The party has a listing of all city and county chairs. Call those numbers and you can find out where your talents are needed.

I'm now a member of the Lynchburg Democratic Committee; I'd previously served as Amherst County chair. In Lynchburg, Democrats have made remarkable strides in recent years, carrying the city both for Mark Warner in 2001, Tim Kaine in 2005, and then electing Shannon Valentine as a new breath of Democratic fresh air to replace Preston Bryant in the legislature.

Most of us are focused on Jim Webb's Senate campaign; and some of us are helping Al Weed's congressional bid in the neighboring Fifth District. Wherever you are, whatever district you're in, you can help us for Jim Webb or perhaps for a local House candidate.

Every day we see the reminders of why this should be a big Democratic year: the Bush presidency is effectively dead; the war has now been judged by most Americans as a mistake; the rising price of gas; an increasingly uncertain economy; new concerns (thanks to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth") about global warming - these reasons and more give our party a chance to restore common sense, decency, and yes, peace, to our country.

Help us today. Help Jim Webb. Help local Congressional candidates. It's our country, too, and we need to take it back from those who have managed it so irresponsibly.

(Rick Howell is a teacher, writer, and long-time Democratic Party activist who currently belongs to the Lynchburg Democratic Committee. He can be reached at NewCenHowell@aol.com)

On NPR's Morning Edition today, Mark Warner was interviewed on a wide variety of state and national issues... and yes, plenty of speculation concerning his potential presidential run in '08.

You can hear the interview here:

Mark Warner: World Help Needed to Stabilize Iraq

Links exist there for both the broadcast interview and the substantially longer "extended" interview.

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

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

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

"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!

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

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...

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

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."

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.

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

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!

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! :)

Most of us feel the outcome is largely the reflection of the voters' feelings toward State government and how the campaign was conducted.
However, time will tell.

The thing of which we are certain is that Democrats still have the Governorship and picked up House Seats in Virginia. Creigh Deeds' race is still too close to call. Leslie Byrne ran an incredible race and lost by only 2 percent.

Now we look forward to helping Tim and to getting Mark Warner elected President.

...the choice is easy. Mr. Kaine has the potential to be a remarkable governor -- a responsible, forward-thinking, unifying, principled politician with brains, guts and know-how.

While the focus of the article is the Kaine endorsement, they did briefly touch on two other races of importance this fall and their choices were a clean sweep for the Democrats. The Post announced its support of Leslie Byrne for Lt. Governor and Creigh Deeds for Attorney General.

Byrne:

We are swayed less by their ideological leanings than their stands on fiscal matters. There Ms. Byrne has the edge, having backed the Warner tax package last year.

Deeds:

We think he would be the more pragmatic choice, and a better attorney general.

The full article can be found here.