Memorial for Justin Norton June 30, 2006
Justin Norton, 21, was killed in Iraq last Friday outside Baghdad around 8 PM. The 2003 Rainier High School graduate was remembered tonight by his family, friends, teachers, coaches, and what seemed like most of the town. His funeral will be in the school’s gym on Sunday.
Hands
Backstage Really Isn’t All That Great June 28, 2006
The way it usually works when you shoot concerts is that they’ll let you photograph for the first three songs. Fair enough. I’ve got no problem with that. Of course usually they let you stand off to the side and watch the rest of the set. At Key Arena this weekend they didn’t allow me to do that. If I wanted to I’d have to leave my cameras with security. No way in hell I was going to do that. So, after I was done photographing, I’d sit on a chair in the hallway and between the men and woman’s bathroom and stare at this wall. Exciting, yeah? No. I could hear the music, but I’m the kind of person that needs a visual counterpart to hearing something and this wall really wasn’t doing it for me.
The only semi-interesting thing was that after there set was done the performers would come and sign autographs and pose for photos with radio contest winners. Pink, Nick Lachey, all the other people that played passed by. Nick Lachey is the only one that looks the same up close as he does in pictures.
Here is a video. I was a little out of it maybe.
Rupert Murdoch and the Power of New Media in Wired
There’s a great article on Rupert Murdoch getting is media empire online in Wired.
Money quote:
“To find something comparable, you have to go back 500 years to the printing press, the birth of mass media – which, incidentally, is what really destroyed the old world of kings and aristocracies. Technology is shifting power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now it’s the people who are taking control.” -Rupert Murdoch in Wired.
The article is mostly about Murdoch’s News Corp. wise $580.00 million purchase of Myspace and move into online assets. Myspace really is the place to be, apparently, if you didn’t know. News Corp. is too smart to change its basic appearance into an ad heavy platform for its many, many companies. Instead they want to use it as a place to, in short, generate buzz about the next movies, bands, whatever.
Check it out here.
Robert Watada at Rally in front of Fort Lewis June 27, 2006
Robert Watada, the father of Ehren Watada, the first military officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq, was at a rally for his son outside Fort Lewis today. He’s here from Hawaii with his wife, Ehren’s step-mother, until Friday. Ehren’s mother will be in state until August. They all met with Ehren inside Fort Lewis. Ehren has been confined there pending military charges for refusing to deploy with his unit last week. Robert told me that they ate hamburgers and that Ehren was doing well.
Appoximently 150 people rallied in support of Ehren outside the fort. There was also a group of approximently 25 counter-demonstrators. One of the counter-protesters attempted to use an American flag to block me from photographing an argument between a Watada supporter and a counter-demonstrator. I smiled and told him that I was just taking photos, but kept staring and kind of bugging his eyes out a bit. I think he was trying to intimate me. He asked, “Why are you always trying to cut him down?” He must have been referring to the media’s current misrepresentation of just about everybody. I reminded him of freedom of the press, which is (was) an American value. He finally assented and moved aside so I could take photos. The counter-protesters seemed to all be military families, probably many of them with a family member in Iraq. They refered to Ehren Watada as a coward and his supporters as idiots who were professional protesters with no real jobs. A Korea vet nearly climbed out of his wheel chair when somebody told him the US had no reason to invade Korea.
The rally was peaceful though and quite sunny. Unlike many anti-war rallys the speakers spoke briefly and stayed on subject with a single message. The honking from cars and trucks passing beneath the overpass was constant. The honking and waving in support of the counter protesters outside the Fort was also constant; the rally was directly in front of Fort Lewis. However there were a few drivers that came out of the Fort that quietly waved at the Watada supporters as well.
KISS 106.1’s BFD 2006 June 26, 2006
KISS 106.1’s BFD 2006
PRIDE 2006
Seattle’s Pride annual gay pride parade went through downtown to the Seattle Center today. Very fun. I spent about two hours photographing people around the Seattle Center fountain. Got super sunburned too!
Manny and Astrid’s Wedding June 24, 2006
I shot Manny and Astrid’s wedding today up in La Conner, Washington. There was a roast pig and swimming in a lake. Tomorrow I’m covering Pride in Seattle and Pink at Key Arena.
Run inside June 23, 2006
What do photographers do all day? Really? Tell me!
older posts »