Comic Con War Journal, Day two

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

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!

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

Balloon and Wine - Images by Andrew Foulk

Memorial Day

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?

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

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.