Photo Card

New feature this year.  I liked the the family photo card from Shutterfly to my blog.  You never know who is looking, but lets see if this works as an option for delivering the card to friends who are not on our Christmas card list.

Drum and Bugle Corps Senior Competition • 6 August 2011.

Drum and Bugle Corps Senior Competition • 6 August 2011., a photo by John Meore on Flickr.

On any given day, I enjoy the sound of a 'well oiled' drum line. The sound the tenor drums make as they are played, the tight crack of the stick as it is hits the skin. The buzz of the snare drum and the 'whamp' of the bass drum, reminds me of a 5" gun going off, you can feel the beat.
Well Saturday evening, I had a chance to photograph a Drum & Bugle competition in Kingston NY. There were 8 teams competing and 2 exhibition teams. This would have been a really cool assignment, had it not been for the weather.
The ride up to Kingston started off as a slight drizzle, and quickly turned into a downpour. When I arrived at the stadium, it again was a drizzle, so I put on my golf rain gear, pants and a rain shirt. With-in 40 minutes, I had to go back to my car for the rain poncho. It was so bad I was shooting while hiding under the poncho. My gear got soaked, so I went back for plan 'C:' the umbrella. Only, how do you hold an umbrella and 2 cameras, one with a 70-200 and the other with a 24-70. Oh yeah, its dark and you can't use a flash... why, because the only thing you'll light up is the rain right in front of you... Push the ISO and hold steady. 1/100th @ 2.8 for most images.
So I attached the umbrella to a mono-pod with a bungee cord. I am sure I looked a little weird, but I was dry, and it was easier to handle the umbrella-pod than shooting from under a poncho.
Job done, images sent... What's next!

The Children's Home of Kingston presents the 2011 March of Champions, Drum and Bugle Corps Senior Competition at Dietz Stadium on Kingston NY on Saturday, August 6, 2011.

JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

recordonline.com - Times Herald-Record - News

recordonline.com - Times Herald-Record - News

15 June 2011, Kingston NY:  Arrive early, Stay late and don't be afraid to get dirty!
Well today I arrived early... about 3 hours early.  I was assigned to shoot the arraignment of a former Kingston Police Detective, Lieutenant Tim Matthews.  Matthews was indicted on 13 felony counts by a Grand Jury of stealing money of which he was entrusted.. to the tune of over $200,000.00.
The arraignment was set for 1:00 PM, so I was asked if I could meet the papers Staff Photographer, Chet Gordon at 9:30 AM at the papers Kingston office on John Street.  The courthouse is right around the corner.
We get to the courthouse at 10:00 AM, walk the building to se if they made arrangement to bring him through a side door, we spoke to a couple of Court Officers, who were of no help with our quest, but were very pleasant.  At 11:30 the local TV crew from YNN shows up, then a couple other reporters filter in from the Freeman Press.
Freeman Press Reporter, Patricia Doxsey, said, "...he is not in custody, not under arrest, he should be brought in the front door like everyone else..." A few moments later, she shouts, "there he is..!"
Everyone around the front door swings towards Wall St. and gets to work.  I was able to fire off about 15 shots of him walking on the path to the front door.  He and his lawyer entered the building, wnd proceeded to go through the metal detector and the press followed.  Unfortunately, we were stopped because there was no authorization for cameras to be in the building or the court room.  A little down, we headed back outside to wait for him to come out.

This is one of the image I got of him coming into the courthouse.

About 15 minutes after Matthews went into the courthouse, we were instructed by a court officer that we could go upstairs, so we all throw our gear on the belt for the metal detector and head up stairs.  Once upstairs, we are told we can go into the courtroom by Judge Andrew Ceresia.  Both Chet and I start fumbling with our gear to get the settings, we turn off the strobes, and stumble into the jury box.

After the the arraignment, bail was set and the judge left.  Now there was a waiting period while Matthews girlfriend posted $50,000 cask or $100,000 bond.

I saw this image and was able to pull it off, by resting the camera on the bench in the back of the court room.  I was waiting for the lawyer, Michael J. Kavanagh, to make a gesture or put his hand on Matthews shoulder, but it never panned out.
Once bail was made, the whole group headed outside.  They took the elevator, and we took the stairs and made it outside first, we set up to get him leaving the building with his family, but he stuck by his attorney.  The press peppered him with questions, but Kavanagh gave the obligatory... "Mr. Matthews or I have no comment at this time!"

Chet and I headed to the office to edit and file the images.  Job done and back on the road home at 3:00 PM.

Thanks Chet!

Spartan Race, Tuxedo Ridge • 5 June 2011

Today I covered the 'Spartan Race' at Tuxedo Ridge here in town.  I did a little prep work and view some of the info on their website.  This series of races look really cool.  You go to an open field or a ski area, fill the place with crazy obstacles and send the runners off on their way.

For this series of races (Saturday and Sunday) the racers had to run the ski slopes.  While doing that they had to crawl through mud, uphill, while staying below barbed wire, crawl through a large ice pit, under barbed wire, throw a spear into a bail of hay, traverse a rock wall, climb a rope wall that is soaked with soap and water... oh and also jump a fire pit!  What was waiting for them at the end were 3 or 4 guys with pugil sticks ready to knock you off your feet.  After takling to the EMT workers, there were only a couple serious injuries, but many cuts, scrapes and bruises.

This is the kind of race I would have done 25 years ago when I was in the Navy.   These folks all looked like they had a blast.

This mornings assignment was at Cornwall High School.  Stephen Krasner, a resident of the Town of Newburgh and a candidate for the Town Supervisor in Newburgh, was giving a lecture to students in the Global Studies program.  He spoke about the time he spent with the Peace Corp.  Where as a young man while traveling in the Middle East,  certain events led him to want to do 'something' for the greater good. He earned a BA from University of Hartford, and later a Masters in Non-Profit Management.
His 'something' was to join the Peace Corps and work in a foreign country for two years, bringing new and sustainable agricultural techniques to an impoverished area in Ecuador.
After settling into the Newburgh area and starting a family, he decided to run for Town Supervisor in 2009 gaining 42% of the vote, he will run again this fall.  Best of Luck Stephen!
     "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do"  Helen Keller

During my run as a freelance photographer at the Times Herald Record, I have had opportunities to photograph some really cool events.  This event was especially cool, because I had the opportunity to photograph the legendary High School Coach from St. Anthony's in Jersey City, NJ, Bobby Hurley.  Coach Hurley has been at St. Anthony's for 39 years, sent countless players to colleges and many have made it to the NBA.  Coach Hurley is one of two High School coaches to inducted in to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
I only had a few seconds to introduce myself, I shook his hand, said I was with the local paper, but I could tell he was very easy going.  I could tell, as he worked with the kids from Newburgh, that he felt at home teaching kids.  Showing them the right way and the wrong way to set a pick and a screen.  Being firm but also having fun with the kids.
Coach Hurley worked with the kids for 90 minutes.  He stressed the importance of basic skills, continued improvement and hard work.

The Spring Rains • 11 March 2011

An Orange County Highway Department worker closes the bridge at East Villege Rd which connects the East Village of Tuxedo to Rt. 17 as the Ramapo River starts to rise after the overnight rain in the town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

An over head view of the Ramapo River from Arden House Rd. which sits between the New York State Thruway on the left after and the Metro-North railroad tracks on the right, as the overnight rain let up in the Town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

A view of the flooded Arden Flats which sits inbetween Rt. 17 and the  Metro-North Train Tracks (background) with the New York State Thruway in the far background, after the overnight rain let up in the Town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.  The Ramapo River is on the far side of the railroad tracks.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

A view of the Ramapo River visitor parking lot just off County Rt. 106 (Lake Kanewauke Rd.) on the northern end of the Town of Tuxedo, after the overnight rain let up in the town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

A view of the Ramapo River visitor parking lot just off County Rt. 106 (Lake Kanewauke Rd.) on the northern end of the Town of Tuxedo, after the overnight rain let up in the town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

The spring rains fall and the Ramapo river rises.  After a couple days of hard rain, the water travels down from all the mountain creeks, floods the roads and forces the school to close.  With rain in the forecast, I got the call last night to head out in the morning and shoot the flooding in Tuxedo and the possible closing of Rt 17.  It happens so often that it is now news...
The first thing to happen is the closing of the East Village Rd. bridge.  This bridge is the only way to get to the section of Tuxedo, the East Village, that is located on the east side of the NYS Thruway.  This bridge has been washed out many times, once leaving people stranded for 4 days.

Regional Semi-Finals • Burke Catholic v Albertus Magnus • 8 Mar 2011

Regional Semi-Finals • Burke Catholic v Albertus Magnus • 8 Mar 2011 a photo by John Meore on Flickr.

Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY:
Burke Catholic of Section 9 takes on Albertus Magnus of Section 1 in the Regional Semi-finals for Class B division.
Once again I need to thank Chet Gorgon, who shot the first 2 games and left the strobes up for me. This time he set them in the rafters of the County Center. 4 Canon Speedlights, mounted in the catwalk on the railing fired with Pocket Wizards. Although the ambient light was high and the strobes not so powerful, it worked OK.
I was able to pull off some good shots. Not too much motion blur due to shooting at 1/250-1/320th, the strobes were able to freeze most of the action.
Timing and proper lighting make shooting basketball all than much better. You want to shoot images that will make the paper, not necessarily shots that will sell on a website.
For this game, it was an 8:00PM game and the paper's deadline is around 9:45pm... this doesn't leave much time. So, I showed up early, said hello to all the other newspaper guys, talked to the reporters, got a roster of the teams for captioning, set up my laptop, made sure the internet was working. So when game time arrived, I was ready to go. At half time, I loaded the images I had, and was able to select about 8 really good image. Second half, wait for the jubilation or rejection shot, this time the team we were covering won. I was able to grab a shot of two players doing a chest bump. Back to the laptop to up-load, select, edit, caption, transmit by 9:45, pack-up the gear and out the door at 10:15.

Gym Lighting for basketball

Section 9, Class D Boys Basketball • 7 Mar 2011 a photo by John Meore on Flickr.

Section 9, Class D Boys Basketball • 7 Mar 2011
The Statesman of John A. Coleman Catholic v the Wildcats of Livingston Manor • SUNY New Paltz

You can't say enough about proper lighting in a gymnasium. I shot a double header last night for the Class D (Small School) Section 9 championship at the State University of New York' s New Paltz campus.

I have to give lighting credit and thanks to Chet Gordon, Staff Photographer at the Times Herald-Record for setting up, and leaving the strobes set-up all week end. I just showed up, plugged in the lights, fired a few test shots and was ready to go! I believe 4 photographers took part in covering the games this weekend and all the images looked great, why... the lighting.

Being able to shoot at 400 ISO and get peak action shots that are crisp and sharp is a great feeling as a sports photographer. This 'task' of setting up the lights for HS basketball might seem like overkill, but it makes a world of difference. Even if they only use one shot in the paper. I know that shot is going to be sharp as a tack and perfectly exposed.

The gym was lit with 4 Dyna-Lite strobes, one in each corner of the gym, mounted high pointing at the baskets, set at about 3/4 power fired with PocketWizards. For this to work, the strobes have to be 3, or more, stops above ambient, but the strobes should not be at full power.

Tonight, one more game in the Section 1 - 9 Boys Regional Semi-Final match-up at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. John S. Burke Catholic v. Albertus Magnus, should be a good one!

John

January 27, 2011 • Snow and car problems

Today we woke up to another 8 - 12 inches of snow, school delays and moved mid-term exams.

I went out early to clear the driveway and the cars. Went to start my car and 'thump' the belt popped off... again! Not a good feeling when you rely on the car to get you from job to job, sometimes late at night, 60 - 75 miles away from home.

This is a part you are normally not supposed to see!

I now have to limp my car down to the service station, with out having it over heat, and with out power steering, and have a new belt out on. Last time I had to speed up to 50, put it in neutral and coast for a while, put it in drive, speed up to 50, neutral, coast... repeat until I reached the service station! I need my car to be reliable and as of right now it has a rattle that is driving me nuts... I think it's the motor mount that is failing. Great, another thing I have to have replaced. I may be able to do this one myself.

Friday evening I have a basketball game to shoot in Minisink, then I have to re-set my equipment in the same gym, for a cheerleading competition the next day. 9 hours of very loud music and kids being tossed around in the air.

City of Newburgh votes on resolution 11-2011 • 10 January 2011

Assignment: photograph the City Council of Newburgh voting on a resolution (#11-2011) which is to enter into a combined bargaining agreement with Local 589 of the International Assoc. of Fire Fighters, (which is the local that covers the City of Newburgh Fire Fighters). Not a super exciting assignment, but one which poses some challenges. The room is large and not lit very well. I use a combination of on-camera strobe and available light. Two cameras and a variety of lenses.

The agreement is a multi year contract with issues that were highly contested at this meeting. Overtime, No Lay-offs, work schedules and health care are some of the issues. Many residents took the microphone, some for and some against a Lieutenant with the Fire Department took the microphone to give the viewpoint from the fireman, how they came up with the plan and why it works for the fireman and the city. With Fire Fighters lining the room, the Council voted to pass the resolution but not before the residents were given a small show when Councilwomen Bell and Mayor Valentine 'discussed' the resolution and the factors leading up to the vote.

Army Black Knights Mens Basketball • 3 Jan 2011

It's nice to get a call and be asked to shoot an assignment at a local college. It's even nicer when that college is the Unites States Military Academy at West Point.

I was assigned to shoot the mens basketball game Monday night. The Black Knights took on the Big Green of Dartmouth in a Patriot League game at the Christl Arena on the campus of West Point.

Since I am a freelance photographer, I don't have media credentials for the paper. I usually show up to an event and check to see if my name is on the list, and if it's not, keep my fingers crossed that I can persuade the folks to let me in anyway and that I really am working for the paper. Who is going to turn away a guy with a bag full of cameras, lenses and a laptop? My name was not on the list, however a pass was left for a Staff Photographer from the paper to shoot the 4:00 pm women's game, I guess she didn't make the assignment, so I asked if it was OK for me to use it... They said... 'no problem! the press room is over there, there's food, and there is internet in the press area on the floor.' 2 seconds ago, I was a nobody with a bag full of gear, now I am all set! Boy, that was easy!

For this game I had both my camera bodies, so I decided, for the first half, to mount one body on the backboard stanchion about 6 feet high, on the far side of the court with a wide angle zoom. I set the zoom and focused on a spot just past the basket to get action shots of the players jumping at the rim. With the lens taped so it would not shift, I was ready to fire it from across the gym with a 'pocketwizard.'

I ended up with a few good images from this body. I mounded it high enough and far enough back behind the padding that it would not get hit by a ball or player. This is a concern, since it is all my own gear.

Working like this with a remote body, you never know what you have until you pull the card at half time and load them on the laptop and start the editing process.

With this body on one side, I was on the other side of the gym under the basket where Army was on offense. I had a 24 -70, a 70-200 and my 300mm. With only one body, I had to pick a lens and use it for the possession, long lens for defense on the other side, 70-200 for mid-court to foul line and 24 - 70 under the basket, then switch to another. This gets frustrating after a while. You also have to deal with a referee standing in front of you. It seemed like every time I moves sides, he moved...

For the second half, I had both bodies with me on the floor. 70-200 on one and 24-70 on the other.

Army wins 67-47, Game shot, now it's time to edit, caption and hope the internet connection will let me send out the images. Last e-mail sent right at 9:30pm, deadline made.