HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Gobble, gobble, gobble!
Old photo but happy turkey day anyway.

OFF WITH THE FLASH, SOMETIMES

I use quite a bit of strobe when I shoot weddings, especially at receptions. Off camera, on camera, both, bounced and direct. Depending on where I wonder and what I'm trying to get. But the newspaper shooter in me still loves to turn the strobes off and shoot available light. Its usually later in the night after I have some nice strobed images in the bag. It also helps when you have low ceilings, cool DJ lights and some nice looking women dancing the cha-cha slide. Yes I am sick of that song but it always makes for some good photos on the dance floor! I shot a bunch of these and the tree here were my favotites. Nikon D300, 17-35, ISO 1600 1/3 at 2.8 for those that care. I will also shoot at 1/15th and 1/8th like this sometimes.

LICENSE AUTO IMAGES

LICENSE AUTO IMAGES - CLICK BELOW

MORE BAD COPS

Photographer arrested twice for doing nothing wrong.
Read it here.

This stuff is getting much to common. I've had my share of run ins with cops over the years while trying to do my job (luckily never arrested, just threatened) and its a no win situation.

I thought this was interesting in the story,

“I saw a funny - well, it’s funny now, but at the time it wasn’t as funny,” says Anzaldi. (the photog arrested) “When I was at Cook County in their lockup, there was a Xerox sign up on the wall that said ’There’s no reason for it, it’s just police policy.’ And I’m looking and thinking, Jesus. This is exactly how they think.”

It many times is. Police on the street don't rally know what the law is but they have a gun, a badge and the authority to boos people around and if you don't comply to are obstructing or resisting. Lame!

DEAL ON LEXAR CF CARDS

4GIG 133X PRO SERIES.
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ADORAMA

LAST PHOTOS

I have always told my wife I want to photograph a tornado before I die.
"and thats the next thing that will happen," she says.
But if I ever do die while shooting, someone please find the camera! :)
Here are some last photos, CLICK HERE.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SAY WTF?

Oh Boy am I ticked off, at my camera but mostly myself.
I was shooting a high school football game tonight, Lake Orion VS Sterling Heights Stevenson. I didn't get much the first half, sent a few and shot the second half.
Stevenson made a great comeback and I did have a shot of the then winning TD, not great but it was the TD. Then Lake Orion kicks a game winning field goal as time ran out.
I was a little down field and slightly out of position as they were at about the 50 yard line and it looked like they might run another pass play on 4th down. Then the kicker ran out.
So I ran up field a little and got a good shooting position just before the ball was snapped and fired away. He made it and Lake Orion won 38-36. So I ran across the field to get some jubo pics. I wasn't getting much in the mob except a decent dejection photo of the other team. So I chimped on the camera with the kick photos to see what the number of the kicker was so I could find him celebrating.
WTF! The images were hot and soft! UGH! But I had to keep shooting. So I get them on the computer and notice the shutter speed was 1/160 when it should have been 1/500. All I can think of was I some how spun the dial when I ran to the new position, I have no idea how and didn't double check as I needed to shoot right away. I told the photo desk I blew it and was real mad at myself. They said, "it happens to everyone now and then." Well is still sucks! Oh, and I never found the kicker in the mob to get jubo of him. Did get the quarterback though.
After 20 years it still bugs me when this happens. I just need to keep telling myself, I get to do it all again tomorrow.

The only one not soft, sucks though.

A couple TD catches, like I said not much tonight.

Girl Talk and Me

Girl Talk
Originally uploaded by paulhitz

Nice shot of my balding melon shooting images of Gregg Gillis AKA Girls Talk for the News.Thanks Paul! BTW here is Paul's, the photog that got this, website.
http://www.paulhitzphotography.com/

WILD GIRL TALK

Ok, you might remember me talking about Gregg Gillis, AKA Girl Talk, back in May when I shot the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. Well I shot images of his show again tonight for the Detroit News and the craziness continues. People jammed in front of, on and all around the stage.
I wasn't sure how I would shoot this time but I called the venue ahead of time to see if they had an upper level with a view of the stage. They told me they did but that it was open to the public and I would still have to push through the crowd to get a clean view of the stage. I wanted to shoot from up high to show the crowd.
So I started from the side up high and shot from an area only certain people were aloud to go in so it was not to crowded there. I was not happy with what I was getting at all. So I move to the back of the club, still up high, to try and find a spot to shoot head on. I found one shooting over this real short girl. It was a nice shot but the light was real bad shooting at 1600 ISO with flash. So the light was not that great in those images. I shot a few at 3200 ISO with no flash wide open at F/2.8 at around 1/60 of a second. A couple turned out kind of cool.
But still wasn't happy with the shot. So I decided I would try to shoot from the stage. I walked back toward the stage, still up high, and went through a door that said employees only to see if I could get to the back of the stage from there. I could and no one stopped me. There were several other photographers down there as well.
So I'm on the stage no trying to decide which side to push my way through. I picked stage left and worked my way over. So now I'm standing there trying to decide if I want to push my way through the crowd with my cameras and risk getting pushed off the stage to get a close wide angle shot.
I finally said to myself, go or be done with it and so I started pushing my way though. A couple people saw the camera and tried to make room for me. so I made it to a decent spot and made a few ok wide shots. It paid off and I'm glad I took on the crowd.
So now I had several different vantage points of the show that I felt showed what is was like fairly well and the best are posted here. Let me know what you think. Like I always say though pushing the button and taking the photo is the easy part. Its everything else that can be tough. Well its 2:30 AM, my images have been sent to the paper and I've posted this. I need some sleep! Oh, the top photo is from up high on the side of the stage. He is down there somewhere.

On the stage next to him after pushing through the crowd.

Up high from the back. 3200 ISO - f/2.8 at 1/60

From the back 1600 ISO with flash.

BRANDON'S WISH

I shot some photos today for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. It was part of Brandon's wish. He and his family watch a Detroit Lions practice and then had the chance to meet most of the players afterward. He was a little shy but hey hes 10 and meeting all these pro ball players he watches on TV. Then after most the players had left Brandon and his dad went out onto the field to throw a ball around and kick field goals. He was all smiles. The Lions are not have a good season but Brandon is still a big fan. And all the players, present and past, and coaches were real nice to him when they could be all grumpy. The family is going to the game on Sunday the they get to ride on a float in the Thanksgiving Day parade in Detroit then go to the Thanksgiving Day ball game. One of the players said to him, "I know you are here to see your favorite (football) stars but with what you have gone through and your toughness you are the real star!"
So true. I love shooting for Make-A-Wish. They are such a wonderful organization!

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK

I shot the AC/DC concert for the News here in Detroit tonight. I can't believe they are still out rockin! The must be in their 60's? AC/DC was and probably is one of my all time favorite rock bands. They were huge 25 years ago when I was in high school. I saw them several times in the 80's and they are just as loud now as they were then. I wear ear plugs to shows now and I can't believe I didn't back then and I can't believe my hearing isn't shot by now. Angus Young still rocks out but moves quite a bit slower now days. It is funny how back then I would loved to photograph them and now its just another photo assignment. Oh and bu the way we got our three songs, had decent light and a good shoot spot. Please remember these images, as are all the images on this blog, are copyrighted and my not be re-used or published without permission. If you use one small on your personal blog (not company or news) to link back to my blog that is fine.

MORE ELECTION

Ok so I went to another polling location, identified myself and who I was working for and no issues at all. The people who had been waiting in line for almost 3 hours were even friendly. So in Ann Arbor I ran into someone who likes to be the tough guy and feel important. I am still wondering what authority this city attorney had telling me to leave. Probably none. I might pursue it but probably not. Not worth the time and won't gain me anything.

YOU HAVE TO LEAVE

Ok so I was shooting election photos for the Detroit News of University of Michigan students voting and after about 30 minutes was asked, well told, to leave by an attorney from the city of Ann Arbor. You see the Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) has banned cameras at polling places. SEE STORY HERE. Except for news media photographers.
This is from the Secretary of State web site,
"Land pointed out that the use of video cameras, still cameras and other recording devices are prohibited in the polls when they are open for voting. This includes still cameras and other recording features built into many cell phones. The ban applies to all voters, challengers, poll watchers and election workers. Exceptions are made for credentialed members of the news media though certain restrictions remain." GO HERE TO SEE IT.
So when I arrived the election workers were hesitant to let me take photos at all. I told them I was working for the Detroit News and even showed them the printout I made from the SOS website stating media could take photos. They told me to stay in the "public" area which was no problem.
So I was shooting and not getting much. I followed a couple voters out to get their names retuning each time to try for better picture. Then this city attorney told me I had been there long enough and had to leave.
Well I am not sure he had the authority to do this so I told him I was shooting for the News and trying to get a more interesting photo from my limited shooting location. Also that I was not near voters and not talking to them except a couple voters when they left the area. He then handed me his phone with his boss on the other end and she tells me I can come in to the polling area no problem, shoot one photo and leave. Ya right. We talked over each other and I told her she was wrong and there was nothing stating this. She said I had to leave anyway and ended the call. Neither one of us would be able to convince the other we were right.
There are also questions about if this ban is even legal and if the SOS has the authority to impose such a ban on anyone. It is not a law or state statue as I understand it. I could be wrong. But the media still has the right to gather info and photos. I really wanted to push and not leave but I choose not to cause a scene or have the police show up even though I really didn't have any real good images. I was happy with myself that I argued my case in a respectful manor because when I was younger I would have just been mad and defiant. You really can't argue your case on the spot and definitely not against two attorneys. I think I might file a complaint with the city and the SOS just so it’s on file with them. Now off to another polling location. We'll see how this goes.