Rear Sync Flash

I just wanted to share this photo that I made during the Christmas parade in Paducah. Notice I wrote made, like many professionally trained photographers (four year degree at a university), we consider most of our work made not taken. There is a lot of work to learn how to use light to work in a photograph, as well as how the mechanical relationship of how the camera interacts with ISO, shutter speed, aperture and of course the flash.

What I did here is called rear synch. I set the camera to the rear setting so the flash pops again. That tells the flash to give a slight pop at the opening of the shutter and then at the rear as the shutter closes. What is in between appears ghostly or with lights like those used in the parade. The camera's shutter speed is set at a long exposure (1 second or so). What you get is a nice artistic photograph that you would not get with a standard flash setting. Try it out and have fun.

Animal's rights

As a photojournalist, my job is to observe and document what is happening where I may be at the time of a given event. I have witnessed more than my share of things that I would rather choose not have seen but that is my profession. But, my job is also to give a voice to those whom may not or can not on their own. I have always yearned to tell the visual story of those that are not able. I have done my best to do so. The recent finding of pit bull carcasses in McCracken County and the dogs signed over the the Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter have led me to give a visual perspective of what was at the east fork of the Clarks River. I do have a heart, and I do not understand how someone can do shoot a dog and dump the body off of a bridge in a public waterway in a federal wildlife refuge, but as I said my job is to document and not judge. I try to stay neutral and document history but this was disturbing. Here is what I saw on Thursday that could not be published in The Paducah Sun because of their graphic content. You be the judge.

VOTE!

As a member of the media, I will not recommend whom you should vote. I do need to say that each of you need to cast your vote. If you have the right to vote, saying that you are 18 or older or have not lost your right by being convicted of a felony, and do not cast your ballot in the election than you loose the right to complain or be critical of the government on any level. VOTE!

In Pursuit of the Dream

Photo by RICK BURRRES

My good friend, Rick Burres, has traveled half way around the globe to pursue his dream career as a combat photojournalist. Though there has been little fighting in Israel, he has seen some of the results of life near Gaza and was able to cover a portion of the presidential campaign.
How does a photojournalist decide on this career? Well, we news photographers want to tell the stories using pictures -- they are worth 1,000 words -- of those that many will never see or meet. Those people living in conditions that even the majority of the poorest in America live far better than and do not realize. Those people who live under the constant threat of danger, be it in the Middle East, Asia, Africa or elsewhere, are the stories that such photographers seek to tell. How do I know? That is why I chose this career, to tell the stories of those who cannot tell it themselves.
Rick lives outside Murray on Kentucky Lake and is working on his bachelor's degree at Murray State. He plans to attend graduate school upon completion of his bachelor's. Rick quit covering combat when his children were born. Now that they are nearly grown, he has begun the pursuit of his dream that started after his service in the Marines. He has covered the conflict in Haiti and the Balkans. His love for history and education led him to Israel for the summer to document life near the Gaza strip.

Flying fish

I stopped by Barkley Dam on Friday to look around. I could not believe what I saw. Flying fish. I was wondering what three men were doing with bows until I saw them shoot at the fish. They are Asian carp or "big head." These fish are dangerous to boaters because they will jump into boats while motoring along waterways. The theory is the noise of the motor startles the fish and their reaction will send them airborne 8 to 10 feet. The fish threaten native species as well. They eat plankton that smaller fish feed on, which in turn larger predator fish -- like largemouth bass -- feed on. Up the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers the Asian carp are in higher numbers than the Ohio as far as I could find out. I have seen several news reports on the carp but did not see them in action until a few weeks ago when I viewed a few jumping in the Ohio near Paducah. So, seeing them up close and high in the air was interesting. The three archers, Alan, 31, and Josh Evitts, 22, of Greenville and Justin Kelley, 14, of Princeton had plenty of game to choose as they hunted the fish. They also had to watch for the fish in order not to be hit by the 15-20 pounders. To get information on the Asian carp and the problems they are causing to our native fish species go to www.fws.gov.

Saying goodbye to a friend

Good day. I was surprised Monday on my way to work when I noticed numerous emergency vehicles and prominent community members outside the West End Baptist Church. When I arrived at work, I brought up that their seemed to be a funeral going on. That was when my city editor Ron Clark told me Kent King died last Friday. See, I took the day off to enjoy a little time with my children and when I do so, the outside world and business of news does not exist. So, to my shock, I had to say goodbye to my friend.
I would contact him if the weather was breaking in order to get in the best area to document what was coming. Or, I would call him if I noticed someone on the river was broke down and needed to be towed to shore. Or, I may stop by the DES building and chat. I even donated a trolling motor I replaced on my boat. Kent was a friend to nearly all who he met. He cared about the community and the people in it. He wanted to ensure that everyone was safe as they could be. I enjoyed our friendship over the nearly eight years and will not forget those moments we worked together or the chats we had. Thanks for the memories my friend.

Spring fever

Good day. As I drive through western Kentucky, I am privileged to see some of the beautiful scenery that are on the Kentucky biways. I saw this field of mustard with two horses feeding along KY121 at the Circle P Ranch. The brilliant yellow, typical of this time of year, drew me right in and the serenity of the horses feeding kept me watching for a short period. I had to capture the spring on compact disk ( what would have been film several years ago). There is nothing really spectacular with the photograph, just beautiful colors and tranquil scenery that brings a little peace to one's day.

Pinwheels

Good day. If you have been to the McCracken County Courthouse and seen the pinwheels blowing the in the breeze and wondered what was up. Well, the pinwheels represent children in the county that have been abused as part of Pinwheels For Prevention display. I was caught by the motion and light reflecting off the pinwheels and photographed them. A sign informed me that the display was a result of and to bring attention to child abuse. Children are just learning the way of the world. They do not know the consequences of their actions, we adults need to remember this before we react. It is as shame that the beauty of motion and light are used to address the resulting actions of a few. Children are the reason the world is such a good place after all. Just look into the eyes of the next child you see and the glow from their smiling face, you will see the world is a wonderful place.

Introduction

Good day.
I thought I would give a little background information about myself for all of you. I have been on staff as a photographer at The Sun since September 2000. Prior to that I worked at a small paper in Ohio and before that as a freelance photographer and photographer's assistant at a commercial studio in Louisville.
I began taking pictures at the age of 12 with the popular Pentax K1000. I worked a summer job while visiting my grandmother in Illinois earning enough to buy the camera. I used the camera for more than 20 years before upgrading to professional Nikon cameras. I now shoot with Nikon D2h cameras.
I am a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a BA in photography and journalism. I am currently working on my master's degree at Murray State University. I will complete my requirements for my Master of Science in Mass Communications at the end of May.
I plan to post once a week. I will display photographs that may not appear in the paper to give you a chance to see what I document in western Kentucky and southern Illinois. I will also chat about techniques and field questions from you about photography.