I've reached the halfway mark of my internship with the Sacramento Bee. I've shot various assignments, from food to sports, things that I wouldn't normally shoot. I've also learned more about my hometown that I didn't know before and met a lot of wonderful people. I approached each assignment as a challenge. I shoot the "normal" shots of what is expected but then I push it further adding my own twist. Sometimes those photos didn't get published and sometimes they do. But, shooting for the Bee gives me great access and an opportunity to take more risks. Often time, I only have 10 minutes to make a picture and sometime I have to drive around town to find a photo that illustrate the weather in Sacramento (this is by far my least favorite since my car has no AC so I am sweating driving around in 100 degree weather). Nevertheless, these assignments have pushed my creativity and helped improve my overall skills and approach as a photographer. Click on the title below the photo to read the article.
Grilled Lambs for food and wine section. I am vegetarian so I didn't get to taste the meat, though it smelled pretty good.
This is an article on hundreds of thousands of bats living under the Causeway connecting Davis and Sacramento. This was a fun assignment because I love nature and and we get to ride around in this tank looking vehicle that could float in water. However, we were eaten by blood sucking mosquitos.
This story is on Rick Bermingham, 5th ranked horse-shoe pitcher in the world. I didn't know such thing exists but I spent less than 15 minutes taking some photos during his practice before the reporter arrived to interview him. I found it a lot easier to take photos without the reporter around so I tend to arrive earlier than I am supposed to so I could chat and put my subjects at ease.
Another food story but this time I had to photograph a couple of firemen make dinner for their whole crew to prepare for an upcoming competition at the State Fair.
This is a story on a family who started a fundraiser to help injured children in Libya. I took the photo below and I thought it would make it to the paper but instead they chose another photo (3 down). But, in this photo below, Ali, 12, watches Al Jazeera in his dining room to get updates on the events taking place in Libya.
I've never shot tennis before so this was very challenging to me. I emailed Al Bello who was my team leader at Eddie Adam. I figured if anyone could give me a crash course in shooting tennis, he is the man that could help me. 20 minutes later he called me and gave me lots of great tips. My photo of Serena Williams made the front cover of the Sports section. Thanks Al.
It has been surprisingly cool in Sacramento this summer and it was due to La Nina. My assignment was to illustrate how the people in Sacramento take advantage of this great weather. I came across Quetzalcoatl Citlalli Aztec Danc group practicing at SouthSide Park. In this photo below, they honor their ancestors in 4 cardinal directions before the start of their practice. Unfortunately, the photo didn't get published, rather it was the baseball photo.
