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.

Washington Teachers are one step closer to a new contract

WTU - Images by Kristopher Connor

In a recent facebook post, I wrote that I think as a DC based photojournalist. We can become lost in the world wind that surrounds the national and international political news scene that makes up DC. Covering congressional hearings, Fed Reserve press conferences and the occasional white house event. Spending our days standing on podiums or sitting in a well with a dozen of our peers right beside us...waiting.

Every once in a while, I try to step away from this scene and go back to my days covering local news. A place where you have a chance to interact with your subjects, your not competing with photographers for that shot that you hope will make it inside the covers of Time magazine. I think of Robert Capa's saying "If your pictures aren't good enough, then your not close enough." A place where your right on top of your subjects and able to get those shots that are not capable with a telephoto lens.

This is the reason I got into photojournalism....

These images are from a recent press conference I covered about the tentative agreement between the Washington Teachers' Union and District of Columbia Public School System that was attended by the Mayor of DC Adrian Fenty, Chancellor Michelle Rhee, and WTU President George Parker.

My dad

I guess as a photojournalist it become easier to do stories on people that we have no personal connections to...ones that we will hope to remember, but soon become forgotten as we move onto the next story, the next assignment. This is our craft to look at something with an outside eye..to make a connection that will make people want to pick up that magazine or newspaper or click on the link on a website.

I guess my family has become use to the site of hospital rooms over the years...for my brother it has become a place that he has seen since he was a baby not due to any medical condition that he has. Due to my achondroplasia with my first leg surgery starting at the age of five to correct bowing in my lower legs and then on to my limb lengthening that started when I was ten and that ended when I was 15 in the spring of 99.

We weren't barely out of the woods of my last surgery when it was my dad's turn to go under the knife. Having rods and screws inserted into his back to correct his scoliosis. At the time we thought it was going to be a one shot deal...go in and then come out the other side ready to go. But little did we know at the time it would be the beginning of ten years of him in out of hospitals dealing with infections, pain and complications.

So finally after almost ten years of operations, I decided that it is time to turn the camera inward and start documenting what my dad and family is going through.

Showing the story of a man who wasn't hit by IED or shot by a sniper in the desert of Iraq or Afghanistan at a young age as we see on the news everyday. A man who served 32 years in all four services, joining the Marine Corps at the tender age of 17. Running with 100 pound backpacks with steal tow boots long distances. He is not alone, at the time the military and the healthcare industry did not know what they know now about what a life in the military does to a man's body. Now issues are starting to come to light as many veterans and retires started to have issues with their bodies.

I have to say it is one of the hardest stories that I have worked on, its hard to document what your family goes through...

Father like daughter

Last night I covered a reception that saw actor Sean Penn receive an award for his work in Haiti after the earthquake. Before the reception the press was allowed in his waiting room. As he was waiting for the next reporter I snap this frame.

We only had a few minutes with the actor, I started to search the room for something more. I happen to turn around and see this young lady sitting there watching this maddness surround Sean. At first I thought that it was his girlfriend, and then come later find out that it is his daughter. What it most be like to be the daughter of Sean Penn, you childhood and family life spread across the pages of magazines. How did it shape the woman that she is today? She wasn't at all moved.

The hard thing about taking this photograph is removing myself from the picture..shooting into a mirror didnt make it easy.

Lonely shopping cart..

This image follows along the lines of an earlier post to combine my photojournalism with fine art photography.

I was driving home from visiting my parents on Sunday...luckily I had my camera in the car. As I was getting off on the 395 north exit. I saw this parking lot that I have been wanting to check for a possible portrait shoot for a long time. So I decided to go exploring(which sometimes get you in trouble here in DC;)). As I was driving around, I came across this shopping cart resting up along a fence. I use my car's headlights to light up the subject.

Peter Smith

Last week I got a last minute call from one of my art directors saying that she need a portrait of Peter Smith, General Manager of J&G Steakhouse. I only had a few minutes with Mr. Smith, So instead of setting up lights. I was able to use the window light creating a giant softbox.