Heath Ledger. b. April 4, 1979 - d. Jan. 22, 2008

The actor Heath Ledger photographed at the Essex House Hotel on Manhattan's Central Park South, on Sunday, August 25, 2002. The Oscar-nominated actor was found dead in his Soho apartment just after 3PM on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 with pills scattered around him, police said. © Chet Gordon / THE IMAGE WORKS

*I photographed Heath Ledger back in the summer of 2002 when I was a freelancer for the NY Daily News. He was really cool and personable. I remember joking with him about my Leica and he even asked to handle it. Boy, you just never know...
On Friday, January 25, 2008, the NY Daily News ran the full length image on page 3 of Mr. Ledger.

Volunteer plastic surgeon in Thailand. Nov. 2007

I put this multimedia piece together on volunteer plastic surgeon Dr. Rafael Gottenger in Mae Sot, Thailand, during Operation Smile's 25th. Anniversary World Journey of Smiles in November:



*(click the arrow to start the slideshow.)

Two women in wheelchairs. Wednesday, January 9, 2008.

Yesterday I photographed two separate assignments, both dealing with women in wheelchairs. Kinda brings a lot of things going on in one's life into a new perspective, I'd say.



(top): Lorelei Thomas in her Middletown, NY home on Wednesday, January 9, 2008. Thomas, a born again Christian and lifelong Middletown resident, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, but manages to paint religious murals on canvas.

(bottom): Kathy Beam, right, massages her daughter Olivia's hands in their Scotchtown, NY home on Wednesday, January 9, 2008. Olivia is suffering from a mysterious disease that is causing her spine to disintegrate.

Tree Graveyard...
"Where Christmas Trees go to die..." Middletown, NY. 12:42PM

*Happy Anniversary! (to me.)

Today marks my first year on staff at The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, NY. It has been some year, in lots of ways.

*My 2007 POY. (from the paper...)

Holidays over. Week One: January 2008. "Back to Work..."

Here's a look at the first week of the New Year. Considering I worked both Christmas Day & New Year's Day, how would one know the difference when the holidays have passed anyway...?



A New Year's Day snowstorm hit our area again. An injured NYC firefighter returned home after rehab for his injuries from a fall off a tower ladder while battling a fire in the Bronx in November, HS cheerleading competition on Saturday. (got to clamp up two remote camera strobes again for the cheerleaders event.)

On 2007. *(looking back) The Year that Was...

Early thoughts on this New Year's Eve evening. Wondering what the 2008 will bring...

Working in a rice field photographing rice farmers in Mae Sot, northern Thailand on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. (Photograph by Chasmo.)

There is much to reflect on this past year. So many good people made this a positive and productive year for me. Here's a heartfelt thank-you to: Judy Weeks-Padgett, Jade & Vernon Jones in Charlotte, NC, Victor Guzman, Walter Lew & Ray Ng @ Photo Habitat, Jeff Hirsch @ FotoCare, photographers Keith Bedford & Shiho Fukada, Hank Johnson, Hassan & Maris, Connie, Katherine Cohee-Taylor & Lisa Jardanhazy @ Operation Smile, Kathy Caruso, Jennifer Warren, John Miller, Chasmo, Barbi Harris, Kristina Wells, Meg McGuire, Tom Bushey, John DeSanto, Mike Rice, and Gittel Evangelist at the THR, Vic Vogelin, Rita Levine, Mark Antman & everyone at The Image Works, Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan of Democracy Now!, pilot Gary Quade, (to be continued...)

OK, It's POY time again... *(Pictures of the Year.)

Our paper is going to run one "best of" image from each photographer in the paper next week & link to the website with a brief video of each of us talking about our favorite photos from the year. Should be fun. Had a colleague shoot a new portrait of me yesterday, with outtakes.
-Thanks Tom.

*"Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year..."

Spent the day working. My lone assignment for the day was covering a Christmas Dinner in a local church here in Middletown, NY. Our longtime religion and features reporter Chris Farlekas was there as Santa, so it was kinda fun to put together something really nice and light on his participation. Here's a few images of Chris, who's been at my paper for something like 44 years...