Three words "It's November, right?" Have been thrown around quite a bit by some firefighter friends of mine, people on the street, one lady in Safeway and a guy pumping gas in a faded Jeep Wagoneer, Friday afternoon. It feels more like winter in Florida here (even though it's not [...]
A soft drizzle blankets the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Tuesday Nov. 19, 2013. -Kent Porter
How long has it been since Sonoma County had measurable rainfall? If you count the lightning storms of the past summer, you would only get about eight-tenths of an inch. The last big walloping was December 23, 2012, when 2.3 inches tipped the bucket. That's just about the time the [...]
This has been a great year to photograph the full moon. There's been very little fog...or storms to keep the moon from being camera obscured. I will generally scout a location the day before which gives a good feel for Sonoma County, or as Cathy Barnett (Executive Editor here at [...]
How many times did you ask what the date was today? Probably one of the easiest mathematical equations to ever remember. 11/12/13. In other words, I took it as an excuse to photograph at the Laguna de Santa Rosa this evening after finishing up my daily assignments. Would the stars line [...]
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 [...]
A Community Shared Agriculture program in Sebastopol, the Laguna Farm workers till the soil of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Underwater for much of the winter, the fields are used to grow vegetables and salad greens for the remainder of the dry season. Located off Cooper Road in Sebastopol, Laguna Farm members receive a [...]
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 [...]
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