My Photojournalism Life

New Web site!

2010-01-22T13:13:00.004-07:00

www.morganpetroski.com

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This blog has been retired.
To see new work check out the new Web site.
Thanks to everyone who has ever taken the time to read my blog!

Christmas and Rancho de Taos

2009-01-15T09:07:00.005-07:00

Leading up to Christmas I worked on a story about Sacred Places in New Mexico. I think we could have been a bit more extensive in the selections but I can't really complain because I got to go back to one of my favorite churches ever. San Francisco de Asis Church in Rancho de Taos, also known as Georgia O'Keeffe's church. The latter name does not sit well with the parishioners we learned.

At each church we visited we focused on one person or a couple and their relationship to the church. At the Rancho de Taos church we found a couple who are Mayordomes in the parish. Here is their story: San Francisco de Asis Church, Rancho de Taos.

Here's an outtake from the day I spent there. It is probably the most recognizable angle.

Birthday Month

2009-01-07T20:50:00.004-07:00

January is birthday month in my family. Great grandma turned 90 on Jan. 2, grandma turned 70 today, Jan. 7, and I will be 24 on Jan. 17th. I set up this four generation shot when I went home for the holidays. Oh and not to leave mom out, her birthday is July 11, and I probably shouldn't post her age because she reads this. :)

So from left to right, grandma Monique, me, great grandma Berthe (nickname Da), and my mom, Lise.

Downhill

2009-01-05T20:12:00.002-07:00

Albuquerque's only snow day, so far, resulted in a mass of children in the parks playing in the snow. I took my turn down the ramp too.

Oops... Happy New Year?

2009-01-04T16:31:00.003-07:00

So I've slacked...

One of many New Year's resolutions... get back on track with blogging.

This year I'm going to take on the challenge of limiting each blog post to one photo to help with my editing skills. Hopefully this will prompt more frequent posts. Hopefully.

October Portraits

2008-11-24T14:08:00.005-07:00

Some selections from the month-long portrait frenzy.

First snow of the year.

2008-11-19T17:35:00.003-07:00

It was October 14. It snowed on top of the Sandia Mountains and I was sent to the crest to see just how much snow there was. I kinda forgot about driving in snow and briefly got stuck in a ditch... but four-wheel-drive got me out. I made it to the top and back. At least this year I didn't slip on the ice and fall on my butt. :)

It's been a while...

2008-11-19T17:18:00.006-07:00

I've been really bad about blogging for about a month and a half. I've been busy with Balloon Fiesta, portraits, election day fallout and quite a few pet related stories. On top of all that I had two different dances events I photographed for myself on the side. It's been a few crazy weeks and I think I got sick twice during all of it.

So here we go. I'll try to break the past month down into categories. The first... Balloon Fiesta.

Tweet Tweet

2008-09-30T17:53:00.002-06:00

A Sunday Bird Expo kept me surrounded by feathered friends.

Sports sports sports.

2008-09-30T17:36:00.002-06:00

A short lived schedule change gave me Friday night lights practice, on top of other high school sports...

Midway @ the Fair

2008-09-30T17:25:00.003-06:00

.NM State Fair Queen.

2008-09-20T17:39:00.002-06:00

Thank you ladies for allowing me to hang around during the speech competition!

Hopi

2008-09-19T13:50:00.005-06:00

Seven years have passed.

2008-09-19T13:50:00.002-06:00

Since 9/11/01.

A dive.

2008-09-17T14:41:00.002-06:00

The pool had re-opened and a feature photo was needed. This little guy was having fun diving although his father kept correcting his form.

Lobos Tab 1

2008-09-17T14:34:00.004-06:00

I was assigned to photograph Louie Lobo and Lucy Lobo for various sports tabs throughout the season. I had about one hour to get as many different cover shots as I could that could be saved and used for different games. It was high pressure but very fun. I'm going to publish them on here as they are published. So here's the first and probably my favorite from the night. The poor girl dressed as Lucy Lobo had to keep jumping on my command and I know she could barely hear me yelling "1, 2, 3..." through the costume.

Slew of portraits.

2008-09-02T11:08:00.005-06:00

Lately it seems as if I've been on portrait detail. Just my imagination I'm sure...

UNM's new announcers were shot in the studio, where I attempted some film noir look. It sorta worked I suppose. Next was a quick office shot of two Sandia Lab researchers who helped crack the anthrax case. They were finally given clearance to talk about their work last month. Then I photographed a Picuris Pueblo potter. And finally a man who has worked at a local hospital for nearly 47 years cleaning surgery tools.

And there are more portraits of UNM's Louie and Lucy Lobo, but they haven't ran yet, so I'll hold off on those for now.

Tango.

2008-09-02T11:04:00.002-06:00

This was for a story about how Argentine tango is growing in Albuquerque. Dance is still my favorite thing to photograph. Some things never change. :)

Glowing light

2008-09-02T10:57:00.003-06:00

Cross-country running practice one afternoon as the sun was setting. Man I love the light out here. Still it does amaze me. I try not to use fill-flash (yeah sorry photo editors who like fill-flash) when I can use the natural southwest glowing light instead.

It's September.

2008-09-02T10:41:00.003-06:00

A year anniversary of my landing in Duke City has come and gone. As year two creeps by I realize suddenly that I will begin to see things repeat themselves, events, holidays, etc. As obvious as this is to many, I see it presenting a challenge, at least for the first repeat year. Last year I saw the city and community with fresh eyes. Seeking creativity out of yearly events is my job now. I know what to expect and somehow feel as if the city doesn't have much more to show me. Now I know this to be not true, but with the state fair and balloon fiesta coming up next on the calendar it's what I'm facing. Maybe in a week this feeling will have passed. Maybe this is me finally realizing I'm here for good (for now). Maybe it won't be as hard as I'm imagining. Maybe.

Show me what you've got Albuquerque...

Christmas in July

2008-08-18T15:30:00.001-06:00

Nothing like water aerobics being led by "Santa" in July.

Golf Fashion

2008-08-18T15:24:00.002-06:00

This story finally ran last week. Running around on a golf course with my big ol' lights trying to avoid golfers playing through was quite interesting. At least it was a sunny day, windy but sunny.

Sprayground

2008-07-24T15:38:00.002-06:00

I wish this sprayground was a hair higher for us grown people. It looked soooo fun. Summer is almost over...

Broken Amanda

2008-07-24T14:45:00.001-06:00

One of our reporters, Amanda, wrote a first-hand story about her soccer career and the numerous injuries that came along with it. I didn't know a person could break both arms four times each.

End of the Trail

2008-07-03T15:35:00.003-06:00

This was an assignment I wish I had known about beforehand. It would have made a nice multimedia. Next year. Next year. Single Action Shooting Society's final event of the year is considered the world championship for the shooters and brought participants from around the world.

Obama comes to ABQ

2008-07-03T10:34:00.003-06:00

Last week Barack Obama visited Albuquerque to hold a town hall style meeting with women workers. It was by invite only and included Flying Star female employees of all positions... and the media. I think there were as many of us as there were women, and there were only about 30 of them. We all squeezed into a corner of the Flying Star warehouse that had been transformed into a set with hung lights and all. Us media were roped off, as is normal. (If one of us were to get loose it would be disaster.) And we waited. We were told to be there at 10 or 10:30, I forget which now. But he didn't make his grand entrance and speech until 12 or 12:30. Not too bad of a wait actually, they had set up free wifi for us so the time went by fast. Obama's media handlers... yes I know there's a better word for them, but I forget it... they were super nice and easy to work with, even let me stand in a different taped off spot than assigned. Two thumbs way way up for their help and service.

Tap Jam 2008

2008-06-25T17:28:00.002-06:00

Photographed the class and performed in the show the next day. Video of me dancing is somewhere on youtube. If you want to see it you'll have to search.

Elk

2008-06-25T17:18:00.001-06:00

Tammy Bredy is an accomplished archer and is pictured in her living room with her newly hung elk at the right, which she shot in September 2007 in the Gila National Forest. The elk set a record and Bredy said of all the arrows she's ever shot that's the only one that mattered, the one that took down the elk.

Summer Skate Park

2008-06-25T17:14:00.001-06:00

Hit up the skate park for a feature one day. Need to go back and shoot better.

Terrier Trials

2008-06-25T17:12:00.000-06:00

To jump or not to jump

2008-06-25T17:07:00.003-06:00

Found these boys while photographing an apartment complex. They preceded to do flips into the pool and of course splash me and the camera. Ah I miss water.

In the Rio

2008-06-09T18:51:00.003-06:00

I waded into the Rio Grande for a story on the silvery minnows... our guide didn't realize photographers come in different sizes and brought a large set of waders. But I was determined to get my job done and climbed into the pants that I could have used as a tent. I then squished my feet into the size 10 or 11 men's boots and slid into the brown water. It was quite the experience. The mud felt like quick sand a few times and I almost lost one of the large boots that felt like weighted flippers attached to my feet. The whole time though I had to stay focused on the camera. DO NOT DROP THE CAMERA. The muddy waters would not have been forgiving, much like my editors I'm sure. "Um yeah I dropped my brand new camera into the Rio." A statement sure to get me stuck in the office or worse. But in the end both myself and the camera emerged spotless. Actually I got quite the tan on my arms and neck, but that's just part of the job.

Downs

2008-06-02T16:12:00.003-06:00

The Downs at Expo New Mexico may be facing demolition so we needed fresh art. Luckily someone was training.

Geoff Kabush

2008-06-02T16:06:00.000-06:00

Bush was in town

2008-06-02T15:56:00.001-06:00

And there was a protest...

Hippotherapy

2008-06-02T15:44:00.003-06:00

I once volunteered with a similar program in Florida. Needless to say I'm glad this assignment landed in my lap.

There's No Crying in Baseball

2008-06-02T15:41:00.003-06:00

A high school team huddles in the outfield after losing during the playoffs for state 5A championship.

102

2008-05-21T13:17:00.002-06:00

When you turn 102 years old you can do exactly what you want. This fabulous woman did just that. After cutting her own cake she licked the knife... much to her family's dismay. I loved it.

Quilt Light

2008-05-21T13:14:00.002-06:00

A quilt show and wine festival put all the beautifully colored quilts in the darkest tent I've seen. I wandered row after row until seeing this little guy who had pulled apart some curtains to make light to write down his vote for favorite quilt.

Lost to the Fire

2008-05-21T13:04:00.002-06:00

What a day this was. A reporter and myself went to see the area that had seen the most homes lost to the Trigo fire. We didn't know what we would find. I didn't think we'd find this. The fire was so intense it took out almost everything in this neighborhood. Only a few structures remained scattered amongst those burnt to the ground. The look on the faces of the residents who had returned to dig through their homes was of shock. Many didn't want to talk, which was understandable, so we left them alone to deal with their loss. A few were going to rebuild but they knew it would never be the same. The lush forest they once lived in was now row after row of blackened trees, which will soon fall to the ground.

Wildfire

2008-05-02T11:54:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I covered the Trigo Fire but they wouldn't let us near the real fire. I tried everything. No dice. So I waited for last minute evacuees to come out. This man rode his horse out to safety.

Church o' Beethoven

2008-05-02T11:23:00.002-06:00

This is where I would be every Sunday morning, if I weren't working. Not really church at all except for a few minutes of silence for a personal religious moment and "offering" to keep the artists coming every Sunday. A violin solo, readings from "On the Road," an accordion duo and of course a string quartet playing Beethoven to wrap things up. Awesome light for photos too. Hopefully I'll get to go again at some point.

302 Years

2008-05-02T11:18:00.003-06:00

Albuquerque turned 302 this year. Quite an old city. And of course there's a party, like every year.

Mediators

2008-05-02T11:03:00.003-06:00

Elementary and middle school mediators were honored with a day of partying in the park. They got to skip school and Miss New Mexico sang for them. Even though it was one of the coldest days of April they could have cared less.

A Mother's Love

2008-05-02T10:58:00.002-06:00

Daniel Tallouzi is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the most severely brain damaged veteran from the Iraq War. His family however are the strongest and friendliest people I have met so far in ABQ. He has finally returned home to Albuquerque after a year and a half of treatment at various other (larger) rehabilitation centers on the east coast. His mother, Mary, knew it was time to bring him home, and I could tell she was glad to be home as well. She has given up everything in her life to be his everything. And although he can not speak or motion she continues to be there for him through it all. As mother's day approaches her love and strength for him reminds me why we should all shower our mothers with thanks.

Leap

2008-04-28T17:26:00.000-06:00

Track and a leap. Clearing the hurdles and setting a record.

PINK

2008-04-28T17:00:00.003-06:00

Ah a girl after my own heart! Cooking at age 4 and loving pink! I told her I would turn the kitchen pink and she loved it! She kept eyeing up my equipment and wanted to see the photos. She was super cute!

Topes Tower

2008-04-28T16:51:00.002-06:00

Not quite the 'Tower of Terror' at MGM, but exciting for the kiddies. The guys operating it let me ride it and preceded to warn me about the drops. After the tiny weenie drops I got off and they wanted to know if it made me sick or affected me. I told them I grew up at the theme parks in Florida and they laughed.

Doghouse

2008-04-28T16:46:00.002-06:00

Dog parade/walk/costume contest and fund-raiser. There are so many dog-people here it was a surprisingly fun event.

Tax Day

2008-04-28T16:40:00.004-06:00

I am waaaaaay behind on my posting but luckily I was NOT behind on doing my taxes! A few days before tax day I remembered about these people that had been standing on the sides of the road for the tax services for the past few months. They were very nice and I think I kept them entertained for about an hour of their long day.

Train Laugh

2008-04-09T16:12:00.002-06:00

A historic steam engine is being restored for the state's centennial in 2012. The governor flew in to sign a piece of paper about it. This guy's laugh was much more attention grabbing during the press conference. Good thing he thought the governor's jokes were so funny.

Juvenile Jail

2008-04-09T15:53:00.004-06:00

Does anyone else get sent on as many jail assignments as me? Maybe I just pay more attention to them because I always compare them to the Ecuador experience. This youth rehabilitation detention center is getting a makeover. Although food isn't going to be part of the makeover the guys said they go to bed hungry and will eat each other's food if a guy doesn't make it to the table in time. And the food isn't even good they said.

Unhappy Catch

2008-04-09T15:45:00.003-06:00

Ah Tingley Beach, not a beach, but lots of stocked fish in the man-made ponds. It was the boy's first fish. Once it started bleeding and flipping around and splattering blood everywhere they were not as excited.

Filled with Faith

2008-03-23T11:15:00.001-06:00

For the past two weeks I have been working on a story on the Church of San José. It is a small little adobe Catholic church in the South Valley here in Albuquerque. The majority of parishioners are Mexican immigrants. The church is so popular in the area that the parish has out grown their church. There is standing room only on Sundays. And to take pictures during Palm Sunday I had to attend two masses because I couldn't move once I was in place. I grew to love the church and the people and hope they didn't mind me being there. The story and photos ran today, Easter Sunday, on A1.

To hear the Soundslides hit the play button.

Tomé Hill

2008-03-23T11:13:00.003-06:00

Pilgrims from surrounding cities make their way to the top of Tomé Hill every Good Friday morning. People walk for miles as local police close roads nearby due to the high amount of human traffic. Crosses and statues are carried to the top, but the most popular item carried along the way is a rosary. Many are left behind at the top after a person has finished praying. A few people walk the steep and rocky 1/2 mile path to the top barefoot and one man even crawls the entire way on hands and knees. It was pretty amazing to experience.

5 Years

2008-03-23T11:09:00.002-06:00

We've been in Iraq for 5 years. I was a senior in high school and strangely it seems so long ago now.

This prayer circle meets every Wednesday, rain, snow or wind, to promote peace.

One game.

2008-03-19T09:40:00.002-06:00

High school state basketball playoffs and championships were last week. Surprisingly I only had to shoot one game.

Do Re Mi...

2008-03-19T09:36:00.002-06:00

An assignment where I got to hear beautiful voices...

Wet Feature

2008-03-18T08:52:00.004-06:00

Feature hunt led me to this little girl.

Trench Coat Season

2008-03-18T08:50:00.003-06:00

A quickie fashion shoot in the newpaper's parking lot.

Alpaca Love

2008-03-04T15:53:00.003-07:00

Oh how I love them. Soooo cute. I got the up close and personal view.

SoFoBoMo

2008-03-04T13:38:00.003-07:00

Gonna give this a try.... hopefully.

http://photomusings.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/solo-photo-book-month/

Anyone else game?

Give yourself 31 days between April 1, 2008 and May 31, 2008 to shoot and create a photo book.

Twins at 17

2008-03-04T13:24:00.003-07:00

This was a quick hit for a story on teen pregnancy. The story was slated to run Sunday I went to school on Thursday. Photo department got the assignment Wednesday... more time would have been nice, but c'est la vie of newspapers.

I may try to continue a similar story on my own.

Baaaaa Baaaaa Baaaaa

2008-02-28T11:06:00.004-07:00

So I don't think it's officially spring yet but it feels like it here and these little guys must have thought so too because they were born two weeks ago. As triplets, there always seemed to be one away from the others. Typical children. Lyrics to Mary had a Little Lamb and quotes from Le Petit Prince come to mind.

Baby Jaws

2008-02-28T10:57:00.002-07:00

Some black tipped sharks were recently born at our aquarium... so I had a photo session with them. The tank was dark and even on high ISO I wasn't getting much. Luckily a very nice aquarium worker cleaned the glass and suggested a work light be brought over after he saw me dangling my flash over the edge of the tank trying to light the little suckers. The work light helped quite a bit. Then there was the silver fish that kept getting in my way. He must have liked me, he wouldn't leave me alone. That's his close-up on the bottom.

The Archbishop Comes to Albuquerque

2008-02-21T15:48:00.003-07:00

Yesterday's special mass for firefighters and police officers brought the archbishop to town. He was a really nice guy. In this photo he was in mid-turn and when he finally saw me behind him he looked down at me, then back behind him and said, "That's going to be a good photo with the flag behind me." Then he asked my name, who I was with and shook my hand.

Office Toy

2008-02-20T17:32:00.004-07:00

Journal Chopper 2 made its debut in the office today. No injuries reported yet.

Courthouse Love

2008-02-18T17:15:00.004-07:00

I got courthouse weddings duty on Valentine's Day. I don't know how many weddings I actually witnessed. A lot.

One of those days...

2008-02-18T16:49:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I had one of those days. First my car wouldn't start and since it was 8 am on a Sunday Volkswagen wasn't open. After a few failed attempts at a jump start I gave up and got a ride to work. Then my only assignment of the day was a reuniting with an owner and their cat that had somehow traveled 340 miles away. Cheesy, but at least a crowd pleaser type of story.

Well I pull up to the house where the reunion is about to take place, and right behind me are three TV crews. It was a slow news day. The animal service guy with the cat goes to knock on the door and there is no answer. Ut oh. A few phone calls later and about 15 minutes later he walks over with interesting news. Apparently the cat had been a Christmas gift from a woman to her fiancé. It was the fiancé that was going to get the cat today. BUT the couple had broken up this weekend and he was no where to be found. The woman was in the middle of her shift at Olive Garden. So guess where we were off to... Olive Garden! Oh boy.

Our caravan of news cars arrives at Olive Garden as curious patrons are looking out the windows and walking out of the restaurant. We are all joking around saying the people inside will have thought someone died by the amount of attention we are attracting.

Finally the woman appears to reclaim her cat. Suddenly I'm vying for position with the TV crews around this petite girl and the cat carrier. We can't take the cat out for fear it may run again. Lovely.

In the end she wasn't even able to take it home that day or today because of her work schedule so the cat went to the animal shelter for later pick-up.

Then for the rest of the day a stomach bug left me curled in a ball in the office and on the couch.

Children at the Capitol

2008-02-18T16:40:00.003-07:00

A few days in a row it seemed like there were cute kid features everywhere in the capitol building. First there were the flamenco dancers, rehearsing and primping. Then there was the school group of kindergarteners and first-graders grabbing at a statue in the governor's office. And finally, the group of cute signing kids that were performing in the rotunda.

Shadow of the Governor

2008-02-18T16:26:00.002-07:00

Last week was the final week of the legislative session. The governor made a speech on Native American Day in the capital rotunda and as I was in position for a standard podium shot of the gov, next thing I know he's pointing in my direction and walking towards me. Turns out the eldest elder of a pueblo was sitting right in front of me. Her name is Gregorita Chavarria. She is a young 102 years old and was glowing as the governor kissed her on the forehead.

Consul General of Italy

2008-02-17T16:45:00.003-07:00

His name is Nicola Faganello and the women at the Italian American Association loved him.

Roses, Roses, and More Roses

2008-02-17T12:22:00.004-07:00

Last week, in the haze of Valentine's Day consumerism, it was time to hit up local florists and see just how busy they were. I found a really nice little flower shop that let me stand around as long as I wanted and even freeze in the flower cooler. The woman assembling most of the rose arrangements summed it up best when I asked her how busy it gets. "There are a lot of people in love out there," she said with a smile. And she dreams of making the arrangements in her sleep.

Frog Jump

2008-02-17T12:18:00.004-07:00

This is actually from a tryouts session for a new football team in town. Each one of the guys trying out for a team position had to complete the broad jump. I sat on the ground and keep thinking of big frogs with long lean jumping legs.

Lobo Basketball

2008-02-17T12:15:00.001-07:00

Super Tuesday/Mardi Gras

2008-02-05T16:21:00.001-07:00

It's Super Tuesday and the lines around town are getting long to vote. I'm not yet registered here so I'm enjoying Mardi Gras instead.

Ready for War

2008-02-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Feature hunting on Sunday led me to these guys. Wearing armor they were practicing fighting for a war coming up in a few weeks. Very nice people who wanted me to come back and join them. Don't know if I'm the sword swingin' type though.

The hole that ate Paseo

2008-02-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

Road construction made the headlines when a MAJOR road had to close westbound here. Normally not only is road work not big news but it's something we all dread having to go photograph because it's always the same thing. This one however was a water line that broke and the road flooded and froze and then had to be dug up. But it took days. And when I was sent out to get some shots I wasn't too excited, but the construction guys were very helpful and let me climb in right next to the main hole. Maybe not the safest thing to do but it was kinda cool. One of those moments that makes you feel like a little kid again because you're amazed by this huge hole right next to your feet.

Jump

2008-02-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Another sportrait flew my way this week. This photo was to accompany a story on the lack of high school senior basketball stars this year but a promising junior class which will lead to an even better season next year. Luckily my chosen subjects were a bit of hams and up for jumping and dunking for me as much as possible before we got tossed out of the gym for a game to begin.

Multimedia Housekeeping

2008-02-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

UF's Online Journalism teacher extraordinaire Mindy McAdams noticed the link to my old Nutcracker multimedia project produced while at the Gainesville Sun no longer had a functioning address. Had it and the others posted during my time there been moved or just re-moved? Knowing some of the inner working of the paper's attempt to keep up with producing multimedia, especially video, I'm kind of surprised the projects seem to be lost. But so be it. Files are hard to keep in place especially as a newspaper is updating their hosting.

So I will be digging out my old files and hosting them on another free server that seems to work quite well as a personal archive of my multimedia projects since I currently do not have an official Web site besides this blog. And I will be fixing the old links.

Will anyone care about my old projects? I don't know. But as a lesson learned I advise others who rely on the newspaper they work for to host their projects to look into another hosting method as a personal back-up. For all the hours zoned out listening to your audio, screams at a frozen Audacity file and times moving those little thumbnails in Soundslides around to create your masterpiece only to someday have the link you have been relying on to play your project vanish without a trace would only create more heart break. And even though we should all be burning a disk with our final project on it as an archive as well, it isn't live. And as our multimedia programs evolve they may not be able to read the old files we once created if we forgot to hit that little "export" button.

I hope this helps someone else forgo the sadness imposed on a journalist when finding their links have been discarded by a former publication. I feel in the event this does happen to a person it should not be interpreted as a slap in the face but instead as a kick to yourself for not taking into account the evolution of online journalism.

And if anyone is wondering, I have been using Webng.com to host my multimedia projects for free until I have my own paid for, and hopefully permanent, Web site.

Pool Time

2008-01-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's the camera-in-an-aquarium half-in/half-out thing. My assignment was a portrait of 5 swimmers at a local high school, of which, 4 played other sports and they wanted those sports pictured as well. The guys were good sports about standing in the water for a bit of time as I and another staffer tried to get two SB-800s to the bottom of the pool. When we finally got them down there they weren't syncing so we ended up placing them in the 10-gallon aquarium with the camera and firing down through the bottom. The out of water lighting was my two alien bees, one at the left with a 40-degree grid spot and another at the right with an umbrella.

Nia Dance

2008-01-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

I don't think the editors here have yet noticed if you send me to a dance related assignment I will stay as long as possible. There's a form of excercise/dance here called Nia Dance. It seems to be a mix of martial arts, modern dance and aerobics all mixed together. It was something different that I had never seen before and I enjoyed it immensely.

Georgia O'Keeffe?

2008-01-23T13:45:00.001-07:00

This woman was unhappy with the local phone company who gave little notice before digging up her backyard to install new lines and then left behind a green power box to be shared between neighbors. But it wasn't until I got back to the office that I thought she has a funny little smirk that reminds me of Georgia O'Keeffe. Must be a New Mexico thing.

More time at the Roundhouse

2008-01-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I had my last day of covering the legislative session. I stepped into a committee meeting on a bill hoping to be passed on Domestic Partners. So many people showed up to testify they literally had to kick some people out to shut the doors. In short, there is much support behind the bill that came close to being passed during the last session. My other photo from the day that was even remotely interesting was a family waiting to surprise their father who was getting an award in the rotunda during the lunch hour. They were nice enough to let me hide in the balcony with them.

State of the State

2008-01-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

First day of legislature... and the state of the state address. First in ode to Where's Waldo, find the Governor in the wide shot. (Click on the photo to enlarge.) For opening day, family and friends of representatives and senators accompanied them on the floor. The few young kids that were dragged along had to resort to amusing themselves and my favorite was the boy and his Nintendo DS Lite in the middle of the house chamber floor. Because I was positioned by the back door I really only got the Governor good on his way out and luckily he stopped and waved to the people in the gallery right overhead.

It looks like I get to keep going back to the roundhouse for the rest of the week.

Roundhouse Prep

2008-01-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today, Tuesday Jan. 15, 2008, was the beginning of the legislative session. Yesterday I was sent out for prep features. Orientations, vacuuming and getting id badge photos taken were pretty much all I found.

First Fight

2008-01-13T08:36:00.001-07:00

Ah Boxing. So this was an adventure. I volunteered to tag along with another staff photographer on Friday to learn the ropes of shooting boxing since it's kind of a big deal here, but ended up shooting it solo. The main event was Albuquerque's own Holly Holm who is a local celebrity and mighty fine boxer. She holds the WBC & IFBA World Titles and after Friday night's fight has a record of 20-1-2 (with 5 KO's). I have never watched boxing let alone shoot it before so I was praying for a miracle that I wouldn't screw up shooting at least the main event. I ended up enjoying myself quite a bit and found myself by the end of the night wishing for more blood and sweat. Holly won her match after her opponent suffered a cut near her eye and the match was ended. She walked away with her belts intact and I walked away happy to have successfully survived my first fight.

(Final note: Holly is the blonde and she was fighting Mariem Brakache from Atlanta, GA.)

Black and White Basketball

2008-01-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

St. Pius High School gym is the brightest I've seen so far. A bit of a yellow cast from the yellow walls but not bad in black and white. With total ambient light... ISO 3200, F2.8, 1/800 sec.

Little Green Poncho

2008-01-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

In a Manger

2008-01-10T13:42:00.001-07:00

This is a bit old now but recently re-found in my files. This lovely lady owns more than 200 nativity scenes and they inhabit every corner of her house. Trust me I got the tour. It takes her an entire month to decorate the house with the nativity sets.

Pets of the Week

2008-01-02T18:58:00.001-07:00

Today I caused quite a stir in the newsroom with this photo. I think everyone wanted to adopt this little guy. Every week we photograph pets of the week at three different animal shelters. Sometimes it feels like a lowly assignment but most of the time I secretly look forward to getting to play with the dogs and cats. Last week I met a dog I couldn't forget. Today I checked and she had been adopted, good thing, because actually I can't handle more than one dog for now.
My mother can vouch that I am probably the worst person to send week after week back to the animal shelters based on my track record of bringing home animals growing up, but I return each week and so far haven't made any adoptions. However, I'm sure that will change since I'll be here for a while now. I haven't mentioned it yet on here, but as of yesterday I am officially a staff photographer for the Journal.

Christmas in ABQ

2008-01-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

A little late here, so with a "Happy New Years!" comes a belated "Merry Christmas!" Christmas eve in Albuquerque becomes a night when the city is illuminated by luminarias. Old town plaza is coated in them and the glowing little lunch sack trails flicker along streets and adobe walls. It was a frenzy of photographers, many who wanted to chat it up about how this year's sunset made for better photos than in years past, etc. The beautiful blue sky time only lasted for about 15-30 mins, which is when you saw all the photographers almost fighting for space to out shoot each other. Some were even following me around, waiting for me to finish and then shooting from exactly where I had stood.

Christmas day gave me a great present I'm not sure I will ever get to do again. Shoot Santa Claus' wedding. YES, SANTA CLAUS. He has ID to prove it. He legally changed his name a few years ago. And this year he was married, where else but in front of a Christmas tree and fireplace. Mrs. Claus said she met Santa country dancing. She said he's a good dancer and since he's a better cook than herself he cooks all their meals, he even made their wedding cake, topped of course with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Bell Ranch

2007-12-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

I spent a full 24 hours on Bell Ranch this week. The 250,000-acre ranch is amazing. It's for sale right now at $115 million. The people there were great to work with. I so wish I could have gone on a trail ride around the property. From the center of the ranch everywhere you looked was part of the property. The sunset and sunrise were amazing and the amount of stars you could see at night was like no other. All in all it was a great experience.

Veterans Mass

2007-12-19T17:14:00.001-07:00

Quite a few veterans turned out and current service men and women. One of the parishioners was being deployed to Iraq on Tuesday (which was yesterday). So the entire church prayed for him and his family and called his family up to the altar. His wife, holding their 10 day old son, was crying so hard I couldn't focus on her. I did for a second and started crying and decided that wasn't the important part of the story even though it showed the most emotion. I felt the community standing in front of them with their hands in the air and how they almost resembled a holy family standing up there praying for safety was where I wanted to focus. I wish I could have gotten more hands in the air in the frame but I see that looking back now.

Writers Strike

2007-12-16T11:09:00.001-07:00

Soccer Jump

2007-12-16T11:08:00.001-07:00

Indoor soccer winter training...

Santa's air landing

2007-12-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

Santa came to town in a helicopter!

Oscar

2007-12-16T11:04:00.001-07:00

Oscar is 98 and still going strong. It must be something in the New Mexico air, but there seem to be the most active and healthy seniors in this city. And I came from Florida, the land of retirees!

Against High School Recruiting

2007-12-16T11:02:00.001-07:00

Engine 21

2007-12-04T17:31:00.001-07:00

A dog always makes a press conference better. This one was up for adoption and they dubbed him "Engine 21."