Some days, you just have to go shoot photos for yourself, for the fun of it.  
Man and his dog, Jericho Beach.

A cool multimedia piece done by the New York Times which gives a very good overview of the recent presidential election in the USA.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/politics/2008-election-overview/ 

What didn’t surprise me was seeing Zach Wise’s name in the list of credits, he has moved on to the NYT from the Las Vegas Sun, where he was working when we brought him in as a speaker at Photojournalism 2008 in Vancouver.  A really talented guy.

A couple of my fav stills shooting the beautiful ladies down at Beauty Night on the Downtown Eastside tonight. I am shooting video and stills in order to put together a multimedia production for the non-profit organization. To find out more, go here.

I wonder how these kids from the streets of Goma are doing. 5.4 Million people killed in Congo in the last 20 years, and really no immediate end in sight.  It’s the average Congolese person who is trying to live their life and has had any chance of doing that taken away by a government awash with corruption and inaction.  For a great multimedia production on Congo, I encourage all to watch Congo: Rape of a Nation by Marcus Bleasdale.

Although my eyes are glazing over from spending so much time in front of my laptop screen editing my footage from Rwanda, my short documentary piece is starting to come together and I am smiling and laughing while looking at the footage of the kids. It is really cool to have the footage and be able to be right back there and see the smiles on their faces. When I was there I was too into the moment of teaching and talking and filming to pick up on the minute details of the situation at the time, and the video I shot really makes me appreciate having it, if for no reason other than as a personal memento.

I am now freelancing in Vancouver while continueing to edit my work from Africa and line up more in-depth projects in BC. Here is a shot from an assignment Monday to photograph Arthur Griffiths, who is the Liberal candidate in the Vancouver-Burrard provincial by-election, being held today.

Vancouver businessman Arthur Griffiths, former owner of the Canucks and Grizzlies is trading the luxury box for the ballot box. Brett Beadle for National Post

Well, I am back in Vancouver, and it’s been quite lovely since I’ve been back. I’ve got the insurance on the motorcycle, been working on some future stories as well as editing my work from Rwanda, and things are coming along. I am waiting for the ugly Vancouver winter to hit, but until then, I am really enjoying being back home.

Wreck Beach 1

Wreck Beach 2

The Chief Peak Three - Squamish

I am finally now back at home sleeping in a nice comfy big bed once again. During my layover in Ottawa on my way back to Vancouver from Boston, I was reading An Imperfect Offering by James Orbinski. Orbinski ran the Medecins Sans Frontieres operation in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994, and the page I was reading was giving an overview about the situation and dealing the UNAMIR at the time. As I am reading the book, who should stroll by but Lieutenant-General Roméo A. Dallaire, (Ret’d), the former commander of UNAMIR in 1994 and author of Shake Hands with the Devil.
It was a very surreal end to an amazing trip, and I was happy to briefly talk to this amazing man who is currently doing work on eliminating the use of child soldiers, among other things.

Me and Roméo Dallaire - Vancouver, BC - Oct 19,2008.

Here are some of my photos from the Eddie Adams Workshop. I am hoping to edit together my audio and video for a more complete multimedia package so right now I am just going to put up the stills with no captions.

My assignment was to focus on Orchard Street, the most troubled street in town, and to photograph how people interacted inside this small community with huge problems. A man was murdered a few days previous on one of the porches of the houses on the street. The story is that one man, Dalvin Beltran, who was at one time family friends with the victim, came to try to get a cigarette from someone at the house late at night. A fight ensued, and Ismael Hernandez, 45, was stabbed to death with a 10-inch knife. He bled to death on his front porch. All over a single cigarette.

 From the Barnstorm XXI site:

I think I’m missing in this version of the shot, but they took about 10-15 so maybe I can get one where I can find myself.