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January 19, 2006

Gov. Kaine to Give Dem Response to State of the Union

I was just scanning my RSS feeds this afternoon and caught sight of two mentions of this bit of cool news (originally from the Washington Post):

"Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are scheduled to call Kaine Thursday morning to officially ask him to accept."

References are on Raising Kaine and Daily Kos' midday open thread.

Seeing Gov. Kaine will be my visual cue that it's finally safe to unmute my TV. :) Mark it on the calendar!

Posted by amahler at 02:41 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2006

Richmond Inaugural Ball

As promised, here is a small gallery of photos taken at the Richmond Inaugural Ball including shots of the bands, the spread and the arrival of Governor Kaine.

Also, anyone who asked me to take their picture should find it somewhere in this set. Drop me email if you'd like higher resolution copies.

Richmond Inaugural Ball - January 14th, 2006 - Richmond, Va
28 photos on one page

Posted by amahler at 02:51 AM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2006

Inauguration Day in Pictures (and some words, too)

I got a late start today and the editing took me longer than expected, but I've finally gotten a little over a hundred photos from Inauguration Day online culled from the 1200+ that I shot. I haven't had a chance to do complete captions yet, so I'm leaving them out for the meantime and will post a note when I do the update.

The Inauguration of Tim Kaine - January 14, 2006 - Williamsburg, Va
82 Photos on one page

For those that haven't looked at the photos from Friday, it's pretty obvious that the weather conditions could not have been more different. Compare these two shots, for instance, taken less than 16 hours apart:

Which one makes you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and cradle a cup of hot chocolate? Yeah, I thought so. Unfortunately, all anyone was wrapping themselves in yesterday were vaguely torso-shaped trash bags with little hoodies (hoods that, when peaked, tend to make one resemble a space-age garden gnome). Yes, I ended up wearing one, too, so don't think I'm being critical... I'm not. Getting those ponchos out to everyone was a great move on the part of the inaugural planning team, so my sincere thanks to those responsible.

(In fitting with the 18th century theme of our surroundings and the wicked weather, I keep imagining a crusty old guy in a tri-corner hat and knickers growling something about so-and-so being afflicted with the damp lung... or consumption or one of those other colorful medical pronouncements of the age... but I digress...)

In moderation, gray days are a photographer's friend. You avoid harsh shadows and get very even, diffused light. However, photographing your subject in a charcoal gray and silver suit standing in front of a sea of people wearing silvery-gray rain baggies... well, it's pretty monochromatic.

When shooting from a crowded press riser, it's sometimes tough to move around much. When shooting at a large event like this with fairly heavy security, covering a lot of ground for variety in the angles for your shots gets even more difficult. Add a steady, cold January rain that makes it impossible to shoot without water literally running off your camera and your incentive to stay put increases exponentially, variety of angles be damned. One significant incentive to stay put is when you and a fellow photographer become fast friends through the discovery that your two heads combined with the railing of the press riser make a great foundation for turning an umbrella into a hands-free, camera-friendly tent. :)

So, sitting cross-legged on one plastic poncho (to keep the puddle I was sitting in from soaking completely through my pants), wearing another poncho hiked up so I could keep my camera under it when not shooting, and using my head as one third of the support needed for the aforementioned umbrella-tent, I did my best to document the inauguration of Tim Kaine.

This is partially my roundabout way of saying I'm sorry if the ceremony pictures don't have a lot of vibrancy or variety. On the other hand, this blog is called Documenting Democracy rather than Pretty Political Photos. What I was documenting truly was democracy in action and, weather aside, it was a glorious, glorious day... Oh, and did I mention it was seriously historic? :)

The first section of photos represents the couple of hours prior to the ceremony when I was free to roam about. My press pass got me into the courtyard of the Capitol on the side opposite the seating and I had a chance to watch the arrival of many of the dignitaries and special guests. Former governors, various elected and appointed officials and more than a few very active pillars of the Democratic Party in Virginia came through, stopping to greet one another along the way. Not a single one of them looked anything less than thrilled to be there despite the weather.

On a personal note, I was quite happy to have wandered back there when I did. Governor and Mrs. Warner arrived about ten minutes later and I watched all the laughter and hugs and shaking of hands as everyone milled about exchanging greetings. A little over a week ago I barely managed to keep pace with him as he darted in and out of businesses along Main Street in Lynchburg campaigning for Shannon Valentine (photos here). He was clearly enjoying the startled reactions he was getting from people who never expected the Governor to come strolling in the door. What I saw Saturday, however, was a far more somber Mark Warner in the last hour of his term in office.

After the crowd thinned a little and before he headed into the Capitol building, he walked over to me, shook my hand, smiled for a moment and said "It's been fun". He was right. For me, it has been a lot of fun taking his picture at events in Lynchburg, Roanoke, Richmond, Boston and probably a few other places that I can't recall offhand. I replied by saying "I've had a lot of fun photographing you as Governor. You can be sure I'll be there to take more photos during your next campaign." There's no doubt of the massive support he will have if he officially runs in 2008 (or even after)... but I was glad to have the opportunity in that time and place to personally tell him that he definitely has mine.

I returned to the press riser after that to, as mentioned earlier, sit in a puddle and use my head as an umbrella support beam while diverting rainwater with my 300 mm lens. I did the best I could with the photos under the conditions described and, all things considered, am reasonably happy with the results (and equally thrilled about not having killed my camera in the rain).

By the end of the ceremony, though, the effect of the rain was starting to take its toll. I used the thirty minute gap before the parade to gloriously make some rain of my own (not to put too fine a point on the matter) and grab some gumbo from Shield's Tavern. Food in hand, I hustled down Duke of Gloucester Street to the second press riser across from the parade reviewing stand. Soaked and increasingly chilly, I tried to devise a way to hold my camera under my poncho with one hand while squatting down to eat gumbo one-handed with a spoon. Eating gumbo one-handed with a cheap plastic spoon while squatting down in a plastic poncho and trying to retun the lid after every bite so it doesn't rain any more than it has to in your food is not without challenges.

Needless to say, I didn't make it through much of the parade. I needed to get back down to the opposite end of Duke of Gloucester, ride back to my hotel, get warmed up in my car and hop on the road to Richmond for the evening's Inaugural Ball. That, however, is the topic of my next post and photos...

If you've lasted this long, here are the photos from the inauguration of Tim Kaine, January 14th, 2006 in Williamsburg, Virginia:

82 Photos on one page

Captions forthcoming...

Posted by amahler at 09:21 PM | Comments (0)

Home Safe... Photos Pending...

I got back home (Sweet Briar) around 1:30 AM. My shooting and travel schedule today has prevented me from feeding photos to the blog as quickly as usual. I just wanted to post a quick note as a placeholder of sorts saying that I'll focus on getting photos from the inauguration ceremony, parade and tonight's inaugural ball in Richmond up in the first part of the day (Sunday). I've come to realize that I've had roughly five hours of sleep in the last 48 hours coupled with a LOT of running around, driving, crouching, squinting and other photographic contortions. Throw in today's experience with deep sea diving on dry land while wielding camera gear and I think it's time to actually get some real sleep.

So... photos and anecdotes tomorrow (later today, technically). Night all... it's been a great day and my congratulations again to GOVERNOR Tim Kaine. (Damn it feels good to say that) :)

- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 02:22 AM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2006

Viewing the Inauguration via TV in a Warm Room

While our man, Aaron, reports live Inaugural events in the rain, many of us view it televised while sitting in a warm room drinking hot tea, or the eqivalent. Though it's a shame that it rained on Tim's Parade, that is supposed to bring good luck. The beautiful pictures of Colonial Williamsburg and the cannons transport us to another time until we see the TV people gathering.

At high noon, the dignataries having filled the Inaugural platform, the ceremony begins and Governor Mark Warner enters to a standing ovation, an unprecedented event for an outgoing governor. One of the announcers says, "With Mark Warner's approval rating of 75 percent, Tim Kaine will have big shoes to fill, but he'll bring his own sense of self as governor."

Still Governor for a few more minutes, Warner beams with his effervescent smile. Virginians are indeed proud and thankful to him for his leadership as governor and look forward to supporting him in another governing office.

After the Attorney General and Lt. Governor are sworn in, Timothy Kaine, with his wife, Anne, at his side, is sworn in as the 70th Governor of Virginia. Tim thanks Mark Warner for the excellent job he has done then states his goals as governor. Speaking in fluent Spanish, Gov. Kaine shows some of his ever present abilities that he learned from his work as a missionary in Honduras, 20-some years ago.

As I watch, I wish this good man much luck. He has the qualifications, experience, and is, indeed, comfortable in his own shoes.

Posted by marlana at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)

Pre-Inauguration: Friday in Williamsburg

It's now the wee hours of the morning (about 2 AM), a time I swore I wasn't going to be awake after getting up before 5 AM this morning (yesterday, technically) to drive to Williamsburg for pre-inaugural photography. I didn't, however, want to go to sleep without selecting and editing at least a couple dozen shots to share here on DocDem.

I'll spare you the full story of being very pleased with my packing and travel progress this morning only to realize once I arrived and was standing in my hotel room that I forgot to put my overnight bag in the car. I had $10K worth of digital camera and computer equipment and no clothes or a toothbrush. My wife would have some choice comments on how typical this was in terms of my mental priorities. I've said before that I'd take my laptop over pants in a packing crisis... seems I wasn't kidding. ANYWAY...

I spent a good bit of the day (after negotiating the delivery of my forgotten clothes... they will arrive with a friend attending the inauguration tomorrow morning) hustling around the Colonial area, picking up press credentials, talking with other photographers, going through a media walk-through with Jeff Krause and the press pool, and working in a few shots here and there. I adore Williamsburg, so this entire event is a treat to me on many levels. Today was also a little jarring, though, due to the sheer magnitude of preparation going on that shakes the usual calm, coordinated and very 18th-century Williamsburg atmosphere. The presence of police motorcycles roaring down Duke of Gloucester, the large groups of guys in fatigues and more State Troopers than you can shake a stick at (which I don't advise, frankly) is very much NOT the Williamsburg I know. I'm not complaining, of course... all of these people and their activities are the cogs and wheels in the machine that drives this massive endeavor we call Inauguration. My hat is off to the many people who have been coordinating this huge event (and I mean you, Jeff Krause, among many others).

The photos I've posted are a selection of pre-inauguration "behind the scenes" stuff mixed in with some casual and creative Williamsburg photos that have nothing to do with anything other than my infatuation with the Colonial scene. I can't come here and not slip by the Governor's Palace kitchen to photograph the goings-on and the tasty looking things that, by law, none of us can sample. Dangit...

Click here for the photos:
Pre-Inauguration: Friday in Williamsburg
39 shots - 1 page

The last few shots were taken at the concert at William & Mary Hall where I met "The Constituents", a band headed by Arlington's Commissioner of the Revenue (they proudly told me they were the only band with an elected official among its members). They were a fun bunch and sounded fantastic. Headlining the event were the Beach Boy(s) with Mike Love... so look toward the end of the photos to see the man of the hour doing the introductions. :)

Sleep... must sleep... I want to get up early enough to catch the mist on Duke of Gloucester. Then it's off to the press stands for the main event. I'll try to get some photos of that online from my hotel before heading to Richmond tomorrow night to photograph the Inaugural Ball.

- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 01:49 AM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2006

Congratulations to Shannon and all Lynchburg Dems!

Republican candidate Mike Harrington has just conceded to Democrat Shannon Valentine in the special election for the 23rd district House of Delegates seat vacated by Preston Bryant.

I'm looking at the precinct reports right now and, with 20 of 21 precincts reporting, Shannon Valentine has 56.93% of the vote in what is a surprisingly high turnout for a special election. I can only hope that this kind of motivation among voters bodes well for the upcoming midterms.

Congratulations to Shannon and to all of the Lynchburg and Virginia Democrats who worked so hard in these last few weeks to achieve a well earned victory!

Posted by amahler at 08:21 PM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2006

Gov. Mark Warner & Shannon Valentine

It was very refreshing tonight to get back into action photo-wise and cover Gov. Mark Warner's visit to Lynchburg in support of Shannon Valentine. Shannon is our local candidate for Delegate to fill the seat recently vacated by Preston Bryant in Lynchburg. The entire campaign process has been a whirlwind between Bryant's announcement and the election this coming Tuesday (January 10th).

Governor Warner came to town this evening to show his support for Shannon and to do some campaigning on her behalf right there on Main Street. After arriving outside of the local Democratic Party headquaters in the Galleria, the two took questions from the media for a few minutes and then headed off for numerous impromptu stops among the various shops and other businesses along Main Street.

There are two things I can tell you with great certainty:

1) Governor Warner has a stride that requires mere mortals of average height (such as myself) to practically jog if you want to keep up. I've photographed the Governor in a number of venues (Lynchburg: 1, 2, Boston: 1, 2, 3, 4, Roanoke) and they usually involved a podium, a crowd and a total free range of about 30 square feet. Tonight was a completely different story. :)

2) The Governor was quite clearly having a great time catching people off guard. It was also quite obvious that the people he caught had an equally good time being the focus of his gregarious attention. It's not every day that you're browsing in a pawn shop and suddenly have the most admired Governor in the nation come striding in, stretch out his arm to shake your hand and say (with that huge Warner smile): "Hi! I'm the Governor of Virginia. How are you?"

Let me also mention that photographing this whole thing was a tremendous amount of fun.

Governor Warner and Shannon dropped in on the patrons of at least one clothing store, the country's oldest operating pawn shop, a pizzeria that has only been open for two days, a jewelry store, two banks, a tax preparer's office, Genworth, and the coolest barber shop I've ever seen.

News & Advance: Warner Tours Main Street

After our jog (and his walk), the Governor and Shannon were whisked off to a fundraiser at the beautiful home of Nancy and Carl Moore. There were easily several hundred supporters from both political parties on hand to greet Gov. Warner and express their support for Shannon. Both gave very passionate speeches in the packed foyer (I always love taking photos when I can't raise my arms... :) ) and spent the next hour shaking hands and having their photos taken with friends and supporters.

This brings me to the last piece of this brief entry:

Gov. Mark Warner & Shannon Valentine - Lynchburg - January 6, 2006
(31 photos - 1 page)

The gallery link above contains a collection of shots from Main Street and the fundraiser including any shots I took for people with the Governor and/or Shannon. People are welcome to keep copies downloaded from the blog and, if you're interested in prints, can drop me an email and I'll send you the high resolution originals suitable for printing (you can send them to most any digital photo outlet for quality prints). I don't recommend trying to print the shots from the web since they are not fully color corrected or high enough resolution for decent print reproduction.

For those that asked tonight, my role with the Democratic Party of Virginia and the local party is purely a voluntary one in support of the candidates. I do not charge for any photographs I take at these events. For those interested, my archive of political photos from events over the last two years is located here.

Tonight was a lot of fun and I was glad to get a chance to see and photograph Governor Warner again in his final eight days in office. I'll be shooting for the Democratic Party of Virginia at Governor-Elect Tim Kaine's inauguration ceremony in Williamsburg next Saturday as well as the Inaugural Ball in Richmond that same night. Look for photos from those events here on the blog next weekend.

Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places on earth. The fact that Tim Kaine will be sworn in there next week on the steps of the beautiful old Capitol building designed by Sir Christopher Wren is especially exciting to me. I'm heading up there a day early to get in some pre-inauguration photos as well as some more personal shots of this beautiful colonial town. I'll place the personal shots on my other blog (halfpress.com) to accompany those from my last visit there in September 2004.

I hope you enjoy the photos and, by all means, if you live in Lynchburg or the two associated precints of Madison Heights: GET OUT THERE TUESDAY AND VOTE FOR SHANNON VALENTINE! :)

Posted by amahler at 12:26 AM | Comments (0)