Its Just Pretty.

There are places left in this world that, if we allow ourselves to wonder, can transport the mind. When I walked into the machine shop at E. A. Clore Son in Madison County, I knew it was such a place. The smell of sawdust and a creak in the floor flung my thoughts back several generations. I took this photograph thinking that if I had walked here a hundred years ago, the same image would have welcomed me to the shop.

-Matt

On the Road Again.

This image, you may remember, was from a Sunday centerpiece we did on Brad Yoder. Yoder was hit by a truck along Earlysville Road while riding his bicycle and was severely injured. I covered portions of Brad's rehabilitation at ACAC. I am amazed everyday that people let us do what we do. He was going to let me document his life at home, but we decided we didn't have the time for that. For the main image in the package I wanted an up close picture of Brad riding his bike.

Brad rides with a few friends during his lunch break and this presented a prime opportunity. He takes bicycling very seriously. His very nice bike probably weighs a total of five pounds in my guestimation. It also cost a significant percentage of my yearly income. For this shot, I probably strapped 6 pounds worth of equipment to his handlebars. I used a couple special camera supports to attach my camera to his bike. I wanted the sky to be nice and saturated so I underexposed a bit. Underexposing the sky also underexposed Brad so a flash was added to bring him back to the proper level. Then a radio trigger was taped to all of this so I could drive at a safe distance and tell the camera to fire. Simple shot, lengthy execution.

-Matt

My Momma Always Said.....

"If you are by the pool you are going to get wet." My mother would tell this to my sister while she was standing near the pool getting splashed by me.

Sunday was one of those days. Sunday was the last of the Charlottesville Triathlon series and it started at 7:30am. I wanted to get there in time to convince race officials and lifeguards that I needed to be on a boat up close to the action. I woke up at 5:30am. Maneuvering a canoe, trying not to hit racers, and most importantly trying to make pictures is very difficult. I got one frame I kinda liked.
After all that, there was still the foot and bicycle portions to photograph. Some of those photos were published in Monday's Progress. Then it was back to the paper at 10am to edit, then home for a nap at noon. Next up was the Sunset Regatta at 5:30pm. This was an absolute bast. Keith was nice enough to let me shoot from a chase boat. I got soaked. My gear got soaked (it survived). It was great. Enjoy!


-Matt

So you want to be a Photojournalist.

You want to be in the endzone when Virginia scores a TD, under the net when Singletary sinks a game winning three, or at the latest crime scene in the thick of the action. Well, welcome to the unglamorous side. You also have to spend hours hiking in the heat carying gear looking for ragweed to illustrate an allergy story. Only to not find any, realize you are never going to find it. Because you are looking for it. Tomorrow you will sneeze and find yourself surrounded by it. But you needed it yesterday. Welcome to the other side. I still wouldn't want to do anything else.

-Matt

When Photographers Should Move

This may be one of the most memorable photos I've ever taken, not because it's a great shot, but because its lasting impact on me - literally. I was so focused on the shot I was trying to get, I hardly noticed the foul ball coming right toward me. I was standing in the photographer's section right near first base when a line-drive foul ball hit my left leg. I was shooting with a 300 2.8 lens on a monopod and just didn't react in time. It hurt for a while, but at least it gave my department something to laugh about.

- Kaylin

Recording History

I had the privilege of documenting the removal of the Woolen Mills dam with local photographer Bill Emory. Bill is a good photog with some interesting stories about the history of Woolen Mills and the surrounding area. Here's Bill at the edge of dam shooting with his leica gear. Check out his work at http://www.billemory.com/

Joseph Campbell

We recently ran an article on incoming UVa professors. The article was about the University's initiative to expand its scientific portfolio. I was assigned to photograph Professor Joseph Campbell after being interviewed by DP reporter Brian McNeil. I wanted to photograph Campbell in the main hall which has flags from several countries. The paper decided to run just a headshot of all the professors included in the article. So here is the portrait of Joseph Campbell. I tried lighting the background more but I didnt have enough time to really work the backgorund lighting to my liking. I used ambient light by dragging the shutter a tad to fill in the background.
-Matt

I love posting...for the 1st time

I'm told I have to get this thing going so here goes. Here's an image taken from the bridge over the James River heading south from Scottsville. I was looking for a warm weather feature driving aimlessly on HWY 20 when I spotted two Kayakers paddling down the James. I quickly parked my car grabbed, my 70-200mm lens and sprinted to the middle of the bridge. Using a Canon Mark II and Shutter Priority (adjusted while running), there was enough time to get off 5 frames before they disappeared under the bridge. Shooting straight down and framing the two kayakers in one frame made for a dramatic photo. Perspective is everything. Being able to sprint long distances has its advantages as well. -Andrew

Summer Time Heat

Growing up, running through the sprinkler was favorite way to keep cool. Even though we had a nice pool, the sprinkler provided hours of fun. Chloe and Tristen seemed to think it was an ideal way to beat the heat as well. -Matt

Under Construction

This will be the new home of the Daily Progress' photo staff blog. Pardon our dust as we build the site and share some of our favorite photos. -Matt