Photographs? Worth a thousand words. Each photograph one captures contains a set of sensory perceptions. Light, smell; emotional connection to the moment. Sound also plays an important part in photography. A fitful night of sleep passed by the other night. So I made a list of my favorite sounds that [...]
My wife brought me the news Thursday night. "You know, tomorrow is National Donut Day." Really? There is such a thing? Obviously I've never heard of this before, never really needed a holiday to eat a donut. It's perfect photog food. I did a little digging. National Donut Day was [...]
The last month I've had a chance to photograph fathers and sons together. Quite by accident I assure you. The pictures just happened that way. Having my own son has been a joy. He has taught me so much about how to live life carefree. Not that all children don't. [...]
You just never know what your going to see at a graduation. Most times, it's beach equipment flying around the graduates. Or tortilla's. I've seen blow-up dolls, Silly String, champagne (college graduation) air horns, green hair and once a guitar. I'm sure there have been other things. Friday [...]
Every once in ahwile, I step out of my photojournalist's shoes and put on the photoart shoes. I have to say, the clouds have been great the last few days. It's almost June and we all need to dry out. Let summer begin! Follow the light. It will guide you. [...]
The thunder alarm clock went off promptly at six this morning. A few flashes of lightning...I thought I was chasing storms in Kansas this morning. The midwest type weather will continue today as the atmosphere remains quite unstable. With the warming of the day, thunderstorms will keep popping up. The [...]
Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Tuesday's weather in a nutshell. I hung out on a few street corners this morning, waiting for people with umbrellas to walk by an interesting and colorful background. Had a gentleman call the police on me because he didn't believe I was with the Press Democrat. [...]
Most of us have had some type of an emergency. A sprained ankle, broken knee, car accident, heart attack, etc. Besides saying thanks for the help after peril has run it's course, first responders go back to work and wait for the next emergency. The amount of people it takes [...]
Educated in a small town Taught to fear Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another born romantic that's me Small Town: John Mellencamp 1985 Cloverdale. It's a cool small town according to 74,390 people who voted in agreement responding to a poll by Budget [...]
My dad bought me a KZ 90 -a Kawasaki- when I was 12. I loved that motorcycle. For a 12 year-old it was a source of freedom. A way to get in to trouble a little quicker. One day I went over a jump that was a little to big [...]
How many frames in a photojournalists life? Millions. Literally.
I’ve lost count since I started shooting photos at eight years-old with a Polaroid Land Camera (which I still own). It’s a way of life this photojournalism thing which is endlessly fascinating. The trip along the way, now in my 31st year professionally and the last 25 with the Press Democrat, has been an adventure in life. What it has to offer, ranging from implausible beauty to the utterly cruel things life randomly pitches out have shaped and molded who I am. That means I get to witness history. Pretty cool, eh? This journey has included photographing lots of inanimate objects which can be terribly boring. I’ve also borne the brunt of people unhappy to see a photographer show up to document less than pleasant circumstances. Then there’s the weather, which wreaks havoc on the human race daily. So I document the clouds. My advice for anyone having a bad day is to go outside and take a picture of those clouds once in awhile. It will do wonders for the interior beast. Unless you are using a metal tripod in an electrical storm.
-Kent Porter