Many people may not realize this but, I began my photography career as a photojournalist. Most of my career was spent in editorial work. iPress News is my continuing editorial side. You can follow my photojournalistic work at iPress News.com

This is my cover shot for this weeks edition of the Orlando Weekly. You can read the entire story HERE.

I have been away from the “Photographer’s Notebook” for some time now primarily due to covering the Trayvon Martin story. I have spent two weeks now in Sanford, Florida photographing the people, rallies, details and events as they have transpired. In this time I have managed to make over 11,000 photographs and video clips. The images here are just a few of the many.

This has become a huge media affair with media teams from around the world circling the town in satellite and microwave trucks. Not to forget the myriad of still photographers and videographers representing newspapers and magazines.

So far every event I have photographed has been peaceful in nature. Great restraint has been exercised and protestors and concerned citizens alike have treated each other, myself and the other media with respect.

This story has attracted many leaders in the Black community like Reverend Al Sharpton (above) Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III and others.

As you can see, the media has had a large and somewhat overwhelming presence at times.

These have been very long days. Running from location to location to get relevant images and at times, waiting for hours on end for something to happen. When it does, my world becomes a whirlwind of sights, sounds and activity. You need to be prepared because history waits for no one.

I must say that after nearly 40 years as a photojournalist, it is hard not to get caught up in the emotions of a story like this. However, keeping a neutral eye is key to the strict ethics of a photojournalist. I myself, do not know all the facts to this story and thus am keeping my opinions to myself.

Make sure to check the Orlando Weekly this Wednesday for complete coverage and additional photographs.

We spent this weekend working on a PBS special on the WASPs and the aircraft they flew during World War II. Shooting was challenged by high winds, intermittent cloud conditions and mechanical difficulties experienced by the aircraft themselves. My job was to shoot behind the scenes images of the project and also to capture the aircraft in close detail. We also added the D7000 video rig to the cameras used by the PBS team. Fitted with a 200mm lens, the D7000 had greater reach than the other cameras.

Above: Cinematographer Orlando Ojeda makes adjustments to the D7000 rig in preparation to video B-17 take-offs and landings.

Orlando Ojeda and Director Bill Suchy shoot steady cam clips of a B-17 bomber.

Orlando Ojeda shooting the take-off of a B-17 bomber with the D7000 rig.

These are some of the outtakes I shot using the Nikon D3s.

Boeing B-17 Bomber Taking Off

Cockpit of a Boeing B-17 Bomber

A 50 caliber machine gun used by a waist gunner. This aircraft has machine guns all through it.

This was a particularly special assignment for me because my father flew these aircraft in combat during World War II. He flew combat missions out of England and participated in the Berlin Airlift as well.

This is the poster circulating around town for the ONE NIGHT ONLY showing of the Murder City Project.

We shot the very first part of the “First Man” project this morning at Cocoa Beach. Shooting just before sunrise, I figured with wind chill, the temperature was about 30°. Like a trooper, Nigel John, aka the “First Man” withstood the subfreezing winds while I shot several sequences. The entire amount of time spent setting up and shooting was about 10 minutes or so. I am shooting the project with a Nikon D3s at high speed and this video was captured by my cinematographer Orlando Ojeda using a Nikon D7000 rig.

This is the first scene of about 160 in this project. Check back often to follow our progress.

Cinematographer Orlando Ojeda and I are testing a DIY rig for closeup dolly pans for an upcoming video/stills project called “Sirens”.

Whenever we can, we shoot with a live monitor to get a better ideas of how footage will look on various display devices.

Orlando is running the dolly shot after pre focusing (pulling focus) while checking for a smooth transport.

I had the good fortune this week to photograph artist Al Black of the Florida Highwaymen artists group. Best known for their iconic painting style from the 1950s and 60s the artist have seen a revival of their work. I caught up with Al Black, one of the original members of the group and photographed him at a show featuring his and other members paintings in Mt. Dora, Florida this past weekend.

You can read the entire article HERE.

As we work to shooting solutions for the upcoming “The First Man” project we face issues with smooth motion (shooting stills) when the camera is not attached to a tripod or dolly rig. One of fixes for this is using a glide cam like the one Orlando is adjusting to a Nikon D3s, the camera I will shooting this project with.

Here Orlando performs a “drop time test” on the camera rig. This test is used balance the camera system. This project will use a wide range of video mounts and shooting systems but tailored to a still camera, the Nikon D3s.

Nigel John pictured above is the sole cast member for an upcoming project titled “The First Man”. This is a hybrid project, a blending of stills processed in Apple’s new “Final Cut Pro X” editing package and “Aperture”. I expect the project to take about two years to complete and will result in a cinema film with attendant photos both in the form of gallery prints and a photo book.

Currently we are testing lighting combinations suitable to this shooting style and are leaning to a continuous system. With more experimenting ahead, I look to start shooting in early January. Stay tuned for future updates.