DIFFERENT WORLDS, NEW PEOPLE.

I was sent to photograph a professional women’s group having a prayer for the city of Detroit early Saturday morning at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit for the Detroit News. I looked around for awhile and couldn’t find anyone praying. Then I saw 2 women who looked like they might be praying and it turned out to be them. So I figured there would not be very many people at the event and I wasn’t sure what I would get photo wise. James, who lives on the streets (above photo) came up and asked what we were doing. We told him and he decided to pray with the two ladies. After he was done praying he wanted to show me his art. He did. Including a painting of a half naked woman.

“I did this one for a woman I was with!” he laughed!

And the painting of the sun seen in the photo above. So I bought it for $5. I’m going to hang it in my house. Then he went on to tell me stories of how long he had been on the streets, what he does for money, pointed out where he sleeps and how he should listen to his mom because if he would have a few years back he wouldn’t have ended up in prison. He said 5 years for being mixed up in an armed robbery. I don’t know which things he talked about were true and which were not but he was looking to talk and we had a nice 15 minute chat. A few more people showed up for prayer, no more then 9 total and I made a few more images. Then back home to the burbs to help my wife set things out for a garage sale. This job lets me meet a bunch of people who I would otherwise never meet. It’s always been one of the coolest parts of the job. It’s also always been weird how I can be in different worlds in a matter of a day. Have a nice Sunday.

OUT OF PRACTICE AND RUSTY

I say that every year about this time when I shoot my first high school football game of the year. I don't shoot sports often enough anymore to stay real sharp but I do ok. And as the season goes on my timing gets better. I have also always been somewhat handicapped when it comes to gear and shooting football. The images below were shot with an 80-200 f2.8 on a Nikon D2X. I have just never been able to have use of or afford the best gear. Hell many times I see some dad or serious amature at a game who has much better gear the me. But its not the gear right? I usually do a good job of putting myself in teh right place for good shots. It alwasy helps to know the sport you are shooting and I love night time high school football. So I think my images look decent considering but I always wonder what I could do with some longer lenses and faster frame rates?

CRUSIN' WOODWARD

I didn't shoot the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday but the Detroit News did have me shoot people Crusin' on Wednesday night. The only image they ended up publishing was the photo above, Fridays lead, front page photo. I'm not sure why none of the others were published or added to the web page photo gallery but you just never know in this biz. They knew a ton of photos would come out of the weekend from their staffers as well. Anyway these images are what I transmit ed to the paper.

I've also had a couple people ask about the photo above. Here are a few details.

I was in the median of Woodward at 13 mile in Royal Oak, Michigan.

This car turned right onto Woodward from 13 mile heading south and I knew some of the cars, including this one, might merge all the way over closer to me making a Michigan left on Woodward going north.

The exposure was 1/30th of a second at an aperture of f5.6. 17mm lens. Nikon D2X

This gave me a good exposure on the cool sky and a slower shutter speed, but not to slow, for panning and some motion blur.

Then I put a flash on the ground to my left about 15 feet or so away from me and pointed it toward the road and up about were the front end of a car would be.

I triggered that flash with the flash on my camera turned around pointing at the flash on the ground not out toward the road.

I panned as a few cars went by and liked this one the best. The sky behind the car is real cool but was cropped out of the version that ran in the paper.

NO OLYMPICS FOR ME

I always thought it would be great to photograph the Olympics. At this point in my life its just not going to happen. I always loved shooting sports and when I was a staffer I shot sport on a weekly and almost daily basis. I loved it but also realize I was never the best sports shooter. Oh well, here are just a few of my favorites from over the years. And here are some Olympics coverage blogs you should check out:
Best seat in the house
Visions of China
USA Today
SI

WHO KNEW - KWAME GOES TO JAIL

As a freelancer you just never know what you might end up photographing day to day. The AP Detroit office called me last night wanting to know if I could photograph Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty at a court hearing this morning. They said no photos had been shot in court for a few weeks and they wanted some today. I assume all the staffers and regular freelancers are covering the PGA golf tourney that’s in town this week, so they called me. I don’t shoot much for the AP. Actually this was only my second assignment for them. I won’t go into the reasons why here. So I sent in my paperwork requesting permission to shoot in court and was approved. This particular court can make you jump through hoops for approval to shoot in court. The light stinks in the courtroom, no flash of course and the court clerk was real concerned about the shutter clicking on the camera. The judge doesn’t like it. So I shot normal, not to exciting court images of Kwame. Not too many to keep the shutter clicks down so as to not get thrown out.

So who knew the judge would throw the Detroit Mayor in jail which made it a huge story. Even got a bunch of national play. At this point in my career I am more interested in making some money to pay the bills which is tight then a photo credit all over the country. Don’t get me wrong it’s nice that my work gets used; I just would like it to be some spectacular shot of something. Maybe someday. Plus since the only two photogs in court were me and a staffer for the Detroit News, who I shoot most often for, I was just in the right place to get photos of a story people ran with. But like I said, you just never know what you might shoot.

Some place online the photos were used.