Photogs here at the PD document life with images. It's a challenge day in and day out. This past year, I've documented the water levels at Lake's Mendocino and Sonoma. It's amazing to see reservoirs fill up so fast. Especially after reporter Bob Norberg wrote about both reservoirs being [...]
When it rains, invariably I'm out in the muck shooting pictures. Weather photography is an adventure. But today, after many days of mulling it around, I just have to say thanks to the driver that thought it would be fun to spray me with water while shooting a picture over [...]
Tuesday was just the prequel to Wednesday's main event. How does 65-70mph gusts sound over the mountain ranges? That's what we'll get tomorrow. Batten down the hatches, fill up the sandbags. Here we go. [...]
The National Weather Service has issued urban and small stream flood advisories for Sonoma, Napa and Marin which will remain in effect until 12:30 PST. Rain rates of one quarter to one half inch a hour have been reported in our urban areas. In addition, a Wind Advisory is up [...]
They're lined up in the Pacific. El Nino is knocking. Light rain this afternoon will break down the High Pressure ridge that has been parked over California, then the proverbial storm door, which has been rusted shut for three years, will swing open and produce 'copious' amounts of rain. Watch [...]
I travel around quite a bit. One day I may be in the City, the next I could be in Ferndale or Clearlake or Sacramento or Phoenix....It's an adventure to say the least. One thing that I love to shoot is the coast. Out near Big Blue, nature can be [...]
My favorites from 2001, By Kent Porter / The Press Democrat 2/14/2001: Dairy cattle bask Tuesday on the lush winter hillsides of Sonoma County's pasture land off of Burnside Road, east of Bloomfield, as Mount St. Helena shows off its accumulation of snowfall from [...]
This is not about the finding the perfect Christmas tree. Been there, done that. I've been putting together some photos that will appear the Sunday Dec. 20 paper in the Lifestyle section of the Press Democrat. This means I've been cruising the very back, back roads of Sonoma County to [...]
Grief. Most of us know what it is. Part of a photojournalist's job is to cover grief, whether it's a funeral for a fallen soldier, the pain of losing a loved one, or losing the championship football game . Some may not like what we do, but one person's pain [...]
At 7:20 this morning the temperature was 23 degrees in Santa Rosa. In our eastern mountains it's 30 at the Geysers, 31 on the Hopland Grade and 30 on Mount Konocti. If you really want some frozen readings, one needs to travel to the Mendocino National Forest. Above Upper Lake, [...]
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