One of the great things about my job is all the people that I get to meet. I meet people from all walks of life, each one with their own unique story. More often than not, my time with these folks is limited and rarely is it possible to see the looks on their faces when they see the photo that was taken of them. I assume that most people might not ever see the photo that was taken. Some might be surprised when they see themselves in the newspaper. If I do get feedback about a job I have done, it is usually from my editors, colleagues or the PR guy who wants me to give him a picture for free. But, every now and again I will shoot something that touches the heart of someone.I received an email the other day from a man I met on his wedding day. It was a gay wedding at San Francisco City Hall. It wasn’t a big wedding, just the man and his partner along with his brother - a simple union. I was taking photos for a story I was doing about gay couples rushing to get married before election day because the threat that Prop. 8 would overturn gay marriage in California. I asked the two men if I could photograph them getting married and they both agreed. At the time, I had no idea that this photo would mean the world to these newlyweds.
Here is the note I received from the couple…
Dear Justin,
My name is Wendell and I am one of the Chinese guys you took a wedding pic of at City Hall on October 15th, 2008. I don't expect you to remember me or Jon but I wanted to thank you for what you did.
You were this nice unassuming dude just waiting in the hall with the rest of us when you approached me and Jon and respectfully asked if you could snap our picture because of our Aloha shirts. I would pretty much guess this was just another news story for you to cover, however, the picture you took helped to immortalize the day for us and turn what we thought was not a big deal into a very meaningful day.
You have no idea how many family and friends were excited to see this "bonus" pic of our ceremony as we did not clue very many people in on the event and many reprimanded us for not letting them know about the ceremony in advance. Your picture helped them to feel like they didn't miss anything and after many of them saw your picture, they asked us if we had hired a professional photographer!
Now we have become huge fans of your work and expect you to be a Number 1, most sought after photographer in the next few years to come! We can't wait till you become even more famous than your web site so we can tell everyone, "Yeah, that's the dude that took our wedding picture way back when!" Till then, we wish you continued and ever growing success in your career endeavors and best wishes to you and your family in 2009! Thanks again for helping to make a difference in our lives.
Kindest regards, Wendell and Jon
It is a rare occasion that I get such a generous and thoughtful note. When I do, it reminds my why I love my job and how great it is to be able to bring happiness to someone through a captured moment.
Happy New Year.
Laid off construction workers, real estate agents and mortgage brokers dressed in suits carrying briefcases and folders containing their resumes crammed into the Crown Plaza hotel in Concord in hopes of landing a job. I was blown away at how many people there were. They just kept coming in the door.
Companies like Comcast and Sears were courting unemployed workers. I am not sure how many jobs were actually available but I thought I heard someone say 200 from the dozens of vendors in attendance.
A range of different faces peppered the long line as people waited to get in to the expo. People from all walks of life did their best to make light of the difficult situation. I overheard two women talking, one of them saying that she had been out of work for close to two years. The other would be one year in February.
I can only hope that things will improve for these people and for the many good friends of mine that are in a similar situation.
Gas Man, Petrol Boy, Gas Price King, Gas Huffer, Mr. Gas. You name it, I’ve been called it. Since 2002 I have been shooting gas prices on a very regular basis and friends and colleagues make sure to poke fun at me regularly. The jokes continually roll in.
There were some weeks that I would do gas prices twice in one week. Gas trucks, prices through the raindrops on windows, tight shots, loose shots, people pumping gas. The list goes on. I even shot gas prices on vacation once. I see a pump and I am drawn to it. It’s an illness, I know.
I honestly never thought I would see gas for less than $3.00 in my lifetime, let alone under $2.00. People are thrilled, everyone loves them some cheap gas. You would think my assignment today would be a positive one about gas buyers rejoicing. Sorry. In case you didn’t get the memo, there isn’t any good news anymore. Even when consumers finally get a break they get dealt a blow. Seems that the cheap gas is all of the sudden hurting the economy.
Anyway, on my quest to find a different approach to shooting gas prices today, I saw a gas truck making a delivery at a gas station. Sometimes you can get something decent from this scenario, so I pulled in to the station. I went up to the guy, who I think I may have photographed before, and asked if he minded if I took a few frames of him doing his thing. He came back with the most ridiculous line/excuse I have ever heard. He said “ever since 9/11 we can’t allow you to take photos of the gas truck or the operation.” He went on to say “if we see people taking photos we are supposed to call the cops.”
I stood there for a second trying to understand. I almost started laughing. My better judgment prevailed. I asked if he was sure about this policy since it was the first I had heard of it and had shot these trucks several times in the past without incident. I’ve actually had some good conversations with gas truck drivers.
This line is becoming all too popular with police and other security types and it really bothers me. Yes, 9/11 was terrible but do we really need to use that day as an excuse to try and block people from taking photographs of bridges, buildings, gas trucks and popular tourist sites? Even worse, do people really need to be detained and in some cases arrested for doing so? There are way too many cases of this.
As a news photographer who has to shoot and file on the run, this bag fits my needs perfectly. It is great when I have to go on the subway, plane or some other mode of public transport to an assignment and I don’t want to have cameras dangling from my shoulders. When I’m ready to work I don’t have to go through my assignment with a bulky empty backpack (like the 
Here’s how it works. The backpack expands and compresses by way of a zipper that creates room to store your cameras (2 bodies and up to 3 lenses) when expanded. Your camera gear is held in five neoprene pouches that cinch at top with bungees. The laptop compartment has a removable Artificial Intelligence laptop case that can hold up to a 17 inch laptop and is included to add a little more protection. I haven’t used the case since the compartment has more than enough padding on its own.
The camera section gets a little tight when all of the pouches are loaded with cameras and lenses, but everything fits. I have been using mine with 2 bodies and 3 lenses, the 70-200, 24-70 and 16-35. The actual production models will be a little bit bigger to accommodate Nikon cameras and lenses, which are a tad bit longer than Canon. This should remedy the space issue. Also inside the camera section are two large mesh pockets that have zippers. Good for storing credentials, cards, pens and maybe condoms if you’re planning on getting lucky after your evening assignment.
I spent close to 3 hours hanging around the dealership. In that time, only one customer came in. Just browsing, didn’t buy anything. The phone rang periodically. They had 11 calls the previous day. I chatted with the owner, John Brooks, who said they just can’t turn the profits that they used to selling new cars. The best they can get is a couple of hundred dollars over invoice and people are usually not even happy with that. Plus, nobody is buying them. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom even snubbed the local dealership and went out of the city to buy his Hybrid SUV. What's up with that Gav?
I had never thought of it before, but John told me that auto dealers are one of the only sales based businesses where people demand to know how much the product cost the dealer to acquire. We don’t ever question those Nike sneakers that probably cost eight bucks to make but sell for $150 or the bed that costs over a thousand bucks but probably costs a fraction of that to make. We just pay it. But when we buy a car, we need to know exactly what the dealer paid for it so we can throw them a few dollars over that price. That seems a little lame.
Time seemed to stand still in the showroom. The salesman named Bobby sat at his desk at the end of a row of empty desks. He worked the phones – nothing doing. It was eerily quite. Back in the day, dealerships like Ellis Brooks would sell 3,000 cars a year. Now they sell 300 if they’re lucky. Dealers are doing all they can to survive. Some have even discontinued the free coffee for employees and customers - anything to save a buck. It seems that it will only get worse before it gets better. If you live in SF and need a new GM car or truck, head over to Ellis Brooks before Decemeber 15. After that, no more new cars. They will give their remaining stock of new cars back to the manufacturer.
As I slide open the big wooden door I am hit with a heavy ammonia smell. It takes my breath away. The turkeys all stop to stare. They’re confused. As I enter the barn they all move backwards with my every forward step. There are hundreds, if not thousands of turkeys in this barn. But there is still plenty of room for them to move about.
I have found over the past seven years that you can make some funny shots of these guys with remotes. If you set up a remote on the ground and go to a different part of the barn, they will create a huge circle around the camera and stare at it. One brave guy will eventually get closer and all of his comrades will follow. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Today was not a very successful day. But, it’s the only way to get really close to them without using a long lens. You can also stand very still in one spot and have them gather around, but they usually keep their distance. They’re really dumb, just not that dumb. 
I’ve been in Rio Vista for the last two days. What a cool little town. Situated on the 
I spent most of the first day checking things out, trying to figure out how to illustrate a story about a town that is going bankrupt. A few of the contributing factors to the town’s demise was an enormous increase in foreclosures and a proposed 750 home housing development that was to be built by homebuilder Shea, but they pulled the plug on it due to lack of interest.
The Shea housing development was very surreal. It is a very big piece of property that has streets, sidewalks, street lamps and stop signs – but only 10 vacant houses. I would guess that the property had to be at least a half mile square. Empty. It was a little creepy. It was hard to really get the full perspective of it from the ground, so I hired a guy named Ira with a little Cesna to take me up for a better look.
Ira is a retired Army pilot who now teaches people how to fly at the 
On the second day out I found one of the coolest bars that I have ever been to. I had passed by 
After chit chatting outside, the manager invited us inside. Wow. I had no idea. This place was way cool. A total retro bar that had over 300 taxidermy animals and animal heads. It was unreal. They had every kind of animal imaginable. There was even an Elephant and a Giraffe. I’m not a hunter nor do I think about killing animals, but this place was pretty damn amazing. You had a weird feeling with all those animals looking down on you. I need to go back and have a bison burger and a brew. Even if you are a vegetarian and don’t like hunting, check this place out. It’s like a museum with beer.
It’s amazing that so many people from all over the world have come out to support this cause. Although, I’m not sure how much it will help in the end. One thing for sure, there will certainly be a long and arduous court battle over this which means I will be covering many days of court hearings in the coming months. As Rodney King once said “can’t we all get along?”
I decided to suck it up and have lunch there even though there was a birthday party going on for an eight year-old. The kids seemed all hyped up on sugar or something. They were running around, blowing train whistles and playing on a mechanical train in the corner. There were probably 20 people in the small restaurant, 4 were adults.
The food was simple, burgers and fries. The quality was similar to what you would get at the county fair, nothing special. Your order arrives via the electric train that loops between the kitchen and the counter. The train stops right in front of you but I could not see anyone controlling it. How do they do it? The kiddie party started getting a little raucous when the train delivered cupcakes with train whistles on top for the birthday boy. The waitress plugged in a CD that sang happy birthday. While the song played, the staff rang bells and tooted bigger train whistles. What the hell am I doing here?
I tried to eat as fast as possible. I am not in my element. What I thought was going to be a cool experience is turning into a nightmare. More cupcakes are coming down the rails, just what these kids need, more sugar. A mob is climbing on the mechanical train ride thing despite the notice above it that says “only two people at a time.” The moms are not happy as they extract three kids from the train. I need to get out of here, the shrieking is hurting my ears.
Obama seemed surprised when the press corp came to their feet when he arrived at the press conference. I guess he was used to the press conferences on the trail where the press didn’t show that kind of respect. Biden and Rahm Emanuel were with him along with a dozen of his economic advisors. Biden didn’t say a word during the presser. I’m sure if Palin had been there she would have asked to give a speech, just like she asked to do before McCain gave his concession speech on Tuesday. Is she really that clueless or is that just the cowardly gotcha elite media makin stuff up again. 
Before taking a few questions from the press, Obama made a statement that he read directly from notes. It wasn’t like his stump speeches that he could rattle off from memory. It wasn’t the most eloquent of speeches. But, I don’t think anyone was expecting a great moment in presidential (elect) speeches. Maybe they were, what do I know?
I witnessed history last night. Barack Obama became the first African American to become President of the United States. It was one of the most amazing events that I have ever had the privilege of seeing with my own eyes – or in my case, through a lens. By far, the best part of my job is all the historic things I have been able to see. I feel very lucky.
My position was a floor position, which meant I was shooting from the middle of the crowd at Grant Park. The small number of photographers that were given floor passes had to move fast to stake out positions as the general public flooded in. Me and my pals Shannon Stapleton (Reuters) and David Guttenfelder (AP) staked out a few spots and let the crowd fill in around us. We all had 
I teetered on small platform of that turtle stool from about 6:30 p.m. until Obama came on stage at 11:00 p.m. My legs and knees started to hurt after the fourth hour. The weight of my cameras was brutal on my back. I couldn’t move with the crowd so tight. We watched election results roll in on a live feed of CNN. The crowd alternated between boos when McCain would win a state and thunderous cheers when Obama would win. Even though my body was aching, I was energized. This was a very cool moment in time.
It was a surprise to everyone in the crowd when CNN projected that Obama had won the election. It was close at that point and nobody was expecting it to be called to soon. The emotion that followed that announcement was unlike anything I had ever seen. People Cheered. People cried. They hugged each other and laughed. There wasn’t a face in the crowd that didn’t have a smile on it. One woman who had traveled from Columbia to be at the event stood there with tears running down her face saying “that’s my president, that’s our president.” Yes we can was being chanted and was soon changed to “Yes we did.”
Obama took to the stage at exactly 11 p.m. Barack was introduced with the new First Family. He and Michelle walked out with their two daughters to greet the crowd. It was a surreal moment. There was no music, just cheering. I kept expecting music to start blaring over the loudspeakers. It never did. Shooting from our position proved challenging as we were blocked by the thousands of small American flags that were passed out just prior to the speech. We knew this would be a tough spot to shoot from, but it all worked out in the end. 
It was amazing how fast the crowd thinned out once the short speech was over. Some stayed behind and danced in groups and waved campaign posters. It was like a scene out of the sixties. It is a day I will never forget.
The thing is massive, the biggest zeppelin in the world as a matter of fact. We were standing on the tarmac when it came in for a landing right over our heads. It’s really quiet, not like a helicopter. The cabin, I guess that’s what it is called, has huge panoramic windows and seats 15 passengers. When you board the thing it’s like getting onto a boat in rough seas. The wind pushes it around and you have to anticipate that or you might fall flat on your face. That usually happens to me, but not this time.
Once in my seat, I felt like I was in a fish tank. The windows are huge. You have really great unobstructed views. When we were all in our seats and belted in, we lifted off. Our two pilots, one who is the only female zeppelin pilot in the world and the other a German named Fritz, hit buttons and pulled levers as we quickly gained altitude. The plan was to do a few loops around the airfield and possibly a little further. This plan was thwarted when a local TV reporter wanted to do some stupid gimmicky in-flight live interview with the CEO that required us to be close to his live truck so he could transmit the signal. We ended up hovering for about 20 minutes just above our takeoff point. Thanks a lot. None of the other 13 people wanted to fly around. No, really. It’s all about you.
After the talking head got his interview out of the way we managed to get about 10 minutes of actual flying time. The thing is smooth and the views are incredible. I’m not sure that I would shell out the serious coin that they are asking for these flights, so I’m glad I got to ride along for free. I bet it would be really nice to fly over the city at night.
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