Fire Suppression

This "Soundslide" show was a bit of a pain to put together but fun in its results. A non-traditional look at still photography. The use of the Nikon's 'motor drive' (digital cameras don't have motor drives, only a eletronic shutter) at 7 frames per second of the water drop and a pan of the 747 on the ground. The Evergreen Supertanker is a Boeing 747 that can deliver 20,000 gallons of fire retardant along 5 miles of fireline, not graceful but packs a punch.
***NOTE*** this high bandwidth show needs time to load, pause it and let it load for a few seconds first.
The slide show: 747 Air Tanker Water Drop

Fair Photography

I have lost count of the number of "fairs" (as in county fair) that I have photographed. Some years are better than others but one thing is for sure, fairs (like weddings) are very similar in the sense of being repetitive in nature, visually. I like sticking close to the people and their animals because I find that the human element is more compelling for my creativity. There is passion in their connection to the animals. Unlike the rides, which are expensive and over quickly.

The slide show: The County Fair
And a Mahalo to \< (K) of Raw : Audio for the great music

Highs and Lows

Being a newspaper photographer has its ups and downs. I enjoy being a phojournalist because I often do not know what I will be doing from day to day and sometimes minute to minute. Assignments change, the emergency radio scanner breaks with news that needs to be covered now. The past week has been an example of the best and worst assignments.
I hate paparazzi. On the rare occasion staff photographers are forced to sink to that level and get the shot no matter what. So staking out the Riverside Courthouse to make sure a photo of a suspected child porn peddler ran with a story in the paper was on the menu. The daily mug of the local gas prices often feels like a waste of time and will never fit in a portfolio. The high of last week was to be in the back seat of an F-16 in a ride along with the USAF Thunderbirds... They canceled on me, AGAIN. A trip out to Las Vegas to explore the future of air traffic at the current and future international airports was nice. Its good to get out of the office.






RANT RANT RANT