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Archive for the ‘York’ Category

High school swimming: Dover defeats York Suburban

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on February 12, 2011| 3 Comments »

Shot swimming on Thursday, for the first time in almost exactly a year.

(On a related note, my portable hard drive died that weekend, and I worked all day on Valentine’s Day. Easily one of the worst weekends of my life.)

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Dover Area High School's Summer Dacheux swims the butterfly as the third swimmer against York Suburban High School in the 200-yard medley relay at Dover Area Intermediate School on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. Dacheux's lane won the event with a time of 1:58:43.

Several things that made shooting this high school meet interesting and different from my experiences at the Missouri Grand Prix:

  1. They didn’t have a heat sheet — a list of all the races with all the lane assignments — available at the beginning of the meet. The York Dispatch writer told me they withhold this information so the swimmers don’t know against whom they’re competing until they’re on the diving blocks.
  2. The heat sheet that was available at the end of the meet, complete with results, didn’t have the lane assignments. Instead, the swimmers for each race were listed by how they placed. So it’s a damn good thing I only photographed the first- or second-place swimmers in each event, and took careful notes.
  3. The swimmers and their classmates were really, really cheering each other on. (At the Prix, usually it was only the coaches who were doing any yelling.)

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Dover Area High School swimmers cheer as fellow members win the boys 400-yard freestyle relay as the last event against York Suburban High School at Dover Area Intermediate School on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. The Dover girls defeated the York Suburban girls 107-76; the Dover boys defeated the York Suburban boys 96-87.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Dover Area High School's Scott Tilley swims the 200-yard freestyle against York Suburban High School at Dover Area Intermediate School on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. Tilley won the race with a time of 1:59:01.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Dover Area High School swimmers congratulate fellow team members for winning the girls 400-yard freestyle relay against York Suburban High School at Dover Area Intermediate School on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011.

So that was fun.

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High school basketball: York Suburban defeats Susquehannock 65-41

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on February 11, 2011| 8 Comments »

I need help.

Oops.

I shot high school basketball on Tuesday night, just as I have a few other times so far this year. And, no matter what I do or change or try, I can’t stop backfocusing.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Suburban's Kevin Donahue shoots a free-throw in the first quarter at York Suburban High School on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011. Donahue scored his 1,000th point in the game's third quarter. The York Suburban High School boys basketball team defeated Susquehannock High 65-41 at home.

Here are the facts:

  1. I’ve always owned a Canon, but now use a full-frame.
  2. Because of not-so-ideal high school gym lighting, I shoot at 2.8. (Which I also did for college basketball, in better lighting.)
  3. I use back-button focus.
  4. For focusing modes, I’ve tried using AI Servo and One Shot at different games. One Shot used to work well for me when I shot with a cropped-sensor Canon. Now, neither mode is helpful in alleviating my backfocusing issues.
  5. I miss Nikon’s pro-body focus-point options, but that’s a moot point.
  6. I use center-point focus.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Suburban's Ted Hinnenkamp shoots against Susquehannock High in the first quarter at York Suburban High School on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011.

Timing and framing aren’t problems. Backfocusing is. I can’t count how many great photos I’ve had to pass because they were backfocused. And I’m not a bad basketball photographer. I’m not the best, but when I shot college basketball with a Nikon or cropped-sensor Canon, I never had any technical issues.

Now, I’m shooting high school basketball with a full-frame, and I’m overwhelmed by how many awesome moments are ruined because I couldn’t focus fast enough.

Help. Please.

(And no, I’m not switching over to Nikon. Or using my 30D for these low-light gyms.)

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Valentine’s Day flower prep

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Gentlemen (and ladies), it’s that time of year again.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. These yellow and white roses are among the 5,555 roses delivered to Royer's Flowers & Gifts on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, in anticipation of the Valentine's Day rush. The roses, which will largely be sold in clear vases with leaf arrangements, will remain in a large trailer behind the shop until the florists begin working on more orders.

Please ready your wallets.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Elaine Wertman, of West Manchester Township, arranges red roses for an early Valentine's Day order at Royer's Flowers & Gifts on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011. To alleviate the Feb. 14 rush, the shop is having a special wherein customers can have flowers delivered before Valentine's Day and receive a coupon for a dozen loose roses, redeemable in the month of March.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Royer's Flowers & Gifts florist Elaine Wertman, of West Manchester Township, trims some rose petals in a Valentine's Day order on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Rejected blooms and cut stalks lie on the floor of Royer's Flowers & Gifts on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, as the shop gears up for the Valentine's Day rush.

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Public service announcement

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Please be sure to turn off and unplug your space heaters before you leave your home.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. A family of five was displaced after their trailer on Miramar Street in Fairview Township caught fire on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011. Fairview Township fire inspectors determined the fire was caused by a space heater. No one was in the trailer at the time of the fire.

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Rasslin’: Spring Grove loses quarterfinals to Cumberland Valley

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on February 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last Thursday, I drove over to Spring Grove, photographed Spring Grove’s wrestling bouts for about 30 minutes, drove back to York to cover another assignment and then returned to Spring Grove to cover the team in its second match of the night in the District 3-AAA quarterfinals.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Penn Manor's Colby Graham wrestles Spring Grove's Neal Grudi in the 189-pound bout at Spring Grove Area High School on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Grudi pinned Graham; Spring Grove defeated Penn Manor 44-19 in the first round of the District 3-AAA Team Tournament.

This was the same team in the same gym that I covered a few weeks ago, and I was glad I returned later in the evening for the quarterfinals — because that’s when they turned out all the lights.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Cumberland Valley's Kevin Novick (right) wrestles Spring Grove's Dakota Laughmann in the 125-pound bout at Spring Grove Area High School on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Novick defeated Laughmann 5-3; Cumberland Valley defeated Spring Grove 35-19 in the quarterfinals of the District 3-AAA Team Tournament.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Spring Grove's Trey Duncan (right) wrestles Cumberland Valley's Wills Long in the 145-pound bout at Spring Grove Area High School on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Duncan defeated Long 7-5.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Cumberland Valley's T.C. Warner (top) wrestles Spring Grove's Tyler Miller in the 140-pound bout at Spring Grove Area High School on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Warner defeated Miller 15-1.

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Packers nation

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on February 6, 2011| 1 Comment »

As I predicted two weeks ago, I spent the first half of tonight’s Super Bowl game photographing Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers fans in two different sports bars. Here are a few photos; check out some more at the York Dispatch‘s site.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Green Bay Packers fan Teresa Filipelli (foreground), of Dover, cheers at Jamie's Courtside Sports bar after the Packers got two consecutive first downs in their third drive of the first quarter of the Super Bowl game on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011. The Packers fan club gathered at Jamie's to watch their team take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 45th Super Bowl game.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Pittsburgh Steelers fan Bob Roland, of York City, intently watches the Super Bowl game at Stockade Tavern on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011. Roland said he has been a Steelers fan since the 70s, and proudly sported a Steelers watch and necklace.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Alan Brown of West Manchester Township and Jeanne Behnke of Manchester hug in celebration of the Green Bay Packers' first touchdown in the 45th Super Bowl, as Pittsburgh Steelers fan Mary Krause of Dover remains seated in Jamie's Courtside Sports bar on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011. Behnke is the Packers' local fan club organizer. Despite her being a Steelers fan, Krause sat among the club's members, as she is a friend of many of them.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Ralph Preston, Jr., (center right) raves to Bob Roland, Ray Brown, Louis Calhoun and Samuel Layer, all of York City, that the Pittsburgh Steelers need to score a touchdown before the Super Bowl's halftime in order to gain any momentum in the game. A small crowd of Steelers fans gathered at Stockade Tavern on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, for a Super Bowl watch party. Shortly after Preston's rant, the Steelers scored their first touchdown - before the game's half.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Joe Powers, of Springettsbury Township, relishes the Green Bay Packers' first touchdown in the Super Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011. Powers was one of several dozen Packers fans who gathered in Jamie's Courtside Sports bar to watch the game.

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Rescue(d) horses

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Harley and Demon, both 12-year-old geldings, approach Lisa Holder of York Township at her boarding barn on Hess Farm Road on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011. Harley and Demon are two of seven rescue horses are available for adoption to good homes and families, at Holder's Lah-T-Da Boarding barn. These horses were underfed by their owner and taken to Holder's facility on Jan. 20, 2011. People interested in adopting one of the horses can contact Holder via her Facebook page or her e-mail: [email protected].

These horses tried to eat my camera bag. And my camera.

After what they’ve gone through, I don’t blame them for trying to eat anything that comes their way.

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High school basketball: Dallastown loses 57-49 to York High

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on February 3, 2011| 3 Comments »

Shot more high school basketball last night.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York High's Tavon Parker attempts to score at Dallastown Area High School on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011. Dallastown was behind 23-9 near the end of the first quarter and tied York High 29-29 in the third quarter, but was never able to take the lead. Dallastown lost 57-49.

True to form, I was run over by a basketball player mid-game. Namely, this one:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Dallastown's Four McGlynn scores a free throw at Dallastown Area High School on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011. During the game, McGlynn claimed the school's all-time record in points scored by besting Bill Rutecki's 1976 record of 1,616 high school career points.

This brings my total #occupationalhazard record to five, as I’ve previously been barreled by a pig, run over by two wrestlers, hit by a tree and almost had my camera eaten by a horse. (More on that horse later.)

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York High's Kelvin Parker shoots against Dallastown's Emmanuel Mossengo at Dallastown Area High School on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011.

But yep. It was a good game. And I still need to figure out how to avoid backfocusing on this full-frame camera.

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Covering the home team

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Halfway across the globe today, reporters and photographers are being attacked, detained and/or arrested in Egypt. Meanwhile, I’m photographing first grade students receiving homemade knit hats from a local organization.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Goode Elementary first grade students crowd around to hug Betty Hoke of York Township on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, at Goode Elementary. Hoke founded Stitches of Love in 1999 as a way to organize people to knit hats, scarves and more for people in need.

I’m just putting things in perspective; I’m absolutely not saying I should (or want to be) be flown out to Egypt, or anywhere else, right now. After all, someone’s gotta stay put and keep covering the home team.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. About 200 homemade knit hats sit waiting for first grade students at Goode Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011. Stitches of Love -- an interfaith network of people who knit hats, sweaters, scarves and more -- donated 200 hats to the students at Goode Elementary School.

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I love being a newspaper photographer because…

Posted in Introspection, Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 2, 2011| 1 Comment »

There are different types of news photographers. Magazines, agencies, wires, newspapers, NGOs and other outlets have specific needs, and many news photographers dabble in more than one of these fields. Many others remain within only one.

So when people find out that I like newspaper photography and want/hope to be a newspaper staff photographer, they either laugh because newspapers are dying, give me sympathetic looks because newspapers are dying or advise me to pursue other interests because newspapers are dying.

Well, I happen to love newspaper photography. Even when I’m told to go out into the city, wander around and find people who are parking in curbside spots marked with chairs.

Like this:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. chair marks the spot for a York City resident on the 900th block of East Philadelphia Street on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011. Some York City residents, after shoveling snow out of their street parking spots, will "reserve" their spots with chairs, trash cans and even cans of paint to ensure no one else parks there, even though this is illegal by city ordinance. No monetary fines or citations have ever been issued, but if residents don't remove their items from street parking spots, the city will confiscate those items.

And this:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Marina Vazquez, of York City, tends to her child in the front passenger seat while temporarily parking and waiting for her husband to get some paperwork from a resident on the 700th block of West Princess Street on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011. The red chair on the sidewalk formerly "reserved" the space occupied by the Vazquez' car. At least a dozen street parking spots on West Princess Street were "reserved" by chairs, trash cans or cans of paint.

I love being a newspaper photographer because I can get to know the community. I can tell people I’m from the local paper and they’ll (usually) accept me. I love being a newspaper photographer because every day is different — except when it snows every day.

Being a newspaper photographer can be frustrating on slow news days or, alternately, when you’re still in the newsroom five hours past your shift. It’s not as glamorous as other news photography jobs. The paper may not be flying me (or anyone) out to Egypt or sending me to the Super Bowl — but dammit, I want to stick with newspapers for as long as I can.

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Video: Singing their way to Carnegie Hall

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

York County is sending a choir to Carnegie Hall.

More specifically, a choir of 40 high school students from all over the county.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Spring Grove High School senior Nick Moran, West York High School junior Bradlee Gorrera and South Western High School senior Woody Stetter sing in the tenor section of the Concorde Vocal Ensemble during a rehearsal on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, at Zion United Methodist Church. Consisting of 43 high school singers selected from the York County Senior Honors Choir, the Concorde Vocal Ensemble will send 40 of its singers to Carnegie Hall to perform Hector Berlioz's "Requiem" alongside another high school choir, the Atlanta Symphony Chorus and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, in the Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival on Feb. 13, 2011.

For this assignment, I also shot and edited a short video piece.

It was a little tricky. I had only one camera, but while editing, I didn’t want to overlay footage of the students as they sang “Requiem” by Berlioz — since their mouths wouldn’t match the music — in the name of visual variety.

I also felt like scum because, to edit interviews into this video, I had to chop up a beautiful Latin requiem. All in a day’s work, I guess.

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Playing against the Harlem Wizards: A big win for all

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on February 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last night, the Harlem Wizards came to town.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Harlem Wizard basketball player Dwayne "Swoop" Simpson pumps up the opposing team -- the Bouncing Bobcats, consisting of teachers and students from the Northeastern School District -- before the big game and entertainment spectacle on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011, at Northeastern High School. Simpson was formerly a Harlem Globetrotter and is now the primary entertainer on the Wizards team.

I’m told the Wizards are like the Harlem Globetrotters — in that both are exhibition basketball teams for which athleticism, comedy and theatrics are at the forefront — but on a smaller scale. Based on what I’ve read, it seems like the Wizards are also more entertaining in the family-friendly way. And after covering last night’s show at Northeastern High School, I know I’d take my kids to see the Wizards.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Mount Wolf Elementary School physical education teacher Nick Donnelly is left with hiked-up gym shorts after Harlem Wizards player Dwayne "Swoop" Simpson (right) said Donnelly was dressed too sloppily and needed to tuck his shirt in, on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011, at Northeastern High School.

The Wizards played against a team of 24 teachers and students from the Northeastern School District, which initially could have been disastrous for me since that team didn’t have numbers or a roster. Fortunately, one of the organizers gave me a list of all the players, and various team members helped me identify everyone by physical description — i.e., “bald, goatee, black knee brace,” “blonde crew cut, maroon shorts,” etc.

Yeah. Easily could’ve been a nightmare. But I’d like to thank those teachers who helped me out before the game began.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Harlem Wizards player Arthur "King Arthur" Lewis leads the crowd in the "Cha Cha Slide" dance on the court during the halftime intermission of the Harlem Wizards' game against the Bouncing Bobcats on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011, at Northeastern High School.

Check out more photos in the York Dispatch‘s gallery.

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Groundhog Day (soon)

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

“That’s right, woodchuck-chuckers — it’s GROUNDHOG DAY!”

Groundhog Day is kind of a joke in the South, probably because the prospect of six more weeks of winter isn’t that bleak. Up here in the North, it’s not really a joke. I mean, it makes sense. We just had almost a foot of snow drop on us last week, and on Wednesday — Groundhog Day, to boot — we can expect more, plus ice.

In fact, Groundhog Day is kind of a big deal in Pennsylvana. And Punxsutawney Phil may be the most well-known prognosticator in the Feb. 2 meteorology business, but York has its own “Poor Richard” to take care of the local forecast. Moreover, Poor Richard is said to be the guest of honor in the state’s and country’s second-oldest Groundhog Day ceremony.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. E. John Fedor, of Springettsbury Township, introduces Leroy the stuffed-animal groundhog to Elks Lodge members Carlos Fuentes and Donald Hopper, both of York City, at the Elks Lodge on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. Fedor is the Exalted Hibernator of the York Slumbering Groundhog Lodge, which meets only once a year - on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2 - while Skip Lehmann, right, of Springettsbury Township is the lodge's Exalted Communicator.

That’s not Poor Richard, above. That’s Leroy.

This is Poor Richard, with Leroy:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Leroy the stuffed-animal groundhog and Poor Richard the taxidermied groundhog will both be present and featured at the annual Groundhog Day ceremony outside the Elks Lodge at 7:15 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2011. Members of the public who would like to join the York Slumbering Groundhog Lodge can donate five dollars to charity as their fee and kiss Poor Richard's nose as an initiation rite.

Although there’s supposed to be a terrific blizzard on Groundhog Day — just like in the movie! — Fedor (the York Slumbering Groundhog Lodge’s Exalted Hibernator) says the ceremony will take place at 7:15 a.m., rain or shine. I have the night shift that day, but if I can wake up and get to the ceremony safely amid the snow and ice, I’ll be there.

Yeah. Groundhog Day is kind of a big deal in Pennsylvania. And I really don’t want to miss it.

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Snowshoeing

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on January 28, 2011| 2 Comments »

Snowfall in York County on Wednesday night ranged from 5 to 11 inches. In lieu of an assignment that was canned last-minute on Thursday, my editor decided to send me to John Rudy County Park and told me to wait/look for cross-country skiers.

He really wanted cross-country skiers.

I really doubted I’d find cross-country skiers, even if I were to hang around for hours.

But I went out to the park, and first spent some time in the open-leash area, also known as Canine Meadows. (Supposedly it’s ranked in the top 10 dog parks in the nation?) Then, as the light started to fall (and become prettier), I headed over to the main area of the park… and, in the parking lot, happened to meet two people who were about to go snowshoeing.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Linda Ranker, of Springettsbury Township, begins snowshoeing in John Rudy County Park on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. Snowfall in York County ranged from 7 to 11 inches on Wednesday night.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Tom Allen, of Springettsbury Township, adjusts his snowshoe straps in John Rudy County Park on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Tom Allen and Linda Ranker, of Springettsbury Township, snowshoe up a hill in John Rudy County Park on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. Allen and Ranker said this was their second time using their new snowshoes, which are lighter-weight than traditional wooden ones.

So, I guess I lucked out. It ain’t cross-country skiing, but it’s definitely something other than sledding or shoveling.

Side note: Allen and Ranker definitely had the physical advantage over me — that is, I didn’t have snowshoes. Keeping pace with them while making pictures was pretty difficult, especially since I was almost up to my knees in snow.

(And yes, that vignette is in-camera.)

  • ADDENDUM — Jan. 28, 12:56 p.m. EST —

I’ve received a few comments and questions about whether that vignette really is in-camera. Proof:

These are the original files, as seen in Photo Mechanic.

The only toning I did was some contrast (via curves) and color balance. I did not perform any selective editing.

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Video: The Bake Shoppe

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

For my first video at The York Dispatch, I followed a day in the life of the Bake Shoppe in downtown’s Central Market.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. School of Culinary Arts student Meredith Jensen places fresh cookies into the countertop display in the school's Bake Shoppe, located in Central Market, on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Jensen is one of three students working in the student-run bake shop, which is open to the public.

The shop is actually operated by York’s School of Culinary Arts and run by the school’s pastry students. (This concept of a real-world learning lab should be very familiar to members of the Mizzou Mafia.) It opened just about a month ago, and has fresh baked goods available for sale on market days.

Check out the video!

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. School of Culinary Arts student Meredith Jensen rolls out individual portions of cookie dough in the school's Bake Shoppe, located in Central Market, on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Jensen and two other students work in the student-run bake shop, which currently operates as an externship site but will soon become part of the school's curriculum.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. As chef instructor Lisa Linton watches, School of Culinary Arts student Meredith Jensen rolls croissant dough in the school's Bake Shoppe, located in Central Market, on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Because the shop operates during Central Market's hours, students working in the shop must arrive at 5:30 a.m. to begin baking the day's goods and preparing dough for the next market day.

Side note: I’ve shot other videos that were published on-line before this, but this is the first one that I edited. As anyone who’s been following me on Twitter for the past few weeks can confirm, I’ve had some fun wrangling with the Adobe Premiere Elements software we installed on my laptop. (Hence, my editor has been the one putting my videos together while I edited this project and became used to Premiere Elements.)

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#snOMG

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on January 26, 2011| 2 Comments »

It’s inevitable. Any/every time it snows on the east coast, everyone on Twitter knows because their Twitter feeds blow up with any/all of the following hashtags, depending on (or, sometimes, regardless of) the severity of the snow forecast:

Which is kinda silly, since it’s winter… and it tends to snow in the winter… just about every year.

Journalists, being journalists, are often required to report on what’s happening outside people’s windows. Therefore, every time the weather gods decided to shake things up a little, journalists are all over it. Which is why, after I finished a video project (more on that later), I trudged outside today during a lull in the snowfall.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Jeremy Shaulis, of Red Lion, shovels the sidewalk of West Market Stree between North George and North Beaver Streets on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011. Snowfall halted around midday on Wednesday but is forecast to resume heavily into the afternoon and evening.

I don’t mind covering snow. It’s just one of those things that happens and that journalists are expected to cover, no matter how many front pages in a week feature snow stories.

But goodness, people, chill out on the hashtags. (No pun intended.)

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High school basketball: Dallastown defeats Red Lion 43-36

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, York on January 26, 2011| 1 Comment »

Last night, I was supposed to shoot girls basketball. I arrived early — and saw wrestlers on a wrestling mat.

Turns out they rescheduled the girls basketball game to tonight, and the paper hadn’t been notified. I called the reporter, he called the sports editor and soon we were rushing over to a boys basketball game going on a few miles away.

I’ll say it now: I had a pretty rough off-night. This was not one of my best games. In fact, this was probably my worst game. This happens to every photographer, though, so I’m not concerned about being in a rut or out of shape. That said, here’s the shot that ran:

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Dallastown's Cori Ebersole drives the ball past Red Lion's Mike Fox and Tanner Klinefelter during the second period at Dallastown Area High School on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. Dallastown defeated Red Lion 43-36.

…And here are shots that would belong only on a blog, if anywhere at all.

First: layers. Oh my goodness, layers.

If you look closely, you can even see another photographer way in the back.

Second: oops.

Would've been better if his head had been replaced instead by the basketball.

Yep. Pretty rough off-night. John, who shot the night’s other game, said he had an off-night, too. There must’ve been something in the water.

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Making way for a new nature trail

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on January 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

I’m pretty sure Monday was the first day (in my experience here so far) to feature daytime temperatures in the single digits. Naturally, there was some breaking news (outside), and then my assignment was to cover some York Catholic High School students working on a nature trail (also outside).

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. (Left to right) York Catholic High School juniors Genny Rackson of Fawn Grove, Steph Solis of New Freedom and Melanie Crisamore of Manchester Township take a log to the dumpster in what used to be an illegal dump site next to the school's football field on Monday, Jan. 24, 2011. Penn State Cooperative Extension has identified 274 illegal dump sites in the county, including the one next to York Catholic.

I also shot some video, which Randy threw together while I worked on another, forthcoming video project.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. York Catholic High School junior Josh Merani, of Stewartstown, scans the ground for trash in what used to be an illegal dump site next to the school's football field on Monday, Jan. 24, 2011. York Catholic environmental science teacher Ryan Luckman is helping lead his students to clean up the area and create a nature trail that will feature native species.

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Tractor-trailer vs. train

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Dispatch, York on January 24, 2011| 6 Comments »

If a train is going westbound at 20 miles per hour and a tractor-trailer is heading southbound at (I’m not sure how many) miles per hour…

Never mind, I’m not going to try constructing one of those math problems.

I was en route to an 8:30 assignment this morning when my editor called and said a car hit a train at this-and-this intersection on the other side of town. When I arrived at that intersection, I saw nothing but found it hard to believe that the accident would have been cleaned up already — and then saw flashing lights about half a mile down a side street.

Turns out it wasn’t a car that hit the moving train — it was a tractor-trailer.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. A UPS freight tractor trailer crashed into a train at the rail crossing on Zarfoss Drive near West Market Street on Monday, Jan. 24, 2011. West Manchester Township police officer Keith Roehm said the truck driver, Monte Poff of Red Lion, was headed southbound on Zarfoss when he didn't see the rail crossing lights because the sun was in his eyes. No personal injuries were sustained, although the train lost a brake and dragged the truck about 130 yards before it came to a compete stop.

Train: 1, tractor-trailer: 0.

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Steeler country

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Dispatch, York on January 23, 2011| 4 Comments »

Well, the Steelers defeated the Jets tonight, and are moving on to the Super Bowl.

Tonight, as part of my Sunday late-ish shift, I was sent to photograph fans watching the game at a bar.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Pittsburgh Steelers fans Mike and Kim Harkins, of Dallastown, cheer and New York Jets fan Joey Rivera, of Red Lion, grimaces, after the Steelers made a run during the second quarter of the American Football Conference championship game. Rivera, the Harkins and dozens of other fans gathered at Tailgaters Grille and Drafthouse on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, and watched the Steelers win the AFC championship to move on to the Super Bowl.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had to make pictures of sports fans cheering on their team at the local watering hole, and since the Super Bowl game falls again on my Sunday shift, this probably won’t be the last time, either. That said, these kinds of assignments always present a few challenges:

  1. As a photographer wanting to get fans’ reactions to the game, you absolutely need to stick around for a while to make sure you get enough reactions to enough plays. This is because…
  2. …Chances are, frames with really good moments are also going to have quite a few mid-blinks or arms in front of faces, etc.
  3. Also, sports bars typically have multiple TV screens installed, which means fans at any given table will at any given time be looking in any given direction, depending on whichever screen they choose to watch. This can make for some pretty odd-looking photos, what with people looking in all directions.

All of this means… you absolutely need to stick around for a while. (Which you should do anyway.)

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