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Insanity!

Alright, so I'm going to spare you the boring details.... after a night of sleeping in my car and then working (shooting a BBQ competition) it's been one of the more.... interesting evenings in a while.

After getting home, I headed over to Lakewood for a lu'au, had some absolutely delicious kahlua pig, listen to some great music, formally met an awesome musician, and all that fun stuff.

Now moving on to the interesting stuff.... went to go hang out with some friends and my brother to smoke hookah and just chill... so on our way out some guy on his porch (keep in mind it's 2 in the morning) and he says "Hope you guys aren't in a hurry to leave." We're all like, that's weird, all I see are sprinklers.... then we noticed the cops.

There was a shooting right outside of my friend's apartment (6th and Sable), something like 12 shots fired and someone ran up the walkway next to the apartment yelling "I'm shot! I'm shot!"

Nobody, not me, my bro, or our 4 other friends there heard a thing... no sirens, no gunshots, no screaming.... but apparently it woke the guy from his sleep.... I counted 13 cop cars on the way out, but I'm sure I didnt see them all, we had to take a back way out.... most of them armed with assault rifles, but I guess they deemed it safe enough for us to leave, they just said our usual way out was blocked (by about half a dozen cop cars)

So, there ends my insane night.... I'm sure i could make it more colorful than that, but it's 3 in the morning and I'm exhausted..... maybe later? G'night!

On Fire(works)

Happy Independence day everybody!

It's been a long day.... Started out nearly passing out at the Loveland Fourth of July Festival at North Lake Park from the insane heat and lack of money for water to drink... so $3.77 and 2 massive bottles of green tea later, I was on my way to a grass fire (sorry, I planned on bringing a photo home with me, but forgot to upload one to my memory card.... so you'll have to wait a couple days for it).

As usual, I got lost on my way there.... I really need to get one of those darn GPS systems my dad has (and never uses), especially doing what I do.... yet somehow I always end up finding my way where I'm going.

After a nice long hike up the side of a large hill (where the fire was) I started shooting from next to the Berthoud/Loveland Fire Rescue command post, got some shots of flare-ups when trees caught fire, a few shots of the airplane coming in low and dropping its slurry, etc.

Interesting experience, I must say.... I've shot a house fire before, but there wasn't more than a little smoke there; an actual grass fire that's threatening houses and requires airdrops is definitely a step up. Not a wildfire, but a new experience none-the-less.

Then it was back to the fireworks at Loveland Lake. I don't really know what to say about that, a few shots of kids with flags and some guy firing a bottle rocket off over the lake.... some shots from the tripod of, what I think, had to have been the best fireworks show I've seen in Colorado, 40 minutes long, and a blast! They lined the entire swim beach with massive mortars (if lightning were to strike the swim beach, there'd be little more than a crater left) and put together one hell of a show.

And once again I'm amazed with the people of Loveland, and of Northern Colorado in general. Never in Aurora or Denver could I even dream of seeing the kind of turnout there was at Loveland Lake.... There wasn't a square inch of space on the lawns on either side of the road.... the ENTIRE circumference of the Lake (I don't know exactly how long that is.... but it's BIG). Community is a big thing in Northern Colorado, it seems. What a strange sensation.... Kinda wish the whole community didn't have to walk by my parking lot at the same time though.... punks....

Anyways, it's been a long day, so I think I'm out. Goodnight!

Quote for the Day: "I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don't take no lip off'a nobody!" - Yul Brenner (Cool Runnings)
Song for the Day: "Nightmarchers" - Sudden Rush
Word for the Day: Independence - freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.

Windsor

Wow, what a way to start an internship, ehh?

My first week as an intern with the Loveland Reporter Herald has been pure insanity, easily the busiest news week for the year for the Reporter Herald.

To start off I was part of a 3-photog team covering the funeral, procession, etc. of a Loveland soldier killed in Afghanistan, the first from the town to be lost to the war abroad. Three days later a tornado devastated the small town of Windsor, a short hop across the highway from Loveland.

Not much to say, I'm exhausted this evening, but I'd like to extend my best wishes to the families affected by the tornado.

Seeing Gold

Today was quite the ridiculous roller coaster of events. It began with a nearly two hour car ride on a packed solid I-25 en route to Aurora. But it didn't matter. I was seeing gold.

Collegian reporter Kaeli West and myself were meeting 6-time Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming (50m Free, 100m B-fly, 4x100m Freestyle relay (2x), 4x100m Medley relay(2x)) for an interview and photo shoot at the Aurora Public Library.

And it was a BLAST! Amy was quite possibly one of the most amazing people I've ever met, a lively, energetic woman with funny stories galore and a wicked sense of humor. I had some really kinda cool ideas for photos, but unfortunately she didn't have any of her swim gear or medals with her, so I settled for a less-than-original way of photographing her.

The remainder of the day was spent in class, shooting a feature photo, and doing a pair of annoyingly difficult to set up photo illustrations, one for the magazine and the other for our A&E issue tomorrow. Alright, so maybe they weren't that bad to set up, but I typically don't do those kinds of things, and it shows in the results.

I was planning on writing a longer, more in-depth post, particularly on our interview/photo shoot with Van Dyken, but unfortunately tomorrow's another early, long day and so I'm thinkin' it's bedtime. 'Til next time.

Quote for the Day: "The only time I've seen him run fast was when i pressed 'fast forward' on the VCR!" -Amy Van Dyken, on a banter session with former radio co-host Charles Barkley
Song for the Day: "Bad Boys" -Inner Circle
Word for the Day: Gold Medal - a medal, traditionally of gold or gold color, awarded to a person or team finishing first in a competition, meet, or tournament; championship medal.

As Quickly as it Began...

As quickly as it began, Sports Shooter Academy V is over. And I must say, I couldn't have been more pleased with how it went down.

I learned a lot from just being in a new environment and working with some of the best photographers and the best gear around.

Donald Miralle led an underwater photo class, utilizing thousand-dollar+ underwater housings by AquaTech. I shot baseball with a 600mm f/4L lens, softball with a 400mm f/2.8L, and set up multiple remotes slaved to a single hardwired trigger at basketball.

But the gear wasn't everything.

What I think I took away from the Academy more than anything else was a heightened sense of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Composition, lighting, angles, backgrounds, the works. It really made you think: "What am I looking for? Why? What can I accomplish by it?"

Hopefully those lessons are powerful enough ones I can take home with me and really utilize more fully in my daily work. That, and I am really happy about all the contacts I made in the industry, incredibly useful resources for critiques.

Awards? Great, my "team" of Justin Edmonds, Michael Sasser (both of DU) and myself won an award. Big deal. The efficiency and importance of teamwork was what really made the whole workshop possible. Just ask Bert Hanashiro, he attributes the whole workshop to teamwork.

Thanks to everyone at SSAV for the great experience. Bert Hanashiro, Jordan Murph, Wally Skalij, Donald Miralle, Susanica Tam, Crystal Chatham, Myung Chun, Matt Brown, Sean Haffey, Michael Goulding. My "teammates" (Team Colorado) Justin and Michael. Good times all!

Quote for the Day: "See better, shoot better" -SSAV Motto
Song for the Day: "Sexy Love" -NeYo
Word for the Day: Legacy - anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor

SSA V - Day One

SportsShooter Academy has officially begun.

The weather has been beautiful here in Orange County, nothing short of phenomenal. Everything seems to be cooperating with us, so far.

It's intimidating to be around so many talented photographers, but the experience of meeting some of my favorite photographers have been sobering.

They're human, too.

It's so easy to forget that everybody has a face, a voice, a personality, when all you have to go by is a name and some pictures on a website. It's kinda cool, actually.

So far I've had the opportunity to work with some of the best in the business, and it's exciting to see the kinds of resources they have available to them. It's also interesting to really watch and get a feel for the kinds of ideas and things they look for just come to them like nothing.

I'm a bit of a pushover when it comes to portraits, so don't be surprised if you see a lot of them in my takes from SSAV because I could use all the practice I can get. Ditto with remotes.

For a lot more photos and probably more regular updates (every night, I'd guess), visit my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/biwamoto/

Quote for the Day:
Me: "I could get used to this"
Robert Hanashiro, USA Today and SSA Founder: "Let's see... A beautiful Olympic volleyball player for a model and a USA Today photographer for an assistant... You could get used to this...."
Song for the Day: "Never Ending Story" -DJ ACDC
Word for the Day: Stunning - of striking beauty or excellence

California Promises

Giving y'all a midnight update with only 8 hours between myself and that land of dreams and promises they call California. Helloooo warm weather, and good riddance snow!

I'm a mixture of excitement, nervousness, exhaustion and confusion. And I'm loving every minute of it.

But I haven't updated in a while, so here's what you may have missed:

- Got into a telephone argument with a CSU athletics Media Relations director. Bad Idea. Result: Banned from Moby Arena for the year.

- Had a meeting with the CSU athletics Media Relations directors. Good Idea. Result: Moby Arena credentials reinstated.

- Forsberg and Foote are back. Avs are winning games. Life is good.

- It was announced I won a pair of SPJ Region 9 Mark of Excellence Awards. Not quite sure what that means, but it's nice to know someone likes what I'm doing. No word yet on what place they grabbed in their respective categories, that has to wait til Apr. 12.

- Gone to California for SSA V (Sports Shooter Academy) to work with some of the best in the industry, including Donald Miralle (Getty) and Wally Skalij (L.A. Times).

Tune in for more updates from sunny California, I'll be sure to throw a few photos up once I get something interesting!

P.S. Congratulations to Collegian Visual Editor Aaron Montoya for being hired as the 2008-09 Collegian Editor-in-Chief.

Quote for the Day: "Who's scruffy looking?" -Han Solo
Song for the Day: "California Dreamin'" - DJ Sammy
Word for the Day: Insomnia- inability to obtain sufficient sleep; difficulty in falling or staying asleep; sleeplessness.

Breaking Point

Imagine a piece of steel. What happens to that steel when you stack greater and greater amounts of weight on it? It breaks of course.

I'm that steel.

And I'm going to break.

I'm afraid of what will happen when I do. I only hope I can minimize the damage done to myself, my career, and my friends.

I'm miserable. My life has taken off and left me behind. I'm a day or two behind in all of my classes, I got a written warning at work because I'm falling behind in keeping track of photo assignments. I'm drowning under the pressure of far too much work, too much stress. I can't breathe, and for the first time in a long time, I'm beginning to panic. I don't know what to do.

When did my passion become my burden?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyways, I shot Barack Obama for the third time now today at Magness Arena, down at the University of Denver campus. It was quite the intense experience, and the first time I actually arrived at an Obama event on-time, much less early (press entrance was supposed to open at 7:30, we were there at 6:45). I'm not sure what to make of it, so I'll post the audio slideshow I made, using photos by both me and our other photographer Brian.



Quote for the day: Man at Obama event: "Who are you?!"
Man in Suit at Obama event: "Secret Service. Who are YOU?"
Song for the day: "So Sick" -Ne-Yo
Word for the day: Suffocation- to overcome or extinguish; suppress.

Ethical Dilemmas

I faced my first real ethical dilemma today. Or at least, that's what it felt like. More like a melodramatic overreaction on my part, but none the less made me think, made me feel for the first time as a photojournalist.

My assignment was to document homeless life in Fort Collins. Having seen Philadelphia Enquirer photographer Tom Gralish's Pulitzer award winning photographs of Philadelphia's homeless, I was obviously very nervous. I actually psyched myself out.

The writer for the story told me that the homeless like to sleep at the library and at the bus station in Old Town. So, early in the morning I go to the address the writer gave me (which turned out to be a completely different place) and waited for the people to be sent out at 6:45 (which apparently only happens on weekdays). Turns out there was nobody there, but at the time I thought they were simply waiting for me to leave before sending anyone off - a suspicion I thought confirmed when, after driving around the block, I saw people walking out of the side door. Naturally, I felt unwanted.

So I traveled to the bus station, thinking maybe I'll find someone there. I pulled into a parking garage, parked, reached for my cameras, and..... stopped. I couldn't do it. I couldn't "exploit" these peoples' unfortunate circumstances for some picture that will run in the school newspaper. I couldn't find it in my heart to pick my cameras up and go to work. I was at a loss, I never felt anything like it before, like I wanted to rip my heart from my chest so I can just go out and do my job without remorse and without guilt. But I couldn't. I sat in my car gripping the steering wheel with tears in my eyes for a good 15 min before driving away.

To make a long story short, I eventually did gain the confidence and self-reassurance to drive back to the bus station, as well as the library, and investigate. Nothing. I parked in Old Town and strolled the alleys. Nothing. And I stumble across "Hobo Park," across the street from the Open Door Mission, and get to talking to this guy who, never in a million years, I would have guessed was homeless. All my misconceptions flew out the door.

Anyways, summary of the story is I was melodramatic and immature, but I still faced what I saw as my first real ethical dilemma. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come, but rather just a good learning experience. I'll take them wherever I can get 'em.

Quote for the day: "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." -Cicero
Song for the day: "It's My Job" -Jimmy Buffett
Word for the day: Guilt - a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined.