The beginning of this week I shot the new team photos for Kathleen Russell Consulting- an awesome group I’ve been working with to help bring about awareness of the corruption and negligence in the Family Court system here in Marin County and in many other counties across the country. We’re getting lots of press on the issue and are working on putting together an audio-slides presentation of the photo essay Kathleen and I worked on with victims of the system.

I’m still holding out for the next generation D700 which should be on shelves by the end of the year, of course there’s no guarantee on that.
(Here’s some info on the new D300s- http://www.dpreview.com/news/0907/09073007nikond300s.asp)

For the most part, it seems like the main improvement on the 300s is that it adds HD video capability to the 300. There are a few other additions, but that’s the main selling point, and with the direction journalism is going, it’s a pretty big selling point these days. And it looks like that will be the main addition to the D700x as well. My good friend and colleague, Jason Motlagh (http://88zero.com/Motlagh) has been working overseas continually for awhile now and has had great success selling full media packages of stories- article, photos, video. In this tough market in a threatened industry, the more you can offer a client, the more eager they’ll be to work with you. In that respect, this new upgrade adding video could be a big asset to many photojournalists. Why do I recommend holding out for the D700x upgrade if you’re looking for a new pro-level DSLR? From my time using both cameras (300 and 700), the D700’s biggest advantage is how its full frame sensor results in getting wider angle shots, which are so important in photojournalism, especially in environmental portraits (people active in their environment). The other big advantage of the 700 over the 300 platform is that again due to a larger sensor, the pixels aren’t as crowded on the sensor, meaning the images show more detail and have less noise at higher ISO’s. I’ve shot very usable images at 2500 ISO in low light that resemble images shot at 400 ISO with my D200. God bless technology- it has made our job so much easier.

The project I’ve been working on with the Center for Judicial Excellence regarding exposing the corruption, collusion, negligence and overall lack of accountability and oversight prevalent in the Family Court system has culminated in some real-world political action! Senator Mark Leno sponsored an audit of the Family Courts in Marin and Sacramento counties and it passed today unanimously! This project has made me very cynical about the legal system and politics in the United States, so I am surprised and delighted that this is actually going to happen. Go here to find out more info on the photo project, and on the family court crisis.

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Today I had a shoot at Coast Cafe in Bolinas. Bolinas is a small beach town that you can get to by following the road we live on and taking it over the mountains, through the redwoods, across a lake, past the eucalyptus groves and to the beach. I drove our scooter there and it was a blast- the best scooter ride yet. It made me feel so lucky to live in Marin. The Coast Cafe was terrific- a passionate chef, great ambience, and of course the coolest town that almost no one knows how to get to since the residents there tear down all the road signs in the vicinity. Definitely worth an afternoon of exploring the roads until you find it, especially during the weekdays since the town was practically deserted.

On my way to pick up some rental equipment from the city right before Christmas (Friday Dec. 21), I walked on to the ferry to find it covered in holiday (read Christmas) decorations made by school children. The thing that struck me was how tired the decorations looked and how that reflected the general sense of exhaustion regarding the holidays. Also, I thought it was funny how the decorations seemed to impose on some people who you could tell wanted a little space from the whole scene, like the image here. I also found the juxtaposition of the decorations with the utilitarian institutional elements of the ferry really funny- like trying to decorate a gas station restroom.
I’m headed into the city tomorrow to pick up some more equipment for this weekend and plan to do another mini series on some theme while I’m there. Right now I’m thinking it might be just strolling through Chinatown, or maybe the street grocery stores of Mission St. or Irving.

Smallest Patient at WildCare, originally uploaded by Enmicropedias.

Here are a couple of shots from my assignment photographing the activities at Wild Care Marin, a rescue organization for injured wild animals. They also have a great educational center for kids to learn about the wild animals that they live with and how their actions impact them. This squirrel had a severe neck injury but was being well tended to. While I was there, I also saw a pigeon with an injured wing being treated, and the night before they had released a previously injured coyote back into the wild. To learn more about Wild Care or to donate, go to wildcaremarin.org. Stop by and check out their facility if you live in Marin.

A new blog to go with the launch of my new site: 88ZERO.com. This will be both a place for news and updates on my work, and a general resource tool for photography.