neither foot is touching the ground).

April 1. Photo by Jeff. At one of the beach outlets of Delaware Seashore State Park.

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Spring high school sports: Lacrosse, soccer and volleyball

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on April 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The spring sports season has begun, which means I’m shooting a few sports I’ve either never covered before or only shot once.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. South Western's Jess Kopenhaver passes the ball against the defense of Dallastown's Amanda Brown and Madison Garrity at Dallastown Area High School on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. The Dallastown girls lacrosse team lost 18-5 at home to South Western on Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

The first (and only) time I shot lacrosse was when I was a college freshman. It was a challenge then, but when I shot it late last month, it wasn’t as difficult as I remembered my first game to be.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. South Western's Jess Kopenhaver passes the ball against the defense of Dallastown's Amanda Brown and Madison Garrity at Dallastown Area High School on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. The Dallastown girls lacrosse team lost 18-5 at home to South Western on Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

Next: Soccer.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. West York's Shyanne Kimbrough keeps the ball away from Susqehannock's Olivia Royer during the second half on Thursday, April 7, 2011, at West York. West York defeated Susquehannock 1-0 in girls soccer at home on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

That’s right — four years of photojournalism in Columbia, Mo., and I never actually shot soccer. I did, however, edit a lot of soccer photos in my 1.5 years of collegiate photo-editing experience.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Susquehannock's Danna Lehneis, center, fights West York's Jordan Seifarth and Savannah McCauley for the ball in the first half on Thursday, April 7, 2011, at West York.

And finally: Volleyball.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Central York's David Moler sets the ball against Red Lion at home during the third match on Thursday, April 7, 2011. Central York defeated Red Lion 3-0, 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 in boys volleyball at home on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

Volleyball, I knew, would be tricky. The pace of action is unlike that of football (predictable), baseball/softball/tennis (largely static) or soccer/lacrosse/basketball (constant movement). Shooting from the ground would mean I’d have to sort through layers of players to see the game action. Fortunately, this first volleyball game that I shot was in a gym that has a second-floor track running around the whole court. So I was able to photograph from above and get clear shots of the players.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Red Lion's Shane Zeller returns the ball to Central York home during the third match on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

The two running themes for me, in covering these spring sports?

  1. I can’t wait to shoot more.
  2. I really wish I had a 400mm lens.

Alas.

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Vignettes (IV)

Posted in Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, Vignettes, York on April 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Theme: Up in the air.

I took this first photo quite a bit ago, and these houses are pretty much done now. I just never got around to finding an appropriate time to publishing it. This was taken from the second-floor level, although it seemed much higher because I had to climb two ladders from the basement level to get up there.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Lavern Martin and Eric Martin, both PsL Construction employees from Ephrata, help raise the wall of what will be a three-story townhouse's second story (not including the basement) in the 900 block of North George Street on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011. Construction crews are working on six, three-story townhouses on the 900 block of North George Street, where a June 8 fire destroyed $1 million worth of property and mixed-use buildings.

These next two “up in the air” photos were taken much more recently.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Tanner Myers scrapes paint off and cleans his second-story windows in the 200 block of W. Market Street on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Myers' window frames were painted about a month ago on a windy day, so the paint splattered all over the glass.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. This solar thermal unit is one of several installed on the roof of a York Housing Authority single-room occupancy building. The tubes are filled with propylene glycol, which doesn't freeze and which will be heated by the sun, pumped through the system and help heat the building's water. Thanks to a $2 million competitive, energy-specific American Recovery and Reinvestment Act fund, the Housing Authority of the City of York has installed photovoltaic/solar panels and solar thermal units to service one of its single-occupancy buildings on 449 East King Street.

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