Saed Hindash Photographer

A Stairway to ...

2011-06-08T18:59:00.005-04:00

I want to let all of my subscribers (all two of you!) know the past three years have been fun at blogspot. After much coaxing from friends and a few colleagues, I have decided to leave blogspot and switch to Tumblr. I have no idea where this will lead me, but I hope upward and onward.

So this will be my final blogspot post. If you wish to follow me on my new blog, you can find me at saedhindashblog.tumblr.com. I hope to see you there.

Cheers!

Goalies

2011-04-10T20:06:00.005-04:00

Today I photographed the New Jersey Devils last game of the season, as they played against the Boston Bruins. This was the first time in 14 years the Devils didn't advance to the playoffs. The Devils played well with a 3-2 victory, and I was able to make a couple of nice pictures of both goalies making some saves.

The first image is of Devils backup goalie Johan Hedberg, who eyes the puck as he makes a glove save against the Boston Bruins in the 1st period.

The second image is of Bruins backup goalie Tuukka Rask, who deflects the puck with his pad as he kicks his leg in the air, blocking Devils David Clarkson's shot on goal in the 2nd period.

Even though the Devils season has come to and end, I'm already for the 2011-2012 season. Let's Go Devils!!

Persistence Pays Off

2011-04-05T23:00:00.004-04:00

After two failed attempts due to mishaps - I finally was able to successfully place a remote camera behind the glass (backboard) during tonight's New Jersey Nets/Minnesota Timberwolves game.

I've done a fare about of remotes at professional sporting events, but have never done one from behind the backboard. So I had set out a couple of weeks ago when Carmelo Anthony came to town. I had it all set up and ready and tested the camera and it wouldn't work. The damn thing worked before I installed it, but wouldn't work for me when I had everything locked down. I wasn't happy.

So I made a second attempt recently when LeBron James and the Heat made an appearance at the Prudential Center. This time - the tripod mount on the bottom of my camera broke, as I tightened it down in place. No go! I had to take everything down. Very disappointing.

Today was the day. Even though it wasn't going to be a high profile game like the others, I was determined to make it happen. I mounted it in place and did my tests. Now it was up to the guys on the court to come through for me. It also helps when you have support from friends like Adam Pantozzi, Jeff Zelevansky and Julio Cortez. I guess persistence pays off. Thanks guys!

Here are a few of my favorite images from that camera.

Snooki

2011-03-31T22:12:00.009-04:00

Snooki from "Jersey Shore" blows a kiss to the photographer following her first of two shows Thursday night March 31, 2011 at Rutgers University's Livingston Campus. The show featured Snooki being interviewed by comedian Adam Ace for 'Inside the Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi Studio'.

Check out other photographs from the Snooki event.

Dramatic Save

2011-03-30T22:08:00.002-04:00

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur flies onto his back to make a dramatic save late in the 3rd period, as he stops New York Islanders center Josh Bailey's shot Wednesday March 30, 2011 at the Prudential Center. Devils hung onto win 3-2.

High School Athletes

2011-03-20T21:58:00.003-04:00

This past week was very busy. Most of my assignments centered around doing high school athletes of the year portraits. These can be difficult, especially if you have more than one from the same sport, shot during the same week or even on the same day. It's hard to keep it fresh and make them look different. Because they will all together in a section.

Here are some of my favorites.

Agony of Defeat

2011-02-27T19:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday I photographed professional bowling for the first time in my career. Yes, you heard it right. I shot the 68th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open in North Brunswick. All this was new to me. A small area was roped off for the photographers (there were three of us) and one ESPN camera. That's right: It was broadcast on ESPN.

The shooters and cameraman face the bowlers, slightly to one side, to shoot them bowling. Having never shot professional bowling before, I didn't know much about shooting it. So during the action I would move slightly, maybe by a few feet, to get a better view. That apparently irritated the bowling pros, because at one moment, as bowler Mika Koivuniemi was getting set, I moved again - prompting him to pause and walk over to a tournament organizer to complain. Meanwhile, the TV announcers were only about 8 feet from him in their booth, commenting to TV viewers about the disruption I caused. Not a good moment for me.

Back to live action. Mika Koivuniemi was bowling against Norm Duke for the U.S. Open Championship. Koivuniemi was only one frame away from sealing his win and upsetting Norm Duke, when he missed a strike. I jumped on my motor drive to capture his reaction. All he had to do was knock down the 10-pin for the spare and win the match, but he missed and collapsed to the floor as Norm Duke just sat there in disbelief. It was Duke's second title in four years.

I had a few nice shots of both of them bowling and also Norm Duke reacting to his trophy, but I felt the pictures that told the story were centered around Mika Koivuniemi and his mistake at the end. After it was all over, someone told me I just witnessed one of the closest U.S. Opens in history.

Not bad for my first PBA U.S Open, eh!

First Net Cam

2011-02-23T23:20:00.006-05:00

Tonight it happened. I waited a year to use it. I used a hockey net cam for the first time. No unfortunately it wasn't during a New Jersey Devils game. I can't get past the NHL's new rules, so that will never happen. It was during a boys high school game. I was photographing Montgomery High School vs. Bridgewater-Raritan High School, during the 2011 Skyland Conference Ice Hockey Cup at the Bridgewater Sports Arena.

Ok enough with that. Instead of shooting available light to take advantage of a fast motor drive to stop the action, I had to make it more difficult and shoot with strobes. Shooting sports with strobes isn't easy. You can't shoot with a motor drive, because the recycling time of the strobes takes too long to reach full power before you can shoot again. So it's just one shot at a time.

I learned many things tonight using the net cam. 1) Stay hunched over as you exit the goal. 2) Stay hunched over as you exit the goal. 3) Stay hunched over as you exit the goal. You would think I would have learned it after the first or second time, but no. I hit the top of my head each time I exited the goal. I'm surprised I didn't pass out or get a concussion.

There are so many variables you have to think about when using a net cam. I really don't know where to begin. So I won't. My head still hurts and I can't think straight.

All I'll do is share my best frame of the night. It is of Montgomery's Kevin Wanke, left, scoring against Bridgewater-Raritan goalie Mike Haggerty Wednesday Feb 23, 2011. He went onto score the game winning goal for Montgomery to win 4-3 in overtime.

Quick Reaction

2011-02-16T22:27:00.004-05:00

New Jersey Devils right wing Vladimir Zharkov (18) goes airborne as he tries to avoid crashing into Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) in the 2nd period as the puck flies by, Feb 16, 2011 at the Prudential Center.

Saved

2011-02-15T21:16:00.008-05:00

Today I photographed Kelly, a Pit Bull Terrier puppy approximately 6-9 months-old, who is currently living with it's foster family in Northern New Jersey. She was rescued off the streets of Philadelphia and is currently up for adoption through Animal Alliance in Lambertville, NJ. Kelly, is recovering from a broken jaw and bite wounds on it's legs and head. It is believed she was being used as a bait dog during dog fights. The puppy seems to love people even though what it has gone through. It was a lot of fun photographing this little female pup. I wish I could take her home, but we have too many pets. Two frogs, four Gold fish, two Guinea Pigs and one loving black Labrador. Check out Kelly's profile.

Close Call

2011-02-14T22:12:00.005-05:00

My camera almost gets hit by the ball, as New Jersey Nets center Johan Petro (27) allows the ball to go out-of-bounds against the San Antonio Spurs Monday February 14, 2011 at the Prudential Center.

Testing, testing, 1-2-3

2011-02-08T22:24:00.003-05:00

Testing my remote camera before the Rutgers women's game against Pittsburgh Tuesday Feb 8, 2011.

KMart before my eyes.

2011-01-31T22:31:00.006-05:00

The first image, was the last thing I saw through my lens, Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets scrambling for a loose ball, before he landed in my lap along with the photographers next to me. I was covering the New Jersey Nets/Denver Nuggets game Jan 31, 2011 at the Prudential Center.

I also placed a remote camera near the basket and was able to make a interesting shot, which is the second image. This is something I've never tried before - and hope to experiment with again in the future.

More Snow

2011-01-30T19:19:00.003-05:00

A few images from this past weeks snow storm.

Shattered

2011-01-23T19:16:00.004-05:00

Newark AP Photographer Julio Cortez sees what a puck can do to his 70-200mm lens when it's hit. We were covering todays New Jersey Devils game against the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center. Lucky for him it only shattered the protective filter. The lens was unharmed.

There are small holes in the glass at hockey arenas which allows photographers to shoot through. Sometimes things happen. Tonight was one of those nights. Moments before I had my lens get hit, but it wasn't the glass, it was the side of the lens. There is a nice black mark from the puck. I had something similar happen to me several years back, but I wasn't so lucky. I had a 300mm lens get hit by a foul ball. The lens was destroyed.

The first image shows his lens sticking through one of the holes made for photographers, to shoot through. It wasn't long after that when his lens was struck.

Scramble

2011-01-18T21:41:00.001-05:00

Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell and Jason Clark of Georgetown scramble for a loose ball Tuesday Jan 18, 2011 at the Prudential Center.

Vigil for Officer Matlosz

2011-01-17T21:50:00.004-05:00

Hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil for slain Lakewood Police Officer Christopher Matlosz Monday Jan. 17, 2011, outside the Lakewood Police Department. Officer Matlosz was shot and killed while on duty by Jahmell Crockam. To see more images from the vigil, please see: candlelight vigil gallery.

Tappin' with Savion Glover

2010-12-10T21:29:00.008-05:00

Next week, the January issue of Inside Jersey magazine will run a profile on famed tap dancer Savion Glover, for which I shot the cover and the inside double-truck image.

I really wanted to approach this shoot differently. After brainstorming with editors, we came up with a few portrait ideas, including creating a multiple-exposure of him as performed. That would freeze him at different moments in one image.

If you don't know how to do this, here's how: Put your camera on the bulb setting, which keeps the shutter open once you depress the button and leaves it open until you release the button. While the shutter is open, you manually trigger the lights several times as your subject moves. With Savion, I asked him to dance across the studio floor in front of a white screen, while I triggered the lights and kept the shutter open. That froze him at different moments. Once I reached my desired number of flashes, I released the shutter button, ending the shot.

We did this many times - analyzing the result after each attempt. I shot more than 300 images during a photo that lasted two hours. Usually celebrities don't give photographers that much time (usually, they only grant more like 5 to 10 minutes). But Savion was patient - he wanted as cool and interesting an image as we did.

Nyier Abdou, one of the Star-Ledger videographers, produced a behind-the-scenes video about the photo shoot.

You can find the link below. Enjoy!

Behind-the-scenes photo shoot with Savion Glover.

Looking up

2010-11-28T22:55:00.005-05:00

Tonight I tried something new. I set up a remote camera over one of the baskets, during the New Jersey Nets game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Prudential Center. I've used remote cameras before, but only for hockey. I'm happy with my first try at this. So here are a couple of examples taken with the remote camera.

Mixed bag of assignments

2010-11-18T19:03:00.004-05:00

Looking back on the week, it was filled with grieving and blackouts. I was taken off a job for spot news - where a 17 year-old boy was shot and killed in front of a row of businesses in Plainfield. The scene was challenging because the victim wasn't covered and friends and family were very emotional.

Through out my career, I've always tried to tell the story without overstepping boundaries and being insensitive. I had felt I had to show the victim but do it respectfully and tried to show how much pain friends and family were going through. It wasn't easy, and became more difficult when I was approached and told to stop taking pictures. You have to learn when you have enough and step away. It didn't take long. I was done in about 15 minutes after arriving on the scene.

Later in the week, I photographed the New York Giants battle the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants were expected to win but the Cowboys turned the lights out on the Giants. Another thing happened that night that was unexpected. The New Meadowlands Stadium went through a blackout for moments. All the lights went out for about 15 seconds or so when a transformer blew suppling power to the stadium.

Lets see what's in store for me next week?

Roger Waters - The Wall

2010-11-03T22:58:00.005-04:00

In recent months I've been covering primarily sports - so tonight was a nice change. I photographed Roger Waters in concert at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ. He performed The Wall. Very elaborate set-up. A lot of fun to shoot. Here are a few images from the show.

Wet Cheerleaders

2010-10-14T11:29:00.006-04:00

The New York Jets Flight Crew wasn't fazed by the monsoon like storm Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings. The fierce rain hit during the last 3 minutes of the first half at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Luckily it slowed down as the night went on.

Giant Interception

2010-10-05T16:34:00.005-04:00

Giants Cornerback Terrell Thomas comes down with an interception in front of Bears tight end Greg Olsen Sunday Oct. 3, 2010.

Sequence

2010-09-23T22:45:00.006-04:00

Here is a neat sequence from a boys high school soccer game I photographed. Livingston against West Essex.

U.S. Open

2010-09-06T00:36:00.002-04:00

A few moments from Sunday nights U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. 1) Samantha Stosur strong arms a shot. 2) Mikhail Youzhny salutes the crowd. 3) Andy Murray gets some assistance.

New Meadowlands Stadium

2010-08-28T18:39:00.005-04:00

Opening play of the New York Jets preseason game against the Washington Redskins, at the New Meadowlands Stadium August 27, 2010.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

2010-08-25T00:17:00.002-04:00

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers perform Tuesday night at the Izod Center. To see the rest of the images check out the slideshow.

OOPS!

2010-08-07T19:06:00.006-04:00

New York Yankees Catcher Francisco Cervelli muffs Boston Red Sox Mike Lowell's second-inning pop-up, leading to three unearned runs against Yanks starting pitcher Javier Vazquez, right, Friday night August 6, 2010 at Yankee Stadium.

Lilith Fair

2010-07-29T01:20:00.005-04:00

Lilith Fair July 29th Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ.

A Jersey Gamble

2010-07-18T08:56:00.011-04:00

Vacations are always nice, even when it takes the form as a furlough. So I apologize for my lack of blogging during the past three weeks. My first day back I found that my latest photo illustration, about New Jersey taking a gamble on bringing sports betting to the Garden State, was published in The Star-Ledger's magazine, 'Inside Jersey.' This was the first illustration I did without actually photographing anything.

Run Down

2010-05-25T20:43:00.003-04:00

Cranford's shortstop Sean Trotter collides with Anthony Scalfaro of Scotch Plains-Fanwood, after tagging him in a pickle during their North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 Sectional Semifinal baseball game Tuesday May 25, 2010. Cranford won 6-5.

Sugarland

2010-05-22T23:51:00.012-04:00

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush perform during their, The Incredible Machine, tour Saturday May 22, 2010 at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

Taylor Swift

2010-05-12T22:48:00.008-04:00

All I heard was a bunch of screaming girls during the 2 songs that Taylor Swift allowed Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark. She was performing in support of her Fearless Tour 2010. I know nothing about Taylor Swift, except for her run in with Kanye West. So this was quite an experience. I think this was the first concert I've attended where I saw no boys. Girls, mothers and a handful of fathers of what I could tell. Here are a few of my favorite images from tonight. To see more check out: online Taylor Swift gallery.

Contact

2010-04-10T18:56:00.002-04:00

I've covered major league, minor league, college and high school baseball games for more than 18 years. Today, for the first time, I finally was able to capture "ball-on-bat." It wasn't at a pro game or a minor league game. I was photographing my son play Little League on Opening Day in Lawrenceville. It was his second at-bat. He hit a single up past the shortstop. He was all smiles. I was too - not only for him, but also for myself getting that "ball-on-bat" moment as I photographed my son. It was a great day for both of us.

10 Years Ago...

2010-04-04T15:43:00.004-04:00

Today is my 10-year anniversary at The Star-Ledger. I was one of the first hires of the newspaper's inaugural photo staff (they'd previously used an independent agency for their photo needs). I was their first hire to come from outside the state of New Jersey; it was strange and apparently uncommon for the paper to hire outside the state or region. But my boss at the time, Pim Van Hemmen, saw things differently and wanted new blood. Five more photographers who hailed from outside New Jersey were hired after me.

That year, 2000, was an incredible feeling for me: I felt I'd finally made the big time. The Star-Ledger was my New York Times. I had made it. At a paper this size, it was obvious that many of the photographers specialized in a few areas. One area that I jumped right into was photo illustrations, an area I really enjoyed. In the beginning, Pim and other editors oversaw my concepts, but in a short amount of time, I was let loose to explore and challenge myself. With recent staff cuts and newspaper stresses, The Star-Ledger doesn't do as many photo illustrations nor grant photographers as much creative independence on them, but I still snag a few every now and then.

So to commemorate my 10th anniversary and in honor of Easter, I decided to post the first photo illustration I shot for the paper, only 10 days after joining the staff on April 4, 2000. The photo was to illustrate a story about coloring Easter eggs using natural ingredients. It was a fun shoot I did with Lucius Riley, then a Ledger photo editor. It's his hand in the photo, and I ended up working closely with him for many years on many of my photo illustrations and fashion shoots.

So thanks, Pim, for hiring me and thanks to The Star-Ledger photo staff for a great 10 years. I look forward to the next 10.

Looking Through The Hole

2010-04-03T21:07:00.013-04:00

It has taken me all season long to make a photograph with my wide-angle lens during an NHL game.

I've been covering the New Jersey Devils home games with four cameras. During the first two periods, I shoot from ice-level through a hole in the glass. I use a 300mm lens looking down ice, a 70-200mm lens for mid ice to the closest goal, a 16-35mm lens for any skirmish in front of me, which is like 12-36 inches away from my face, or against the boards and, last but not least, my remote camera mounted in the rafters of the Prudential Center.

All season long I've juggled four cameras, and I've never made a picture with my 16-35mm lens. It's all about timing and a hell of a lot of luck! I either end up cutting off heads or feet or frankly getting nothing in focus. There is really no time to pick up the camera and look through the eyecup. You just have react and hold it up through the hole, at the widest setting 16mm, and just point and shoot at the action. Last night was my night to make something worth keeping. It won't win any contests, but considering I've made nothing all year with that wide-angle camera, I'm pretty excited with these shots.

The first two images posted are examples of what I get all the time - the edge of the glass visible in the frame ruins the shot. But the third and fourth images are much better - getting peak action all in the frame.

Every time I shoot a Devils game I consider not using the short lens and keeping it simple with three cameras instead of four. But I keep trying. I'm happy I stuck with it. My patience paid off.

Game Winning Shot

2010-03-25T23:03:00.011-04:00

I was quite excited tonight. I had the game winning goal on my remote camera during the shootout against the New Jersey Devils/New York Rangers Thursday night at the Prudential Center. New York Rangers' Erik Christensen scored the game winning and only goal during the shootout March 25, 2010 at the Prudential Center. Rangers won 4-3. The puck bounced off the left post and floated in behind Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.

It always nice, but doesn't always happen, to get a game winning goal on the remote camera. I do a remote every time I shoot the Devils and tonight it paid off.

Experience Hendrix 2010 Tour

2010-03-25T10:57:00.007-04:00

Last nights Experience Hendrix 2010 Tour, a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, was an awesome experience. Access was Ok. One song for each artist. The good thing was that we got to photograph from the pit. It's always better to photograph from the pit, because you get a chance to make more intimate pictures. Many artists tend to stick the photographers near the soundboard, which requires us to use a long lens like a 300mm or 400mm. In turn, all the photographs look the same.

The Joe Satriani and Johnny Lang with Brad Whitford photographs were made with a 24-70mm lens. I held the camera out, over the monitors, onto the stage to grab these shots.

One thing I learned last night - I need to start bringing ear plugs to concerts. My 40 year-old ears can't handle rock concerts anymore.

Photograph 1) Joe Satriani

Photograph 2) Johnny Lang and Brad Whitford

Photograph 3) Robert Randolph

Photograph 3) Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Photograph 4) Ernie Isley

Black Soldiers: Unsung Heros

2010-02-28T10:59:00.004-05:00

History's American black soldiers are brought to life at Trenton reenactment

To close out Black History month in New Jersey, I made a short video about how The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton celebrated black heritage as they relived and recounted the stories of three centuries of America's black soldiers.

Weather

2010-02-26T19:23:00.003-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite weather related photographs from the past 24 hours.

1) Adeline Ripberger, 8, and Reese Pagliante, 8, of Lawrence Township, didn't have far to go sledding Friday afternoon February 26, 2010, as they slide down a huge mound of snow without sleds in Adeline's front yard.

2) A unidentified woman, takes a stroll through Mercer County Park Friday afternoon February 26, 2010.

3) Mason Lyman, 6, and his brother, Oliver, 4, right, of West Windsor, play with their friend, Henry Spilker, 6, center, of Cranberry, in a snow castle their fathers built with a couple of empty recycling cans they found Friday February 26, 2010 while at Mercer County Park.

4) A Princeton University student uses a umbrella to shield herself from the blowing mixed precipitation Thursday afternoon February 25, 2010 as she walks by the Woodrow Wilson School at the Campus of Princeton University.

Frozen

2010-02-25T23:45:00.000-05:00

Frozen tree branch.

India's Nomads

2010-02-23T16:26:00.003-05:00

Photographer Steve McCurry has spent his career traveling the world documents peoples lives and cultures. Here is some of his latest work for National Geographic Magazine, the nomads of India. To see more from the issue, check out his nomad photo gallery.

Clapton, Beck and Cooper?!!

2010-02-19T08:55:00.005-05:00

Normally, I love shooting concerts. I get a free ticket, so to speak, to the front row (or sometimes the sound board) of some of the greatest shows by the greatest performers. Thursday night, I photographed Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Most concert promoters allow you to shoot just two or three songs before booting you out the door, which is just as well for photojournalists who have tight deadlines to meet. But Thursday night was a long night. Photographers at the Clapton/Beck concert got the first three songs of Jeff Beck and then had to wait out the rest of his lengthy set in the underbelly of the arena, so that we could trot out next to the sound board for Clapton's first two songs. Then more endless waiting for the end of Clapton's set - waiting to return to the sound board to document Clapton and Beck performing together.

But this night, something surprising and surreal happened while I stood waiting, with about 10 other photographers, in a freight hallway of the Garden. Someone strolled up behind me, put his hand on my shoulder and asked as he walked by: "Waiting for Tiger Woods?"

We all chuckled good-naturedly - and then noticed, as the speaker strolled down the hallway and out of camera range, the passerby's identity.

It was Alice Cooper.

Above are a few of my concert shots - but sadly, no photos of my friend Alice Cooper.

Slow Motion Photography

2010-02-17T17:12:00.007-05:00

Very cool look at Discovery Channel's Time Warp video capturing a bee flapping it's wings. This was shot with a high speed video camera shooting at over 2,000 frames/second.

Tranquility

2010-02-12T08:46:00.005-05:00

Newspaper tradition is to document not only the storm, but also the day after the storm. So I hit the streets again on Thursday, the day after the biggest Nor'Easter in recent memory crippled the region with over two feet of snow, intent on finding something representing the calm after the storm. When I came across this horse wandering the property owned by Debbie Evans of Lawrence Township, I knew I found that picture of calm.

Snow Storm

2010-02-10T19:08:00.006-05:00

Today I had to work in the snowy mess that blanketed New Jersey. It wasn't fun, but I made a few interesting pictures.

First: Jason Debord, of Lawrenceville, NJ., clears his sidewalks with his unique snow shovel called a Wovel. To learn more about this device, check out Wovel.com

Second: I came across Pierre Volcy, of Trenton, who left his stranded car behind on Route 206 just outside of Princeton, NJ., Wednesday, and braved the blowing snow as he walked the rest of the way to his job at Princeton University.

Third: I spotted Robert Ross, of Princeton, shoveling his 53 foot driveway where it meets Route 206, as a stranded car is left behind Wednesday.

Fourth: a person walks down the middle of Prospect Avenue at Princeton University.

Lady Gaga

2010-01-28T17:26:00.003-05:00

A few shots from her recent show at Radio City Music Hall.

The Boss

2010-01-21T23:18:00.006-05:00

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie along with his family sing with the B Street Band, a Bruce Springsteen cover band during their Inaugural Ball at the Prudential Center. It's hard to make a picture that is lively and unexpected, because inaugural balls tend to be scripted. This one started out no different.

The governor took the stage, spoke and then left without mingling with guests. Most shake hands and meet with their supporters after their speech - so it was very disappointing not to get personal interaction between guests and the governor. Not to mention, he and his wife decided not to perform a typical first dance. So I returned to my computer to transmit photos for the newspapers deadline. As I was packing up and getting ready to head home, I heard he was on stage sining with a band. I unloaded my equipment so fast, I don't even remember how I did it.

The stage was packed with guest and other photographs up against it, so all I could do was push my way up as far as possible and hold the camera over my head in attempt to make pictures. I had no idea if they were sharp or composed well enough. Only after a few minutes, I pulled the plug on shooting and ran back to move the photos. I spotted this frame right away and was happy with it, considering I wasn't looking through the lens. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. I was lucky this time.

Disappointed and Elated

2010-01-07T22:05:00.006-05:00

Today could have been historic for New Jersey. But it ended as something many Jerseyans wanted to forget.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch, via a TV monitor in a overflow room, near the State House in Trenton as the state Senate rejected a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

I made this photograph of one opponent of gay marriage as she waved her arms in celebration and yelled, "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!" I was struck by the contrast: While so many demonstrators were visibly dejected, this one was jubilant. I also couldn't help but wonder whether I might eventually make the opposite picture, if and when New Jersey legalizes gay marriage.

Dead Snowman

2009-12-30T01:26:00.003-05:00

I took this over the weekend. This is what's left of our snowman from last weeks snow storm. He will be remembered.

1-2-3- GO!

2009-12-19T21:51:00.003-05:00

I wasn't looking forward to working today. Heavy snow and bitter cold hit New Jersey, and I had to go out in it. But when you can come away with a picture like this, it is all good. As I was heading to work, our neighbors hit our street sledding. Seeing how much fun they were having, I had to shoot it.

I made this picture while running next to them with a 16-24mm lens.

Save

2009-12-12T22:53:00.004-05:00

New Jersey Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur blocks a shot taken by Jeff Carter of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 3rd period Saturday Dec. 12th 2009 at Prudential Center. Brodeur didn't get his shutout, but helped the Devils win 4-1. The top picture was taken with a remote camera, which I mounted above the ice from the rafters of the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The second pictures was taken at the same moment with my hand held camera. This give you an idea how the same play looks from two different perspectives.

Two-faced

2009-10-15T22:12:00.031-04:00

In a state known for political corruption, this has been a banner year for New Jersey's crooked officeholders.

Some were unlikely suspects: a Baptist minister, rabbis, a charismatic up-and-comer. That got me thinking about the two-faced nature of politicians - how they seem so sincere and yet simultaneously can be so sinister. So I decided to try to literally portray a two-faced politician in a photo illustration.

I hired a model for the shoot and photographed him making different faces in the studio. Later I took those bits and pieces of the faces and created one face, tweaking with Photoshop to make the sinister side more

frightening. I enlisted the help of Star-Ledger artist Andre Malok, a talented illustrator with whom I like collaborating. Andre, a whiz with Photoshop, turned the sinister side into a politician that would make even the toughest prosecutor cringe.

The end result is published in this month's Inside Jersey magazine.

Anti-Graffiti Man

2009-10-02T16:15:00.006-04:00

How do you pull off a portrait of someone who doesn't want his identity publicly known?

That was my recent challenge, when my editor assigned me to photograph a community crusader against graffiti. The anonymous activist hopscotches 'hoods throughout Newark, NJ., once or twice a week to paint over graffiti.

Making a portrait of someone who doesn't want their face shown can be difficult, especially if it's not a visual subject. But this guy was good: I knew I could have fun, graphically, if I persuaded him to show just parts of his face or his shadow.

So we went to his home turf. I photographed him less than a block from his house, using his favorite anti-graffiti weapon - a paint roller - to hide most of his face. For another shot, I used his shadow to make a portrait of him in one area that frequently has to paint over and over.

Fights

2009-09-30T21:47:00.003-04:00

The New Jersey Devils hosted a preseason game against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center this week. It was nice to see the Devils take the ice after their disappointing loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoffs. The team had a lot of new faces - and one missing: John Madden, who left to become a free agent.

I grew a bit rusty during the off-season, so I missed some shots and struggled with timing in the furiously paced game. But I snagged something during this game that has eluded me in my years of shooting ice hockey: Good fight shots! There were five fights during the game, and I scored a shot of a fist to the face. Those are tough to get, because of timing: Often, I've had images a split second too soon or too late, but never at the moment of contact.

During this game, I got a shot in which the Devils' David Clarkson (23) clocked the Islanders' Brendan Witt (32) right in the kisser (three sequential images shown). The second shot is of the Devils' Andrew Peters (25) overpowering the Islanders' Joel Rechlicz (40).

Who says New Yorkers are tougher than Jerseyans?!

2009-09-09T00:24:00.005-04:00

Boy, I love faces. In sports, a good reaction is just as important as a good action shot. Tennis is one of those sports that can render a really nice reaction. Tonight I was at the U.S. Open in New York, and I was fortunate to make a couple of good reaction shots. Gael Monfils had a great first set, taking it 7-6 in a tie break over Rafael Nadal, but went onto loose the match.

The top image is of Gael reacting to winning the first set. Great Face! In the second image it's of Gael reacting to losing his 4th round match on day 9 of the U.S. Open.

Even though you can't see his face, his posture is a great reaction telling the outcome of the match.

Dawn and Carlos's Wedding

2009-09-07T21:49:00.008-04:00

I love my job - one day I might be shooting the Yankees or the New Jersey Devils, and the next, I'm traipsing through woods for a story about a survivalists' camp. But with the future of newspapers as unstable as a tornado, many of us are "trying on" other careers, in case we find ourselves on the wrong side of the newspaper's door. So for the past year, I have dedicated myself to learning the art of wedding photography.

Weddings are so much like journalism, in that you are there to document the day's happenings. But unlike journalism, which often focuses on tragedy, loss, trauma or conflict, weddings are all about joy. That makes for a fun day for me - but also a creative challenge in capturing the romance, anticipation, excitement and spontaneous moments that illustrate the joy. Last weekend, I traveled to Savannah, Ga., to photograph the wedding of Dawn and Carlos. They were very easy-going and excited, and that made them easy to photograph. Everything went smoothly and I am grateful to have shared their day. Here are a few of my favorite snaps.

Fall Fashion

2009-08-27T00:30:00.012-04:00

My fall fashion shoot for Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger's magazine, appeared in the latest issue. Fashion shoots can get quite expensive, between hiring models, renting vehicles for transportation, buying props and paying various location costs. So my main charge was this: Keep the costs down. I figured, what better way to save cents than to shoot in the Ledger's studio? But rather than a boring backdrop, I imagined real models in an imaginary world. The backdrops would be cartoonish and black-and-white, so that the model would really pop off the page. So I approached Ledger artist Andre Malok, whose work I admire a lot.

It was an unusual concept, so there was a bit more naysaying politics than usual due to the skepticism of others involved with the magazine. But with Andre's talent, it was a big success - so much so that I've asked Andre to work with me again on a photo illustration for an upcoming magazine story on New Jersey's corrupt politicians. Andre is extremely talented and fun to work with; he brings life to my visions. Once our collaboration on this next project is complete, I'll share it with you.

Check out Andre's work on his Web site: andremalok.com

I-280 Shutdown

2009-08-18T22:50:00.017-04:00

Today was interesting. A major interstate in New Jersey, I-280 was shutdown for me for 15-20 minutes around 7:30 p.m., so I could photograph a state trooper for a story The Star-Ledger was working on.

Now that is POWER!

The story is about New Jersey State Trooper Gerard Tibbs, who took on a cold case assignment last year. I photographed him standing at the spot, on I-280 west in Kearny, where a women was walking in the left lane when a car fatally struck her on January 20, 1997. Trooper Tibbs hopes to find out the identity of the women using the latest DNA technology.

It was a weird experience. I followed the trooper in my car to the spot. As we approached, out of no where, two troopers pulled out between me and the cars behind to slow the traffic down to a stop. We had open road to ourselves. So I pulled out a light stand and a small flash to set up for the shoot. All the time seeing the traffic build and build.

After finishing the shoot, I checked the traffic report to see if anything was mentioned. Not much just a small blurb about a backup on I-280 west because of police activity. At least it didn't say for a photo shoot!

Paul McCartney

2009-07-17T22:37:00.003-04:00

Paul McCartney performs the first of three concerts at Citi Field Friday night. For those of you who don't know, the media generally gets to photograph the first three songs, then are asked to leave. Paul allowed the first two songs. They were, "Baby you can drive my car," and "Jet." Of what I was able to see, he still ROCKS!

To see more pictures from the show check out: Paul McCartney Slide show.

Unique look

2009-07-15T21:56:00.005-04:00

For the June issue of Inside Jersey magazine, I made a Polaroid transfer for a story about suicides on train tracks. It was a unique story, so I wanted it to stand out from the rest.

I'm a lover of alternative processes and with everything digital now, it was nice to use this old technique. I felt it really complemented the story well.

I found this process early in my career when I worked in Pittsburgh. I love the look and feel of a Polaroid transfer. I'm very sad that Polaroid is no longer making the film, which allows you to produce transfers. So I guess I have to take it slow and be selective of what I choose to turn into a transfer. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Left Behind

2009-06-03T12:43:00.002-04:00

It's not often I stumble upon something quirky when I have my camera handy to capture it. But last night, I covered the New Jersey primary for governor from the East Brunswick Hilton, where Mayor Steve Lonegan conceded to Chris Christie. After I packed up my stuff to head home, I stopped by the men's room, found this and had to make a picture of it. It symbolized the outcome for Lonegan.

In Love

2009-05-23T21:28:00.002-04:00

I set off to document tragedy, but came back with an image of joy. Late Friday, teenagers boating near Manasquan collided with a bigger boat, leaving one dead and others critically injured. Editors sent a reporter and me to the area today with the challenging task of finding family, friends or neighbors to discuss the teens and their accident for a follow-up story. But while some people find it cathartic to talk about ill-fated loved ones, others - including everyone we tracked down today - don't. So my editor instead asked me to make a photograph down the Shore as Memorial Day weekend kicked off.

A couple who seemed totally in love caught my eye on the beach. So I watched them, waiting for a good moment. The moment came when he scooped her up and carried her off to the water.

Brian Williams

2009-05-19T22:41:00.004-04:00

The latest issue of Inside Jersey Magazine features on the cover Jersey's own NBC anchor Brian Williams. A native a Middletown, NJ., he returned to his old stomping grounds for the photo shoot. One of his favorite places is Max's Hot Dogs in Long Branch. Which was featured on the cover. I also photographed him at his favorite beach located in Sea Bright.

Now this shoot was slated to run during the warm month of June, but had to be shot on a very cold and windy day in April to make it happen. Brian was great. He endured the nasty elements head on with out complaint. Thanks Brian!

The photo of him peering out from over the collar of his jacket, to me has a James Dean quality about it. I thought it was a very cool picture, considering it was a grab shot after the photo session had concluded. We used it inside next to a submitted photograph of him by NBC.

To see a few behind the scene photos from the shoot, check out: Brian Williams.

Remote Boy

2009-04-27T01:41:00.006-04:00

I owe a lot to the kind folks down in Raleigh, NC. for their help and kindness while shooting the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Everyone was accommodating, friendly and extremely helpful. There are too many of you to mention. A special thanks to Chris Seward, a photographer with The News & Observer, Carl with UPI/AP, Ellen with Reuters and this guy, Jeff Basladynski, who is studying Commercial Photography at Randolph Community College in Asheboro, NC. I think I will forever remember him as, "Remote boy." If there was an extra pass available, he would help shoot and run disks for the local folks. Out of the kindness of his heart, or maybe it was his eagerness, he would retrieve all of the remote cameras at the end from the catwalks of the RBC Center. I don't know how he did it, but he did. It was extremely helpful and a time saver. I wish we had someone like that back in Jersey.

Thanks Jeff!

Oh, yeah... before I forget, my camera is the one on the far right.

Planning, Perspective and Luck

2009-04-18T21:34:00.014-04:00

Well the hockey playoffs are upon us again. I'm following the New Jersey Devils on the road as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes during the 1st round of the Eastern Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Last night the Devils lost 2-1 in overtime during game 2 in Newark. I always make an effort to place a remote camera up in the catwalks of the arena hours before game time. I do this for two reasons. One, you never know when you might be blocked from my photo position. Having another camera at a completely different angle might catch that moment that I was blocked. This especially helps when I shoot alone and can't see both goals from my position. So I hang the remote camera over the goal I can't see very well. This is the back up. The other reason why I like using a remote camera is that it might render a very cool picture, not necessarily the defining game wining moment, but jut a cool shot.

So last night I place a remote camera over the Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur. The above shot was of the first goal that was made against him. Here you see the puck popping back out as Hurricanes' Eric Staal celebrates.

The other photograph is the reaction to the game wining goal in overtime as the Hurricanes defeated the Devils 2-1. Devils goalie Martin Brodeur looks stunned and on the right there is good reaction from Eric Staal of the Hurricanes celebrating.

High-Key Fashion

2009-04-08T15:49:00.005-04:00

Last week I was on a summer fashion shoot for Inside Jersey Magazine. This time I had the pleasure of working along with John O'Boyle, another fellow Star-Ledger photographer. For a day we took over several suites at The Chelsea Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. A very cool place I must say. Anyway, the day was tight and there were many outfits to cover. Sometimes mistakes happen when you are rushing from location to location. Here I went to test my exposure and forgot to change my setting from the last location, which delivered a very cool high-key image. Even though this photograph won't make the cut, I had to keep it for myself. Sometimes mistakes render an unexpected favorite.

Fleetwood Mac

2009-03-21T22:26:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Fleetwood Mac perform in concert Saturday night during their Unleashed Tour 2009 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ.

I've never seen Fleetwood Mac in concert before so it was a lot of fun to see them play. To see more photographs from the show check them out here: Fleetwood Mac.

Recovery

2009-03-07T21:50:00.002-05:00

Today I was supposed to do a high school boys basketball quarter final game, but in route to the game I was diverted to a car in a river with someone trapped. The road was shut down on Route 21 in Belleville, NJ., so I took a chance and crossed the river farther south and shot from the other side. It payed off.

Unfortunately the driver was killed and was not reachable because the vehicle that he was in, was too damaged and submerged in the Passaic River making it impossible to recover him. The rescue crews gracefully removed the drivers body after bringing the smashed van to shore. It took about an hour before they were able to recover the body.

To read the story and see more photographs, click on Fatal Accident.

Musconetcong River

2009-02-20T19:38:00.002-05:00

Last night I was assigned to try to make a picture of a dam being removed over the Musconetcong River near Hackettstown, NJ. The job was in for 9 p.m., but I learned that it was a 9 a.m. job. This means the demolition would be done at 9 p.m. So my editor told me to try and get before dark and make a picture of what ever is there. All I found was rubble. After making my pictures for my assignment, I decided to try something for myself. This is what I came up with.

The rubble of what was the 50-year-old Seber Dam, in the Musconetcong River.

The Green in Governor Byrne

2009-02-18T20:41:00.004-05:00

The latest issue of Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger's monthly magazine, came out yesterday. I had the pleasure of photographing former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne for our March cover. We also used a photo of him on the contents page.

For the shoot, we wanted to utilize a chair as a prop. Something that had character. So I asked my father to borrow a chair that belonged to my mother's side of the family. It is very old and has the coolest lions heads on it. The photo shoot took about an hour, rendering some very nice portraits.

Homelessness

2009-02-05T09:38:00.008-05:00

You hear the stories and statistics about homeless people, but unless you're in the gritty city, you don't often see them in your community. But they're there. A few days ago, I spent an evening in the cold with volunteers and workers from the Union County Department of Human Services and the Plainfield Police Department, who went to the streets to Plainfield, N.J., to count the homeless and get them food and shelter.

What I witnessed that night was horrific. We encountered six men who had made homes in abandoned buildings, under staircases, beside streams, in any manner of makeshift shelter. All smelled of alcohol. Many slept near their feces and garbage. The stench and sights made my mind reel. I struggled to understand how anyone could live like that. Did they become homeless because of their substance abuse? Or do they abuse substances to cope with their homelessness? Do they have families? Do their families know they live like that?

I couldn't answer these questions in just the few hours I spent in Plainfield that night. But I hope my photos below help viewers see that the homeless are more than just statistics.

Barack Obama

2009-01-18T20:49:00.010-05:00

I had the pleasure last night of photographing President-Elect Barack Obama. It was an awesome experience; he was generous with his time, and security was a breeze.

Gotcha!

While the photo above may look like Obama, it actually shows C.P. Lacey, a comedian, impersonator and dancer from Plainfield, N.J. Since the day Obama declared his candidacy for President, Lacey has been perfecting his impression of him, down to the head tilt and hand gestures.

Titus Andronicus

2009-01-17T10:20:00.005-05:00

The other night I photographed Titus Andronicus, singer-guitarist Patrick Stickles, perform at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ.m during their record release show.

The only way to make a picture was with a 20mm lens. I was actually kneeling on the stage to make this picture, because the crowd kept pushing and shoving themselves forward. It seemed fun for them, but when you are trying to make pictures that are sharp, it' not fun. Not to mention I ended up right next to a speaker without ear protection. Not a good move.

At least I made a picture from the show.

A tribute

2009-01-12T20:52:00.005-05:00

The newspaper industry has been bleeding for years, the victim of high newsprint costs, dwindling circulation, a demand for higher profits, you name it. This year has been especially tough because of the sour economy, with countless journalists losing their jobs to layoffs, buyouts and folded newspapers.

Although many at The Star-Ledger felt insulated, they got a rude awakening last summer when the publisher threatened to sell or even close the newspaper if at least a quarter of the staff didn't volunteer for buyouts. He set a deadline of October, giving staffers plenty of time to prepare for a future of more frugal journalism - or imagine a new future altogether. After plenty of soul-searching, I chose to stick it out, both in newspapers and at The Star-Ledger. In the end, more than 230 staffers took the buyout company-wide, including nearly half of the photo department.

The Star-Ledger historically has had an unusual photo set-up, getting its photos from an independent agency called News Photos. In 2000, newspaper managers decided to form their own in-house photo department; with strong leadership and an immensely talented pool of photographers, the new department won innumerable local, national and international awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. I am proud to say I was part of that inaugural staff. Now, with so many leaving, I feel like we not only are losing many incredibly skilled people, but also close friends. From more than 50 photo staffers, we are now down to 27.

As a tribute, I decided to collect head shots of the few who had already left and photograph staffers still around. I compiled them into a photo collage to hang in the department. Those pictured represent our history and our future. Good luck to those who have moved on to new adventures. You will not be forgotten.

Jersey's Top Chefs

2008-12-17T08:24:00.002-05:00

It is not often that I am the subject of a shoot, since I typically am behind the camera making the pictures.

This time both happened. As the lead shooter for The Star-Ledger's magazine Inside Jersey, I had to make a portrait of five of the hottest chefs in the state for a feature story. And editors decided to do a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot. We decided to do it all at a quintessentially Jersey locale: A diner.

I found it a bit awkward being the subject of a shoot - not only challenging to "act natural," but also tough to watch those expletives, since I as mic'ed. But the videographer John O'Boyle was amazing - once the shoot really got underway, he was so unobtrustive, I halfway forgot the was there. John, thanks for making me look good.

To see me in all my glory, check out: Top chefs photo shoot.

Eye Spy a name tag

2008-12-02T19:19:00.006-05:00

Name tags litter a bulletin board. Christ Church - Summitt, NJ.

Striker

2008-11-29T16:54:00.003-05:00

It's not often that you see an athlete take a kick to the face and keep on playing. While covering state championship soccer matches at The College of New Jersey, I photographed the girls' final between Lenape and Ridge high schools and caught the moment when Ridge's Mary Vogt accidentally kicked Lenape's Nicole Curry in the face as the two tussled for the ball. Curry shook it off and kept playing- whoever thinks girls aren't intense players hasn't seen Curry play! By the way, Lenape won, 1-0.

AC/DC

2008-11-19T20:44:00.007-05:00

I always look forward to a concert assignment. Musicians generally show off enough that you make a good picture or two. But when I heard that I was going to shoot the AC/DC concert at Madison Square Garden, I was grinning ear to ear. I love covering rock bands. There is so much energy on stage. Growing up in the 80's they were a band I listened to and on occasion still do.

The show was loud. VERY LOUD!! The public relations guy warned the photographers that night - that if they don't have ear protection that he recommended that they don't cover the concert. He said that the sound was going to be ear splitting. It was. I've seen and photographed many rock shows. I thought Metallica as loud, but AC/DC played louder.

I was very surprised how much energy they had on stage. Angus Young, who is in his early 50's and Brian Johnson in his early 60's didn't act their age. It was enjoyable to see how much fun they were having performing live.

I used 3 cameras to cover the show. Here are a few images from the MSG show.

Stand by me

2008-11-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

Last night's election was a special night for many, nationally and locally. I was assigned to cover Republican Sen. Leonard LAnce as he went up against Democrat Linda Stender, a four-term assemblywoman, in the hotly contested race fo the 7th Congressional District in New Jersey.

I covered many elections during the past 17 years, coincidentally often having to cover the lose. It was nice to see the other side. It's always a challenge to make a picture of the winner that is different than the stereotypical arms-raised-in-triumph. I did shoot that, but there was a moment between husband and wife, as the celebration roiled around them, that I caught that's quite different. As I moved this image and a few others, I pleaded with the photo desk to use this image over a more typical celebration shot, because I felt it embodied a sense of fulfillment and achievement while also conveying the love and solace this couple shares. I got my wish.

INSIDE JERSEY

2008-09-24T18:13:00.006-04:00

As the newspaper industry goes through tough times, The Star-Ledger experiments with other ways to bring in readers. It embarks on continuing with their online adventure, but has just introduced it's new magazine, "Inside Jersey." It's a monthly magazine free for subscribers of the newspaper and also available to buy on newsstands at local books and stores. The first issue, I was given the assignment to photograph the fall fashion spread. Here is a look at those pages. I'm currently working on the next fashion shoot for the winter edition just in time for the holidays. Check out segments of Inside Jersey online.

Catching Z's

2008-09-06T23:14:00.004-04:00

A spectator can't stay awake past midnight Thursday as others around him react as they watch Rafael Nadal plays against Mardy Fish during their quarter final match at the 2008 US Open.

Grillz

2008-07-30T22:11:00.003-04:00

New York Giants wide receiver Michael Jennings and his shiny gold grillz.

Giant Question

2008-07-28T22:45:00.007-04:00

When is getting an autograph worth injuring yourself or someone else? And why would a professional football player ignore his adoring fans, even as they risk bodily injury for just his autograph and a smile? Today I witnessed fans eager for an autograph from New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning pack so tightly against a fence separating them from the team that the fence gave way, knocking several fans to the ground. Fortunately, no one was injured - just frightened. Still I found it upsetting that Manning didn't stop to help anyone up or at least stop to check if anyone was hurt. Instead, he walked away to another group of overexcited fans and proceeded to sign more autographs. It reminded me of an experience I had as a boy, when no team, in my mind, could compete with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During a chance encounter with Terry Bradshaw, I asked him to pose for a picture with me. He responded: "No, I don't have time for this." A commentator with him insisted he stop for a photo, and I have it still. But when I look at it, I remember only Bradshaw's surly first response and his eventual, cranky cooperation. He'd been someone I 'd admired for years, and yet my 5-minute encounter with him suggested he didn't care a whit about his fans.

Fans give so much to meet their football heroes. But a real hero would have stopped and helped out the people whose ardor toppled the fence and imperiled their well-being, instead of walking away like nothing happened.

To see video of the accident, check out autograph session.

Wonder Bar

2008-07-26T22:09:00.005-04:00

Every once-in-a-while I come to Asbury Park for an assignment, and always pass the famous Wonder Bar and it's iconic sign. I've never photographed it, but always wanted to. The Wonder Bar is at the corner of 5th and Ocean Ave., and has been at this location for over 50 years serving up great local music.

Tonight was one of those nights where I found myself once again passing by heading to a job. This time, I made time to stop.

Oak Leaf

2008-07-24T18:08:00.004-04:00

In continuing my pursuit of doing more personal work, here is another installment of my leaves project. An Oak leaf found in my backyard from last fall.

Internal Ire

2008-07-02T18:03:00.003-04:00

Poker faces aren't just reserved for card games. Struggling athletes often contain their emotions, whether to avoid giving their competitor an edge or, in more public arenas, to prevent photographers from immortalizing their misery in newspaper print. At the recent New York Yankees game against the Texas Rangers, Yankee pitcher Joba Chamberlain gave the world a rare glimpse into the aggravation pitchers must feel when their throws go awry. Chamberlain is a great pitcher, but he struggled terribly in the first two innings against the Rangers. For a moment early in the game, Chamberlain gave fans a glimpse of his internal ire. The moment was fleeting; although his performance problem persisted, he regained his composure, and it was back to the poker face.

A Matter of Perspective

2008-06-05T13:04:00.005-04:00

When you think of General Motors, what comes to mind? Cars and trucks, of course. But now when you think of GM, you can think of me! General Motors purchased one of my photographs (shown above) for their online go-green campaign (promoting alternative fuels and hybrids). I shot this photograph for the 'Muse of New Jersey,' a project I did a few years ago featuring local authors writing about life-shaping memories. This picture accompanied an essay author Martha McPhee wrote about crossing the Sourlands in New Jersey.

It's a bit weird to see a photograph you've taken for one purpose later used for a totally different one. But it's also interesting to see how perspective and context can change how a person interprets an image.

To see the advertisement, check out 'Experience GM.' Let the slideshow play. My image is the last one displayed.

To see the Ledger's 'Muse of New Jersey' project, check out Muse.

Hat Box

2008-05-23T21:08:00.003-04:00

I spent an evening with the New York Yankees visiting clubhouse crew members as they prepared for the arrival of the Seattle Mariners equipment last night, following the Baltimore Orioles departure from Yankee Stadium.

The clubhouse crews responsibility is to clear out the visitors locker room and prepare it for the next team to come in. So the crew spent hours unloading, washing uniforms, and unpacking all of the Seattle Mariners equipment. This is just one photograph from my evening, unpacking the, "Hat Box."

Fragrance Seeker

2008-05-22T09:28:00.005-04:00

Here is my latest portrait for The Star-Ledger's, "I am New Jersey," series.

Subha Patel is an organic chemist and director of nature-based fragrances at International Flavors and Fragrances, traveling the world on a search for the next big smell, from black plum to hydroponic celery to fresh red clay. Patel, who grew up on a coffee plantation in Kenya, also oversees the worlds, largest collection of aromatic orchids, among other plants, at IFF's Botanical Gardens in Union Beach, NJ.

If you are interested in seeing previous portraits for this series, check out, "I am NJ."

Inspiring

2008-05-17T18:19:00.005-04:00

Kevin Miyazaki is a photographer I admire professionally and personally. He makes intriguing images, often inspired by everyday objects and observations. I worked with him for several years in Ohio, early in our careers.

Check out his blog at kevinmiyazaki.blogspot.com, and you'll understand my enthusiam for his work.

Shattered

2008-05-10T22:44:00.005-04:00

Robert Caplin of The New York Times, took this photograph of me, just over a year ago, on April 27, 2007. Let's just say, my Cannon 300mm lens probably saved my life.

I was covering a New York Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox, at Yankees Stadium, when Johnny Damon hit a foul ball into the photo box, where all the photographers are positioned to shoot pictures from, shattering the front element of the lens. All you could hear was a poof sound and a rain of glass flying out. I was very lucky that night, it could have been my head that would have been hit. Unfortunately a photographer standing next to me, had to leave the game because he was shaken up. I shot the rest of the game with only a 70-200mm lens, which wasn't easy.

The next day when I told my wife, she was insistent that I wear a helmet when covering baseball games. A year later - I just can't bring myself to use one.

Oh, yeah before I forget - the lens couldn't be fixed. It now sits on a shelf in the Tech Department of The Star-Ledger.

Japanese Maple Leaf

2008-05-05T21:13:00.002-04:00

Personal work is something I rarely get to do these days - working full-time and trying to be a good dad to my 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter leaves little time for personal pursuits.

But a few years ago, during a stint as the Ledger's primary Home & Garden photographer, I spent a year shooting gardens large and small and found it was challenging and deeply satisfying to photograph beautiful blooms in new ways.

Last fall, during a few rare spare moments, I turned my attention to autumn leaves. I put my son to work and had him help me collect leaves from our neighborhood. I placed them in heavy books to flatten and left them for five months. A few weeks ago, I pulled some out and started shooting. Above is one of many my son and I collected and flattened - definitely worth finding the time!

Underwater Hockey

2008-04-30T10:06:00.015-04:00

My short run covering the NHL playoffs ended last week, when the New Jersey Devils were knocked out of the first round by the New York Rangers. After a few days off, my boss gave me another sports assignment - but this wasn't your usual sport. I was going to photograph recreational underwater hockey - and my editor wanted me in the pool with the players.

I have no experience shooting underwater. So after I bought a swimsuit, I was at a loss as to how to otherwise prepare. One of my Star-Ledger colleagues gave me a 5-minute crash course in using the underwater protective bag for cameras. My boss also suggested I use a staff pool camera (a Canon 20D with a 16-37mm lens), rather than risk waterlogging the new Canon Mark III I just got a few months ago.

Shooting underwater hockey was simultaneously exhilarating and frightening. The players race around the bottom of the pool as they play, and at first, I struggled against my body's natural tendency to float. So I put three 3-pound weights in the pockets of my swimtrunks and an 8-pound weight in a bag that I hung from my neck to weight me down. While the weights helped me get down to where the action was, they made it difficult for me to surface for air. So for an hour, I got in a workout worthy of Greg Louganis, as I pingponged between the bottom of the pool to photograph and then struggled back up to surface for air every 30 or 40 seconds.

It was difficult to see through the view finder, so often I found myself just pointing the camera in the direction of game play and hoping for the best. For my first experience shooting action underwater, I came away with some interesting images.

To learn more about this sport check out - Underwater Society of America and USA Underwater Hockey.

Ice Wars

2008-04-22T19:50:00.012-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this year's Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers. I've been a part of covering the Devils in the playoffs since 2003, when they won the Stanley Cup. This year, Tony Kurdzuk, a fellow Star-Ledger photographer, and I covered the Devils/Rangers series.

I grew up in Seattle, a city that had no NHL team, so I was never exposed to hockey until I moved to the East Coast. I didn't understand the game, which made it hard to photograph. In 2003, it was sink-or-swim: I was assigned to cover the games, and so I learned, by doing, how to shoot and understand the game. Five years later, I can't help but cheer for the Devils when they hit the playoffs. As a regular shooter of the Devils, I became familiar with the team and came to root for them covertly.

The playoffs were especially exhilarating - with more at stake, the team seemed more intense. That required me to up my photography a couple of notches, such as using remote cameras to provide readers a unique look at the game, not to mention give me another vantage point of a play I might have trouble photographing from where I stand. So for several playoff games, I placed a camera in the catwalk of the arena, capturing the action from above the goal. Two of the images I posted were from a remote camera mounted above the ice that I triggered with a wireless remote. I have also placed a remote camera behind the goal connected to a post where the boards are. It's always fun to make a picture with a remote camera; it's like opening a gift, because you don't know what images you caught until you download them.

Here are a few of my favorite images from this year's first round between the Devils and Rangers. Enjoy! Unfortunately, the Devils lost the series. Maybe next year.

The Pick Up Artist

2008-04-14T09:16:00.004-04:00

This is my latest photo illustration I created for The Star-Ledger. I was approached to create an image for a story about men who are not as handsome, less confident and who might dress poorly but regularly seduce beautiful women. This shoot started out a bit rough - but became easy as the model relaxed more and started having fun with his character - not to mention the beautiful model behind him.

305373 The Voice of the Voiceless - Capital "X"

2008-04-05T16:26:00.007-04:00

Andre Latallade is the latest subject I made portraits of for The Star-Ledger's continuing, "I am New Jersey," series. Andre Latallade, 43, of Newark, NJ., AKA Capital X, a rapper, is an ex-con turned prison rights activist, who is currently doing a Walk 4 Life, from Trenton, NJ., to Texas. His walk started on March 31st to draw attention to immorality of the death penalty. He spent much of his time in prison, but has turned his life around as he fights for this cause. He started his own human rights campaign, "305373 The Voice of the Voiceless." 305375 was his last state prison number. You can check out his progress through his own blog.

Flash Back

2008-04-04T09:27:00.013-04:00

Wigwam Village #2: Cave City, Kentucky

I recently came across this image I made during a road trip I took with my wife several years ago. The Wigwam Village #2 is a motel consisting of 15 guest rooms. The village was built in 1937 and it was among 7 total around the county. If you ever plan a road trip near Cave City, KY., it's well worth checking out for the experience.

Life Before Death

2008-04-02T17:36:00.010-04:00

Photograph by: Walter Schels

German photographer Walter Schels and journalist Beate Lakotta approached terminally-ill people and asked if they could spend time with them during their last weeks and days. The series of portraits and article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday April 01 2008 on page 6 of the Comment & Features section. My wife brought these images to my attention. The portraits are a fascinating look at life and death. All photographs were taken before and on the day they died.

Examining the series affected me personally because of the loss of my mother almost two years ago. I had thought about photographing her the night she died but couldn't because I didn't want to remember her that way. For me, seeing her with my own eyes is enough to last a lifetime. Examine his work, "Life Before Death."

Puppetman

2008-03-31T21:22:00.006-04:00

I made this portrait of Doug Nearpass, a puppeteer, from East Rutherford, NJ, for The Star-Ledger series "I am New Jersey." The series profiles people making a difference within the state. This was my third portrait for the series. To see previous profiles shot by Star-Ledger staff photographers and myself, click on "I am NJ."

Creating this portrait was a lot of fun. I spent about an hour attaching and maneuvering with the strings to make him into a marionette. It's always nice to have a subject willing to go the extra mile.