Just a Diary...

No one looks at my blog unless I say, "Hey, look at my blog!" while they're sitting in front of the computer and don't leave until they do. I really have no idea how folks can make money at this (not what I'm trying to do, of course, but I know people who do).

I'm excited about the new Canon 50D that should arrive sometime tomorrow. I was hoping to get the 50mm 1.4 along with it, but that lens seems to be the most scarce item on the planet these days. Oh well, it's free shipping anyway from B&H.

Neither here nor there, but we got a giant new LCD TV the other day. Why I mention it is the HDMI connection on the new camera will give me the ability to show my photos directly on the 46" screen in the living room. This will be awesome for next year's Trail Travail!

Going to Mexico

The St. C's K class is on a trip to Mexico these days, and I had the good fortune to be a sombrero-making volunteer. The actual forming of the hats was more work than you can imagine (so the photos are limited), but the painting was pretty fun. One little guy had the Pollock thing going on...

I have finally found a little time to start looking at the TWiPpers' sites recently, and would like to give a shout out to Aaron Mahler, Frederick Van Johnson and Steve Simon.

Holy $#*! It's Cold!

Cumberland, Virginia. Swinging Bridge 35 & 50K trail races. 8am start. 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

I shocked my Zune changing clothes in the Town & Country and thankfully didn't erase KC & the Sunshine Band's 'Boogie Shoes'!

The registration and pre-race photos were fun - especially with 2 hobo-style trash can fires blazing. But shooting the runners as they left the start line, I had absolutely no feeling in my fingers. Both hands all the way to the second knuckle. I'm surprised any of those shots came out. There was a definite point where you could see the exposure drop off because I couldn't work the f-stop controls. It was unnerving not being able to feel the shutter-release. I honestly couldn't tell if I was taking any pictures.

Jogging back to the van I removed glove liners and mittens and put as many fingers as would fit into my mouth. The edge of frostbite is a horrible aching sensation. The drive to the 5.5 mile aid station got me back on track though, and I didn't have cold hands for the rest of the day. I think the liners were ruining the mitten's whole-hand warming usefulness (I ditched them and only used the mittens).

Frost covered all the runners' exposed facial hair and anywhere else that moisture could cling. It was like watching 100 Jack Frosts going by. And the major creek crossing was mostly ice. This made for some great episodes of folks trying to avoid getting wet. I actually witnessed two folks 'walking on water'. I swear the ice was so thin a bird would have cracked it, but these two must have weighed less than a starling.

Unfortunately, my tree-climbing perch was for naught. The spot where people would ford the creek beneath me was not the way anyone wanted to go. It would have been some great photography, though!

As I waited about half a mile before the 35K finish to get the final stretch shots, I had a few minutes to realize one of the really great things about this kind of photography: the solitude. Listening to nothing but a light breeze in the trees, I felt like I could have stayed there forever. Even though it was 20 degrees...

Holidays & Birthdays

Man, what a dry spell! I guess it's time to start marketing the biz. At least I'm getting my running back to some regularity. Since I don't really have anything else to talk about, I'll mention shooting a little during the holidays and my son's 6th birthday just to shake the dust off.

Xmas had us up and down I95 a little too much (if you ask me). But the teenage cousin-in-law humored us by helping the young 'uns build a Lincoln Log fort. I think there may have been some money involved there, but I can't be certain.

And last weekend had us hosting the Star Wars birthday party. It's kind of difficult to be the ring-leader and photographer of the same event. But some of the shenanigans came out alright in the jpeg realm. And yes; I did have a hand in creating the R2-D2 cake, but my sister did most of the grunt work.

The Importance of Multiple Memory Cards...

Here's a little story to go along with some recent TWiP discussions involving memory cards, and their sizes and need for more than 1 per camera...

This past September I drove down to Williamsburg to shoot the VPCGA's Annual Meeting (opening reception & dinner) at the Williamsburg Lodge.

It was about an hour away from Richmond, and I drove down a little early to see the layout of the rooms we would be using. That being done, I took a seat in the lounge to get my game face on. Turning on the cameras to clear the memory cards from the last event (I leave them on the cards until the next gig after I make 2 copies of all originals).

Whazzam! (to quote my almost-6-year-old's favorite catch phrase) NO CF CARD. That's right. Both cameras. A cold chill washed over me. I had 30 minutes until go time, and an almost 2-hour round trip. It was Sunday night in Colonial Williamsburg. Even if there were a camera store, they certainly wouldn't be open.

And then I noticed my weatherproof memory card case in the bottom of my bag beneath the off-camera shoe cord. With 3 512MB and 1 2GB cards in place.

I had become so complacent with never needing more than my usual 4GB cards, that I quit using the others. And I always ASSUMED I would leave the cards in the camera, but in my moment of panic I remembered them vividly resting on the card reader by the desktop. Let that be a lesson to us all!

Mother-in-Law

Being a reading teacher, my wife's mom is very involved with the Richmond Area Reading Council. And, since I bother her sometimes to watch Willem when I have a job, she asks me to photograph her meetings and special events. They aren't too demanding, and seldom take more than an hour, and it's good practice when I'm between jobs. As with a lot of my indoor work, the low-light conditions bug me, but I can get my people skills honed with the close-ups.

Back on the 20th, I made my way over to Broad Street and shot the Read Aloud Virgina's Santa Breakfast. It was really amazing to see just how much the kids loved getting books.

Junior Olympic XC

The morning immediately following the Nursing School's graduation, I was out at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville. It was 25 degrees. I forgot a jacket. Actually the jacket was more for the photography gig than my more immediate plan: to run the 5K course of the 2008 USATF Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships. Backwards, of course, so I could see the angles that would look best with the kids running towards me.

There were 3 different courses: 3K, 4K, and 5K, so they were a little confusing at the 1K split. Once I figured that out, though, I had to plan how fast I could cover 3 positions and still beat them to the finish. One of the problems I have with the SportsBackers events (when Rick can't help me out) is covering both the 'look' and 'feel' of the race while also getting the winners crossing the line (for the press releases). A lot of the time I let the event photography company have the press release shot. My 'straight-on' finisher stuff has not worked out as interestingly as I would like anyway. I have some Neil Leifer - like ideas that I want to try out with remote cameras...

A lot of this event was back lit with bright sunlight, but I have been trying to learn shooting without the flash so much. I'm finding that I like the flash... it changes the look somewhat, but it also provides a unique look if you bump it up a little more than mere fill. The background looks richer if you under-expose the sky a stop or two. I managed to run much more than any of the kids (counting my course pre-run), and felt pretty wiped out at the end.

Back to the Siegel Center

Friday a week ago, I covered the VCU School of Nursing's December Graduation ceremony. Not too much different than the May event, so I was a little less nervous. One thing was better. Since the full graduation excercises were the following day (in the Siegel Center instead of the Coliseum, as in May), the lighting was noticeably brighter. Not great, but better than before.

I am really getting to the point now where I need a new camera. Low-light situations like these are really bringing me down. For web use, the photos look ok, but if large prints are ever needed, the grain in the darker areas will look awful. Of course, they all look awful to me anyway (graininess, not composition) because I'm my own worst critic. I usually end up shooting at ISO 1600 (the Rebel Xti's maximum) and only between 100-160th shutter speed. And I'm almost wide open at around 3.2 or 3.5. A tri-pod would be a hindrance, so I'm ready for something better.

With that in mind, I have been listening to Scott Bourne, Ron Brinkmann, and the gang at TWiP, hoping for one of them to tell me which Canon body is best suited to my needs. Most of them use Nikon predominately, though. So if I'm willing to buy another $3 grand in lenses, I will look at the D3, but in the meantime I need someone to point me in another direction.

The Trade Show Scene

For the last 3 years now, I have been providing photography services to the Virginia Society of Association Executives' (VSAE) Fall Marketplace. Rather than payment, I am given a booth (a $500 post, I think) to promote my business.

The Marketplace is for event planners to be persuaded to have their conferences at participating vendor's resorts (or use the catering, video, photo, etc. services).

The day starts with a handful of sessions put on by folks who have relevant information for the attendees, so I start shooting early. I have one thing to say about this kind of event - people eat. I say this because, as a photographer, this is a nightmare. Not only do they eat before and during the informational sessions, but many of the vendors are using food as enticement for potential clients.

When a photographer is omnipresent in a situation like this, there are two problems. #1 - no photo looks good with someone stuffing their face, no matter how attractive they are. #2 - everyone avoids you; and you are forced to use the long lens in a dim environment. Anyway, you end up with a lot more shots of vendors than attendees, which kind of negates the purpose of being there. Which is why, having done this quite a bit, I leave people with food in their hands alone. They appreciate it, and will be more willing to give you the shot you need later on. The only 2 times you should ever take shots of someone eating is when it is a prop for a food product, and when the bride and groom are eating their wedding cake. NO EXCEPTIONS!

24 Hours of Momentum

One of the many events put on by Mark Junkermann's RunRideRace is (for the 2nd year now) the early October "24 Hours of Momentum". This is a running solo and relay race on the trails of the Boy Scout Camps in Goochland County, VA. This year's event added a 12 hour version as well, bringing in many more participants.

I coaxed the family out to enjoy the camping and be a part of my 'team.' Last year in addition to photographing the participants, I also signed up as a solo runner. I covered about 30 miles in the 24 hours. So this year we were a team of 3 (Willem being the youngest entrant at 5 years). The camping was fun and the food was good. If I could change anything, it would be to hold it somewhere other than a Boy Scout Camp. They have too many rules about where to park, etc. (I live inside the Town & Country - batteries charging and laptop running. So I sleep in there too).

Steph managed 2 laps of the 5 mile trail loop, and much to my surprise - it being her first time trail-running - she really enjoyed it. Willem was determined to do a whole lap like mommy, so I took him with me on my final turn with the camera gear. He made it the whole 5 miles without being picked up (I had 10 pounds of gear already) or complaining other than "how far have we gone?"

Some teams managed a colossal amount of mileage, but no soloists came anywhere close to breaking the inaugural running's 2 who broke 100.

The Blue Ridge Relay

I can't believe how far behind I've fallen. Not only that, but why wouldn't I have wanted to talk about the Blue Ridge Relay???

2 years ago, Gene Byard and I took on the roles of documentary filmmakers to cover this same event (still in post-production, I'm afraid...). Only the movie centered around Christopher Calfee's attempt to cover the mountainous 208 miles solo; and without sleep. As a matter of fact, his plant was to cover 400 miles - a return trip of the same course. But I can talk about that if the movie ever gets finished.

This year I was recruited to be on a team of 12 to run. I brought both my still camera(s) and my video camera (hoping to show a different side of Calfee's experience. Being a participant - meaning I had to run 3 legs totalling 23 miles - limited how involved the documenting could be.

I will make a long story short and let you look at the photos. I did have fun, not getting overly obsessed with the photography. And I got lost on the 4am leg. Which painfully but happily bumped my mileage up to an even Marathon. It slowed the team's finish time by about 45 minutes though. I felt bad about that. One last mention: Dennis and the SWEET bus. We had an awesome time...

Addicted to a Podcast

I have been listening daily (I'm way behind on discovering the world of podcasts, so I have dozens of archived shows to catch up on) to the most interesting thing available to photographers: TWiP

Even though I almost never do the kinds of photography that they often talk about (nature, panoramas, etc.), I learn half a dozen things in every show that I write down and follow up on. I will post links to all the most interesting sites they talk about from now on...

Ruby's Run

For the second year now, I walked the 4 blocks up the hill to the Carillon (WWII Memorial) in Byrd Park to take pictures of the children's races that make up "Ruby's Run". This year, I convinced Willem (my almost-6-year-old) to participate. As it turned out, there were a couple of kids he knew also running, so I didn't really have to monitor him beyond being able to see where he was.

The races were pretty low-key and haphazardly put together, but the kids all seemed to enjoy themselves. Other than raising money ahead of time, there is only a $5 fee - and the kids get a T-shirt and medal for running.

I feel like this year's photos were much better than last, but having Willem run kept me from taking quite as many shots as I would have usually managed. My only regret was that last year - it seemed - the fall colors were much more vibrant.

Kindergarten Stocking Sewing

Once again I have gone months without a post. I guess I just think about this too much. Either that or I'm lazy. Probably the latter.

But in my defense, I am a stay-at-home-dad first and foremost. And when it's time to start Kindergarten, there is a lot more on my plate than I'm used to. Certainly a ton of volunteering and school-related activities.

It gets difficult to take photos of the kids when you actually have to immerse yourself in their activities. I did manage to snap a few yesterday, though. They were all sewing stockings for Santa to fill, and once Willem had the hang of it, I moved around the room a little.

USMS National Championship 2-Mile Cable Swim

I shot my first swim-only event last Saturday at Chris Greene Lake in Charlottesville. There were 3 different start times, the first being a non-championship 1-mile swim. The course was out in the middle of the lake with an in-the-water start and finish.

I'll say that shooting from a 'Zodiac' rescue boat wasn't an ideal platform, but thanks a million to the Charlottesville/Albemarle Rescue Squad's Water Rescue team for allowing me to ride with them. They couldn't safely get close enough to the swimmers for my purposes.

I finally decided to venture out near the start/finish carrying the 70-200mm with the 1.4x Tele-Extender (giving me an effective range of 156-448mm). The rope divider showed up a bunch for the 2nd heat of the 2 miler, because of the direction of the swim, but for the most part the pics were unbroken. I would have liked to get exactly even with the turn buoy to get both going and coming, but the water was over 5 feet there.

Needless to say, being chest-deep and holding about 5 pounds of camera out of the water for an hour wore my shoulders down, but the close-ups at that angle were pretty cool. I might build a floating platform to put the camera on when I'm not shooting next time! A big thanks to Dave Holland for a well-organized event, and for giving me the opportunity to be there.

Camp Hilbert Race Series Finale!

The series has come to an end for the second year. Congratulations to Mark and RunRideRace, as well as all his family & volunteers (usually one and the same)! The MTB and Trail Run races have really developed well in a short time.

This past weekend's events included a new 'Night MTB Time-Trial,' as well as a camp-out. With a turnout of only 6 or 7 for the TT, I decided to bag the slow-shutter head/handlebar light exposures. Instead, I put on the spandex and joined the fray as a competitor. Good thing, too - 5 minutes into my anchor position, all heaven opened up. I had no idea that much rain could reach ground level in dense woods. I literally could not see. I finally pulled off my sports glasses to have a modicum of vision. It was awesome fun though! Not seeing beyond my lights made my 30-something fear of crashing vanish. In fact, I only dismounted once in 6 miles. For all reading this, sign up for next year's TT!

The Sunday races were amazingly NOT muddy. I guess the lack of rain leading up to Saturday made the ground too hard to absorb any of it. Mark scored some new interest in the way of sponsorship, including Blue Ridge Outdoors. I met Tom Daly of BRO and have since checked out his photography work. Very nice stuff. Give it a look at Tom Daly Photography. Looking forward to next year's Series, Mark!

VCU Nursing Graduation

I know this is a while after the fact, but I got to cover the VCU School of Nursing Graduation ceremony at the Siegel Center back on May 16. It was different, and made me nervous; especially when asked to do an impromptu whole-class photo. I didn't have any large flash units, and every room in that place was verging on a 1600 ISO minimum. I think the shots came out pretty good, though. I was limited to the staging area (practice gym), so don't fault me for terrible background colors!

It was fun - I got to roam freely through the whole place for the entire ceremony. I just wish that one of the large 'speaker-focused' events I do would spring for a spotlight though. I'm tired of shooting at the Xti's ISO limit. It really limits what I can get at 1/100th with a 200mm lens. Maybe I should start thinking about the 5D or better yet - the Mark III! I also have been thinking a fish-eye would be interesting for some angles in these massive venues.

XTERRA & the James River Adventure Games

I need to be more regular about this blogging!

It has been difficult to find the time for a blog since Willem has been out of school. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that my primary job is that of stay-at-home-dad. The photog gig is my vacation from the soccer mom (or whatever they call us these days...) routine. But I will wait 'til I catch up on the recent shooting events to add more about that stuff.

Saturday - day 1 of the James River Adventure Games. Photography for the Sportsbackers. A loooong day. And it was HOT. The stunt bikers (Bike Trials) were out on the rocks south of Belle Isle, and it was an OVEN out there. I don't know how they managed that kind of focus in those conditions. I finally called it a day after the mediocre turnout for the kayaking events. There was a big crowd in bikinis, but I think that was the regular crowd from any given Saturday down there. They seemed to have little interest in the event.

I was everywhere, though. I rode the MTB from Brown's Island to Rockett's Landing and all the way back to 42nd Street stairs. And MAN! were the stairs the hot spot! The slideshow doesn't do it justice. I was sweating more than the bikers of the Urban Assault.

Sunday was a different gig, though. I was a volunteer for XTERRA (or Team Unlimited, to be more precise). I ferried the Times-Dispatch (local paper) photographer Clement Britt and video cameraman Sean Connelly (not sure for whom or if I'm spelling his name right) behind Trey and Nils from XTERRA to all the key points of the course. I got to drive the Town & Country onto Belle Isle! I felt like a rock star - forget the photography.

I managed to take some shots while on duty though, and it was a lot of fun being allowed in all the secret places! Can't wait 'til next year!

Undiscovered Photographers Exhibit

The Weinstein JCC had its opening reception for the Undiscovered Photographers Exhibit last Thursday night (April 17, 2008). I submitted 3 photos, and all are displayed. They will hang until mid-May.

Although I am happy to have my work being shown, the highlight of the event was the judged competition of all the exhibits' photographs. Scott Elmquist, the Style Weekly photographer and photo editor chose the top 3 photos, along with 4 honorable mentions. I believe there were something like 70+ photos included. My photo of Terry running on the Belle Isle footbridge was awarded 1st place!




Needless to say I was stunned. I felt a little embarrassed standing in front of the other photographers. I was glad I had submitted 3 very different subjects, but I felt that "Footbridge" was actually the best. It is a photo I planned well in advance. Terry and I went for a 12+ mile trail run that morning, and I had a backpack full of camera gear. I stopped in several places to take pictures of Terry, but the footbridge was the main purpose for the gear. I knew from countless solo runs what the shot would look like given the time of day and the weather.

Many people have shot the footbridge; most of them do it with a telephoto lens to get the rolling hill look. In fact, a Roadrunner catalog once used a photo of Thad Jones on the bridge for their cover. My idea, however, was to make Terry wait while I ran up to the road surface of the Lee Bridge, go out to the center where the bridge opens up and shoot straight down onto the footbridge. It was a Saturday or Sunday morning around 9am, so there wasn't much traffic, and there is about a 2-foot "shoulder" to the inside of the vehicle lane. I was much less concerned with getting hit by a car than I was dropping my camera 60 feet onto Terry's head.

Of note - I rarely "plan" photographs. The benefit to recruiting Terry for this was a) to make sure I got a usable shot and b) so I could print/use/sell the photo while having permission of the runner involved. Other than me shouting down the gap "go ahead!", none of the image was manufactured. I did make him do it twice, though.

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K

Saturday found me rain-soaked and shooting the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K for the Sportsbackers. This year's event was the USATF Men's 10K National Championship. Bigger elite turnout, bigger prize money, and the biggest field to date. Over 24,000 finishers and a limit of 30,000 entrants. In fact, I heard that this has become the 4th largest 10K in the country.

And it rained all day. With this kind of massive event, I re-enlisted the help of Rick Barlow. He covered the course in the early stages, as well as the start of the "Dash for Cash" runner Billy Weldon. This 'lucky' guy had a 2.8 mile head start on the elites and had to stay in front until the finish line to get his $2500 prize. Not necessarily a daunting task, assuming you don't get overwhelmed by the fact that all eyes are on you. Billy, against my doubtful nature, prevailed with a substantial lead over the elites, and went home with a big check.

Due to the predicted (and delivered) all-day rain, I purchased AquaTech's Sport Shields for my cameras. I was quite pleased with the lower-end 2-layer version, but the higher-priced 3-layer for wide-angle lenses (including hot-shoe and strap attachment option) was kind of a nuisance. Not that the purpose of stopping rain wasn't achieved, but it was next to impossible to focus and/or zoom with the snug-fitting lens cover portion. And there is no way to adjust the flash compensation on the 580exII with the flash rain cover. It was also hard to accurately judge proper exposure through the vinyl window with condensation and rain drops. I suppose if you are stuck on a sideline in a downpour for 3 hours, adjustments aren't really necessary, but when the sun came out for a few minutes, I was stuck with dozens of over-exposed shots.

To sum up the day - it was quite a learning experience, and I have to thank the Sportsbackers for entrusting me with such a prestigious event (along with Dean Hoffmeyer of Richmond Times-Dispatch fame, who I'm sure didn't run around like a chicken without a head like I did). And I have to tip my hat to Rick, who has shown phenomenal improvement since the Duathlon; especially considering he has a real job and no background in photography. If I wasn't hyper-aware of who I photographed, I might think his shots were mine.