Dan Plutchak, the associate editor of Walworth County today, came across the web site  dearphotograph and sent me the link.  Dear photo is taking an old photo and going to the same spot and shooting it now.  Its a great site and I encourage you to check it out.

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    This photo was taken at the Great Midwest Pro Rodeo held at the fair grounds in Elkhorn.  As I checked in for the rodeo, I was told I could shoot almost anywhere but that they would prefer me to shoot from the stage looking down.  

    I did goto the stage and found a spot, but with 5 or 6 other photographers standing next to me with the same lenses we were all going to get the same photo.  So I wanted something different then everyone else, so I got off the stage and walked around by the arena.      Wondering around behind the arena was great and got photos that I would not have gotten from the stage.  It also gave me a chance to talk to the athletes and get to know them a little better.  It also made  them more comfortable with me being down their and photographing them.  

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      I have always had great respect for firefighters and what they do to keep us safe.  My father was a firefighter with the Dairen Fire Dept. and I always enjoyed going to the fire dept. and watching the fire department in their training.  No matter the weather or the time they are at the scene putting their lives on the line to save ours, they are the country's bravest.  

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     This photograph was taken during after a weekend shooting that left six people dead, including twin baby boys in a murder-suicide committed by the father. I was up in the Dells over the weekend. I had no cell reception while in the Dells but as I made our way home, the signal kicked in. I checked my phone and had messages about the shooting which had happened the previous day. Luckily, Week editor Dan Plutchak was aware of the shooting and got photos of the scene; most of my photos were from two or three days after the shooting but there was still quite a bit of commotion going on.

     News outlets from all over the Midwest region were camping out in front of the crime scene day and night. After one of the police briefings, a family member of the murdered victims came out to talk to the press.

     As you can see from the photo, all of the reporters and video photographers swarmed in on her to get any little bit of info that they could use for their publication or news show. I was in the back of the crowd when all of this took place. I held my camera up and got a photo or two with her in front but everyone their was getting the same photo.

     In an effort to get something different, I walked to the back of the subject, held my camera up as high as I could and snapped a photo but it was horizontal and I didn't care for it. I then flipped the camera vertically and got this photo with her in the bottom of the image and all of the press surrounding her. I was probably in quite a few of their photos and I am sure they were not happy with me being in their shots, but the photo was different then anything the rest of the media got plus it maintained the subject's privacy which I don't think she minded. Finally, this photo really shows how much the media swarms in on a hot story.

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     I like this photo, even though when it went up for state judging last year the judges poo-poo'ed it, I still like it.  But judging is very subjective and since I like it I am putting it up on my photo blog.  
    This was at Country Thunder USA last year and was early in the morning.  I was walking around through the vendors and little shops that scatter the midway when I saw these two kids walking up from the parking lot and through the midway.  Covered in mud they stood out and I wanted to get a photo of them but wasent sure what I wanted or how I wanted the photo to look so I just followed them around for a little while.  Other people would come up to them and get their photo but I wanted more.  As I was getting to the end of the midway I was about to give up, thinking I was not going to get a photo and move on to another idea.  
    Then on the stage the first band of the day began to play so the couple walked over to the to get a better view of the stage. As I was watching them through the camera I was reminded of the iconic photo from photographer Burk Uzzle and his photo from Woodstock with Nick and Bobbi Ercoline standing on a hillside with a blanket holding each other, some 40 years ago.  I snapped the photo.  I was not trying to recreate the photo or copy it, its just what it was at that time.  So even though the judges may not have liked it , I do and who knows in another 40 years maybe this couple will look back at this photo and say hay that was us covered in mud standing in each others arms. 

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