February 13, 2006

JJ Dinner 2006 Photos

I've finally had a chance (after a million little interruptions these last 24 hours) to do some final sorting and editing. Here are a selection of photos that give a taste of the 2006 JJ Dinner event. It's a pretty challening event to photograph from a lighting, angle and overall activity standpoint, but I suspect these shots can hit a few of the highlights.

JJ Dinner 2006
59 photos on two pages

I hate to caption some shots and not others, so I tend to leave them all blank until I can finish gathering names for the ones I can't do on my own. Anyone who wants to offer help with this task, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll update the gallery accordingly.

Let me take a quick moment to address the question I get asked both at the events (camera in hand) and when I post the galleries: no, I don't charge for photos. I do my photography voluntarily for the Democractic Party of Va rather than commercially. It's something I enjoy doing and it's one of the primary ways (along with this blog) that I do what I can to contribute to the success of the party, its candidates and its members. So when people ask me if they can pay me to take their picture with someone I always try to make it clear that I'll gladly do it free of charge and they can come here to the blog (or send me an email) to obtain it. For personal shots you are welcome to do as you please - print them, put them on your website, etc. For more "documentary" shots used for less personal reasons I ask for a photo credit where possible but, again, there is no charge for its use.

For those that would like to obtain true photographic prints, I'm glad to say that the industry trend these days is web-based uploading with one-hour, in-store pickup. To make this even more convenient, I've found that I can easily upload high resolution photos to the websites of many stores (including Wal-Mart, much as it pains me to recommend them for anything short of a boycott in their parking lot for a million and one reasons). Once uploaded, the recipient can then bring up the photo and order however many prints they want directly. The transaction is between you and the service provider and I, thankfully, don't have to handle any funds. If you're interested in some prints, just email me with the links to the ones you want and the store where you want them printed and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Enjoy!
- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2006

JJ 2006 - Photos Soon

I'm still in Richmond but took a few minutes while sitting in a cafe at Short Pump to do initial sorting of last night's photos before getting back on the road. Heading home soon and I'll post final photos later tonight...

Had fun last night!
- Aaron

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

February 01, 2006

Photo Slideshow & Upcoming Site Changes

I don't usually mix photos between my two main blogs (halfpress.com being my other one), but I thought this might be a relevant post worthy of breaking my own personal rules. :)

I've been experimenting with some new slideshow tools for use on my other blog and will likely begin offering my photos galleries in both the traditional HTML and flash forms (the user chooses their preference).

I used the recent three galleries from Tim Kaine's inauguration as my first test set and you can find it on halfpress if you're interested in seeing the work in progress.

You might also notice on halfpress that I'm using a more up-to-date version of the MovableType blogging engine and I plan to performs those upgrades here on DocDem very soon. This will herald the return of the comment feature (it got spammed to death in the last year and had to be shut off) as well as other refinements. I'm also working on a facelift for DocDem including a new logo banner. More details soon...

Keep your eye out for changes and any feedback is appreciated. :)

Thanks!
- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 03:28 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)

January 14, 2006

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 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)

March 16, 2005

Tim Kaine Kicks It Off (and DocDem stirs from its slumber)

Many DocDem readers (and quite a few local fellow Democrats) are probably assuming I was abducted by aliens or ran off and joined the circus. The relative hush on these pages has really been nothing more than a somewhat prolonged recharging of the batteries and a much needed return to life, work and family after running so ragged last year. While this blog is a cooperative endeavor, it is also a non-funded, grassroots and otherwise volunteer effort that will probably always tend to ebb and flow relative to larger events. Things are heating up, though, and it's time we got back underway...

My thanks to Rick Howell and Barnie Day for their continued contributions during these semi-silent last few months. We all look forward to more of your great insights and well-crafted words.

I started this blog around photographs last July, so it seems fitting to get things moving again with a new gallery of photos from a very important event for Virginians:

Select photos by your connection speed:

Roanoke: Tim Kaine's Campaign Kickoff - March 16, 2005 (slower)

Roanoke: Tim Kaine's Campaign Kickoff - March 16, 2005 (faster)

There is more writing to come and new faces to meet on DocDem. It might take a few more days or a week for the momentum to return to these pages as we get situated, but this is a collaborative process and I wish to put the call out again to Virginia democrats to send their contributions in the form of essays, news, photos and links.

One important note: the comment system WILL return. It was turned off in the winter after the blog spammers hit it very hard with advertisements for online poker and erectile dysfunction drugs. I have new updates to the software to put in place, part of which will tackle this problem and make our comment system usable again. I certainly never wanted anyone to feel silenced or remove the interactive nature of the site... but the insidious spammers won the first round.... (grumble)

More to come, and thanks for reading!
- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 05:48 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2004

Dr. Ralph Stanley for John Kerry: Rally in Lynchburg

Dr. Ralph Stanley - Kerry Rally in Lynchburg, Va - Medium Quality Images (faster)

Dr. Ralph Stanley, the Bluegrass and Country Music legend, came to Lynchburg today to hold an afternoon Rally for John Kerry and John Edwards.

The event was held at the Community Market in downtown Lynchburg. I've included some photos and will put up the higher resolution images later in the night after I attend the Kerry Meetup (for which I'm already running late). :)

Enjoy!
- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 07:10 PM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2004

Observing Voting Machine Prep: Amherst County

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Preparation of Voting Machines, Amherst, Va - Oct 22, 2004 - High Quality (slower)

Preparation of Voting Machines, Amherst, Va - Oct 22, 2004 - Medium Quality (faster)

I was asked to observe the preparation of the Amherst County voting machines on behalf of the DNC/KE voter protection program last Friday. The registrar for Amherst, Gary Beasley, had already extended an invitation to the local parties to observe the process (my Republican counterpart did not attend for whatever reason), so being asked to attend in a more official capacity by the DNC worked out quite well. I filled out a detailed form that is, more or less, a checklist that profiles the procedures and practices involved in the voting machine preparation process. It also helps document a general sense of the county's efforts to prevent problems and gauges their readiness to deal with problems if they should arise on election day.

I'll cut right to the chase here and say that everything looked excellent, both in relation to the equipment and the highly competent electoral officials I dealt with that afternoon. I feel very confident (and I speak here as nothing more than a voting citizen and tech geek) that the voting process in Amherst County will be smooth.

For a little background on the systems, read my brief write-up and photo gallery of a demo of our new voting machines given by Mr. Beasley at a previous local Democratic Committee meeting. The new touchscreen systems built by Unilect are profiled in that blog post. [NOTE: My previous entry shows the touchscreen panel used by voters to cast their votes. Today's story and photos show only the equipment "behind the scenes" that record the votes. Don't mistake the unfriendly looking machine in these pictures with the device you will vote with on election day.] I will focus on the preparation of the machines in the remainder of this entry (click below).

Continue reading "Observing Voting Machine Prep: Amherst County"

Posted by amahler at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2004

Lynchburg: More blue than you ever thought possible

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Democratic Fundraiser at the Valentine Residence, Lynchburg - Oct 20, 2004 (slower)

Democratic Fundraiser at the Valentine Residence, Lynchburg - Oct 20, 2004 (faster)

Lynchburg was host to another tremendous Democratic event tonight. At the home of the Valentine family on Langhorne Road, around three hundred enthusiastic Democrats gathered to eat, drink, mingle and listen to the words of Attorney General candidate Creigh Deeds and the guest of honor, former Lt. Governor Don Beyer. The message was one of unity and enthusiasm that confirms that the Democratic Party is on the march in Virginia in 2004 and may well change Virginia's role in the electoral equation of Presidential politics.

Lynchburg, considered a conservative stronghold with the likes of Jerry Falwell counted among our local "celebrities", has benefited from the explosion of Democratic unity and growth that stems from the disastrous performance of George W. Bush as President. The city is awash in Kerry/Edwards yard signs, hundreds attended the late summer opening of a Democratic HQ, bumper stickers are everywhere and voter registration has set local records. The local HQ has had hundreds of volunteers involved in GOTV activities throughout the summer.

Their appreciation for George Bush being an unintentional "uniter" is dwarfed, however, by their enthusiasm for John Kerry and John Edwards. Virginia is within the polling margin of error to go blue this year and stands a very good chance of electing its first Democratic president since Lyndon B. Johnson some forty years ago.

Thanks to the entire group that put together tonight's fantastic event, especially the Valentine family for opening their beautiful home and Shannon in particular for being the catalyst behind a highly successful voter registration effort these last few months. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Posted by amahler at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2004

Waynesboro: An Evening to Meet the Candidates

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Waynesboro: An Evening to Meet the Candidates - Sept 18, 2004 (slower)

Waynesboro: An Evening to Meet the Candidates - Sept 18, 2004 (faster)

I attended a very enjoyable dinner event at the Purple Foot in Waynesboro last Saturday night where I had a chance to see old friends, meet new ones and hear some great words from Lowell Fulk, Pat Ladlee, Va Victory'04 Field Coordinator Dorothy Blackwell, Lt. Governor Candidate Leslie Byrne, Attorney General Candidate Creigh Deeds, and the always powerful Rick O'Dell, Virginia's head of Veterans for Kerry.

Many thanks to my dear friend and Chair of the Waynesboro Democratic Committee, Marlana Lewis, for the invitation and for coordinating a fantastic and very well attended event. Judging from the enthusiastic crowd and the Kerry/Edwards and Al Weed yard signs on my drive from Sweet Briar, the valley is doing its part in turning Virginia blue in 2004!

Posted by amahler at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)

Amherst County Touchscreen Voting Demonstration

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Amherst Democratic Committee Meeting - E-Voting Demonstration (slower)

Amherst Democratic Committee Meeting - E-Voting Demonstration (faster)

At our meeting in Amherst last Tuesday, County Registrar Gary Beasley, came to demonstrate Amherst County's new touchscreen, electronic voting system.

The system is the Patriot made by a company called Unilect. Personally speaking, not being a Diebold system pleased me a great deal. The geek in me finds electronic voting to be a marvelous concept (having written a web-based system for Sweet Briar which is used by our Student Government to conduct their elections).

Continue reading "Amherst County Touchscreen Voting Demonstration"

Posted by amahler at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

August 28, 2004

Lynchburg Regional HQ Grand Opening Photos

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Lynchburg Regional HQ Grand Opening - Aug 27, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

Lynchburg Regional HQ Grand Opening - Aug 27, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

I usually pride myself on having a quick turnaround time on photos I take reaching the blog. Everything I do is digital from shot to blog which eliminates the delays inherent in film. More than a quick turnaround, though, is my desire for the photos to look their best and that sometimes does takes a little extra time.

Just about all photos, no matter how much you initially like them, can use a little adjustment whether it's cropping, color balancing, tweaks to gamma levels and contrast, or removal of some kind of distracting and unimportant thingamabob.

Yesterday was a little bit of a challenge since we started in the early evening with nice warm light but went well into nightfall. With photograhy, a lack of natural light outdoors leads to a rapid cooling of your images from that gorgeous golden evening warmth to an artic blue appearance that is more like "Night of the Living Dead Democrats".

What I witnessed last night was not cold, arctic blue (which I associate more with the increasingly heartless and icy GOP), but rather flush with color, invitingly warm and, at times, white hot. The only thing we're going to be seeing blue this year is Virginia in November 2004... and trust me, it ain't a cold blue... ;)

So here are 82 photos from last night's Lynchburg Regional Democratic Headquarters Grand Opening. Enjoy them, share your comments and pass on the word that there's a (re)NEW(ed) and determined party in town that has a positive vision, an open door and a very warm, inviting glow.

Night, folks...
- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 07:36 PM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2004

A Message from Rural Amherst

This is a photo a co-worker of mine sent me this morning of his neighbor's barn in rural Amherst, Va.

I think it pretty well speaks for itself. Thanks for sharing, Joe! ;)

Posted by amahler at 10:34 AM | Comments (2)

August 24, 2004

DNC Bus: Lynchburg Event

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DNC Bus Tour: Lynchburg - Aug 24, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

DNC Bus Tour: Lynchburg - Aug 24, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

Sadly, I said farewell to my friends on the bus this morning (including Rob Daniel who joined them from here in Lynchburg - look for his journal entries in the coming days).

The event in Lynchburg this morning was fantasic. As before, I'm going to leave the details to those who are on the bus to tell in their own words... but I do have a batch of photos to share. Enjoy!

- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2004

ACDB Tour: Richmond to Lynchburg

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DNC Bus Tour: Richmond to Lynchburg - Aug 23, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

DNC Bus Tour: Richmond to Lynchburg - Aug 23, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

Well, I'm home again after a very enjoyable day on the DNC's America Can Do Better bus tour. It just so happened that their destination for the night (and tomorrow's event) is Lynchburg, fifteen minutes south of my home in Sweet Briar. I wish I was rolling on with this great group of new and old friends and fellow Democrats all the way to NYC, but I'm glad I at least had this chance to hitch a ride across the beautiful Commonwealth today. On the homefront, though, I've got a few roles to play in the grand opening celebration of our local regional Democratic headquarters this week... lots to do.

Tomorrow morning I'll dash into town to photograph the Lynchburg event and wish the group farewell as they roll through four more states. This isn't goodbye, though, since we're keeping close ties to the group as they submit posts right here to Documenting Democracy and on the DNC's blog for the rest of the trip. Rob Daniel, a friend from right here in Lynchburg, climbs aboard tomorrow and will be sending us his photos from the road as well.

I've attached the photos that pick up where I left off from my previous entry earlier today. Lt. Governor Tim Kaine met us in Richmond to greet the bus and give some opening remarks and introductions for the afternoon event. My role here is mostly that of visual storyteller, though, so have a look at the photos and check back here in a bit for thoughts and words from the folks at the heart of this journey...

- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)

Greetings from I-64

Select photos by your connection speed:

Photos from the Road - Newport News - Aug 23, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

Photos from the Road - Newport News - Aug 23, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

It's close to 2 PM and I'm sitting at a table on the DNC America Can Do Better bus tour rolling down I-64 from Newport News to Richmond. I left Lynchburg last night a little after midnight, caught a few hours of sleep in Richmond and hit Newport News around 9:15 AM this morning with Laura Bland (DPVA Communications Director). My invitation from the DNC to join this group for the Virginia leg of the trip came up Friday, so everything schedule-wise has been by the seat of my pants.

I'm shooting photos and blogging for the day as the bus starts its journey through five battleground states. The primary passengers on this bus are everyday people with a story to tell about the damage the Bush administration has done to their lives these last three years. Among them are a number of Virginians, several of which are going to be writing their thoughts for us on Documenting Democracy this week.

I have to say, I've been having a lot of fun this morning and am thoroughly enjoying getting to know everyone here, from Tony Welch, Press Secretary of the DNC, to retired Brigadier General Evelny "Pat" Foote to Bettey Durham Bailey of Virginia Beach, a retired former 30-year federal employee. Betty is sitting across the table from me as I write this, telling me various anecdotes and throwing in some select comments as various talking heads (including George Bush) appear on CNN just over my left shoulder.

I've taken around 400 photos already this morning and have been sorting out a selection both for our blog, for the DNC and for general use by the press and other media. The bus itself is quite amazing, complete with a kitchen and T1-speed access via satellite (those who know me well understand how giddy that makes me).

We're about to roll into Richmond for an event and will then continue on to my stomping grounds (Lynchburg) for an overnight stay and an event tomorrow morning before they head on to West Virginia. Unfortunately, I'll be parting ways with them tonight... but we're going to stay in close touch through the blog(s) as the week goes on.

I'm off to get this entry and my photos up to the server, but I'll check in again later as time permits. :)

Posted by amahler at 02:37 PM | Comments (0)

August 21, 2004

John Edwards - Town Hall Meeting in Roanoke

John Edwards in Roanoke - Aug 21, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

John Edwards in Roanoke - Aug 21, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

I'm sorry to be a few hours late getting these online, but it's been a long and busy day. It's also been a tremendously exciting one in many ways!

Senator John Edwards came to Roanoke today for a Town Hall Meeting and was met by a packed and ecstatic hall. After a rousing introduction from Governor Mark Warner, Edwards took to the stage for an intensive hour of comments and Q&A with the audience.

I attended today as the photographer for the Democratic Party of Virginia and took photos both in the event and backstage as Senator Edwards made his way to the press room for interviews. A small set of today's pictures are now online with more to come after I've had some time to sort, edit and properly caption them.

On a personal note, I was proud and honored that Senator Edwards took the time to autograph two of my favorite photos that I took of him at the DNC in Boston last month (here and here). They will be matted, framed and proudly displayed with my most treasured keepsakes.

Today's event was a fantastic experience and the tremendous enthusiasm I witnessed just drives home the fact that Virginia is, indeed, turning blue in 2004.

Note: Additional photos of today's event will be online soon including contributions from a number of other photographers willing to share their best shots.

Posted by amahler at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2004

Lynchburg Democratic Committee Visit

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Lynchburg Democratic Committee Meeting - Aug 18, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

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I was invited to attend the Lynchburg Democratic Committee meeting tonight and give a presentation on Documenting Democracy and the trip to Boston. I'm formally a member of the Amherst Committee (just up the road), but we all collaborate very heavily on a number of things including our regional Democratic Headquarters (Lynchburg, Amherst and Campbell County share the expenses and labor).

This committee, in the heart of conservative Virginia and smack dab in Falwell country is rocking. Last month's Kerry Meet-Up had over 80 people in attendance. Tonight's regular monthly committee meeting had 72 people in attendance and a long line of speakers addressing all kinds of activities from the HQ grand opening to voter registration, rapid-response activities, and fundraising. Dorothy Blackwell, 6th District Field Coordinator for the Virginia Victory '04 Coordinated Campaign, also spoke tonight about upcoming events and committee involvement. When your routine committee meetings for local party business are growing at a rate to nearly match your meet-ups, people are motivated.

This is just another example of the committment and energy that is mushrooming throughout the state and another bit of evidence that Virginia is going blue in 2004.

Posted by amahler at 10:48 PM | Comments (0)

July 31, 2004

Four Nights: Links to All 738 Convention Night Photos

I've been posting the links to my DNC photos each night. Now that at least one resolution set of each gallery is online, I felt it was time to make a single entry where you can find it all in one place (the early days will start rolling off the main page and into the archive this weekend).

Continue reading "Four Nights: Links to All 738 Convention Night Photos"

Posted by amahler at 02:00 AM | Comments (0)

The Big Night: Final DNC Photo Set

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Thursday Night - Convention - July 29, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

Thursday Night - Convention - July 29, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

I finally have the gallery of the big night's shots online as of a few minutes ago. I'm sorry it took a day, but I shot over 800 photos that night alone (my rough totals are over 3,000 photos this week). This particular set includes 246 shots spread over eight pages.

These images focus very heavily on Governor Warner and the members of the Delegation as they celebrate this momentous step in John Kerry's road to the White House. There is a bit of redunancy in here, but even the slight variations between some shots tell a story. I hope these provide the Delegates, their familes, friends and interested viewers with a clearer picture of this dynamic event.

My head is spinning with thoughts and ideas today about this last week and I'm eager to take time to write a number of entries for this site. There are a ton of stories about everything from the politics to the photography to the technology and Boston itself that are percolating in my head and, for the moment, mostly coming out in conversations with friends by phone or in person. My time (and energy), though, have been pretty minimal and tomorrow begins the trek home. While I hope to not have seven hours of dead time to write in the airport like the lousy trip up here, I hope I might get some time on the plane (if you can fit a 17" Powerbook on the tray table). :) Whatever the case, I'm sure it will begin spilling out in the coming days along with captions and some improvements to the overall website.

Lots to come! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these photos...

- Aaron

Posted by amahler at 01:34 AM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2004

The Final Night: Preview

Well, folks... we've just heard the fantastic acceptance speech of our next President. What an amazing night!

As far as pictures go tonight, I only spent a little bit of time in the photo pen with the press photographers and that was to cover Governor Warner's walk to the podium and the first half of his speech. I used the second half to race back to the Delegation so I could get photos of them expressing their support for our superb Governor. I couldn't have pulled that off tonight without the help of a generous press photographer who overheard my query to the media floor controller and volunteered to swap me into her space in the jammed photographer's pen. I also had a cooperative Secret Service agent who worked with me to arrange the shoot-n-dash routine from the front of the floor to nearly the back where our Delegation was seated.

The press pens were jammed and the sheer volume of people tonight had the Secret Service and the floor control all over us to not block aisles, etc. The flexibility I had in previous nights to get into the press pens up front was going to be impossible tonight since it would have precluded me being able to get back and forth to the Delegation so I could visually document their experience. I'd never have gotten anything a few hundred press photographers wouldn't get, so my exclusive focus tonight was our story, from Governor Warner through the acceptance speech by John Kerry.

It's 3:35 AM, I'm elated but exhausted and plan to sleep in tomorrow before unwinding with a post-DNC day around Boston with my wife (we leave Saturday). I'll get the full gallery online sometime during the day and maybe even some more thoughts and fresh memories of the convention that I have so tremendously enjoyed these last four days.

I do want to take one moment here, though, to say thanks to the DPVA and the Virginia Delegation for inviting me to be their photographer and making it possible for me to experience this mind-blowing event. I hope the photos and the blog have served everyone well this last week and I look forward to the post-DNC posts from our Delegates (once they have time to get home and write). We're only just starting with Documenting Democracy, though. I can't think of a better way to get the ball rolling than focusing on our trip to Boston and witnessing the event that shares with the rest of world what we already knew before coming here: John Kerry and John Edwards are the men for the job and they are headed for the White House!

Good Night and Enjoy! - Aaron

Posted by amahler at 03:21 AM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2004

Wednesday Night Convention Photos

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Wednesday Night - Convention - July 28, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

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Huge hurry here... it's the big night and the credentials game is in high gear. These are the minimally edited shots from last night. Wish me luck with tonight! :)

Posted by amahler at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)

Wednesday Night Convention: Preview

It's 3:20 AM and time for some much needed sleep... but I wanted to leave you with some choice shots from this tremendously exciting evening! The full gallery will be up tomorrow along with commentary and thoughts from members of the VA Delegation. Good night, all!

Posted by amahler at 03:17 AM | Comments (3)

July 28, 2004

Tuesday Night Convention Photos

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These took me a bit longer to get online than I would have liked, so I apologize for the delay. By the end of Tuesday night I was near the point of collapse from the schedule and, aside from a 7:10 AM live radio interview, had no choice but to get some additional sleep at the cost of missing our breakfast event. I'm going to write another entry - maybe later tonight - from a more personal perspective since there are so many stories to tell. Right now, though, I'm staying in the convention groove and am about to head out to try to focus on the delegation's official actions of the evening.

More to come...

Posted by amahler at 05:55 PM | Comments (0)

Second Night on the Floor: Preview

Here is a preview of some of tonight's photos... look for the full gallery tomorrow after I finish sorting and editing...

Posted by amahler at 01:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2004

Monday Night Convention Photos

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Monday Night - Convention - July 26, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

Monday Night - Convention - July 26, 2004 - Medium Quality Photos (faster)

I cannot begin to describe (in my current exhausted state - this is day three with three or less hours of sleep) the incredible experience I am having here. Getting a chance to develop friendships with DPV staff and delegation members in this environment is incredible.

I apologize for the time it took to get these online, but nothing here slows down and I had to sort 710 photographs that I took last night. I've selected 151 images that I think best tell the story (and of which I am most proud). Due to time contraints, they are not yet captioned and have very minimal editing. Look for captions and improvements in quality to come in the near future...

I hope everyone enjoys these as much as I enjoyed taking them.

I'm going to go take a nap. :)

P.S. Bill Clinton. Wow. I have missed him so...

Posted by amahler at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)

First Night on the Floor: A Preview

There is so much to tell and so much to show... but here is a preview of some of the shots from tonight and I'll put together my full gallery and write-ups in the morning:

Posted by amahler at 01:41 AM | Comments (1)

July 26, 2004

It's All About the Credentials...

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Credentials. Delegate Credentials. Guest Credentials. VIP Credentials. Press Credentials.

It's the Democratic National Convention and, trust me, it is ALL about the credentials.

Credentials are more than a large, colorful card with mysterious squiggly lines, holograms and an iradescent sheen. They are the golden pass that gets you within sight of the Fleet Center. If getting near the place is sea level, then getting on the convention floor itself is Mount Everest by comparison. Obviously the delegates are there, but they did the hard work (often years of involvement in the party and a campaign all its own at the state level) to climb that mountain and arrive here in Boston.

Continue reading "It's All About the Credentials..."

Posted by amahler at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

"The plastic sleeves are in the bag..."

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Monday Breakfast - July 26, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

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There's nothing like taking photos in a chaotic environment when you're running on three hours of sleep. It's also hard to really feel tired when things are this exciting.

The Virginia Delegation had their first convention breakfast this morning and it was most likely the first time we've had everyone together at one time since their arrival. Amid the clatter of teacups and plates was a live greeting by Al Gore by video feed. The morning feed is timed to be viewed by all of the delegations throughout the city to set the theme and mood for the day's events.

Our celebrity speaker this morning was Fred Willard from the Tonight Show along with their camera crew. His greetings were as funny as they were politically incorrect and, from what I hear, you can see some or all of it with Jay Leno Wednesday night. Access Hollywood caught him in the foyer outside the conference room as well and I've added a few photos at the end of this morning's shots to share that.

The excitement in the delegation is intense and the word you hear the most is "credentials" followed shortly thereafter by "the plastic sleeve is in the bag", referring to the holder for the crendential card you hang around your neck with a colorful lanyard.

We're doing our best to keep the blog rolling as close to realtime as possible. It's hard to express how much is happening here. At any given moment you're likely to literally bump into a huge name from the Democratic Party, famous press personalities, a celebrity... you name it. The staff room is controlled chaos depending on the time of day and the time around breakfast is insane with the feeding frenzy associated with convention credentials.

I've taken two hours writing this little piece since the interruptions happen several times per sentence. I hope this is coherent... and give us a little leeway on the captions for the meantime. Laura and I have done several press interviews this morning about the blog (she's doing one for NBC print as I write this). Keep an eye out for more anecdotes and writeups from members of the staff, the delegation and other guests. We're awaiting several right now and will post them as soon as we can.

Posted by amahler at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

Carefully Controlled Chaos

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Sunday Afternoon - July 25, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

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Delegates settled into serious pre-convention party mode Sunday afternoon. Aaron, Elisabeth and I walked from the Hotel Commonwealth to the St. George gallery on Newberry Street for the welcome party hosted by Susan Turnbull and Mame Reiley for the Maryland and Virginia delegations.

I'm hoping that two of our national pages, Betthany Rowland and Ben Easter, will post an entry sometime Monday about their meeting with Bill Clinton--their reaction to meeting the former President made our day here in the staff room for the delegation.

Aaron and Elisabeth traveled by bus with many Virginia delegates to the official delegation party at the Hyde Park library. Several members went on to a Boston Pops concert, while others scored tickets to the Boston Red Sox game where John Kerry surprised everyone with a visit. A very, very busy day, with so many delegation members arriving and getting ready for the kickoff of convention week at our first delegation breakfast.

Tomorrow, the serious madness begins ...

Posted by laura at 12:52 AM | Comments (1)

July 25, 2004

A Tale of Food, Fun and Ferris Wheels (indoors, nonetheless)

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Saturday Night - July 24, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

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The DPV staff had dinner tonight with the staff of the Nebraska Democratic Party before splitting up to head to various pre-convention activities. Laura Bland had an invitation to the coveted Momentum Media Party and took the two of us as her guests.

After a supersonic cab ride through Boston to the wrong convention center, we did a brain crushing U-turn and made our way to the newly opened Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. The architecture is amazing and the sheer dimensions of this facility are pretty staggering. Quite a few thousand members of the media and other invitees were milling about enjoying some fantastic, creative food and live entertainment.

The layout of the event was impressive. The lights were low and canopies with an array of modern furniture and carpets were spread throughout so partygoers could relax, eat, and socialize. In the back of the massive main floor was a working ferris wheel, the first one I think I've ever seen in operation indoors. In the center were numerous islands where Boston area chefs were laying out an impressive and very creative spread. Dominating the front of the room was a large stage where we got to see Little Richard doing Blueberry Hill along with several other signature songs.

The party was fun, but we're all pretty beat and still have some T rides to make tonight before it's all said and done. The convention starts to really get underway tomorrow as the delegation arrives in full along with Governor Warner. We have meetings, parties, and other events tomorrow, so look for the number of voices here on the blog to increase as we head into Monday and the real fun begins.

Posted by amahler at 12:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2004

A Pre-Convention Nighttime Stroll In Boston

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Friday Night - July 23, 2004 - High Quality Photos (slower)

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Elisabeth and I spent much of the beginning of our first full day in Boston relaxing and getting situated. The next few days are going to be non-stop activity and our flight up here was a joy to behold (sarcasm alert). She and I both have always loved Boston and have been itching to get back up here for a few years. Going to the DNC is incredible... having it in Boston is the icing on the cake for the two of us.

This evening we headed out to get our bearings for the coming days and, more importantly, to hit a few of our favorite spots. I took my camera along and captured a few scenes to share some of the mood and flavor of Boston in the pre-convention days.

Continue reading "A Pre-Convention Nighttime Stroll In Boston"

Posted by amahler at 01:59 AM | Comments (1)

July 17, 2004

VADC Chairs Meeting / Training - Staunton

I'm currently sitting with Laura in the VADC Chairs Meeting and Training event in Staunton. Thanks to the fact that the library here has public wireless net access, we've gone ahead and posted a story and this first gallery of photos (consider this a warm-up for Boston next week). :)

Captions will be coming soon... in the meantime, you can select from:

High Quality - High Speed (Cable/DSL/T1+)

Medium Quality - Low Speed (Modem)

Posted by amahler at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)

July 10, 2004

Al Weed - Tye River Breakfast

This is a set of photographs covering a fundraising breakfast for Al Weed at Tye River Elementary School. This was one of those thoroughly enjoyable events (among my very first) where you get to experience local, grassroots politics in its truest form.

Photos include speeches by Al Weed (obviously) as well as Creigh Deeds.

The galleries are available in two quality levels based on speed:

High Quality - High Speed (Cable/DSL/T1+)

Medium Quality - Low Speed (Modem)

This is a repost to Documenting Democracy (from my previous server) for archival purposes.

Posted by amahler at 01:04 AM | Comments (0)

Governor Warner - Lynchburg, Va - 6/21/2004

This is a collection of photos I took for Governor Warner's visit to Lynchburg on 6/21/2004.

The galleries are available in two quality levels based on speed:

High Quality - High Speed (Cable/DSL/T1+)

Medium Quality - Low Speed (Modem)

This is a repost to Documenting Democracy (from my previous server) for archival purposes.

Posted by amahler at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)

Virginia State Democratic Party Convention - 2004

These are my original photos from the state party convention at the Hotel Roanoke in June 2004. The convention was a fantastic experience, especially for a first time attendee such as myself.

The images include many state party luminaries, Max Cleland's tremendous rally and Tim Kaine's official announcement of his candidacy for governor in 2005.

The galleries are available in two quality levels based on speed:

High Quality - High Speed (Cable/DSL/T1+)

Medium Quality - Low Speed (Modem)

This is a repost to Documenting Democracy (from my previous server) for archival purposes.

Posted by amahler at 12:20 AM | Comments (1)

July 07, 2004

Harrisonburg Parade Photos from July 5

The second half of my day in Harrisonburg revolved around the Independence Day weekend parade through the center of town. I had come to the area for the BBQ in honor of Tim Kaine (see my entry from yesterday) and, upon hearing he would be the Grand Marshall, decided to check it out with my friend Wally.

Not only am I glad I went, but I know already that I'll make every effort to go there next year so I can take in all of the festivities at a more leisurely pace.

Photos are a poor substitute for something that appeals to all the senses as much as a small town parade and festival. I hope, however, that these will provide some enjoyment (and good memories) for those that attended as well as those that don't yet know what they missed. ;)

As usual, I've posted these shots (101 images on 3 pages) in two sets based on your network connection speed.

High speed/highest quality (cable, DSL, T1+)

Low speed/medium quality (modem)

Enjoy!

Posted by amahler at 01:30 AM | Comments (2)