C Kemp Shoot

2010-05-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just for anyone passing by, I wanted to let you know that I have moved my blog to wordpress. I just felt I needed a change. I do check back on BlogSpot every now and again.
Here is the address:

http://ckempshoot.wordpress.com/

See you around the net!

2010 Deals!

2009-11-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

www.corakemp.com

Click for more details! Contact me for more information!

Garrett

2009-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to take some awesome autumn Senior photos of Garrett. Even though a lot of color is past already we managed to find some really great places for color. This is such a beautiful time to shoot photos outside! A totally different beauty than summertime, but the colors are just as refreshing and rich!

Learned a ton from Garrett and he was one of the easiest guys to get along with! He has had quite the adventures at new schools as his family has moved quite frequently throughout his childhood. I'm just glad that he decided to settle in Evergreen for his senior year and that I had the opportunity to meet him!

Enjoy some of our shoot!

Playing with Light

2009-10-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

After some pouty lips and a few seconds of puppy-dog eyes, I was able to convince Eric to let me practice using remote flashes while he and his pal Todd played some ball. I had a blast trying to work the settings, as using remote flashes is new to me. I am going to invest in PocketWizards as soon as my next paycheck rolls in though! I have been reading up on the Strobist blog lately and I'm really excited to start using flash the way it should be! Enjoy these photos.... Just as I was getting my settings correct, the management came into the gym and said we had to stop using flash because it was "blinding" those who were working out on the floor above. - Photographers never get the respect they deserve. There are always obstacles.

The Roots of America and myself.

2009-10-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Washington and Jefferson memorials.

This past week I traveled to Washington DC on a whim. My good friends Amie and Albert are spending a few weeks there while Albert is training for his new job and then they will move on to Germany for a year and a half.
I jumped on this opportunity to visit the Nation's capitol and spend some time with my close friends before they continue their adventure overseas.
DC was an amazing place, though I struggled with my photography. The buildings are so gorgeous and stunning, I felt that photographs could hardly do them justice, and even when I thought I could take a worthy photo hundreds of tourists stood in my photographs. So though my photos are limited, I only took photos that were worth taking.
Tourist destinations are so corny to me. Mt. Vernon was gorgeous, but set up for photos. Since my training in photography is all about catching moments I have a difficult time pushing my shutter button when a moment is laid out for you. And in the majority of the situations, my photo would be hard to tell apart from the millions of other photos taken of that same room. That is not my job.
I am a photographer. My passion is to show you everyday life in a way you never thought possible. So though I may get crazy looks from the point-and-shoot tourists for lying on the sidewalk hopefully my photos are better than any normal tourist shot.

Photo courtesy of I Am Alive Photos.

The Iwo Jima memorial. The most disturbing thing about this memorial is that every new war is inscribed onto the base of the sculpture. And it is a very large base with only two lines taken up. only two.

One of the thousands of graves at the Arlington Cemetery.

The Pacific Theater at the World War II memorial. This photo was taken in memory of my grandfather, the thousands of other grandfathers and those who never became grandfathers during WWII.

Alyssa

2009-09-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Had another shoot this afternoon with one cool chick! Alyssa is so much fun to work with, she is totally comfortable in front of the camera. I only had to ask her to pose a certain way a few times. I have an array of gorgeous photos that are well on their way to being produced, but here are just a few to get an idea....

Thanks Alyssa for the fun shoot! Ghettos are totally awesome to shoot in!

16 week count down

2009-09-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is it. The most important day of the year. No, not your birthday. Not your anniversary. Not even Christmas. It is the first Sunday of the National Football League. A full 12 hours of nothing but guys giving their all to tally up higher numbers than the team they are fighting. This day has been counted down ever since the last second of play during Superbowl in early February.
This day marks something for me to.
As that last second ticked down to :00 I had a pulse of energy surge through my body. The excitement of a full five months of Sundays, free to do whatever I wanted with my boyfriend was almost too impossible to imagine. And of course it was. The yearning to see a football game began directly after March Madness, the football magazine reading began at the beginning of July, and the long awaited fantasy football draft finally arrived mid-August.
Since then, it has been nothing than good ol' fashion football drama. Which players are making a scene, which teams are going to suck, and what coach will be fired first?

I love my boyfriend. I support him and all his interests. But as I emerged from my morning shower and heard the excited mumble of several voices sliding under my bedroom door, I began my own countdown clock again. For most, its is the beginning of a great season full of wings, burgers and dogs. For me, it is one day closer to having a full time boyfriend again. One week down, 15 to go.

Katy and Kelly

2009-09-03T21:54:00.001-07:00

Katy and Kelly were so much fun to work with together. Of course being sisters they worked together naturally well. I love their photos together! They are both beautiful girls and were so easy to shoot with.

Kelly

2009-09-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Kelly was so sweet during our shoot. She balanced on rocks, logs and went for a stroll in a very chilly creek! She is so beautiful in her photos, I am so glad that I was the one who got to photograph her! Enjoy!

Katy

2009-09-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Katy was a sport during our shoot! She was great and we had a blast working up around the Pine area. Katy definitely got a kick out of our river shoot, while I stood up to my knees in the river to get her feet dangling in! Katy has great eyes! They are so beautiful and go great with her wonderful smile! Thanks for the great time Katy!

Portrait of a friendship

2009-08-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Boone and Matt had their shoot together, and the two have been friends since the first grade. It was only fitting that these two had these photos together!

Boone and Matt had their shoot together, and the two have been friends since the first grade. It was only fitting that these two had these photos together!

Boone

2009-08-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

Now here is a guy that knows how to ham it up in front of the camera. Boone made sure his shoot was one to remember! Lets just say Boone is not afraid to be himself.

Matt

2009-08-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

I had a blast shooting with Matt! He is such a fun and easy going guy and that made my job all the more easy. Matt warmed up to the camera in no time (as you will see) and here is the product of our shoot! Enjoy! Thanks for the great time Matt!

School is back in session!

2009-08-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy lately! It is actually really exciting and I am LOVING it! I have been shooting senior portraits for the last week and a half. This shoot of Antony's actually was shot at the beginning of July. Props to him for being the only high schooner who did not procrastinate! I've done 6 shoots in the last week and a half. More photos to come! Enjoy!

Sam and Christine's Wedding

2009-08-19T16:04:00.001-07:00

I shot a wedding at the beginning of the month. Just finshed editing all of their photos. Sam and Christine had their wedding at the Westin Hotel on the 16th Street Mall in Downtown Denver. The wedding was beautiful, with a great luncheon after the 12:30 ceremony.
I shot the wedding with Amie, who was my roommate in college and we both made it through the photo J program at Metro. You can visit her blog here. This is our second wedding together and we have another one coming up on the 6th of September.

Congratulations Sam and Christine!

2009-08-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Got to spend a few hours with two Birthday Boys this afternoon.
I have been taking family photos for Blake, Shane, Barbara and John for the
last 5 years. Its amazing how big the boys are getting, but the frosting fingers
is a tradition that will ALWAYS be something we do! Blake (blue) got quite a good
size glob on his finger.
Happy birthday boys! 6 years old!

Beauty in the unusual

2009-07-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

I went to a concert last night at The Larimer Lounge in downtown. My roommate's band, Biscuitland was opening for one of Kelly Clarkson's opening bands on her new tour. So Biscuitland has jumped forward in the music world now having become the opening band for the opening band! It was a fun night being with friends and of course seeing my roommate throw his guitar to the ground after the final song - later realizing he broke part of it. O well, the life of a rock star I suppose.

Eric and I pulled up on a side street, next to an area of unkept veggitation. This warped sunflower was one of the tallest of all the weeds, standing proud of it's unique beauty - stretching so all could see it. Our race is so judgmental of the differences each individual has.

If you do not look like me, you are different - and that is bad. Instead of looking at the unknown with curiosity, we look at it with harsh glares afraid and unwelcoming. But it is us who are missing opportunities. Missing the chance to learn new things, experience new things and add to our own knowledge of the world we exist in. Our minds are so negative. We have been bred to think and feel with the glass half empty. I encourage all of you to reprogram your nature. Look at the world with fresh eyes. If you look beyond what you want to see, you will find the whole world is full of deformities - and that is what makes it so beautiful, so unusual.

A moment in time.

2009-07-24T23:00:00.001-07:00

This was taken in the "big" small town of Luverne, Alabama that Eric and I drove through during our journey to the Beach.
So many of the towns that we drove through - some that were made up of 3-4 mobile homes- were almost frozen in time.
Faded signs, painted on old general store walls, such as this sign, were just a piece of the era we drove into. So many of the towns still had old fashion gas pumps, soda machienes and good ol' fashion southern hospitality.
The only structures in the majority of the towns that had been build in the last 10 years are the churches.
The chapels are so beautiful down there, no doubt the buildings of pride for the towns.
Yet they all seemed so deserted, even at 1 in the afternoon on a Sunday.

Everything in the south has the overgrown feeling. A lush feeling of being alive, yet dead at the same time. The forests are wild, uncharted and barely controllable. Everything is so green, buildings covered in moss. Yet there is the abandoned, dead feeling - trees now living in a small house that has long been deserted by its owners. A roof, no longer protecting from the elements, collapsed by tree limbs, stretching for the sun.

I love the feeling I get from being in the South. So many of my childhood memories come from this wild, sleepy area.

Frustrating

2009-07-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Technology. It drives me crazy.
I am visiting family in Birmingham and I just love the
slow paced, stepping back in time feel.
old shacks over grown, 1960s signs still aglow in the evenings.
The old Taco Bell sign that has long since been replaced in Denver.

Yet, I cannot post anything because the pins in my card reader have bent. So there is no getting the photos off until I reach home. I am so bummed! and frustrated!

2009-07-12T19:01:00.001-07:00

Summer Nights

2009-06-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

One thing that I have been noticing since I "retired" from the position of Photo Editor, is the beauty in photos that may not tell stories.
Its refreshing to just take photos, instead of having to get the photo and tell the story. Though all photos tell a story, whether it is a sky, clearing from an afternoon rainstorm or a simple blade of grass. All photographs capture a moment that will never occur again. The ability to freeze a moment, happy or sad, has always been what I love most about photography. A simple summer evening where a group of old friends gather on a mediocre football field play till there is barely any light to see the ball. Summer is a time that I always hold dear to me, where everyone lightens up and just enjoys the moment they are experiencing.

2009-06-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

I got to spend a nice afternoon at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and I was able to shoot a bit, which I have not done in over a week. I have been working at Stems quite frequently and I have not been shooting, which has been rather depressing. So today Eric and I took his visiting Grandparents to stroll among the blooms and the scents that entrance you into a whole different place. Who would ever think that the Gardens are located a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of Cherry Creek!
We were also blessed with perfect weather, slightly overcast with the sun peeking in and out every so often. The rain began to fall as we were pulling out of the parking lot, which will continue to make the vegetation thrive. Everything was so beautiful and colorful!

2009-05-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well, Eric and I did it! Graduation took place on Sunday at the convention center in down town. It's amazing how the two of us came to find each other and be able to share this landmark day together. I plowed through Metro in four years and Eric took his time and truly experienced his college years. Yet Kemp and Lansing met somewhere in the middle of it all and got to sit next to each other during the commencement ceremony. We are both entering the world ready for anything. Eric has a possible job in creating his own sports show for Metro's Athletic department. It is still up in the air but we are crossing our fingers for the best! I am out in the world promoting my senior portraits and photography. I hope to get some freelance for newspapers as well, and I plan to just hold on for the ride!

2009-05-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm off to the real world! Last Thursday I took Ryan and Alyssa out for a little photoshoot so I could have some portrait samples. My plan is to get some senior portrait sessions in this summer and hopefully get some weddings as well. Time to enter the real world of a bad economy and photojournalism job scarcity! Ry and Alyssa were great to work with and we got some stellar images out of the hour shoot!

A Moment in Denver History

2009-05-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Workers from the Denver Newspaper Agency look at final copies of The Rocky Mountain News off the press to double check the print quality and correct page layout just after 1 a.m. Feb 27 at The Denver Newspaper Agency printer. E.W. Scripps made the final decision to close the Rocky Mountain News 55 days short of their 150 anniversary. The final edition ran on Feb. 27. Photo by CORA KEMP

2009-05-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

From Left, Martin Norman, 8th Grade, Mickey Smith, 8th Grade, Tori Tabke, 8th Grade, Robbie Buck, 7th Grade, Shane Stinn, 7th Grade and teacher Carlyn Luna throw recycled papers all over Luna's Walk Clark Middle School classroom during the after-school program. These kids will receive $1,400 each for their nationally recognized eco-research involving numbers of copies that are used in the school each semester.

CORA KEMP/Reporter Herald

Thoughts

2009-04-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

So I've been awful at keeping up with this blog. But life as always has moved forward, with little sleep, lots of stress and plenty of memories. For the Spring semester of 2009, I have spent my time at The Loveland Reporter Herald in Loveland, Colorado. I have gained so much experience from them in so many different ways. The photo staff of three shooters, Chis Stark, Jenny Sparks and Steve Stoner have given me so much knowledge in both shooting and choosing photographs.
Working in a town like Loveland is what I wanted to do since high school. A small town paper. Loveland is a great place full of sculptures, different artwork and tons of friendly people. Though it is an area where I had not been, just 20 minutes from Fort Collins and full of farming.
And now, this chapter in my life is coming to a close. In just under three weeks I will be excepting my diploma from Metro as I walk across the stage in the Convention Center.
I have no job lined up, and lots of unanswered questions as to where I will be in the fall. But it is always a scary thing, when you realize your chapter is coming to a close. Though I know it is time.
I love the Metropolitan and being photo editor, and I will always hold that newsroom and those people close to me as I go through life. They helped to mold me in to who I am today. But it is time to move on.
Perhaps I will gain time to update my blog in the next chapter of my life.... :)
Here is to turning the page.....

2008-11-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

Race for the Cure 2008

2008-11-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Tina Best (left) of Evergreen stands on the bleachers with the 1-5 year breast cancer survivors during the award ceremony. Over 62,000 people registered for the race in Denver, Colorado, October 5, 2008. FOR THE CAMERA/Cora Kemp

2008-11-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Charles Bolta founder of American Environmental Products, Inc. shows off his new, cutting-edge light, the Glow-Lux that gives off a green glow after the light has been turned off. This light takes zero energy and can glow even when unplugged. Longmont, Colorado, October 23, 2008. FOR THE CAMERA/Cora Kemp

2008-11-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

So it has been two months since I've posted...
Life has been crazy hetic. I got the Photo internship at The Camera,
Boulder, Colorado's daily newspaper. Its not paid and 30 miles away
but the experience there has been worth it. I am a staff fotog, except I
do not get paid. But we all have to start somewhere...
I am more than stoked that the election is tomorrow and this nightmare of non-stop
politicians dropping into Denver is almost over!!! Another long night but hopefully after
Wednesday it will all be over!
I will upload photos after tomorrow is OVER!

2008-09-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Photo by Cora Kemp
Police stand guard during the Veterans Against the Iraq War unpermitted march on Aug. 27 at 16th st and Arapahoe. The march started at the Denver Coliseum after the free Rage Against the Machine concert and ended at the Pepsi Center. According to Police over 4,000 people participated in the march.

2008-09-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Photos by Cora Kemp

Ruben Valdez is one of the many who were moved to tears during Michelle Obama's speech on Aug. 25 at The Pepsi Center. Valdez was especially moved as Obama spoke of the need for a future for the children of America.

DNC: Day 1 Adventures

2008-08-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last night was quite and eventful one... just when we were thinking that it was actually going to be quite boring... We were wrong.

If you were looking at the Metro Media blog at all since about 6 last night it was anything but boring.

I had been assigned to cover Michelle Obama's speech in the evening, which meant I was out of commission from 3-10. I had to get in to the security zone and claim my seat.

We have 4 credentials for the Pepsi Center. Two perimeter passes that allow two people to roam around outside of the building but inside the security zone (basically the entirety of Auraria Parkway and the Pepsi Center grounds.) We have what is called an Arena Pass that allows one person to roam the halls of the Pepsi Center but they are not able to walk into the actual hall. And we have one hall pass, in the nose bleed section.

With all this said, there is a lot of handing passes off ... which is totally legal and a huge pain! I forgot I was not wearing the Hall Pass last night because I was inside with a writer and we were trading off being in the actual Hall. I tried walking in, the same entrance I had used all night, the guard lady knew I'd been in before but she would not let me through because I had the wrong pass. Yeah. Security is tight.

Getting into the Security zone is a pain to begin with ... especially if you are like me (and all 7 million of the other fotogs out there) I walk in to the security check with two camera bodies, a camera bag, a backpack with my lap top, a 300 2.8 Lens (it is about 2 ft long and 20 lbs) in its own separate bag. Yeah, this week I need a person in front of me with a banner that says wide load! I was joking with my boyfriend on Sunday when he came to town with me because he was offering to help carry my two bags and two cameras and I declined just because I do not have him around all week so I can get spoiled or my body won't be able to manage. But I tell ya, when you shed about 50 extra pounds in the evening ... Man do you feel skinny!

But getting to the Pepsi Center was not even the beginning of my adventure. Around 6 I began getting a lot of text messages from my fotogs telling me something was happening with the Recreate 68 group. Then I get a frantic phone call from a writer saying "Cora, gas has been released" ... and a whole lot of other stuff that I would not like to repeat.

Immediately I go into mommy mode because I have at least 5 photographers covering the rally. I begin frantically sending out texts ordering everyone to send me a text asap and let me know they are ok. All checked in, and one of my fotogs, Steve said, I think I broke my jaw and my camera is not working.

I begin to panic then. I call him and he is able to talk, but I am not able to leave because I have an assignment to shoot. One of my assistants is at our home base on 15th and Blake holding down the fort and I call him and tell him to let up any one and notify him of Steve's situation. This is supposed to be fun, and no one is supposed to get hurt.

Though everyone knows of the potential danger.

Steve is ok. He has a few chipped teeth, and today, now that the adrenaline has worn off is on his way to the dentist as I type. He has a broken flash that is insured so that is good.

He was the only one who got hurt he was the last fotog in the "disturbance." He got stuck between a group of protesters and a cop. He was shoved to the ground and hit his face on the curb. He has a few scratches behind his ear. But photojournalists are meant to endure it all. I received a text from him at 9 this morning asking if he has missed anything.

The worst for me was that I was stuck inside the Pepsi Center with all the people who don't even know what is going on outside of the building.

Steve got the best photos. See what smashing your face can do? Check out our blog!

2008-08-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Photo by CORA KEMP/ckemp4@mscd.edu
Swami Paramananda is planning to walk the entire perimeter of the Pepsi Center Aug. 25 to protest the protest barriers that have been set up through out the city, including Auraria Campus. Large concrete barriers and fences have been installed to keep protesters out of the security clearance zone. Paramananda was only worried about having to cross the overpasses of I-25 that do not have pedestrian areas.

Campus Lockdown... We're not kidding!

2008-08-25T23:29:00.001-07:00

Photo by CORA KEMP/ckemp4@mscd.edu

By Tara Moberly
Surrounded by fences and concrete barriers, Campus Village looms like
a fortress, impenetrable by the average person.
The only way in or out is through the parking lot entrance, which is
guarded by Denver Police officers dressed in riot gear.
Residents can enter and leave the building as long as they have a
special sticker affixed to their school ID.
“It’s pretty scary,” remarked resident and UCD student Chandra Carnew
as she headed out to do some shopping with another occupant, Laura
Aldrich.
Carnew’s roommates have left town this week.
For Aldrich, leaving town to avoid the DNC wasn’t an option.
“I live in Texas, so I really had no choice,” she said.
While on a bike ride over the weekend, the two encountered fences that
seemed to appear out of nowhere, as well as other barriers.
“There was SWAT cops patrolling asking ‘Where are you going?’” Carnew
said.
As the conversation turned to protesters and police, Aldrich laughed
at the idea of a special area outside the Pepsi Center for protestors.
“I wasn’t aware we had to have free speech zones,” she said before
running off to catch the light rail.

2008-08-24T20:53:00.001-07:00

Photo by Cora Kemp/ckemp4@mscd.edu
Christine McNamara of Longmont kneels in front of Christopher A. Anderson's memorial boots at Eyes Wide Open in Cuernavaca Park on Aug. 24. McNamara went to high school with Anderson. Anderson died in Iraq in spring 2007 when he was 24 years old. "I did not even think I would find his boots here," McNamara said.

2008-08-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

We are starting. We have been kicked off campus and now are holding our final meetings under a bridge in a park to take shelter from a Colorado afternoon storm.
We done all the prep that we can. Ready or not. GO.

2008-08-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Its been a pretty stressful day getting everything taken care of. We are now officially locked out of the campus all doors were locked at 10 pm tonight. Downtown was more like a maximum security prison today than anything. Fences and gates everywhere, and plenty of patrol cars. Today was the first day the Pepsi Center was open to the public where tours were given all day to see how the sports arena was transformed. I sent a fotog. Its is almost like an alternate reality this whole thing. Well prepared or not, get ready cuz there is no stopping this monster! Here is a link to our newspaper blog. Photos, video and writing updated all week! http://metrostudentmedia.blogspot.com/

The Different Worlds

2008-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Two weeks in. Three classes down. And I'm asking myself why. This is my last semester at Metro and I have already completed all my major courses, all I have left are nine credits (three classes) for my minor.
I am minoring in Speech Communication. Now that I look back, not really the best minor, but its really late to go back and start over again. If I had the chance, I would change it to a Digital Media Minor, but I was misled by my "academic advisor" and told I could not minor in Digital Media if I was majoring in Photo J. Really, I should not get started on the adviser thing, as it is not really the topic of this blog, but really, why do they even have them??? Students wait in line for literally HOURS to talk to the high and mighty advisers. We sit down i their office (them having no idea who we are. They look at our papers and ask us what class we want. At one point I went in and asked my advisers if my year of Sign Language would count for part of my language requirement I need for my Journalism degree. What did she do? Called the Journalism department. She was not very good at getting my message across and told me no, according to the department, I had to take 4 semesters of the same language.
So I enrolled in a summer of Spanish. Not that I am complaining too much, I got a guy out of the deal so ya know, it was not all THAT bad. Then I enrolled in Spanish 3 for last fall. Sat down in class the first day and it was like I had never taken Spanish at all. I could barely understand what my professor was telling us to do. I stuck it out for about 5 weeks, and after getting "Fs" and "Ds" on all my tests (with hard studying to accompany all) I went to the head of the Photo J department and asked him what I should do. He pulls up my transcript and says "Cora, you already have 4 semesters to meet the foreign language requirement, 2 in Spanish and 2 in Sign." Well, I was relieved but had to roll my eyes. Those advisers are anything but. They are just there to push the "register" button on the computer, which any Metro student can do for themselves by registering online.
Now to the point of my story (I don't have to write in journalistic style here!) On Friday, I spent the day at school helping with the Met Report (The student News Cast) auditions that happen at the beginning of every semester. TV is a totally different ball game that I have never been very interested in. It is to sensational and too much depends on your looks. That is what I enjoy about the dying print journalism. You could be the ugliest person on the planet but dang do you take AWESOME photos. You would not be turned away. However (and I've seen it with my own eyes) People can be turned down, even if they are amazing, if they do not hold that presence on TV or do not look as good as the person before, they will not make the job. And that, to me is a sick thing. A person cannot help how they look. Talent is talent.
So, though I have strong opinions I have found myself in my last semester taking three classes all related to the TV industry. Yeah. I'm crazy, and sadly part of it is because that is the way the industry is going, toward moving pictures. So I must follow suit and having TV production classes on my transcript will help me out immensely. I am also looking into becoming one of their photographers. I know the gang well because Eric is a sports anchor and I usually am around anyway. Though I've noticed the sports industry is much more laid back (though Eric owns more make-up than I do - it is only for when he is on desk, and my occasional need for cover up - But the guys tend to care less and there is not as much drama.

Accidents are Best

2008-08-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have worried about me, no, I have yet to be arrested. They have not upped the security to that extreme... Plus I think they are worried that if they begin arresting before next week they are not going to have room for all the protesters during the actual convention! One of the best - but also most frustrating - things about photography is that your best picture can be totally unintentional. Its great, the majority of the time, when I am photographing my best photos are the ones that I just clicked and it happened. Either the light was just right, the angle was perfect or the subject was caught in the best moment. The frustrating thing about this phenomenon is that it makes the ability to recreate the photo almost impossible. And that is what I love. Sure, its another basketball game with the same starters and the same coach ... maybe even the same opposing team. But that moment that you froze will never happen again. I think about this upcoming week, how "history is being made" and this will never happen again. That happens every day of our lives. Why is it the big events that we stop and think about it? And its this time where we will never see this again in our lives, yet many are trying to get history to repeat itself with Recreate '68. I tell you, being an observer of the human condition and human race, we have no idea what we want. This is just a funny photo, I have a ton, but this is actually pretty interesting with the shadows. This is what my camera sees when I am not using it. It usually happens when walking to class after an assignment because I forget to turn off my camera.

Topping The Day Off

2008-08-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Not only did I have to worry about my duties as photo editor and preparing for my first fotog meeting, recruiting, promoting the Student Media, o yeah, and attending my classes, i also had to go to the Pepsi Center to take our cover shot for the issue. Now that may sound easy, but having already been kicked off the premises once and told I could not take any photos inside - or outside the center it is a little more difficult to maneuver around. Especially now since the tents are almost done in the parking lot. And for some reason, Secret Service is a little worried about photographs taken of the tents. We are not sure why, its not like they are a secret, I'm sure thousands of people see the tents on a daily basis.
So once everything slowed down and I had the great evening light, Eric and I hiked across Auraria Parkway to the Pepsi Center. And thanks to my Ethics class from last semester I knew that I could not be arrested... or at least I could fight my case if I was... from the side walk. We played it cool, fired off a few frames and left with no trouble.

Day One

2008-08-12T08:17:00.001-07:00

Well, as expected, the beginning of a new semester was entertaining, exciting, exghsting, and calorie-burning. Not only is this our first issue of the paper but it one of the most important issues the Met is putting out. It sounds a little odd because we are doing our DNC pullout this week... yes, two weeks before the actual convention but because we are weekly this is the ideal time. Our issues come out on Thursdays and most classes are not held on Fridays so most of the student body will not even see the issue until the following Monday. This poses as a problem for us since our campus will be on "lock down" as of the 23/24. Hardly any one would be able to see our most important issue. So we have decided to put it out this week, giving students a full week to pick it up. However, that has left it a little stressful because a lot of staff (not including Editors) are still on summer mode. So the issue will have about 4 of my 12 fotogs work.
Now just because they are locking us out of their office and we are a weekly (which means any coverage we do at the convention will not be published till a week after the DNC is over) does not mean we are not covering. We are setting up a home base at my Assistants apartment right off of 15th and we are going to be doing all web work. We hope that we will have video and slide shows to put up on the site. I will post that site as soon as it is ready!
This is a shot I took on Sunday of a group of protestors who met and then marched over to the Pepsi Center to say their piece. Their sign says: "Our Future Will Be Decided For Ourselves." In both Spanish and English.

The Beginning of The New Semester

2008-08-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

So, as the complete opposite of most Metro Students, I have spent my last day of summer preparing for the new semester working at the Met. I shot two assignments related to the DNC issue that will be on the stands Aug. 14. I spent 45 minutes talking to Robert and Ronald, two homeless men who rely on the soup kitchen that is supported by St. Elizabeth church near Central Classroom on Auraria Campus.
We talked about the impact that the lock down of Auraria and how it is going to affect those who go to the soup kitchen. There are a lot of factors that we as middle class college-going students do not even consider. Robert used to be a professional painter, and after getting hernias and hepatitis C and D could no longer be around the chemicals.
Since the economy has been so terrible, he had no choice but to turn to the streets. Robert has been off and on the streets for over a year and a half.