Jolene's wedding

I came down to VA this weekend to go to an old friend's wedding. The wedding and reception were at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. Even back in high school I always really liked Jolene's style, so I was really excited to see what she had in store for us. I think the detail I was most impressed with was the all-vegetarian buffet.

Mess with the bull, get the horns

I'm going to lose my hearing.

About two months ago, maybe a little more, I met another Josie through a mutual friend. The craziest thing is that she's just like me, too! At least, just like me when I was her age.... which is 19. Apparently she didn't think I was TOO old, as she invited me to go to some local rock shows, which brought back a LOT of old memories from back in Virginia.

Those shows, mixed together with my previous visit with my friends MAE (see 3/1 post) made me want to go out and listen to some more live music.

Luckily, one of my most favorite bands ever, Alkaline Trio, came to Toad's in New Haven, and I decided to actually bring my Mark II.... to a concert in which I knew it was very likely to turn to fisticuffs. But then I convinced myself that a Mark II with a wide angle lens on it is much more potent than a fist. Luckily, it didn't go down like that and I came out with some images that I may just blow up poster-size and hang in my room:





I also saw a band that I had never heard of but was suggested by a friend, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the photos were funny to me, because the setting was an American Legion:

poof!

Hi.

I changed servers. In doing so, I lost most of the photos I had uploaded onto this blog. Sorry. I could go back, but that would be time wasted on the past. Let's focus on the present!

The following are some videos I did about a local prep school. I learned more about rowing than I'd ever thought I'd learn. The first video is the team practicing for the upcoming regatta, and the second video is of the actual regatta, which I edited at around 2:30am... after drowning my 28-70mm lens in Lake Waramaug, and after shooting and editing another video.

http://www.rep-am.com/videos/043009-JT/

http://www.rep-am.com/videos/050309-JT2/

Recently I feel like I've been getting a pretty annoying case of bad karma. But then I think instead that perhaps it's just the fact that the more risk you take, the more of these little annoyances will happen. And when I say risk, I mean like, walking outside. Anything can happen. Especially on the steep and slippery bank of a river in the rain while trying to shoot both stills and video for the same assignment.

Thank God for insurance.

Update on Marie

A little more than two weeks ago, Tracie called me to tell me Marie had had a heart attack and was in the hospital, but it was minor and she was okay. Then, about a week ago, Marie had suffered a stroke, and she has been in the hospital ever since then.

I visited her at the hospital tonight, and I felt like I was in a fog. I didn't know why until I later realized that this time I wasn't there primarily to take pictures, but rather for the sake of visiting. When I got there her husband Paul was there along with her granddaughter Mysti and Mysti's boyfriend Matt. Also there was one of Marie's close friends she made at chemo, Ron. Since there were now 7 of us in all, we moved everyone to the floor's "lounge room," and just chatted for a few hours.

At one point Marie went around and asked everyone what they wanted to do before they die.

I saw the cancer on her x-ray. I saw the effect of chemo when she shaved her head. But it wasn't until today that this all became very, very real.

To see how I've covered Marie's story for the past two years, go here:
http://www.rep-am.com/slideshows/mariemm/

rockstardom

The other night one of my best friends from back home came to town while on tour with the band Mae, who he plays bass for. They're a fairly well-known band, and because they're from my hometown of course I have a sense of pride in them as well, not to mention how awesome it is that they're donating a lot of the money they're making to Habitat for Humanity to help a woman in Newport News. Check them out.

So since I had the day off I got to hang out with them before and after the show. I forgot how much I liked shooting musical performances... especially when there's no bouncer glaring at me and no chance of getting hit in the face by a flying shoe and/or crowd surfer.

recent additions

I've been playing around with the new web features on PhotoShelter.

In the meantime, I have been having several conversations with fellow newspaper people about the fate of our industry. You never realize how passionate you or your colleagues are until you have these conversations. I read something that predicted that by 2010, about a year from now, most towns won't have local newspapers. That frightens me. What frightens me even more is that it seems the only people that care about this are people that work in papers, when the people who should be most concerned are citizens! I revel in having a right to information. Information is free! Library cards are free! That (and the interstate system of defense highways) is what I LOVE about this country! Sadly, it's so often overlooked and taken for granted...

I know, there's the web. Everything will go to the web. And I must sound like a broken record to my friends, but NOT EVERYONE HAS THE INTERNET! People who have the internet are NOT the only people who are important! And yes, libraries have internet, and they're public and free. Well, libraries are not conveniently located at every corner. What about people living in rural areas? Newspapers give you the opportunity to page through news that you normally wouldn't come across. The Internet customizes what you see with every click, narrowing your breadth of information each time. It's like radio now-- you only hear what the big bucks want you to listen to.

.. And I dearly love my job. I can't think of any other job where you (and thousands of other people) can so quickly see the product of your work. I don't want my occupation to turn into the stuff of folklore, like cowboys and shoe repairmen... but, if it does, I'll at least have (paper) evidence of it.