REWIND - Images from the Archive.

Cricket players along the Gall Face / Indian Ocean.
Colombo, Sri Lanka. August 1997.

REWIND - Images from the Archive.
A showcase for some of my favorite images here on the blog that aren't particularly in the working portfolio. Look for this occasional feature where I'll highlight a single image that's meant a lot throughout my career. Enjoy. -cg.

*The 'CARD' is in the mail... Dec • 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR...!

It took a while this year. Yea, they're probably arriving late to your doorstep, mail slot, or post office box. But hey, can't break this longtime tradition of handmade, limited edition, 4"x5" holiday cards right...? Folks even called wondering where this year's version was.

What has become an annual rite of creative winter stresses coupled with maddening computer design & home printing time between two aging printers - has grown into a nice following of my personalized holiday cards. That all means a lot. I guess in some off-kilter way, it all serves as a brief therapeutic getaway from the sometimes ominous work schedule, to again try and refine this project into something meaningful for friends, family, clients and colleagues. I trust if you made the "short - list" you'll be happy with this year's effort... -cg.

"Mr. Scalo..." HS Football POY. Dec. 2009

Monroe-Woodbury quarterback Dan Scalo is the Times Herald-Record's 2009 Varsity Football Player of the Year. (Middletown, NY). He's seen photographed in his bedroom of the family's Chester, NY home on Tuesday, December 8, 2009. Scalo ran for 1,569 yards & 20 TD's and threw for 1,143 yards & 13 TD's. Scalo was also the paper's Player of the Year in 2007, and was named NY State's 2009-2010 Gatorade Player of the Year as well. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

Dan Scalo. I can't recall when a HS athlete was such a pleasure to photograph. Both on and off the field. I've seen a lot of them play throughout my career, including athletes who've gone on to play at major colleges and even the pro ranks in various sports. This kid's accomplishments on the football field were something to behold the past three years that I've been photographing him and the rest of the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders. Before joining the staff here at the Times Herald-Record, I had no idea of the "mystique" of MW football and their previous trips to Syracuse for the HS State Championship. I would eventually wind up in the Syracuse Univeristy Dome the last two seasons myself, following MW's consecutive runs at a state championship. All in all, this is a kid who brought it every week. I'm talking about a true "A-Game" player. Throughout last year and this past season he endured the effects of a surgically repaired throwing shoulder, but defenses just couldn't handle his running ability. For the record, he ran for 1,569 yards & 20 TD's and threw for 1,143 yards & 13 TD's. He was also named our paper's Player of the Year (POY) in 2007.

Our portrait session was made in his bedroom (not my idea) as I tried to incorporate a few props; a football, his Gatorade NY State Player of the Year trophy on the bed, and even put a third strobe on the Michael Vick poster in the background. Stripping the image into the 35mm film template held by my fingers was an additional idea I wanted to utilize, otherwise it might've just been a portrait of the kid in his bedroom... -cg.

"This One Hurts..." Dec.• 2009

We have a missing child case here right in my neighborhood. Marc Anthony Bookal - 4 years old. It's been big news all week, with gaggles of the NYC & local cable TV crews up here. My 'hood. This one is close to home and is messing with me a little more than probably any child related case has in a long, long time. I've worked more than my share of abused, abducted and even murdered children stories in my career. Covered, accidents, funerals and crime scenes for little ones. Stood over countless children while they've undergone facial corrective surgery in operating rooms in such far off places as Siberia, Amman, Gaza, Nairobi and even northern Thailand. Joyously played with orphaned & injured children displaced by war and conflict in Kosovo, Albania, Haiti and of course Afghanistan. But for all those past experiences and keeping those demons at bay - if just temporarily, this one hurts.

The facts of the boy's disappearance on Monday afternoon and background of his mother (left), her live-in boyfriend and biological father aren't something that I feel a need to explore here in detail. Not at this time. It's all a mess and the criminal background of the mother's boyfriend doesn't look too good or add any credence to their story. It is extremely hard to disregard all those surface elements in such a case. This could be anybody's family - a little brother, nephew or son. This young mother could easily be anyone's wife, sister or daughter. Yours. Mine. A neighbor. Like I said, "My 'hood..."
As of Saturday, December 19th., there haven't been any big developments in
the case. I regularly stop by the house first thing in the morning and on my way
home. Covered a press conference this afternoon at Newburgh Police HQ
with the Chief of Police, Mayor, etc.

I am keeping my ear to the ground on this one...

Stay tuned. -cg.

110th. ARMY - NAVY Game. Philadelphia, PA 12•Dec.•09

Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs (#4, center) joins Navy midshipmen in the crowd after Navy defeated Army 17 - 3 in the 110th. Army - Navy Game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, December 12, 2009. Dobbs ran for 113 yards on 33 carries and was named MVP of the game. He set the single season record for rushing touchdowns by a NCAA quarterback at 24, after he scored on a 1-yard run. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON




*(Click the image or the arrows at the bottom left of the player to manually scroll through the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player. You can stop the small continuous slideshow in the right column by clicking the pause II button under that player.)

ARMY - NAVY Game & Spirit Week Dec. 2009

Cadets cheer as a boat representing Navy burns during a rally, bonfire and send off for the Army football team at Daly Field at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Thursday, December 10, 2009. Army will play Navy in the annual Army - Navy game on Saturday in Philadelphia. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

It's been a hectic & sometimes bitterly cold week in preparation for today's 110th ARMY - NAVY Game in Philadelphia. Leaving in about an hour for the 3 hour drive. Sunny & temps near 40˚F. 2:30PM kickoff. Wanted to share this image which was yesterday's back page, highlighting some of our paper's weeklong previews of the game, including the use of a lot of my file images of Army football. It'll be my third game, and second down at "The Link..." (Lincoln Financial Field). *stay tuned for more from Philly. -cg.

"POTUS..." West Point, NY 1 Dec. 09

President Barack Obama enters Eisenhower Hall to deliver his national address at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. President Obama called for an additional 30,000 troops be sent to Afghanistan. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

President Obama. There is something so spectacularly special about drawing the assignment to photograph a sitting President of the United States. (POTUS) This would be the fourth President I'd have the opportunity to photograph. For a lot of obvious reasons I was thrilled for the last week or so, when the announcement was made that he'd address the 4,000+ cadets and the nation at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Honored. Pumped. Much, much more than mere excitement.

*"This assignment was for my parents, who I knew were watching... For my family, friends and colleagues who I knew were quietly cheering for me too. But it was also for the ancestors who came before us..."

It was for every senior photographer and photo-editor who ever mentored me; giving of their time in reminding me of all the little things you must excel at everyday to get to this point in one's career. Although I didn't make the trip in January to be in Washington, DC for the inauguration - even though I'd felt for the longest time that I should've been there, I held onto some strong feelings the last six months or so that I just might get lucky enough to photograph this new president. Ironically, after arriving 5 hours early to navigate through multiple security checks by "The Service", and their bomb sniffing dogs a few times, that when it was actually time to go to work on the press risers approximately 100' from the stage, I had no butterflies. This was a (serious) work night all around, and it lasted until nearly 3AM by the time I was done uploading a photo gallery to the paper's site. I remember going into "The Zone" about 10 minutes into the President's speech. No distractions, no equipment failures or slip-ups. This was definitely "A-Game" territory for every working photographer in the house this night.
Thank goodness I packed a small metal step-stool, which guaranteed the rope-line images (left) I made from the back row of the risers.
Yea, little things.




Click this link to view a slideshow on the paper's site.

*(Check this one off the career 'bucket-list...')

Thanks for looking and your comments are as always, greatly appreciated. -cg.