DNC 2008 :: The Big Show

Shot the final day of the DNC at Invesco Stadium yesterday and had a great time doing it. I ended up getting the floor pass that I had my heart set on but then got annoyed with getting pushed around by secret service who continued to force photographers further and further back until the pass was a waste of time. I could have worked some ninja magic to stay down there (like Matt Slaby and a number of others did) but I decided instead to go to the absolute highest level of the stadium behind the podium where I knew I could play around and not be hassled. I was pretty happy with the results. For any editors who happen to read this, Luceo Images photographers have hundreds of images available for licensing in an online gallery upon request and we will be covering the Republican National Convention this upcoming week.

And last but not least, here's some of the bad-ass photographers I had the pleasure of working around and hanging out with this week (if I forgot to list you, then I still love you and just forgot your last name or something like that, like Michal).

Matt Slaby
Ramin Rahimian
Christian Hansen
Chris Detrich
Melissa Lyttle
Preston Gannaway
Noah Rabinowitz
Yoon S. Byun
Tim Hussin
Eric Thayer
Melissa Golden
Katie Orlinsky
Theo Rigby
Silvia Razgova
Juan Carlos
Nathan Armes

DNC 2008 :: Protests & Surprise Obama's

Quick blog post as I'm running out the door. The Iraq Veterans Against the War led a protest followed by the Anarchist and all the other people fighting for a cause for about four miles from a Rage Against the Machine concert to the Pepsi Center where it almost turned into a violent confrontation. After it was finally settled by the Police making the most simple concession of giving the Vets a chance to let their word be heard I rushed into the convention just in time to catch the surprise visit from Barack.

DNC 2008 :: Hillarama

Today Hillary spoke and gave a powerful if not predictable speech pledging her allegiance to Barack Obama and urging her fervent followers to do the same. Was a relatively mild day as far as protests go despite the police raiding a house where they found the makings for the dreaded 'feces bomb' which I can't help but find hilarious. Although, despite the relatively mild police action, fellow photographer Theo Rigby did directly observe a small girl dressed in pink and peace signs be violently slammed to the ground with an officers over-sized club with no provocation. As tensions rise and exhaustion sets in I imagine mistakes may be made but hopefully not.

DNC 2008 :: It Begins

Yesterday was the official first day of the Democratic National Convention and my first day in the actual convention center. Still feel like there's way better images to be made but I'm starting to find my groove. Having a blast shooting this stuff despite my lack of sleep and general feeling that I've been hit by a bus but it's all good. Shooting inside the convention center is interesting but it's so incredibly staged and produced it makes you feel like a little bit of a sucker shooting it. I much prefer shooting outside although I'm sure I'll spend a lot of time inside. Yesterday I missed a huge protest just to shoot some talking heads and kind of regretted it, but Kennedy's outstanding speech was worth it I suppose.

DNC 2008 :: Cops and Anarchist

The big show starts tomorrow and the protests have begun. Spent most the day today shooting a protest march, getting burnt to a lovely lobster shade, and observing some near-violent standoffs with the armed-to-the-teeth cops that have descended upon Denver. Here's a few from the day.

DNC Coverage 2008 Begins

Hit the ground in Denver today to cover the Democratic National Convention for Stern Magazine. Such a strange energy in the air here and the city is completely overrun. Such a strange melding pot between the activists, the amped up cops in riot gear and the political junkies all swirling around in with the theatrical and circus-like production of the convention.

After this week, I'll be headed for a drive across the heartland from Denver to Minneapolis to cover the Republican National Convention. Needless to say, it should be an interesting couple weeks so stay tuned.

Red Green Yellow & My Cool Hat

Here's a few images from shooting and playing with lights with some friends from the talented staff at the August Chronicle where my lovely lady, Kendrick Brinson, works. Nicole here in the yellow photo isn't quite staff but she's a surrogate member. Love hanging out with these folks. Soon to come are images from the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention, both of which I'm shooting for the wonderful people at Stern Magazine.

Cannabis Story Continued

Here's another image from the Cannabis Culture essay I'm working on. Hopefully I'll be making some more progress on this while I'm out in Denver covering the DNC next week. I have a lead that may or may not prove fruitful.

Luceo Images Official Launch

I'm very proud to announce the launch of Luceo Images, a photographic collective that has been in the works for the better part of a year. I'm thrilled to be involved in this endeavor with some of my favorite photographers.

Our founding members:
Kevin German
Matt Eich
Chip Litherland
Kendrick Brinson
Matt Slaby
David Walter Banks
Tim Lytvinenko

In Transit

Spent the past 10 days in transit. First was a week in NYC visiting editors and it was a fantastic trip. The wonderful talented Krisanne Johnson was kind enough to take me and the infamous Matt Slaby in for the week. Even got to hang out with some other great photographers in between the business-as-usual.

To top it all off I flew down to the Sunshine State to attend Geekfest, the annual photo-conference for members of A Photo A Day (APAD). These folks are without a doubt the main force that has helped me grow as a photographer and kept my creative juices flowing. If any of you out there read this, thank you and I love you all.

Traveling and meeting new folks in this photographic community never ceases to give me the jump-start I need. Here's some images from the excursion.