Nick, circa 2005.

Me, eating the brains of the Attractive and Popular drummer.

Zombie Shawna (from Avec, & currently War on Women)Can we pause real quick and just recognize how awesome this guy is? Yup. That’s the 2005 version of me. …pre-lasik. 

It’s not a coincidence that the day of this post (June 3rd) is the last day for students to apply to the 24th annual Eddie Adams Workshop.

These are the photos I made as a student on The Brown Team. Anyone who gets accepted and is reading this post, heed my advice: keep your notes! I lost mine and, embarrassingly, I can’t remember the name of my subjects.

But here’s the breakdown…

Each Team thinks up a different theme. The Brown Team’s was “Farm Families.”

There’s a bunch of them out in the greater Jeffersonville, NY area, so why not do a bunch of little weekend documentaries on ‘em, right?

My subjects owned a tree farm. Most of their bread & butter was from Christmas Trees, but the weekend I was there had nothing to do with trees. …well, not with their trees.

The first day I arrived, we went to pick apples in an orchard …which was a good hour and a half away. I might’ve spent more time in their car than anywhere else. On Friday I spent about five and a half total hours with this family, 3 of which was in their car.

On Saturday, the husband ran the Steamtown Marathon, which was in Pennsylvania, AND also an hour-and-a-half away.

Saturday was also the little boy’s birthday. They did a little bit of shopping for him at Wal Mart and we ate at Wendy’s for lunch. And in typical little boy birthday he was a bit more volatile when things didn’t go his way on his birthday. I could totally relate.

They didn’t really do too much birthday stuff while I was there. His party was later on that night. I couldn’t attend because, of course, I needed to get back to the barn so I could dump my cards. After all, the teams were presenting their photos later that night.

Admittedly, it was kinda tough to flesh out a solid, interesting story. There was no real story ark to be told, and both days had two totally different themes. But I made some pretty nice images and I found some pretty nice moments.

…unfortunately, they were all made with a “brand new” D2h and most of them were shot through a crazy wide 12-24mm f/4 lens. Nikon is the main sponsor of the workshop, so we get to test out their newest gear. So, the files are tiny, somewhat noisy, and there are too many “conehead” photos for my taste. But for me, this weekend was all about playing. …and playing hard!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Jeffersonville is a magic place for me. And every time I’ve gone back as a Black Team member it’s been rejuvenating. I hope I get to go again this year. It’s been a while.

So, if you’re an eligible student get your stuff in!

And if you want to know what a good Eddie Adams Portfolio consists of? Here’s the easiest answer: It’s filled with images that most genuinely reflect YOU as a photographer.

If your best body of work is of your family… that should be your portfolio. Don’t think you have to put together a traditional photojournalism portfolio for entry — even though, that’s what I entered. At the time, my mindset was geared towards community newspaper photojournalism! The best stories are the ones in your backyard! My portfolio was all naturally lit moments. That’s how i was then. But that doesn’t mean you have to be. If you take amazing photos of bugs, make that your portfolio. If you’re a portraitist, why show them that cruddy spot news photo you shot for your PJ class?

Do you see what I’m getting at? It’s all about your vision!

And, of course, it’s a great place to network, too. The “heavies” as their called, are there to meet young talent. So, don’t be shy. They’re away from the city. introduce yourself. I’ve gotten work from the workshop. What’s to say you won’t?

Good luck to all those applying!

Click here to see more photos on my photoshelter page from the 2004 Eddie Adams Workshop.

Learning how to groom a lamb is part of the curriculum of the 2005 Baltimore County 4-H Lamb Grant Project. Lisa Wheeler, project leader from Whitehall, right, supervises Juliana Buckman while she trims a lamb’s hoof Wednesday June 22, 2005 at Green’s Lamb farm in Whitehall.

The 10am Update is a (somewhat) regular blog feature showcasing some of the better photos from my archives.

Members of the Howard County Police Department Command Staff stand by during a memorial service honoring five fallen officers at the Howard County Police Headquarters Wednesday May 18, 2005.

The 10am Update is a regular blog feature showcasing some of the better work from my archives.

Mixing liquid nitrogen with boiling soapy water creates an intense, but harmless explosion. A scenic foggy calm ensues, which George Boyer, age 7, is seen playing in. The liquid nitrogen demonstration was part of Johns Hopkins University’s 2nd annual Physics Fair Saturday April 30, 2005, hosted at the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy.

This is the image that started my love affair with trying to show the surreal possibilities in a real situations.

The 10 am update is (supposed to be) a regular blog feature showcasing some of the best stuff from my archives.

With tears in his eyes, Matt Porter sits in a squad car under arrest as the suspect in an accidental shooting incident Tuesday September 2, 2003. Porter’s close friend, Rob Brickle, 21, below, a local late night DJ, was taken to the Medical Center of Central Georgia where he later died from his wounds. Porter accidentally shot Brickle in the neck with a .380 handgun. Alcohol and gun horseplay were reportedly involved. Local officials waited for a loved one to join Porter before telling him of Brickle’s death.

The crazy thing was, I thought he was going to pull through. See. He’s moving around. What a bad situation.

The 10am Update is a regular blog feature showcasing some of the best photos from my archives.

Third, fourth, and fifth graders from Seventh District Elementary School partake in a popular after school skating program Friday February 11, 2005.

Javoke Terrell, a licensed mortician, arranges services for a mamber of the Knights of St. John, one of the oldest Catholic Fraternal organizations Thursday February 3, 2005. Terrell manages the Randallstown Vaughn Greene funeral home, in addition to two other locations.

When I made this frame I was super duper excited. So, I showed it to a photo friend of mine and she was sooooo disappointed with me. She thought this images, which utilized the reflection gimmick, and ignored the emotional gravity of a funeral was disrespectful to the family and the recently deceased. The thing is, she thought I was sent to cover the funeral.   I was like, “but it’s a business feature.”

“Oh, well then i think it’s a mighty fine business feature.” …or she said something to that effect. It was five years ago.

The 10am Update is a regular blog feature showcasing some of the best work from my archives.

Andrew Nuckolls, age 14, from Towson, catches air from a snow ramp on the side of the Greenwood Board of Education hill during and after snowfall Saturday January 22, 2005.

Coming from Georgia, we usually only got icy rain. So, I was super-stoked when the snow was fluffy. The worst part about shooting in the snow is taking notes. It’s hard enough making camera adjustments with numb fingers, but then having to take off your gloves to fish around in your pocket for your pen, only to find out that A.) the ink’s frozen and B.) your note pad is wet.

The 10am Update is a regular blog feature showcasing some of the better work from my archives.

The secret to longevity according to centurian Beryl Hartmann, right, a Harmony Hall resident of three years, is dark chocolate. “I’d like to be embalmed in chocolate.” Ms. Hartmann’s friends from the Owen Brown Senior Center threw a birthday bash for her Saturday December 18, 2004.

Can you believe it? 100 years old. I wonder if in 2010 she’s still kickin’ it? She’d be about 105.

The 10am Update is a regular blog feature showcasing some of the best work from my archives.