Life Magazine returns ... sorta

One of my favorite magazines has returned in a new form, as a photo web site, check out LIFE here
Unfortunately it looks like just a receptacle for photos, not a spot for new documentary work. I love looking through the old Life magazines and seeing some of the original photo essays. That style is an influence on my work as a photographer, especially early on. I look at a lot of it now as being somewhat elementary at times and obviously dated, but I still think there is a lot to be learned from that early stuff.
Here's a perfect example, there are a lot of "Classic" collections of photos to be found by theme — one of the real strengths of the site. The one that caught my eye is this one below of children playing baseball. The pic I highlighted is one of my favorite all-time baseball pix by Yale Joel in 1954 of a youth team getting on their uni's in a classroom. You can check out that particular gallery HERE (the second pic in the gallery is great too).


-DKM

Oh crap

So, yeah, that's a toilet in the middle of an auto repair shop...
Remember that scene in Astoria's favorite movie, The Goonies, where the toilet explodes — well thats pretty much what happened last Thursday night in Ilwaco, when toilets literally exploded in a SW block of town, causing raw sewage to flow from the shop "like a river" while at a house across the street, over three inches of, well, you know, covered their floor and bathtub. Thankfully I wasn't sent to check it out until the next day, after much of the clean-up had already taken place (though I still had to go home and change my shoes afterward). So far no one has stepped up to take responsibility for the "incident." But while the shop has concrete floors that can be sprayed down and brushed clean, at the house across the street they've had to pay to have the carpet and flooring removed — talk about a crappy deal...

-DKM

Of Politics ... & Crab?

Tonight I shot a tradition that, to my knowledge, is truly a Pacific County original. It's strange that in my 6.5 years here I had never made it to the Pacific County Democrats annual crab feed. It's basically a schmoozefest of sorts where local Dems get to rub shoulders with a variety of elected officials of the same party. City, county, state and national politicians were onhand for the crowded feast ... and silent auction of all things Left.

Early on I found Washington State Senator Brian Hatfield chatting up US Congressman Brian Baird in the foyer. Baird spent a fair amount of time out front meeting folks as they came in. I'm sure he doesn't remember (why would he?) But one of the first non-sports assignments I shot for the Columbian in '98 was a Baird fundraising pancake feed in downtown Vancouver when he was running for the Senate for the first time.


One person who was not there (though usually is) was Gov. Christine Gregoire. Apparently the governor came down with a case of laryngitis and was told not to talk for three or four days. So in her place, one of her reps gave a speech on her behalf. Towards the end of which one of the guys in the audience shouted out something to the affect of "Let's save Naselle Youth Camp!" The potential closing of which is probably the one thing that locals are not in line with her on. After his speech the rep made his way through the audience and spoke to the guy briefly ... I wonder if it would have even been brought up if Gregoire herself had been there?

After a couple hours I was getting ready to head out but decided to hang out over by the food line as the dinner line was winding down. The event is manned by not only the county Dems club, but also politicans, like longtime county commisioner Bud Cuffel, who I found mopping up.



-DKM

Regular sorta week

So I haven't posted much the last couple weeks so I thought I'd post a few pix from this last week, which was a pretty normal sorta week for me. The beginning of spring sports practices, a country dance at the Skamokawa Grange Hall and the opening of the new Ilwaco Community Building, which is the home of the senior meals program.





-DKM

MM workshop

Hey out there,
Strange I haven't mentioned this before, but the WNPA tabbed me to teach a one-day audio slideshow workshop on Friday March 27 at Western Washington University in Bellingham and I have yet to plug it on here....
So, yeah, I'm teaching this class, here's the info:

The WNPA presents

"Taking your audio slideshow to the next level"

Fri., March 27, 9:30 am to 6 pm

Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wa.

Class cost: $65 for WNPA members & students, $90 for non-WNPA members

Award-winning photojournalist Damian Mulinix, of the Chinook Observer newspaper in Long Beach, Wa., will be leading this day-long class on how to to take your audio slideshow to the next level. The day will feature instruction in the morning and then each student will be given an assignment to shoot and record audio in the afternoon, after which they will edit and produce their own piece to present in the class for group discussion and critique. The class is open to beginners, but will concentrate less on the basics, and more of advancing quality storytelling. 

Instruction will be given on the in's and outs of Soundslides, techniques for recording better audio, editing down to what is important in both photos and audio, and asking "what makes a really good audio slideshow?" The facility we will use features a computer lab full of Mac computers preloaded with the necessary software, such as Photoshop, Soundslides and Audacity. You are also welcome to bring a laptop if you prefer. 

Damian Mulinix has been honored with more than 100 awards for excellence in photojournalism during his 12 year career,including twice receiving the WNPA's Photographer of the Year portfolio award and sweeping the multimedia category in last year's Better Newspaper Contest. He has also placed in the Best of the Photojournalism competition in the Web division and the NPPA's monthly multimedia contest.

You can register the class online HERE (it's the second one down). 

The registration deadline is this Friday, but they may keep it open a little bit longer....
...So if you're interested drop me a line, dmulinix@chinookobserver.com, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have,
cheers,

-DKM