Defining Moments

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My son and I stopped by the Prop 8 protest at city hall today, on our way to lunch, and I took a few snapshots. I sent one to Andrew Sullivan, at The Daily Dish, and he included it in his review of the nation-wide protest. Obviously, the Iowa City group wasn’t as big as in many larger cities, but it was a very energetic bunch, and I got a strong positive vibe. Sullivan thinks this battle will certainly be won, and I have to agree. I could just feel the activism working.:)

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I photographed a multi-school cross-country event today. I didn’t know what to expect, having never been to such an event before, but I had a great time. The weather was ideal, and the trees are starting to color up nicely. The U of I’s Ashton Course is a really nice place for a cross-country meet, especially for spectators. It’s pretty easy to find a vantage point to see much of the course. Even so, people move from place to place during the races to get the best view, and I got a bit of exercise following parents and fans around trying to position myself for good photos. The course has a distinct Iowa feel to it, with hay bales scattered across the landsape…it was really quite beautiful. A sampling of shots below, and the full gallery from today HERE. I know I didn’t manage to get pics of every runner, but I tried my best!

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I attended the Pack 215 Rocket Launch in Scott Park yesterday.  Beautiful weather and the kids really had a great time.  You can see how into it some of these guys were in the pictures HERE. Fun shots…..the only thing I wished for were some BIGGER rockets…..hehehe…

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An evening of killer blues at the Englert last night.  I’ve been a Robert Cray fan for a long time, and was eager to see him.  I had no doubt he would be incredible.  Iowa’s answer to Robert Cray, Kevin BF Burt, was every bit as fun to watch.  What an amazing voice, and a HUGE sound for just one guy with a guitar.  Both of these guys were ON last night, and I’m really glad I got to see them.  Of course, I got a few pics, too!

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I took pictures at Paws for a Cause this afternoon. The rain stayed away, attendance was good, and people and dogs alike seemed to enjoy themselves, participating in games and contests, sharing their stories of successful adoptions, and of course, joining the canine/human walk-a-thon. The full gallery (300++ pics!) can be viewed HERE. You might recall the sad situation in Solon last year, where many dogs were seized from a hoarder. Today there was a reunion of sorts of many of the dogs that have since found good homes. You can spot the Solon dogs in the pics because they are the ones wearing turquoise bandanas.

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I have been working toward a collection of fine art prints in my spare time, and hope to have several available for purchase by late fall. These will include photos and other digital art. I will be introducing two limited edition pieces this Sunday, at Paws for a Cause at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. These will be framed photographs of the Coralville Dam, commemorating the Iowa floods of 2008, and sales will benefit the Animal Center. “Before the Flood” was taken on May 26th, with the reservoir at 706 ft. “717″ was taken on June 16th, just after the water level peaked at 716.96 ft. Each print is made from archival pigment inks on acid-free velvet paper, set behind Artique Conservation Matboard and UV-resistant Conservation Clear glass. Twenty-five of each title will be printed, and will be signed, numbered, and ready to hang. The prints will be on display this Sunday at the Paws for a Cause event.

Through December 1st (or until the run is bought out), the prints will be offered at the special price of $185, with all proceeds going to Friends of the Animal Center Foundation, to be used for flood recovery of the Iowa City Animal Center. Each print is approximately 10″ x 14″, with the finished framed and matted size being approximately 17″ x 21″. Please contact me at the studio if you’d like to have one of these limited edition prints, and help the Animal Center at the same time!

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Two good games yesterday, both the J-V and the varsity, and I took LOTS of pics.  J-V is first, then some snaps of the senior night ceremony, then the varsity game.  Full gallery is HERE.

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I shot another show for the Englert last night. Oddly enough for being a long-time Iowan, I had never seen Bo Ramsey play before. I was impressed! This guy put on a great show that was a lot of fun to listen to and shoot. I might be adding him to my CD collection soon.;) The full gallery from the show can be viewed HERE.

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This guy has long been one of my musical heroes. I got to photograph (and meet!) him at the Englert tonight. This was the first time I had seen him do an acoustic set. Brilliant. A set composed heavily of ballads, and the audience so rapt and attentive I was sometimes hesitant to click my shutter. It was a small but very enthusiastic crowd, and both players unplugged and played out in the seats for a while. What an awesome show! David Pulkingham is the guy who played with Alejandro and added some backing vocals. His playing is incredible! A few images are below, and the full gallery is HERE.

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Well, City Circle’s production of A Christmas Story has ended, and it was a great show!  Congrats to all the actors and crew for a wonderful job!  I had a chance to shoot a dress rehearsal the night before the play opened.  I’ve posted a few shots below, and you can view the full gallery HERE.