Sometimes you get an assignment that doesn't go the way you think it should go. On Wednesday Dec. 15 I had one of those. I was sent to photograph a red tailed hawk that had been shot in the leg, rescued by a good samaritan, rehabilitated and set free. My [...]
Windsor rancher Vic Pozzi is at again. The longtime Windsor resident is famous for feeding his emu's and brahma bulls french bread. Along with a gaggle of geese, a dozen or so sheep and a dog that chases water shot from a sprinkler, Vic likes to paint the American Flag [...]
It's horse racing season at the Sonoma County Fair. Horse racing is photographically like bicycle racing (ever see a horse on a bike Mr. Ed?) the competitors go by...quickly. If you mess up the exposure or are back focused in this autofocus world, you'll have to wait another time chomping [...]
The July crud lifted this morning. The tractors are smoothing over the race track here at the fairgrounds. The national anthem played by trumpeteer Pete Estabrook echoed through the grandstands, sending a flight of swallows searching for a quiter place. Lots of men in cowboy hats. The grandstand ushers are [...]
4:28 AM. Did you feel it? Did you know it was that early? Hey, it's the first day of summer. The summer solstice. Today June 21, 2010, is the day our sun stays out longer than any other day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun rose at [...]
When Lorri Herrick became pinned under her tractor on Saturday May 8 2010, Windsor, Rincon Valley and Healdsburg firefighters with paramedics from Bell's Ambulance Service rushed to her aid. Out of the corner of my eye, there stood Brady the border collie watching emergency personnel succesfully extricate Herrick from underneath [...]
A light Freeway moment while photographing construction on Highway 101 in Rohnert Park. Clo is watching Highway 101 construction very closely. -Kent Porter
Santa Rosa's West Ninth Street egrets are back. Depending on how you look at the situation, it's either really cool for some or nuisance to others. On the one hand, it's fairly interesting to watch nature play out in an urban setting, without having to hike 26 miles in to [...]
Reporter Bob Norberg and I traveled to Ft. Bragg the other day to report about Bruce Abernathy and his boat graveyard on the shores of the Noyo River. Finding a place to park on Abernathy's land, we were warned to be wary of THE geese from a woman who rented [...]
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