Pushover In The Afterlife

About 22 gravestones and markers were pushed over during the night at the Pioneer Memorial Cemetery in San Bernardino. Wednesday, Nov., 12, 2008. Eric Reed/photographer

It is interesting how different people react to such an image. Everyone has a different idea about the afterlife and what that means. Some people hold on to the sentiment of the grave. A marker or stone where ones final remains were interred. It is not for the dead it is for the living. Keeping a connection to a loved one here on earth as a symbol of our attachment to it. What would happen if one did not have that to hold onto? My Grandfather's ashes were spread from and airplane over a lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. My Grandmother at Forrest Lawn. I do not visit either location but choose to remember them and our connection. These graves will be fixed but it gave me pause today to remember people while they are here and let them go when they are not.

Vets Day

I had the opportunity to cover two different Veteran's Day events here in San Bernardino and Bloomington. A few people come out to see what ceremonies are going on, probably many others just see them in the next days newspaper. I understand that no living WWI vets were living on this Armistice's Day, the last two, one German and one French, both died earlier this year. And the WWII vets number are fading fast. The living history and their stories are important to the people who follow them because those who fail to understand where we came from are in danger of going back and repeating the mistakes of the past. One vet said in his speech that he did not want to see the Unites States of China. I of course agree. But I an not totally sure what he meant. Was it a fear-based message of an impending attack or a tie to the economy and its woes? At another event it came to me (when I was handed a pin of the American Flag that was "made in China") that we need to stop selling ourselves and our jobs to the global economy and start thinking about sustainability. Not isolation. We are making our own bed by finding the cheapest way of doing or making something as being the American way. Well that thinking is going to be the Chinese way soon if we don't look up.

The Day After

It is hard to look for stand alone art or an image with no pre-concieved story. It takes patients and imagination. Looking for a political related photo the day after an election on a cold start is even more daunting. I demand luck in my photography and I always get it. So I drove straight on to campus at Cal State Berdoo and found this image like I was assigned to it.
—California State University San Bernardino’s campus radio station, Coyote Radio has student DJs Diana Lepe and Erik Hunter discussing political issues and their aftermath the day after the election, Wednesday, November 5, 2008. Hunter’s program on Wednesdays and Firdays, called Sports Madness, will focus on issues related to Tuesday’s elections by talking about sports personalities who ran for office in local elections across the country. Coyote Radio en Espanol is Lepe’s program airing Monday and Fridays from 12 to 2 P.M. “We will have some time before my next show on Friday to digest the issues.” Said Lepe, “That will be a good time for people to call and talk about what happened on election day.” Student DJs are grateful to be able to use their “Air time” to communicate with the student body through their music program available on iTunes. “I don’t think there were many reasons for the youth to vote in the past but this time there was a candidate who energized the student movement, he addressed the issues we were thinking about.” Said Hunter. Eric Reed/Staff photographer

Changing the Vote

Changing America one vote at a time is how I saw this election day coverage in Sun country. I have been photographing and voting for over 20 years and have never seen people so happy to stand in line and actually pump their fists in the air in victory after voting at the polling place. Record turnouts despite early morning rain, although I think I saw more people voting in the days prior to Tuesday in order to avoid long lines. The catch was only a few locations were open before Tuesday and today there are many.



If anyone had doubts about the hope for the future of this country this is a day to remember for those who never thought they would live to see this day.

Polo Anyone?

I am on the late shift. That means sports. For some reason I have been getting a lot of Water Polo. So much so I decided to lay down some lines here and some photos from the last few games. The portrait I shot today of Redlands High's Andrew Heine was the tech shot. Everything else was action. 600mm f4 at 1/2000





The portrait was a fun 4 minute shoot of about 40 shots. The specs are: Nikon D2HS with a 14mm 2.8 at 2.8 and 1/8000 with an SB800 on a double TTL cord with an assistant holding it out on a mono pod with a superclamp. Its like something you would see on the Strobist blog.



And in case you missed it the portrait was shot half-way under water from inside a fish tank.

Berdoo On Fire

Despite my best efforts I was not able to stop the Santa Ana winds from having their first event of the season. Not only did I have a cold, hampered even further by inhaling fumes from a house fire in Wrightwood only days before, but I was in no mood for the stress of wildfire photography.




It takes a lot out of me and I like it. This was more of an urban wildfire. Starting in San Bernardino downtown and blowing through empty lots and God's torches the palm tree southward. It managed to create chaos for about 15 blocks along the 215 and burned several structures. Strangely enough I felt much better the next morning.

Training The Force At NTC

I spent a few days embeded with a Army unit out of Ft. Carson, CO. at the Army's National Training Center NTC at Ft. Irwin, Ca.
It was only three days for me and a writer which seems insignificant compared to the 30 days for the soldiers of the U.S. Army's 167 Armor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Lucky for us and them the full force of the Mojave summer had not taken hold. The wind and dust however were to be reckoned with. I took advice and taped up my cameras like Olympic athletes. Blocking as many cracks dust may get into as possible.
Some highlights of the trip included about 20 minutes in the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, a once-in-a-lifetime trip... not to be attempted (on purpose) again. Sealed in, dark, dust still found its way in anyway, look out tiny periscopes, hope you don't get motion sickness, fillings rattling from teeth, can't hear yourself think loud. Dang.
About five miles cross-country in an M1A2 SEP Tank. Much smoother and I was half way out of the top turret with fresh air except when the tank's plow hit dirt, then it was a face full of sand and rocks. I'm glad I had goggles on.
We spent time on patrol in the town talking to Iraqi actors who were there to add realism NTC style.
The Combat Out Post was "attacked" at dusk with a lot of gunfire and... dust. Off to bed in my wheel less box car and a midnight mock mortar attack.
This was about my 12th trip to Ft.Irwin for various assignments and the best.


CLICK --HERE-- to see the NTC slide show (not photos)