Flyin' High

San Bernardino County Sheriff's aviation division will soon be receiving its sixth Eurocopter AS350B3 at about $2.6 million each. These helicopters are equipped to fight fires from the air with 180 gallon "Bambi Buckets."


I have flown in many different types of aircraft over the years, but this ride had me thinking how nice it would be to have a vehicle that you could pick up and put down anywhere anytime.

Yeah, But Its A Dry Heat

I have taken many trips to Death Valley National Park, but the Summer weather assignment takes heat to yet another level. At 125 degrees and a hot wind that makes it worse, eight hours of driving to get there and back and an hour out at Bad Water (282 feet below sea level)to photo tourists that are from anywhere but the U.S., beats a day in the office.

So You Think Its Hot?

Here in the Inland Empire, along with everywhere else, it has been "Africa Hot." I have actually been entertained by reading the weather page of how miserable everyone else is as well... So Cal temps included the record breaking 119 in Woodland Hills, 114 in San Bernardino and 121 in Palm Spring. Palm Springs is near where these three fires (Sawtooth Complex, Covington at Joshua Tree National Park, and Crafton Hills) were taken from. Take that 108 degrees in the shade add long sleeves and long pants, add full Nomex fire protection gear, helmet. Carry lots of cameras, water and a fire shelter then hike a couple of miles in rugged terrain in the sand at 4000 feet elevation of Joshua Tree NP. Then when you reach the fire, get real close to the burning stuff at 1800 degrees. If you have any extra ambition try running along with the firefighters as they drag hose lines, because I like to photograph fire with a 14 mm lens. Needless to say I soaked the clothes as if I jumped into one of those back yard pools the fire was threatening and I have it easy because I can stop or leave if I've had enough. That IS what I call a good time. It tends to make up for the other stuff that is not so cool.

The slide show: Fire Weather
PS. I have been photographing wildland fires for 20 years (my first published image was of an Orange County canyon fire in 1986... dont try this at home kids;)

An extra special message, massage

Rialto Police and narcotics officers raided two massage and tanning parlors for prostitution after months of undercover investigation.




I think this image above is my favorite because a raid can be action packed like the one below but this image makes a quiet visual statement to an emotional state, a mood, a social statement on the condition these people may be in. The girl shrunken at the bottom of a well of looming parental like officers, dark clothing and shapes. A trapped social condition.
Again, the use of the wide angle lens and natural light helps me capture what is there, unlike the use of flash and drag of the shutter to create a completely different feel of the event (the arrest blur photo). I believe how one chooses to photograph a scene conveys a layer of information not literal and always easy to explain.

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