2 More Winners for July. NPPA Monthly Contest.

It's always nice to be recognized by the National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) Monthly Clip Contest for work during the calendar year. Here are two winners from back in July. Hard to believe that the two 12+ hour days spent on the Chelsea Clinton stakeout in tony Rhinebeck was four months ago. ~cg.

Click HERE to see my original post from the two days' coverage of the "Chelsea Wedding Watch" and HERE to see my paper's Chelsea page. Funny, I remember backing up and bumping into Chelsea while covering her mother's announcing her run for the NY Senate race over in Westchester when Bill was still a sitting president... ~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

"All the President's Men..." June•2010

*Redford & Hoffman in the acclaimed 1976 Academy Award winning film by the same name...? No, not those two. In my case it's been more like Presidents Clinton, Bush (Sr. & Jr.), Obama, and others including VP Cheney, Hillary, Eric Holder (current AG), Gates (current Sec. of Defense), as well as various other commanding generals and high ranking government officials from Washington, who I've photographed in my career. Following General David Petraeus last week here in the area at two separate events, got me thinking about some of that coverage and the resulting images. Below is a slideshow highlighting some of those favorites from the past few years... ~cg.

General David H. Petraeus listens to Cornwall High School Principal Dr. Frank Sheboy's introduction during the school's 56th. Annual Commencement in Cornwall, NY on Friday, June 25, 2010. Gen. Petraeus, a Cornwall High School Class of 1970 alum, was the keynote speaker. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

*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. There is no audio track with this presentation.