I figured – what better way to start my first photo blog (hereafter known as phlog) entry than with a very high-profile assignment? So here is the highest of the high – a politician AND an r and b star.
Junior U.S. Senator and Democratic hopeful Barack Obama (D-Ill.) speaks to a crowd at the GeorgiaWorld Congress Center in Atlanta Thursday, Sept. 20 as part of his fundraising campaign “Countdown to Change.” An estimated 2,000 people attended.
R&B/pop singer and actor Usher Raymond IV, a semi-native Atlantan, introduces Barack Obama. Yeah, I liked this one because someone is giving Usher the Power Fist.
About the images – I shot both with a Nikon D1H in RAW mode, which I am still pretty hesitant about and easily confused over. (Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting that.) But I am trying. I was also getting some funky green light in a few of the photos, looked like the flag was somehow appearing at the bottom of my images with the colors reversed.
About the situation – The writer and I arrived at 3:30, and supposedly it started at 4:30. When we arrived, we were told the secret service sweep had already been done, and I may not be able to take my equipment in. I was rather worried, then the AP photographer and the channel 2 videographer showed up and I knew I would get in. No way they would hassle the AP, right? Wrong! They made us all wait in the lobby ’til they could round up a secret service agent. He wearing a khaki vest that looked oddly photojournalistic in nature and wanted to turn all our cameras on and test the on-camera flashes. When that was done, we entered.
Remember the game sardines that you played when you were a kid? I remember it like it was Thursday. They crowded all of us, still and video, onto one platform about 50-60 ft. away from the stage. I was leaning on a camera guy the whole time. I did, however, get to spend a sweet almost 3 minutes in the buffer area between the crowd and the stage, where I got one usable photo -
And I use the word usable loosely. Not my favorite, but it’s the one that ran in the paper the next day. See it here
5 Comments
September 24, 2007 at 05:59
Why does Usher get the power fist? I mean… it’s Usher. Oh well. At least he didn’t pee on any juveniles.
I never played sardines.
September 24, 2007 at 06:06
Yes, at least he didn’t pee on any juveniles. That is something. That is the true test. Is this person a not-so-great person? I don’t know, has s/he peed on any juveniles?
September 24, 2007 at 06:19
Uh… R. Kelly. I mean, c’mon, Dave Chapelle even did a skit about it.
Actually if Barak Obama had dropped his drawers and peed all over the crowd… you’d be one lucky mofo. That’s portfolio quality content right there.
September 24, 2007 at 08:06
yeah. R Kelly = not-so-great person. If nothing else, fo that Trapped in the Closet monstrosity.
drip drip drip
September 24, 2007 at 22:55
I did some reading on the D1H this summer, back when I was using the R&B’s, and a number of people talked about the green light issue. I never had a problem with it when I was shooting in jpg mode though. If you have any questions about the camera, I’d be glad to help…it worked great for me once I got used to it (now only if it had ISO 100….)