January, the uneventful month. Except if you like warm days with nary a rain drop. Photographically for me, it was kind of slow. A small vacation, working the photo desk and finishing up contest entries took most of my time. It never stays slow for too long, though. During the last week or so the job has kicked up a few notches. Pretty soon, parade season will be upon SoCo people and then… summer. I’m no fan of winter, save for the great storms we get from time to time that deem photo worthy.
While on assignment the past couple of weeks, I’ve photographed contrails from passenger jets, a surfer who has been credited with saving a life, a memorial for a Cloverdale man, a Russian River clean-up and a parade for a WWII flying ace. These are some of the highlights. From time to time, photojournalists will go into a slump of sorts and it takes a few visual assignments to climb out of photodoom. Hopefully I’m about two-thirds of the way out.
Retired Col. James Morehead salutes skyward as war birds fly overhead Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, during a day in his honor coinciding with the Petaluma Historical Museum's new exhibit, "Flight: A Tribute to Aviation. "
The RIP Riders and members of the Patriot Guard begin a procession In honor of retired Col. WWII flying ace James Morehead, Saturday Feb. 5, 2011 in honor of his accomplishments as a fighter pilot. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2011
Vietnam veteran and bugler James Cutri gets a free ride during a military parade honoring WWII flying ace James B. Morehead on Saturday Feb. 5, 2011, in Petaluma.
Don McEnhill manuevers his boat up the Russian River to help clean up a dump site just east of Drakes Beach in Guerneville, Thursday Feb. 3, 2011. The dump site is debris from Korbel Winery that has been exposed due to high river flows. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2011
At a candlelight vigil in Cloverdale's town square, Angelita Sanchez, 79, is comforted by life long family friend Carol Eagle of Cloverdale, as she mourns the death of her brother in-law Miguel Sanchez who died December 31, 2010 after being struck by a teenage driver on Dec. 27 while crossing Main Street in Cloverdale. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2011
Twilight was about the time at Big River Beach in Mendocino, Richard Becker saw a 17 year-old surfer in distress and through perseverance and knowledge of the local surf conditions, Becker saved the boy from drowning in early January. Becker, a middle school teacher from Fort Bragg, took to the surf, Friday Jan. 28, 2011. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2011
Contrails absorb the colors of sunset. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2011
More contrails. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2011
Contrail over Big River Beach in Mendocino. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2011
-Kent Porter
