One of the more interesting experiences I’ve had as a newspaper photographer occurred last week at a school board meeting to discuss potential boundary changes within one of the school districts out here. I was told to expect some fireworks with parents picketing the meeting beforehand. Check. Then I expected to make some generic shots of people filing in and crowd shots that captured the mood of observers at the meeting. Check and check. At some point I probably looked like the guy in the second to last photo as I waited for something interesting to happen.
What I wasn’t expecting was to be told asked by one of the school district’s PR staffers to not take photos of committee members looking over maps (last photo) at a public meeting in a public school, especially since my hip was in physical contact with the media table the district had set up for us.
It was one of those instances where an average assignment turns into a reminder of just how afraid people can be of cameras, how much influence a photo can wield and why people in power seek to limit when and where cameras can be used.
We’ve had it easy this winter, but I’m still waiting for the brighter days ahead.
More often than not, people make the picture when it comes to photojournalism. I have a habit of weighting the subjects in my frames to the left or right and rarely choose subjects that are centered. I made a point to center some of my images when I was out shooting snow scenes around Aurora today for the paper. These are a few of my favorites that I’ve edited and converted, but you can see what went into the paper here.
A few of the flags on display at Naperville’s old department of public works facility.
Sunset photos and silhouettes are a couple of the biggest cliches in the photographer’s playbook. If you’ve seen one sunset photo, you’ve pretty much seen them all. But while the color produced after the sun has fully set is what grabs all the attention, it’s that moment just before the sun touches the horizon that offers the most magical light.
A lot of people stopped to take in the sunset tonight.
I shot a Bret Michaels concert the other night. I got there way too early, but after the three song limit was up I moved to the back and stayed long enough to see a wardrobe change, and I’m happy to report that both shirts I saw Bret Michaels wear had Bret Michaels on them.
Best of the Year lists are hard to compile so I’ll just boil it all down.
For me, 2011 started in Kansas City standing on a dance floor at a wedding surrounded by a bunch of strangers and extended family members who might as well be strangers, and I really wish it hadn’t. My career blossomed this year and I’m proud I got to see my images in the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Sun-Times and most of its suburban sister papers, to name a few. I covered some happy stories, a few really sad ones, and met a bunch of people I likely otherwise wouldn’t. I rode my bike a lot, but not as much as last year. I traveled to Portland for work and stayed an extra day for fun, but should have made it two. I ate food every day, but I really loved the El Diablo margarita at Red Star in Portland, small plates at Avec, and a snack of goat cheese, crackers and pistachios at a random picnic table in Occidental, California. Speaking of California, that long overdue trip was a life-changing weekend and planted the seed that a future relocation is a distinct probability. October 2 was my favorite day of the year.
And of the 22,000+ new images in my hard drive from 2011 and countless more misfires that didn’t make it, this is my favorite. It’s not my best or most significant, but a personal shot I made for myself to come back to and get lost in.
I missed the holiday theme memo. My favorite picture from Christmas was of my aunt blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.
