Moving Monkee

In this day and age of electronic media, and the shift from print to web based products I have been expanding my offerings. Just over a year ago my paper required the photographers to add video shooting and editing to our arsenal. While I fought it at first, it has actually opend a number of doors.

In the past year I have regularly been shooting video shorts in conjunction with the training articles I shoot for Practical Horseman, I edit video shot by other photographers and I have shot and produced a 1.5 hour documentary training DVD and am currently working on editing the sessions from a two day clinic I shot with Olympian Nona Garson.

Still images are still my love, but now I can take a photo story and create a slideshow with audio, voice and/or music.

This past year has shown me a number of new avenues to venture down. As soon as I looked beyond the extra work it would be, I realized the extra income it could provide.

Crazy Monkees

Though not from Philadelphia this did not excuse me from having to bear witness to the craziness in West Chester 10/29/08 following the Phillies clinching of the World Series. There was a destructive nature to those celebrating in the south side of town near the University. Those in the center of the borough were civil, nosiy and prone to removing their clothes in the chilly evening air.

Captured Monkee

One of my favorite photographers, Terri Miller, caught me, and my shoes during Dressage at Devon. Guess which are mine!

Dead Monkee

As of October 10, 2008 Photoshelter will no longer offer the Collection, an attempt to take on the photo stock market with a photographer friendly/fair business model.

http://psc.photoshelter.com/about/index/news/20080911

Lowly Monkee

Alas, Barrack did have the old fashioned train car with the bunting and flags. But this monkee didn't rate the clearance to shoot the slow roll away from the station. Only the traveling press. The only consolation is that it was Obama and Senator Bob Casey, Jr., not the family or even in suits. So unless he becomes the VP candidate it won't be the classic shot. But then again, this is what I am telling myself.

Stretch Running Monkee

The race is on! Three days to primary day, and tomorrow brings us our first visit yet by Hillary, and two stops for Barack. He is kickin' it old school and doing a whistle stop tour at train stations between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. I can only hope that this will be from the back of a old-time train car with cool patriotic bunting. But if I create the photos in my mind it is never what I hope for. Best to fly by the seat of my pants.

Hillary is getting me up early on my day off, I will be arriving at 7 am to make sure I have my gear in for the security sweep. Better early than late.

Check this space for further details!

Stumpin' Monkee

One week to go and the race shifts into high gear. Bill Clinton made multiple appearances in Pa. today. I covered his first stop at the Steel Workers Union Hall in Coatesville. Former Governor Ed Rendell introduced the former President, and I captured a moment that has caused many laughs in the newsroom, and a scramble to figure out how to justify running the photo.

The second image is another totally random moment. Catching someone else's flash is pretty typical, but I have never had it happen so brightly and specifically as to cause a reverse silhouette. It almost looks like he was erased from the image.

These sort of surprises were much more typical back in the film days. Since I didn't chimp all my images I didn't know about either of these until having downloaded.

I have had flashbacks (no pun intended) to the days of yesteryear. Sadly, they were only a few years ago. In the past 11 years I have gone from shooting and processing black and white film, printing half tones which were sized for the hole on the page designated for them, waxing them and pasting them on the page. Then it was color neg, first dipped and dunked and then processed through a Wing Lynch. Those negs were scanned and the electronic file then made its way to those who put together the paper. We are now on our second generation of digital cameras at the paper (I am on my third personally).

The fastest I could turn around a roll of film was 25 minutes from entering the darkroom to having the images scanned. Now I can be done and on my way home in 25 minutes, that is if I haven't sent the photos from the comfort of my own couch!

Primary Monkee

The race for the Democrat's nominee is heating up. Barack Obama has been to Chester County twice in the past week; first to be interviewed live on Hardball with Chris Matthews from West Chester University, and second for a town hall meeting at Great Valley High School in Malvern.

But the real sign things are heating up is, that Annie Liebowitz was in the photo pool at the public meeting. Even photographers I have known for years were all a buzz that she was there.

But Annie is just like the rest of us. She chimps too.

Techie Monkee

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Random Acts of Portraiture

At the conclusion of every sports season my paper (as many others do) name a player of the year in each sport. Years ago I took over the project, hoping to challenge myself and the paper to make the awards a special section instead of the randomly placed article in the daily sports section.

So each season and year I try to come up with a new concept. Some work, some don't, but each season I look forward to the expansion of my skill set. This season has started off strong. I conceived the idea and my first subject was quite personable and liked the idea. I have found that I am getting more comfortable asking my subjects to sit longer than I would have in the past so I can work an idea. I ask each of the athletes to bring with them something of their sport, a ball, goggles, stick, awards. Props give them something to do with their hands and add let the viewer know what sport they play.

Portraiture has never been my strong suit. But instead of running from it like I did early in my career I now look forward to the challenge.

Agile Monkee