Back in the Burgh

EDITOR'S NOTE: This entry was supposed to be written earlier this week but with Cathy out of town my time was limited.

Last week Benjamin and I joined Cathy on the road as she taught a group of bankers in Pittsburgh. It gave us a chance to see the city we loved and lived in as well as reconnect with old friends.

It was hard for us to believe that it's been almost a decade since we resided in the City of Bridges. As we exited the Fort Pitt tunnels we saw downtown and were reminded why we will always have a fondness for this town. It's neighborhoods give it a small town appeal but still feels like a big city.

Our first stop was lunch in Oakland at one of our old spots Fuel & Fuddle. Located one block from the law school we grabbed a bite before the students piled in for lunch and walked around Pitt. Benjamin really loved the lawn and hills around Pitt's Cathedral of Learning. He ran up and down them for a while.

While Cathy taught her seminars Benjamin and I took excursions to various places around Western PA. The first morning of Cathy's classes I took Benjamin up to Rochester, PA to visit the graves of his great grandfather and great, great grandparents on both my mother's sides.

It was a cold, wet morning at the Sylvania Hills Cemetary but Benjamin didn't seem to mind he just wanted to run around like the boy he is. The cutest thing was whenever we would leave one of my relatives' grave sites Benjamin would turn around and say, "Bye bye."

On our second adventure I took the Mino to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to look at dinosaurs. He was pretty impressed by their size. We looked at some of the museums other exhibits like their mineral and gems collection and the plasters of old cathedral doors but the highlight took place in the basement of the Carnegie.

The museum has a discovery room where children can touch and learn about many things on natural history. This one particular exhibit allowed children to pick up and touch furs, skulls and petrified woods. It was the plaster replica of a small dinosaur skull that caused us problems. Benjamin grabbed it and slammed it on the floor. Now I think it was broken beforehand and the fact that it was a replica and not an actual artifact didn't give me concern. We just quietly put it back on the shelf and walked away.

The last night of our trip we had dinner with the Pritchards. We haven't seen Matt and Korey since we left and they now have two beautiful boys who could pass as Benjamin's older cousins.

The whole week Cathy and I talked about how much we missed Pittsburgh and the city's character. I got tingles as we drove past the old apartment building and saw our coffee shop. The city has changed a lot since we moved away but still felt like it was ours. As much as we would love to live there it's hard for us to be that far away from our family.

So to all of our friends still in the Burgh we'll be back again to see yinz.

Kayaking- Behind the Scenes

As you may remember I shot a story a while back on Kayaking in the Florida Keys for the New York Times travel section. I spent three days paddling around different parts of the lower and middle keys with my good friend and travel writing partner Christopher Collier. We got to go to some pretty interesting sites such as paddling through a forest of mangrove trees as well as uninhabited areas off the main keys that many don't know about.

Originally I wanted to have more video footage but considering I was doing this as extra I'm still happy with the footage I got.

For those who look for continuity errors or other oddities in movies (i.e. the "ghost" behind the curtain in Three Men and a Baby), if you look closely in the opening scene you can see the digital audio recorder I'm trying to hide in my hands. I had to record a separate audio track for that shot because the handycam was about 20 yards and prevented me from getting clean audio from it's internal microphone.

And if you wish to see this at a better resolution you can watch it at YouTube.

Fly Fishing in North Carolina

If you have a chance check out my latest travel story I shot in today's edition of the New York Times in their Escapes section. It's a story I shot with my favorite travel writer Christopher Collier. We traveled to the western part of North Carolina to do a story on fly fishing.

Now I've never been fly fishing but I quickly learned how much of a passion it is for many. This was the third time Christopher and I teamed up on a story and it lived up to our usual adventure. Previously we worked together on stories based in Florida (Florida's natural springs and kayaking in the Florida Keys) but this was our first story outside the state.

I shot this story last month and it was one of those stories that was more like a good road trip than work. We flew in to Greenville, SC and made the quick drive into North Carolina where the story would be written.

Over the next three days we drove all around the area in search of a good fishing hole. What I found was a hole in my waders which was no fun. I eventually ditched the waders at the end of the trip but before I did I made some good pictures.

Christopher was able to secure some nice accommodations for us at the High Hampton Inn in Cashiers, NC where we stayed in a relaxing cabin that could sleep 12. If I had more time I would've played the gorgeous golf course they have on property but our time was very limited.

Just to burst everyone's bubble about travel photography, it's never as wonderful as you think. In the end it's work. Plain and simple. You stay and see some of the most beautiful places this world has to offer but you aren't on holiday. You are there to make pretty pictures and once that is done you move on to make more pretty pictures.

Check out Christopher and I's story on fly fishing either by picking up today's copy or going to their website (http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/travel/escapes/15fly.html?ref=travel).

Travel Day

  Today I flew to Greenville, SC for a couple of travel stories I'll be working on this weekend. I'll let you know when the stories run later but for now I thought I'd of go over how I pack for such an assignment. 

  First of all, since I was flying to this assignment I had to consider a few things when packing. Camera gear always flies with me and is never in checked luggage. I can always go to Target and buy some clothes but I can't afford to lose equipment.

  I have a roller case for my cameras and lens that fits in almost all overhead bins. This is my primary carry-on and if need be I'll carry on a backpack with other essentials as my "purse". If I can I prefer to not check any bags and just roll from the plane to the rental car. The worst is waiting around for your checked bag(s) to come around on the carousel. 

  For this assignment I'm borrowing Robert's underwater housing for some pictures I'd like to get during this assignment. This things is bulky and takes up more space than I'd like it to but kind of essential for what I want to capture. The key with a travel story is to pack light. Zoom lens and two bodies is the norm along with some other tricks but not too many.

  As you can see from the picture above I've packed two camera bodies along with my 17-40mm and 70-200 lens. In addition to those pieces and the housing I have a couple of specialty lens rounded out with a flash and transmitter. I also pack into the case my laptop and necessary cables to download and edit pictures while on the road.

  My checked bag holds everything else which leaves clothes, toiletries photo fanny pack and hip waders (Just to clarify the last one doesn't come with me on every trip but for this one they'll be of great use.) I have way too many experiences where the checked bag didn't make the connection or something was removed from my bag to leave anything to chance. 

  Another thing I like to do is board the plane ASAP. With today's flight I had to pay an extra $15 for priority boarding which allowed me to board the plane first. Even before old women in wheelchairs. The airline's policy also says that passengers who have priority boarding have the priority in the overhead bins. So if another passenger can't fit their carry-on above THEY are the ones who have to gate check their bag while my bag has dibs on the bin.

  So this is what it's like to travel with me when I've got gear. I'm sure Cathy and my father can tell you all the anecdotes about how I fought the security people in Stockholm about hand inspecting my film or stashing my photo backpack under the seat in the hopes the Nazi flight attendant wouldn't force me to gate check it. It's always entertaining (and heavy) when a photographer travels.

Gainesvile- A Surprise in Culture

  If you pick up today's copy of The New York Times and turn to the Escapes section you'll see my travel story on Gainesville.  The basis of the story was that the little town in North Central Florida isn't just a college town. Gainesville has some interesting places for visitors to see that have nothing to do with the Gator nation.

  I spent one very long day hitting six locations around the Gainesville area. They included botanical gardens, art museums, butterflies as well as a Lady Gator basketball game.

  First on my list was the state park created around the historical home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Marjorie Rawlings who wrote "The Yearling". 

  Rawlings' home hasn't changed much from the time when she wrote that book back in 1938. It was interesting to tag along with a tour and listen to the stories of how the home and it's 52 acres helped to inspire the author.

  Next I headed to the University of Florida to capture some images of students on campus before heading to the women's basketball game against South Carolina. It was a bit of a struggle to make it look like a campus on a Sunday but luckily students were walking along the tree-lined campus. (So much for their reputation as the number 1 party school.)

  Funny thing though at the basketball game. I had the Times request a credential for me so I could roam around the O'Connell Center to make my pictures of fans during the game. The school's Sports Information Director approached me and asked if I needed a roster. I told her I had already grabbed one in the media room when I entered. The reality was that I could care less about the game and who was wearing number 12. I needed fans with orange and blue painted on their faces.

  After the game I headed over to the museum area of the campus. Inside the Natural History Museum I saw a beautiful and large living exhibit on butterflies. In fact it was so large that the volunteer warned me before entering to watch where I stepped as I might be stepping on a butterfly.

  The last stop on my list was the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens off Archer Road. The Gardens has the region's largest collection of bamboo which seems to grow everywhere. It was a nice way to end my travel story. The place was very peaceful with lots of areas to sit and collect your thoughts or just zone out. I wish I would've had little more time there as I felt like I could sit under one of the oak trees and read a book for a few hours.

  Well it wasn't kayaking in the Keys but it was an interesting to shoot. I'm finding that I enjoy travel photography more these days. I guess it's partly because people bend over backwards to assist you in getting the images you want to make. Whereas when I shoot a sporting event I have more hassles than it's worth. Besides wouldn't you prefer to be in a relaxing garden or on a warm beach rather than making sure a baseball isn't getting ready nail you in the nuts?

Kayaking in the Times

  For those of you who are on Facebook with me, you'll recall I was twittering about being in the Florida Keys working on a travel story for The New York Times last month. Well the story finally ran this morning in the Escapes section. Check it out if you have a chance either at the newstand or online (http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/travel/escapes/30keys.html).

  I'm in the middle of a marathon of Superbowl events and don't really have time to write more about my adventures in the southern most part of the Continental United States. I had a great time in the Keys and will blog about it later this weekend along with all the festivities I've been shooting this week in Tampa.

  Now I've got to get a little more rest before heading out to shoot Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner at lunch and then on to my next NFL party tonight. BTW, Go Steelers!!!

Testing the Water

  Yesterday I had to do some testing of equipment for a travel story I'm doing this weekend (you'll have to wait and read about it laer.). The story entails me getting wet. And for that I needed to borrow Robert's underwater housing for my Canon.

  The housing is more like a big plastic bag that allows me to put the 5D and and flash inside and take underwater for up to 100'. Not bad but I only need it for waste deep water. And actually I don't know if this will be totally underwater. It'll be more of what they call over/under which is like the above image where you capture what's under and on the water.

  So I needed to make sure that I knew how to use the housing properly and decided to head to the neighborhood pool. Yes I'm aware that Christmas is a week away but we've been having highs in the 80s (and yes I'm bragging). 

  The camera fit securely inside the housing once I propped it up a bit using Benjamin's rubber building blocks. The bag is clipped on the side and sealed using screws that clamp the opening of the plastic tightly.

  With great reservation about putting my $2,700 digital camera in the pool I slowly submerged the rig in the shallow part of the pool. I looked to see if I noticed any big bubbles rising to the surface. None. Whew!!!

  Then it was time for the big test. I first dipped myself in the chilly water before taking the bag way under for a true test. Holy crap the water was chilly. I don't know if it was my body acclimating to the temp or just hypothermia setting in but I eventually got used to the water.

  I waded over to the camera sitting on the side of the pool awaiting its fate. Sploosh!!! It was fine. No water anywhere inside the bage. Now it was time for some fun.

  I set the camera to time delay and watched the front light blink for eight seconds before going under and doing something fun. I tried a few different angles and faces to see what I got. It was just so cool to take my camera under the water for a change.

  Now I can't wait to leave for my assignment Friday morning. Should be lots of fun. Stay tuned.