But here we are on the first day of orientation, four years later
I wasn't going to have any assignments for the first week that I was there but Mark Kauzlarich (my fellow photo intern) asked if he could photograph the Belmont Stakes weeks in advance. Two days before the event I was also put on it. On Friday morning Chang W. Lee picked Mark, Sam Hodgson and I up from a Starbucks near the NYU dorms and brought us to the tracks. Chang taught Mark and I how to place remotes along the straight away, something I'd never done before but found really interesting.
On Saturday, race day, I was told to look for features until the reporter, Dan Barry, arrived and then went to work with him on his story. Dan and I went to the back lot and watched the big race with stable workers. When the race happened I didn't know if American Pharaoh had won or not until a few minutes after it had ended. Most of the people in the room didn't speak english and it was hard to know if they would have even been rooting for American Pharaoh or for one of the horses they work with. All in all, I was so grateful to have been a part of this experience.
The rest of my time since then has mostly been spent trying get acclimated to New York and to improve my photography. I think I've finally accepted that I'm never going to be satisfied with how I do on each assignment. There will always be room for improvement, and I will always be the first one to point out where it is (although I'm always open to more critique).
I've never been too big on words, so here are a few selects:
From Belmont, published here
Outtake from the back lots at Belmont. This is Miguel, he is a stable worker from Mexico.
Another outtake from Belmont. These ladies came to watch the race from Tennessee.
At the rec center at Belmont, from Dan's story
Surprisingly, I've come to enjoy doing building mugs. I think it's too easy to take a bad building mug so I try to come up with the most outrageous ideas about doing them. To get one shot I went door to door in Red Hook trying to find someone that was home and would let me stand on their rooftop or terrace. It was trying to photograph this empty lot that is getting developed into town homes but it was surrounded by a giant fence. When I finally found someone who was home and willing to let me into their home I was so gratifying... even if the photo didn't end up running I was glad to have gotten it and to have done something I never would have tried before. This particular photo didn't run but was part of a large spread in last Sunday's paper.
From the Adidas Track Meet
More from Adidas
Mary Cain is a local runner who is on a not winning streak.
Spectators at the Adidas game
Last relay at the Adidas event
Ornette Coleman's casket being brought out after his funeral service. The only other funeral's I'd photographed were of teenagers who had died tragically. Mr. Coleman's funeral was different in that it was truly a celebration of his life. Musicians, poets, journalists and family all spoke and there was an ample amount of live music performed. I considered myself lucky to have been able to document the celebration of such a wonderful life.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared in public for the first time in over a year for a celebration ceremony for the construction of a tech campus for Cornell University.
A NYCFC versus Red Bull's game played at Yankee Stadium.
Lumberjack competition in Central Park! This is Arden Cogar Jr., a lawyer out of West Virginia. He made it to the final rounds but ended up losing to his cousin, Matt Cogar.
Second from left is Jason Lentz and to his right is his father, Melvin Lentz, a.k.a. the king of lumberjacks. Jason took second in the Lumberjack competition in Central Park. I loved this assignment because I was expecting it to be a bit more ridiculous, maybe a wee more hipstery. But instead, it made me feel like I was at home. A lot of these guys are from really rural Appalachia and took the competition really seriously. They reminded me of friends from back at home (in Vermont).
New York as seen from the One World tower during a thunder storm. Also featured on the NYT New York Today Facebook page.
Links to stories:
Bill de Blasio & Bloomberg
Assignments I didn't link to in photos but did photos for:
Marion Cotillard in Joan of Arc
Seawife (if you're in New York, go watch this)
There were other assignments I shot but they haven't been published yet... look for me in print!
And if you live elsewhere, come visit!
This is what my rooftop looks like
And if you live elsewhere, come visit!
