Rays of Light

While at this house fire early today, I was really hoping someone would walk through that light.

Spongebob PicturePants

Burn Baby Burn

I Like Big Butts

Henna

Seeking the Picture

...I didn't realize all of that at the time. But I knew what had just happened. Once again something had stopped me. I'd taken it in, composed and waited -- the external life of encountered experience and the imaginative inner life of an individual photographer. It is at this intersection of the inner and outer worlds that the life of a photographe begins.

It often begins imperfectly. Life rarely represents fully finished photographs. An image evolves, often from a single strand of visual interest -- a distant horizon, a moment of light, a held expression. Over time I grew interested in these first imperfect impressions. The reveal what initially stopped me. A few had a rough vitality. All contained evidence of the photograph to be... -- Sam Abell

One Voice: Diwali

Komal Patel, 21, left, holds a tray of tea light candles like an altar for Shafali Bhakta, 21, to pray over during USF's Diwali celebration. Diwali is an Indian festival that marks the beginning of a new year (based on the lunar calendar) and it is commonly referred to as the "Festival of Lights." It marks the victory of good over evil and affords people the chance to uplift any spiritual darkness they may be facing. The story, in Bhakta's words: With Diwali you're setting your goals and hopes and dreams for the coming year. I asked to please allow me to graduate on time and I really hope I will. I dream of becoming president of Delta Phi Omega's Lambda chapter. And my main goal is to get home to Fort Walton Beach to see my family more often. When I let my diya, tea light candle in a clay pot, go on the water, I just hope my wishes are heard.

Thoughts B.C. (before coffee)

I'm up. Before the sun. It's 5:30 and all the thoughts rolling through my head woke me up. Damn them. Sleep is underrated.

I'm looking over pictures from this past year. Grayscaling everything. Contrary to Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" the world does not look worse in black and white. In fact, sometimes it's the only way I see it. The only way that makes sense. Stripping away all the impurities. Getting down to the core. I don't want to make pictures that rely on color. I always hope that the content overrides that. To me, that's what B&W does. It allows you to focus on the essence of the moment.

I'm a tough editor. Critical eye. I should listen to my own advice. Things are way too center-weighted. Way too safe. Note: take more risks. Make more opportunities for myself. Live. Push. Grow.

My friend Sol and I were just having an interesting discussion, thankfully not about my growth, but that of others. It seems as though right now, the kids coming up through the pj ranks are better than ever. They're leaving the womb with camera in hand. Their prodigal. They are seeing things light years ahead of when we saw them. They are damn good at such a young age.

"All creative activity requires at least some time to mature," says cultural critic (and one of my favorite authors) Malcolm Gladwell. "My biggest worry about the way hype works now is that we're in danger of discovering people before they are worthy of being discovered."

This quote hinges on my fear for photojournalism. What happens if these kids peak too early? What if the world of pj chews them up and spits them out before they've had a chance to make a difference? What happens when they burn out and move on?

Ariel's Song

every day that i photograph, every person i meet on assignment, every picture i take, i fall in love a little bit. i think that if you really love this job, you have to. but with every love, there is loss when you have to leave, when you're not sure if you'll see that person again. so every day is a little love and a little loss, over and over again. so while some people are loving and losing and embracing that, i find myself hesitant to initiate that cycle again because i'm almost paralyzed with the fear of those little losses.

My friend Ariel Zambelich has a nice post about the debilitating fear of NYC and the personal toll loss has on your photography. So, what are your fears? What scares you?

Kickin' Back

Another Kickin' Back. Another really nice Bucs player. It was a pleasure to photograph rookie offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah. And I'm really enjoying the challenge of this assignment each week. It's fun to see what can be done when you only have 5-10 minutes with someone in the same little room every time.

99 Luftballoons

It's a sad day when hundreds of balloons are released in honor of photojournalists around the world who are risking their lives to tell other people's stories. It's incredible, the power of those thoughts, as they rise above the horizon.

Eddie Adams Multimedia

The multimedia presentations from this year's Eddie Adams Workshop are now online. I had the pleasure of working with students Kate Szrom who photographed a young boxer trying to find his way and Brian Powers who photographed a 60-year old hunter. So check out the purple team's work along with the others. Bruce Strong produced the boxer piece; Meredith Birkett produced the hunting one.

Online Journalism

Mindy McAdams did a nice little write up on Lane and me.

Smokin'

A Leap of Faith

Of solitude and surviving, both I do well. If it weren't for the depression I'd be fairly normal. Instead I see the scars, like deep crevices -- on the mind, body and heart. They run deep and wide. Some days I feel a bit like Evel Knievel -- only not as old as old Bob -- donning a helmet and crash suit. Confident I can make the great leap from one side to the other. So I take a deep breath and jump. And like Evel, I find myself on the ground... crashing and burning. Minor scars chalked up to trying. One day hoping to succeed and walk away, arms rised in a "V." Unscathed and happy.

Crash-A-Rama

This is what Sol came to town for. Crash-A-Rama. At a tiny raceway in the east part of the county they were having a demolition derby. The prelude to that was Super Dave crashing his car into a rv standing at a 90 degree angle. Then the motor bikes jumped a few ramps to get the crowd revved up. And then, the festivities began. There were car races through the muddy clay, races where cars were towing boats, races where cars were nose to nose and one had to drive around the track backwards, a roller derby-esque race, and then -- the event we'd all been waiting for -- the demolition derby. Good times. I love events like this because it's so far outside of my world that it almost feels like a new cultural experience. And this one was a fun one to boot.

Yee Haw!

My buddy Sol came to town -- again. This is quickly becoming his southern bureau, which is awesome. It's always great having him here because he comes down from Oregon specifically to shoot different kinds of sporting events. And it's such a good excuse to go out and shoot for myself. He came down for a crash-a-rama Saturday night, so tonight I took him out to a little rodeo arena about 5 miles from downtown Tampa. And it's like a whole 'nother world. I had such a good time photographing bull riding and the bull riders though because they were honestly some of the nicest kids I've met in a long time.

I Like Ike

Photographed Bucs wide receiver and former Gator Ike Hilliard today. What a nice guy. And he gave me some good advice that his grandfather (Poppy) used to tell him -- Make the spectacular look ordinary. How humbling is that coming from a damn good baller.