Behind the glass: A News photographer's journal

Where's the beach?

2011-09-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today I had to shoot a portrait of a high school volleyball player who just started playing beach volleyball as well as her indoor playing. The biggest problem we faced in shooting this portrait was the fact that we shot it at her school, and they don't have any sand courts there. So I ended up trying to keep the background as ambiguous as possible. here are a few choice images from today.

A dirty time.

2011-09-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the first annual Murrieta Mud Run, which was held a block away from my house so I decided to shoot it for the heck of it. The mud was more water than mud, but it was still dirty had fun for the people running through it. Here are a few images from the race and here is a link to the rest of them.

Golden Friday night lights

2011-09-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images from tonight's Lake Elsinore versus Riverside King high school football game. The light was amazing before the game started so I made a few images of the players warming up.

Here is a link to all the images

Do I smell smoke?

2011-08-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Today I was working out of my office keeping an eye on the scanners for anything going on. When Reports started to come in of a fire started by a car, I saw the area it was in and didn't really think it was close enough to travel to.

So I kept an eye on it for a couple of hours and then a new fire started, this one within located about a ten minute drive from me. So I loaded up my fire gear, jumped in the car, and followed the smoke to the fire! There weren't a lot of flames that I could see becuase the smoke was being held down near the ground.

Due to that I spent the first 10-30 minutes just trying to find any sign of flames. After a little while I decided to drive further down the road to an equestrian center that had been the main concern for firefighters.

I followed a convoy of horse trailers to the center, they were sent to rescue the horses that were at the
facility.

Once I got to the property I found about seven or eight horses in a pen as flames were burning the opposite end of the pen. After about twenty minutes a group of people got access to the pen and started to rescue the horses. The good thing about this fire was that it burned a lot of brush a few outbuildings, but for the most part caused no real damage. Click here to view a few shots from today

Shooting for the heck of it!

2011-07-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

This evening I and a friend who is a fellow photographer, set out to photograph the sunset. We decided to try our luck in Temecula's Wine Country. The grapes are starting to turn and so we got a good mix of green and red ones to photograph. The best find of the night was a patch of dirt covered with clay. The clay had started cracking and made for some great textures. Here are some images from tonight.

Can you see the ant?

Revenge of the nerds 2011!!!!!!

2011-07-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Starting last Wednesday thru Friday I was surrounded by a sea of unwashed masses, literally! It was that time of year again to hang out of people that rarely leave their moms basements, except for these four days a year when they become the epicenter of worlds entertainment radar! I am of-course speaking of Comic Con International.

This year was kinda different for me, I normally cover the preview night for a few local publications, and then hang out for the next few days getting images for a wire service, but this year I got the chance to work with a new wire service that had assignments with Fox, MTV, CBS, and the list goes on.....!

I spent preview night (Wednesday) doing what I normally do, running around on a very tight deadline trying to find that best costumed nerd for tomorrows paper, but Thursday was different. I spent most of the day working for Fox, shooting their Terra Nova Experience, an R.V. setup with an oxygen bar and a full movie studio, all setup for fans, so they could get a look a their new show starting this September.

Later on Thursday I shot for FX, it was a panel for their show Archer, a show I didn't even know existed, but will now be watching every time it comes on! It was one of the funniest panels I have ever covered. After that it was back to the convention room floor to finish up shooting a slide show for an online publication I was working for.

I spent all of Friday covering the infamous hall H, this is the place all of the big movies get previewed, and all of the big name celebs come to. I have tried to stay away from this place for years because the hired security thinks the press is scum and wont give us access to the stage. This year was different I ended up with a Comic Con staff badge, and buddied up with a security guard who was continually bragging about how he was keeping the press ( my friends) at the sides of the stage. It was a surreal experience being that close to all the celebs and seeing all the other media stuffed to the sides of the stage. It just goes to show how the people running Comic Con really don't care about the press, they know that the bloggers are going to cover anything and everything that happens at the con. To see more images from Comic Con go here

Sad day

2011-07-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

I was having lunch with my girlfriend when the phone rang, it was one of my editors, he wanted to see if I could rush out to the scene of an accident. So we finished up lunch and I headed down to the scene.

I knew it involved an elderly woman and her dog, both were assumed dead, so I wasn't overly excited about getting there. Once I got to the scene the police had some citizen officers blocking the road about 300 yards from the accident site, it took me about ten minutes and a commanding officer to actually get past the citizen officers.

After I did I saw a white pickup truck on the curb with a trash can under it and trash strewn all around the street. I started taking some shots, and then I noticed a white towel, that obviously had something under it, then I noticed a leash, and realized it was the dog. It was laying in the gutter in a small pool of blood under a few blood stains that covered the sidewalk above.

The eighty seven year old woman had been talking with her neighbor when the truck, coming from the opposite side of the street, started on a collision course with her and her dog. It drove across the median then struck her, her dog, and two trash cans before coming to a stop in a neighbors yard. The driver had an interlock device in his truck, and four previous DUI convictions.

There is nothing good I can say about this story, there is no silver lining to it, the outcome is awful and no one is a winner.

Golden light

2011-07-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

This evening I decided to make a sunset image, so I drove around for about thirty minutes until I stumbled into the Murrieta equestrian center. The place was a ghost town, not even one horse, but the light was great and there was an abundance of wheat, or straw, or well I don't really know, but it was dry, golden and looked great in the last light of the day.

The B Sides

2011-07-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

This evening I had an assignment to photograph some autistic children taking part in an art class. The light was just perfect, everywhere the kids weren't. So I decided to spend a few minutes making a few images of this wonderful tree with a swing on it. This also gave the kids a little time to get into their art projects without me being this looming presence trying to photograph them. So as I started to make pictures of this tree, a little girl showed up and started playing on the swing, and I thought to myself, wow this can't get any better, well I was wrong. Out of nowhere came this little guy who turned to the camera at just the right moment and gave me this great face. These images are representations of why some of my favorite work has nothing to do with the things I am paid to photograph.

Simple kind of shot

2011-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today I shot a portrait of a local high school wrestler who is going to compete at the state meet. I used two lights and had him sit in a chair in-front of the teams logo in the wrestling room. It was a simple way to make an interesting image, anyway here's my favorite shot from today. To view the full story go here

Girls CIF Water Polo Finals

2011-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday covering two local high schools water polo teams in both of their final games. Here are a couple shots from the days coverage, and to view all of them click here

CIF Finals

2010-11-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Every fall, and spring I end up traveling out of town to cover local high school athletes compete in CIF finals for their respective sports. Yesterday I covered two such events, one was a cross country final at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, the other was a division two water polo final match, in Irvine. I'm not gonna go into the details of the events, other than the fact that it was raining all day, and I got completely soaked covering the cross country, it did manage to stop raining for the water polo though. Anywho here are some images, hope you enjoy, and to view more from these events go here.

Wild one's

2010-11-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Where the wild things are, is one of the most iconic children stories from the past fifty years, and the other day I covered a group of first graders reciting the book word-for-word. I am normally terrified to cover any type of performance by elementary school students, not because they're bad, but because they're awful! These kids on the other hand did an amazing job. They read the book and at the end, all the kids jumped off stage and ran around their parents in the audience acting like the little wild things they are. Here's a link to a couple more shots from this wild event!

Dirty day

2010-11-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images from an event I covered about a month ago, it was the Lake Elsinore Gladiator run. Basically it was a mud run, where runners got a chance to soak themselves with a bath of nice refreshing mud after running a 5k. I personally think a dip in the Jacuzzi would suffice but some people really love mud. Anyway here is a link to more images from the event, enjoy! Mud run

Its gettin hot out there

2010-09-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well its that wonderful time of year again, when school starts, the nights start getting cooler, and the hills of California catch fire. Today was the first real brush fire I have covered this season, but there have been a few already. Its always sad to see the destruction these blazes can cause, but luckily this fire was limited to consuming brush. Here are a few images from the fire that burned around 85 acres near the La Creasta, Santa Rosa Plateau area.

To view more images from the fire click Here

Gods love

2010-08-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being a member of the media is hard, keeping your own opinions to yourself and covering events without letting your own views get in the way of the stories you are trying to tell. Today was one of those days. I live in a relatively small town called Temecula, sometimes we do have big events, but for the most part its a sleeper community comprised of young family's, retired wine drinkers, and some right wing supporters ( not that being right wing is bad, its just that they tend to be less compassionate to others view points). With those facts the diversity in this town is very meek, so when the Temecula Islamic Center planned to get permits to build their new mosque on land they purchased ten years ago, right next to a baptist church, lets just say it didn't go over to well with all of the less than open minded people who comprise this valley.

So today a group of anti-Islamic protesters set out to ruin the centers Friday prayer services. They attempted to do this by bringing dogs with them, having women dress in reveling clothing and also by having women sing. None of these attempts really came to be for them however. They ended up with two dogs, and maybe about thirty protesters, I was told by one of them "the lack of turn out was do to an Islamic e-mail sabotage that was sent out to trick the protesters into thinking the protest wasn't going to happen".

The low turn out didn't stop them from protesting though, they came out with megaphones, signs, and a few chants. I guess one of them even decided to drive up and down the street shouting profanities at the existing Temecula Islamic Center.
Now I have nothing against protesting, its what makes this country great, you don't like something or someone, grab a badly made cardboard sign and stand on the street corner shouting at other people to let them know how you feel. This group however, was only about one thing, HATE! Hate for a religion they know nothing about. Most of them talked about love, and how much their "God" loved everyone, but really the only true emotion I felt coming from them was hate!

The most interesting thing for me was how on one side of the street there were protesters talking about how evil Islam is, and how all it teaches is how to kill all those who don't believe. Then on the other side of the street were the Islamic supporters sitting very peacefully and then at one point a few of them came over to the anti-Islamic protesters with roses thanking them for coming out to voice their concerns. This is not the image of hate and evil the protesters painted in their signs and words.

After the events of September 11th this country lost a lot, and one of those things we lost was trust, and one of the biggest groups we lost trust in is Islam. However Its been almost ten years, we have destroyed two country's and lost thousands of our own soldiers lives invading countries we have no business being in. Isn't it time to learn from our own mistakes and stop blaming a religion that just so happens to have some fundamentalist who dislike the amount of freedom our country has to offer.
To view more images from this event go to http://bit.ly/9Dh0rb

Nerdfest 2010

2010-07-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

So its that time of year again, when super heroes, zombies, and even anime worriers take over down town San Diego, yes my friends its time for Comic Con! Last night was preview night, where the media, exhibitors,and those who bought 4-day-passes got a chance to take over the convention show floor, to see just what the next four days will have to offer. This year was hectic but nowhere near as crowded as last year, due to the fact the good people at Comic Con limited the number of people they allowed to go to preview night.

I covered preview night for three publications, so I didn't get much of a chance to see all the cool things on display this year, but I did get to see a few things, here are a few images from last night, hope you enjoy, and may the force be with you.

To view a few more images go to http://bit.ly/9MrkTK

The King

2010-06-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I covered an Elvis Presley Look-a-like contest at a local casino. Now I am not really the biggest Elvis fan, and I also don't really like the idea of dressing up like a dead celebrity to "honor" them. I think impersonation is not really the biggest form of flattery its more the biggest sign of not having a hobby. But after watching these guys perform I have to say I am a changed man. There were five contestants all vying for a spot to go to the annual tribute contest which will be held in Memphis in August. The winner also got a $2000 check for winning. Not being a big Elvis fan I didn't really know that many of the songs, other then the big hits, but I was blown away by the costumes, actions, and more importantly the voices of these guys. Heres one of my favorite shots and you can go here to view a couple more http://bit.ly/czLcxs

A sad goodbye

2010-03-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had a very somber assignment, covering the vigil of 14-year-old Amber Dubois, an Escondido teen who's name was everywhere a little over a year ago when she first went missing February 13 2009, but after a short time the search for her went cold and thoughts in the media turned to the possibility that she was a run away. With the recent abduction and murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King of Poway, and the arrest of John Albert Gardner III, 30, in that case. New evidence and a new hope came to the Dubois family, who never gave up the search for their daughter. When a phone call came into police Thursday March 4th from the parents of three girls who said their daughters found a plastic bag with hair in it, about nine months earlier at Kit Carson park. So a new search began for Amber and this time they did find her, sadly not alive. After a search of a pond at Kit Carson park in Escondido didn't turn up a body investigators working a lead moved the search to a remote area of the Pala Indian Reservation, and on Saturday March 6th they found skeletal remains that were positively identified as the 14-year-old girl.

So tonight friends, family members, and those who never met Amber but just wanted to say one final goodbye, gathered at her high school, to do so. The attendance was in the thousands, and although many of those in attendance never met the young girl who didn't get a chance to live her life, they lit candles, sang songs, and cried tears for the girl who will be fourteen forever.

I found it very apt that as the mourners started to disperse and the candles started to be put out, a light rain began to fall. This was in no way how anyone wanted this to end. A 14-year-old's life being cut short by a monster of a human being, but at the very least it is the start of some small closure for the family.

Wet weather

2010-01-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well its been a wild week, with storms coming through the area every day and all of them bringing massive amounts of water I have been a busy bee trying to cover as much of the storms as possible. The biggest thing I have to say about it is Californians are really really really stupid when it comes to driving in the rain. Not only do they drive way too fast on the freeways, but their complete disregard for signs that say " Road Closed" completely amazes me. Every day this week there were swift water rescues do to people seeing a road closed sign, a fast moving roadway of water, and thinking I bet I can make it.

Other than mass of people trying to turn their family-grocery-getter into an aqua-car, there was also an amazing amount of water, and not that many places for it to go. So roads quickly turned into rivers, which turn into lakes. I was really shocked to see some of the roads I normally drive down transformed into huge bodies of water, that could only be navigated by boat.

To view more of my storm images please visit my January Storm Gallery

CIF Football

2009-12-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

This Friday and Saturday I covered two CIF final football games, one was between two schools in my area. The other was a local school against a school from out of the area. The first game was between Vista Murrieta and Chaparral, I have covered both of these schools regularly in the past four years and have become very familiar with the players on both teams. So it was really neat to get to see them play each other for the title match.

I covered the Vista Murrieta side of the game and another photographer covered the Chaparral side, to make sure we got the reactions from the winners and the losers at the end of the game. It rained off and on during the game but for the most part it stayed pretty dry, but it did get a little foggy which kinda made it a bit moody. The Chaparral team endded up winning so I had the job of photographing the sad faces of Vista Murrieta, which I never love to do, I mean these kids worked so hard to get this far and I really feel bad for them not winning, but I guess they can't all win.

The following night I covered Linfield Christian a local school play Rio Hondo in Covina. I knew this game was going to be a wet one do to the fact that we had a big winter storm roll through the night of the game. By the time I got to the field there was probably a good inch of water on the it already and the rain didn't seem to show any sign of stopping.

After being on the sidelines for about ten minutes my pants were completely soaked and I was very glad I remembered to bring my water proof jacket. My biggest problem was my cameras, I had made some waterproof coverings for them with plastic bags but the eyepiece on my main camera kept fogging up and by the end of the first quarter it was useless. So I just had to shoot the action by feel, which might sound very zen but when your soaking wet, covered in mud, and freezing cold its very hard to even come close to anything zen like.

The action in the game was great but the fact that Linfield won was even better because I got to photograph the celebrations after the win. And if I thought I was muddy before the end of the game I got a huge surprise because the guys hit the field like it was a mud covered slip-and-slide and then came the apple cider. It was a great time and a great game to cover. To view more images from both the games go to this link http://www.photoshelter.com/c/andrewfoulk/gallery/CIF-Football/G0000Y.KMlokS8Cs/

Salton Sea

2009-11-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Today a fellow photographer and I packed up the car and headed out to the Salton Sea so I could scout locations for an upcoming shoot. The Salton Sea is actually an inland saltwater lake that was formed (in its most recent incarnation) in 1905 when the Colorado River breached its banks and filled the Imperial basin, for a period of almost two years. After awhile it became the playground of the rich, famous, and also just many families trying to escape from L.A. to spend time fishing, boating, or just enjoying the salty brine of the sea.

Unfortunately the good times didn't last for the sea or the people who inhabit the area surrounding it. Due to the fact it has no real water flow with an inlet and outlet, the salinity level in the sea started to rise because of evaporation, causing most fish species to die off. Also with the seas close proximity to the all of the farming in Imperial county pesticides, fertilizer and other chemicals started polluting the water. To make matters worse the New river dumps directly in to the sea, the New river being one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S.A.

All of these factors make this one of the most striking landscapes to photograph in. As soon as you reach the shoreline your hit with the fact that the shore isn't covered in sand its covered in fish scales and bones, and I don't mean just a layer of them above the sand, I mean as far as you can dig you'll be digging through fish bones. The other amazing thing about the area is the amount of abandoned buildings, cars, trucks, and even towns. It really has an otherworldly sense to it. I didn't really get a good amount of time to make images today because most of my time was spent driving looking for locations but here are a few images I made. To view more go to: http://www.photoshelter.com/c/andrewfoulk/gallery/Salton-Sea-Nov09/G0000yn_YwnYN8dI/

Clean-up

2009-11-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent my morning hiking through overgrown Manzanita bushes, on paths that were never intended to be walked on by humans. The area I was in is just a stones throw away from Temecula. In fact you can even see Old Town Temecula from one of the spots I was at. This area however is completely remote in the middle of De Luz, no real houses near-by, and yet somehow it was littered with trash. That brings me to the reason I was there. To cover a group of volunteers do an annual trash removal. The area I was at was just a small portion of the area involved in the clean-up. It encompassed the entire 26.2-mile Rancho Santa Margarita watershed, and yet in this huge expanse of wild area dotted with orchards and ranches, the organizers expected to collect over 10 tons of trash.

I am always amazed at how inconsiderate people can be, and when I got to the site I wasn't let down. I found the volunteers hiking through a dried up waterfall pulling out broken remnants of old televisions, pulling beer bottle after beer bottle from the soil, and placing it all on to a abandoned couch. It turns out the road at the top of the hill is a favorite hang-out for teens to get drunk at, and after a few what could be more fun than a good old game of "Let throw stuff off the edge of this cliff and see what happens". Well the good news is the volunteers pulled out a good portion of what was there, and they will be back again next year to do the same. Hopefully with less work to do.

The pretty people

2009-08-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon and evening was spent in downtown San Diego photographing a few non-models I found on-line. The purpose of the shoot was to do a mock commercial shoot for my portfolio. There is not too much to say about the shoot other than all three of the non-models were great to work with and we had a lot of fun running around the Gaslamp making these pictures. I also had the pleasure of having Paul Gallaher come down and help with some of the lighting.

I smell something fishy

2009-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I had an assignment to photograph a local fish die off at Lake Elsinore, I was warned before arriving at the lake that it smelled awful, but I didn't think anything of it. In fact I had forgotten to even think about the smell, right up until I opened my car door, and was overcome with this nostril burning, eye watering, vomit inducing smell. That really took a few minutes to adapt to.

After coming to terms with the fact that I was going to be surrounded with stench for the time being, I got to work and started trying to visualize how I wanted to photograph this. And unfortunately for me and all the people I dealt with later today, it involved me kneeling on and around dead smelly fish. To get a low angle of the corpse's and to try and get someone fishing in the background.

After waiting around for fisher-men to fill my background at the right time. I decided to leave. My ride to my next assignment, was just awful, the entire car stunk like dead fish, I even tried dousing myself and the car with cologne to no avail. All I have to say is I am sorry if I smelled like a dead fish today when I was near you, but I got to make these pictures for the stink of it!

Aflac

2009-08-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images from last nights Aflac All American high school baseball classic, held at Petco Park in San Diego

Comic Con War Journal, Day Three

2009-07-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

Comic Con 09-2 - Images by Andrew Foulk

Another day with lines, and disappointment as far as the way things are run at Comic Con, The press is really treated like a bunch of parasites unless you have the "golden ticket" from the movie studios. I think one of the main problems with it is the sheer amount of press credentials handed out, I don't have an exact number but I believe it is near 1,800. And the biggest problem with that is a good portion of those passes are going to Bloggers ( I get the irony of complaining about bloggers in my Blog) who are not real journalist just fans with a lot of time on their hands and a computer. The people in charge of Comic Con really need to only give press credentials to people who are working press.

Aside from all the heartache with the way things are run, I tried to make today be about anything but what was happening inside the convention center, I spent some time outside at the back of the center. With a group of renaissance battle re-enactors, who were amazingly funny and great to hang out with. Then I walked around the " Gaslamp Quarter" for awhile trying to catch a super hero drinking a beer, or eating a burger, but really didn't have much luck with it. I did however get some images that showed the carnival like atmosphere of the convention.

Comic Con War Journal, Day two

2009-07-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Comic Con 09-1 - Images by Andrew Foulk

Can anyone say LINES? Today was spent in and around lines, and one of the biggest problems with Comic Con is, almost every single person there has spent their entire existence in lines. Lines for the next big movie, the next big video game, or the brand new limited edition "Darth Vader" bust with matte black paint on it. The bottom 'line' is your up against the pro's! when you think its too hot, they'll drink a cup of coffee, when you start to think you might need to go to the bathroom, they'll be drinking a "Big Gulp", when your legs are about to give out, they'll be doing jumping jacks. They are good and they are driven, if there is someone/thing they want to see they would cross a desert of glass, barefoot in the middle 120 degree temperatures.

Now as a member of the working press I normally don't have to stand in said lines, because I am just there to photograph the event and I am not going to even be taking a seat. Comic con is different though, with the influence of Hollywood, almost all of the panels are filled with celebs of one kind or another. So in order to gain access to the panels, other then standing in line, you have to have a special studio issued pass. So it makes getting the photos of the celebrity's you need very difficult.

Today I did manage to sneak my way into the "Robot Chicken" panel with Seth Green, and it was really great I was right up in front of the cast and was able to get some good shots of Seth. Plus it was really funny! Another way to get around the lines is to just by photographing the lines, and I spent some time today doing just that.

With one and a half days down and three more to go, all I can say is I love covering Comic Con, but thank God its only once a year.

Comic Con War Journal, Day one

2009-07-22T22:21:00.001-07:00

Comic Con 09 - Images by Andrew Foulk

Wow, I just spent my evening surrounded by literally, thousands and thousands of people. All of whom, seem to be after the same toy, autograph, free schwag, or just the latest die cast of Doctor Who. Yes I spent my evening covering preview night at the 40th annual San Diego Comic Con "International". This is my forth year covering this event, and being a Comic book fan (nerd!) myself I really love the chance to get to be around so many people who make the industry work.

On the other hand, it seems like every year there seem to be more and more people showing up, and with he addition of Hollywood spending all their time and money promoting the next big "Comic Book" blockbuster. The convention has really changed from its roots, a small get together of around 300 comic book fans, to a massive four day festival of the avant-guard, filled with random people dressed as the "Gods" of their new religion of super hero, space captains, or even just you run of the mill Mario bother. It is still a great event that I look forward to ever year, but it has really outgrown its home, which is really the sadist part.

On the plus side, no matter how packed it gets, you'll never run out of interesting people to photograph. From kids in strollers dressed as Superman, to grown men and women dressed as Stormtroopers, to a random guy walking around dressed as Jesus. It is really a lot of fun, and can't wait till tomorrow for the first full day.

Its over!

2009-06-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

09 Grad - Images by Andrew Foulk

Well after two weeks of graduations I finally just shot my last one this morning, I really have a love hate relationship with this time of year. I know that it is an amazing time in the young peoples lives who are graduating and I want to make sure that my images convey that message. However it is unbelievably hectic time for me because a lot of the graduations are done on the same night in different cites. I have done seven graduations this year and not been able to stay the entire ceremony for one of them.

Balloon Fest

2009-06-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Balloon and Wine - Images by Andrew Foulk

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day - Images by Andrew Foulk

Today I covered the Lake Elsinore cemetery Memorial Day service, this is my 3rd time covering this particular service, and I have to say it was the best so far. I will always feel a special place in my heart for this day and this event, because three years ago when I covered it for the first time for a weekly paper, my grandfather passed away.

It actually happened the fallowing day as I was writing my captions, and I will never forget which one it was! It was of a honor guard group doing a twenty one gun salute, just as I was writing down their information my aunt came into my office and said, with a broken voice "he's gone". My grandfather had never been in active combat but he spent two years on what he lovingly referred to as "the rock" (Hawaii) during his Army service. He spent three long years battling health problems, never backing down, never giving up, until he just had nothing left in him for the fight. I feel that in someway his passing at this time of year was very fitting for a man who spent his entire life in service to his family, his country, and his beloved fire department ( he was also a 30 year veteran of the Camp Pendleton Fire Dept) without ever thinking of himself first.

Thanks again, for everything you did for me grandpa!

April fires bring May flowers?

2009-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

In southern California its always fire season and today was no exception, even though it was in the high sixty's today and it is April. I received a call at around 2pm from one of my editors about a blaze going on not more than three miles from my house. Like the old saying goes " If it were a snake it would have bit me"

As I got in my car I was amazed at the column of smoke and I instantly knew this was going to be a good sized fire. I have already been on three or four small brush fires this year, most of them had been put out by the time I arrived. This fire on the other hand was a different story, as I approached I had to go through a CHP road block and then as I got closer to the fire I realized I couldn't see a thing. The wind had shifted and I was enveloped in ash and smoke, not the best thing when you are still trying to find your bearings.

My one big goal in shooting this fire was to get images of large flames with the fire personal in the frame. I have been on many brush fires and never really been satisfied that my images convayed the intensity of the situation. This time however I really fell I got the images I have been searching for, there were a large number of big flare ups and they were at a distance I felt safe with.

The other good thing about this fire is that no one was injured and no structures were damaged. Its just like one of the residents of a house in the path of the flames said to me" Well if my house makes it through I wont have to worry about clearing all the brush around here this year" and good thing for him his house is fine and he has one less piece of yard work to do.

Candle light vigil

2009-04-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I covered a candle light vigil for family and friends of victims of violent crime. It was all part of National crime victims rights week and it was attended by many local politicians, and law makers.

For me it was a very somber and uncomfortable scene to be at, I recognized many of the faces from crimes scenes I have been on and really didn't fell like it was fair for me to, yet again be invading these poor peoples lives at an already difficult moment.

Photographing for newspapers always has its ups and downs, you get to go to a lot of really cool places and meet some of the most amazing people in on earth. However there is a flip side to that, you have to make photographs of people during hard times, and for the most part readers don't really think about the fact that the photo on the front page of the local section had to be made by someone, someone had to be there and take from the person in the image.

At the heart of Photojournalism is that defining moment, the second that someone reacts to there surroundings, whether it be war, a natural disaster, or the loss of a loved one. That moment is the purpose for why I and every other Photojournalist pick up a camera everyday and try and share our worlds with the rest of the planet.

Easter Service

2009-04-12T20:48:00.001-07:00

As a photojournalist I try and keep an open mind and stay as objective as possible, but when I am near fervent believers (especially of the Christian kind) I feel somehow uneasy. Like they have tapped into some kind of spiritual oasis that only the "saved" can pull from and by not knowing a way to tap into it, I am somehow an interloper sent to ruin and mock their celebrations. When in actuality I really respect them for having something they can believe in so strongly without having any real physical evidence of it.

That being said, I got to photograph an Easter play at a local church today, I was immediately hit with the fact that a large portion of the congregation had tattoos, they were in t-shirts, and shorts, and there was a lingering smell of cigarette smoke. Also it became apparent to me that their were many parishioners who were trying to restart their lives after problems with the law.

This was not the normal group of people I have come to know as church goers, they were really there to get closer to god and help themselves get to a better place. It was refreshing to say the least. As far as the photography, the church was poorly lit and I ended up having to use a flash, something I don't love to do. However considering how bad the lighting really was I felt I came away with some fairly good images and a good not uneasy feeling about the people I was sent to photograph.

The Hunt

2009-04-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I had an assignment to cover an Easter egg hunt at a local park. This assignment seemed pretty straight forward and simple however its been a year or two since I shot an Easter egg hunt and I had forgotten how much energy those little hunters have.

Another local photographer Paul Gallaher was also there, and I think we both realized at about the same time that the plans we had formulated to photograph this event were not going to work. So after the first group of kiddos (4-year-olds) laid waste the close to football sized field of eggs in a matter of seconds, we both regrouped and made new plans on how to get the images we wanted.

So after about two or three age groups of kids I finally had the rhythm of the madness down and got away with some pretty nice images. Also Paul and I had a little fun snapping some photos of each other trying to make our pictures.

Here is Paul laying in wait and probably hopping not to get trampled.

What Next?

2009-03-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks I have been covering more and more stories about the economy, none of them good, some of them hopeful. But all generally the same, good hard working people who have either lost their jobs or are facing layoffs. Last night I covered a foreclosure seminar, which was a good thing, in a way because it was aimed at helping those who might lose their homes get help and possible keep them. Today I covered custodians at a local school, these people do some of the hardest work with some of the worst hours possible and yet they are all very happy with their jobs. However do to the fact that they are employed by the school district, they like so many others can't be sure how long they'll get to keep those long hard hours.

The newspaper industry, of which I get most of my work from is no better off, last week a local paper laid off a good number of its editorial staff including some friends. Also last week the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stopped printing a paper and moved to a web only edition. And just yesterday the San Diego Union Tribune sold to a private equity firm from L.A. for an unnamed price, no one knows what this will mean for the UT but my thoughts go out to all of those who are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens next.

I can't say exactly what got us into this current finical crisis we find ourselves in. Was it greed? probably! Was it ignorance on the part of "Joe public"? Maybe! Was it a mix of the two? definitely! The bottom line is we are here now and there is no one great answer to fix the problem. I just hope that things start turning around soon before they get any worse.

Why do I hate Car Shows?

2009-03-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Last night and today was spent photographing the Temecula Rod Run, a really great event that is a lot of fun to be at. However this is the 8th time I have shot this event and its getting harder every year to come up with a new way to photograph the same cars and people.

I hate photographing at car shows to begin with do to the fact that they are always held in open areas during the brightest part of the day, with a lot of distracting and hot backgrounds. The cars themselves add a lot of color but often have a lot of chrome and are really reflective so they tend to make unpleasing photos. Also the people are there to look at the cars and really don't seem to care if they walk in front of my lens. I spent around 20 minutes by a car waiting for someone to look in the window of it and every time someone started to, a group of people would walk right in to my frame.

The bottom line is I like car shows they are really fun to attend, I even like the people at car shows they are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. But I really hate photographing at car shows!

Drug House

2009-03-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

I have always found the architecture of the old Lake Elsinore Navy academy building really gorgeous. So today when I got an assignment to follow a code enforcement officer while he and a couple police officers did a walk through to try and determine how bad the conditions in the unoccupied property was, I got really excited.

The building was once an Navy academy so it has all kinds of twist, turns, and rooms, and with no power and all the windows boarded up the building was really dark and impossible to see in. Also it has been a beacon for drug addicts and gang members for the past few years. The inside was like a pack of wild animals ransacked it, people have been stealing the wiring from the walls, and just about anything they could pry loose or saw off. The floors were missing section where they had pulled up the boarding to remove the steel pipes from the floor. We even found a soda bottle full of urine that some one had been using as a toilet. It was really an uncomfortable place to be in, you never knew who or what was around the next corner, and all you could do was expect to find a dead body or a strung out junkie waiting to protect his or her home.

Buzz

2009-03-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I got to cover the 32nd annual Riverside County spelling bee, I have covered a lot of bee's in the past few years but never one at this level. I am always amazed at the dedication these kids have, spelling words most of us have never even heard of before.

By the time I got to the bee there were five kids from my area left and after about five rounds they had all missed a word, so I was left waiting to see who the winner would be. After the 15h round all but two were left, and one of them misspelled his word. So it was up to the last contestant to spell her word correctly, and she didn't. So they brought back the other three spellers for another round and yet again they all misspelled their words including the last speller. This continued for two rounds then finally Paul Uzzo an 8th grader at Vista Verde Middle school in Moreno Valley correctly spelled "Metanoia" to win. I was really hoping he would win because he was really expressive, so I knew he would make a really great face when he won, and he did!

Studio Time

2009-03-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

Well today I got a break from shooting news and sports to photograph in a studio, I had the privilege of getting to use Butch Owens (a local photographers) home studio. The shoot was with a friend who has never modeled before but she really has the classic pin-up model look. So we decided to try and replicate some of the classic pin-up shots from the past. It was a bit of a challenge to get the shots I wanted do to the fact that she wasn't used to modeling and I am not used to directing, but after a little time we really came away with so good images. Butch also gave me a great help by bringing some old tools to use as props.

(Foot)ball

2009-03-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

I just got done shooting the CIF SS division III soccer finals in Downey, and man was it a was great game. the team that won was from Great Oak high, a local high school in my area. The final score was 3-1 and all three of Great Oaks goals were made by one player, Dakota Collins.

It was really nice for me to cover a local team win at that level, over the years I have covered many CIF finals and for the most part the local team never wins. So it was a great change of pace for me to be able to photograph the joy and excitement that winning a title can bring.

The Crossroads

2009-03-04T23:43:00.000-08:00

As I was headed home today, I found the skies really amazing and decided to make a photograph. So I took some time and found some cows and made some images but was really unhappy with what I had, they just lacked that "it" quality. So I kept driving and found this memorial on the side of the road just as the sky was unleashing some really amazing clouds. I made a few exposures. I really have no idea who it was for or when it happened but I hope my image is some kind of tribute to who was lost at this site.

My fish

2009-02-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

So I got a Canon G10 in December for my vacation, and finally decided to play around with the video mode on it. So I put together a video of me moving my fish from their old tank to their new one. I just wish I had it during the move to video the whole transition, so your going to have to put up with a bunch of still images and a lot of missing scenes, but at least the end has a nice amount of them swimming around. So here is a video of my other passion. That's right when I'm not taking pictures I don't retreat to my "batcave" and work on my next plan to thwart evil doers (even though I wish I did) I work on my reef! I hope you enjoy!

Poor little piggys

2009-02-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

With the economy getting worse and people having to worry about if they will be able to pay their mortgage. More and more animals are getting left to their own devices and I got to cover one of these situations on Saturday. It was a real sad scene, the owners of the property had around 15 pot-bellied pigs to start with, but the owners had neglected them very badly. So badly that one of them was dead and decomposing, and the rest were all under fed and one of them had a very bad running noise and a possible infection,

The bank foreclosed on the property about ten days ago and so the water was also shut off so none of the animals could get fresh water. I came by in the morning and shot some photos of the pigs while a concerned neighbor feed them and tried to capture some o the loose ones. I was going to come back and shoot a local pot-bellied rescue group try and capture and transport the rest of them. However the realtor showed up while I was gone and called the sheriff on the neighbor for trespassing and was going to have her arrested (glad I left when I did). After a bit of begging and pleading, the neighbor got the okay from the bank to feed and rescue the pigs.

What happened to pong?

2009-02-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

Last Thursday I had an assignment to cover an after school program at a local library. The program was a Rock Band 2 tournament called "Rockfest" there were probably 15 people playing and it was really surprising to me that they all seemed like they were at a funeral. None of them had any real expressions, except for this one little guy, who I guess plays the game all the time and is a 6 year old Rock Band phenome!

The library manager really wanted me to play so I had to give it a shot, and all I can say is playing a real guitar is a lot different and easier than the game version. Can you believe that this cute little toe-headed rug-rat totally kicked my butt! he got a 98% while I managed a meager 49%. I guess I'll just have to stay confident in the fact that I can probably play Stairway to Haven on a real guitar better then him!

My drive home

2009-01-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today I had a few meetings in Temecula and also I had to scout a portrait location at a house near the edge of wine country. So when I was done I decided to go home through wine country , well on my way home the afternoon light was just perfect and I spotted some cows and bulls on the side of the road with some great light hitting them. I stopped and made a few exposures, The problem was that they saw me and the "alpha" bull (I'm not really sure what you call a leader bull) kept standing in front of the rest of the cows so I ended up with a bunch of two butted bovines.
On my way back to the car I spotted a bicycle tire stuck in the ground on end with this really nice green field behind it. So a made a few more exposures and got back int he car and decided to head home. Well as I crossed Winchester Road ( a rural highway that leads from Temecula to Hemet) I saw a huge wall a darkness to the north, at the edge of Menifee and the town of Winchester . With the winds picking up today I wasn't sure if it was just dust of a fire, so I decided to take a closer look.

As I got near the area I could quickly tell it was the wind picking up dust, but it was powerful enough to knock power in the area twice and the two traffic lights I had to go through in the area where out. All and all I think it was a fun drive home.

January Storm

2009-01-22T13:07:00.001-08:00

I woke up yesterday looked out my window, and saw that some really great looking clouds had formed to the east of my home. So I picked up my cameras and headed out the door to hopefully make a picture.

I drove around for awhile and didn't really find anything to interesting to fill the frame with, just clouds! and as cool looking the clouds were it really didn't make an interesting picture. So as I was just about home I made one last turn down a country road and found this great farm house with "my clouds" hovering over it . I made a few frames and was fairly happy with what I came away with.

Hell Week

2008-11-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well in the past 9 days I have shot 23 assignments, and in the world of freelancing that is a good thing. I can't complain about having the work, but man has it been a wild ride! I am going to try and share as much from the past 9 days as I can and go through each assignment to give a good idea of how the photos were made.

Sunday the 9th Lake Elsinore Grand Prix
I have shot this event in the past, but the last time I covered it the route ran through the streets of Lake Elsinore. It is now done at a local motocross track, which really takes away from the crowds atmosphere. I ended up shooting the last race of the day which started at 1:45 pm ans lasted for 20 laps of the five mile track. The first few shots were of the start and then I moved locations and tried for some more interesting shots.

I made this image after a quick run from the starting line to the first big turn, I decided that I wanted to convey the speed at which these racers were going so I slowed down my shutter speed and panned with the bikes as they raced by.
I was shooting on the other side of the track when I noticed this climbing section and the large amount of dust the bikes were turning up as they went by. So I ran over there put on my 16-35mm and got low. While making this shot I got completely covered in dirt, the three frames after this one are just brown dust.

Tuesday the 11th
I had four assignments this day, and the first one was the Murrieta Veterans day parade.

I have shot this event for the past two years and this year I tried to get as many different shots as I could, however I made an image very close to this one last year. This time I tried to get more in the frame then last year and get the planes in a better spot in the frame, and I think I did it.

In covering any kind of large public event I always look for someone who stands out, or who can sum up the feel of an event in one frame. And in this case I got lucky as I was getting ready to leave I saw this cute little girl holding up this sign.

Second assignment: Deputy D.A.
I didn't have much time on this assignment it was at 4:00PM and I needed to get to my next one (about 15 miles away) by 5PM.

Her office was really badly lit and full of a lot distracting things, so I decided to go dark. I don't normally like this look but I am somewhat happy with how it came out. I used two flash units one on the sign on her desk and the other on her face.

Third assignment: Reality show contestant
This was another one with every little time, and also I had to shoot it at her work a winery. A business that had absolutely nothing to with the show she was on. The show was like some what like Fear Factor with out the bug eating.

So after walking around the winery with her I found the barrel room, which had great light and a real spooky kind of feel. I took a few shots with her using an off camera flash and am fairly happy with how they came out.

Last assignment of the day: Girls Volley Ball
This was a CIF simi final match between Palos Verdes and Temecula Valley a pretty basic assignment just set your exposure right and watch for action.

Wendnesday the 12th:Late night construction shoot
Even though this one was at 10:30PM and it was really hard to get my butt up and go shoot it, I really enjoyed shooting it. I can't remember the last time I got to shoot traffic at night and really experiment with different exposures. I used a tripod and my 70-200mm, and due to the fact that I don't have a shutter release I set the timer up on my camera so the shutter would close 15 sec after I hit the button.

Thursday the 13th

Assignment one: Horribly lit after school program.
This assignment was of an after school program for kids who like Anime the Japanese art form that spawned that unforgettable classic Pokemon. This was at the Murrieta public library and all the lights were turned off so the kids could watch the movies. Luckily there was one window that let in just enough light make the shoot possible.

In this shot I used the low light to an advantage and shot the screen with the kids in the forground to give some scale to the shot.

With the one spot in the room that had some light I got this shot of a couple of the kids laughing at the movie.

Second assignment: More Volley Ball finals
This time Anaheim Katella at Lake Elsinore

Friday the 14th

1st assignment
Helper dog test
In this one A local canine helper dog training facility was holding there final test before the dogs can graduate and live with their new humans. It was held at a local mall and even though I wanted to follow them in and get shots of the dogs working with money and helping them navigate the mall, I have had problems in the past with security at this mall and didn't have clearance to be there, so I made sure to get my shots before the dogs and people went inside.

Second assignment:
High school football Hemet at West Valley
Just like the volley ball this one is pretty much set your exposure and wait for the action plays to come your way

Saturday the 15th
I had five assignments this day, my first one was a Veterans tribute at 9:00AM, then a Tech piece at 10:30AM, then a recycling drive at Noon, then a Fashion show at 1:30PM, and finally a Christmas tree lighting at 3:30Pm that ended up being at 4:50PM.

Veterans Tribute

This event was in a really badly lit rec-center with glass doors running down both sides of the building, also for the most part it was an award ceremony. Which is something really dull to shoot, you just can't get interesting shots when you just have people talking at a mic. The other thing is that this was a Veterans event so I felt obligated to get some good images. So I spent the whole assignment trying to find people in audience reacting to the ceremony and then the JROTC came out with their sabers and gave me even more to work with.

Tech piece

This one was at the public library and was of local elementary school students participating in a technology education class. The class is part of a federal grant the Temecula Valley Unified School District received to teach students to act as technology mentors. I really only had three shots to get in this one, the teacher, a kid working, and a group shot of the kids working on the computers.

Recycling drive

What should have been really simple one, a local school did a recycle fest in which they collected recyclable materials. In this type of assignment I try and get photos individuals not just a big overall shot. At this particular assignment I had to deal with an overzealous organizer who thought he knew what photos I should take, including dressing up a school official in a green costume and parading him around like a bad Disney character in front of me, so I spent most of the time trying to avoid him. I really hate dealing with people who think they are helping me out by saying “hey photographer here’s your shot” or “Look up and smile big for the camera” that type of photo is fine for your family photo album but doesn’t belong anywhere near a newspaper.

Fashion Show

This was a weird one a fall fashion show at a middle school featuring elementary thru high school students. I don't really like the idea of little kids dressing up and walking down a runway trying to look sexy. But it did lend it self to some fun candids before the event started so I tried to focus more on that side of it.

Tree Lighting

My last assignment of the day was a newly established city (Menifee, my town) first Christmas tree lighting ceremony. It was the first time I got to shoot tree lighting in the day light. The lighting took place at around 4:45PM and it was nice to get a chance to shoot a tree lighting and actually get all the people's faces in the shot without having to use a strobe, even though I did use one to make them stand out.

Sunday the 16th

low-security women's correction facility

This one didn't go the way we had planned; it was suppose to be about inmates reading bed time stories on camera that would be turned into DVD's so their children can hear them. However this facility is part of Cal Fire and the inmates had to work on the wildfires that broke out that weekend.

So insted of doing that the reporter and I got to tour the facillity with one of the CO's

Suicide

As I was leaving the correctional facility I got word of a Police pursuit in Lake Elsinore, this is not out of the ordinary. However this time the suspect was armed and threatening to kill himself. By the time I got to the scene it was to late.

By the time I got there he had crashed into a brick wall, then the officers tried to get him out, he didn't comply so they fired pepper spray into the cab of his truck. Shortly after that the officers on scene heard a gun shot. This is the kind of story that is really not easy to photograph, you tell you’re self that it is news and it needs to be covered, but it is still a human life that just ended.

Survivor Temecula

2008-09-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I photographed A local woman who was selected to be on the T.V. show Survivor. She has been trying to get on the show for the last 8 years and has auditioned 15 times.

In photojournalism you get to meet a lot of interesting people that do a lot of amazing things but after meeting, 61 year old Gillian Larson I think I will have a hard time topping her. She was born in South Africa, a nurse for 41 years, raised three children, has traveled to 46 country's, swum with great white sharks, repelled off 4000 ft mountains, eaten bugs, and a lot of the more adventurous stuff was done in the last 8 years while trying to get on the show. I don't know where she gets her energy but it is absolutely infectious, after spending an hour with her I felt like I could possibly climb mount Everest, which I guess is good for her because her next endeavor after she swims across the San Fransisco bay from Alcatraz, she is planning on doing motivational speaking.

For the photos I was lucky in the fact that she has really amazing decor from all her travels, so I just had her pose for a few casual portraits. One of which I used some of the books she read in preparing for the show as props.

Model Shoot

2008-09-18T22:13:00.003-07:00

Last Saturday I did A shoot with a couple of models from San Diego, at Torry Pines beach to test out some "bright" lighting ideas I had. I am always happy to work with models because they really know what they are doing and enjoy being in front of the camera! For this shoot I was accompanied with a local photographer Paul Gallaher, who I can't say enough good things about! without Paul I think It would have been a really difficult shoot! The shots I came away with I was really happy with and I think the whole shoot went really well, even if the sunset wasn't perfect and Paul and I just barely made it out of the parking lot before they started ticketing people because of the park closing. But who can complain about spending a Saturday evening photographing two beautiful people on a beach a sunset? Paul's Blog can be viewed here, Thanks again Paul!

Toxic Terror

2008-09-18T22:13:00.002-07:00

Last weekend I photographed the auditions for the "monsters" at the new haunted stadium in Lake Elsinore . It was a lot of fun and I got really lucky as a photographer, when I arrived at around 8:30 am three people were auditioning and two if them where in costume! It really made the assignment for me! The whole stadium will be converted into a haunted maze and I have to say even though it wasn't even nearly started and I was there during the day time, It was already creepy! The haunted stadium will run till the start of November and is expected to have over two hundred monsters!

Friday Night Lights

2008-09-18T22:13:00.001-07:00

Well Its official Football season has started, and I can't wait for next Friday! it's really a lot of fun to shoot high school football. Even though the lighting is god-awful and the sidelines seem to be more crowed then ever its still a great time!

Suicide

2008-09-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

I had a hard assignment last week, photograph a family who's youngest member took his own life. this was an assignment I wanted to make sure I got right! the family was very nice and had been through a lot already so I tried to set the shots up as quickly as possible and sense it was at the cemetery where the boy was burred I really wanted to respect them and their wishes.

Minor League Ball

2008-09-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last two nights shooting the final stretch of the season of the Lake Elsinore Storm for a local paper. Although the lighting isn't the best, I really love shooting this level of baseball. you get almost unlimited access and the games generally never sell out so you have a lot of options when shooting from the seats. Which is something I do almost every game due to the size of the park you are better of shooting from the stands then the field.

Did someone say Fooball?

2008-09-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well its that time of year again, I spent the latter part of last week shooting pre-season High School football. It was a great feeling to get back on the field and shooting practice it was even better to get some daytime shots. With the regular season starting next week I no longer have to worry about what to do Friday nights! at least for the next couple of months.

The Candy Lady

2008-09-03T20:48:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I had an assignment to photograph a woman and the candy store she runs, this was a real fun one. She had a just about every type of candy you could think of. Some I hadn't thought of since I was a kid, and on top of all that she had soda's for every taste even a chocolate one! that she said tastes nothing like You Hoo! My main thought in photographing this was color! and there was ample amounts of it with all the different sugar laden treats in the store.

Harvest time

2008-09-03T20:13:00.001-07:00

Well I shot this about two weeks ago but I haven't had a chance to post so I am doing it now

When an editor from a publication I regularly shoot for, contacted me about doing a 6a.m. Saturday assignment I wasn't to excited, but when she told me it was in wine country I had a hope it might be something to do with the ongoing grape harvest in wine country and my hope can true! I have lived in the Temecula Valley for over ten years now and have never had the opportunity to see the grapes get picked so this was a real treat. I arrived at the winery just before 6 a.m. with just enough light for me to get a feel for how the picking takes place and to give me some time to think about how I was going to shoot it. I already knew I wanted to get a shot of one of the workers unloading a basket into the gondola with a bit of motion blur, but other then that I was just going to wing it! As the light got better I noticed I could see the workers through the other side of the vines they were picking, so I found a good open spot in the vines and waited for one of the workers to fill the frame and clicked away. All and all I was very happy with the way my shots turned out that day, and it was really great to see the process happen.

Murder suspect

2008-08-14T11:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday evening I received a phone call from a reporter asking me if I could make my way down to the Murrieta police department and get photos of a murder suspect being escorted to an awaiting car that would take him to the local jail. The murder took place in February of 1996 and was of thirteen year old girl who had been dating the suspect (at that time he was seventeen). After the girl’s death he ran to Mexico and has been hiding there until August of 2007 when he was found in a Mexican jail under a fake name by a fugitive task force, he was being held for an unrelated crime. I was told that he would arrive at the jail around 5:30 pm and be taken to the car at around 6pm-6:15pm. Well after continually getting updates from the P.I.O. The move didn't take place until a little after 9pm making light a real issue! But the Fox L.A. station was there and their video light really helped me get the shots I needed.

Comic Con 08

2008-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

So this post is a little over due but I really wanted to share my experience covering the San Diego
Comic Con. It took place July 24th-27th and it was an absolute mad house! It was sold out weeks before the doors even opened and saw around 100,000 attendees! I went last year and I have to say the amount of people seem to have doubled. With a majority of the focus being shifted from the comics and more toward Hollywood's next blockbuster. The true nature of the event seems like it is being lost! On the photo front you'll never find a place with more photo ops on earth, every time you turn around there is some new super-hero doing something human, it s truly a great time! I just hope they do something about the amount of people they allow per day. It saddens me to to say this but I think the convention has really out grown the town that gave birth to it!

Here we go!

2008-08-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

So, I have really been against this whole Blog thing for a long time now, but I have found myself in past weeks reading other photographers Blogs and really kinda liking them. So I though I might throw in my two cents! and add to the already over-flooded Internet with my photos and back story's on how I made them. I hope to share my thoughts and experience's as a freelance photojournalist in this ever-changing news landscape.