Everyday Heros – Aquatics: Dee Dee Cunningham
American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter - Everyday Heros - Aquatics: Dee Dee Cunningham
Dee Dee, 9-years old, and five other children were swimming in the backyard of Dee Dee’s grandmother’s house, when Dee Dee was faced with a life and death situation of her 6-year old uncle. Just learning how to jump into the deep end with his floaties on, Dee Dee’s uncle was sitting in the Jacuzzi. Unannounced he took his floaties off and made a dive into the deep end. Coming up for water and air only once, Dee Dee noticed her uncle drowning and jumped in to save him. Pulling him from the bottom of the deep end, Dee Dee was able to save her uncle from drowning.
Join us for our fourth annual Everyday Heroes Awards. Every day in our community ordinary people make extraordinary contributions, by putting their needs aside to help others in times of crisis. The American Red Cross is honored to salute these unsung heroes.
The awards will be presented at the Everyday Heroes breakfast, October 21, 2010, at 7:30am at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. They are presented by the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross and Harrah’s Entertainment, with generous support from both Greenspun Media Group and 8 News Now and their Community Pride Partners: NV Energy and McDonald’s.
Design and the Use of Photos
I think every professional photographer has had a problem at one point or another with how their photos were used. Having been in newspapers for years I got used to seeing my photos small.
I spent years arguing that instead of using 5 photos on a half of a tabloid page we should use the best to fill that whole space. I never won. Never. I once had to ask why I was being sent to take pictures that would be, literally, the size of postage stamp. Was that really a good expenditure of money?
Sometimes though images would get good play in the newspaper, at least decent size. I once even asked for a full two pages for pictures of a girls state basketball championship that I covered. I figured we spent the money for me to drive 400 miles and spend a full day, day and a half, covering one shoot, why run just 3 photos? So when I requested the two pages of space I figured I get one of B&W and I would’ve been happy, instead they gave me four of color. I was shocked. The designer had time to put the images together really nice, and make them really big, and it was pretty cool. I’m sure it also impressed some of advertisers.
Occasionally those good things would happen, mostly though, they wouldn’t. The story would run long and the photo would just keep getting smaller instead of anyone editing a story. No bitterness.
So I was happily surprised when I saw my friend Caroline’s new website. She’s a jazz musician and someone who I’ve hung out with on occasion. Good people. A few months back she asked me if she could use some of my photos for her website. I was happy to let her. I’m all for helping out the starving artists of the world, being one myself. If nothing else we’ve got to have each others backs.
Lo’ and behold, she’s got a nicely designed site and has a big, bold photo anchoring her site. A photo by yours truly, thank you very much. I love it when I get to see one of my photos used well, used right.
And in this case, she hit the nail on the head better than I could’ve hoped for.
Thanks Caroline, and go check out her website everyone.
Caroline Davis jazz saxophonist
The Wedding of Julianne Ewry & Damien McAnany – Set-up
Damien checks on some last minute details before walking to the wedding site.
And Damien McAnany
Damien McAnany, shortly after getting married. Your interpretation is your business.
The previous post of Char McAnany, this is her son Damien. Char is really very sweet, and believe it or not, so is Damien, it just manifests itself differently.
Char McAnany
Char McAnany at her son's wedding
And her charming, caring, very similar yet very different son, Damien.
Death Valley Ice
This is Badwater, the lowest point in North America. As it’s in Death Valley, average temperature of extremely hot, it’s dry most of the time.
As with other dry lake beds, this one’s surface is mostly salt. The strange thing about walking across it though, at least for us Midwestern boys, is that in most ways, it’s just like walking across ice.
No, it’s not slippery, and as you can tell from the t-shirt Erin has on, it’s not cold, but it’s like ice. It’s got that coloring, the color of ice with a touch of snow on top of it. It’s got bubbles, not real bubbles, I think, I don’t quite know how to define them in two words, but those areas, largish areas where there’s a bubble and if you step on it, it breaks. It makes that sound that old ice makes, that slightly cracking sound with every step.
I found the whole time I walked across it, I was afraid I was going to fall into some freezing cold water and die, despite the 90 degree temps.
A very odd experience, but also very beautiful.
Opinions?
I could use some opinions here. I’m re-working my various portfolios. Some images need to get in, some need to leave.
For my Portraits Portfolio, this image, stay or go?
If you want you can also hit up my Portraits Portfolio page and let me know what other images you think need to be cut. Just leave a comment on this page.
Thanks.
PS. Next will be the Editorial and Performance Portfolios. Any guess what I’m doing with my free time?
A “Homemade” Sign
So Erin and I went to a campaign event for Senator Harry Reid’s re-election effort. We figured it would be fun, free food, and we’re big fans of being able to buy health insurance.
I’ve been to a lot of campaign events in my days, but none that I can remember as just a person, a citizen, usually it was as a journalist. It was a fun change of pace for me.
One of the humourous little things I saw though was the campaign volunteers handing out signs to the attendees. The campaign didn’t allow people to bring in signs but would hand them out to attendees. That’s one way to keep everyone on message I guess.
To be fair, this is nowhere near as bad as some of the other stories I’ve read about other campaigns, but it was funny to see.
Times are a Changin’
Luke’s days as an only child are numbered. Life is good like that, but I got to give the only child in him a little respect before he becomes a big brother.
