New Stuff coming soon

I have been busy shooting, so expect to see some new stuff in the next few days, I have a lot of processing, editing, and research to do, so it’s a busy time. Thank you for checking in.

 

-Ryan

Time/Motion/Movement… etc….

I have really enjoyed this assignment thus far. My teacher gave us an assignment to go out and try to find photos, such as what I have down here, about the above title, Time/Motion/Movement. He had us go out and shoot a few shots below 1/30th of a second exposures(which aren’t posted here), two exposures that are of the same place but at different times during the day. The last part, my favorite, was to explore the idea of the decisive moment. I think I found a few shots that may have done the assignment some service, but you can never really be sure until someone lets you know, who knows, maybe your peers or editors will think it’s horrible and probably say you have no future in photojournalism… but we live to hope not. The first one, I was actually testing my new lens, the 80-200mm. Sharp as a tac, and I somehow was able to grab this shot. I saw the man walking across the street and then saw the sign right in front of me, in a split second decision noticed how he was clearly not watching for traffic… in fact looking the other way, and felt that it was a photograph. The second one, I was really soul searching I think, I was walking past Fenway and the Boston Phoenix paper, when I eventually saw this man walking in between traffic for cash. I unintelligently sat in the middle of the road, waiting for the right shot, and grabbed about three or four frames before the cars were getting too close. I decided it was time to move.

I hope you enjoy these shots, there will be more coming in the next few days.

-Ryan

Watch the traffic

Testing.. Testing

Spent some of last night, and this morning, finishing up my homework assignment called The Frame. Spent this afternoon at lunch, shooting a little bit with my new 80-200mm lens. Great so far. Enjoy it.

(The Frame Assignment)- " Quiet night at the subway"

(testing.. testing..)- " Man walking"

Humbling, invigorating

You can never really judge anybody you meet, until you both start talking, and interacting. Though I believe you can sometimes judge a book by the cover, It doesn’t mean you have read it, and know all of it’s insides. That goes for humans too. I met a man the other day on the side of the road, with a simple empty peanut container, a bag, an American flag, and a red sox cap. I will keep his name anonymous for respect, but he was a man of secrets and hardship, no doubt. In the five minutes I got to know him, I know that I haven’t even seen the beginning, and I hope to further explore what puts this man, out of everyone in the world, in the spot he is in. He was an extremely humble man, respectful, and quite smart. It is another event that has made me the open person I am. When most look curiously and move on, laughing, grunting, or just plain ignoring, I would rather give that person a buck or two, keeping in mind he’s not a scam, and try to figure out why… you never know what can happen. He let me take a peak into his life, having no clue how strong my urge was to find out everything at once, and I took a step back when the urge was getting too strong. Thank you Sir, though you may never see this.

Man on the side of the road, speaking of the Sox' future.

-Ryan

some stuff over the summer

Random….

Hey guys, BEEN awhile! I am just starting a project, which right now is called Randomocity.. taking photographs of things around town and in random locations and situations… Will be posting the first pics very soon!

Mother Nature… Thank you for the White Christmas

And the pain in thee @$$ of an ice-storm this past weekend. Oh wait, i guess those are the sacrifices we make. This is after all, New England… I worry for those still out of power. I spoke to a few classmates before engaging into a science final, and some had moved into hotels. It was clearly the weekend from hell, but in the end of it all, sometimes you are able to see who is there for you, and who is not, when your life is potentially on the line. I won’t ever forget that freezing feeling, the house stooping to a bitter 52 degrees. Huddling together, keeping every bit of heat you can below the sheets in order to get a halfway decent rest before the morning comes again. My Girlfriend and I, along with her dad, searched everywhere for a generator, her dad going as far as south of Boston, no luck. And to make matters worse, her apartment flood, the whole first floor. That was a major buzz-kill to an already bad beginning. Her father and her, both got extremely sick. I got the remains of it, and was feeling very sick, though not upchucking thank god. I was not well for sure, but I managed to get out in the freezing cold and grab a few shots of the days events. One made it front and center into the front page of the newspaper which i was not expecting. Another was the other day taking photos for my nephews mom so she could make christmas cards, the photo came out great but you can see the mistake in the DOP(seeforyourself). Another was tonight, i really enjoyed it. Two people were ’strolling in the streets’, enjoying the weather and going to the local convenience store and i just stopped dead in my tracks, literally making my jeep slide about five feet until it finally came to a silent stop, hence the faint artificial lighting you can see towards the bottom of the frame. Well, Merry Christmas everyone, and a happy holidays.

Two pedestrians stroll on a snow covered road.

 

America, you’ve done it!

Whether you like it or not America, you have elected your first African-American president in the nation’s history. Barack Obama is now the president-elect, and will be sworn in Jan. of 2009. So ends the Bush Administration, and what a relief. This wasn’t the change I myself was seeking, but I am certainly willing to give Mr. Obama a chance. After all, this is the U.S. we are talking about here. If we can give Wall street and banks all the chances they want, we can atleast give Barack one. 

Over the past 200+ years, America has been strained with adversity, racism, white supremacy, homosexuality and more. But we are overcoming those obstacles and are challenging them with our hearts. There is still a lot of work to be done, but one thing is for sure… last night made world history, and most importantly American History. I think that is something to be extremely proud of. We looked past the color of a man’s skin, we almost elected a woman into our white house, and got even closer to electing a VP, also a woman, into the office. It is a proud day to be an American, and I give president-elect Obama my best wishes to him. 

With that being said. it has been a busy couple of weeks, I think it’s been about a month since i’ve posted. I’ve shot sports, photojournalism, and even some quality candid family portraits. I recently sent in a resume to Boston Globe to try to get an internship, wish me luck!

Here is some stuff…

Young kids enjoy the town fire truck as the firehouse host

 

John Sununu talks to supporters in a last ditch effort to grab votes. He lost to now U.S. Senator Jean Shaheen

 

Salem RB tries to move past defenders.

 

Sarah Palin visits Salem,NH weeks before the general election. McCain and Palin got beaten by the Obama/Biden ticket

Kennedy makes stop for Obama campaign@ Salemhaven

Ethel Kennedy sings

Let’s face it, everyone who knows me personally, knows I’m the underdog photographer with amateur equipment, limited resources, and I’m stretching them to the limits everytime I use them. I don’t have that special $2000 lens, or that camera that can shoot full-frame at 9 frames a second.

With that, I was assigned, out of all the photographers the newspaper has, to shoot Ethel Kennedy, wife of her late husband, Robert Kennedy. Out of any spot in the country, Mrs. Kennedy was here, and I was right next to her. Whether she had or not, I put my personal and political differences aside, briefly greeted myself, and she continued on with her campaign personnel, greeting the fellow residents and supporters of the Obame campaign. Photographers from the Salem Community Patriot, Salem Observer(thatsme!), The Eagle Tribune, and the Boston Globe. She was a presence I won’t soon forget, and it was an assignment that I will forever hold as one of the highlights in my early career.

I remember as a kid, for the first time meeting president George Bush Jr. He shook hands with me, posed for a picture taken by my dad, and wouldn’t you know it, we developed the film, had a good frame, and somehow managed to meet him again. He looked at me and smiled, signed it, patted my head and moved on. We met him three times after that, having a Texas Rangers had signed, and one of his campaign signs. You just never know when your going to meet somebody important like that (whether people admire that person or not).

 I remember being even younger, when Bob Dole made his bid to the white house in 96′. Ya, the year the Pats blew in the superbowl, we know. Meeting him was an early lesson that there was more to life than your videogames and primetime television. After I met Bush for the first time, and after the election, I was watching tv about 80% less. I was more focused on news, current events, and school. I have since worked hard crafting my art, and my passion for photography. It is something that has become obsessive, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time. It’s never an easy road, and requires alot of sacrifice at times, but in the end, sometimes, your able to get a nice shot.

Ethel Kennedy is greeted with a bouqet of flowers by residents on Salemhaven

Ethel Kennedy is greeted by residents

A Sad day in Hollywood’s History:Paul Newman dies at 83

To those of you who watched Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Message in a bottle, and who can forget Road to Perdition, this is clearly a sad day for all. Hollywood has lost not a star, or a media frenzied actor, but a true legend of the screen, Paul Newman. He was as cool as luke, and you could never forget a face like his, especially in road to perdition. A man of many things, from acting, to race car driving, to being an social activist, he strived to serve the world better. He lost his bout with cancer, but not after a hard fought match, mr. luke himself. His many accomplishments will not be forgotten, nor will his legend. This is a salute to you Paul, godspeed on your trip to the eternal.

courtesy of FNC/AP