Photo Contest for a Good Cause

I've been asked to help judge a photo contest to select images for a 2009 photography calendar to be published as a fund-raiser for HAMMERS, the emergency home repair program of the Davidson Housing Coalition.
HAMMERS (Hands Around Mecklenburg/Mooresville Making Emergency Repairs Safely) was formed in 2005 and has already repaired 75 homes in the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville and Mooresville for people who would be challenged to pay for needed emergency repairs.
The organization is part of the Davidson Housing Coalition, a non-profit geared to help those in need to find safe and affordable places to live.
It's my pleasure to lend assistance to this worthy group but we need local photographers to do their part. The theme for the calendar is "Images of Hometowns," and the pictures should depict scenes of Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius and Mooresville. The 2008 calendar "Images of Home" included a variety of media - paintings, prints and photographs.
Bill Giduz, director of media relations for Davidson College and a fine photographer, and I will select 13 images (one for each month and a cover photo).
There is a $10 entry fee per photographer for up to three photos. Digital files must be 8 inches by 10 inches at 200 to 300 dpi. Prints must be 8x10 also. Color and b&w are both acceptable.
Check the Housing Coalition website for more information. Digital submissions should go to ann@davidsonhousing.org by 5 p.m. May 30.
Also check DavidsonNews.net for an article on the calendars.
Calendars will be available this fall at local shops or through the Housing Coalition website.

Cover Photo

Just got a copy of the Fall 2007 Davidson Journal, which has my photograph of new college president Tom Ross on the cover.
Following many, many years of seeing my work on poor newspaper reproduction, the beautiful glossy stock of the magazine was a real treat.
One of the many bonuses of having our studio in Davidson is getting to know some of the fine folks at Davidson College. Meg Kimmel, editor of the Davidson Journal, and media relations head Bill Giduz have been wonderful to work with.
Ross is a former Superior Court Judge and he becomes the 17th president of the 170-year-old college. He has a engaging style and it was a pleasure spending some time with him.
Here is the cover and a few other photos from the session.

Davidson College President Tom Ross

I wanted to mention an incredibly interesting talk I got to attend last Friday night at The Studio at the Cedar Street Design Center in Charlotte.
Our friend Nanine Hartzenbusch, who has started a children's photography business in Charlotte, organized a gathering to hear David Hobby, the creator of the Strobist photographic lighting blog.
David also comes from a newspaper photography background and I was glad to get to pick his brain a bit. I would encourage anyone interested in better, simpler photographic lighting techniques to check Strobist.
While I think many at the gathering were expecting to get some new lighting techniques, Hobby focused his talk on his blog and how his niche site had turned into somewhat of an international phenomenon. So much so that I would be very surprised if he ever returns to newspaper work.
He started small with his ideas of how to use off-camera flashes to improve the drama and quality of your photographs. As it gained popularity, Hobby's job has changed into more of an administrative role as he funnels the huge volume of ideas he gets from his readers.
One of his main concepts is freely giving information and knowledge.
Much like David Jay's Open Source Photo, Strobist encourages everyone to share knowledge for the common good. Hobby proved to be an incredibly smart and humorous speaker and his ideas gave everyone food for thought.

Big Day in Davidson

Following a packed wedding schedule in October, Saturday was a nice change of pace as I documented the inauguration of Thomas Ross as the 17th president of Davidson College.
I always enjoy working with Davidson's Bill Giduz and Meg Kimmel and it was nice to get the opportunity to work with Leslie Marsicano, who organized the entire event.
I did a portrait of Ross some time back and he is incredibly personable.
For the photographers out there: during the ceremony at Belk Arena I utilized four strobes mounted in the rafters of the arena. I triggered the flashes with Pocket Wizard wireless transceivers.
Please enjoy a few selections from the day. As always, click on the images for better viewing.

Thomas Ross is sworn in as his wife, Susan, looks on