Diversity a.k.a. Uniformity INORONO

This is my friend Abbas.  I met Abbas in 2004 INORONO.  It probably seems strange to some when I say that I have never had what could be considered a conventional conversation with my friend.

I don't speak Farsi and Abbas doesn't speak English.

Abbas was here INORONO in 2004 visiting his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren who lived in the house next door, from his native country of Iran.  In the summer of 2004 I built a garage and Abbas watched my progress day by day and week by week.  Our friendship began with demolition.  He would stand on the sidewalk or in my driveway and watch.  Sometimes he would sit and watch.  Periodically he would help me if it was obvious I was struggling to move or carry something.  Mostly he just watched.  

When construction began his interest increased.  He watchful eyes gleamed with curiosity.  He would pick up tools and ask me what they were for.  At least that's what I think he was asking.  He stood on the newly poured concrete slab and pointed and waved his arms, again, his eyes full of life, light and knowledge desperately trying to impart some of his life experience to me.  At times I think he thought that if he could just speak slowly and loudly enough, I would understand his language.

Our friendship grew following the completion of my garage as I turned my attention to my garden.  Oh how Abbas loved my garden.  Again, he offered his advice and I did my best to take it, despite only assuming I'd properly translated his hand gestures.  And oh how his eyes would light up when I delivered vegetables to him, knowing I just had to share the bounty of the harvest with him.

In April of this year I came home from work and saw a car parked in the driveway next door.  You see the house Abbas stayed in when I first met him is now vacant and For Sale.  Abbas' family moved into a house better suited for their family and has been renting until recently.  As I backed into my driveway I saw that Abbas was here INORONO again.  I saw the glimmer of recognition as he realized it was me and I think he saw the same in me.  I parked and as smiles emerged on both of our faces, we walked towards each other, hands extended, and embraced.  I still didn't understand the Farsi that flew off of his tongue but with his grandson's help with translation, we managed a conversation.  

He looked exactly as I remembered him.  Despite living more than eight decades in what I think we can all agreed is a turbulent part of our world, his eyes were alive with the light of his accumulation of experience and life lessons.  I knew at that moment I just HAD to photograph him while he was here.

I went next door one evening to speak to Ali, Abbas' son and asked about my wishes to photograph him.  Later in the week I was told he agreed and we arranged a time and a place.  

I agonized over how to set up.  My goal was simple.  I wanted capture the light and life in his eyes and the stories embedded in his face.  Isn't that what we're all after when we photograph people?

I set up in my garage, the one that forged our friendship.  I thought it appropriate.

Utilizing a homemade flat-black backdrop (and old closet door painted black on one side and white on the other) and a homemade white reflector (the other painted door), I placed a Nikon SB-800 into my EZBox softbox on a stand in the Rembrandt position at camera-left.  I closed down two stops from ambient and utilizing TTL at +2 compensation, dialed in an exposure.  The white reflector at camera-right brought out the detail on his shadow side while still allowing the depth and the texture to show.  In the last few frames I wanted just a touch more fill so I added a second bare-bulb SB800 in Group B at  -3 compensation in a Justin Clamp about ten feet from him.  All were shot with my Nikon D700, 24-70 f/2.8 lens in RAW at ISO 200.  I believe this final shot was 1/200th at f.3.2.

INORONO there is a lot of talk about diversity because of that big entity on the other side of the bridge on Marsh Island.  Diversity is important to them up there and is important to a lot of the people I know but I find that diversity, by it's very nature, needs labels in order to define itself.  I grew up in a world of labels.  Where and when I grew up lot's of folks were labelled.  There were "Catholics," "Protestants," "working families," "white trash," "colored folks," "rich," and "poor."  Even today, living INORONO I see this same "diversity" in my neighborhood.  There's us, the "white, middle-class family," the "Catholics" across the street, the "Jewish family" next door, the "Chinese," the "Japanese" and the "Muslim" families all in our quaint little cul-de-sac.   But they're all just labels.

Here's the deal.  My friend Abbas and I are different in many ways.  We've grown up and lived in very different worlds with different circumstances and situations.  Our friendship, however, is based on our human experience; our desire to learn from others, to take care of our families and to enjoy what life has to offer.  My friend Abbas and I are much more alike than we are different and I'm so very grateful to have made his acquaintance and become his friend INORONO.

Prom Time INORONO

That peculiar tradition and teen rite of passage known simply as "Prom" took place in Wells Commons at the University of Maine last night.   

While it's true that my daughter, a Senior at Orono High School was in attendance, my involvement this year, like last, was more than just a protective dad meeting the daughter's date at the door with his trusty Sig Sauer 9mm pistol holstered in plain view spouting friendly reminders about just how much she means to him.  I was the event photographer.  Events such as this frequently challenge us photographers because no matter how well you plan, there is always something to make you wonder why you agreed to take this assignment.  I am pleased to report that I was not faced with that last night to any large degree.  

I got a good spot to set up, there was power, the ceiling was high and white and I had room to maneuver.  Now the reflective DOTS the organizer gave me to hang up on the backdrop as part of the "CANDYLAND" theme gave me a moment of, "oh no," but in the end they added nicely to the photos - photos that as I compose this sit unprocessed. (be patient, I'll get them done and posted by the end of the week)

Here's the set up.  White muslin backdrop (I know, I know......WHITE!  Don't they know black is a much better choice and really makes the colors of the dresses POP?)  Alien Bees AB800 in an Octa in Rembrant position.  Key light here and everything else works off of it.  Another Alien Bees AB800 into a shoot through umbrella for fill on camera left.  Good Right?  

No.

Keeping the notion in mind that white backdrops almost never look white because of the quick fall off of the light in the foreground (thank you David Hobby and Joe McNally), I placed two Nikon SB-800 flashes on stands with Honl flags to light the backdrop and make it appear white.

There it is, as simple four-light set up.  Fire the Alien Bees (1/8th power into the Octa and 1/16th power into the umbrella) with Pocket Wizards and the SB800s in SU-4 mode on 1/32nd power and we're good to go.  Looks something like this:

Okay, let's face it, only the photographers reading care about this stuff.  What about the kids?

Below is the photographic evidence of the good time had by all.

I even managed a Softball Dad moment when I was able to pose all of the Class of 2012 Varsity Softball players - a photo sure to re-appear in the slideshow at the end of season Banquet.

And finally, the highlight of the night came when my beautiful and smart and awesome daughter Andi was voted the PROM QUEEN by her classmates!  It was a terrific gesture that is one more piece of evidence of how special it is to live INORONO.  The support we have received from our community ahead of Andi's surgery on Tuesday has been overwhelmingly touching and something for which we are extremely grateful.

Thank you - I'm so glad and proud to live INORONO.

P.I.E. Challenge

One of the really cool things about being a photographer is that I get to meet, know and occasionally hang out and collaborate with other photographers.  I love seeing how others work, how they approach an assignment or a topic and how they then choose to present their work for us, and the rest of the world, to see.

In addition to being a member of the Eastern Maine Camera Club, I hang out with a dynamic, ever-evolving, growing and changing group of photogs and we meet periodically for P.I.E.  (We actually do eat pie, made from scratch by the lovely wife of one of our photographers - Phil Flagg.)  But P.I.E. stands for Photographers Information Exchange.  It is a friendly, collaborative, open and non-competitive get-together where we simply chat, share, ask and compare notes on anything and everything photographic.  It's awesome actually.

One element of our recent P.I.E. get togethers has been to issue challenges to each other.  The purpose of the challenge is to recognize that we all get in photography ruts from time to time and need a good, swift kick in the pants to push us out of our respective comfort zones.  I'm sure that not everyone in the group looks at it that way completely but it is fun to all contribute a topic on a little piece of paper and then put those topics into a hat out of which each of us then draws a topic.  We now have an "assignment" and are now responsible to make a photograph (or more) of the topic and share it with the others in the group on our closed Facebook page.

I LOVE seeing how people attack their topics and frequently say aloud to my computer screen while looking at their work, "I would not have thought of that in a million years!"  I love this!  Thank you Jodi Renshaw.

Last week I drew "A Stranger."

I set out this morning to photograph a stranger here INORONO.

One of the very cool things about Orono is our people.  I literally walked up to three young men in The Store/Ampersand INORONO (see previous Blog entry), told them what I was doing and each agreed with virtually no hesitation.

The really cool part is that one of them was also a photographer and was out exploring this morning INORONO and shooting analog.  Yes, that means he was shooting film.  You remember film......right?

I chose a totally minimalist approach.  Nikon D700 with 50mm f1.4 lens and available light.  Period.

I wanted to shoot wide open (f1.4) and I wanted an old-school, grainy black and white film, newspaper quality so I cranked up the ISO and pretended I was shooting Kodak Tri-X 400 push-processed to 800 with developer and fixer that really should have been replaced.  (Yes I remember The Darkroom)

Pretty happy with the results and want to thank Devon, Scott and Justin - you are part of what makes living INORONO special.

Shop Local Day - Every Day At Parks Hardware

What makes living INORONO special?  Two Words.....Parks Hardware!

Although the world we live in and the retail world Parks Hardware is thriving in have changed dramatically over time, the fact that you can walk into a Hardware store INORONO, hear the hardwood underfoot creak as the elevation changes, admire the patina on the tin ceilings AND be greeted by people capable of answering your question or providing that special widget you need makes me smile!

Linwood White, Jr. is the proprieter of Parks Hardware on Mill Street INORONO.  Lin has been working here in one capacity or another since the mid-70s and although back then he couldn’t then imagine the twists and turns of life that would see him return to his hometown to own and operate the store his dad took over from Mr. Parks in the early 70‘s, there is a contentment on his face and a relaxed, proud glimmer in his eye as he talks at length about what he thinks makes Parks Hardware special.

Did you know, for example, that in 1991 there were 25 Hardware or Paint stores within a 7 mile radius of Parks?

Did you know that Parks carries 35,000 individual items in their 4,000 square foot store?

   -Compared to the “big box stores” carry about 40,000 individual items in their 100,000 square foot warehouses?

Lin is very proud of the fact that while he simply cannot compete with the big boxes soley on price on many items, he can provide value on virtually everything in his store.  The staff at Parks has over 100 years experience in the Trades or in Hardware Retail.  Customers do, in fact, have different expectations when they walk in here and those expectations are what Lin and the crew strive to exceed as they provide answers (the most valuable commodity they have to offer frankly) as well as competitive pricing on good quality, often American-made, products.  

At Parks you will find many seasonal items inhabiting the shelves or hanging from the ceiling but what they’re really known for is that which people of my generation would expect from any good hardware store:  a comprehensive plumbing department, very good paint and electrical departments and a very complete tool accessory department.  There are new items all the time from Fly Rods, locally made Byer Hammocks, US made bean pots, decorative pottery, bird feeders and hats.  There are toys and sleds and carving tools along with Case knives, specialty hand tools and cast iron cookware.  You can get your screens repaired, have keys made in front of you, buy an incubator for hatching eggs and between catalogues and the internet, Lin has access to over one million SKUs, or individual items. 

Parks Hardware proves every day that you don’t have to go to the Mall, you don’t have to go to the big box and, in fact, you don’t have to leave Orono to get a good deal.  

Having a store like Park’s Hardware INORONO helps to anchor our own tax base, to give residents a reason to go and linger downtown and if you do you’ll see that it is more than a store, more than a source of income for the employees and for the town and more than just a place to get nails, or paint or wire.  Parks Hardware is a place where you connect with your community.  It is a place where you feel part of something special and bigger than us all; it is a very special place indeed, INORONO.

Short Notice Assignment

I recently received one of those phone calls we "aspiring 'professional' photographers" look forward to getting - an actual assignment - AND - one that pays.  That's the good news.

The bad news was the call came on a Thursday and I needed to shoot on Friday.  Oh Boy!

Orono High School Athletic Director Mike Archer has been assembling a series of inspirational/motivational posters of the some of the stellar athletes at Orono High School.  The posters are mounted in the hall near the gymnasium and each photo of each athlete has a word printed on it that describes both the person in the photo and the characteristics we hope all athletes (and non-athletes alike) aspire to.

For the winter sport season Mike needed a shot of Hockey, Swimming and Track and Field.  I had travel plans for Saturday and that Friday too if the truth is to be told here but I was able and willing to take on the two scheduled on Friday.

His description of what he desired was simple; action shots of Cameron Dwyer swimming the butterfly stroke and Michael Brown making a save on a shot on goal - both 'head on' capturing "the moment!"

Friday was THE day because there was a swim meet at the pool on Campus and the boys Hockey team had the ice at the Alfond for practice.  Okay---game on!

First, a call to my friend Kevin Bennett, a fabulous shooter for the Bangor Daily News.  Kevin has always been gracious in sharing advice, technique and answering my questions.  On more than one occasion I've accompanied Kevin while he was working and he never tired of my inane endless questions on every conceivable photographic topic from "what is this White Balance thing" to how to correctly spell jpeg?  Kevin Bennett Rocks!

So I told him my assignment, knowing that he had shot swim meets at that pool.  He was quick to answer and his advice was right on.  "Bring lights, it's dark as a pocket in there.  Wear shorts - it's hotter than blazes in there.  Wear shoes that won't slip, plan to wet (both you and your camera) and May The Force Be With You!"

Oh Boy!  I'm in trouble.

First I shot Cam Dwyer.  Cam is a super stud of a swimmer (and baseball player) from a family of other super athletes.  Panic set in upon arrival at the pool when I learned that Cam would NOT be swimming the Butterfly tonight.  Oh Boy! I'm in BIG trouble.  Options?  NONE.  Pretty hard to make out faces with the other strokes, let alone something that conveys POWER and STRENGTH.

Quickly now.... quickly.......the Meet starts in 15 Minutes.     Oh Boy.  More Trouble.

Talk to the Coach.  Tell him what I want.  "Sure,"  he says, "how about I have him jump in lane four right now, swim the butterfly towards you and have him jump out and get ready for the meet?"  Great!  What is that warm liquid running down my leg?  Kevin was right, I'm getting wet


Justin clamped an SB800 flash to the lifeguard stand at camera left, zoom all the way out, set to half power, remove dome diffuser, attach Pocket Wizard radio transceiver, aim halfway down Lane 4.  Put second SB800 flash with Pocket Wizard on paint stick, hand to my lovely and capable assistant (Andi), tell her to stand camera right with flash aimed at center of Lane four.  Fire two test frames, make exposure adjustments and holy crap here he comes signal Cam to start. I shoot, shoot, shoot.  He stops and looks up at me.  I chimp through the LCD real quick.  The coach gives me the "glad I could help" look, and I'm done.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm lens at 200mm, Dynamic 21 pt. autofocus, Manual Mode, f2.8 at 1/250th, Matrix Metering, ISO 800, Auto White Balance, two SB800 flashes fired via Pocket Wizard.

Move over to Alfond Arena for Hockey.  We wait for the peewee league to finish their practice and out comes the Zamboni.  Andi points out the Goalie - Michael Brown - and I introduce myself and tell him what I want to do and beg him to ask one of his friends to protect me from either an errant check or puck to the back of the head.  Mike is very gracious.  He casually calls his Mom to bring his Varsity Game shirt - which of course she does.  I get the green light and out on the ice I go.

Two SB800s set TTL on light stands at 45 degrees camera right and left.  Frame it up, Mike's buddy starts taking shots.  I work on timing.  Look at the LCD.  Make some adjustments.  Ten minutes go by, the coach starts to get antsy.  I'm done.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm lens at 70mm, Dynamic 21 pt. autofocus, Manual Mode, f3.2 at 1/250th, Matrix Metering, ISO 400, Auto White Balance, two SB800 flashes fired TTL with +2 EV dialed in, pop-up flash used in Commander Mode with -2 EV dialed in for just a hint of on-axis fill.


Great night.  Great kids.  Can't wait to see the posters in the halls at the High School INORONO.

Winter=Basketball INORONO

Our long winter in Maine has officially begun.  

I usually consider winter to be the time between when the World Series ends and Spring Training begins but as the parent of a High School Basketball athlete, I've learned that winter really begins with the opening Basketball game and ends at the Bangor Auditorium. 

Here INORONO, "winter" began Friday night with the opening games of our Orono High School boys JV and Varsity basketball season.

The JV squad played well but faced a very talented GSA team.  With several Seniors on the Varsity team the JV Boys will each have a lot at stake as they work hard to earn a spot on next year's varsity team.

The Varsity Boys came out gunning and held on to get a big win under Coach Coleman in his first year. Off to a 13-0 start in the first they held off a steady charge by GSA to get the win.  Above Seniors Tyler Eddy and Sam Chase drive for points.

Coach Erin Porter's squad got the JV season off on Saturday night.  After a sluggish start the girls composed themselves and really put together a great game for the win.  Like the boys, the girls Varsity team, with seven Seniors, will need the JV girls to work hard and next year many of them will be playing for Coach Jessica Libby Witham.

Following the JV girls the Varsity girls came out to face Mattanawcook Academy's team in MA's first year in Class C East after being in Class B for years.  Once the girls settled in they played well only to fall short by just one point.  Below Senior Kate Berry saves a ball headed out of bounds while Senior Laura Triandafillou executes the final play of the game and puts up a shot as time expired that bounced around and out.  The hard fought contest came down to that last play and the Riots came up short on a play that could have easily gone the other way for the win.

So it goes in all sports, as in life, that sometimes you execute and it's just not quite enough.  

All the Cool Parents and other fans are looking forward to the rest of the season and those of us with Seniors don't want to think about our long winters next year when our girls are all away at college.

So good luck to all of the Riot Winter sports and we'll be seeing you out there on the court INORONO.

Soccer's Growing Legacy At Orono High School

I used to hate soccer.  Being American and having been raised a baseball fan, such a state is quite normal; especially for people in my age group "demographic." 

When my kids began to play youth soccer INORONO I hated soccer even more liked soccer even less.  A bunch of little kids running up the field joined at the hip until every once in a while the ball squirted out.

Many of you will be surprised pleased to learn that my view of soccer has evolved, although I must admit that what I hate about youth soccer is the same thing that I love about it; that kids with no athletic ability whatsoever have the opportunity to play a team sport that would not have had that experience when I was their age.  When I was 7, the kids with no athletic ability played the clarinet and never had the opportunity to be a part of a team on a sports field.  Today many of those kids get to have that experience and while they may ultimately end up in the band (a team sport of its own) I believe they are better for having played this game.  

Soccer at Orono High School over the last several years has been exceptionally exciting and has in no small part, contributed to my own evolution.

Just last Wednesday our Boys and Girls teams both played in the Eastern Maine Championship games.  While both came away with heart-breaking losses, it is a testament to our kids, our coaches, our parents and our Middle School and Rec Department leagues that they were there.

Coach Caballero took over the Varsity Boys team last season after we lost a long-time coach, teacher and friend, Mr. Berthiaume to cancer.  Mr. Caballero took this group and in just his second season brought the boys to within one win of playing for a State Championship.  

Meanwhile for the girls, a virtual dynasty of sorts is underway.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Girls Varsity team played in the Eastern Maine Championship.  Think about this.  Each Senior has played in two State Championship games and four Eastern Maines.  While the gold ball has thus-far eluded Coach Dyjak and his squads, the fact that the team is there every year says a LOT about him as a Coach.  I think most of the girls really recognize how lucky they are to play for him and it shows in the way they play; with discipline, with skill and with class.

This year's loss for the girls in the Eastern Maine Championship game was a real heartbreaker.  Down by three at half-time, they worked their way back to tie it.  In the first overtime they hit the right post, hit the left post and hit the crossbar but just couldn't get the break they needed to win.  The second overtime period saw similar action.  Finally it came down to penalty kicks.  Three rounds of penalty kicks were needed before finally succumbing to the ultimate State Champs. 

I'm not a betting man but if I were, I'd bet that next year at this time, we'll be talking about another run at the State Title - and maybe even that gold ball.

What a great program.  What a great legacy.  What a great group of kids, coaches and parents here INORONO!