It’s been over two months since I’ve updated my blog. It’s embarrassing to say the least to have neglected it so much. I have been focusing a lot of my attention on studio work and video, so while I worked through those problems, I hadn’t shot too many frames worthy of sharing. That being said, here is a small selection of what I’ve been shooting this month (and is worth sharing).
Ok the first image was taken on June 24, 2010 outside of Cooper Union, however, I felt compelled to share it. It’s not the composition that makes me want to share it, it’s who is in the picture. In this picture is Jimmy McMillan, who has generated a following as he is running for New York Governor under the “Rent is too DAMN High” Party.
I was covering a hearing at Cooper Union where a housing panel was to decide how much to raise rent stabilized housing. While small groups protested the rent hikes, McMillan had his car parked off to the side. He was willing to talk to anyone willing to give him some time.
I shot a few pictures of him just because he seemed to be an interesting person. I didn’t think twice about these pictures after the event, though. Fast forward to last Monday. I was watching tv and saw McMillan speaking at a New York Governor’s candidate debate and he essentially stole the show. When I saw him, I just have to laugh out loud because he had made a big enough impression on me that I vividly remembered my brief encounter with him.
So perhaps I should dedicate this blog post to Mr. McMillan as he was the main driving force behind me wanting to make this update.
I shot Rand Paul in Erlanger, Ky. on Oct. 2, 2010. It was a Tea Party rally the featured Paul, his father, Congressman Ron Paul and U.S. Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina. This was the first Tea Party event I had covered and I was blown away by the turnout. Picture three hotel conference rooms, standing room-only. It was at that moment I realized how big a deal Rand Paul was and is going to be.
On Oct. 11, I sought out the oldest-living person in Kentucky. After a little digging and snooping around, I found her.
Lera Williams, 110-years-old, of Campbellsville, Ky. is the oldest known living person in Kentucky. She was born on Feb. 9, 1900. She has lived in Campbellsville since 1928. Williams is one of 59 super-centenarians living in the United States and the only one living in Kentucky.
When her daughter called me letting me know that they would love to meet me, I dropped everything I was doing and drove the 90-minutes to Campbellsville. When I finally arrived at their home, I walked into Lera’s room and there she was sitting in her chair with an ear-to-ear grin on her face. Before I even had the opportunity to express my excitement in meeting her, Lera said, “I’m so happy you came to visit. I love it when people visit.” That pretty much was the tone of our conversation.
Before I even considered taking out my camera, I had to ask her a few questions. My first question was simply, “What is your secret to longevity?” to which she nonchalantly replied, “the secret to happiness is not to worry. God will take care of you. Life is just beautiful.”
Her response was just so perfect. Such a simple answer to such a complex question.
She proceeded to tell me how she had to use a skiff boat to cross a river to go to elementary school and how she had to borrow her neighbor’s car on her wedding day because it was the only car in town. Amazing story after amazing story flowed from Ms. Williams as if she were free-styling fantasy.
After about 45-minutes of chatting with her, I shot a few frames of her. I felt the image above was the most telling about her. 110-year-old hands – so fragile looking, but about as tough as they get.
I left her house that day enlightened. I rushed home to tell everyone about her. She really had an amazing impact on me. I must say to date, she had been the most interesting person I have ever photographed (and yes even more interesting than Lady Gaga).
On Oct. 22, I decided to dust off my sports shooting skills and shoot some Western Kentucky University volleyball. I parked up on the far seats and shot with my 400 mm.
Having never shot volleyball before, I found it to be a nice challenge. This was by far my favorite image I shot.
