My 2009 in Photojournalism

I can’t believe that we are almost through February in 2010!! I wanted to post some of my favorites from 2009.

2009 was a heck of a year. It started off with my third Inauguration to cover – and by far the biggest. Every Inauguration is amazing to cover but this one, with its historical significance and size, was THE Inauguration to beat them all! The best part was that there was probably no better spot to photograph from than the position I was in where you were not only close to the swearing-in but you also got to see the enormity of the crowd.

It was a hell of year to cover politics.  As a photojournalist, I can’t really give my opinion on politics and try to stay neutral but I have to admit that it pains me to see the cynicism and partisanship in politics.

Getting off politics for a bit, it was always enjoyable to get away and cover sports.  The Skins had a pretty bad year (to say the least) but that didn’t mean the photographs were bad.  In fact, some of my best photographs were from when they helped the Lions break their record loosing streak.

Then there is the fun misc. category — portraits and features and life.  I loved working for a newspaper because every day was different.  You just had no idea.  You would go to something thinking it would be dull and boring and it would be amazing (the other way around happened too!).  One day you are shooting flooded streets and the next day you are with the Dalai Lama.

And then one day you are covering the most boring of boring — arrivals at the White House for a State Dinner — and it’s not till later that you realize the lady in the red dress was a gate crasher and is all over the news.  It doesn’t make for an exciting photograph but it’s funny to say you were there.

To save the best for last, I wanted to post my two most memorable photographs.  In 2009 the rules for journalists covering the Dignified Transfer of Americans who died in battle changed.  I believe that since the first Bush administration, photographers had been barred from covering the return.  That changed this year and I was there in the middle of the night to witness the first transfer.  The rules changed to allow the immediate family to decide whether they wanted the media to cover the return or not.  I truly believe that these are very important photographs.  Having family in the military, I believe Americans should not be coddled into thinking the decision to send our young men and women into harms way should be an easy one.  Nor do I think that we should scare ourselves away from tough decisions.  I believe that by telling the story completely — the good, bad and in between, is the only way we can truly become informed to make these decisions.