Constructed in 1926, US 50 was part of the original United States highway system and extends from California to Maryland. Our recent move from Oakland, California to Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, DC inspired me to travel on this historic byway and document my journey. All work was shot on a Mamiya 6, a film camera that creates negatives that are six centimeters square. This camera really forces me to shoot with intention. The film stock is mostly Ektar 100, for those who are curious.
Graffiti covers a metal wall inside a target structure at the Dixie Valey Naval Training Area. The valley was acquired from local ranchers by the US Navy for electronic warfare simulation in 1995. The water table is very high in the area and many ranches in fact were beginning to experience sinkholes and subsidence.
Target structure at the Dixie Valey Naval Training Area. The valley was acquired from local ranchers by the US Navy for electronic warfare simulation in 1995. The water table is very high in the area and many ranches in fact were beginning to experience sinkholes and subsidence.
Graffiti at Sand Bench Viewing Area in Utah. The pullout features spectacular views of the San Rafael Swell, an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up during the Paleocene Laramide Orogeny 60-40 million years ago.
A man jumps in the air for a photograph at the Sand Bench Viewing Area in Utah. The pullout features spectacular views of the San Rafael Swell, an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up during the Paleocene Laramide Orogeny 60-40 million years ago.
Ticket booth, Blackhawk Arena, Salina, Utah.
Camp Salina, a former WWII POW camp in Salina, Utah, is the site of the worst POW massacre in United States history. American private Clarence Bertucci, immediately after beginning his guard duty around midnight, fired a .30 caliber M1917 Browning machine gun into thirty of the forty-three prisoner tents, unloading 250 rounds in about 15 seconds. Most of the German soldiers were from Erwin Rommel's Afrikakorps. Nine soldiers were killed and nineteen were wounded. Bertucci, who already had two prior court martials, concluded that he had hated Germans, so he had killed Germans. Bertucci was found to be insane by military officials and spent the rest of his life in Mason General Hospital in Brentwood, New York until his death in December 1969.
A roadside Native American statue in Salina, Utah. The statue used to be a slave holding a cup, but was rebuilt sometime between 2003 and 2004. The cup was changed to an axe, and the slave was transformed into a Native American.
The home of the Herbert Clutter family, Holcomb, Kansas. The four family members were murdered in the home in 1959 and were the subject of Truman Capote’s masterpiece “In Cold Blood.”
The home of the Herbert Clutter family, Holcomb, Kansas. The four family members were murdered in the home in 1959 and were the subject of Truman Capote’s masterpiece “In Cold Blood.”
A few select pictures created for AARP Benefits, 1-800-Flowers.com and Cheryl’s Cookies for Valentines Day. Donated cookies and roses were passed to all the residents at the home bringing them sweet and beautiful things for the holiday.
1-800-Flowers.com and Cheryl's Cookies surprise AARP members and residents at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.
A military veteran enjoys Cheryl's Cookies at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.
A military veteran receives a rose from 1-800-Flowers.com at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.
A military veteran delights in a rose from 1-800-Flowers.com at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.
A military veteran receives a rose from 1-800-Flowers.com and a cookie from Cheryl's Cookies at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.
A military veteran takes a bite of a cookie from Cheryl's Cookies at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.
It was a busy weekend here in the Bay Area, ending with a sometimes violent rally held at at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. The event began quietly and then quickly ramped up into violence. I avoided the main scrum and stayed around the edges. However, quite a bit of activity happened where I was stationed near Allston and MLK, where I made the photos below. 13 people were arrested, but thankfully nothing happened as tragic as what took place in Charlottesville a few weeks ago.
I recently took time to reorganize some of my negative archives when I came across some portraits I took at a bull riding school in 2014. I remember my goal was to make a portrait of the students immediately following their first-ever ride on a bull. The students, to my surprise and initial disappointment, looked nonplussed. I wanted to see a modicum of vulnerability in their faces, but instead only saw pictures of teenagers in cowboy clothing. I scrapped the idea and moved on.
A second look this month, at least three years later, revealed there is an underlying tension in the images, for me at least. Whom of us as adolescents couldn't wait to grow up to be the archetype we most admired? In some of these images, I see some who easily slide into the role, and others have a long trail ahead of them.
In case you're interested, the images were shot with a Hasselblad 553ex and Tri-X film. Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Eric
I spent the last five days attending the 2011 Multimedia Immersion at Syracuse University. During the week-long program, we learned the basics of creating and producing a short video using Canon 5D Mark ii cameras and various microphones. The experience opened up a new world for me. Situations that traditionally might not make for a very good photo package of stills now have the potential to become rich narratives through the additional elements of sound and motion.
Our stories were chosen literally out of a box. I chose a character story about Ed Patterson. He owns and operates a custom golf store in Syracuse, New York. I thank him and all the great teachers and new friends I made at the workshop for making the experience so memorable.
http://vimeo.com/24430173
Hi folks,
I have some portraits I made in the month of April, more or less, for your perusal. Thanks for looking and I hope you're enjoying the spring weather, especially in Houston.
Cheers,
Eric
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Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Jenzel Nash, the nation's leading scorer at 39.9 points a game. She was great to work with and needed very little direction. As a senior, she is sure to be rocking it in the NCAA very soon. The photos were made with a single 580EX strobe and a STS transmitter. The Pocket Wizards are in the shop, so it's been a good push to try and keep things simple.[gallery orderby="rand"]
Last month I had a couple of portrait assignments that contrasts how I work in different situations. In the first, the assignment was to photograph a long-haul trucker who was having trouble with his CDL license. Initially, I was told his truck would be at his residence. In fact, it was out at a yard that happened to be on federal property. For the moment, my lights are strictly AC powered although that is supposed to change soon. Instead, I had the blessing of a day with full sun, although clouds were slowly creeping in (at one point, we had to wait 45 minutes at a railroad crossing because his truck was just on the other side. Sometimes I really LOVE Houston...). I had him point his truck into the north so the grill would be in the shade. I then used a simple reflector to point the sun back into the shadow and photographed him with a 35mm/f1.4 lens. The next image was more controlled, but alas, the weather was crappy. I think it was Sam Abell who said bad weather makes good pictures. Because the sky was dark, it was a Saturday assignment and I had time and because I had a willing subject who was proud of his home, I was able to pull out some stops and practice my lighting. I lit the subject with a medium softbox from camera left and used a flood camera right to put a hard light on the side of his face and to also light up the house. Because I lit the scene, I was also able to create a more dramatic sky.
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A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing newest Boston Red Sox player Carl Crawford as he did an off-season workout session in his hometown of Houston. It's amazing to see how hard this guy works out. I suppose I would too if someone were paying me $142 million dollars to play baseball. Nonetheless, I found him to be very humble and down-to-earth. He's a natural athlete and could have been a pro in a number of sports. You can check out the story here.[gallery orderby="rand"]
I covered a story last week for the Houston Chronicle about a neighborhood center that is doing great things for the neighborhood - helping people learn how to file taxes, open bank accounts, and learn basic entrepreneurial skills. I spent a short time with Candelaria Galindo, who teaches a piñata-making class to others at the center. The idea was to surround her by her students' work and put her in the middle. When everything was in place, I said "Sonrisa!" The image made the front page this morning.
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Lately, I've been bringing my Hasselblad along with me on assignment to try and make more personal and interesting images between the work I do for the newspaper. Using the Hasselblad is a completely different experience from using my digital cameras. It forces me to really concentrate on what I'm doing. Everything on the camera is heavy and manually adjusted. For work I make indoors, I almost always need a tripod. My goal is to eventually make a project out of portraits I create at the courthouse. It's one of those places in town that brings together a wide, diverse array of people under one roof.
I recently photographed Mr. Hall for Columbia Magazine, a publication published for members of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization. We met inside Mr. Hall's sparsely furnished office in a shopping center in Cypress, Texas, about 45 minutes outside of Houston. Not having many options as far as a storytelling environment, I decided to put the 6'8" Mr. Hall into a corner and blow out the background. He regaled us with off-the-record stories of backstage intrigue at the rescue site. It was his "Plan B" that proved successful in recovering the trapped miners. He says divine providence is what saved the men. I personally think it was because of Mr. Hall's ingenuity and vast experience that saved the 33 miners.
Jennifer Schuett at her home with drawing of man who abducted her in 1990 from her bedroom in Dickinson. He raped her and then slit her throat--so that doctors thought she would never talk again --then left her to bleed to death and die atop a fire aunt mount. She was not discoverd for 12 hours. She survived and learned to see her attacker, Dennis Bradford, arrested when his DNA from attacking a woman in Arkansas in 1996 was finally linked to DNA taken from her clothing years ago.
Houston firefighters battle a blaze at a complex in the 1300 block of Gears, near the North Freeway and Beltway 8, where a fire was reported at about 2:30 p.m.
Maria Hernandez received her green card after being subject to physical abuse by her husband, who is in jail. She has 4 daughters, one of them has special needs due the domestic violence her mother endured.
Cressandra Thibodeaux of Aurora Picture Show
The 20th Annual Komen Houston Race for the Cure
The 2nd annual Pink & Blue Event: Al Amaanah Eid Celebration, is an Eid celebration for Iraqi, Palestinian and Afghani refugee children.
At this point of my life and career, I've probably been to more funerals than most people attend in two lifetimes (probably the same with weddings). Last Saturday, I attended one more to add to my list. However, it was the first time I've attended the funeral of a Medal of Honor recipient. The following is my favorite photo from the day.
More photos can be viewed here.