SHOTS & THOUGHTS - JOHN FREEMAN

SHOTS&THOUGHTS

by John Freeman, University of Florida
Sabbatical Blog, Fall 2004

August | September | October | November | December

SEPT30THURSDAY
After leaving the Poynter building near midnight, the security guard let me into a courtyard to photograph lit palm trees. I hadn't noticed the "man on the bench" sculpture (Nelson Poynter) but decided he'd make a great center of interest. The camera decided to shoot at f1.8 at 1/15th.

SEPT29WEDNESDAY
St. Pete Times photographer Willie Allen was my partner for working on a digital story for the web at a workshop conducted by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg. Willie's a graduate of San Francisco State, a former Hearst PJ finalist and he interned summer 2003 at The New York Times. Our project is #5 on the Visual Edge 2004 website.

SEPT28TUESDAY
At Visual Edge 2004, Andre Jones from CNN Atlanta discusses how to get good sound when recording digital video projects. He and other staff members offered tons of help to participants learning new skills.

SEPT27MONDAY
Hurricane/Tropical Storm Jeanne passed through Gainesville during the night and toppled a few more trees like this one in the Creekside subdivision. We got power back about noon, so I left for my meeting in St. Petersburg.

SEPT26SUNDAY
North-central Florida is waiting for Hurricane Jeanne to hit today. I put off leaving for a workshop at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg until it comes through here. Son Ben dropped by to ride out the storm at home instead of his apartment near campus. Once we lost power at 7 p.m., it was time for a cold beer.

SEPT23THURSDAY
Does "Bath time for Cheyenne and Nellie" qualify as subject matter for the sabbatical blog? They do spend a lot of time with me. Photographically speaking, the photo contains a mixture of lines and angles while the circle of the bathtub frames the subjects.

SEPT22WEDNESDAY
On the way to my car after meeting on -campus with several students, I found this couple sitting in light rain. They were so centered and the umbrella was turned so perfectly that I couldn't help but think the scene looked posed. No, I didn't ask for their names. As it turns out, I hadn't parked at the Reitz Union. I had to trek to the O'Dome lot. Near the parking garage, the Gators were practicing for their upcoming game against Kentucky. Assistants were filming football practice on this cloudy afternoon.

SEPT14TUESDAY
I actually shot this yesterday but wanted the tree trimmer to have his own photo box. The lines and color patterns were found at Sam's Club on NW 13th Street after a rain.

	SEPT13MONDAY Tree climber Eric Tate saved the day for us at the rental house. A giant hickory tree had its roots loosened by all the rain and wind from Hurricane Frances and was leaning over the house. Hurricane Ivan is bearing down, so we have to get the tree removed. Finding a trimming company was almost impossible because of so much damage everywhere. The business we found charged $1,650 for the six-hour job. I hope Eric got good pay for his climbing and work 60 feet up.
	SEPT12SUNDAY From my usual seat at Starbuck's on 39th Avenue, I tried to take a candid photo of this new mother interacting with her baby. The colors and light enhanced the mood.
	SEPT11SATURDAY Daron Dean, one of our senior photojournalism students, was in a bad wreck over the summer while returning from his internship at the Anchorage Daily News. I went to check on his recovery at his Gainesville apartment. There's no Photoshop at work in this picture; I simply swirled the camera while shooting with flash to simulate the overturning his vehicle went through in Canada.
	SEPT10FRIDAY While driving up to get a hair cut, I saw this McDonald's worker outside, apparently waiting for his ride home. I circled the drive-through once and shot a frame out the car window. The lines and matching shirt and chairs had caught my eye. The camera's delay is aggravating, though. I know I pushed the button as he licked the cone, but shutter lag got a different photo than the one I really tried to shoot.

SEPT6MONDAY
Today I finally decided to drive around some and see what the hurricane winds had done. Schools were closed but some businesses opened up. Many people have lost electricity. A normal parking lot at 43rd Ave. and 16th Blvd. had become a small lake.

SEPT5SUNDAY
The hurricane winds passed through town all day yesterday. Most everyone stayed in and off the streets; Starbucks was closed, so were all the Publix stores. This morning I looked down the street to find a neighbor's tree split in half.

SEPT3FRIDAY
Hurricane Frances has slowed down again, giving us plenty of time to get prepared for high winds. For the second time this season, I'm moving all the patio furniture from the back deck into the garage so it won't blow around. I saw a lizard seeking shelter inside our table's umbrella, so went inside for my digital point-and-shoot. The lizard added a touch of life to a graphically pleasing scene.

SEPT2THURSDAY
Scary reports about Hurricane Frances have resulted in the evacuation of thousands of residents from south Florida. While some are seeking shelter in Gainesville, many are continuing on north toward Atlanta. I drove to 53rd Avenue where it crosses I-75 and saw this scene -- hundreds of northbound vehicles moving about 40 mph on the Interstate.

SEPT1WEDNESDAY
While washing cars in the driveway at home, I noticed how some of the leaves have already changed color. One particular tree is always the first, but September 1 still seems really early. I shot with flash and slow shutter speed to convey some motion, like it was a falling leaf. I seldom shoot extreme close-ups, but have been trying to look more closely as objects during my sabbatical.