kids, kids, kids

so many kids....but they always seem to be the ones that make for the coolest frames - especially the little ones - they just haven't been stung with the self-editing bug yet....too bad we all can't stay like that forever!

while waiting in the wings for their scene, these 2 friends notice me taking pictures of them rehearsing and then the boy grabs her in a big hug

while out feature hunting yesterday, saw this little boy with his mom having muffins at the cafe

at last Saturday's LEGO robotics competition, this little boy decided to try out not one but TWO pairs of googly geek glasses, both complete with tape! gives a whole new meaning to his team's name - "The Nerd Herd"
the paper ended up running this like 5 columns on our community photo page!!!!
this one's for you, Mr. Bosch!

the way the ball bounces

last week was all about some volleyball - 2 teams going into the state finals...one of them I covered through much of the pre-state tourney games, and got some nice reaction as they just continued to win and win and win again...unfortunately, it didn't end that way - both lost in the semi-finals, but it was a good run and the team and parents gave me some nice feedback on the pictures, too...always good to hear positive comments - we usually have to operate on the "no news is good news" principle...

man, I never get this shot - maybe not the greatest, but volleyball has always been a tough sport to shoot, so I was pretty happy

every point was cause for celebration - the mom of the girl in mid-air really liked this one!

the girls rally after taking the regional finals trophy

the locker room was pretty somber following the semi-finals loss - there weren't a lot of on-court tears or even much reaction at game's end - it was a pretty quick loss, so I think they kind of saw the writing on the wall...I felt bad for them, but I'm glad that I had established enough of a rapport having taken so many pix that they liked along the way that I felt a little more okay with making these pictures, too.

today was a large equipment auction up in the rural northern part of the county...people were there from as far away as Africa (the continent, that is) as well as the whole thing being simultaneously run over the internet - quite a big to-do , as it turns out....amid the larger than man tires and more carharts than i've ever seen assembled in one spot before, it struck me....how funny that after my running joke of all the construction assignments i got for a while, that the international auction of construction equipment assignment should fall to me!!
it ain't over til the fat man in the carharts sings apparently...

i am not for sale

and he is not for sale

love the tire patterns

loved these faces

and lo and behold, it's red & yellow!
what a nice surprise...

oh yes we did!!!!

hanging out with the democrats last night - people cheered sporadically as more states turned blue on the televised maps of America, but i was having a tough time getting anything really decent....but, once the Pacific coast results rolled in, the place just exploded - particularly these women, whose shouts of joy and triumph soon turned to tears as the impact of Tuesday's historic election quickly set in - i don't think it's fully hit me, but i feel so proud of this country, and i feel like a there has been a serious wrench thrown into the presumption of separation that has defined our racial reality....for the first time i got a real sense from people that there was just a presiding spirit of 'we are all, as the individuals we are inside, in this thing together'

......that's a really great feeling

studio time

having some fun in the studio yesterday while making individual and group portraits of some local young and very talented musicians - these kids, 15, actually get to play with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra....great music to listen to for all still in the newsroom, and we had fun playing around after getting the more "safe" series shot...

warming up with a bit of shiraz last night, and then it struck me - hey, look, yellow and red! so, this might be one for the little project...i think the theme of this series is "don't seek and ye shall find!"

i went for a walk in a small county park last Saturday....it's mostly a wild grassy area with a path cut through it...very quiet, except for when the large unleashed dog came upon me - the owner was running after it, assuring me "he's friendly" despite the growls...anyway, just out with my camera on a sunny but cool autumn afternoon, admiring the weeds and wildflowers, especially this dried up milkweed...

i noticed the other day that there is a similarity between the chix pic and the one before of the 2 leaves in the river - they both have a kind of simple play of red and pale yellow in them....i started thinking i should try to make a theme out of it, so i was keeping an eye out for that during my walk - don't think i quite found it (you know how it is when you start looking FOR something), but this might work...i have some other ideas for the project - like ketchup and french fries!