View Finders

Trial Run - Cameras in Court

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:23:00 +0000

My career as a professional photojournalist has been spent working in Illinois but I haven't been in the industry long enough to remember when photographers were allowed inside Illinois courtrooms. So, for me, the ban on cameras in courtrooms fit with other reporting procedures for criminal justice stories: no photos of dead bodies, of sexual assault victims or inside courtrooms. It was the status-quo.

Except for two brief instances covering stories in Davenport the most time I've ever spent in a courtroom was when I talked my way out of a parking ticket 10 years ago. It was far from "Law & Order" but it was intimidating to stand in front of a gallery of people, in front of a judge, and defend myself. Had there been a TV camera trained on the back of my head, or a photographer snapping away as I shifted on my feet, I don't know how I would have felt about it. Of course, nobody is questioning the validity of allowing news coverage inside courtrooms. Maybe that's because we really only want, and need, to be present for newsworthy stories. Distinctions have always been made between routine legal hearings and special cases that have an impact on the community. During the years of the Illinois camera ban newspaper and TV reporters were still sitting in on court proceedings of important cases. The argument for allowing cameras back into courtrooms is really to argue for the value of photojournalism.

But just as newspapers won't print photos of dead bodies and sexual assault victims, they won't insist on no-holds-bared camera coverage when it's clear that someone's safety or rights will be in jeopardy. The Constitutional rights of a free press don't always supersede other rights and the Quad-Cities' news organizations have worked closely with the 14th Circuit Chief Judge to establish a protocol for camera coverage that won't infringe on the rights of whitenesses, defendants or jurors.

All the specifics would eventually have been ironed out, but the entire process was fast-tracked. An ongoing, expanding legal saga with far-reaching public impact was scheduled to have its next chapter written only weeks after the camera ban was lifted.

Even for those who can recall the last time cameras were present for court proceedings today's technology and norms required us to adopt a new approach to courtroom coverage. It's been impressive to see the way local media outlets have collaborated with each other to get this right. The process hasn't been competitive or even cliquey. The radio stations, newspapers and TV affiliates have been working collectively as The Media rather than as independent organizations looking for a way to scoop the competition.

The result of that team effort hasn't just been the well-organized and timely sharing of content, it's strengthened our profile, our mandate and defined our rights as working media inside the courtroom. In the past I and many of my media peers have run into the upset friends and family members of someone we're covering as they walk into the courthouse. Most times they let us know they don't like us being there by telling us so - but altercations have gotten physical. Shooting photos while standing over the shoulders of family members and victims inside the courtroom is a totally different animal. I had concerns that emotions that before would have subsided at the front door of the courthouse might now move inside. That concern and so many other legitimate questions about media rights and procedures inside the courtroom were solved as a result of us working as a collective toward our shared goal.

The nuts & bolts of the work are the same - focus, exposure, moment - but the work is different. I don't want to overstate the matter but getting the first Illinois newspaper images inside a courtroom after decades of being shut out really did put us on the front lines of history. This trial run in the 14th District is certainly an experiment. So far, it's a successful one. This is where and when it happened and if it all falls apart it effects everyone. The procedures developed with the court system here could end up being disregarded or they could become the blueprint for state-wide implementation. So far our efforts and approach are paying off. We have to make this work because we know how important this is.

Me in court on Feb. 2nd. Using a sound-deadening cover is a little awkward, but does help quiet the camera's shutter noise. (Bill Mayeroff photo)

Harlem Globetrotters visit Davenport school

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Mizener) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:31:00 +0000

Since I was pressed for time on Tuesday I really didn't plan on shooting video at the Harlem Globetrotter's appearance at a school in Davenport on Tuesday Dec. 20, 2011 but I just couldn't resist once the event got started. Here is the final product from the event. - Todd

"How did you do that?"

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Mizener) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:12:00 +0000

PACESETTER PHOTO FINAL IMAGE: Tanner Williams, Orion senior forward, is off to another fast start with 82 points, 26 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Chargers went 4-0 and won their own Orion Tip-Off Classic, with Williams earning All-Tournament honors. Orion's seven seniors all have high hopes this year after going 30-4 and coming within a whisker of the Final Four. Pictured with Williams are Nick Lapaczonek, Zach Kahley, Brady Hancock, Royce Woodley, Trent DeDecker and Cory Stiles.

"How did you do that?" I heard that question a lot last week. People wanted to know what voodoo photo magic I used to create my unique Pacesetter portrait of Orion High School basketball player Tanner Williams. The photo features Williams, six of his teammates and 17 hovering basketballs. Basically the image is a combination of circumstance, luck, patience and Adobe Photoshop.

When I arrived at the school I was surprised to find out that Tanner wanted the photo to include 6 of his teammates. I told him we don't normally do that but he reminded me that we recently did it for Colton Schulenberg, the Orion QB, during football season. How could I argue with that logic? I agreed but said I would shoot it both ways (one with the 7 people and one with just him) and we'd sort it out back in the newsroom depending on the direction of the story.

The big hurdle for me was that photographing seven basketball players normally requires more than one light stand. I had three strobes in my light kit but two of my three light stands were on loan to my fellow photographers and conspicuously absent from the trunk of my car. I ended up having to 'MacGyver' a lightstand by mounting the left-hand strobe to a metal folding chair. The fact that the light is on a folding chair is the reason the three players on the left are so dramatically lit.

When I was setting up before the players came into the gym I noticed that there was a huge cache of basketballs in the corner. So I decided that I needed to incorporate them into the photo somehow once I was done with the group shot. But as I was shooting the group shot I decided to start handing the guys basketballs to hold and then it just kind of morphed into them to throwing them into the air on the count of three. The trick here was I had to fire the shutter as the balls came down so they had enough time to get their arms back in a military type pose.

They tossed the balls in the air about 20 or 30 times. Each time I checked the frame and more often than not we were close but something would just be a hair off. In the end I got one perfect frame. That time there were no shadows across anyone's face and all the balls where in the perfect location.

I didn't start out with the intention of blending the images together when I was shooting. It wasn't until I was editing the images that I started to experiment with meshing two frames together in an effort to increase the effect of the balls hanging in midair.

IMAGE #1 - BASE IMAGE FOR FINAL OUTPUT

IMAGE #2 - The balls from this image were copied from this frame using a layer mask in Adobe Photoshop CS4 and pasted into IMAGE #1. I copied them all at once to maintain their positioning in relation to the lights. This way the photo would look more natural.

IMAGE #3 - The balls on the far left and right in this frame were lifted out of this image in the same way I described above an dropped into IMAGE #1. I added these two balls in order to balance the composition of the final composite.

FINISHED COMPOSITE: It took a little more than an hour to complete the task of carefully blending the three photos together in Adobe CS4. The most time consuming task was to carefully remove the background from around each of the basketballs to avoid having them look like they were cut out with a pair of scissors. It was also important to place the additional balls in their same coordinates in the frame so the lighting across the image looks natural.

I was pretty pleased with the finished product despite some angst over composition. I could have added a few more balls to the image but we decided that might have spoiled the effect and look too phony. Looking at the final image it seems plausible that 17 basketballs were tossed into the frame by people standing off camera.

In the end, I can't help but to think that growing up watching Captain Kangaroo had some effect on my creative process. See video clip below for an explanation.

Thanks for asking - Todd

Don't forget to turn around

noreply@blogger.com (Aaron Facemire) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:58:00 +0000

At almost every assignment I end up with photos that don't quite fit the story or make it to the paper. Often times these are my favorite moments. These photos get stuck away in the archives to most likely not see print. This scene from back stage at the Moline High School rehearsal for "Charlotte's Web" or a half time action shot of a cheerleader are good examples. They don't tell the whole story of the event, but in and of themselves they tell more personal stories about what is happening at that time.
This is a scene you will often see if you are at a High School playoff game, but you won't see it in the paper much. He tried his hardest and left it all on the field, including his tears. However, the photo doesn't give you the action of the previous 48 minutes.
Other times I find myself storing away photos that I take just for myself. I was waiting for the Mallards game to start and I caught this guy watching the warm-ups.

I really like the birds flying in the blue sky at the East Moline Landfill while I was covering an electrical explosion.

And I always recommend going off the beaten path. In this case, going into the Sylvan Slough on a slow news day.

I am constantly reminding myself to turn around in order to see all angles while out on an assignment. Its easy to get excited and miss out on whats happening on the outskirts of events. When I turned around last week while covering a high school football playoff game, I was surprised to see one of the players relieving himself at the start of the second-half.

Strangely two players ended up using the side of a shed as a urinal during half-time. I can imagine they were too busy in the locker room during half time and they didn't have enough time to run up the hill to the school to go to the restroom in the few minutes left before the second half . This photo would never run in the paper but the player was jovial about being caught in the act. He thought it was funny that I took his photo and joked as he returned to the football field.

I needed to go too, but I had to hold it.

Behind the Scenes: Pacesetter

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Mizener) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:18:00 +0000

Moline High School's Fantastic Five Dispatch/Argus Pacesetter photo by Paul Colletti.

How many photographers and sports writers does it take to shoot one Pacesetter photo? In the case of the photo above it took 3 of us to shoot the unique 5-person athlete of the week photo.

When I assigned Lead Staff Photographer Paul Colletti to the assignment I wasn't sure how he was going to approach composing the photo. The trick would be to come up with a concept which featured the 5 equally, or at least as equally as possible given their different heights, etc.

The Fantastic Five get their marching orders on how to pose from D/A photographer Paul Colletti while sports editor hold the chair.

The five Moline High School athletes are soccer standout Bernard Gamamou; football quarterback Garrett Miner; tennis ace Maggie Helms, and cross country runner Haley Verbeke. Our sports department made the unique decision of honoring as a group since each standout athlete helped lead their respective Moline teams to Western Big 6 Conference championships within the last two weeks.

The concept for the photo was all Paul's idea. He wanted to have them strike a superhero pose and luckily the kids went along with the idea even though he didn't really unveil the concept top them at the outset. Truth be told I just was going with the flow moving lights for him and wasn't really sure what he was up to until Moline golfer Mitchell Medinger joked that a quintet of Moline Pacesetters for the Dispatch/Argus could be a 'Fantastic 5.'

Dispatch/Argus photographer Paul Colletti makes sure the Fantastic Five are posed correctly.

To get Paul in the right position to shoot the photo we had to "borrow" a old rusty folding chair that was resting high up on the ledge of the Maroon's baseball field's press-box. Later Paul wanted to change positions so he could back up and use a 50mm lens. Since there is a 2-foot drop off into the teacher's parking lot we needed to find him another perch. Our only option was a nearby garbage can since neither of us was smart enough to have brought a ladder. So we dragged over a garbage can which was full of 'something'. The only thing we knew was in the can was a pile of weeds and grass resting at the top. What was below the surface was anyone's guess. We pretty much had one shot at flipping the can over so we got it in the right spot and whipped it over quickly. Paul climbed up on top and I sat on the can to keep it steady. Within moments of the flipping it over the smell started to rise from below. Our best guess was that dog walkers must have been using the trash can as a dumping ground. Since it it had recently rained what we had unearthed was a can over full of 'poop soup'. Yuck.

Dispatch/Argus Sports Editor Marc Nesseler makes
sure the folding chair doesn't move while Paul
takes the photo.

Paul quickly framed up the final frames before we were over come by th odor. After the photography we still had to flip the can back over and get it back to where we found it. All of the kids commented on the stench as they headed back to class. We were lucky enough to get the can right-side up with minimal damage. The best part was that one of the handles was 'soup' free so I was able to drag it back to where we found it without having to come in contact with the disgusting mixture. The lesson learned - don't forget to pack the ladder.

The finished product features a little bit of photoshop magic. Paul tweaked the image with some motion blurring to give the kids more of a 'superhero' feel. I thought Paul had a great concept and thanks to the kids being good sports - no divas amongst the five - and a little help from his friends the photo turned out great.

- Todd Mizener

Born in a box car

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Mizener) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:13:00 +0000

Have you ever had one of those days where the outcome doesn't match the journey? On Feb. 15, 2011 I had one of those days.

My adventure didn't take much more than an hour but I will never forget it. Joe Terronez can be best described as a character. My assignment was to photograph Joe as part of our 2010 census coverage. The Quad-Cities Hispanic population increase was the centerpiece of our main story and no one understood the Mexican-American journey better than Joe.

I arrived at his house with an idea for the photo but no real hope I could pull it off. Our reporter Steve Elliot had learned during their phone that the 82-year-old first-generation Mexican-American and the former mayor of Silvis had been born in a box car. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the perfect place to shoot his portrait was in an old box car. I had scouted the nearby rail yard but I could only find tanker cars which really wouldn't work for the portrait.

All of the photo possibilities were running through my head as I stood on the front stoop of the modest single story house, located a stones throw from the famed Hero Street Monument. Joe's wife met me at the door and brought me back the kitchen to meet Joe. It had been awhile since I had seen him and I noticed he was older and a little slower than our last meeting. I had photographed him when he was mayor and at Hero Street events but he was older and I quickly let go of the boxcar idea. I was going to have to make a photo somewhere in the house.

As we chatted about the recent blizzard which buried the midwest I took note of the stack of what looked like homemade taco shells on the kitchen table. For some reason it reminded me I had missed lunch but where were we going to take the photo?

"Steve tells me you were born in a box car. Where was is located?" I asked.

"Oh right over there behind the old Rock Island Line," he said while pointing to the east.

I could see immediately that Joe was proud of being born in a box car and the strides his family made since those humble beginnings. He immediately seemed to get a spring in his step just talking about it. He quickly went back to a small office/bedroom and grabbed a prized map of the camps which families like his lived in back in the 1920's. It was being carefully preserved in a protective plastic sleeve. I felt like we should have been wearing white gloves to handle it.

I had nothing to loose when I pitched my idea of photographing him with a box car. He loved the idea and didn't seem too surprised by it. I mentioned that I couldn't find a boxcar visible from the avenue. His wife suggested the restored caboose which was located in a small city park near the old rail yard. Joe wanted the real thing. I asked him if he could find the spot where he was born. "Sure can," he said with a childlike enthusiasm. "Ok I'll get my truck and we'll give it a try." I scooped up the bag of photo equipment I had brought and started out to my vehicle. As I left the house I turned to his wife, who wasn't slightest bit alarmed by me kidnapping her husband, "I promise I'll bring him back in one piece." She just smiled like she knew something I didn't.

Joe hopped in my SUV and off we went. I took a quick right turn and we were off. I knew about where we were going. I had been to the rail yard before but only ever photographed it from afar. It is an imposing looking place to someone like me but not to Joe who had a road map in his head. It wasn't any different from taking someone on a tour of their old neighborhood.

We got off to a rough start because we turned too early and ended up in a dead-end in the middle of some field. "They have really changed this place," said Joe a little disappointed that maybe his memory wasn't as good as he thought.

It wasn't but a minute and I figured out that we were on the wrong side of the tracks and were quickly back on track so to speak.

Joe talked about his family, his dad and how proud of his childhood. His dad was a blacksmith for the old Rock Island Line. He bragged about how strong his dad was. "Arms like steel," he said. We talked about how hard a job it must have been to be a blacksmith but we both knew that it paled in comparison to his father leaving his family in Mexico at the age of 13 to come to America. We shared the common bond that neither of our father's liked to talk about the past. They were both men focused on the road ahead.

In between anecdotes Joe helped me navigate the old rail yard which was still active but has different kind of tenant these day. The company which occupies the old Rock Island Line footprint restores train engines and from the look of it business is good. There seemed to be an endless string of engines parked quietly at the ready.

I knew we were trespassing, and so did Joe but neither of us ever mentioned it. It was the classic elephant in the room kinda moment. We just kept driving past the graveyard of old railroad parts. Steel parts probably forged in someplace like Pittsburg left rusting in neat piles everywhere. We kept driving, my white SUV getting more and more muddy by the second Joe observed. We wound around old brick buildings and the huge train engines. I swear Joe could see them as pristine in his mind's eye. We finally found ourselves in the northern most section of the property which bordered land owned by Deere & Co. and separated by simple chain linked fence. It seemed more of a formality than a necessity.

I spotted a place on our trail where I knew I could make a great portrait of Joe. As I slowed the truck and started to suggest the location which would feature two rusting train engines as a backdrop in front of a rugged stack of railroad ties he politely cut me off . "We're not there yet, keep going." A missed opportunity but I started to get the feeling we were on a quest.

We wound around a building which could have doubled for a bombed out factory in some WWII movie. All the scene lacked were the GIs peering from the wreckage.

Finally as we cleared the last building a field opened up before us. "We're here." I drove up to the edge of the field. I knew that this was as far as I could drive given the muddy and icy conditions. The problem was that we were here but there wasn't a train car within 400 yards to stand him in front of.

My backdrop wasn't going to be a box car but the place where the box cars once stood. Joe stood there in rapture. Who knows how long it had been since he stood on this remote location but I am sure he hadn't walked this hollowed ground since he was a boy and his father was working in the blacksmith shop some 100-yards away. Even as Mayor he wouldn't have had any need to visit this little corner of his past.

I had to work quickly because odds were that security was going to find us sooner rather than later. He stood with his back to where camp #2 was located. In the distance were two trees he seemed to recognize like old friends. They were 80-years older but still familiar. In the distance there was an old rusty water tower that he and his friends used to climb. If you squinted you could see the 3 camps and maybe he was romanticizing it to me but I think he had the right to remember it anyway he wanted to.

I struggled to make a decent photo. I played with my depth of field, my lens choice and the angle. I had him hold the map and stand this way and which way. Finally I decided whatever I got was going to have to be good enough. There is only so much you can ask an 82-year-old man to do on a cold Feb. afternoon. I escorted him back to my SUV. I told him to take my arm because I wanted to live up to my promise to his wife. Just as we got back to the vehicle we both spotted the security car taking a beeline for our location.

"I'll talk to him," Joe said confidently. I rolled down the window and Joe worked his magic.

"Can I help you gentleman," asked the thin but rumpled security guard in dark sunglasses. I quickly noticed that he didn't seem to have any sense of urgency in his voice. He seemed surprised to see anyone, and I mean anyone, parked where were on the property. It was a bit of a shock to my system which had braced for a much more aggressive approach.

"I am Joe Terronez, the former Mayor of Silvis and the newspaper wanted to take a picture of me where I was born....I was born right here", said to Joe pointing to the big field in front of us.

It might have been the last story the guard had expected because his response was one of sheer dumfounded amazement. I quickly added "He was born in a box car right over there."

"Wow. Ok. Well....that's great."

"We couldn't find anyone to ask so we just headed back. I hope it was OK, " said Joe ever being the diplomat.

Before the guard could process what we were telling him we apologized again and assured him we were on our way out. He seem relieved to see us go and we were happy to hit the road and not get anyone in trouble.

The only real casualty of meeting the security guard was that I wasn't going to be able to stop on the way out and try to make a better portrait amidst the rusting train parts. I was done taking pictures but my adventure wasn't quite over yet.

On the way out Joe decided that he wanted one last look at the old blacksmith shop that his father toiled in for so many years. It was located in the middle of the complex and we had to pass an office which was buzzing with activity inside. We slowly passed by the living and found ourselves with the ghosts of Joe's past. As he told me more about his dad and I started to see the men who used to toil in these buildings. All trying to eek out a tough living working for the railroad. We didn't linger long just long enough to spot to old cars parked in the old blacksmith shop. We quickly identified one as an Edsel and the other as a Galaxy. Who knows if we were right but it was fun to guess.

A quick u-turn and we were headed home. All the way back to his house Joe talked about his dad and how proud he was of the sacrifice he made for Joe's family. He waxed poetically about his childhood and what a paradise Silvis was to him as a kid in the 1930's. He learned to work hard and give back to the community. He snuck in a few resume highlights from his days as mayor as I drove. "I am damn proud of what I did and I don't care who knows it." I just smiled.

I told him he reminded me of my dad. Both men are both cut from the same piece of cloth. Dad was someone who could make friends in a phone booth. Always quick with a smile and a good word. Joe was no different. I can see them sitting on the porch drinking an Old Style and talking about growing up in the Quad-Cities back in the day.

When we arrived at Joe's front door I thanked him for the adventure. Before letting him get out of the car I needed to ask him a few questions so I could write a decent cutline for the photo. The first question was his age. "82. I was born Feb. 15, 1929," he said with a smile.

"Oh...that's today."

"Yep," he said knowing he had just revealed a secret.

"So I just took you to where you were born...on your birthday?" I asked rhetorically.

"Yep. We're having a big party here tonight."

"We'll Joe you just made my year. That is so cool," I exclaimed.

We traded a few more pleasantries and I was off.

As I drove away I felt like I had been a part of something special. I can only compare it to my experience on the inaugural Honor Flight to the WWII memorial. Only with Honor Flight I captured the image of my career. On this special day in February my adventure far out shined the images I captured. Truth be told that's just fine with me.

This is the image of Joe we used in the newspaper. As you can see the rail engines are pretty far away but we decided that this image lent more context to the story than the B&W images posted at the top.

This is my job; a weekend portfolio of an intern

noreply@blogger.com (Dispatch/Argus Photo Department) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:39:00 +0000

"Look! Look at the camera. He's taking your picture!" the family says. The boy looked away from the candy that was holding his attention so intently he did not know which way to turn. A homecoming parade and a homecoming football game started off my weekend.

Friday turned out to be a pretty nice day. Nothing overtly exciting happened. Two assignments came and went, both of which were standard enough. A parade and a football game can only allow for so much. Todd shook my hand before he left the office and said, "you'll be alright." ...

Saturday was tough.

I arrive to my 8am looking for hot air balloons. Bright eyed and just off a bad cup of coffee expecting to find awesome colors and a good sunrise, I arrive to the Quad Cities Hot Air Balloon Festival. The balloons are gone, along with the colors and my photo. "What's next this morning?" I ask the announcer. "A nap," is the reply I receive.

After quick deliberation in my head, I text my boss:

me: balloon launch was at 7am. got here at 8 and its over. want me to come back tonight and get some shots? i dont mind

mize: Three justvwent over my head. There is on down on rock river where i74 crosses the river. I guess you should check back later let me know if you get something otherwisvjohn will need to check it

I felt bad I was bothering Todd so early in the morning on a Saturday. I could not tell if it was iPhone typos or I had just woken him up but the conversation ended with me agreeing to grab a portfolio shot at the second launch of the day: 5pm. I have a way of putting a lot of pressure on myself.

I searched both Moline cities skies and parks near the Rock River for hot air balloons to no avail and set off to downtown Rock Island where I was to meet a rally. On the way, I spotted some black smoke across the river above downtown Davenport. Ironic, I thought, that such black smoke was coming from that area and I was going to an environmental awareness rally.

I made the quick minute decision, and another call to Todd, to follow my gut and put off the other assignment. I had forgotten my scanner, so I was in the dark about the situation, and I did not want to miss something so obviously out of place. A house fire is never a good thing, even if the photos turn out well. Everyone besides the cat made it out alive. A firefighter was burned. And I had navigated through my first fire without upsetting anyone.

Then came the tricky part. Three assignments in as many hours spread out throughout the Quad cities. Each one having the possibility of holding nothing visually interesting. None-the-less, an assignment is an assignment and an image must be made.

The weather was good and the people were happy and colorful. The Moving Planet rally allowed for some good photos and some good exercise. I chased the group of about 40 people around downtown Davenport where I found this Augustana student sitting atop a parking structure trying to make a group shot.

The Hauberg Civic Center 100th Anniversary celebration was the assignment I dreaded most that day. For whatever reason, I thought I would walk away with nothing of note. I arrived and there were few people there. I should know at this point in my career that if you are patient you can make a photo anywhere.

The people who were there were very interested in the event and very open to allowing me to photograph them. Having cute kids running around always helps too.

Echoes from Riverside was the most lively and insightful trip I have taken to a cemetery ever. A large crowd had gathered to be shown to the different actors around the plots and the mausoleum to learn more about the history of the people buried there.

It was a nice pace change to my day. Everything up to that point had been very fast, very frantic. This assignment allowed me to look around a bit and get a feel for the setting as well as the people in it, alive and dead.

Working as a photojournalist, there are certain photos you have to take at these events. These are the photos people are looking to see as they turn the pages of the paper. The ones that hold the who, what, when, why, and where. My job is to find those photos and capture them in a timely fashion to get them to the public as soon as possible. My passion is to find the photos that tell more about the people involved than just what they are doing.

Even if an event is canceled, moved around, delayed, or spot news shows up and pushes your schedule way out of wack, you go with the flow.

The time for me to go check out the balloon event again came around again and I was looking for a portfolio shot. I don't think I found one, and 12 hours after I began the day, I was certainly cold.

Right before I left the show, I turned around to find a father and son pair that made my waiting well worth it.

The weekend was far from over, though. Sunday brought with it the most exciting part of what was a long weekend. The Quad Cities Marathon. Another early morning and another cup of awful coffee later I was out on the street in downtown Moline with Laura, a fellow reporter, trying to find an image to send before the race began at 730am.

The race itself was amazing. The diversity and the effort put forth by everyone was inspiring. When I thought I couldn't take another photo or worried I had missed something the runners kept me going. They were the ones doing the work Sunday. I was just there to be witness to their endeavors

Through the hoards of people, rain, running up and down bridges and dodging the runners themselves, me and my colleagues ended up with solid coverage on the day. This is my job in the microcosm of a weekend.

Photographing pain

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Mizener) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:03:00 +0000

Burundi refugee Hanganimana Epimaque, the father of drowning victim Michel Niyubahwe, 11, of Rock Island said Tuesday through an interpreter that it was out of character for his son to leave home without permission. Mr. Epimaque said he doesn't understand how the boy ended up at the riverfront without an adult knowing where he was. (Photo by Todd Mizener/The Dispatch & The Rock Island Argus)

Pain. If I have learned anything in 20-plus years on the job is that everyone deals with grief and pain in their own unique way. In journalism school they teach every reporter and photographer that they will come face to face with grief at some point in their career. Getting a heads up never makes it any easier the first time you have to deal with it on assignment. Any journalist with a pulse will tell you it isn't easy to do your job some days and not walk away unchanged.

I believe that the July 4th drowning of a 11-year-old African refugee boy in the Mississippi River will forever change my two youngest photographers - Stephanie Makosky and Brooks Canaday. Stephanie was the first photographer on the scene followed by Brooks a few hours later. They might not know it now but the experience of covering this story might end up being one on the hardest things they will have to do as photojournalists. Covering a child's drowning is just plain awful and I think that they handled themselves with the utmost professionalism and respect.

Benjamin Habonimana, 13, center, sits quietly with his friends in a courtyard at Century Woods apartments in Rock Island Tuesday afternoon. Benjamin was with his friend Michel Niyubahwe, 11, of Rock Island when Michel drowned Monday in the Mississippi River near Sunset Marina. (Photo by Todd Mizener/The Dispatch & The Rock Island Argus)

The next day on July 5, 2011 reporter Brandy Donaldson made contact with a mutual friend of the boy's family to find out if the family wanted to tell their story in the wake of the tragedy. Later that day the little boy's family graciously invited us into their home.
As we waited for the boy's father to arrive it was our pleasure to meet and talk with the community of immigrants living in Rock Island's Century Woods Apartments. I was quickly surrounded by smiling faces of immigrant children who were all anxious for me to take their picture. In contrast Brandy was having more sobering conversations with some of the adults who knew the deceased boy. Soon she was introduced to Benjamin, one of the boys who happend to be with Michel when he went into the water.
Photographers around the world face the challenge of when to press the shutter and when to just be a witness. Sometimes a smile or a handshake is more important than raising your camera and capturing a moment. The two images you see above were the ones I thought captured the subject's emotions without being exploitive. There were no grand public expression of tears on Tuesday. Many of the very small children were running and playing without any idea one of their own was missing. The expression on Benjamin's face was fleeting. He mostly didn't show any outward emotion other than a nervous smile when his friends started to needle him when they noticed me taking his picture.
As for the photograph of the Michel's father I just stood back with a longer lens and photographed him while he explained to Brandy, through an interpreter, that it was out of character for his son to leave home without permission.
Hopefully these two photos will not only draw eyes to Brandy's story but help lend some sort of context to the story as a whole.

Pitch Perfect

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:18:00 +0000

It took me a year - but I got the photo I've been waiting for since last summer. At right about this point in the summer the timing of the sunset coincides with the start of the River Bandits' game in such a way that a thin strip of light peaks onto the field, catching the top half of the pitcher as he delivers to the plate. As the summer wears on the sun is lower in the sky, and by the time the game starts the pitcher is already in full shade. I remember talking with fellow photographer Stephanie Makosky last year, lamenting the fact that I'd have to wait until next baseball season to have another opportunity at making the photo. I think the natural lighting makes for a dramatic photo - one worth the wait.

The Other Shoe Drops…

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:47:00 +0000

"Wow, the car literally knocked him out of his shoes" I thought. The scene of a child hit by a car looked serious with the street blocked off and police taking witness statements. The accident happened on a busy street in front of a school around 3:30 in the afternoon. It seemed obvious what had happened.
But I was wrong.

Personally, I don't often see random shoes sitting in the streets. And I think it would be almost impossible for a random shoe to coincidentally be sitting in the street at the very time and place that someone was hit by a car. Without knowing what I now know my conclusion at the time was understandable.
A crowd of people stood around it while police gave it a wide berth, treating it like evidence as they walked back and forth.
It seemed so obvious I actually felt stupid asking -

Important question: Who's shoe is this?
Someone tells me it belongs to the kid who was hit - and then someone else says, "No, I put it there."
Who knows why, but the second kid found the random shoe in a a nearby bush and put it in the street while he and his friends stood near the accident scene.
The kid who got hit by a car was actually hurt - and was taken to the hospital by ambulance- but he wasn't seriously injured. The camera doesn't lie, but the scene was deceiving.

The photo staff that could and did

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Mizener) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:27:00 +0000

I wanted to take a minute out of our coverage of the Blizzard of 2011 to compliment my staff. Our modest five person crew here at The Dispatch & The Rock Island Argus can take great pride in being the only MDPC department that had every staffer make it into work on Wednesday Feb. 2, 2011. When others were bogged down by mountains of snow my staff found a way to make it into work and take capture some great images and video.

Staffer Stephanie Makosky didn't let her car being buried in snow stop her from trudging through the neighborhoods in Moline on foot to produce an excellent video report on the storm. John Greenwood battled his way in from Geneseo, Gary Krambeck found away to make it to work in his wife's a mini-van after his 4-wheel drive truck wouldn't start and Paul Colletti came in on his day-off to score our lead image on the front page.

I am very proud of my crew and the extraordinary efforts they put forth to record a histortic weather event in the Quad-Cities.

Todd Mizener, Director of Photography & Multimedia

Posing for our staff photo outside the newspaper's offices in Moline, Ill are Stephanie Makosky, Todd Mizener, Paul Colletti, John Greenwood and Gary Krambeck. (Photo by Todd Welvaert)

Photographers

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:29:00 +0000

Blizzard 2011: Time-lapse snowfall

noreply@blogger.com (Dispatch/Argus Photo Department) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:25:00 +0000

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Time-lapse sequence of the Blizzard of 2011.

Taking the Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:18:00 +0000

If I shoot enough of any one thing my photos start to become predictable and repetitive. This is true even of sports where the action and emotions are always different. So in an effort to mix things up and get some fresh-looking action I tried shooting some wide-angle photos from a college basketball game the other night. Yeah, this low, baseline angle from a basketball game is also getting old after seeing it in every issue of Sport Illustrated for the last ten years - but it's new to me and not the norm for newspaper photography - so I was glad to give it a try. Fun perspective.

2010 Players of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:46:00 +0000

Our annual Players of the Year portraits of high school athletes snuck up on us again at The Dispatch and The Argus. This year, however, we decided to do thing a bit differently. Instead of a single dramatic studio portrait the photography department wanted to have a little bit of fun. We made a “photo booth” and told our athletes to have go wild. The photos ran in the paper as if they were prints from an actual photo booth.

We got a great red velvet material for the background. I used a 35mm fixed lens, a softbox on the right at 45 degrees and a fill light on the left. My camera settings were ISO 200, f5.6 at 1/250. The lights were stopped down about an eighth and a sixteenth if I remember correctly.
I think they turned out pretty well. Some of the kids needed some coaching on silliness but after a couple takes they really had fun.

Here are a several of my favorites:

Project Green Light

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:38:00 +0000

Over the past few months I've bee reading up on different lighting techniques, sticking them in my back pocket, and waiting for an opportunity to pull one out. For a long time I had a misconception that studio photographers knew all the lighting techniques, all the different lighting arrangements, and that the lit portraits I saw in magazines and on billboards was as sophisticated as it got. Well, newer/better equipment and an abundance of creative thinking can render some really fresh looking lighting that isn't widely seen. I did not conceive of the lighting setup used for my portrait of a medicinal marijuana advocate, but after reading about, and seeing, the results that other photographers have gotten with the new technique I decided now was the time to try it for myself. Other photographers have done this better and used this technique more effectively - but after adapting the setup to fit my needs I'm very happy with the result.

The majority of newspaper photography is news gathering, so it goes without saying (even though I'm saying it) that altering photos, staging them or influencing a news scene is never allowed. Portraits, on the other hand, offer a great opportunity to be artistic. In exchange for the freedom that they offer to photographers portraits require the photographer to imbue the viewer with the subject's essence and not his own. Putting the philosophy of photography aside my only requirement for the photo of the medicinal marijuana advocate was that he be identifiable if cropped into a mug shot. Fulfilling that requirement was easy - so I gave my self the "green light" to experiment.

Here's a breakdown of the setup for those interested.
softbox aimed at subject 4 feet above and about 1 foot in front of at -2 stops
shoot-through umbrella aimed at subject below and about 1 foot in front at -2 stops
10 degree spot grid at 10 o'clock aimed at subjects right eye at -1/3 stop
green gel over a bare bulb (hot, hot, hot) with modifier for circular effect onto a black backdrop.

Chasson Randle's college announcement press conference

noreply@blogger.com (Dispatch/Argus Photo Department) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 05:27:00 +0000

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Chasson Randle adjusts his Stanford hat while announcing the school as his college of choice on Wednesday evening, October 27, at Rock Island High School. Randle, who is ranked 68th-best senior prospect, was recruited by several colleges and chose Stanford over Illinois and Purdue. ;
Photo: Paul Colletti/The Dispatch & The Rock Island Argus

Rocky & Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Whenever I over-think a shot I almost always end up totally messing it up and then have to dumb down my idea in order to get a good frame. I was cornered in a situation today where I didn't have the luxury of taking my time and trying to produce an over-the-top portrait of football great Rocky Bleier. For starters the assignment got pushed by an hour and a half. That was ok - it got me running and set the pace for the rest of the assignment. Once there I set up a couple of lights while the interview was wrapping up.

I needed to test my light so as one of the event coordinators at the venue walked past I asked her to stand in. Rocky was on a tight schedule, it was raining enough outside that we couldn't go there and the room where we were shooting was being used for a wedding rehearsal in fifteen minutes. I asked Rocky to stand on his mark and told him I was going to take a test photo. I didn't have a football or another kind of prop for him to hold and I was worried that the shot was going to look static and unemotional. As he started to adjust his collar for the "official" portrait that I was going take in another minute I saw my opportunity and took it. Rocky's natural smile looked better than any "say cheese" moment I would have gotten and there wasn't going to be another opportunity for any animation in shoot.

One shot and we were finished. Just a good, clean shot that pulls me right to the subject with no time wasted over-thinking the set-up. I took a quick glance at the LCD screen for confirmation and then we were outa there before the groomsmen got lined up.

Looking Around

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:36:00 +0000

It's easy for me to get tunnel vision on assignments. In a way I think it can be good thing - I concentrate on my subject, focusing my attention so as not to miss the important or emotional moments. And in a way it can be a bad thing - by operating with a singular focus (no pun intended) I know I have missed great photos that are happening on the other side of the room, or just over my shoulder. Over the past few months I have found some interesting scenes while working. The photos don't relate to my assignments, but I can't pass them up when I see them.
I find it interesting that these scenes could perfectly illustrate any number of stories but, in essence, they are random photos that have no connection to my reason for being there when they happened. It is reassuring to know that there are so many inherently photogenic scenes in the world for everyone to discover.

Busting birdies: Guns replace golfers at Friday fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Dispatch/Argus Photo Department) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 06:39:00 +0000

Click to Play

Bill Dailey of Moline fires his shotgun Friday afternoon while trap shooting during the 1st Shot Heard Around the State Sporting Clays Tournament sponsored by the Rock Island County Republicans held at the Bi-State Sportsmen's Association in Colona. The event was organized as part of 2nd Amendment Weekend in Rock Island County. Mr. Dailey said he was 'enjoying an afternoon with real Americans.'

A series of unfortunate events… and some dumb luck

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 26 May 2010 02:37:00 +0000

Today I had a 7:30 p.m. assignment to photograph a State Police press conference. I had the press release, googled the directions of the location and left to pick up my car in Davenport. I left Davenport at 6:34 p.m. figuring that would give me enough time to make it to the press conference, putting all of my trusting in my google map directions. Now, anyone from the Quad-Cities reading this post knows that East Moline is nowhere NEAR Milan. But, being me, I followed the directions to a T. These are the directions:

By now it is 7:00 p.m. and I’m driving up and down first street looking for a nonexistent Hillcrest Road. 7:19p.m. I pull into the McDonald’s parking lot and refer to my GPS. I quickly realize my ignorance and google maps’ gigantic mistake and start saying words a trucker would be scared of. I head off to the correct location in East Moline. The arrival time was set for 7:39 p.m.. I get stuck behind every single speed limit abiding citizen in Milan, Moline and East Moline and make it to my destination at 7:40 p.m.

Thinking I could just take a portrait of a trooper and wondering how my editors were going to react, I ring the buzzer of the State Police Headquarters... only to find out that the press conference is on River Drive in Moline. I read the press release wrong! The worst part? The location is right down the road from the newspaper.

7:51 p.m. I head to Moline to see what I could salvage from the event to save my behind. I get there at 8:06 p.m. and find out the press conference did not start yet! Ha!!! The press release was wrong! It started at 8:00 and they were running late. AND all different types of police officers and troopers were out checking cars! That’s what I call dumb luck.

Artist Frank Ross

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:09:00 +0000

The happiest person I've met in a while. Frank Ross is 80 years-old and a local artist in the Quad-Cities. "I don't feel 80," Mr. Ross said. "I eat my fruits and veggies." I only had the opportunity to spend about 45 minutes with him, but Mr. Ross hardly ever sat still. He was constantly showing things he found, his files, his art work and the like all with classical music lightly playing in the background. The last thing he said to me was "If you ever want to know anything about building an underground house, let me know." Then went outside and picked up easter eggs left in the yard by his grandchildren.

Help Needed for Niabi's Hopeful Herd

noreply@blogger.com (Dispatch/Argus Photo Department) — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:02:00 +0000

Click to Play

Niabi Zoo celebrated its opening day on Wednesday May 5, 2010. Visitors were greeted by numerous improvements, including a paved parking lot and new and upgraded exhibits. Despite all of the improvements to the zoo the elephant exhibit is in need of a $3-million expansion to help ensure the happiness of the zoo's elephants, zoo director Tom Stalf said Wednesday. Elephants are social animals, he added. Should an elephant in a zoo die, having three would ensure two still could interact with each other.

Chasing the Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:32:00 +0000

There are a handful of photos from breaking news scenes that capture "THE" moment. These photos are world-famous and almost all of them have won the Pulitzer Prize. In my short career I have worked with photojournalists who have been in the right place at the right time and taken amazing photos as dramatic, decisive moments unfold - suicide attempts, fatal car accidents and running for you life (literally). Last week I came close to taking a photo that would have been as newsworthy and dramatic as any photo I might ever take. But I missed it by a few minutes. The next day I got my chance at another breaking news scene, only to miss the action by seconds. Frustrating to be sure, but even more so since one missed opportunity followed another so closely. Both photo opportunities were of car chases. Car chases are very rare in the Quad-Cities, so having two in one week is very out of the ordinary. The first one ended in an empty corn field. The second one ended two blocks from my office desk.

After a days-long, violent two-state crime spree the suspect led police on a high-speed chase through the countryside. When a tire blew out he ditched the car and ran through the corn field while cutting himself with a knife. Police used tasers and beanbag rounds to take him down before arresting him.

The next day while sitting and listening to the police scanner at the office I heard the start of a car chase in Iowa. I kept my ears glued to the scanner traffic as I heard that the suspect was heading into Illinois. As he neared the I-74 bridge I got my camera settings ready, put my coat on, grabbed a portable scanner and ran to the car parked out back. Now, the guy running from the cops this time wasn't a hardened criminal like the guy from the day before. Today's car chase was also a slow-speed chase. But as I pulled out of the parking lot with the scanner telling me the suspect was getting off at 7th Ave heading west I realized that I wasn't going to have to get on the highway and try and follow the pursuit - he was coming my way and was only two blocks south. Slow-speed or not, I knew the police were going to draw their weapons, take the driver to the ground at gun point and put him cuffs. So there I sit - 150 feet from the action - stuck in traffic at at red light for 15 seconds. Missed it again.

In Your Face

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Colletti) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:11:00 +0000

Maneuvering around other members of the media during an event is something you get used to, and with more practice, it gets easier. Everyone usually seems to find their angle and get their shots without serious turf wars breaking out. Sometimes, though, when all of the action at a particular scene is concentrated in one spot you can't help but wander into another photographer's frame.

"Oops! Hi Todd, Sorry!"_________________________________________________________________the photo I was getting when I interrupted Todd's video

Todd Mizener, our Director of Photography & Multimedia, and I crossed paths last week at a Tea Party event in Bettendorf. Todd was shooting some great video when I, obliviously, wandered into his view. All's well that ends well - he had the footage he needed before I ruined his shot and I got my photo. Now, if we could get referees at basketball and football games to stop running in front of our lenses, we'd be set.