Rough Seas

News Herald reporter James Proffitt braving the elements while on the top deck of the Miller's Ferry headed to Put-in-Bay

Waves blow over the deck of the Miller Ferry as we approach Put-in-Bay

In a perfect world anytime I leave the house to shoot an assignment I'd never have to worry about the weather. Unfortunately this isn't a perfect world. On a recent trip over to Put-in-Bay for work we hit rather undesirable conditions while crossing on the Miller Ferry. With strong winds blowing directly across the open waters of Lake Erie nothing stood in it's way to slow it down. At first I stayed in the protection of the vehicle we were taking over with us. Before too long the call of adventure grew too strong and I couldn't stay put. With some good timing I managed to leave the safety of the car and made it to the enclosed section of the ferry between waves. The boat was rocking pretty hard and I still don't know how I managed not to lose my footing as I made my way across the deck of the ferry. We got some strange looks but I couldn't resist not taking any photos from the top of the ferry.

Waterproof camera, pvc pipe, duck tape, and a little luck

Me trying to get photos of a school of rainbow trout from on top of the water

One of my unsuccessful attempts of photographing the school of rainbow's

Success! This is the image that ran with the story in the next days paper

I was working on a recent assignment with News Herald reporter James Proffitt doing a story about construction at the Castalia State Fish Hatchery. Construction was just getting underway and the photos I was getting were kind of boring. James and I decided we'd get something more exciting by duck taping a waterproof point-n-shoot style camera to a 6-foot long pvc pipe. By setting the camera on timer that gave me just enough time to push the button and slow dip the camera into a school of Rainbow Trout in the Cold Creek flowing through the grounds of the fish hatchery. It took several tries and a little luck but we were able to get a nice frame that ran in the paper along with Proffitt's story.

A special thanks to News Herald reporter James Proffitt who took the photos of me as I was taking the photos of the rainbow trout

Thrill of Victory, Agony of Defeat

According to Marriam-Webster the definition of jubilation is an act of rejoicing, and an expression of great joy. This season I've been working hard at catching photos of jubilation as well as sorrow. Whether it's scoring the game winner or losing a hard fought battle there's plenty of emotion to be seen during a sporting event. Here's an example of both I capture during a youth soccer game. In the first photo the young man scored the first goal well into the second half of a soccer match breaking the stalemate. In the second photo the young man was one-on-one against the goalie but pulled the ball wide of the net as his team falls short of a victory.

A light in the sky

I was unable to get out to catch the meteor shower on Thursday but from what I hear, in our location, it sounds like I didn't miss much. Friday night I headed out in hopes to maybe still have the chance to catch a meteor on film. I only saw four meteors and two of those were as I was setting the camera up. The other two fell in the opposite side of the sky I had the camera pointed at. I did however capture something in the night sky Friday night. I saw what I believed to be a satellite traveling through the southwest sky. I made a 30-second exposure as the object traveled high above the trees. While I may not have captured a meteor this time around and suffered from more mosquito bites than one would ever wish to, I did make a nice image of what I believe to be a satellite as well as the Big Dipper.

Toby!

A rather large bone for an average sized dog available for adoption at the Humane Society of Ottawa County, 2424 Sand Road, 419) 734-5191

Mohawk Trail Creatures

Shortly before graduating school, I was traveling along the Mohawk Trail in Western Massachusetts when a lady ran down the street flagging me down. I didn't know what was happening so I pulled over. Just as I did two mules came over the top of a hill running down the Mohawk Trail. I was able to catch a photo of the lady blocking traffic in the westbound lane and State Police blocking the eastbound lane as one of the mules cut between them. That was the first photo I ever had published back in 2001. I finally made it back to visit the area and to my surprise I found more creatures strolling down the road. I came around one of the many curves in the Mohawk Trail to find three cows casually strolling down the middle of the street. I was disappointed I couldn't make it to Brattleboro in time for the Strolling of the Heifers celebration and it turns out I was treated to my on personal "strolling of the Heifers".

Lobster at last!

I lived in Massachusetts for 3-years and nobody there could believe I never had lobster. Of course being born and raised in Ohio it was rare that lobster was ever an option. They told me not to have the imported thing in Ohio that I need to have it Fresh from a Massachusetts or Maine lobster shack. I moved back to Ohio in 2004 and I vowed that one day I'd be back and I'd finally have me a lobster. It took 6-years but this past week I found myself on the Vineyard . I found an awesome little place called Larsen's Fish Market located in Menemsha where I enjoyed my first lobster while sitting on the docks near the lobster and fish boats. It was quite a treat. If you ever find yourself on Martha's Vineyard you HAVE to make a stop at Larsen's. I have also included a few other photos seen near the docks during my visit.