Monica&Simeon

Monica Sanders, 35, comforts a tearful Simeon, 4, after he stubbed his toe.

Jael&Carrot

Jael Sanders, 13

Eve & Smoky

Eve Sanders, 9

Brian&Jesus

Brian Sanders, 35

Dock Dog

My nightly ventures down to the river. A time to clear my head. Quiet solitude, except for a muster of peacocks across the way. Dumping thoughts from the day into the water, with each lapping wave. To be taken away, out to the bay, and beyond.

Emma Brown

Mistake1

Life is full of beautiful mistakes.

FanFest

The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

You might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success...So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive...and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series, delivered a great commencement address last week at Harvard University entitled, "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination."

If you haven’t already, see it, hear it, or read it here. It was as reaffirming as it was inspiring.

Band of Light

I shot the top picture at the Confederate flag raising Saturday, after I noticed this little guy, sitting atop his uncle's shoulders kept passing in and out of a beautiful band of light. I made one frame before they moved on.

When I was editing my stuff from this assignment, our new Summer intern was looking over my shoulder. He said he really liked this frame because it reminded him a lot of another frame I shot a few days earlier at a technology conference.

HAHA. Damn. So much for originality.

lazy day

such are Sundays...

If At First You Don't Secede

Measuring 50 ft x 30 ft, and weighing in at 100 lbs., the world's largest Confederate flag was raised in Tampa today (again). I am speechless. But Stephen Colbert says it pretty darn good.

Special Citation

I'm going to start by saying that I never do this. I never take the time to pat myself on the back, and rarely ask others to do it. If you don't believe me, ask my photo editors or DOP. I am, perhaps, a little too self-depricating at times, but it comes with my personality. I also like to undersell my pictures, so as not to attain a certain hype I can't live up to. I truly believe that humility is an honorable quality in a human being -- and it's one I strive toward.

Awards are funny things. I've said how I feel about them before on here. And while it's always cool to be recognized for things, having been on both sides of the coin, both as a contest judges and a receiver of past recognition... I know just how subjective a win can be. I've seen good photos lose because judges are tired, or tired of seeing a similar theme. I've seen bad photos win because they've skirted through on mediocrity, and judges say "eh" it's OK... and so it became a part of the last group standing. Awards, if nothing else are good for your resume. It's the best way I know how to get ahead... to get a better job... to get more money... to get more responsibility. They are not, however, a measure of your worth as a photojournalist... at least not for me. If anything, judge how good you are by the amount of change you bring. There's the adage that if you've affected one heart or mind, you've done your job. And it's true. Cover your community, your hot button issues, and your ideas well... shoot pictures that matter... tell stories that count... be a valuable member of society... try to affect change for the better.

Few are given a voice as loud as that of a photojournalist. Don't be afraid to use yours.

With all that said, while this, too, is subjective.. it is still one of the biggest compliments I've ever received. I appreciate the knowledge that this came about from a single nomination and a jury of my peers. I thank them for that. And more importantly, I thank them for recognizing a community that is far bigger than one. This award shouldn't have my name on it... instead it should really go to APhotoAday. Like one line below says, an organization is only as good as its volunteers. APAD is what it is because of its members. Constantly growing, changing, ebbing, flowing and never ceasing to amaze me with the quality of work and the level of discussion. For me, and hopefully a few others, it has become an invaluable resource. If I had to sum up APAD in one word, it'd be: family.

Below are some of the emails I received from the NPPA. Where it says "you," please replace it with APAD... the name of the community that made it all possible. The official line:

Congratulations, the National Press Photographers Association has awarded you its Special Citation, for making significant contributions that advance the interests of photojournalism.

---

A follow up:

Congratulations! The bottom line is that you received the award because you deserved it. APAD has benefited and encouraged many photographers and you are a great example of what can be done with initiative and effort. I am so glad that we were able to recognize you for it.

---

And one of the greatest compliments I think I've ever gotten:

...the photo-j world is a changin' and it seems to be full of old white males (which I'm quickly becoming) with little to no new ideas.

APAD is a great tool to inspire young photojournalists and, to me, that's the type of thing we should be doing in NPPA nowadays. NPPA does a lot of things with its advocacy, contests, networking, etc., but I'm not sure it is quite at the point it could and should be when it comes to inspiring.

What you did with APAD is a great model for others to follow. I'm always saying this organization is only as good as its volunteers and your one-person operation proves it. You had a vision and shared it with us. Not only that, but you followed through. That's the big thing. Following through. Many of us come up with great plans, but the follow through is the problem. That's inspiring and, in my mind, worthy of being noticed. Congrats...

I am honored. And grateful.

My Dog Rocks

Atlas

Sometimes I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Storny Weather

My mind is wandering.
Over 95 degree days.
Through the breeze that makes them bearable.
Down to the edge of the water that keeps me sane.

There's such an undercurrent of uncertainty right now.
It's pushing and pulling me in all directions.
Some days I'm floating along.
Others, I'm fighting to keep my head above water.

I always wonder though.
What it would be like if I just let go.
And sank under the surface.