The mayhem of the Graton Resort and Casino opening in Rohnert Park and the eight frenetic hours I spent inside documenting the event Tuesday gave way to a calmer day in the photo department Wednesday. With that said, I was able to spend about an hour at the Laguna de [...]
On the edge of the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Rohnert Park, local residents soaked in the last sun rays of Halloween at the Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch off Stony Point Road. The continuation of pleasant weather has given summer a little more ledge to hang on. The light for [...]
With the events last week, we photogs at the PD have been neck deep in coverage of the Andy Lopez killing. That didn't leave much time to head to the Laguna de Santa Rosa and shoot photographs. Beside having an unfortunate scrape with concrete that left my knee and elbow [...]
Took a walk around the Laguna today, that is, near Sebastopol's Laguna baseball fields. I just never know what I'm going to see as the trail unfolds. The afternoon light remains crazy good, which adds to the depth of the pictures. -Kent [...]
Yup, that time of year. It rained on Monday but that doesn't mean summer or fire season is over quite yet. A classic fall offshore wind event is setting up as a low pressure system will drop in to the Great Basin that will interact with building high pressure. When [...]
There are days that a photographer just can't catch a break. Isn't it like that for everybody though? I mean, Murphy's Law works overtime for a photographer. Like right on a deadline. Such was the case today. I was assigned to shoot a picture of Konocti Harbor Inn, which is [...]
I will preface this by stating if you do not like air tanker photos, this post is not for you. Of course you could read it anyway and hopefully I've accomplished at least one of the following: A. You are caustically bored B. Enlighted C. Mortified that I would post [...]
Feel that Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma/Arkansas/Missouri..etc,etc,etc., air today? The dew points are up, a closed low pressure system is off the coast and sub-tropical moisture is streaming north. That can mean one thing, especially this time of year. Any guess? Give the man a balloon! Thunderstorms with lightning. Yes sir. Said dew points [...]
Is it a drought or not? Officially, the California Department of Water Resources must declare a drought and then California's governor must give it an official proclamation, which then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger did in Feb. 2009. According to the State of California, we are not in an official drought. I [...]
You can bet if monsoonal moisture heads north from the southwest states this time of year, there is a good chance that our north coast sunsets will take on a different kind of hue. The problem with sunsets is that they don't last very long. The best thing about them? [...]
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