A super costume wins the costume contest for Como, 3, during the Columbia Association’s first Welcome Event of the year, Dog Day Afternoon held at Hopewell Park in Columbia Saturday, April 17, 2010. Como, a rescue boxer, was shown by his owner Jody Stacoffe, from Elkridge.

I was not excited about the high noon sun and the busy busy background of bright white shirts and subsequent raccoon eyes. So, I decided to use some on camera flash. I zoomed my sb-800 out to 105mm, stuck with the high shutter sync and underexposed the sky. Honestly, I’m a little surprised at how cool the photos came out. But I think the lighting lends to only half of why these photos work. They’re quirky. That is, the subjects are quirky. I like these photos because they show off the subjects personalities in really interesting, imperfect ways. They’re like pop songs. …you know, catchy, memorable. well, at least I think they’re memorable.

Phoenix, five, a Jack-Russell/Chihuaua mix is a “fashionable lady,” or so says her owner Ronda Lennon.

Windsor, a rescue dog, owned by Amanda Williams, of Dorsey Hall.

Samantha McHale, 7, brings Racall, 4, a Daschund to the “Best Kisser” contest.

Deneen Craves, from Elkridge, pulls her fingers away after giving a ball to her dog Ace Windu. His name is an homage to the Star Wars character Mace Windu.

Windsor rolls for a treat.

This is during the “Best Kisser” contest. They rolled out before I could get their names.

Eight months-olds, and Lilly, left, and Caesar, right, are already flirting. Lilly is owned by Ken and Katrina Knudsen, of Kings Contrivance..Caesar is owned by Alex and Luisa Bishop, from Harpers Choice.

Barbi, an eight-month-old toy poodle, backs away from the bowl (well, really, its me) during the biscuit eating contest. Her owner Jean Jungblut holds Barbi’s leash in the background.

“Sammy thinks she’s going to win this one because they practice kissing all the time,” says seven-year-old Samantha McHale’s dad,”John McHale, of Long Reach. The crowd and loud music seemed to give Rascall, 4, a Daschund performance anxiety during the “Best Kisser” contest.

A few more from the “Best Kisser” contest.

Deneen Craves, from Elkridge, looks on while her neighbor Jalen Stewart, who she used to baby sit, coaxes Craves’ dog Ace Windu to jump.

If you want to share this gallery feel free to embed the gallery below. Thanks for stopping by!

Dog Day Afternoon – Images by Matt Roth

Below are photos I recently made for an AARP Bulletin story about how New Jersey’s high property taxes effect seniors on fixed incomes.

Corinne Bell, partially obscured by artificial flowers on her kitchen table, has lived in the home she and her husband built for 52 years. The widow now lives with three cats, Tiny, Cece, and Sheba, former strays who now call the split level on Main Street, Pilesgrove “home,” too. “Somedays they’re the only company I get,” says the 79-year-old New Jersey woman. Bell, like other New Jersey seniors who live on fixed incomes, are in danger of losing their homes because of the state’s high property taxes — the highest in the nation. “I have too much stuff to move,” and worries about the future of her cats. In the past a social program called Senior Freeze alleviated a portion of the property taxes for those who qualified. The state’s former governor changed the program’s eligibility, but the state’s new Republican Governor Christopher Christie said he would restore the rebates to those who lost them, but has yet to fully reinstate the program.

Recently, I’ve been making visual side stories while on assignment. Sometimes they’re totally off task, but other times they tie into story.

When I met Corinne, who’s a lovely lady, I couldn’t help but notice some loneliness in the widow. But I wasn’t doing a story on looniness. Stay on task, Matt! Focus. Property Taxes. But lets be honest, visualizing property taxes in an interesting AND literal way is a bit tough. Well, the obvious idea is to make a portrait of her in front of her home… Snoozezilla, right? But if there’s one thing I learned from the failings of Time Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is that you have to develop your protagonists. …make people care about them. Lucky for me, the wind was so inhospitable (lightstands be damned!) we couldn’t make a decent picture of her (windblown hair) in front of her house. “Okay Corinne. It’s crazy out here. lets see if we can’t do this inside.”

“Okay. Well, while I’m out here, I might as well get my mail.”

And that’s when the light switch turned on. I’ve always been a fan of, as I like to call it, “exploding the ordinary.” So, as Corinne walks back to her home, mail in hand, I notice a simple composition: house, yard, Corinne. The wind was knocking her around. She seemed vulnerable. And there it is. There’s that loneliness I felt when I first met her. I make a few frames. The one I chose is of her, in a slight stumble — a shuffle, really — en route to her front door. Her home has always given her shelter. And I saw a beautiful connection between Corinne and her home in a mundane moment. Her home is the glue that ties her life together. So, there’s the tie-in, exorbitant taxes would disrupt her life.

Corinne Bell sits down for a cup of tea and a Tastee Cake.

Corinne Bell pets her cat Tiny while sipping on tea and nibbling on a Tastee Cake.

Sometimes Corinne Bell can see the neighbors’ livestock from her window.

Tiny, one of Corinne Bell’s three cats, asks to be let back in the house.

Corinne Bell can see the cemetery where her husband is buried in from her kitchen window.

One toothbrush. One rinse cup. Fantastic wall paper!

A photo of Corinne Bell’s late husband “Slim,” sits on her bedroom dresser.

Corinne Bell waits for her cat Tiny to come back in the house.

If you like, feel free to embed the slideshow at the bottom of the page on your blog or wherever. And if you do, I’d love a heads up and possibly link to your link.

NJ Taxes and Corinne Bell – Images by Matt Roth

I recently shot for a New York Times article discussing the impending demise of Babe Ruth’s high school baseball field.

Below are a bunch of photos that didn’t get published.

Mike Hoos’s job as the Cardinal Gibbons Admissions Director has faded away, “because there’s no one else to admit.” The Archdiocese of Baltimore announced thirteen Catholic Schools will close at the school year’s end, including Cardinal Gibbons High School. The site, formerly known as St. Mary’s Industrial School, a school for “wayward boys,” was where Babe Ruth played baseball while in high school. The shutting has left the baseball diamond’s future susceptible to sale and development. The Babe Ruth mural Hoos walks past is slated to be dismantled and preserved.

“Bring it in!” After a rough first inning and a half against guest St. Paul’s, Cardinal Gibbons head varsity coach Matt Foster, in red, gives his team a hard talking-to, “Own Your Field!” A three-run rally ensued. Their field, named for Babe Ruth, might not exist in a year.

Now static, the Cardinal Gibbons home plate is where center field was when Babe Ruth played on the same field as a student of the St. Mary’s Industrial school.

Junior varsity first baseman Chris Van Riper, a Cardinal Gibbons sophomore, grabs a throw during practice Wednesday, April 14, 2010. This will probably be the last year he, or anyone, plays on the same field where Babe Ruth cut his teeth.

Cardinal Gibbons players (L-R) Kevin Howley, senior, Frank DiVinlenzo, senior, Ryan Ellis, senior, Alex Kurth, junior, and Garrett Sites, junior, watch the first inning play against St. Paul’s School atop buckets.

Pat Ingham, left, and Dominic Fratantuond, right, time their swings to St. Paul’s pitcher Friday, April 16, 2010.

Chris Peltz, receives signals from his catcher before the wind up at Cardinal Gibbons High School’s Babe Ruth Field in Baltimore Friday, April 16, 2010.

Cardinal Gibbons senior R.T. Vail makes contact against St. Paul’s School at Babe Ruth Field Friday, April 16, 2010.

Junior varsity first baseman Chris Van Riper, a Cardinal Gibbons sophomore, grabs a throw during practice Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

Cardinal Gibbons senior R.T. Vail is surrounded in a cloud of dust after making it safely to second base against St. Paul’s School on the Crusader’s home turf, Babe Ruth Field Friday, April 16, 2010.

Cardinal Gibbons Senior Nicholas Mills guides one of the varsity baseball players to a foul ball. He joins Jessica Bassard atop her truck to watch the Crusaders play St. Paul’s School. Her boyfriend, Steven Schillingberg, plays first base.

Cardinal Gibbons senior Garth Irwin returns to the dugout.

Outside one the Cardinal Gibbons High School offices is a cardboard cutout and a painting of Babe Ruth made by Joseph Boruta.

It’s almost as if the Babe’s waving goodbye to the school, huh?

The House That Built Ruth: Cardinal Gibbons High School’s Last Year – Images by Matt Roth

I guess you could say this was my first “important” assignment. The Howard County Times, being hyper-local, wasn’t interested in covering George W. Bush’s inauguration unless there was a local hook. So, I found some. …and what kind of photographer would I be if I didn’t look for non-assignment images? So, there are a few of those thrown in for good measure, too. I didn’t get this young protester’s name, but if I remember correctly, she was doing the hokie pokie around riot police.

Brian Harlin is the owner of Ellicott City based GOP Shoppe, the exclusive Master Vender to the 2005 Presidential Inauguration. He, and his crew of six, are running around the Washington Convention Center Wednesday January 19th, 2005 unloading boxes of merchandise, all of which Harlin designed, which is slated for sale during various Inaugural Balls the following day. Harlin was the Master Vender for the 2001 Inauguration, as well.

I felt horrible after the paper came out and Brian’s photo wasn’t in it. He was super accommodating. I shot him the day before so the slug on this assignment was different than the slug on all the photos shot during the inauguration.

Leaving for the 2005 Presidential Inauguration via the Greenbelt Station Metro Station in the morning, Columbia resident and member of Grandmothers for Peace Helen Kolbe, right, befriends Tom Brunton, left, a New York City Fire Department bagpipe player. Due to a long night of celebrating Brunton overslept missing the bus to DC where the 70+ member bagpipe and drum ensemble was to perform during the Inaugural Parade. Kolbe, an avid democrat, was invited to attend the Inaugural festivities on the North Capital Lawn by her friend, Pierce County, Wisconsin Government Board member Paul Barkla.

Members of the Howard County Coalition For Peace and Justice (L-R) Leslie Salgado, from Owen Brown, Rose Marie Merservey, from Columbia, and Ray Donaldson, from Fulton, march through DC from Malcolm X Park, in Columbia Heights to McPherson Square protesting the 2005 Presidential Inaguration of President George W. Bush.

Just in case any parade animals are injured, Libson based Days End Farm Horse Rescue Team has been called in to provide animal ambulance services for the 2005 Presidential Inauguration Parade. Team members Allen Schwartz, left, and Steve Ricker, right, check out some of the helicopters overhead.

Standing under the American flag, a sniper is seen through crowd barricades atop a building in downtown DC along the 2005 Presidential Inauguration Parade Route.

The man on top fought with several protesters for remnants of an American flag, symbolically ripped and torn by protesters. The man screamed about how one of his loved ones was in Iraq.

The weather was so cold, or perhaps their lighter was flimsy, either way, these anarchists were unable to successfully ignite an American flag. They would go on to rip it and throw it into the crowd.

After attending the 2005 Presidential Inauguration in person, former Howard County GOP chairman Louis Pope and Republican National Committee member, left, companied by his wife Joyce Pope, right, enjoy the parade in the warmth of The Presidents Spots Bar, located inside the DC Renaissance Hotel.

Former Howard County GOP chairman and Republican National Committee member Louis Pope shows off his Inauguration invitation.

The sun was setting and my legs were killing me. My shopping list was all crossed off. So, I decided to stop shooting protesters and meet up with some friends. …and then I saw these guys. What a great image to end my long grueling day with.

As usual, the 10am Update is a regular feature on my blog showcasing some of the best work from my archives. Enjoy!

Reigning Fashion Battle Champs, Laurel High School, hand over the crown during the 2nd annual contest held at the University of Maryland College Park’s Tawes Theatre Saturday January 15, 2005.

These photos are from way back when… 2005. This was one of my first assignments as a STAFFER for The Patuxent Publishing Co.

As always, the 10am Update is a regular feature on my blog, showcasing some gems from my archive. Enjoy! and feel free to comment.

While you’re here, check out the flash Gallery below.

Jess ambushes me with a snowball on the Boardwalk. Awesome!

Jess really wants me to unlock the door. hehehe. Funny story… The snow was covering up the median, separating the parking 28th Street Plaza’s parking spaces from Coastal highway. In my attempt to park, I jumped the median.

his photo makes me laugh. I like how Elvis looks like he’s staring at me. Jess ordered steamed shrimp, which she loved. I had a subpar greek salad. I guess Ocean City is a place to get good seafood, not necessarily vegetarian cuisine — which Coins had none of. At this point we haven’t found a place to sleep. Winging it was part of our plan for the weekend. if the weather was better, I was planning to pit hotels against each other, seeing who was willing to give us the better deal for our business. But as it turned out, we really just needed a place to park and sleep.

Jess made this photo. She’s pretty good, huh? We got stuck in the snow a few times over the weekend. Parking lots were particularly aggravating to get in and out of. I was kicking snow away from my car’s tires. Gotta love snow boots.

Jess leads the charge to our hotel suite at the Princess Royale.

Once we opened the curtains, they stayed open. We also cranked the heat, a luxury we rarely let ourselves indulge in at home.

I love how delicate this image is. The still, almost frozen plastic chairs, practically submitting to the weather while the curtain gently sweeps on Jess’s leg.

Jess’s silhouette shot through the curtain.

I LOVE the infinity effect in mirrors. This was shot in our bathroom.

Jess, reflected in the room’s mirror, checks her e-mail during a Hallmark movie she watched on the room’s flat screen TV.

Jess was in and out of a sleep in the morning. I got a little creative with this shot, juxtaposing her reflection in the window with the snow covered beach dunes.

Dough Rollers was one of the only places open for breakfast. They also did a pretty good job clearing out their parking lot. So, they were awarded with business. I realize the local chain is one of the more beloved Ocean City establishments, but for goodness sake, their coffee is horrible! The last time I ate there I remember thinking the same thing.

I’d be willing to bet the bird population far outnumbers the human population in Ocean City in January.

Snow falls in front of the Dunes Manor Hotel. Rates for the ocean front hotel are as low as $71.00/night in the off season.

Jess and I went to Ocean City for her 27th birthday at the end of January. For some reason, I decided to incorporate work and play into our weekend. Over the next three days, I’ll post three different series from our trip. I also wrote a first person travelogue for The Howard County Time’s travel-ish section called Go! — as in, “go” here and/or “go” do this. Enjoy.

One of the Jolly Roger Amusement Park’s golf course is dusted by the snow storm Saturday, January 30, 2010. The Ocean City park’s giant ferris wheel looms in the background.

The view from our Princess Royale ocean front suite at night was eerie and beautiful, Saturday, January 30, 2010.

Hotels and lodging on the 9000 block of Ocean City.

Cut palm tree trunks line the Princess Royale’s beach front area.

A pedestrian walks down the snow covered Coastal Highway, Saturday, January 30, 2010.

The Princess Royale’s upper parking deck holds two-to-three feet snow drifts instead of cars.

One room is lit in the 9400 Condominium building. The Coastal Highway similarly, is barren.

A night view of the hotels lining the beach in Ocean City in the off season Saturday, January 30, 2010.

Nineteen year old Calvin Gholston Jr, just received his 25th and last leg lengthening surgery at Sinai Hospital Monday February 20th, 2006.

The four-year anniversary of his life-changing surgery is coming up on the 20th. So, lets all collectively wish him well!

Here is a link to the Catonsville Times article. We also did a follow up story on his surgery process, but only one photo ran. So, below is a photo essay largely comprised of Calvin’s surgery process, but it starts with two portraits I made of him in 2005 for the Times Article.

The 10am Update is a regular feature showcasing work from my archives.

Officially, Cliff McCormick won his match by forfeit. New Town was unable to match him with a 103 weight varsity wrestler. The Towson High School senior with cerebral palsy, maneuvers about The General’s bench section during the Generals’ match against New Town Thursday, January 21, 2010. His spirits are a little low. He had three tough periods on the mat. He did a good job wearing down his JV opponent during an exhibition match, but ultimately couldn’t amass any points, losing the match.

Here is a link to the Article.