The Visual Truth.com Blog

Michigan, Farming and A New Life

2010-07-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

We moved to South Haven, Michigan back in January/February of this year - and WOW - what a difference a new city can make. We live in a small summer town that seems to be a destination for Chicagoans. No traffic, no crime, no...well, you get the picture.

As far as assignment go - I was recently assigned the Gus Maker basketball tournament by the editor of the South Haven Tribune. Here's one I turned in from the assignment:

Grand Haven Cardboard Sled Races

2010-02-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm no longer a Columbia College Chicago student, I am shooting for a couple different newspapers in southwest Michigan - The South Haven Tribune, The St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium.

This image was shot during the Grand Haven Cardboard Sled Races held this past weekend in Grand haven, MI during Winterfest.

(photo by Jody Warner)

Any day with a camera in my hand is a good day...

New Tower Opportunity

2009-10-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

A few minutes ago I spoke with the owner/founder of the tower company I've been photographing. It seems that there may be another tower project to photograph near the Quad Cities in western Illinois, near the Iowa border. It's a 500 foot guyed tower, like this one in Hawaii. It should be fun.

I've also decided to show you what the equipment required to climb these towers looks like. As I mentioned in a previous post, the stuff is very expensive and, honestly, I'm OK with that. Whatever it costs to get me home each night is OK by me. Here's a front view:

And a back view:

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day...

Forest Firefighter Video

2009-07-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I finally had the opportunity to complete the video for my recent documentary trip to California with forest firefighters. The video quality is a bit shaky and it will get better over time.

I will again thank the following organizations for participating in this photo documentary project beginning. It could not be done without their support:

The Georgetown, California Fire Department
Cal Fire
The National Forest Service
The National Forest Service firefighters and ground crews
The Growlersburg Fire Camp, Georgetown, CA

Thank you ladies and gentlemen. You all are true heroes.

Forest Firefighting Project - Day 9. FIRE!

2009-07-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

The fire district I'm photographing had another fire this morning. A small one, but it was easy to photograph due to its size. I rode Engine 61 out of the Georgetown Fire Department station 61 with a Fire Captain, Engineer and a firefighter. It was a very cramped engine and a bumpy ride. I remember the bumpy rides from my firefighting days.

In the photo above, you can see firefighters from the Growlersburg Fire Station.

More later.

Forest Firefighting Project - Day 8. FIRE!

2009-07-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

A fire broke out near Mammoth Bar in the Auburn State Recreation Area.
The "Mammoth IC" is seen above. The Incident Commander is sitting in the
truck coordinating the many fire attack forces coming from the ground and
via fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

Day eight here in Northern California brought a fire that charred more than 525 acres near Mammoth Bar in the Auburn State Recreation Area. Indications from the California Highway Patrol, Sheriff and National Forest Service suggest that individuals with bottle-rockets (illegal fireworks) started the fire. Authorities were looking for the two young men immediately after the fire was discovered.

This fire was outside the fire district of the Fire Chief I've been shadowing. This allowed me to get near the Incident Command center as seen above, but not near the firefighters on the ground. More to come...

Forest Firefighting Project - Day 7

2009-07-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

You guessed it - still no significant fires here in California as of 5:30 pm local time. A large fire was paged out earlier today but turned out to be dust from a dynamiting operation. Yep - dust.

I had an opportunity to have a look at the minimum security prison camp here in Georgetown called the Growlersburg Fire Camp. Prison inmates such as drug users and other non-violent criminals come to the Growlersburg camp to work out the remainder of their sentence. The majority to the inmates at this facility are well-spoken and courteous men that took a wrong turn (or several wrong turns) in their life. They fall into the category of a "trustee".

The primary purpose of Growlersburg is to house six companies of wildland firefighters made up of camp inmates - Growlersburg Crews 1 through 6. They are legendary in the world of California forest fire fighting. Known for their hard work and focus, they cut fire lines along side firefighters from all other departments. They often cut lines faster and better than the National Forest Service firefighters. At least that's what I've been told. Without a fire, I can't see it for myself.

It would seem that a larger than normal percentage of camp inmates find a crime-less life after leaving this place as opposed to other prison opportunities. Cal Fire Captain Brian Eagan said:

"About 30% of our former firefighting, released inmates don't come back into the prison system as opposed to only 10% of those released that don't have an opportunity to work in a fire camp like this."

Cal Fire Captain Brian Eagan is a 20+ year veteran of the fire service.
He indicated that he loves his job here at the Growlersburg Fire Camp.

Forest Firefighting - Day 6

2009-07-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

Georgetown (CA) firefighters search a house (the drill tower) and prepare

it for a simulated forest fire during an evening drill on Monday, July 13.

The last six days have had various opportunities to see what this volunteer fire department can do with the limited budget. In short, they can move mountains.

The Georgetown (CA) Fire Department operates in the larger conceptual structure of California fire protection (Cal Fire). They protect their own district and they also protect the entire state. No. I'm not kidding or exaggerating.

The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) and the National Forest Service coordinate the network of fire departments throughout the entire state. They're coordinated to be "wheels up" in 20 minutes and go anywhere in the state - anywhere. Last fire season (May - November, 2008) the two "strike crews" operating out of the Georgetown fire station responded to the farthest reaches of Southern California and to the border of Oregon. So when I say that the Georgetown Fire Department "moves mountains", that's what I'm talking about.

Fire Chief Greg Schwab surveys a planned heli-pad site near the community of Volcanoville, CA. Landing zones for helicopters are strategically located throughout the fire protection district in order to provide quick transportation of the injured/ill when an emergency strikes. The mountainous terrain in and around Georgetown (CA) makes it difficult for the fire department to transport people to the local hospital via a typical ambulance.

Forest Firefighting in California

2009-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

First things first - I just realized that my current photojournalism site looks bad on MSIE - go figure. I'll get that fixed as soon as possible. Now to the nitty-gritty...

Georgetown (CA) Fire Chief Greg Schwab is, by far, the most supportive fire chief I have encountered in my photography career. Knowing that I have a background in firefighting, he has given me complete access to all operations within the department. - including structure fires, medical calls and rescues - to say the least, a very rare opportunity.

Georgetown (CA) fire chief, Greg Schwab explains a departments water
tender (tanker) during the initial period of the project without fire runs.

As far as the actual forest firefighting, it's been a few slow days out here in Northern California. The first four days were a complete bust as far as forest fire photography - no fire runs what-so-ever. The fire crew I'm working with seems to think that I may be a "jinx". By that I mean that the weather was very hot with low humidity before my trip - high 90's to over 100 degrees with very low relative humidity - prime weather for forest fires. The day I arrived the temperature went down into the 80's and the relative humidity went up - it even rained last night!

The weekend brought travelers into the area and many of them were on motorcycles. The first official run of this trip was to an area of the district called Uncle Tom's Cabin. A cyclist wrecked her motorcycle breaking several bones. She was air-lifted to a local hospital and, at last contact, was doing well with her recovery.

The flight crew from Calstar arrive to evacuate an injured motorcyclist on
July 11, 2009. (the debris in the image was from the helicopter landing and
blowing dust)

The weekend also brought storms - rain and lightning throughout the fire district. Lightning caused my day start before 5 am local time and start a structure fire in an area of of the district called Volcanoville. The fire turned out to be small and the fire was extinguished by the homeowners shortly before the arrival of the fire crews.

5 am local time - Garden Valley firefighter Clyde Rust carries the youngest member
of the home where the fire occurred. The home turned out to be his parents house.

Little did I know that the day was just beginning. Later that morning, and at the same address as the earlier house fire, a tree was discovered that had been struck by lightning - it was on fire. Apparently, it smoldered even while the fire department was at the home earlier. This type of fire (now called a "vegetation fire") brought out the troops - Georgetown Fire and the Forest Firefighters from Eldorado National Forest - the Iron Mountain Hand Crew and the Big Hill Helitack team. These young forest firefighters made quick-work of the massive poderosa pine (more than 110 feet tall and 3+ feet in diameter) by felling it and extinguishing the fire that smoldered approximately 50 feet above their heads. In other words, they brought the fire down to them. It was an impressive site to see.

The base of the giant ponderosa pine after it was cut down and extinguished.

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day - and often, it's a VERY good day.

Update, Forest Firefighters and Final Cut Pro Suite

2009-06-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

OK, first "failure" of the effort to get the tower images published along with a story. Chicago Magazine rejected the first attempt at getting them published. After the next shoot, or a couple shoots, I'll make another attempt at the story and images at Chicago Mag. Keep your fingers crossed.

On another, I have secured a long photo shoot with a group of forest firefighters called "Hot Shots" July 8th through 21st in California. The Fire Chief in Georgetown, CA accepted my request to become embedded with his forest fire crew(s) for a period of a week or more. Much thanks must go to Georgetown Fire Chief Greg Schwab for his agreement and ideas for the shoot. There will also be plenty of video shot during the shoot.

The video is why I obtained Final Cut Studio 2. I needed something really heavy like that suite to create the video/still images and sound I see in my head. If I can get the video, still images and sound bites that I'm currently seeing in my head, the final video will be unbelievable - I guarantee it.

Any day with a camera (now video or still) is a good day. Cheers!

Newer Website Coming Up Soon!

2009-04-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm also happy to report that my website, TheVisualTruth.com, is being rebuilt by a talented web builder and photographer Elena Jatia. You can find her at ElenaJatia.com. After saying that, I'm guessing that some of you might ask, "Why would you refer to another photographer on your blog? Isn't that a risky venture that they might hire her instead of you?"

Good question and you're correct. It is a little risky - but - when someone like Elena helps me...I like to help her as well. Karma, you know. What goes around, comes around...etc, etc, etc.

I really need to make the site less cumbersome and get some of my new stuff up there - boxing, baseball, soccer, skydiving...pix I'm proud of.

I may also be photographing the tower workers for a magazine article - maybe. Keep your fingers crossed.

Tower Workers

2009-04-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I finally had the opportunity to begin the photography project on tower workers. I've tentatively titled it, "Tower Work - Life on The Very Edge".

I was about 200 feet above the earth, strapped to a cell tower in Lake Zurich, IL with a company called Tower Technologies, LLC. The safety equipment required to do this project was very expensive to say the least - a small price to pay for access to the work and workers that keep my cell photo connected. Besides, what's my life worth? Here's the rough run-down:

DBI-Sala, XO-Fit Tower Harness - $595
Petzel climbing helmet - $100
DBI-Sala, 3' anchor - $38
DBI-Sala, 18" Lanyard extension - $38
DBI-Sala, EZ Stop II double lanyard - $272
Petzel Acenders - 2 @ $62
Petzl locking carabiner - 10 @ $13.95
A bunch of other stuff I can't remember - $$$

Why DBI-Sala? Because they are the leader in fall protection technology and comfort for tower workers. Most of the people in the tower profession I spoke to said, more or less, "You really only have one choice, DBI-Sala". Most of them had the same harness I bought. That's very comforting when I'm hanging by 1/2" of nylon, 200+ feet of the ground.

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day.

Recent Photography Awards

2009-04-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

During the previous eight months of shooting for The Chronicle, I have accumulated an impressive array of photography awards from various sources:

• 1st Place/most votes PDNEDU 2009 College Photography Contest
• 2nd Place Photo Essay, ‘08/’09 Illinois College Press Association
• 3rd Place Photo Essay, ‘08/’09 Illinois College Press Association
• 3rd Place Feature Photo, ‘08/’09 Illinois College Press Association
• 1st Place College Sports Feature Picture, ’08 Illinois Press Photographers Association
• 2nd Place College Multimedia Show, ’08 Illinois Press Photographers Association
• 2nd Place Pro Nature Picture, ’08 Illinois Press Photographers Association

I hate to pat myself on the back - but - there has not been any mention of these awards in any meetings, via any emails or with any coffee clutches. The only way people have known is if I told them. This in the face of ad, newspaper and other awards announced during the weekly staff meeting. It is a little frustrating at times.

I might also add that we could have done MUCH better if management of the paper had allowed the Senior Photo Editor choose the images and photo essays that are sent into contests. I would have never sent the images that were sent. We could have done much better.

Sulking a bit? Yep, a little. It makes me feel better.

I should also make mention of the fact that Karen, my wife, and I have purchased 40 acres in South Haven, MI. It will be an organic farm called "Big Head Farm". Here's what it looks like now:

IPPA/WNPA Convention in Madison, WI

2009-03-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Good news on the IPPA/WNPA convention front. The Illinois Press Photographers Association convention was held in conjunction with the Wisconsin News Photographers Association in Madison, WI this past weekend. I received three awards for my photojournalism!

First Place College Sports Feature Photo
Second place College Multimedia Show (the Whedbee violin maker slide show)
Second Place PRO Nature/Environment Photo

That was the first time I've been judged by my peers and I'm happy that it came out successful.

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day...

Tall Buildings Project - Update

2009-03-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I came up with an idea to begin a photo-documentary project called "The Tall Buildings Project." Well, that project had to be slightly modified.

I need to focus more on the actual workers than the buildings. Probably 90% of the workers that focus on towers work for an outsourced company. So, I've been contacting them over the last few months. There's only one little challenge - in response to Discovery Channel's portrayal of tower workers in the show "Tower Dogs" that aired last year, there might be an across the board ban on all media contact.

We'll see how it goes.

Obama Rally Photos and The PDN Student Contest

2008-12-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

It looks as if I have won the contest! A few days ago the proprietors of the PDNEDU photography contest closed it by removing all the vote buttons. I finished with a score of 1,885 votes and the nearest competitor had 1,142 votes.

Woo Friggin' Hoo!

Thank you very much for all your help, votes and for passing the word around. I believe that part of the reason that the image won is the overwhelming popularity of our president-elect, Barack Obama. I still can't believe that I had access to the event as a college photographer - it's amazing!

Thank you!

Elect Barack Obama Again!

2008-11-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

I would like to personally thank the many students, faculty and strangers that made the election edition of The Columbia Chronicle a rousing smash. It was one of the few issues that we have run out of in the history of the newspaper.

Since the image below has been such a hit, I have entered it into the PDN/EDU photo contest that ends on December 7, 2008. Please vote for my image at the following web address: http://contest.pdnedu.com/bin/Rate. Please help me win and get published in the magazine!

U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama speaks to the crowd of more than 240,000 people in
Chicago’s Grant Park on Nov. 4 after the conclusion of the election process.
Obama was elected by an electoral landslide and a majority of the popular vote.
Photo by Jody Warner / Columbia Chronicle

You'll see that the image is at the top of the page and that I'm currently in second place! I'm closing fast on first place - every vote counts! And your email addresses are not going to be used for spam (per the website). It's used to prevent cheating by voting more than twice.

Thanks again and let's elect Obama (and me) again!

And YES, I shot that image!

2008-11-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

View my page on Columbia Chronicle Photographers

The Barack Obama Image - Did I actually take it?

2008-11-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

I was sent a message that asked me if I actually took the Obama photo currently featured on the front of my website and in the "People" section. The email writer said that she saw a similar image published by another source.

Yes, I took that photo. I took this one too;

Flags waved as people photographed one of the biggest events in our nation's
political history, the election of our first African American president -
the election of Barack Obama on Nov. 4, 2008. Photo by Jody Warner

There were approximately 1000 to 1500 different still photographers and videographers at the event and many of us were shooting right on top of each other - literally. Several photographer had 6' ladders to get higher than others when they were stuck behind a crowd. I was two "rows" back and was on a small ladder myself. There were several still photographers in front of me and several behind me. We were all shooting from, almost, the exact same point.

So in conclusion, it is possible that different images, from different photographers, will look similar.

2008 Presidential Election & Barack Obama

2008-11-05T16:28:00.000-08:00

The election came up so fast in the Chronicle newsroom, I didn't have an opportunity to write about the good news. I was selected by the faculty and staff at the newspaper to be the one photographer with media credentials at the Obama rally in Chicago's Grant Park.

What makes this so more historic to me is that I was the only college photographer in the world with media credentials!!

I stood next to photo legends from all corners of the globe including; Scotland, England, Egypt, Chile, Mexico, Russia, and many more. I spoke frequently with one of the shooters at Polaris Images and he said, "Ya' know Jody, this is the big time."

I'll get that image up on my site as soon as possible and feature it on the home page.

Any day with a camera in hand - is a very good day.

The Tall Building Project

2008-10-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

I recently contacted the management of the three tallest buildings in Chicago - Sears Tower, Trump Tower and The John Hancock Building. I've requested that I be able to photograph the men/women that work on the roof of those buildings. I would like to chronicle the people that regularly work at heights exceeding 1000 feet or more. Specifically, I want to photograph anyone that regularly works on the antennas that sit atop the buildings.

These people are a breed apart - they don't fear the heights. I'd like to see how they work.

We'll see how the project pans out. Wish me luck!

Jody

Working With Young Adults

2008-10-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jody Warner - John H. White is a legendary Chicago photojournalist that gained fame in the late 1970's based on his images depicting Chicago's south side and the areas known then as skid row. White is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography in 1982 for his Chicago life style images. He has been a staff photographer at the Chicago Sun Times and a teacher of photojournalism at Columbia College Chicago for more than 30 years . He is best known for his passion for the profession and his motto"Keep In Flight".

There's one thing that I've found quite difficult at times - working with and managing other students half my age.

When I've worked for people in the past, I rarely, if ever, questioned their orders, advice or comments. It was simply known to me that people twice my age had done things twice as long. They've had more experiences, done more and experienced life in a different generation that provided me with a perspective that I didn't have. I often didn't like what I was being told, but I did what was asked of me.

That's certainly not the case here at Columbia College and with these young students. We regularly bump heads when they take it upon themselves to either do my job or ignore a directive I've given. And yes, this is an art college - not a traditional college with engineers, a football team and cheerleaders. All arty kids...

What further complicates the matter is that the management staff can be tough to work for at times and they demand that my department run efficiently. Comparatively, when they ask me to do things, I do them. Even if I don't like doing something they've asked - I do it any way.

What else can I say? I'm a little frustrated at times.

Updates and making a college newspaper.

2008-09-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned several times that I work for the Columbia Chronicle, the student run newspaper at Columbia College Chicago. It's turned out to be a great crew to work with. At my age and after more than 20 years of photography at JodyWarner.com it's great to see excitement in people.

After three weeks of publishing the 40+ page, weekly document I'm finally getting into the swing of things as the Senior (Managing) Photo Editor. I've even had my butt chewed out once after the first week - interesting experience to say the least.

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day!

U.S. Coast Guard, Wilmette Station

2008-08-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of selection and processing the Coast Guard multimedia story is finally up on my site - www.TheVisualTruth.com. The Wilmette Station Coast Guard is a really great group of people doing a very difficult job - protecting the Chicago area from all threats, foreign and domestic.

I've also been given permission to photograph the station as a long term story encompassing training, leisure time, rescues and more. After the paper gets moving along, I'll have more time to work on the project...perhaps a few weeks into the semester.

U.S. Coast Guard Operations on Lake Michigan, Chicago. Photo by Jody Warner

I'm taking Photojournalism 2 with John H. White to further focus my PJ and storytelling skills. It's possible that he might look at my site and not like what he sees. I've also got Web Building 2 to further my web skills.

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day - no matter what happens!

Red Bull Flugtag Fever!

2008-08-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Since I've started photographing the Coast Guard here in Chicago, it will take some time to go through the images from the air show. I shot over 700 images and I'm in the process of narrowing the images down to a manageable number. I also recorded sound to go along with it.

In the mean time, I've started featuring my people section due to a recent assignment to shoot a portrait of a Chicago designer due to enter into the upcoming Red Bull Flugtag. If you haven't heard, the Red Bull Flugtag is an excuse for people to dress up, act silly and then throw themselves into a body of water - but with style. Flugtag is apparently German for "flying day". The Chicago event which will occur on Sept. 6 at North Avenue beach on Chicago's north side.

The entrant is none other than "Grego" the Chicago artist, designer and builder. I say "none other" because you might recall that he entered "The Red Hot Flyer" into the last Chicago Flugtag where he took 5th place! Well, this one is "The Red Hot Flyer 2" and it's a bi-plane!

Cheers!

Journalists Hasseled, Roughed Up at Olympics

2008-08-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

I'd like to break away from the normal tone of this blog to address a few journalism issues that have raised the hair on the back of my neck - still photography and video journalists abused/arrested at the Olympics & journalists that have been killed in the Russia/Georgia war.

CHINA:

To say the least, it pains me greatly to see Chinese police (both uniformed and those in plain cloths) man-handling still and video journalists at the Beijing games. A few were even arrested. Furthermore, several "free tibet" activists were arrested and deported within hours. You can see it - here's proof in a video. The link is below.

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/aug/13/tibet.protest.john.ray)

Am I missing something? Why would the IOC award the 2008 Summer Olympics to a country that oppresses it's people and drastically controls (abuses, arrests, deports, kills) the media, just to name a few. Did they/we really think that China would stop being a communist dictatorship when the games started?

Russia/Georgia:
Journalists being killed - since this issue is so important to me, I've decided to directly quote an article from PDN Online written by Daryl Lang:

Alexander Klimchuk, photographed by Timo Vogt about two years ago. Photo © Timo Vogt

"Two journalists including Georgian photographer Alexander Klimchuk were killed Sunday while covering the conflict in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, according to press advocacy groups.

With two more deaths Monday, four journalists have been reported killed since fighting erupted between Georgia and Russia last week.

It is an extraordinarily high toll for a conflict that has lasted less than a week. At least six other journalists have been injured and two more are missing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Photographer Klimchuk and journalist Grigol Chikhladze died after their vehicle came under attack at a roadblock Monday, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Klimchuk was the head of the Georgian photo agency Caucasus Images, according to the agency's Web site. Chikhladze was working as a reporter for Russian Newsweek, according to friend and fellow journalist Timo Vogt.

Klimchuk was on assignment for the Russian news agency Itar Tass, CPJ reported. The Caucasus Images site displays some of Klimchuk's final images, showing soldiers on patrol August 5 in South Ossetia, several days before fighting broke out.

According to a short biography on the agency's Web site, Klimchuk was born in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1981. After graduating from college he worked as a writer for several Russian newspapers and later worked as a freelance photographer for several international photo agencies, including epa and Polaris Images.

In separate incidents in the Georgian city of Gori Monday, a reporter was killed when a shell hit his vehicle and a TV cameraman died in a bombing, RSF said.

TV cameraman Stan Storimans, 39, of the Dutch station RTL was killed in a bombing overnight Monday, The Times of London reported, citing RTL.

RSF said a Russian Newsweek reporter was killed and his driver injured when a shell hit their vehicle in Gori; RSF did not provide his name. Details about this incident were not available from other sources.

Georgia exploded in violence last week as Russian forces moved in to support separatists in South Ossetia. On Tuesday Russian leaders said they were halting the military operation, though media reports said fighting was continuing.

Two reporters were wounded in the South Ossetia incident that killed Klumchuk and Chikhladze. They were identified in reports as Teimuraz Kikuradze and Winston Featherly-Bean, an American who was working for an English-language newspaper in Georgia."

Coast Gaurd Photo Story

2008-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

After more than 8 months of what could only be described as the standard governmental Kabuki dance I have been granted permission to photograph a story about one of the Chicago area Coast Guard stations. And just in the nick of time - the 2008 Chicago Air & Water Show is this weekend.

The story is to be about how the Coast Guard goes about protecting the public during the air and water show and other times. As many of you know, the Coast Guard is mandated to be the primary protector of U.S. waterways and many of the larger lakes (The Great Lakes).

I'll be aboard one of the boats that embarks out of Wilmette Station on the North side of Chicago. It will either be a 25' Defender Class Boat (RB-HS/RB-S) or a 25' Short Range Prosecutor. The designations mean little to me as of today, but I'll learn more during the shoot.

I'll process the images ASAP and get the full story up when I can.

Cheers!

A Second Thought...

2008-08-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me to say something else in this blog after I said that I need a photojournalism job anywhere.

If you happen to live in a small town somewhere maybe you could send a link to my site to the photo editor or publisher if they happen to need an experienced shooter that will work for a starters pay? If you do, be sure to mention that I've been photographing the world and people in it for more than 20 years now. Photography, photo journalism and documentary photography are my love, my passion and the reason I get up every day.

As stated before, any help would be appreciated! Take care to everyone that reads this blog!

Work Has Started

2008-08-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

OK, here we go...

Yesterday, on August 11, 2008, I started my first day as Senior Photo Editor of the Columbia Chronicle. The Chronicle is the student newspaper here at Columbia College Chicago.

The newspaper is made up of many young students that come from various educational backgrounds such as journalism, graphics and photography. They all seem to be a bit stand-off-ish to me which seems to be from their age and mine. If I haven't said so in this blog, I'm 43.

Welcome to my mid-life crisis! My wife was just glad that my mid-life crisis didn't involve a convertible or a blond. :-)

I have a total of 5 shooters working for me - two that are paid and three that are interns (more or less). The intern-like folks are in the class that I was in last semester that gave me quick experience in how a college newspaper works.

We'll see how this whole thing goes - and remember, like always...

Any day with a camera in my hand is a good one! (no matter what happens)

A firefighter shows a second grade class the fire truck's chainsaw. Photo by Jody Warner

Photojournalism Job Needed

2008-08-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

OK. After all the email and face-to-face questions posed to me and/or my wife, yes, I am looking for a staff photojournalist job at almost any newspaper, news magazine or news wire. Almost any where in the world.

There. It's been said.

Some background - I've been a photographer for more than 20 years shooting mainly weddings and bands (see JodyWarner.com) here in the Chicago area. After all those years and before I get too old, I want to switch to photojournalism and tell compelling stories with pictures, captions and eye-catching multi-media shows - like this one on my VisualTruth site.

Images appear in editorial publications day after day that are grossly over-manipulated by Photoshop or other image editing medium. It is my hope that this blog and the website can be an additional beacon for those of us that want to make it in the photojournalism business honestly, without cheating. Like organizers of the Tour De' France and their quest to rid their prestigious race of performance enhancing drugs, I too strive for photojournalistic clarity, honesty and truth. That is why the site is named TheVisualTruth.com. Photojournalism is truth to me.

So if you know of a photojournalists job, please let me know. I'll look into it and forever be grateful.

Website Finally Up!

2008-07-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

After several months of learning, waiting and impatience the new website that I've been working on is finally up. See here:

www.TheVisualTruth.com

If you happen to be an avid reader of this blog, or perhaps just stop by to have a look at the pix, you might remember that these pages were DNS forwarded to my websites' root directory until I could finish the site.

Adobe Dreamweaver is an amazing tool, though still full of bugs. I'm a bit surprised at the presence of so many bugs in a program owned by a company that is focused on stable and intuitive software - Adobe. My hope is that Adobe will stabilize it and make a bit more intuitive.

Sky Diving Success

2008-06-22T14:01:00.001-07:00

The sky dive shoot went well. See here -

Parachutist Mike Row jumps out of the Super Twin Otter with style at
fifteen thousand feet over Ottawa, Ill on Jun 21. (Photo by Jody Warner)

Any day with a camera in hand -

Sky Dive Photography With Sky Dive Chicago

2008-06-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

It would seem that I've been able to secure access to a story about college sky divers - so I'll likely be shooting the story this weekend at Sky Dive Chicago in Ottawa, IL.

The story is about students from Wisconsin (UW, Madison) that come down to the Chicago area several times each year to sky dive. Apparently, they have a club that meets and jumps here. This weekend they're going to bring 15-25 jumpers with most being new to the sport.

Pics will be up ASAP.

Any day with a camera in hand is a good day...

Columbia Chronicle Photographers Network

2008-06-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Find more photos like this on Columbia Chronicle Photographers

Photo Editor of The Columbia Chronicle

2008-06-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

It's official - I became the Photo Editor of The Columbia Chronicle!

We call it "Senior Photo Editor" for some reason and there are two others with the title "Photo Editor", but it works for me. I'll have a staff of as many as five photographers - two "photo editors" ("assistant photo editors" really) and possibly three photographers from the workshop class, called "staff photographers".

Everyone said that they loved my photography and that my overwhelming traits were just simple - my eye for images and my reliability. The fact that I've actually been a photographer for over twenty years doesn't hurt either! ;-)

Ant day with a camera in my hand is a good day - this one was GREAT!

The Lincoln Park Zoo

2008-05-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

I had an opportunity to shoot images today at the Lincoln Park Zoo in, of course, Lincoln Park on Chicago's North side. It's a great place to get feature pictures that say a lot about the zoo, it's patrons and human behavior. Yes, human behavior.

After you've seen the first image of a zoo gorilla staring back at the camera (and/or the woman with her hand on the glass) one has to wonder if we're looking at the gorilla, or is the gorilla getting entertainment by looking at us? The natural response would be to assume that we're looking at the animal because we have it in a cage. But when one looks into the animals eyes and remembers that this is one of our closest genetic relatives, we have to see that he/she also has interest in us. It fascinates me and these are wonderful fascinating animals.

I also suggest looking at the next image of two small children and their mother at the underground seal tank viewing windows. Not three feet from where we were all standing, a well-lit sign reads, "Please Do Not Lean Or Tap On The Glass". I guess I'm just curious whether or not the mother can read the sign behind her. Human behavior...hmmmm.

And in closing, an image of a small wild cat "sunning" itself in the light.

I like the zoo and the people that support it.

I'm just sayin'...Chicago Went Green at Navy Pier

2008-05-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Does anyone see anything funny about the image to the left? Well, honestly I do. Maybe I just see some irony in it - after all, we journalists are supposed to be a bit cynical, aren't we?

For years, green folks (think "energy saving people", not little men from outer space) have been trying to shed their hippie/tree hugging/grass eating/pot smoking persona in favor of a more mainstream view. I know for a fact that vegetarians (my wife) like to consider themselves a mainstream part of society. More and more restaurants are catering to vegetarians each year as a matter of fact. Fair enough.

However, when there are a half dozen booths selling the benefits of hemp (and all it's wonderful properties) at the Chicago Green Festival, aren't they sending the hippie/tree hugging/grass eating/pot smoking message to everyone?

It doesn't help that a "9/11 was an inside job" booth was set up with (seemingly) intelligent grown men and women speaking ad-infinitum about things that they know absolutely nothing about - flammable liquids, fire behavior, fire protection, structural engineering, steel manufacturing, aeronautics/avionics to name a just few items mentioned during my time near the booth.

The place was packed with all sorts of folks - families, young, old and people from all races and seemingly all religions. Everyone enjoyed the samples from vendors and eveyone looked like they were having fun - really.

There were also numerous anti-Bush booths, buttons, bumper stickers, head bands, t-shirts and other paraphernalia that always seems to put a negative spin on the "green" movement.

I'm just sayin'...

Semester Over, Welcome Summer

2008-05-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Students promote "Manifest" on Wabash Ave. on May 16, 2008. Photo by Jody Warner.

On May 15, the 2008 spring semester ended with not much going on at the Chronicle. Apparently, we don't cover it with any "gusto" and the office was completely empty.

The last week was full of meetings, get-togethers and "industry nights". Industry night is an interesting thing - it's a way for students and working professionals to get together and chat about employment, life and other things - no hiring - just chatting. Fascinating.

I realize that this sort of thing is necessary. It shows good faith on the part of the College and the department (Columbia Journalism in this case). It would be really nice to know that someone got a job out of it.

Oh, did I mention that students aren't supposed to drink the provided liquor?

"Industry Night" in the Journalism Department at Columbia College. Photo by Jody Warner.

Columbia Chronicle Photographers Blog

2008-05-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

I recently had an idea to create a blog that's for the Chronicle photographers to write and post images that don't make it into the Columbia College Chicago newspaper.

Let's say that, as a Chronicle Staff Photographer, the new photo editor picks an image for a story that you disagree with...well, here's a chance to get it published in a spot that's promoted and seen by others.

Depending on what happens with the upcoming vote to decide the next photo editor, this might be a great idea.

I've also had some thoughts on basic guidelines and rules for the blog since it's designed to be roughly school related.

Photo-related, shot by staff photographer postings only.
No posting of outside photographers work - CCC Chronicle Staff photo work only.
No mouthing off about other photographers unless they've clearly violated the NPPA Code of Ethics.
No porn or references/links to porn sites - don't get me started.
No foul language - it may end up to be a school supported thing after all.

I don't want this idea to become a warehouse for a nightmare that I would need to explain to the paper's General Manager.

I should know this week whether or not I've made it. Only time will tell.

"Any day with a camera in my hand is a good one."

Cowboys, Bulls and a Wild Ride

2008-05-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

Twenty-two year old professional bull rider Jared Farley of Kempsey, Australia gathers his
thoughts before climbing aboard the 1600 lb. bull "Smokin' Aces" on day two of the PBR tour event.
All Photos by Jody Warner

Bull riding came to Chicago last week at Allstate Arena in Rosemont. I suggested to the A & E Editor that I try to get photo access to the event and perhaps use an image as a feature photo. Little did I know how much access that I'd receive to the event - full and complete access.

The images came out great and the paper decided to run a full, two-page spread dedicated to the bull riding photo essay - definitely something that we photojournalists strive for. It will run in the May 5th edition. It may even get an online feature on the papers website.

Thanks must also go to the Pro Bull Riders (PBR) for allowing a college student such great, close access. How close? Take a look at the pics and see how close - at one point I actually got bullsh*it on my camera and face! In another instance, a large bull shook the platform when I was crouched down to shoot and the shaking knocked me on my back into some cowboy tobacco spit - and no, I'm not joking.

I love this job!

Any day with a camera in my hand is a good day!

Will Whedbee and some beautiful instruments...

2008-04-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

The hands of artisan Will Whedbee at work. Photo by Jody Warner.

As my final project for one of my classes (the newspaper workshop) I've sought to photograph the violin workshop of Whedbee Violins. Will Whedbee and his small shop are custom string instrument makers here in Chicago - violins, violas and cellos.

He trained in Italy some years ago and builds some of the most beautiful and sought after instruments. The instruments are sold through Bein & Fushi here in Chicago and possibly other places that I have been unable to find at this early stage of the photography.

Will is a true artisan and a great person to photograph. He is so focused on his work that he never looks into the camera and barely speaks. The access that he's given me is refreshing and I hope to make his work more sought after by photographing it.

No Photojournalism Site?

2008-04-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Someone found this blog recently and asked why I didn't have a photojournalism website.

Good question.

For those of you checking out this blog that may happen to be students, it's a safe bet that you're broke. Right? Well, I am too. I left my high-paying job (think ridiculous money for what I did) back in August '07 to pursue this long-running dream of mine - photojournalism.

"Do it," my family and friends said to me over and over again. "You're not getting any younger," they said. (thanks for that by way)

Well, here I am and I'm broke - but thankfully there's Blogger. Now this blog is my website.

Spot news high-rise fire, Feb. 9, 2008. Photo by Jody Warner.

Reggie's Rock Club

2008-04-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Another day, another assignment - "Reggie's Rock Club, 2109 S. State, Chicago - shoot a few pix to show the rock show, the crowd and the general atmosphere." It was an all ages show.

To say the least, Reggie's has got a great staff that gave me all the access I could ever want, Here's a sample of the shots:

Rock at Reggie's. Photo by Jody Warner.

New'd, Art and a Guy Named Artillery

2008-04-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Art curator, "Artillery". Photo by Jody Warner.

"New'd, Art and a Guy Named Artillery" is one heck of a way to start a blog entry, I know. But last nights assignment was a bunch of fun and I met some really great people - one guy named Artillery.

The assignment came from the Photo Editor, Andrew Nelles, a great photographer himself. Photograph the art show at "New'd" at 1917 West Division in Chicago.

"N-u-d-e", I asked.

No, "n-e-w-apostrophe-d"

OK, I thought to myself. A nude art show with a really fancy way of spelling the gallery name - right? Nope, a resale shop specializing in nice clothing. They worked out a deal with "Artillery" as the art curator and had the show on the walls of the shop - every month as a matter of fact.

The artists turned out to be Columbia College students and the whole thing came together. Both artists create thier art under false identities - "Tiny" and "Nice One".

"Tiny", the painter. photo by Jody Warner.

The painter "New One". Photo by Jody Warner

The show even has a DJ to spin for the crowd. That's right, I said "crowd". When I left there was over 20 people in the place. That may not seem like many, but it's a small resale shop and we're talkin' about people going to an art showing!

Groovy. Very, very groovy...

New'd Resale Shop at 1917 West Division. Photo by Jody Warner.

A Good Medieval Ass Beating -

2008-04-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

One of my most recent assignments was to photograph a group of students near the UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) campus on South Halsted here in the City. I was told that they practice medieval fighting techniques. What I found was several men and women swinging hand-made, padded "weapons" at each other and frequently getting hit. The whole thing is apparently practice for the small group that finds the whole idea fascinating and good exercise.

It turns out that one of my cameras got smacked during the shoot. I believe that if you're going to be a photojournalist you've got to be right in the thick of things - I was. You can see the image that was shot at the time of the afore mentioned smacking:

Medieval fighters in Chicago, May 2008. Photo by Jody Warner.

I asked John H. White, my photojournalism instructor, about the image and the damaged camera. It turns out that if you're doing it right, you'll get your cameras knocked around every now and then. The only trouble is that they're extremely expensive to repair when they get broken.

How much, you ask inquisitively? $450.00 to repair the lens.

Any day with a camera in my hand is a good day...even if it's broken.

Turkey Chili and a Really Good Martini

2008-04-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most fascinating things about shooting for the college newspaper is that previous students (graduates) know that there's a multitude of young photographers that need work. So the graduates call their contacts at the school to locate an inexpensive (think low, low-cost) photographer. It's a great way for young students to fill their portfolios and a great way to get good photography for your projects.

Take yesterday for instance. My General Manager was asked by a representative of the National Restaurant Association, here in Chicago, for a photographer to photograph a bowl of turkey chili and a martini - no kidding. It was assigned to me and you can see what we got from the shoot.

The two dishes are the brain-child of the Chef John Abels, Manager, Education & Culinary Programs for the Association.

Now that the image has been used and is posted for the upcoming show in May, you can see it by clicking here.

Not a bad deal - not a bad deal at all.

The Fischetti Editorial Cartoon Competition

2008-04-07T09:44:00.001-07:00

Michael Ramirez at the award ceremony in Chicago on Feb. 1, 2008. Photo by Jody Warner.

Michael Ramirez of Investors Business Daily has a look at other editorial comics at the 2008 John Fischetti Editorial Cartoon Competition. Ramirez won first prize in the competition and received the award at a ceremony at Flatfile Galleries in Chicago on Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2008.

Honorable mention awards went to Tony Auth of The Philadelphia Enquirer and Steve Greenberg of the Venture County Star.

"Rush" (not the 80"s rock band from Canada)

2008-04-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at the "photo illustrate the following word" assignment given from one of the photo editors at the paper.

"Go out and shoot an image that says "rush".

I won this round. The most recent word assignment was "change". I still don't know which photographer won that one.

I'll let you know.

Orwell, 1984 & That 80's Apple TV Commercial

2008-04-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Working for a newspaper, be it college or otherwise, can be frustrating at times. We get into this field so that we can capture stunning images of fires, crimes, disasters and diving sports catches. We don't wish for fires, crimes and disasters, we just want to photograph them when they happen.

With that in mind, it then becomes our challenge to do what Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist John H. White calls, "making lemonade out of lemons" - take a seemingly boring event and make a eye-catching photograph from it.

For example, I was asked to photograph the "Religion and the City” conference at the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion, University of Chicago Divinity School.

Wow - boring, right? Truthfully, it was boring to me.

Former Chicago NBC newsman and senior correspondent of the The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Ray Suarez presented a video-taped presentation to the conference. Suarez was unable to attend the conference in person due to the highly popular election held on Super Tuesday. Even worse - a video taped presentation!

Here's what I got - a very "Orwellian"/"1984" shot of Suarez' projected head looming over the audience.

Ray Suarez "in" Chicago on Feb. 5, 2008. Photo by Jody Warner

RSS Subscriber Question

2008-04-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Now that some of you have found this page, you're starting to ask about how to see new images from day to day. Well, it's easy. At the bottom of this page is an RSS subscriber link. It looks like this:

"Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)"

After you click the link you'll be asked what RSS reader you'd like to use to receive these posts; Google Home Page or Google Reader. I use Google Reader to view the feeds that I subscribe to and it functions pretty well.

You'll be able to see any comments and/or photos that I post to this site. Like the comment you're reading and/or this pic:

From the Kalamazoo Speedway shoot last year. Photo by Jody Warner

More St. Pat's Pix

2008-04-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Somebody asked me my why I only publish one pic at a time here - why not 2, 3, or 4 at a time? Good question -

So in response, here's a couple more images from the St. Patrick's Day parade here in Chicago. More to come...

The Shannon Rovers Pipe & Drum Corps. Photo by Jody Warner

Bouncing curls and wiggling legs. Photo by Jody Warner

Sports Photography

2008-04-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

I must admit that it's difficult to study photojournalism at a college that does not have a sponsored sports team - no football, no baseball, no basketball or swimming, etc. I shoot for the Columbia Chronicle, but there will never be a time when I can get access to an NCAA sports event for the paper or my portfolio.

Crap.

There are opportunities to shoot sports through the school, however the opportunities are few and far between. Each spring there's a seven week class (only two credits) that gives some in the class the opportunity to shoot a Chicago Fire game (major league soccer), a Chicago Rush game (arena football) and a Chicago White Sox game - yes, those Chicago White Sox. There's a five person limit on the Sox game.

Don't get me wrong, those are professional sports teams. But with the limitations on class length, game numbers, event access and the fact that there's only one class - it can be a bit frustrating. It requires me to be EXTRA diligent with the sporting events that come my way. I take them all - high school, college or pro - I don't care. Football, basketball, hockey, swimming, equestrian - I don't care. I can shoot it all and I will when I can.

Whatta' ya think? Do I have "it"?

Schurz vs. Steinmetz, Fall 2007. Photo by Jody Warner

Nose to the grindstone...

Any day with a camera in my hand is a good day.

Heavy snow and an umbrella...

2008-04-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Snow storm in Chicago. Photo by Jody Warner

As I travel along this path that might possibly take me out of Chicago, I've reached a significant milestone - my 40th birthday (43rd this year actually).

As much as I love the City of Chicago I find myself very, very tired of the snow. The cold, the dirty black slush, the bad drivers and, lastly but certainly not least - THE TRAFFIC TIE-UPS.

Perhaps it's from the fact that we've had the second most snow on record in the '07/'08 winter season. Or, perhaps it's from the fact that I'm getting older and possibly doing what most people do when they reach their forties - move to a warmer climate.

Sissy? Girly-man? Maybe, maybe not.

By the way...The Chicago Polar Plunge

2008-03-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this image before - sorry.

The Chicago Polar Plunge was held at North Avenue Beach a few weeks ago. I went and photographed it and had another great time. It's for a great cause (The Special Olympics) and it usually draws a huge crowd.

3/2/08 Chicago Polar Plunge for Special Olympics, photo by Jody Warner.

Columbia Chronicle and Echo Magazine

2008-03-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

Since I shot four stories for Echo Magazine, Columbia's student magazine published each semester, I've become a little more known at school. Especially since I've been shooting for the newspaper, The Columbia Chronicle. It's giving me a tremendous outlet for the energy in me to become a photojournalist somewhere in the US or abroad.

3/19/08 - War Protester, Federal Plaza, Chicago, Photo by Jody Warner

There's been some strange assignments, fun assignments and some that are downright odd. But, mostly it's been a great ride and I would like to return to the paper in the Fall of this year.

The St. Patrick's Day parade here in Chicago was, by far, one of the most fun. Sure, most people use it as an opportunity to get drunk and act stupid. But most folks simply sit back and watch the parade of people with green hair, green clothing, green teeth dressed a little silly. It was great time and I met some great folks. Unfortuately for me, Columbia was about to go on spring break and the parade would be old news by the time the paper got printed again (we're a weekly paper that published a week behind most papers).

3/15/08 - St. Patrick's Day parade, Chicago, Photo by Jody Warner

By all means, enjoy what you do. I enjoy this more than any thing else I've ever done.

Any day with a camera in my hand is a good day.

NBC Chicago's Ryan Baker

2007-12-31T13:26:00.001-08:00

I was asked to shoot an image of NBC Chicago's sports broadcaster Ryan Baker (L).

Four Cylinder Enduro Race

2007-12-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

On November, 16, 2007 I shot a story in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the Kalamazoo Raceway. It was one of the most visually stunning experiences that I've shot in a long while. Think of it - small four cylinder cars under 115 inches in wheel base careening around a small track at speeds that can exceed 70 miles per hour.

The race is a bit overwhelming the first time you see it - 150 cars on a three-eighth mile track. GO see it - I highly recommend it!

Nikon D3 Review

2007-12-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

My D3's finally came on December 27th, 2007. I've never really been a photographer that reviews cameras or publicly comment on the behavior or function of a camera body. However (and that's a BIG however), the D3 is by far the most overwhelming piece of photographic technology that I've ever held in my hands - really.

Most blogs, digital news and other photographic media outlets have been calling the D3 (more or less) "The New Low-Light King of The Mountain". One even said that it can shoot in, "...available darkness...", referring to it's 25,600 ISO setting. And like other outlets I'll say - no that's not a typo.

I've owned at least one of every camera body that Nikon has made in the modern photography era - all the big ones. F's, FA's, FE's Fe2's, FM's, FM2's, F3's (an unbelievable film camera body), F4's and F5's (another unbelievable camera body). And yes it's entirely possible that I've got some wrong camera designations in there, so try not to get upset. It's been a long time since I've had some of them.

And though I've been very impressed with the performance of those cameras - while I dragged them through rivers, dropped them out of moving vehicles while covering a biathlon and froze them when I forgot them in the snow - I've never been STUNNED by a camera, until now. Perhaps that's because I've been a loyal Nikon shooter through the last 5 years of digital bodies - D1, D1x and D2x - they've been...adequate.

Now, the D3. I'm finally a fan of Nikon again. This piece of digital technology is everything that we Nikon shooters have waited for. Get one.

The Visual Truth - it begins

2007-12-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

This website is the brainchild of me, Jody Warner, a Chicago area photojournalist-in-training at Columbia College in Chicago.

In the coming weeks, months and years, I will post various thoughts, rants, comments and ideas (accompanied by images from various photo stories) in this website/blog in an effort to get to the heart of true, pure photojournalism - the visual truth.