The Month Of May...

May was a doozie.

For the first time since I was in the Navy, I spent more time "on the road" than I did at home. The last time that happened, I was deployed aboard the USS Princeton (CG 59) doing anti-drug ops off the coasts of Central and South America. That was 1997.

My first trip saw me in Alberta; Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Canmore, specifically. It was a good trip that I chronicled in a previous entry.

After that ten day trip, I came home. For a whopping four days. After that, it was off to Toronto for eight days. That trip was for a trade show, and it was a pretty damn good time.

I tried to take more pictures in Toronto than I usually do. Toronto's one of those cities which, after a couple of visits, you just don't figure there's much to take pictures of anymore. While that's true, I thinki, to an extent, I did try to take photos on this trip. Truth be told, there are portions of Toronto which are pretty visually striking. Why not shoot them?

While I didn't take a ton of pictures, I did manage to get a couple here and there. The weather was absolutely lousy, so that kinda' put a damper on things and, when it wasn't raining, I was busy walking from Point A to Point B, in a hurry, so I could avoid the impending rain.

Without a doubt, the most obvious subject of photos in Toronto is the CN Tower. It's big. It's really big. AT one time it was, at 1,815 feet, the tallest free standing structure on the planet. The elevator up to the observation deck, of course, is an exterior glass elevator. Needless to say, this probably isn't the best place for an acrophobic.

But it's still cool, and I didn't hesitate to jump on the elevator and head to "360", which is the revolving restaurant which sits just atop the observation deck. It's in the Guiness Book Of World Records as the worlds highest revolving restaurant, and also for having the world's highest wine cellar.

Sitting in "360" in the CN Tower.

The CN Tower as seen from the base.

The view from the Observation Deck of the CN Tower.

After a week in Toronto, it was time to head back to San Diego. I'd had a lot of "road time", and was looking forward to a little bit of down time.

Aisle seat... Just how I like it.

Once back in San Diego, I had to get ready for a concert shoot; the Barenaked Ladies. I've gotten to know them a bit over the years, and it's always a fun shoot. They were playig at Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay in San Diego, which is a great outdoor venue right on San Diego Bay. I spent the better part of the day with them, and I was given unfettered access to shoot that night. The last time that happened was with Styx back in 2007. Normally, you get to shoot the first three songs and that's it. BNL allowed me to shoot all night, and from anywhere I wanted.

The first three shots were taken from the front of the stage, but I spent a good deal of time on the stage wings, as well. That's just something that doesn't happen.

Ed Robertson and Jim Creeggan

Kevin Hearn and Ed Robertson

Jim Creeggan, looking out on the crowd.

Me with Ed Robertson, backstage at Humphrey's.

They're one of my favorite acts to shoot (I've shot them three times now), and they're a great bunch of people; everyone in their organization is.

So, now I'll enjoy short week before heading out again. Tomorrow's Memorial Day, so no work on Monday. Thursday afternoon I leave for Dallas, Texas. I'll drive to Austin on Friday to do a two-day album cover shoot for a Houston-based guitarist named Jeff Pritchett. This will be my first "dedicated" album shoot, and I'm looking forward to it.

And, who knows? Maybe, at some point, I'll get a chance to do, I dunno', nothing for a while...

May 1st, 2011...

I've kept this blog for a while now, and I've always made it a point to never get political in my postings. I've endeavored to keep my personal views on issues of politics out of this particular public eye.

That will change this evening.

I will also apologize now for the language which I also try to keep out of my postings.

Let me just say that I think May 1st, 2011, is a great day.

Like practically everyone I know, I will never forget where I was when I learned of the attacks of 9/11. It was a Tuesday morning, and I was in bed. It was about 6:00am, and I remember hearing a panicked voice on my answering machine. It was my brother, who was calling from Florida. He was yelling into the phone to wake me, to tell me that the World Trade Center had been attacked. I remember turning on the television and sitting in both utter horror and amazement.

How could such a thing have happened? How is it that some third world jackass was able to conduct what is widely viewed as the single most horrific, and successful, attack on the western world? How is it that this cave dwelling piece of shit was able to all but bring us to our knees?

However it happened, it happened. We identified countless failures in our security as a result, but the reality is that it took the deaths of almost 3,000 Americans, of all colors and faiths, to get us to that point.

As I will never forget where I was on 9/11, nor will I ever forget where I was at 10:42pm on May 1, 2011, while I was in Edmonton, Alberta, when I first learned that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Not only had he been killed, but US forces had his body. A directed attack in Abbotabad, Pakistan, by United States Special Forces, resulted in the death of who was, and let's be honest here, the most reviled man in modern history.

Bin Laden wasn't hiding in caves in the mountains, but rather in a high-dollar compound in Pakistan. How we learned he was there is something I don't really care about. The fact of the matter is that we found out where he was, and we went in and we killed him.

Payback is, as history shows, a bitch.

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Edmonton, and I'm actually giddy. When I first heard the news, I let out a yell. Could it really be true? Well, it certainly appears so. Osama Bin Laden; the man we have searched for for almost ten years, is dead, and US forces killed him. It also bears mentioning that, during the firefight that killed Bin Laden, not a single US serviceman was injured.

Now, off this blog, I'm pretty critical of Barack Obama. I don't like him. I don't think he should be President. I think he's a neophyte politician who, somehow, snowed enough people to put him in the Oval Office. But, as critical as I can be of the man, I can also give credit where credit is due. I'm proud that my President, whether I like him or not, had the balls to make the move that needed to be made, when it needed to be made. Our Special Forces have proven, once again, that they are a results-driven organization and, even when the task is daunting, they can get the job done.

Kudos to our Armed Forces, and kudos to President Obama.

It sounds cliche to say, especially because I feel this way every day but, today, I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to call home the country which, in its' own effective way, exacted justice for the deaths of 3,000 people whose only crime was going to work one Tuesday morning.

Now, I assure you, I'm nowhere naive enough to think that "the war on terror" is over. It's not. Lord knows that are enough sick bastards out there who are all too willing to step into Bin Laden's shoes. But Bin Laden was special. Bin Laden was a rock star. Bin Laden was larger than life.

And, tonight, Bin Laden is dead.

And we killed him.

And, for that, I'll go to sleep with a smile on my face tonight...

Go West...

Whenever I visit Calgary, I make it a point to make the hour drive west to Canmore. Canmore is a small town with a population of around 10,000. It's the quintessential "mountain town". You won't find any Wal-Marts or Costcos out here. Instead, you'll find small "Mom & Pop" stores dotting the main street. Only when you get closer to the Trans-Canada Highway will you see a "chain" anything, in this case a McDonald's, a Tim Horton's, and a Holiday Inn.



Downtown Canmore, Alberta.

 The drive out isn't bad at all. Unlike the trip to Medicine Hat, this drive is almost over before you know it. But you still get some pretty majestic views along the way. I've been all over the world, and I just don't know if anything comes close to matching the Canadian Rockies:

The Canadian Rockies in the distance along the Trans-Canada Highway.

Taken at one of the many turn-outs along the way.

Once you get into the mountains, you have to be aware of where you are or, more importantly, what else is where you are. Wildlife is abundant out here, with deer and elk being the most prevalent. And Canada wants to make sure you're paying attention:

And if you hit one, you're gonna' have a really bad day.

A deer in the brush not far from the highway.

I'd decided I wouldn't spend the night in Canmore, but would drive back to Calgary this evening. My buddy Tom and I had dinner at this killer Italian restaurant in Canmore, said our goodbyes, and I was on the road.

Just outside out of Canmore, on your right, you'll see the imposing peaks of what are known as "The Three Sisters". I've been up here as late in the year as August, and these peaks always have snow on them. They're probably the single most recognizable landmarks out here:

The Three Sisters, just east of Canmore, Alberta.

While I've been up here in April before, I don't recall ever seeing the weird weather I've seen on this trip. Indeed, even the locals say it's unusual. On Thursday, when I went to Medicine Hat, I had to contend with a storm the size of Texas. Today, as I drove east back to Calgary, I saw one of the more odd cloud formations I've ever seen. It looked like something out of a science fiction flick:

I have no idea what this was, but it was really weird.

While you pass countless signs during the drive which tell you how far away from Calgary you are, after a while you become kinda' numb to them. But there's one landmark, as you enter Calgary, that is absolutely unmistakable. Calgary, you see, played host to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games (the biathlon and Nordic events were actually held in Canmore, by the way). One of the lasting features of those Olympics is Canada Olympic Park, located on the western edge of Calgary. Before you see the sign for Canada Olympic Park, though, you see this:

The Olympic ski jumps at Canada Olympic Park, including the 90 meter tower.

Not long after stopping at the Olympic Park, I was pulling into my hotel parking lot. I dig days like today. I love going to Canmore. I love being there, and I love the drive. Leaving is a bit of a downer, I guess, but I know I'll be back; hopefully for the Canmore Folk Music Festival at the end of July.

At least, if I come back in July, I know I won't have to worry about snowball fights...



Calgary...

So, I made my way to Calgary. The weather wasn't bad when I landed on Wednesday, and it was actually quite nice on Thursday.

Today? Not so much.

It's 34 degrees outside, and it's snowing. Hard. At this time of year, I'm usually doing daily temperature checks of my swimming pool in preparation for a season of fun and frolic. Up here, I'm putting on a second pair of socks.

I drove to Medicine Hat, Alberta yesterday; about three hours each way. It's flat, straight, and largely desolate, with the occasional town dropped here to spruce up the scenery. It's the type of drive where you really want to fill up before you leave and before you come back. There's just not a lot out there.

The other thing about the prairie is the weather. A mighty big storm kicked up during my trip back to Calgary. It was one of those storms that make you take pause and consider whether or not you should even try to drive through it:

A typical storm on the prairie.

I decided "What the Hell?", and decided to go for it. It was a pretty challenging drive, not because of the rain as much as the wind. The winds were pretty serious, and a bit more than I'm used to driving in. I'm not in a real high-profile vehicle (a Ford Flex), so the fact that I was getting buffeted makes me happy I wasn't in a van or large SUV.

Now, in case you think I'm over-stating the power of the winds out here, I assure you, I'm not. They can get pretty strong, to wit:

The wind did this.

So,  even though I was confident that I would get through the storm unscathed, it's an impressive thing to see something like the shed above, slanted by the wind. I don't know how people live out here (I assume some do, although I didn't really see any), but I know I wouldn't want to.

Tomorrow will bring a drive out to one of my favorite places on the planet, Canmore, Alberta. Canmore's up in the Rockies, about 15 minutes from the eastern gate to Banff National Park. I'm hoping for some good photo ops, as I haven't been out that way this early in the year in about four years. The last time I went to Banff (Lake Louise, actually) in April, there were dogsleds.

Yeah.

So, there's no telling what I'll see tomorrow, although I've made the drive enough to know that, with the snow, there should be plenty of stunning vistas along the way, and I intend to take advantage of them.

You know, unless it's windy and stuff...

The Great White North... Again...

I’m not even prepared for this.

It’s late April. When I pack for a trip, I should be able to pack some jeans, some nice shirts, and maybe a light jacket in case it gets cool in the evenings. After all, it’s Spring, amirite?

Well, such is not the case.

I head to Alberta the day after tomorrow. A week ago, it was 20 degrees in Alberta.

In April.

Now, I guess this shouldn’t really surprise me, as the last time I went there in April I saw dog sleds, with actual dogs on them, mushing (I guess that’s what it’s called) through the snow. But it wasn’t cold. I don’t like the cold. This is no great secret. But for some unknown reason, I’ve once again opted to travel, if not in a winter month, to a place that I know will be cold.

I should re-evaluate this whole “let’s go truckin’ around in the snow” plan at some point.

I’m flying into Calgary where, admittedly, I always have fun. I’ll be visiting Canmore, Red Deer, Edmonton, and Medicine Hat (right?) during this trip, so there won’t be a lack of photo ops. I’ve never been to Medicine Hat before, so I’m kinda’ looking forward to that. Of course, the Canadian Rockies are one of my favorite places on the planet, so I’m definitely looking forward to that during my trip to Canmore.

Now, during my last trip, I suffered a loss; a tragic loss which I didn’t share, and one from which I thought I might not recover. I lost someone who guided me; always steering me in the right direction. If I got lost and far afield, she would help me find my way. She’s been my companion during my travels for longer than I care to remember, and now she’s gone.

Of course, I’m speaking of my beloved “Lola”, my Magellan GPS.

During my trip to Chatham in March, she started acting up. She would power up and power down, and would do either without warning. Not only was it annoying, it was something which easily could’ve resulted in me getting lost on some areas of Canada in which I’ve never travelled. But I tried to resuscitate her, and she even showed signs of life a few times. She went in her sleep, apparently, not even caring to say “goodbye”.

But, all is not lost. Today will be rebirth, of sorts, as I procure Lola’s replacement. I could wrestle with Mapquest, or Google Maps, but that’s just far too pedestrian for such a 21^st century guy. I could use the navigation on my Droid, but the roaming charges would kill me. So, I’ll bite the bullet and plunk down the likely two hundred bucks for Lola’s replacement, and I will give her a trial-by-fire, so to speak, as I initiate her in the frigid climes of Alberta, Canada.

I’m just hoping she has that same sexy British accent…

The Grand Prix...

So, last weekend saw me making the drive north from San Diego to Long Beach for the 37th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. After my most recent experience shooting motorsports, in Daytona, I decided I would take advantage of more opportunities when they arise.

I made the drive up on Friday, and took root in my swanky hotel suite at the Holiday Inn Airport near the Long Beach Airport. It was a solid $35.00 cab ride from the race circuit but, because I waited to book a room, I had to take what I could get. I still got "swanky", I just got it five miles from the circuit.

I woke up Saturday at 5:15am, got dressed, and had the front desk call me a cab. Will Call opened at 7:00am, and I wanted to make sure I would avoid the inevitable line that I'd encounter.

Mission accomplished:




No lines here.


I got my pass and began the hike (and, trust me, it was a "hike" to the circuit. Although it was still early, I could feel how hot it was going to get. There were four locations I would be shooting from, and I wanted to go find them. The first two, at turns 1 and 6, were easy enough to find, and each had unobstructed views of the track. That was a plus, because I hate shooting through fences. Of the other two areas, one meant shooting through not one, but two fences, and the fourth was just too damn far to walk to. It was at a hairpin, so it's not as though I'd be getting any high speed shots anywhere.

But those first two areas were money. I was able to get some shots that I'm pretty happy with. These were shot at the end of the front straight:

This guy missed making it into turn #1. Twice. That was surprising, because "this guy"
was Paul Tracy, who's no stranger to Indy Car racing.

The "Go Daddy Girl", Danica Patrick, going into turn #1.

Mr. Ashley Judd, Dario Franchitti, heads into turn #1.



Tony Kanaan screams into turn #1.





I probably spent more time at turn 1 than anywhere else. It offered the best view and, so I thought, the best shooting opportunity. I did get a couple of shots through the fence, and that was the only turn where that was really possible.

But, as happy as I was with the turn 1 photos, imagine my surprise when I found the photographer's platform at turn 6. From there, I could look down the track and see turn 5. It was a bit far to get decent shots of the cars coming out of turn 5, but I gave it a shot:

Danica Patrick comes out of turn #5.

Yeah, not the best shooting of the day. But when I concentrated on turn 6, though, I got what I think are some of my best shots of the day:

Oriol Servia heads into turn #6.

2011 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach winner Mike Conway.

Rookie Sebastian Saavedra leans into turn #6.

And it was turn #6 where I got my favorite shot from the day:

Ryan Briscoe going through turn #6. Briscoe finished the day in second place behind Mike Conway.



If I've learned one thing about shooting motorsports, it can be expensive. When I shot in Daytona, it was $80.00. This time around, I start to cough and wheez when I say it was $265.00. Granted, that allowed access to the photo platforms, and allowed me to avoid shooting through nothing but fences, but I'm not sure I would do it again. If nothing else, it cost me $265.00 to learn that I don't want to spend $265.00 next year.

Next up, if everything goes as planned (well, racing-wise, anyway) will be when I head to Mosport International Raceway, in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada in July...


AN ADDENDUM!!

I'm normally not a fan of addendums, but there was really no way to work this in anywhere else. If you enjoy a nice Bloody Mary as much as I do (hey, breakfast is the most important meal of the day), do everything in your power to avoid getting one at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Long Beach, California. All I can say is that it was, hands down, the absolute worst tasting cocktail I've ever had the displeasure of drinking. It was a truly horrid experience, from which I can only hope I one day recover.

That is all...

So, the racing thing.

Now, I’m not much of a motorsports shooter. I think I’ve done it three times; once at Daytona (this past January), once at Mosport Park in Ontario, Canada, and once at a little 1/8 mile dragstrip outside of San Diego.

It’s fun. It’s loud. You get sunburned. You drink a beer. It’s all good.

My last outing, though, to Daytona, really got me jazzed about doing it. It’s kind of like this infectious little bug that you don’t know you have until the opportunity presents itself again. You don’t really think about it and then WHAM!, there you are, makin’ plans.

That’s what’s happening this week as I prepare to head north, about an hour’s drive, to Long Beach, California.

This year marks the 36^th running of the Long Beach grand Prix. It differs from races like Daytona and Mosport in that there’s no actual “racetrack”. Fans line Shoreline Drive and Ocean Boulevard to watch Indy cars screaming at ridiculous speeds through the city streets; kinda’ like you do as you try to get home in time to watch the latest episode of “Ghost Advnetures”. You know you do it.

So I’m heading up on Friday, and will hole-up in my swanky hotel suite until o’dark thirty Saturday morning, when I head over to the course to pick up my pass. The actual Grand Prix isn’t until early Sunday afternoon, but practice and lesser races will be help until then, so I hope to get some ample shooting in before the hordes show up Sunday morning. Of course, there’s nothing like shooting on race day, so I’ll get that done, as well, but Saturday should offer up some decent shooting opportunities without the crowds.

Now, when I shot at Daytona, I was quickly made aware that my Sigma 50-500mm lens was just too big and unwieldy to use without, at least, a monopod. I ended up using my 70-200mm, but I found that I was wanting just a bit more reach. So, to that end, I’ll be using the 70-200mm along with a 2X teleconverter, effectively giving me 140-400mm. This set-up will be faster at 400mm than the Bigma is, so that should help me out. I don’t really know what to expect, but I’m all to happy to wing it.

And, as if this isn’t enough, it looks like I may head to Mosport in Ontario, Canada to do some shooting in July. A friend of mine is a flagman for the F2000 Series, so he gets me some pretty good access there.

I’m expecting to go through more than a few memory cards this weekend, so hopefully I’ll get something posted this weekend.

Stay tuned…