Posted in New York (City), Photography, Travel on September 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This is the last of the New York City blog posts (from my three-day trip in July), and boy, it was a long time coming.
I’d shot Times Square at f/1.4, then switched back to a more functional aperture, then switched back to f/1.4 for a few more shots in Chinatown. Here they are.
© 2011.
© 2011.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on September 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I was sick all day yesterday, so naturally today for my first assignment at the York Fair, my editor sent me to the live-birthing station.
Everybody say, “SQUEEEE!” for piglets!
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Five piglets nestle together on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, after nursing with their mother, who gave birth to her seventh litter on Sunday in the Animal Birthing Center inside the Toyota Arena at the York Fair. A cow, two pigs, two sheep and four guinea pigs are on display, along with their newborn offspring, at the Animal Birthing Center. All the animals are on display courtesy of their respective farms, with one pregnant pig remaining to give birth.
That’ll do, pig.
Moving on, here are some humans:
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Cousins Alaina Harlacher, 4 of Dover Township, and Bryson Harlacher, 3 of Wellsville, watch a projected video of a cow giving birth at the Animal Birthing Center in the Toyota Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, at the York Fair. Alaina's mother Jennifer, who is five months pregnant, said she anticipates her daughter to ask a few more questions about pregnancy and birth. The video, showing Thomasville dairy farmer Leroy Walker's cow giving birth on Sunday, was playing on a continous loop.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News on September 11, 2011| 6 Comments »
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Penn State students Corey Lee, Tracey Edouard, and David Bennett cheer as two planes perform a flyover at Beaver Stadium before kickoff against Alabama, as a tribute to 9/11, on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
Shot Penn State football yesterday.
Against Alabama.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Alabama's C.J. Mosley (No. 32) tries to recover a loose ball after Alabama's Mark Barron, far left, blocked Penn State's Derek Moye for an incomplete pass during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
It’s been a while since I seriously shot a college football game, and Penn State presented a few challenges. One challenge was the crowded sidelines, although fortunately the field officials were aggressive about keeping the privileged spectators behind the photographers and standing up for those of us who were working the game.
Another challenge was… it’s been a while since I seriously shot a college football game.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Penn State's Devon Smith blocks Alabama's Wilson Love as Penn State's Justin Brown, No. 19, rushes the ball in the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
I know I can shoot better than this, and I will. But I think I’m already doing better than I was doing mid-season in 2009 — so that’s good at least, right?
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Penn State's Khairi Fortt, No. 11, and Eric Latimore, No. 56, take down Alabama's Eddie Lacy during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on September 10, 2011| 1 Comment »
Most Friday nights this season, I’ll be shooting video on the sidelines of two different games for two different highlights reels. Last night, though, I was shooting stills.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News and GameTimePA. William Penn cheerleader Zhane McMillion, center, jumps as she, fellow cheerleaders and the football team greet their fans after William Penn overcame a 27-14 halftime deficit and defeated McCaskey 41-33 on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, at McCaskey in Lancaster.
The game had its share of odd moments, some of which I’m posting here. The more functional photos can be found along with the wrap-up article.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News and GameTimePA. McCaskey's Dante Heard, far left, chases a loose ball from an incomplete pass during the second quarter against William Penn on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. William Penn overcame a 27-14 deficit at halftime and defeated McCaskey 41-33
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News and GameTimePA. William Penn's Jared Posey holds onto the ball as a McCaskey defender unsuccessfully tries to bring him down during the third quarter on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. McCaskey's Avery Wilson leaps over William Penn's Jared Posey after Posey was taken down by McCaskey's Aaron Swinton during the third quarter on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on September 9, 2011| 4 Comments »
Trying to catch up with my blogging. Shot high school girls tennis last week. I’ve always laughed at people who managed to bring down their shutter speed enough to get motion blur in sunlight… but now I’ve done it. And I’m kinda okay with it, because I like the photo.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Dallastown's Tori Davis returns the ball against Northeastern's Cara Glatfelter on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, at Northeastern High School. Davis defeated Glatfelter 7-6 (7-1), 6-2.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on September 8, 2011| 3 Comments »
I haven’t blogged in a week (I think?). It’s been kinda busy around these here parts. Today was the first day in I-don’t-know-how-many that rain hasn’t fallen steadily, but that didn’t mean we were any less busy.
Yesterday was my day off, but my editor called me in. Before going to the office to pick up a videocamera, I stopped by York College.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. York College students and faculty are stranded due to the flooding of Tyler Run Creek and the closure of the foot bridges on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. Constant rain has caused the creek to overflow on campus, resulting in about 18 inches of water in the commuter lot located off of South Pershing Avenue near the South Newberry Street campus entrance on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. A campus safety official, who declined to be named, said the department tried contacting students whose cars were parked on the lower part of the lot before the creek flooded the lot.
Armed with a videocamera, I then made my way to Seven Valleys and Glen Rock — not an easy task, due to road closures — to record footage for two videos that I produced that night.
Then, today, my editor told me, “Yesterday, it was about the water. Today, it’s about the faces.”
So a reporter and I went to two boroughs along the Susquehanna River, which is expected to crest overnight on Friday and which is prompting people who live along the river to evacuate.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Janella Englehart, who lives with her father Martin, 74, in the Wrightsville home where she and her seven siblings grew up, brings a few more items from her kitchen and living room to the front door ofof her house on Wilton Circle in anticipation of rising waters from the nearby Susquehanna River on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. (Left to right, in the motor boat) Rich McDave of New Cumberland, Chad Bowman of New Cumberland, Deb Bowman of Lewisberry and Rebecca Cummins of Harrisburg ride out in a motorboat after helping Rob Jackson - who lives in Mechanicsburg and is rowing the boat in the background - remove valuables from his deceased parents' home in Goldsboro on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, as floodwaters from the Susquehanna River rose to the second story of the house.
One man’s summer house along the river was swamped, but he and his friends stripped the carpeting and relocated the more valuable items in the house. Then he decided to have fun while he still could.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. DeWayne Boyer of Ashton, Md., laughs in response to one of his friends' remarks as he walks around in chest-high water on what used to be the patio of his summer house in Goldsboro on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. With the help of family and friends, Boyer stripped the carpets and relocated valuable items in his family's summer house in the 70th block of Water Street in Goldsboro on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, as the Susquehanna River's floodwaters flooded the house's basement.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. (Left to right) DeWayne Boyer of Ashton, Md., playfully threatens to pull his brother-in-law Brett Cook of Laurel, Md., into the water with him before diving into the overflowing Susquehanna River, which flooded the basement of Boyer's summer home in Goldsboro, on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. Boyer decided to take one last dive into the river before treating his friends and family who helped him move items out to dinner.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. DeWayne Boyer picks up a floating goose egg as he walks in chest-high water on what used to be his patio near the deck stairs of his summer house in Goldsboro on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on September 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Here’s one more pre-season-y assignment I had yesterday, complete with a video:
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. York Catholic sophomore Emily Dugan and fellow marching band members dance part of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" during practice behind the school on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011. Members of the York Catholic Marching Band are gearing for their field performances in the upcoming football season. The band will perform at the season opener against Kennard-Dale High School on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. The band consists of 36 members, including the color guard, and will have four songs on the roster throughout the season.
Are you ready for football season?
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on September 1, 2011| 2 Comments »
Tomorrow night, high schools all over York County will be kicking off their first games of the 2011 football season.
Today, the paper’s football preview tab was distributed. Splashed on the cover is a sportrait — my first.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News and GameTimePA.com.
When I first showed this particular take to my editors, Brad’s response was something along the lines of, “He shouldn’t be throwing footballs in the school lobby. That’s dangerous.”
All facetiousness aside, taking the sportraits indoors was my only workable option at the time. Red Lion’s stadium was closed and a mess because they were getting their turf replaced. The sun was still shining too brightly at 4:30 p.m. for me to use any lights, and the team’s practice field was spotted with large patches of dirt and teemed with the defensive players as they practiced that day.
So we took the sportraits indoors. The photo used for the cover was a three-strobe setup, not including my on-camera 580EXII, which I used to fire off three slaved Nikon flashes. Two strobes were bounced off umbrellas onto Klinefelter, with the third on a tripod on the stair landing above him.
Here’s another option I shot:
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News and GameTimePA.com.
The locker room shoot was a challenge. I had to turn off the overhead lights so they wouldn’t interfere with the lighting. But because I was using strobes-only, I didn’t have a modeling light — which meant we were working in complete darkness. I told Klinefelter that, when the red focus-assist beam on my on-camera flash lit up, he should look directly below that light. As for myself, I had to guess at where he was in the dark and rely absolutely on that focus-assist beam and my camera’s center-point focus to get Klinefelter’s face in focus.
Fortunately, Klinefelter was patient and accommodating as I adjusted the strobes and stumbled around in the dark. The final photo is a tad underexposed — but I’d rather have it a little darker than have the metal locker doors and fixtures blown out. It was a two-strobe setup, with one strobe right behind me and another to Klinefelter’s left. Looking back now, I wish I’d tried putting the third strobe behind Klinefelter as an accent light.
Next season, right?
Posted in New York (City), Photography, Travel on August 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
If you know anything about me, you know that I love a good Chinatown. Strangely, so does my mom. I guess it runs in the family.
My Uncle Doug is a living, breathing Urbanspoon, so we always refer to him when we want to know where we should eat for various types of cuisine in New York City. A few hours before I left New York, he led us through the crowded sidewalks of Manhattan’s Chinatown and to an excellent Chinese restaurant, where I was too hungry and greedy eager to bother taking food photos. Sorry, y’all.
© 2011. Departing Big Wing Wong restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown after eating lunch there. From left to right: my Uncle Doug, my brother, me and my Uncle Arthur.
I also may or may not have had my camera pressed up against my face as we walked off to find a Chinese bakery.
© 2011.
Just a couple of more New York City entries before I’m done blogging about this trip!
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on August 30, 2011| 4 Comments »
This was the decisive, final game in the league championship series. Serious business was on the line, folks.
And this was the weirdest double-play photo I have ever taken in my life:
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Glen Rock's Tim Frisch throws the ball to first base for a double-play after tagging out Manchester's Chris Langley at second base, as Manchester's Andy Clemens, foreground and left, runs to first in the third inning of the final, decisive game of the Central League Championship Series on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011, in Glen Rock Community Park in Shrewsbury Township. Manchester defeated Glen Rock 4-2 to win the series.
Re-read the caption if you have to.
Seriously, the weirdest double-play photo I’ve ever made.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on August 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Made this picture while feature-hunting at a York Revolution baseball game. I’m still not entirely convinced that dogs are man’s best friend — after all, what about women? And cats? (The loyalty and affection a certain cat has demonstrated to Jeff are undeniable, and pretty cute.)
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. The York Revolution's unofficial mascot, a dog named Boomer, eats a treat out of trainer Jeff Hoke's hand after performing a few tricks in the field behind the outfield as the Revolution played agains the Road Warriors on Aug. 19, 2011, at Sovereign Bank Stadium.
(Psst — Boomer also stars in his own book!)
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on August 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Nice light:
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Maggie Jones of West Manchester Township peruses the donated books for sale at the York County Heritage Trust's 11th annual Book Blast sale on Friday, Aug. 12, 2011, at the Agricultural and Industrial Museum. The York County Heritage Trust Library Committee is hosting its 11th annual Book Blast sale on Aug. 11-13 at the Agricultural and Industrial Museum.
Cute kid:
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Becky Coffman of Dover looks through a kids' craft book as her daughter Alyssa, 17 months, waits in her stroller at the York County Heritage Trust's 11th annual Book Blast sale on Friday, Aug. 12, 2011, at the Agricultural and Industrial Museum. Coffman said she was looking mostly for childrens books, as she and her husband Adam also have a 7-year-old daughter. The sale opened with about 25,000 donated books available, and all proceeds benefit the Heritage Trust.
Posted in Analog, Photography on August 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
As some of you may have already read, I bought a new(ish) camera a few weeks ago.
Earlier this week, I ran a quick roll of film through it, just to make sure it works. You never know with these old(ish) film cameras. The advance wheel could be inconsistent, the shutter could be off, etc. So whenever I’ve used a film camera that’s new to me, I always run a test roll through it.
I’m happy to report that my camera works!
The first roll!
I’m not sure that I’ve figured out how to frame/compose with it yet. It’s a twin-lens reflex. Whereas “what you see is what you get” with single-lens reflex cameras… you don’t quite get what you see in twin-lens reflex bodies.
I’ll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, I’m confident enough to shoot Penn State football games now. *wink wink Brad and Eileen*
Regarding the title of this post — For this camera, I have to “cock” the shutter before I can take a single frame. So yes, I really do have to cock the camera before I can shoot it.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on August 23, 2011| 1 Comment »
Went to a dog wash a few days ago. Made pictures. Made a video.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Sheila, a golden retriever belonging to Laura Schmidt of Red Lion, gets washed up at a dog wash on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011, behind Patton Veterinary Hospital in Red Lion to raise money for Pinups for Pitbulls, a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about pitbulls and their temperaments. The staff said they hold at least one dog wash a year to raise funds for various pet-related charities and organizations.
Who doesn’t love seeing dogs shake themselves off after getting washed?
(Answer: No one.)
Posted in New York (City), Photography, Travel on August 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I’m not sure why, but when we were in Times Square on Tuesday morning, I decided to open my lens up all the way. f/1.4, baby.
Unfortunately — and I did already know this — the Canon 50/1.4 lens is not sharp at f/1.4. I usually shoot it at f/2.8, at which the sharpness is usually great. But I guess that morning in Times Square, I didn’t give a damn and decided to try shooting at f/1.4. Sure enough, the photos aren’t quite sharp, but I don’t mind. The narrow depth of field and lack of absolute sharpness make Times Square seem almost dreamy.
© 2011. The pedestrian-friendliness of Times Square will never strike me as normal.
© 2011. Body art by Andy Golub.
I continued shooting at f/1.4 for most of the rest of that last day in the city. You’ll see a few of those shots soon.
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on August 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, about 70 fire apparatus paraded down a three-mile stretch of a state highway. The local high school’s marching band led the way, and people in the area were excited. As with many such assignments, I made sure to get a few photos of the main event (the parade) and then focused my attention on the more interesting aspect, i.e., the people who were watching.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Stacy Johnson and her daughter Savannah, 8, watch from their front yard as the parade approaches on Hanover Street near the Nashville Volunteer Fire Company station on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.
I also photographed the most precious great-great-grandmother I’ve ever met. She’s also the only great-great-grandmother I’ve ever met. Almost all five generations of her family were represented on her son’s porch that day as the parade passed them by, which I thought was just incredible.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Mary Jane Hoff, 87, coos at her 9-month-old great-great-granddaughter Hailey Kime, held by her son Leroy Hoff, before the parade passed in front of Leroy's porch on Hanover Street on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.
Mary Jane was wonderful, and so was her entire family. I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet them, if only for the time that passed as we waited for the parade to arrive and as the parade went by.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Mary Jane Hoff, 87 of Jackson Township, takes a picture of the parade as it passes her son Leroy's house on Hanover Road on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.
The Hoff family’s house wasn’t the only one I visited as the parade inched by. The Johnsons, just a few doors down, were watching, too. (Stacy and Savannah Johnson are featured in the first photo in this post.)
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Ashton Johnson, 3, sucks on the lollipop that was given to him by parade participants as he sits on his front porch and watches the parade pass on Hanover Road on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.
Posted in New York (City), Photography, Travel on August 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The night of Monday, July 25, was the best. I have wonderful friends.
© 2011. Control Room 1A during NBC's broadcast of "Nightly News with Brian Williams" in the Rockefeller Center. Dexter, a fellow 2010 Poynter College Fellow, gave us an extended tour.
© 2011. Veniero's Pasticceria and Caffé, where my mom, brother and I met Lisa - a 2011 Poynter College Fellow - for amazing dessert and amazing conversation.
Posted in Pennsylvania, Photography, York on August 20, 2011| 2 Comments »
I went to a Revs game last night, on assignment not to shoot the game but rather to feature-hunt. I’ll share those photos once they’re published in a few weeks, but here’s something I “discovered” while traipsing behind outfield.
'merica.
Privacy screens, curtains or simply a show of patriotism?
Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on August 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
A reporter and I went to York’s first gay pride festival last week.
Once I strolled the circuit a few times and he talked to some of the organizers, we conferred and agreed that although the three-day event included a(n in)famous deejay and a drag show, we’d focus on the street festival itself. The nighttime events would be flashier and a lot more visual, but the organizers had talked about raising awareness and making the festival fun and open to all members of the public. People were bringing their children and dogs as if it were any other festival.
So, the festival it was.
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Holding her stuffed puppy, Anastasia Bartleson, 3 of Manchester Township, wears a pink "I Stand With Planned Parenthood" sticker on her shirt at the York Pride 2011 street festival on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, in the parking lot of Club XS. Bartleson's mother Lindsay recalled that Anastasia once said, on her own, that it's "not fair" that some people think that a gay couple who are family friends aren't "able to love each other."
© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. (Left to right) Gage Donagher, 8 of West York borough, and his brother Julian, 6, blow bubbles at the York Pride 2011 street festival as their youngest brother Lukas, 4, tries to get their attention on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, in the parking lot of Club XS.
The two photos above didn’t run in the paper or online — check out the article to see which ones did — but I’m sharing these because I think each picture is humorous in its own right.
Posted in Food, New York (City), Photography, Travel on August 16, 2011| 1 Comment »
© 2011. July 25: My uncle's espresso at l laboratorio del gelato, on Houston Street, after our lunch at Katz's Delicatessen.
© 2011. July 25: My mom's bowl of ramen at Ramen Setagaya on St. Marks Place, for dinner.
© 2011. My dinner at Ramen Setagaya: A bowl of edamame.
Words and Light 