The Old Ball Game

Now I'm a Rockies fan. A Colorado Rockies fan. I went to several games their opening season. That was 1993. They were terrible. In fact, they were terrible until last season when they went to the World Series only to be destroyed by the Red Sox. I think they are pretty much terrible again this season.

I always enjoyed playing baseball. I was terrible too. Perhaps that is why the game never meant much to me. It was always about the experience. The time of year was perfect to be outside. I remember getting Taco Bell from mom every third inning. I remember buying Big League Chew and not liking it at all. I remember the batting cages with dad. Two tokens for 25 pitches. He would tell me to bunt the first ten...then swing away. I would hit maybe 10 balls. In all my seasons I hit one home run and made All-Stars one year (the year my dad was Coach.)

My dad would take me to Rockies Games. Depending on the ticket, my hopes for catching a foul ball would be high. We would wait for autographs and buy foot-long hot dogs. He would make fun of me for putting ketchup on the dog because in New York that would never happen. Around the fourth inning I would get ice cream, dippin dots, another hot dog, or a soda. The rest of the game would be relaxing. We wouldn't even talk much. Just sit and watch the game. I never did catch a ball.

Ike Evacuees

I debated about going to the coast to cover Hurricane Ike. In the end, the decision was easy. I had no disaster experience. I had no truck. I had no connections. And possibly most important, I had no secured assignment.

The day before Ike hit evacuees started rolling into Dallas. I decided to head down to the Dallas Convention Center where 1,450 cots were positioned with health and food stations. I arrived a little after 11AM and already the place was busy. With good reason the media was not allowed inside. After speaking with the Red Cross media liaison, I was reminded that these people had just been through a traumatic experience. Considering I had no assignment, I was more than OK with their position. After all, there really was no reason for the media to get involved.

For a good half-hour I watched as families shuffled about with their lives stuffed into plastic bags. I talked with a few people, mostly from Bay Town, about what they left behind.

Things were relatively calm and I decided to shoot a few Polaroids. It is amazing how open people can be in the middle of a disaster.

I hope things turn out for them.

Music and Ford

I never really liked country music. Let me take that back. I don't like country music when it is overdone. I photographed a Toby Keith concert last week and I must say that I have never seen something so over the top and frankly pathetic in my life.

The guy is sponsored by Ford. Fine. But did they have to make a movie staring a truck while co-staring the musician to be presented before the show? Did they have to shoot 50,000 dollar sized ads out of a canon to start the show? Did they have to put a 20 foot Ford sign IN FRONT of the drummer? I usually don't care about musicians selling out...but come on.

I also think Toby takes steroids. His arms are a little too big, while his stomach is as well. I wonder if his ego gets upset when the girls scream louder for the truck then him.

Now I know this picture doesn't match my complaints. It is just the only Polaroid to come out from the show. So deal with it.

Just Because

During the DNC I escaped those crazy Dems only to find the crazy GOP in Golden.

This college republican was preparing for a "Dunk the Democrat" game. It really was as awkward as this photo looks.

DNC Polaroid

The Democratic National Convention was a crazy week. I covered several assignments for various publications in three countries. I also worked on a new multimedia project which looked into several perspectives of different anarchists and activists demonstrating at the convention. Please take a look at the project on my website here. It was a lot of shooting and a lot of editing. I think it turned out pretty good though.

I wasn't able to get inside the convention as much as I had hoped despite getting credentials at the last second. I was just too busy working with the activists and my other commitments. The one night I did go in I spent most of my time looking for portraits to shoot with my polaroid. I only stayed inside for an hour.

The biggest protest of the convention in Denver was put on by the Iraq Veterans Against the War. It was a nice march in which veterans showed their dislike of the war by marching in full uniform to the Pepsi Center outside the convention. The event drew two or three thousand people.

The funny people, fanatic attitudes, and crazy circus that is politics is overwhelming. It is only intensified during conventions, protests, and election seasons. Once in a while it is good to get this perspective first hand.

My digital images will come soon.