A few web tear sheets from this past year

"Gone to the Dogs"

Back in October, I was contracted by the Humane Society of the United States to photograph a dog fair they were having in Fredericksburg, Va. I do have to admit it was much different then covering capitol hill or a red carpet. There are a lot more dangers to the assignment..lol...as in land mines spread through out the park.

One more time through these great halls...

After serving over 14 years as a congressman...Zach Wamp from Tennessee was hanging up his coat for now. So on his last day...he took a few of his closest friends and past staffers on a tour of the capitol and joining capitol visitor center.

Nigerian style birthday party

I have been busy over the last month, so I have not had the chance to post anything up. I know these images are a little different from what I normally post. I had the the rare experience to document a Nigerian style birthday party for Comfort Egbufor. What I like about these images is do from the party taken place in the basement of a church and the authentic african attire...it gives the viewer a sense that the images were taken in Nigeria itself and not in northwest DC.

What photographers did before the iphone..

I am finding myself going back to the simplest form of photography..shooting with a holga..no not the iphone app that everyone is posting to their facebook pages. The little $20 plastic camera that you load 120/220 film, not having any control over shutter, aperture or the way that it will leak light. Its photography at its rawest form...a lost art.

Director Zack Snyder for WB

Last week I was contracted to document a photo op by Warner Brothers with Director Zack Snyder, who just directed the upcoming movie "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole." He visited an Owl Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, Md. It was a really fun shoot..as he is very laid back guy showing up in a plain t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Who has the right to say photojournalism is dead???

"Okay, I’m that friend and I’m stepping forward and calling it. “Photojournalism: time of death 11.12. GMT 1st August 2010.” Amen." was written by Neil Burgess photographer and who runs his own picture agency, NB Pictures. which was quoted in article on the Editorial Photographers UK website

I am starting to see articles like this almost on a weekly basis..."photojournalism is dead,""newspapers are dead,""The broke photojournalist" and "magazines are dying." I have decided that I am not longer reading these articles as I feel that they are just a way for people who are stuck in their old ways and not willing to get with the changes of the industry and the way a photographer markets themselves. So they decided that they have to complain and make it seem like that everyone in photojournalism school should drop out and get a job at Burger King, because they will make more money.

James Estrin wrote a great piece about the new cooperative Luceo Images and how these young and upcoming photographers have a good business sense and making good money doing what they love in the New York Times Lens blog.

I could go on paragraph after paragraph talking about how the ways that photojournalist can save the industry, how we only shoot for the respect for other photojournalist and not the consumer. We are in the business of sales, like it or not and you have to sale what the consumer wants. Yes that not might be the story about a starving family in India..instead it might be about a feature piece on a celebrity and their new movie. Even great photographers like Christopher Morris is doing stories on Taylor Swift and Ashton Kutcher.

So I am calling it..photojournalism is not dead...it is alive and well. So go out figure out what the consumer wants to read and shoot that to pay the bills. Every artist has those personal projects that they close dear to their heart. I am not saying give up on those..but realize that it might bring home the bacon. Sometimes its the most cheesiest stories that bring home the biggest paychecks.

OVO

Last week I did a shoot for Cirque du Soleil of their new show OVO, which is at the National Harbor Center until late October..

Neil Godleski's Candlelight vigil 1979-2010

Many of you dont know, but early Sunday morning a friend of mine, Neil Godleski, was shot and killed in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington DC. He was only 31 and finishing up his degree at Catholic University. Everyone that knew Neil, spoke very highly of him and became very close to him. Washington DC mayor Adrian Fenty was in attendance and spoke during the a candlelight vigil that was Wednesday night at Sherman Circle, the scene of the shooting. He said that police have strong leads and he was confident that the case would be close very soon. For information about the shooting please feel free to check out this link at http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/08/catholic-u-senior-fatally-shot-on-his-bike-4211.html.

Below is a photo essay that I shot from the candlelight vigil that was held last night and that saw over a 150 people showed up.

Neil Godleski Candlelight vigil - Images by Kristopher Connor

Street view....

I had to run some errands downtown yesterday, so I decided to take the G10 out for the day. I recently read a web post by Chase Jarvis, who said that if you stand in one spot and you looked around. That you should be able to come up with ten amazing photos around that area. So I tried it down at the corner of 7th and H in the heart of Chinatown. I started to look at different spots to shoot from and how I could frame the image. Here are three images taken from the same view point, seconds apart from each other. The distortion is not from the lens of the camera or from an effect in post production. Its from the window that I was shooting through. I have to admit, I like what it adds to the images.

Game Informer

Earlier this year I was contracted by Game Informer magazine to photograph Michael Gallagher, President of the Entertainment Software Association for their June issue.

Bio videos: Good marketing?

As technology has progress...so has the way photographers market themselves. In the early years it was about cold calling, sending postcards/books and physically knocking on an editors door. These methods are still done today...but with the widespread use of email and web 2.0. Photographers are only limited by their time and their budget the ways that they can promote themselves. Website, emailers, blogging, twitting, social networking, professional networking...the list goes on and on.

I chose three photographers to speak about for this blog. A high-end wedding photographer, starting off fashion photographer, and a commercial photographer.

Jasmine Star has burst on the wedding photography scene a fews years back and has hit the ground running. Named as one of them most influential photographers of the decade by PDN magazine. As soon as you hit her website...you are greeted by her bio-video talking about how she works, what she loves about photography and showing her at work. Below is a similar video that you will find on her site..following the same production value.

Jasmine Star 2010 from Anton Lorimer on Vimeo.

Last is Jaicee Calubaquib, a virginia based fashion photographer..who uses behind the scenes videos with background music to show off how he works on set.

Chase Jarvis(www.chasejarvis.com) has become a photographer that is at the four front of web 2.0. Being one of the first photographers to use blogging as away to push his brand and the world of photography to the masses. He regular has live streaming workshops, interviews with other photographers and behind the scenes footage of his photo shoots. He used interviews, candid footage, on-set footage and still photos to create his bio video.

But what says that a photographer is ready to make the jump from a simple paragraph to creating a bio video that could range from a friend taking footage on his iphone to a multi-camera production...almost a mini commercial in its own right. Does it also matter what type of photographer you are?

For instance I am a polirazzi(http://kcconnor.blogspot.com/2010/07/polirazzi.html) photojournalist which would require the crew to follow me to capitol hill, red carpet premieres and even the white house. Requiring credentialing and approval before hand before production would start on a bio video. Would it be something that my clients would be interested in seeing? Could it come off as being cocky?

If a photographer decides to move forward with a bio video...what is the best format?

A definition of Polirazzi

Po*li*raz*zi: noun:

1. A form of documentary photojournalism that covers the gray area where the worlds of politics and entertainment collide. Where actors, athletes and even playmates work with politicians, foreign governments and non-government organizations to help shape the world around us here in the United States and around the world. Celebrities are looking for more than photo ops or hoping to make a good name for themselves for an upcoming movie. Celebrities view themselves as equals with politicians of this country and want to help make a change in this world.

Po*li*raz*zo: noun:

1. A photojournalist who covers the polirazzi world through day-to-day coverage and through a long term essay that digs deep into this world.

Behind the Scenes..

It is a norm on capitol hill as a photojournalist to cover press conferences, photo ops and hearings. But it's a rarity to get the opportunity to document politics at it's core. This past week I was able to document actress Jennifer Garner and Mark Schriver meeting with senators and congressman lobbying for "Save the Children," organization. It was an amazing experience to see how the system works behind close doors.

Dip anyone!!!

Can Lt. Dunbar save the Gulf of Mexico, more then the CEO of BP?

News-channels around the country were broadcasting live feeds of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations house hearing which saw BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward getting drilled for hours about the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The well of the hearing room was lined with more then 30 photographers shooting frames of every movement that Hayward made. On the other side of the hill, being covered by only two photographers was a small business senate hearing titled 'Harnessing Small Business Innovation: Navigating the Evalaution Process for Gulf Coast Oil Cleanup Proposals'. One of of the witnesses was a small business man who owned a company that manufactured a machine that could separate the oil from the water, but do to red tape. His company as well as other organizations that were represented at the witness table, were not able to implement these savors due to the red tape that the government had in place when it came to companies that had in the past not worked with the government.

Local Flavor...

One of the most exciting things about being a freelancer is the wide range of subjects I am able to cover. Earlier this week I did an assignment for a couple Texas papers of a ceremony to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the Bakers Creek Air Crash. It was nice to be only photographer there, able to move around freely. No press secretary or P.R. person telling you where and where not you are able to go.

Un Secretary General Ban Ki Moon pic in "The National"

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The National - News
10 Jun 2010

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

Old story..new edit.

As an artist, which a photographer is first. We are always constantly evolving and developing our talent and the way we work. A few years back I did a story on a young marine corporal. John Dick, who after gaining his US citizenship. Felt it was time to complete his dream of becoming an officer in the Marine Corps. Soon after he entered into the Officer Candidate School and this is were our paths crossed. At the time I was a sports editor at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Va. My editor decided to give me a curve ball and assigned my the story about John Dick. I spent the next ten weeks documenting his journey through the school.

Recently I applied to a workshop and decided it would cool to use the story as part of my application process. I went back through my entire take(ed. note: A good reason not to delete your outtakes). What I found at the end of this process that a few of the photos were the same from the first time I put the story together, but many of them were new selections. Its a good way to show how we develop.

Good way to end the month

Michelle kept her promise...

On November 11th, 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama made a challenge to the student body of George Washington University and that was to complete 100,000 hours of volunteering by the end of the academic year. If this was completed she would speak at their commencement in the spring. The student body met that challenge and complete over 106,000 hours. With that being done Ms. Obama kept her end of the bargain, speaking at the commencement and receiving a Honorary Doctorate in public service on May 16th, 2010.

Signs of the recession still remain...

Last Thursday and Friday I was up in Gettysburg, Pa on assignment. I arrived the afternoon before to photograph around Gettysburg as it plays a major part in how our nation was shaped in the later part of the 19th century. I drove around for sometime finding nothing to photograph. Until I came across this movie theater that was on the outskirts of town. I drove around the entire theater and only found about three or four cars in the parking lot, which seemed odd for me as it was a Thursday evening around 7pm. Weren't families taking their kids out to see an early movie or a young couple on a date. Or was this one of the many signs that still remains of the recession and how it will take sometime for the small parts of this nation to feel the effects of the bailout. A newly constructed theater sits empty on a Thursday night.

Who would think that these two would be next to each other

It has been a while since I have posted on my blog. Last week I was covering a Atlantic Council dinner which saw Bono and Bill Clinton receive awards for their humanitarian work. What made the shot interesting was that Sen. John McCain was presenting Bono with his award. You wouldn't even imagine the two in the same room, but chatting it up at the dinner table was a very cool moment to witness.

The amplifier of Sound...

A little of this and a little of that

Here are some images from last week. I saw Dennis Quaid celebrate his birthday, congressmen sing with O.A.R., a few good men stand up for the arts and a law professor kiss his daughter.