"FIT TO PRINT" A documentary film.

FIT TO PRINT

A DOCUMENTARY FILM ON THE U.S. NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY

I believe this film is going to be released in the Fall. Probably worth a look at this documentary and where this industry is going... ~cg.

http://fittoprintfilm.com/

"Katrina. 5 Years On..."

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It's good to see that an old client of mine, AmeriCares is still getting good mileage out of an image I made while working for them in the Gulf states back in the summer of 2006, some 10 months after the hurricane. This image was actually used in a calendar of theirs, as well as other printed materials, and has appeared on their website quite regularly. ~cg.

MOSS POINT, MS. Hurricane Katrina survivor Yaleca Shelby (25) with her daughter Karima (18 months) at a FEMA trailer park on the grounds of the Calling All Christians Church in Moss Point, MS on Monday, June 26, 2006. © Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS

A few more images made during my week spent in the Gulf states back then. The damage and widespread destruction spread much further than just the New Orleans delta area. It all reminded me of the earthquakes I'd seen throughout my career.

(An edited take from my week in the Gulf can be viewed HERE, and is viewed rather nicely as a full-screen slide show by clicking the "Slideshow" button in the upper right of the page.)

NEW ORLEANS, LA. Destroyed homes in the Lower 9th. Ward of New Orleans, LA on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf states 10 months ago. © Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS
*(This image also appeared in BusinessWeek Magazine.)

BILOXI, MS. Causeway Route 90 bridge between Biloxi and Gulfport, MS destroyed by Hurricane Katrina seen on Monday, June 26, 2006. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf states 10 months ago. © Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS

GULFPORT, MS. Storm damaged First Baptist Church is demolished in Gulfport, MS on Tuesday, June 27, 2006. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf states 10 months ago. © Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS

BILOXI, MS. Storm damaged McDonald's sign in Biloxi, MS on Tuesday, June 27, 2006. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf states 10 months ago. © Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS

"The Ground Zero Mosque..." New York, NY 24•Aug.•10

Matt Sky (26) of Manhattan's East Village during the eighth day of his demonstration at the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque at 45 - 51 Park Place in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The mosque is being considered in the former Burlington Coat Factory, two blocks from the World Trade Center known as Ground Zero, and has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Yesterday's assignment(s) called for a drive into lower Manhattan for two separate stories. One reporter is writing on the national controversy on the proposed Islamic center and mosque two blocks north of the former World Trade Center, now of course known as Ground Zero. The other story was some 10 blocks away at the U.S. Federal Courthouse where the trial of the "Newburgh Four", the suspected home-grown terrorists who were caught last year as they attempted to blow up synagogues in the Bronx, and shoot down military cargo aircraft at nearby Stewart Air National Guard Base. Since I knew getting to the city by car is usually a drag during the morning rush, it meant leaving home by 6AM or so, and channeling any good karma to the parking gods to play the "let's see if I can find street parking" downtown scenario. No such luck on street parking, so after finding a reasonably priced lot at $18.00, my day of pounding the streets could begin in an intermittent rain. The day's assignments called for a bit of walking between both sites, as well as venturing down to Ground Zero to make a few location "filers" (right) and for me to personally get a feel of the scene there again. Nothing panned out at the Federal courthouse picture-wise, as it was only the first day of the trial, and by the time I'd spent about two hours between the mosque site and Ground Zero, I was able to leave the city and make it home by 2PM or so. The office had images by 4PM, and everybody was happy. Our take on the proposed mosque story is scheduled to run tomorrow (Thursday). Here's a few favorites from my "parachute" assignment into the city. Ironically, all my favorite images from the day were made with one camera (Canon 5D-MKII) with the 16mm - 35mm zoom. ~cg.

Tourists view ongoing construction at Ground Zero, the site of the former World Trade Center in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. A proposed Islamic center and mosque two blocks away has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
Pedestrians cross Church Street at Vesey Street at Ground Zero, the site of the former World Trade Center in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. A proposed Islamic center and mosque two blocks away has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Mounir Bouabane at his falafel cart on West Broadway near the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque at 45 - 51 in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The mosque is being considered in the former Burlington Coat Factory, two blocks from the World Trade Center known as Ground Zero, and has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

The site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque at 45 - 51 Park Place in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The mosque is being considered in the former Burlington Coat Factory, two blocks from the World Trade Center known as Ground Zero, and has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Matt Sky (26, center) of Manhattan's East Village during the eighth day of his demonstration at the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque at 45 - 51 Park Place in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The mosque is being considered in the former Burlington Coat Factory, two blocks from the World Trade Center known as Ground Zero, and has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Stephen Patti (83) of Brooklyn with his placards at the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque at 45 - 51 Park Place in New York, NY on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The mosque is being considered in the former Burlington Coat Factory, two blocks from the World Trade Center known as Ground Zero, and has caused a heated national debate. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

"More Summer Football..." Aug. 2010

Kingston High School junior varsity running back Jerred Beniquez (center) runs wind sprints with the varsity players during football practice at Ascot Park in Kingston, NY on Wednesday, August 18, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Mid-August, and it's still hot. Which means more football practice still to cover for the upcoming seasons, daily and preview sports stories our guys are writing on; both at Army and our local high schools. Here's a take from 3 practice sessions this past week. (Army opens on the road two weeks from today at Eastern Michigan and the local HS season begins on Friday evening, Sept. 3rd.)

Army quarterback Trent Steelman (#8) walks to practice in the Foley Athletic Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Thursday, August 19, 2010. Army opens their 2010 season on the road at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 4th., and their home opener against Hawaii on Sept. 11. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record


*It has taken awhile for things to sort of set in this early season, but by continually paying attention to all the back stories with some of these teams and key players, it's (finally) shaping up to be an interesting Fall for upcoming sports coverage. Time to start re-checking the backup camera bodies, long & short lenses, remote radio transmitters & receivers, monopd(s) and camera remote mounting hardware, knee pads, rain gear, luggage cart, and all the other extra "do-dads" and "whatchamacallits" I work with for football game coverage... ~cg.

*(Use the arrow at the bottom left of the player or click the image to start the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player. Pause the portfolio slideshow in the right column by clicking the "II" pause button. )

Jordan. (re-edit) April • 2006

Spent some time over the weekend doing a deep re-edit of my images made in Petra (4) and Amman, Jordan (bottom 4) back in 2006 while there for a medical client. (I was briefly living in Mombasa, Kenya at the time.) It sure was sweet to examine these images again, especially since most were shot on RAW. Another 100 or so images to ship to the agency. Here are a few favorites. ~cg.

The Treasury (El-Khazneh) in Petra, Jordan on Friday, April 28, 2006. Petra is considered the most famous and gorgeous site in Jordan located about 262 km south of Amman and 133 km north of Aqaba. It is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe.

© Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS

AMMAN, JORDAN. Iraqi women comfort each other as their children undergo surgery at the Jameel Tatonji Hospital in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday, April 25, 2006. © Chet Gordon/THE IMAGE WORKS

AMMAN, JORDAN. An Iraqi father and son look out of a window at the Jameel Tatonji Hospital in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday, April 25, 2006. © Chet Gordon/THE IMAGE WORKS

AMMAN, JORDAN. Jordanian shopkeeper sips tea at right as pedestrians walk past his shop in Amman, Jordan on Thursday, April 20, 2006. © Chet Gordon/THE IMAGE WORKS

AMMAN, JORDAN. Young Jordanian sheep herder near the Jameel Tatonji Hospital in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday, April 25, 2006. © Chet Gordon/THE IMAGE WORKS

"The Big Picture..." August 2010

It has been some month already for world events and the photographers who are covering them. The website The Big Picture is at the forefront of displaying images from across the globe for public viewing. Here's a sampling from the past few weeks... ~cg.

The landslide-hit town of Zhouqu in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China on August 9, 2010. Chinese rescuers armed with little more than shovels and hoes hunted for survivors of a huge mudslide, as relatives of the missing trekked into the disaster zone to look for their loved ones. (REUTERS/Aly Song)

People walk in front of St. Basil's Cathedral shrouded in smog in Moscow, August 4, 2010. Air quality levels in Moscow tumbled to an eight-year low on Wednesday as the Russian capital was blanketed in thick smoke from forest and peat fires, said Moscow's state agency for monitoring air pollution. (REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin)

A Pakistani crosses a canal with the help of cable wire on a damaged bridge, which was washed away by heavy floods in Ghazi Gat in central Pakistan on Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistani villagers raise hands to get food dropped from an army helicopter at a flood-hit area of Kot Addu, in central Pakistan on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)

The Big Picture is a photo blog for the Boston Globe/boston.com, entries are posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Alan Taylor. Inspired by publications like Life Magazine (of old), National Geographic, and online experiences like MSNBC.com's Picture Stories galleries and Brian Storm's MediaStorm, The Big Picture is intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery - with a focus on current events, lesser-known stories and, well, just about anything that comes across the wire that looks really interesting.

"Not Everyday..." 14•Aug.•10

You don't see this everyday. In fact, I wasn't even sure what I was photographing, but I knew it "made a picture..." ~cg.

Doug Smith (seated on weight truck) of Richford, NY struggles to control his horses in the 2800lb. Draft Horse Pull during the 131st. Annual Little World's Fair in Grahamsville, NY on Saturday, August 14, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

For 1st. Lt. Daniel Hyde. USMA, West Point, NY. 8•Aug.•10

Glenda Hyde of Modesto, CA holds a graduation photograph of her son, then a 2nd. Lt. Daniel Hyde after his graduation from West Point in 2007. The Hyde family of Modesto, CA were at West Point on Sunday, August 8, 2010 for the Hyde Challenge presentations to the Class of 2014, which was renamed in honor of their son, 1st. Lt. Daniel Hyde, a 2007 West Point graduate who was killed in Iraq in March of 2009. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

In my four years now of covering the United States Military Academy at West Point, I never knew cadet Daniel Hyde. He was a senior when I started at this newspaper, and his graduation was the first I'd covered. This past weekend I got to meet his parents and sister from Modesto, California. Finally. Brian, Glenda and their daughter, Andrea were here at West Point for a very special presentation ceremony this past Sunday. You see we've sort of "known each other" kind of informally the last three years or so via email. A photograph of mine (above held by Glenda and the original below) that I'd made of their son Lt. Daniel Hyde three years ago, also here at West Point is what makes this one of the most important and unique assignments I'd ever been a part of since working at this newspaper, and quite possibly in my career. The story of our connection begins at Army graduation three years ago, where after photographing the ceremony, which included then Vice-President Dick Cheney delivering the commencement address, the traditional "hat toss" (at right) and immediately after images of cadets hugging, celebrating, and in the case of Daniel Hyde, a quick frame while he knelt in prayer.


Within a few days after graduation, I received a very nice request from Glenda Hyde, as she'd clearly identified her son in the photograph on our website's photo gallery. (Thank goodness for internet serches nowadays I remembered thinking). As things are quite hectic after the hat toss, I hadn't spoken to Daniel to ask his name, hometown, etc. Now a few years later, I don't actually even remember making the above image. Another one of those "instinct" or "auto-pilot" images I guess you could say.Then last Spring the heartbreaking and shocking news was also delivered here to my email in-box, when I'd received a message from Lt. Hyde's best man that he'd been killed in Iraq. That email stopped me cold and I included my thoughts at the time, as the West Point beat reporter and I were working on a special project on the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq. You can view that post HERE and our initial stories on these links:
West Point graduate killed in Iraq West Point cadets honor fallen classmate and Soldiers in Iraq hold memorial for West Point grad.

Andrea Hyde kisses the casket of her brother, 1Lt. Danile Hyde, as her parents Brian and Glenda watch in Modesto, California in this undated photograph. 1Lt. Hyde was serving as a platoon leader assigned to the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the 25th Infantry Division when he was killed by an RPG in Samara, Iraq on March 7, 2009. (Photographer unknown.)

Back to present day: About two weeks ago I received another email concerning Lt. Hyde, this time from his godmother informing me that the family would be traveling to West Point for a presentation to new cadets completing field training. West Point had named part of their summer training course, "The Hyde Challenge" after 1LT Hyde. I knew this would be an emotional time for me, whether I'd show it or not. Fortunately my editor allowed me to cover the presentation ceremony on Sunday with the new class of 2014 cadets preparing to leave the field after their first summer training. Here's the story that our paper published on the "Hyde Challenge" and was reprinted in the Hyde's hometown paper, the Modesto Bee in Modesto, California.

Brian Hyde admires a ceremonial guidon streamer, coin and medallion presented to he and his wife Glenda (left) during a presentation ceremony marking the end of Cadet Basic Training at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Sunday, August 8, 2010. The Hyde's of Modesto, CA were at West Point for the Hyde Challenge presentations to the Class of 2014, which was renamed in honor of their son, 1st. Lt. Daniel Hyde, a 2007 West Point graduate who was killed in Iraq in March of 2009. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

*As I told Brian Hyde while we walked quietly together after the family gave a few brief interviews to the media, "I am honored and humbled to meet your family. This is more than just the job for me - I wanted to be here..."

Semper fi. ~cg.

*"It's August & It's Hot: Must Be Time For ARMY Football...!" 4•Aug.•10

A quick look at my take on ARMY Football practice today at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY. 90+ degrees with extreme humidity. Only got to spend about an hour in the Foley Athletic Center and outside in the sun on the practice field. The artificial turf was so hot, my feet were actually beginning to burn. The Black Knights of ARMY open their season on Sept. 4th. at Eastern Michigan. They also face Rutgers at the new Meadowlands Stadium on Oct. 16th., Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 20th., and the Annual ARMY v. NAVY Game in Philadelphia on Dec. 11th. ~cg.

Army players huddle around head coach Rich Ellerson during practice in the Foley Athletic Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Army opens it's 2010 season on the road against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 4th. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army quarterback Trent Steelman (#8) runs upfield during practice in the Foley Athletic Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army quarterback Trent Steelman (#8) throws a pass during practice in the Foley Athletic Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army nose tackle Mike Gann (#93) during practice in the Foley Athletic Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army quarterback Chip Bowden (#10) during practice in the Foley Athletic Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army middle linebacker Stephen Anderson (#50, center) follows nose tackle Mike Gann (#93) during practice at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army defensive end Josh McNary (#44, center) during practice at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Army football players leave the Foley Athletic Center for a break in practice at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Army opens it's 2010 season on the road against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 4th. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

"The $1,000.+ baby photograph..." April•2005

VALHALLA, NY. Three-day old newborn premature baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Westchester Medical Center University Hospital in Valhalla, NY on Wednesday, April 13, 2005. © CHET GORDON / THE IMAGE WORKS

I've been meaning to write about this image for a quite a while now. This image has sold numerous times and continues to sell to this day. It was made during a simple assignment when I was a freelancer for the NY Daily News back in 2005. Real simple. If memory serves, this child was born to a Westchester County, NY woman who at 21 years old or so, already had two or three children at home. Be escorted into the hospital's Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with the PR rep, meet mom and make a few frames of mom and then the baby. I think we even had mom holding her new baby for the "Tee-Vee" cameras too. I could only make a few frames with bounce flash in the ward, as the lights were kept dim for the other preemies in their incubators and such. That's what I remember about the assignment 5 years ago...

Cut to today: When I'd received another royalty check a few weeks ago from my editorial agency, The Image Works, I got to thinking about exactly how much money this image has earned in editorial resales. After corresponding with one of the research editors at the agency, I was quite pleased to learn that the image has sold 8 times so far to clients such as Houghton & Miflin (textbook publishers) and Allyn & Bacon (textbook and professional book publishers)

More like a grand total of $1,563.00

*Another proven reason why I know it's imperative to maintain good working relationships with editors who handle my image files down the line, particularly my editorial stock imagery. As I've written in previous posts here on the blog, good captioning is mandatory as well; as an image with a good caption increases the percentages that it'll not only be retrieved in an agency's archive (or mine for that matter) which translates into potential sales. Do the math. "Cheers...!" ~cg.

The Two Day "Chelsea Clinton Wedding Watch..." July 2010

Former President Bill Clinton leaves Gigi Trattoria after lunching in Rhinebeck, NY on Friday, July 30, 2010. His daughter Chelsea Clinton will marry her longtime boyfriend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky at a private estate on Saturday. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

*(Playing it all backward, if you will...): Two full days of prowling around the quaint Hudson Valley Village of Rhinebeck followed my three days of baseball coverage earlier in the week. This assignment would require the ongoing search of celebrities, and the beautiful people on the wedding guest list possibly moving about town on Friday and Saturday. The work weeks don't usually come together like this last one that ended July on Saturday for me. First and foremost was the coverage of Chelsea Clinton's Wedding or at least spending two full days in the picturesque Village of Rhinebeck, NY along the Hudson River to cover what would eventually become tiring all-day stakeouts. Just like the old days on celebrity watch on the streets down in Manhattan at all hours of the day. It's all a big cat & mouse game that can go on for hours, if not days, regardless of the weather, location, or other particulars out of my control. That's why I was silently dreading the assignment on Friday to be in the village the day before the former First Daughter's wedding day on Saturday. Fortunately I was familiar with the village and we'd even done a fluff story last week talking to business owners and locals to sort of set the tone of Rhinebeck, which was strategically becoming overrun with both print and broadcast media types, including the morning talk shows and their production crews such as CNN's Susan Candiotti doing a standup (below - note the shipping box she's standing on and the mic stand for her notes & Blackberry), wire service and newspaper photographers including quite a few of my old colleagues up from NYC, and even a few members of the international press were spotted roaming the streets too. You can see why I was sort of dreading it all - in the beginning on the drive up Friday morning. My attitude changed dramatically around lunchtime Friday when it was confirmed that former President Bill Clinton was lunching in a chic trattoria in the center of town. (I'd missed his brief block long walk to the eatery though, as I was editing and transmitting in a coffee shop to move my earlier "scene setter" images I'd already shot that morning.) When it was announced by a helpful AP reporter that "Bill Clinton is having lunch around the corner...!" a colleague of mine and I had to abruptly close our laptops, pack up and scramble down the street and around the corner for what would become a nearly two hour wait outside the restaurant. Instead of the familiar slide shows, I'll just post a few more of my favorite images here from Friday and Saturday on the "Chelsea Wedding Watch..." You can view the paper's Chelsea web page on their site HERE which includes slide shows and even a few brief video clips I shot on the Canon 5D - MKII. ~cg.

Bridesmaids for Chelsea Clinton's wedding wait to board a mini-bus on the grounds of the Delamater Inn & Conference Center in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday morning, July 31, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Makeup artist John Jones IV (left) applies makeup to model Megan Martino (right) in the FACE Stockholm Salon in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, July 31, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Former Secretary of State and UN Ambassador Madeleine Albright (center) greets well wishers after lunching in Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, July 31, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Fashion designer Vera Wang tries to avoid photographers and news crews after lunching in Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, July 31, 2010. Chelsea Clinton will wear a Vera Wang wedding gown when she weds her longtime boyfriend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky at a private estate Saturday evening. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Press photographers and the general public strain to get a glimpse of Chelsea Clinton's wedding guests at the Delamater Inn & Conference Center in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, July 31, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Press photographers working as they photograph Chelsea Clinton's wedding guests leaving the Delamater Inn & Conference Center in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, July 31, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Wedding guests wait to board mini-buses on the grounds of the Delamater Inn & Conference Center prior to Chelsea Clinton's wedding in Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, July 31, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record