Redlights and Redeyes

Just stay on the sand.

I love these kinds of assignments…and these type of clients.  Bay Magazine is visually helmed by Bruce and Suzette Moyer up at the St. Petersburg Times, and they do an amazing job with their photo play in the high-end travel/lifestyle magazine every month.

My gig was about perfect – just drive the coastline of Florida from Ft. DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg to Clearwater Beach, stop, head to the beach and make some photos (Check out the Photoshelter gallery with 148 images) showing the best the beaches have to offer.  Color.  Light.  People.

It took about six different shoots, a few rain delays, and some farmers tan to make it happen.

Bruce and Suzette took the images and came up with a insanely clean and slick design over 8 pages which definitely made me smile when I opened.

They just get it:

I am definitely coming up with some pieces of flair for photojournalists on the election trail.  It can be a lonely place out there covering politics, running from spray to rope to riser, sending from the floor of some conference room, being surrounded by thousands, but only knowing the 10 other photographers in the pool.  All of that, and we have to remain neutral the whole time – without a single piece of flair to adorn our credential laden torso.

Over the last couple days of covering the Fox News / Google Debate and CPAC Florida, I’ve come up with the Top 12 Neutral Campaign Slogans for Photojournalists Covering the 2012 Presidential Election.  Buttons, shirts, bumper stickers will be never available, but someone else feel free to make them.

Just give me a cut.

1. “I’m Pretending to Listen to Your Rant, but It’s Only Because I Can’t Stand to Hear the Rocky Theme One More Time.”
2. “Yes, I Took Your Photo.  No, I Probably Won’t Email It To You.”
3. “I’m Neither For Nor Against Whatever.”
4. “It’s the Aperture, Stupid.”
5. “Yes, That Liberal Rag.”
6. “He’s Going to be Late?  That’s Ok.  I’m Way Too Early Anyway.  By Early, I Mean On-Time.”
7. “NoPodiums!”
8. “No I Won’t Throw Out That Flyer/Press Release For You.”
9. “I Like Rimlight.”
10. “Yes We Can – Make Hand Gestures.”
11. “Wow, Your iPhone Takes Really Good Photos Above Your Head Right in Front of Me.”
12. “Winter/Webb 2012.”

I did take some photos as well, and they are below…and available on Photoshelter…here.

Suit.  Check.

Tie.   Check.

Podium.  Check.

Stage full of red, white, and blue accents.  Check.

Talking points.  Check.

American flag pin.  Check.

Finger pointing.  Check.

Riser.  Check.

Twenty other photographers getting the same shot.  Check.

I really do love covering politics…there’s that inherent challenge in making something unique that goes beyond what is literally handed to you.  You are given a single seat.  You sit.  You point.  You click.  Not only are you put in one spot, you’re almost required to sit there and shoot the candidate talking in case one decides to slap the other.

It will never happen, but it does, you better have it in all its glory.

Luckily, The New York Times gives me the freedom to wander and make some different imagery at things like the recent Tea Party / CNN Republican Presidential Debate, but most of it is shot from that one assigned seat.  As snarky as this post is, I wouldn’t switch seats with anyone.

The rest can be found…here.

If there’s one thing I actually really miss about my newspaper job is that Friday night ritual of destroying my jeans one knee at a time, the battle of grainy photos shot on unreal ISO’s versus Noise Ninja, and cursing the roster for not having that one player with the number you need.

Ahhh, high school football.

I popped out to this game tonight at Booker High as a visual vacation from staring at my screen all day today.  I needed it.  I’ve had a ton of shoots lately, but with that, a ton of computer time with my mistress, Miss Lightroom.  I grabbed a 50mm and headed out.  Yes, a 50mm.

I don’t know why I never did this at the paper more, but running around the sidelines with a 50mm was a very welcome break from tradition – even though its about as traditional a lens as you get.

I’m convinced most of my most exciting ideas come from Starbucks-stained napkins…most of which get crumpled up into a pocket and forgotten about.  This one stuck for some reason…and now this little napkin is reality.

FOCUSED came out of an idea to rejuvenate some film I had.  I had no idea how that would happen, but all I knew is I wanted it to be a shared effort amongst my favorite photographers. On a three hour trip to Miami to catch a flight to the Bahamas for a shoot, I revealed my idea to my friend and fellow photographer, Brian Blanco, who helped me brainstorm this project down to one simple thought:  one camera.  one click.  one moment.

FOCUSED is rekindling the Decisive Moment one frame at a time.  There will be 200 photojournalists to start – from students to Pulitzer Prize winners – and the list of confirmed names is insane - here.  A photojournalist on the list will be mailed a film camera and a roll of film – with the challenge of getting only one click of the shutter to capture whatever they want and then mail the camera onto the next photojournalist.  Pretty simple concept.  Terrifying to some.  A welcome break to others.

For the last couple months, I’ve built FOCUSED with the help of my friends (notably Melissa Lyttle, Kristin Lenz, Peter Lockley, Kevin Moloney, Matt Slaby, and Tomas van Houtryve) who have put up with my long winded emails and random phone calls as to the best way to make this happen.  My wife, Elaine, has put up with the rest.

Now FOCUSED is live – and it needs your help.

FOCUSED has launched a crowd-funding campaign on IndieGoGo.  We’re seeking money from donors to cover the cost of shipping, equipment, and future print and gallery showings for one purpose – to obviously make FOCUSED happen, but there is something bigger here.  Your help will be keep the foundation of our craft going.  FOCUSED has partnered with several youth photography programs worldwide - Critical Exposure (Washington DC), Fundacion Ph15 (Argentina), and Through the Eyes of Hope (Rwanda) – with more to come in the near future.  While the ultimate goal is to raise money  through print sales, gallery showings, and hopefully a book, we’re also getting the children involved by letting them take a frame for the project to just get them excited about picking up a camera (a film camera at that).  Pretty amazing.

With that, I give you FOCUSED – http://www.focusedproject.org + Twitter + Facebook.

To donate (tax-deductible):

Had a nice chat with Holly Stuart Hughes over at Photo District News for an article in their September Education Issue about what I’ve learned so far freelancing with a much wider net (wedding, magazine, newspaper, pr, sport, commercial, etc.) this go-round after falling flat on my face a few years back.  Go check it out in their digital edition (here).

I’m the opening act for Zack Arias.