Hudson, NY Amtrak

Was on assignment in Hudson so decided to swing by the Amtrak Station to see what was happening on a cold Saturday afternoon. Apparently not much! But here are a few still life scenes to share, which is a different approach for me since I usually photograph people and not things.

Conference Highlights from Louisville, KY

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) flew me out to Louisville, KY the other weekend to document their annual conference. Over 350 people attended from across the United States, and was one of the best I've been to. Here are some photo highlights from the weekend:

Above: Sister Helen Prejean waits behind Emcee Magdaleno Rose-Avila before being introduced at the evening awards dinner.

Above left: Anthony (Tony) Amsterdam gives an acceptance speech after receiving his award at the conference. Amsterdam argued and won the famous death penalty case Furman v. Georgia in 1972, in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty.

Above right: A member of a local drum line waits to start the evening entertainment for the awards program.

Above: more of the drum line at the conference.

Musician Steve Earle performs at the evening awards dinner after receiving an award for his outspoken work on the death penalty.

Above left: David Kaczynski (right), brother of the infamous Unabomber, shares a laugh during a workshop with Celeste Fitzgerald, program director of NJADP.

Above right: Attendees at the conference enjoy the Sunday morning interfaith reflection service.

Above: Ron Keine (left) and Shujaa Graham (right) were both wrongfully convicted and spent several years on death row before proving their innocence. Both are actively working across the US and abroad to educate others about the injustice of capital punishment.

Above: While not the most visually striking photo of the hundreds I shot of speakers at the podium, I have to share it here because when I saw this man's eyes through my camera, I was taken aback. This photo was taken of Dr. Allen Ault as he recounted about his experiences as the warden at the maximum security prison in Georgia where executions were carried out during his time there. The look was a glazed stare - what I imagine those who come home from war look like as the relive their experiences through thought or through speaking. These eyes will haunt me forever, knowing what they have seen.

Howard Zinn 1922-2010

Howard Zinn died yesterday. I had the chance to photograph Zinn in 2006 at a NYC birthday party for Rev. Daniel Berrigan. Zinn's famous diplomatic visit to Hanoi with Rev. Berrigan, during the Vietnam Tet Offensive in January 1968, resulted in the return of three POW American airmen (source: wikipedia).

For more photos from the "I Oppose the Death Penalty" series, visit my photo documentary website, including photos of Daniel Berrigan and Kurt Vonnegut, also attending the 2006 birthday party.

Catamount Ski Action

I have officially started shooting regularly for The Columbia Paper, my area's weekly newspaper for Columbia County, New York. I'll occasionally post some photos of interest from my assignments, along with my usual stream of weddings and human rights work.

From this week's selection:

Danny Legg, 15, of Hunter, New York, competes in the USA Snowboarding Association's halfpipe competition at Catamount Ski on Sunday. The weekend event was part of the Catskill Mountain snowboard and freestyle ski series.




Despite slightly warmer temperatures and a steady drizzle, skiers took advantage of the weekend slopes at Catamount Ski Sunday afternoon.

Portrait of Carlo Devito - local filmmaker

Portrait of Carlo Devito, local winery guru and also filmmaker extraordinaire, who released his newest film, "Locals," documenting the Hudson Valley's agricultural link with New York City's farmer markets. Check it out!

Slideshow from the 2009 Wedding Season

To commemorate all the wonderful people and weddings I was honored to photograph in 2009, I have put together a sampling of highlights from the wedding season.  The slideshow song is I'm Yours, by Jason Mraz, a popular hit this year on the wedding dance floor.  Enjoy!

Community Messiah

Another backlog photo from a news assignment from The Columbia Paper, just before Christmas: A community signing of Handle's Messiah in Chatham. My farewell photo to the official end of the 12 Days of Christmas.