Friday, August 31, 2012

Day 165/365


     Tonight I covered a town hall meeting in Saginaw that Reverend Jesse Jackson attended. Due to the escalating violence and unrest since the Milton Hall shooting, national attention has been directed towards Saginaw, bring with it visits from the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, and soon to be Al Sharpton, along with other civil rights and watchdog groups. Another photo intern and I shot quite a few photos of Jackson and the events he attended throughout the day, so if you'd like to see more you can find different galleries here. While I know this shot is wider and doesn't zero in on Jackson as much as the others I took, there's just something about it that I liked.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Day 164/365


     There was yet another shooting last night; a house about one street over from the shooting I covered yesterday afternoon was shot up, killing a six year-old girl and leaving her father critically injured. Apparently they were just in town visiting family, and there's no word yet on whether or not the father was a target. Because of the escalating violence, the former mayor of Saginaw held a press conference this morning asking those who may have information relating to the murders but have kept quiet to come forward, whether it be to the police or to watchdog groups like the ones present this morning. While the former mayor, Gary Loster, talked about yesterday's victims, he mainly talked about Milton Hall, a homeless man that was shot 30-40 times by Saginaw police during a standoff back in July. The Milton Hall fiasco has caused a lot of anger in the area, mostly directed towards police, since most citizens are calling it an act of extreme police brutality. There's an ongoing investigation into the police department's actions, but not much has been said, leading people to try to take measures into their own hands, drawing national attention from CNN and garnering upcoming visits from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Day 163/365


     Today's post is from a shooting I covered in Saginaw. It's still under investigation, so I don't know the full story. What I understood from the entire neighborhood of people watching the police tape the area off was that a young man was in the neighborhood to help his grandmother with some yard work and was shot while he was on his bike near her house. He ran into his grandmother's house where he died before he could be taken to a hospital. I was standing with people who knew the victim pretty well, and who took his death and how it came about pretty hard, (understandably so). One woman, (I'm not sure how she knew the man), was so distraught that at one point she passed out from crying so hard. I'm at the point where I think I'd take just about any other sound right now to replace hearing her in my head. 

Day 162/365


     Day 162's post is of a politician looking to get elected into the U.S. Senate this November. He made a few stops at some small businesses in the area, one of them being a huge Christmas store up here in Frankenmuth, (pictured here, incase you didn't notice the trees). I was a tad more interested in the store than I was in him, to be honest. I've heard about Bronner's ever since I moved up here, and no matter how many stories you hear about the astounding amount of Christmas-related items it's completely full-of, (year-round too!), nothing quite prepares you for just how much there actually is. It'd be interesting to see how much crazier the displays get as the holiday season gets closer, I think. 

Day 161/365


     It felt like I did nothing but drive around this past Monday/day 161. Whether it was running errands or making the drive back to Michigan; the majority of the day was spent in my car. The drive back up to Saginaw had me going through all different types of weather, (pretty much everything except for snow really), so I took a quick picture of the sky in between a steady rain shower and the sun coming back out. After that I played around with some effects just to give it a more painted feel, because I felt like it.  

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Day 160/365


     It's a pet post for day 160! I did absolutely nothing today, and it was wonderful. After being at an outdoor festival in the hot Saginaw weather all day yesterday, I drove back to Ohio since I need to be here to get plates for my car tomorrow. Needless to say, I had absolutely no energy when I got in last night, so today was a much-needed lazy day. Apparently Finch got the memo. 

Day 159/365


     Yesterday/Saturday I covered an all-day musical festival that was supposed to be a tribute to Stevie Wonder. Apparently Wonder was born in Saginaw and lived there until he was four years-old, so obviously the city can claim him as its own, (heavy sarcasm incase you didn't detect it). Anyways, the event organizers were hoping Stevie would show up - he didn't. He did call towards the end of the festival though, right before his protégé, Harrell Holmes, (pictured), closed the festival. 

Day 158/365


     Another football photo fro Friday/Day 158! It was at 'perfect light-time' so I had some fun shooting. I only had a close call with getting almost-tackled once... okay maybe twice... but all in all it was fun! I just need to invest in some bug spray before my next game. 

Day 157/365


     Sorry for the delay with the past few days' posts; I worked nights this week and it was crazier than usual. Thursday/Day 157 was the kickoff of high school football season up here in Michigan so that's been the majority of what I've covered this week. This one isn't an action shot, but I liked it how it lined up.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Day 156/365


     Today one of my assignments was to get photos of a former Detroit Red Wings hockey player, Kris Draper, visiting the local minor league baseball stadium in Midland. While I was waiting for Draper to arrive at Dow Diamond I got to sit by the dugout and watch the Great Lakes Loons warm up and have batting practice. It was such a nice day out; it was a perfect afternoon for baseball. Unfortunately, I didn't get to stay for the game, but I'm hoping that I get assigned to cover one before this season's over. We'll see!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Day 155/365


     Tonight I had an assignment to get photos of a boxing coach/trainer who's going to be inducted into the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame. I've never gotten to see boxing up close, so sitting in on one of his sessions was really interesting. I got a traditional portrait of the trainer that you can see here on MLive if you want, but I decided to go with this photo for today's entry instead. 

Day 154/365


     The weather during my drive back to Saginaw yesterday couldn't seem to make up its mind. It would be sunny one second, then part of the sky would become overcast and rain at the same time. It made for some interesting clouds, which I'm always a sucker for. 

Day 153/365


     Sunday's belated post is one I took from my mom's car as we were driving out to her cabin in northeast Ohio. You can see great blue herons almost any time you drive out there, and this past weekend was no different. I wasn't quite ready when I took this first shot, but I like it anyways. 

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Day 152/365


     I'm spending this weekend back in Ohio. After the not-so great past week and-a-half, I jumped at the chance to switch three-day-weekends with another photo intern at work in order to come home last night. Today we went out to some family friends' place out in West Farmington for a frisbee-dog weekend they have each summer. It's a weekend filled with camping, eating, drinking, and playing with dogs - what more could you want? Anyways, we helped them pick corn from their garden for dinner, (pretty much the best sweet corn I've ever had; talk about "farm to table!"), and I stopped to take a picture of their sunflowers. Their sunflowers are so tall that it was easy to stand under one to get today's beautiful blue sky in the background. Today was a good day, and was definitely needed. I'm sure I got some decent frisbee-dog photos, but I'm about ready to pass out so I'll be sure to post a link to them here tomorrow. 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Day 151/365


     Today was an initiation of sorts in my burgeoning photojournalism career; I saw my first dead body while on the job. I covered a car accident in a small rural town outside of Bay City where the truck pictured in today's post ran a stop sign, colliding with a Ford Escape before going airborne and rolling over into someone's front yard. The only people involved were the two drivers, and both of them were killed in the crash. Just as the reporter covering the accident and I got out there, they were using the jaws of life to take the deceased male driver out of the truck while paramedics took the deceased female driver out of the Escape. There's only a few photos up on MLive here so far; the authorities haven't been able to get ahold of the deceased woman's next of kin yet, so I can't post the photos of her car until her husband's been notified. This afternoon's turned into a depressingly surreal waiting game. 

Day 150/365


     Yesterday's belated post is from a local Saginaw group that employs at-risk teens, and also offers them educational and recreational activities as well. Yesterday the Saginaw teens learned how to fish out at a Bay City park. It was really refreshing to see; there's so much poverty and crime in Saginaw and not very many people willing to try to change things. Seeing a group dedicated to trying to do just that is most definitely a welcome change. 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Day 149/365


     Today's post is from the Bay Area Women's Center in Bay City. The center is having its first ever "Power of the Purse" event and fundraiser next week, where there will be auctions and raffles that will all directly benefit the Women's Center. Hundreds of purses have been donated by various stores and designers for the auction, so I was assigned to take some photos of the preparations the center's staff are starting to partake in for the event. The center really does a lot of good in the area; acting as a safe place to go for at risk women from all walks of life. It was really nice to see just how much support they're receiving for the fundraiser. 

Day 148/365


     Yesterday/Tuesday's post is from the old Saint Patrick's Cemetery in Bay City. There's been some work done on the trees there, and people who live near the cemetery and/or drive by it have been complaining about how the tree company has been handling the whole process. There were reports of damaged grave sites/headstones and all-around catastrophe. While the reporter that was assigned the story and I didn't see any actual damage, it was definitely a bit disconcerting to see logs and debris lying anywhere and everywhere, even on top of grave sites and completely covering grave markers in some cases.

Day 147/365


     I know I'm a bit backed up in updating, so here goes. Monday's belated post is of my cat, Finch, again. Since I got my dog, Kip, Finch has been camping out on top of the refrigerator. At least he's stopped growling and hissing at Kip on sight. Now if I could just get him to come down...

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Day 146/365


     Just when you thought the pet posts had died down... I got a dog! He officially came home with me this past Friday, so just consider yourselves lucky that I lasted this long without putting a picture of him up on here. Anyways, his name is Kip, and he's a five month-old American bulldog/black lab mix. He's super laid back, except for the fact that he's having a bit of a problem with being left alone when I have to go to work or go out in general, but we're working on it. Now if I could just get my cat to come around to the idea of Kip being around...

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Day 145/365


     Today I was originally supposed to cover the last day of the Bay County Fair, but what I really ended up covering was how the Bay County Fair got cut short due to all the flooding in Bay City since it's rained so much this past week. It was pretty interesting to see carnival rides sinking into the mud and carnival workers wading their way through standing water to take everything apart. Definitely unlike any carnival I've ever been to!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Day 144/365


     It's been consistently raining all day today in Saginaw. Some side roads have started to flood, and Bay City is experiencing some major flooding throughout the area. Since rain was the main topic of discussion almost anywhere you'd go, I was assigned the task of going out and taking rain pictures. I'm a sucker for ripples and the overlapping designs they make, so this photo for today's entry was my favorite from my rain-soaked adventures today.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Day 143/365


     Today was a bit surreal. And not fun. And incredibly disconcerting. Long story short, I got into a car accident this morning on my way to an assignment for work. I'm fine, my car however, not so much. My windshield is pretty much caving in, (hence the photo), both air bags were blown out, and the front end of my car looked like it had gone a round or two with a harvesting combine. I'm hoping for the best from the body shop I took it to, but haven't heard anything yet. Until then I was able to get a rental, so I'll at least be able to keep working while I wait to hear the fate of my poor car. Oh, after I got my rental car, I managed to at least shoot one assignment, (as opposed to the three I was scheduled to shoot today), which was at a lingerie store nearby my apartment, (MLive photos here). How was your day?

**UPDATE: My car, my poor poor car, is officially totaled. Alas, thus begins the dreaded search for a replacement...

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Day 142/365


     Nothing all too interesting for today's post, but it's basketball-related and I'll always have a soft spot for basketball. There was a press conference today to announce details for the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament for next summer. Apparently it's this basketball tournament that started in this guy's driveway years ago and has steadily become a regional staple. I was all excited to hopefully either cover the event or participate in it until I found out it's not until next year. Oh well... I'll just have to settle for the court at the park nearby. 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Day 141/365


     Today, or more so, tonight, has been a crazy one. Primary election night coverage means running around from place to place getting photos of different politicians waiting to hear results, with half of the politicians not being where their assistants said they would be, which then resulted in me going to about a dozen other places I wasn't planning on. All in all, it wasn't as crazy as I thought it might be, but I assume that won't be the case come this November. Anyways, I started off shooting the Bay City fire and police departments' National Night Out Against Crime. Today started off on a high note with me getting to take this picture of grown men "testing out" the bouncy house before the activities officially began. Enjoy!

Day 140/365


     Today's/Monday's post was taken after I finished unloading and putting away a bunch of stuff I brought back to Saginaw from my mom's house in Ohio. I finally got to bring my record player and records to my apartment, and I wasted no time in getting the tuner and turntable setup. They both belonged to my dad, along with about three-fourths of my record collection, so I definitely missed having them with me this past month and-a-half. 

Day 139/365


     Sunday's/day 139's photo was an unintentional example of complimentary colors: amber/orange beer and a blue table top. Add friends and family and you have a much-needed relaxing weekend. 

Day 138/365


     I'm sorry! I know I fell behind on updating these past few days. I finally got to make a trip back to Ohio for the weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday early with her and my brother. It was so nice to visit home; as much as I love my internship I miss my family and friends so instead of being by my computer this weekend I spent almost all of my time with them. Saturday's post was taken at about three thirty in the morning as I was driving to Ohio after working the night shift in Bay City. I can't even begin to put into words how excited I was when I passed downtown Cleveland; I couldn't get to Mentor fast enough after that.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Day 137/365


     Another concert photo for my belated day 137 post! Last night/Friday was my last night of covering the Pig Gig rib cook-off, and while parts of it were a lot of fun, I'm definitely okay with not having to cover it the rest of this weekend. Last night I covered a Michigan-based band, Brent James & the Contraband, an old '80s metal band, Winger, and an alt-rock band, Trapt. I'm not a fan of any of them, (or a fan of the typical fan base they generally attract), but the lighting effect used once the sun went down made for some fun photos. Entry one-hundred and thirty-seven is Trapt's bass player, and if you'd like to see any more of the photos from last night you can see them on MLive here.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Day 136/365


     Today I covered a rib cook-off festival that's currently going on in Bay City, and part of covering the festival today was shooting a concert at the end of the night. It was a nostalgia-inspiring night, because the band was a '90s one-hit wonder band, the Spin Doctors, that I remember listening to as a little kid. It was a lot of fun though, and it was really cool reaping the benefits of having a press pass to get close enough to take decent concert photos. If you interested in seeing more photos from the show, you can see them on MLive here.

Day 135/365


     My belated post for Wednesday/day one-hundred and thirty-five comes courtesy of my cat. He's quite the little photogenic helper. Needless to say, (if you didn't figure already), Wednesday was a pretty uneventful day. We didn't mind though.