Goose Encounter

One of the great things about my job is that I get to try a little of everything. Today I held a Canada goose just after it had been banded at the Salato Game Farm in Frankfort. I even learned how to calm it down. You simply tuck its head under a wing, like I’m doing here in this photo taken by Mark Marraccine, and it immediately goes to sleep or into some sort of trance. Kind of like when I rub my dog’s belly. Fun stuff…

Lexington From 2,000 Feet

Lexington from 2,000 feet is an eye-opening site. When you drive by a new development under construction, you see a sign. Beyond that, you get a glimpse of freshly scraped earth and the skeletal beginnings of houses and businesses. But you never really see the scope of what is being done until you see it from the air.

Yesterday I rented an airplane and flew over some construction sites around Lexington and Versailles. I’m always conflicted about taking aerial photographs. The view is great and it’s fun, but it always leaves me a bit queasy. So, I took my Dramamine and packed a plastic bag with my gear.

It was beautiful weather and my pilot, Dan, was a master at maneuvering the plane into just the right position to get the pictures I needed. I always ask for a plane with overhead wings and a window that will open. The open window makes better pictures and had the added benefit of keeping the cabin tolerably cool on a hot day.

The photo above is of new developments South of Hamburg Place. The road that is running along the left is I-75 and the view is looking North toward the shopping area. I shot it on a wide-angle zoom set at 17mm. The ISO was 400, the aperture was set to f/4.5 and the shutter speed was at 3,000th of a second.

Not much green space left, is there?

Auxiliary Media Center

Welcome to the Auxiliary Media Center.

This is my home for the entire day–up until the big race. I’ll be editing photos as they come in. The center has everything I could possibly want—food, television screens, bathrooms, camera technicians, and best of all, a chance to see friends from other media outlets all over the country. Some of them are friends I only see once a year at the Derby.

It’s a large room. The food line stretches across the top of the photo. At the bottom of the photo is a spotlight for the interview area just out of the photograph. The Herald-Leader Photo work area is up on the balcony to the left. Below is a picture of our work area. The only thing it lacks is sunlight, so we venture outside from time to time and brave the crowds for a change of scenery.

Waghdan’s Healing Journey

Waghdan is recovering from her skin graft surgery, I’m happy to report. Not as fast as she and her grandmother would like, I’m sure. They are both eager to go home to Iraq and their family. It has been difficult for them, not only because of Waghdan’s physical challenges, but also because of the cultural differences. I can’t imagine what it has been like for them to be unable to communicate with others freely and to be in constant puzzlement over our foreign customs and beliefs.

Our next installment of their story will be published in Sunday’s paper and on our website. What is new this time is my multimedia show called “Waghdan’s Healing Journey”. You can see it at www.heraldleaderphoto.com.

Sigh of Relief

I think the majority of the staff here breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday when it was announced that McClatchy had won the bid to buy Knight Ridder. We have been on pins and needles since shareholders had first demanded the sale. Who would buy us? Will it be a company that respects and encourages ethical journalism? Will it be a company that treats its employees fairly? All of this anxiety was coupled with a sense of grief over the slow demise of the newspaper in our society.

Enter McClatchy and its white knight CEO, Gary B. Pruitt, who still believes in journalism and believes in the future of newspapers–coupled of course–with the online component. It was the best news we could have hoped for.

I am realistic enough to know and accept that my job is changing—fast. But most of it is exciting. We are learning new skills and we have new opportunities to display our work. And now that I know that our parent company will continue to have the right values and goals I can relax and enjoy my future in journalism—in whatever form it takes.

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