people: January 2009 Archives

Say hello to Adriana and Isabella, two four-year old twin girls who accompanied their mother, Lisa, to the York Daily Record office for a studio shoot.

Mom's portrait was taken for a future Smart magazine story about multiples--twins, triplets and-- yikes-- sextuplets. But it was hard not to photograph the angelic faces of these tiny brown-eyed sweethearts. Both wore white jackets, and it worked with the white background to make them look like snow princesses.

Didn't ask them to smile. Just stand there, I said. They made the expressions-- or lack thereof-- but they're natural.

Bucking the nation-wide trend, the York Daily Record's print circulation is holding steady, but the YDR is jumping into the digital and internet world as well with both feet. Our goal is to do one video that's posted at YDR.com daily.

I grew up with box cameras and large format film, and then to 35mm film (including recording film), eight-frame per second motor drives and lenses large enough to keep large boats at anchor. This change is admittedly rather intimidating and confusing, but certainly interesting, challenging and most of all, a whole lot of fun.

The biggest challenge in video is the time it takes to put a video together. In digital print, we can bang out a photo, from download to completion, in 10 minutes or less, and then move on to another assignment. Video sometimes takes hours. And hours. Much of what I do is sports related, or done on Excursions. When I go out of town, I shoot videos most often with my little point-and-shoot Luminex. It lacks the prime sound quality and versatility of our the big cameras, but it's handy and in a pinch, it'll do just fine.

So, when not working, I practice on off-hours in an attempt to grow in this medium. This is a video done on a New Year's visit to Quebec City, and the celebration there. It's not going to win any film awards, but capturing the French music and the dancing, smiles and fireworks certainly has advantages over still pictures.

We edit our work on Adobe Premiere. Hope you like it.

OK, it's State Farm Show time, and that means a few things. First, it's mid-January, and weather should be cold and snowy-- after all, it's January. But at the first snow flake, people will blame the 'storm' on the Farm Show, as if it had something to do with the weather, instead of the other way around. But actually, there's not been a terrible storm about this time in years. Hmmm.

Second, is my usual custom of downing at least three or four potato donuts in the food court. For those unfortunate few who haven't had the privilege of eating one, let alone a few, you're missing a treat. These culinary delights, either plain or sugared, are devoured because they are tasty and convenient, but also because they'll keep you from eating anything else in the food court for the next day and a half. They're heavy. They hit your stomach like a brick. Fishermen have been known to use them for sinkers.

They'll keep your stomach from growling for the other delicious state food associations' offerings--broccoli and cauliflower salads, pulled pork sandwiches, fried veggies, maple candy, ice cream, grilled fish, roast beef or chicken sandwiches. Only the Texas State Fair has more diverse and interesting food items (it once had armadillo eggs and fried Coke).

Once you wrestle your appetite away from the Food Court, the photo possibilities here are endless. Now, I've been in York and the Farm Show a long time, so finding something different, but still visually interesting, is tough. The photo above of eight year old Renee Svonavec of Somerset laying with her animals was done with another kid probably every year since the show opened. It's one of those 'aaaahhhhh' pictures. A cute kid and a farm animal-- it's tough to miss. It's been done-- a lot-- but does that mean we don't shoot it again? One of my mentors long ago, Bob Dorksen, said "Excellence is always excellent."

Being a local newspaper strongly committed to local coverage, the York Daily Record might not run this photo, because Renee is from Somerset, far out of our area. And that's the tough part about shooting the Farm Show. Some good pictures-- often the very best photos-- are of people from outside York and Adams.

This recent trip to Canada for skiing,(Mont Tremblant), touring and visiting (Quebec), celebrating (Quebec City), eating (raclette), exploring (Maine), eating (lobster), driving, and of course eating (unknown from the French menu) was nearly perfect. Met new friends, found new exciting places and took a lot of pictures, including many with my point-and-shoot digital.

On Bailey Island, Maine, I stopped to ask permission to take pictures of a portion of the rocky, icy coastline dotted with lobster traps that was obviously someone's property. George and Peg Johnson invited us inside like we were long lost friends, and we spent a good part of the day talking and laughing with the lobsterman and his new wife.

We learned that George is hoping to get one more year of lobstering under his belt next season, and then he could retire at 65. But that's not 65-years old, that's 65 years of lobstering on the southern Maine waters. George is 82 years old-- that's right, 82 years old!-- and he's still lobstering, fighting the waves, the frigid spring and fall temperatures and the summer heat.

Wrestling his more than 200 traps would exhaust men 60 years younger.

He and Peg are truly a love story. They had dated more than 55 years ago, and an old black and white picture of the two of them together sits on the television. But life took them in different directions, and they each married someone else. George's marriage lasted 45 years, but cancer took his wife. Peg's husband also passed away after 51 years of marriage, and she returned to the island with daughter Mandy Bello for a visit.

As it happened, Peg and George met again, and today are newlyweds of six years. Peg's gentle blue eyes smile when George says "Hey, I've got something here to show you." As he leaves the room, Peg knows what he's gone to find, and says quietly, "He's quite a talker".

He comes back with this month's Esquire magazine. The feature article is actually a series of articles--50 in all--and one man from each state's story is told. Clint Eastwood, Woody Harrelson and a list of other celebrities are the highlighted stars of their own state. For Maine, it's 82-year old George Johnson, and he's standing like a triumphant general next to a stack of lobster traps.

Of all the houses in Maine, I happened to knock on the back door of one of its biggest celebrities, at least for this month. And certainly among the most friendly.

The two are headed at the end of January for the warmer climate of Florida and Grand Cayman Islands. There, they'll recharge their batteries for another lobster season.

This trip demanded a fist full of pictures, and another storage card or two.

But none of the pictures were any more satisfying than this simple photograph of George Johnson. Sometimes, a simple picture tells the whole story.

New Year's Eve was a cold one in Quebec City, Canada. The province ended its 400th birthday with a bang-- and a heck of a party.

With temperatures well below zero, photographers had to be careful their batteries didn't die prematurely. It's generally a good idea to have a spare battery, or pack of batteries, in an inside pocket, warmed by body heat and away from low temps. Also be aware the digital read-outs may be more difficult to read.

The top photo came from la Petite Champlain, a charming tiny row of shopes in the lower old town. Fireworks at midnight were remarkable because of their locations. Set off in three different places, party-goers (at least 25,000) were surprised by the finale, which surrounded the crowd in aerial artistry.

I shot mostly video from New Year's Eve, trying to collect the sounds and activities of the evening. And I probably would have enjoyed it even more, had I understood the French-speaking master of ceremonies. Much of the music was also French, and it still amazes me how different -- and wonderful-- people can be just a few miles away. After I shot everything in sight, it was time to put the cameras away and dine in some of the fabulouos French restuarants.

Quebec is one of my favorite destinations, despite winter's cold. It only makes a beautiful place even more amazing.