PC week 5, The Savlation Army

Keith Clary
"The scripture is talking about asking God, seeking God's help and not knowing if He's going to open His door.
God is letting us know, that no matter what this world has for you, he is able to take care of you.
Another scripture talks about God taking care of the raven, the raven is considered a scavenger bird. God clothes the raven to make sure he or she sings, and allows them also to have food and shelter. We're made after the image of God. That means he will take care of us. We may not see, some of us might be in situations that we are looking for homes, some of us may be going through difficulty with a job, some of us may be having trouble with the legal system and some of us may have health problems.
Man only has certain limitations. But when man's limitations (are met), that's the opportunity for God. We don't have to worry about no government bailout, we don't have to worry about if Barack's going to win or McCain's going to win. My trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You must hold your own self up. What is in your heart will come out of your mind. God will provide for us. "

Richard Wilkes
"I have the time to do something. It's the kind of job I like, you know, volunteering. I volunteer 2 days a week. "

Ginny Wininger
"I was a federal employee, I just retired. I go to church here. I do what I can. It's not a lot but the people appreciate it. It keeps me from sitting at home. When you're retired, you got to get involved. "

Tina Rodriguez and Dawn Acero
T : "It's my way of giving back."
D : "I enjoy helping people and I used to be homeless so I know what it's like.
I was homeless from 1980 to 1985. A judge and Sister Mary Scullion helped me. She runs Project Home. It's a place for people to live and they help you get jobs in cooking.
I ended up homeless by choice. My mother had wanted me to get an apartment but we didn't get along too well so I just left home to be on my own.
In a way (being homeless) was the best thing I did for my self. Because it helped me to stop drinking and doing drugs. I was rebellious and I was trying to escape. "

Doris Gonzalez, Captain
Philadelphia Northeast Corps
"People just want a place where they can be welcomed. They come here not to be judged. They're not asked questions. They don't feel threatened.
This area shows great need, with that it also shows great opportunity. It shows that people are very open to receive from us. "

PC week 4, TastyKake

Margaret Loughlin, who is "old enough to have sense," has been working for the Tasty Baking Co. - baskers of that Philly institution, Tastykakes - for 55 years. She worked for 40 years in production but moved to the bakery store, now called "Peggy's Place."
When asked why she has been such a longtime employee, Loughlin replies, "I just love it. The people are very nice. It was and is a good company, everyone is like a family here.
"I never married. I got married to the job, fell in love with the job. It's the greatest here," she said.
Many of the employees I encountered during my tour of the factory had been there for many years. The average span of service is 23 years. Loughlin is not surprised.
"When you come here," she says, "you stay."
Butterscotch Krimpets - th popular cake whose production is captured here - are big sellers at the baking store. Tasty Baking produces 439,000 of them every day.

Hillary Clinton campaigning for Barack Obama at JCC Klein Branch

New York Senator Hillary Clinton joined Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz on Monday October 13 at the JCC Klein Branch. Clinton was in town endorsing Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Barack Obama visits the Mayfair Diner

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama made 4 stops in Philadelphia on Saturday October 11, including one in the NE, at the Mayfair Diner. Obama was greeted by thousands of enthusiastic supporters. I was lucky enough to be called to shoot this and it absolutely became one of the highlights of my developing career as a photojournalist. The first three images were printed in the paper, the first making the front cover.

Abstract Printing

Leroy Edwards, 21, bought Abstract Printing when he was 19 years old. He started working for the company when he was 16 years old as a part of the Great Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC), the group aids youths in the city to find jobs. Silkscreening, "this is my passion" Edwards says.
These were the images that I submitted for the story that ran in our October 25 issue. Unfortunately, the person who laid out the page only used the first image. I would have used the last pic as it shows Edwards in his place of business with the worker in the backgroud. (who, consequently is also a part of the GPUAC). I have been making an effort lately to shoot portraits on a wide angle setting.

Buddies

Cash snuggles up to his best bud Captain Gary for a late afternoon nap.

North Catholic - Lansdale Catholic

In the same day that I shot the Central-NE afternoon game, I was assigned a night game in Ambler, PA. I only posted the grayscaled images because the color shots make me sick. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as shooting outdoor night games? This stadium was actually pretty well lit and the images looked great on the LCD screen, but when I loaded them in this morning, the pictures had an odd reddish tint to them. I thought that it might but a white balance issue, but I left my white balance on auto for the game because it looked weird in other settings.

NE FB James Rosseau

I lucked out last week and was able to shoot an afternoon football game, Northeast High School vs. Central High School. The kid we featured was #34, fullback James Rosseau. I say "lucked out" because night shooting is always a headache. The stadiums as so poorly lit that I end up shooting at a high ISO and relatively low shutter speed. But every once in a while I get to shoot an afternoon game which make life a bit easier. It was an overcast day which helped with color saturation and the lighting was not blowing out the white of the jerseys.

Kassim "The Dream" Ouma

Former middleweight champion of the world, Ouma trains at Schuler's Gym is West Philadelphia. The boxer is a native of Uganda and was kidnapped as a child and forced into a life of violence as a child soldier. (Most of his experiences that he and his manager shared were "off the record" but let me just say, this guy has been through more hell than anyone I have ever encountered). At the age of 18, while boxing in a tournament held in America, Kassim escaped and has been competing in the US ever since.
I absolutely love shooting boxers. I have yet to shoot an actual tournament but I have shot several training in various gyms throughout the city. There are so many components involved that make the shots great but I especially love the juxtaposition of this tough, sweaty, and determined individual in such a gritty setting. These gyms reek of hard working athletes and are lit by obnoxious flourescent work lights. But once they step up to the rope, all of that disappears and something almost instinctual sets in. In the past I have set up posed shots but for this particular story I decided not to do that, I tried shooting close ups as well as environmental wide shots. I tried to think about Al Bello, one of my favorite Getty photogs who also happens to love shooting boxing, and really watch each individual and how they move before snapping away.

a night at schuler's gym, west philadelphia

I shot these during a shoot I was doing on a Ugandan boxer. The little boy was so cute and furiously hitting that massive bag above him, I had to snap the shot. I shot the shoes hanging from the rafters shortly after I arrived at the gym, I had noticed a lot of shoes hanging from power lines during the trip through West Philly. I guess they do that indoors too.

pc week3

John Gannon, a reptile handler at the Philadelphia Zoo, spends a Tuesday morning with giant tortoises, Prickles (right) and Mommy. He feeds them bananas and scratches their rough skin.

"It's just one of those childhood passions that I never grew out of. Some kids like sports, drawing, but they grow out of it. I never grew out of turtles. There's always something new to learn.
"They're characters, the turtles are the most fun to interact with. Turtles will actually follow you around, it seems like they really like to be around you and they each have their own personality. Bubba over there, he'll snap at you if you ignore him or stop petting him!"

photo column week 2

Susan Pennypacker owns a dance studio in Tacony, the neighborhood she has lived in all of her life. Her longest running class, Golden Gals Fitness has been very successful over the past 14 years, the same ammount of time her studio has been in business.

"I actually just found that there was a need for people to do low-impact exercise. The other classes seemed intimidating. My mother was alive at the time (that the studio had opened), and she was very instrumental in my decision making at the studio. She told me that she would be interested in a low impact workout.

"This group, we all share stories. When my mother passed away, they became my confidants.

"We're not going to look like 'Baywatch'! But we're raising our heart rate and that's a workout!"