beyond objectivity

I thought today would be a good first day to publish a GIF. :)

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:42:00 -0400

I thought today would be a good first day to publish a GIF. :)

Falmouth by Silken Photography on Flickr.I wish I had captured...

Sat, 04 May 2013 19:46:34 -0400

Falmouth by Silken Photography on Flickr.

I wish I had captured the actual moment in the poem below, but I was sans camera. This image from Falmouth captures the essence of what I saw (minus the boats, and the england part)

"Through the glass" by JJ

Sat, 04 May 2013 19:41:00 -0400

Standing, slick, in the shower in the grey of April one of those bugs the kind I always...

Radio Unnameable: The family you find...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:21:00 -0400

When it comes to legendary radio personalities, I’m not an impartial critic; when it comes to...

“No man is a failure who has friends.” on Flickr.

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 23:54:10 -0500

“No man is a failure who has friends.” on Flickr.

Hot Dog! on Flickr.Hot doggily

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:31:05 -0500

Hot Dog! on Flickr.

Hot doggily

6000 feet up Mt. Hood in January. on Flickr.A favorite from long...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:59:49 -0500

6000 feet up Mt. Hood in January. on Flickr.

A favorite from long ago

After the rain, and after the filters! on Flickr.

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:45:49 -0500

After the rain, and after the filters! on Flickr.

Half mast. on Flickr.

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:44:26 -0500

Half mast. on Flickr.

“Sgt. Kevin Briggs of the California Highway Patrol has saved...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:10:00 -0500

“Sgt. Kevin Briggs of the California Highway Patrol has saved hundreds of people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in his 20+ years on the job. His team works hand-in-hand with Golden Gate Bridge Captain Lisa Locati and her staff to save the vast majority of people they speak with. “That’s a life at stake,” Briggs explains. “I really take responsibility for that.” — Watch the full video on Yahoo! Viewfinder

Guardian of the Golden Gate

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:01:00 -0500

A while back I wrote an over-long, plaintive post about the odd dilemma of doing great work, at...

Diptych

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:13:00 -0400

Diptych

There is an unhappy cat inside that bag. But not for...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:11:00 -0400

There is an unhappy cat inside that bag.

But not anymore.

There is an unhappy cat inside that bag. But not for long…

Pattern-istas!

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:25:30 -0400

Pattern-istas!

rickymontalvo: Just over a year ago I was given an assignment:...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:51:32 -0400

rickymontalvo:

Just over a year ago I was given an assignment: help produce, shoot & edit stories on people whose lives were changed by the events of 9/11. It wasn’t an easy assignment - many types of stories had been done countless times by news outlets. We wanted to find very unique stories, talk to people who had been affected in ways that hadn’t been talked about on the news. In the end, after many phone calls, meetings and logistics planning, we found what we thought were THE stories. A shoemaker who battled back after his business was destroyed, a husband who lost his pregnant wife on United Flight 93 and found a tribute that honors her appetite for life and a fireman who ran towards danger in an effort to aid the NYFD’s recovery efforts and is still recovering from the effects of ground zero today.

JJ: What Ricky said. And also: If you can, take some time today to read these amazing stories and watch the stunning videos, and discover how the project came together.

My favorites:

Pregnant Flight 93 victim honored by husband’s lasting tribute

Elite group of 9/11 first responders still battling illness, ‘WTC Cough’

NY businesses on the rebound

Former investment banker turns to tango after 9/11 survival

Behind-the-scenes look at the 9/11 memorial

Denis Leary crusades for firefighters after 9/11 loss

On a personal note, there’s one name I listened for last year for the first time; I listened for it again this year, and will probably listen for all the rest of my life. Kevin Michael Williams. I’m thinking of the Williams family today—the grace with which they shared their story with us, the remarkable work done by the Kevin Williams Memorial Foundation. As of this summer, they’ve sent more than 600 children to baseball and softball camps, seventy-five of those in the summer of 2012.

Yankee Stadium gravel inspires memorial for 9/11 victim

Like most unexpected beauty in this world, there’s a story...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 10:03:59 -0400

The sun appeared at the exact moment...

that I rediscovered a particular stretch of I-85...

where brilliant red & yellow wildflowers grew...

they stretched for a hundred yards at least...

...and that made me happy.

Like most unexpected beauty in this world, there’s a story behind these flowers.

After the DNC, I was driving north on I-85 from Charlotte when I glimpsed these flowers on the side of the road. They seemed to go on forever, and I kept thinking about them all weekend.

Today, as I was driving south again at what is elegantly called the ‘butt-crack of dawn’, I rediscovered those flowers at the exact moment the sun made a grand entrance. I pulled over, and as the trucks roared past, and other drivers doubtless shook their heads at the girl exiting her ridiculous electric blue mustang, I started snapping. Feet soaked and covered in pollen, I jumped back in the care and in one heart-stopping moment floored it back onto I-85 without getting creamed. (Sorry mom, but sometimes you just gotta get the shot).

I learned later that the North Carolina state program that plants wildflowers along the highways is funded by vanity license plates. With the economy down, less vanity plates = less flowers. So NC residents, be vain with your plates! And if the rest of you have ever been moved by thoughtful attempts at beauty, they accept out of state donations. To see more flowers, check out NCDOT’s flickr photostream. Wow.

How we've changed

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:14:00 -0400

“You know, not everything you do is going to be like the 9/11 series.” In past nine...

Photo

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:14:00 -0400