October 18, 2008Rally in the Valley - Obama in Roanoke, VaRally in the Valley - Obama in Roanoke, Va
I had the opportunity to photograph Sen. Barack Obama's rally in Roanoke, Va. It's the first shoot I've done for the Democratic Party of Virginia since 2006. I did a great deal of political event photography for the DPVA in 2004, specifically the DNC in Boston and numerous other campaign events. I covered Governor's Kaine's campaign kickoff, his historic inauguration in Williamsburg, Va and the 2006 JJ Dinner with Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell. I've gotten involved in so many other projects since 2006 (not the least of which is acting as producer for the TWiP podcast and, you know... a more than full time job here at SBC) that I haven't been as involved in Democratic photography. My former blog, Documenting Democracy, has gone silent (no real loss... there are so many other superb progressive blogs in Va that have a vastly more effective voice than I'd ever have in this arena) and serves now more as a 2004/2006 photo repository. My "voice" in this scene is through my photography which I do voluntarily and offer freely to the Democratic party and our campaigns (assuming they find images that they deem useful, of course). So... anyway... I was eager to cover this event since Obama's campaign is so phenomenally inspiring and, frankly, historic. My photos here aren't going to win any awards or anything... but I did look for some opportunities to capture a little of the mood. One really needs to shoot from a press riser with some massive, tripod mounted Scott Bourne-class lenses to get the tight, dramatic shots. :) I was using a 24-70L on one body and 70-200L on the other and did a bit of roaming about when not in my slot.
I have more shots to edit, so I might be amending the gallery later. I also made sure to take some shots that represent how the press pool area works (mostly if any TWiP listeners are curious) and you'll see videographers and wire service photogs in there. Most of those are shot with an 8mm fisheye lens both for effect and to give a sense of scale to the arena and our place in it. I hope to fit in a few more events around the state before the big day when Virginia elects its first Democratic president since 1964. If I do, I'll post'em here.
|
It's a lung-filling breath of fresh air after the last eight, horrid, spiraling years under Bush's sorry excuse for a presidency. Sorry to my Republican readers, but I'm briefly putting on my partisan hat here at halfpress and calling it like I see it. DPVA hooked me up with a press pass and a nice little reserved spot in the front of the risers and I quickly realized how much I've missed covering things like the DNC and rallies. 
Posted by amahler on October 18, 2008 at 2:45 AM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
October 8, 2008The Wedding of Shawn & Matt
I'm pretty pissed off with use of the word "event" these days. We have weather events. Television events. All kinds of "world premiere events". Crap. All of it. This wedding, however... this was an "event". A two-day event at least. Shawn and Matt essentially rented out all of Bluestone State Park in West Virginia. That's 26 cabins in the chilly, wooded hills of rugged West Virginia. I've been hating summer since it started back in May, so I was itching for some frosty mountain air and at least the start of fall colors. I was not disappointed. :) It's kind of hard to put into words the scene here... but imagine being surrounded by about 180-200 of the most fun-loving, creative, musical, and happy people you can imagine all pretty much taking over an entire state park for 48 hours. Shawn's scene for years has been one of Contra dance and top-notch traditional music. Matt is an incredible pianist already with a few albums to his name. Their circle of friends includes some of the most amazing guitarists, fiddlers, mandolin and banjo players... you name it. Individually, they are all a force to contend with. Put these folks together, though, and you can see the passion. They LOVE to play together and everyone within earshot is in for a treat.
I'll quote a few key phrases from one of the pre-wedding emails: Finally, in keeping with the spirit of fun and frivolity, should you be in possession of an unusual article of clothing or an unusual noisemaker that you're dying for an opportunity to wear/perform in public, this is your big chance! It's encouraged the whole weekend, but particularly during the Wedding Processional. Shawn will be terribly disappointed if there are no viking hats, kilts, liederhosen, Mardi Gras masks, duck calls, pirate hats and swords, or clown pants! Photos and words won't do it justice. Anyone who was there this weekend knows how special this event was. I, for one, came home relaxed and happy and wondering how we could talk them into doing this again next weekend. And the weekend after that... :) As you'll see in these photos, I was pretty captivated with the musicians and there are individual images in here I plan to collect (with others) in a specific themed gallery. A number of the photos show a trio that I first became aware of this weekend: Crowfoot. All of the photo editing I've been doing the last few evenings has been while listening to their two albums that I immediately purchased from iTunes. Much to my pleasure, they appear to be playing right up the road in Charlottesville at the end of October. Adam, Jaige and Nicholas: see you there! :)
P.S. Keep an eye out for the photo of the special brew. This is a handcrafted beer by the "mad beer genius", Jonathan Thielen (who ran The Alehouse in Cabin 26 this weekend), specially made as a gift for Shawn and Matt. It is designed to ferment in the bottle for the coming year and cannot be opened until October 4, 2009. The label is designed by the amazing, Ben Crenshaw, whom I was thrilled to finally meet this past weekend (Ben's the dude in the awesome pirate hat in the photos). Our bottle is sitting here on my desk for the next year. Hey - Jonathan said a "cool, dark place". :) The Wedding of Shawn & Matt |
Posted by amahler on October 8, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Permalink
| Comments (3)
June 15, 2008Photos from Newport Trip
Newport, RI I've finally had a chance to put up a set of images from our trip to Newport, RI. We spent four days there starting June 7th and thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating island. For those not familiar, Newport was the turn of the century summering location of the American "aristocracy". I provide some additional background on Newport in my previous post with a QTVR of a massive weeping beech tree, so check there and the wikipedia link above. Average temperatures in Newport are in the 60's and 70's this time of year, so I was pretty thrilled to be leaving the 100 degree heat wave of Virginia for the trip. Understand that I despise hot, humid weather. Well, the heat wave followed us to New England and hit around 90 degrees and humid a good bit of the time. This sucked the total life out of my photographic endeavors since I spent the mornings feeling like I was wearing a greasy washcloth instead of a shirt. Yuck. I can't say the photos here are particularly stellar, but they should at least give you a taste of some of the Newport mansions and surroundings.
Newport, RI |
Posted by amahler on June 15, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
June 13, 2008The Weeping Beech of Chateau-sur-Mer
I'm planning to put together a full gallery, including some HDRs, but wanted to go ahead and post this 360 VR that I made during our trip to Newport, Rhode Island. I'll save a more extensive write-up on Newport for the full gallery entry, but I will take a moment here to say that I highly recommend making the trek there if you haven't been before. I was unfamiliar with Newport and its history until just recently when we received an invitation to visit some friends in their final weeks before they relocate to Maryland. Suffice it to say, I'm glad we took the opportunity while we had it... both to visit our friends and to see this rather unique piece of American history. Newport, in a nutshell, was the oceanside summer playground of the American aristocracy in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Names like Vanderbilt, Berwind, Oelrichs and Wetmore are synonymous with the area. These insanely wealthy, status-driven families built monstrous mansions here that they often used for only seven weeks out of the year. The most elite of the New York social scene migrated, en masse, to Newport for several weeks of nightly entertaining and continuous attempts to outdo one another throwing the most lavish parties and balls. Naturally, they took their staffs (often numbering 30 or more) of maids and liveried footmen with them to tend to their every need.
For a sense of the sheer number of estates, have a look at this Google Maps satellite view centered on Chateau-sur-Mer and the bulk of the mansions on Bellevue Avenue. Anyway, as I said, I'll write more about the trip in a separate post with a wider array of photos. This entry is all about the Weeping Beech tree that sits outside of one of the more unique mansions on the island: Chateau-sur-Mer. After touring the home and on our way back to our car, I happened to step through the curtain of branches to see what the tree looked like "inside". Needless to say, it was pretty amazing and also pleasantly cool since we hit Newport in a bizarre, 90+ degree heat and humidity wave. I've prepared an HDR version of this pano as well, but it needs a little more tweaking. In the meantime, this mid-tone (0 EV, 7 fisheye shots) set from the five exposure HDR spread (-4EV to +4 EV in 2 EV increments: 35 shots) does a decent job of representing the scene. This file is about 12 MB in size and retains a good deal of its resolution, so give it a moment to load if you're on a slow connection. 
|
Posted by amahler on June 13, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
May 5, 2007Williamsburg & Jamestown
Williamsburg & Jamestown Williamsburg is one of my favorite places in the world, so I love any chance I get to do even a couple of hours of photography there (see: anniversary / pre-inauguration / inauguration). This past weekend, I traveled with my Dad and Aunt for two days in the Historic Triangle. Our main goal was to see the fantastic new exhibits at Jamestown since this is the 400th year anniversary. A few new exhibits had just opened this past weekend that we wanted to see, so we decided to hit them while the weather was nice and before the security insanity of the Queen's visit or next weekend's celebration festivities. The archaeological site being managed by the APVA is quite fascinating and their new Archaearium is beautifully laid out. We also made visits to the Glasshouse and the Jamestown Settlement, neither of which I have been to since I was in grade school. The Jamestown Settlement in particular turned out to be absolutely fantastic.
As children, my Dad and Aunt both visited Jamestown in 1957 when the original museum and "festival park" was first established for 350th anniversary celebration. Because of this, returning to see the new, far more elaborate museum built in honor of the 400th anniversary was a nice twist. We hope to make a few return visits during the course of 2007 and 2008, partly to see the various installations of a multi-part exhibit entitled World of 1607. I can honestly say that the permanent exhibit alone is one of the best I've ever seen and is certainly equal to, and in many ways, more elegant than a lot of the Smithsonian exhibits I've visited in Washington, D.C. The photos in this set include sunrise shots of Williamsburg, the Jamestowne archaeological site, Glasshouse, and Jamestown Settlement. I'm also in the process of reworking various parts of this site, specifically the slideshows. This is the first halfpress slideshow I've ever paired with music, so let me take a moment to also thank Magnatune and the Brook Street Band for their recording of Handel's Sonata No. 4 in G Major - Allegro A Tempo Ordinario. Williamsburg & Jamestown
(Note: The current version of this gallery is fairly bandwidth-intensive, so a word of warning to people on slow connections... I'm making adjustments as I experiment...) |
Posted by amahler on May 5, 2007 at 9:10 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
April 24, 2007Lantern Bearing
Lantern Bearing In the eleven years I've worked at SBC, I've never witnessed a Lantern Bearing but have always been fascinated with the concept. From a photography standpoint, I've always had a weakness for low-light shots involving flames or other interesting lighting (Williamsburg Blacksmith - Paris, France - Canal du Briare, France). Lantern Bearing didn't disappoint in this regard... Low-light photography is challenging enough. It gets even more challenging, though, when need to assemble six-shot, 360-degree panoramas involving people. Fortunately, the juniors here were wonderfully willing to oblige and patiently put up with my odd request to stand very still while I walk in a circle pressing a button on the end of cord. :) Links to 48 images from last night can be found in the drop-down box above. I think the slideshow works especially well for this. Click on the images below to see two 360-degree panoramas from last night. You will need Quicktime to view these (Mac users are set already and Windows users who have installed iTunes should already have what they need as well). For those not familiar with VR Panoramas, just hold down your mouse button on the image once it appears and drag around. Be sure to look up and down as well. Enjoy! 
 |
Posted by amahler on April 24, 2007 at 1:32 PM
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
October 22, 2006New VR Panos and Related NewsBrian Greenstone of Pangea Software dropped me a note just a bit ago saying that he'd just finished making the first Universal Binary of his PangeaVR plug-in. I've been eagerly awaiting this since I've not been able to use it effectively on my Intel-based MacBook Pro. PangeaVR is a panoramic VR viewer for QTVR files, but it utilizes OpenGL and the GPU in your graphics hardware to make the movement liquid-smooth compared to the native performance of QuickTime Player. Like I said, it's free and it's a quick and painless install for both PowerPC or Intel-based Macs, so go download it here. The timing is also good because I've just completed two new VRs recently:  View with QuickTime or Fullscreen PangeaVR I took this in our yard yesterday to capture the fall colors. Be sure to look straight up through the canopy in front of my favorite, five-trunked tree.  View with QuickTime or Fullscreen PangeaVR This was the tent for Sweet Briar's huge celebration gala during this year's Homecoming weekend. A gallery of photos I took during the weekend festivities can be found here. More VR's to come... |
Posted by amahler on October 22, 2006 at 7:28 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
June 12, 2006Blue Ridge Parkway - Panoramic VRI decided to spend some time driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday. I got on it at the intersection with Route 60 and drove south to the Peaks of Otter where I had a light dinner. I then drove back north again past Route 60 to the intersection with Route 56 (an ungodly windy road that also serves Crabtree Falls), returning home via Route 151 and 29 South. The weather was gorgeous, albeit slightly overcast and more than a bit chilly in the wind. I was also shocked at how few other people I saw over the course of about six hours of driving around. I stopped where the parkway crosses the James River near Big Island and decided to do a VR Panorama standing on the Harry Flood Byrd Memorial Bridge. There is a footbridge suspended underneath the automotive bridge allowing you to walk from one bank to the other and enjoy the scenery from a nice vantage point in between.  I thought the long, straight lines in both directions coupled with the water and the mountains made for an interesting VR opportunity. It's also one of the first VR's I've made with completely successful nadir (ground) and zenith (overhead) elements. The result has no visible tripod legs or mount... it's as if the shot was taken floating above the ground in a 360 degree bubble. The VR is viewable two different ways: the traditional QuickTime method or the smoother, more barf-inducing fullscreen PangeaVR method. To view the latter, be sure you download and install the free OpenGL PangeaVR browser plug-in. It's really worth the few minutes it takes to download and install. Enjoy! |
Posted by amahler on June 12, 2006 at 2:15 PM
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
May 16, 2006Sweet Briar College - Baccalaureate & Commencement
Baccalaureate Commencement I've posted two new slideshows based on a selection of the photos I took for the Class of 2006 Baccalaureate and Commencement at Sweet Briar College. I had a great deal of fun taking these shots and assembling the galleries, so I hope others enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed making them. :) This was also a bit of a new experience for me since SBC asked me if I would be interested in shooting these events commercially this year. So, for the first time, I am offering event photographs for sale online. Thus far, I have been quite pleased with how the system works. Printing and mailing is being handled entirely by a respected lab and is completely transparent to the user. In addition, they have provided me with ICC profiles to soft-proof output on my calibrated display and a sales workflow that allows me to hand-edit and tailor every shot sold to the specific sizes and finishes selected by the buyer.
I'll write more on the topic in the coming weeks and months as I get more firsthand experience with it. I'm going to expand the selection of items beyond the initial SBC photos of this past weekend and possibly offer some of my creative photography in various formats as well. I have some customizing work still to do to spruce up the appearance of the site, but the pre-existing template I'm using is getting the job done for now. Anyone interested in purchasing any of the photos (including the full class picture, the individual awarding of diplomas and candid shots from both Baccalaureate and Commencement Day) should visit this link. I'd be eager to hear your feedback on the process. Enjoy! |
Posted by amahler on May 16, 2006 at 1:57 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
March 12, 2006Nobody relaxes like a cat...13 images on one page
Apparently he had tired of visiting every window repeatedly and decided it was time to nap. I suspect the direct sunlight heating up a large, carved stone bowl in the shape of a leaf was a big factor in his decision. From the day Elisabeth brought home this decorative bowl, the cat has claimed it as his bizarre plaything and occasional bed. He often jumps in it and peers over the edge in an attempt to entice you to come play his favorite game of swatting and grabbing while twisting in various contortions.
I think this might be about the most photographed cat on planet earth. His antics provide all kinds of opportunities and I've taken pictures of him with every digital camera I've owned over the past few years. One of my upcoming projects is creating a gallery of shots of him over the years with each model camera... should be technically interesting if not mildly entertaining from a subject standpoint. :) These shots were taken at ISO 100 with available light using my 20D and a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. P.S. The cat's name - Squinky - is a combination of two words: squeaky and stinky.
13 images on one page
|
Posted by amahler on March 12, 2006 at 4:05 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
November 13, 2005Virginia Safari Park
Another thing I can now highly recommend is Virginia Safari Park. It's located near Natural Bridge just across 81 on Route 11. Our plan was to swing through the safari park for a bit, take some pictures and then head on up the valley to Skyline drive for our overnight stay at Skyland. As it turns out, the safari park experience was so much fun that we went through it twice - a visit of about three and a half to four hours.
Nothing about the surroundings is particuarly unlike the countryside I've grown up in around rural Virginia. What is remarkably different, though, is the constant attention you are receiving from llamas, camels, elk, ostriches, emus, zebras, pigs, bison, gazelle, deer of all kinds and numerous (and I mean numerous) other species (note: I'm going to need to research my plurals there). We didn't buy the guidebook and, despite a lifetime of watching National Geographic and Discovery Channel, I couldn't put a name to everything I saw, smelled, touched or from which I received a slobbery snuffle in the constant quest for bucketized snacks.
And, like I said, we did it twice. And we're also going to go back in a couple of weeks and take a friend who is visiting over Thanksgiving. That will be the last couple of days of their season, so go now or you'll have to wait until next year.
The drive through the winding park is the highlight attraction, but you can park your car and stretch your legs a bit walking around in the more zoo-like section of the facility. The most fascinating part of this section (among the kangaroos, various birds, goats, etc) is the giraffe feeding station. They apparently added this attraction this year and I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time in it. You can buy some "giraffe crackers" and then feed these docile, skittish giants at their head level. Their tongues look to be about six inches long and their eyes are about the size of billiard balls. The eyelashes give them a somewhat cartoony, feminine appearance. Next time we go back, I'm buying some crackers so I can interact with them a bit more.
137 images on 5 pages Enjoy! |
Posted by amahler on November 13, 2005 at 9:10 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
October 23, 20052005 Oak Ridge Steeplechase
This year I was asked to be the official photographer for the event and, frankly, it was even more fun than last year. :) With a nifty all-access pass and the ability to get on the track, I was able to take photos much closer to the action with shorter, sharper lenses. Mild sunburn aside, the event was a real treat and I'm already looking forward to next year. Last year's weather was a bit cold and drizzly. By contrast, this year's weather was blue skies, sun and 65 degrees. To top it all off, I got to hang out with my friends at Trax Tech Services who were official sponsors this year and I made good use of their catered meals, drinks and a spiffy tent to hang out in between races.
158 images on 5 pages |
Posted by amahler on October 23, 2005 at 11:19 PM
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
September 11, 2005Agecroft Hall - Richmond, Va
Agrecroft Hall is a 500+ year old Elizabethan estate that was disassembled and transported to the United States in the 1920's. It was rebuilt in predominantly the same manner and used as a private residence for 30+ years before becoming a museum in the late 1960s. Much to my irritation, there was no photography allowed inside during the tour. As I said before, though, the weather was fantastic today and I had some fun shooting around the gardens. Nothing about these photos is especially spectacular, but it'll give you a taste of a pleasant, pre-fall day at Agecroft:
34 images on 2 pages
|
Posted by amahler on September 11, 2005 at 8:06 PM
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
August 13, 2005Archive: Misty Moisty Morning - October 2004
One misty, moisty morning, I woke up to this fascinating fog one October morning last year and the first two lines of this nursery rhyme kept going through my head as I ran around the yard with the camera. My Mom used to read me this rhyme from a Mother Goose book when I was a child and it stands out in my mind above all others. 29 images on one page I manipulated the color tone on a few of these in Photoshop because I found the affect appealing... beyond that they are more or less unmodified. As the fog burned off, I snagged a few shots of the fall colors in the trees immediately around the house as well as some dew-laden spider webs. This is another older set I've reformatted to put into the archives as I build up the content here on halfpress. |
Posted by amahler on August 13, 2005 at 3:05 AM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
August 12, 2005Archive: Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian Air & Space Visit
35 images on 2 pages This is really a fantastic place. I wish I had been able to spend more time there that day and I definitely plan to return soon for a more leisurely visit. Shots include the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the SR-71 Blackbird and the Air France Concorde. |
Posted by amahler on August 12, 2005 at 11:34 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
August 9, 2005The Sad Passing of the Fletcher Oak
I can only imagine the sound it must have made. By the looks of it, though, the massive trunk had become mostly hollow and the reason for its crash to earth is less of a mystery after seeing the relatively small root system that popped out of the wet soil. 43 images on 2 pages The tree was mostly intact but definitely showing its extreme age when I started work at SBC nine years ago. More recent years have seen extensive trimming and supports added to help keep it upright. I imagine it would have come down much sooner and a good bit more violently without these caring efforts to prolong its life. I know I'll definitely miss it. :( Our President, Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, sent a short eulogy for the fallen oak via campus email this morning. She quoted a portion of Mary Oliver's poem entitled "Fletcher Oak" (which I will quote here without permission): There is a tree here so beautiful it even has a name. Every morning, when it is still dark, I stand under its branches. They flow from the thick and silent trunk. One can't begin to imagine their weight. Year after year they reach, they send out smaller and smaller branches, and bunches of flat green leaves, to touch the light. My photos from today are more documentary than creative as I was a bit rushed (still running around replacing gobs of equipment toasted by this weekend's lightning). If anything interesting remains in the coming days (and we actually ever see the sun again), I'd like to get some more shots. |
Posted by amahler on August 9, 2005 at 9:16 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
August 8, 2005Tomatoes & Peppers
I tossed a few of them under one of my monolights tonight and shot a few close-ups. I don't claim that these shots represent any kind of great technique or composition, but I did want to share the images of the veggies themselves due to their natural beauty. - Aaron |
Posted by amahler on August 8, 2005 at 9:38 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
August 2, 2005Archive: Steeplechase at Oak Ridge - October, 2004
78 images on 3 pages These were shot with my last digital SLR (Canon 300D) on a slightly cold and misty day. I'm looking forward to shooting this again this coming fall. As much as a nice crisp and sunny fall day would be appreciated, I can't say I dislike the diffused, gray light in some of the shots. |
Posted by amahler on August 2, 2005 at 6:10 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
August 1, 2005Archive: Wedding Travels - France - September, 2003
These were taken with my older Canon PowerShot G2... truly a fun camera. 374 images on 12 pages This is a pretty diverse set of images covering the Upper Loire Valley by canal boat, La Roche Posay east of Poitiers and Paris (among other stops). Enjoy! |
Posted by amahler on August 1, 2005 at 10:34 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
Archive: Williamsburg - September 2004
51 images on 2 pages I'm just populating the galleries right now with older images while I finish the site build-out. Hope you enjoy them... - Aaron |
Posted by amahler on August 1, 2005 at 10:11 PM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
July 31, 2005Inaugural Gallery Post - St. Thomas, USVI
121 images on 4 pages Enjoy! Much more coming including re-generated older photo galleries and a proper introduction to the blog itself. |
Posted by amahler on July 31, 2005 at 12:16 AM
Permalink
| Comments (0)
