"It's the power of water..."

Today Amanda, Demetrius, and I ventured down to Austell Georgia. We were in search of Clarkdale Elementary School. The journey to the school was an experience in it's own. We saw an animal farm flooded, a basketball court which was completely under water, a lumber yard in a rescue effort, a old lady who's septic business washed away, semi trucks swept down stream and damming under a bridge, a family frantically clearing their house and our destination, an elementary school being gutted.

The most powerful part of this trip was the people and their stories. The most memorable part of this trip was the sound of helicopters over head mixed with the sound of sloshing mud and the putrid smell of decay. All sounds were buffered, as if some turned the volume down on the world. The dried cracked mud that coated the trees was the tell-tell signs of where the water levels were just 24 hour before. Easily 10 feet over our heads, and well over the roof line of most house. This is an experience not soon forgotten.

Click here to see more photos from this historic flood.

Flood Shmuud!

I went out and shot today. My intentions were to shoot a house fire at 29 and Ronald Regan. The house was flooded, and firefighters had trouble getting to it. What an amazing find! However, Once I arrived the police had the entrance to the neighborhood blocked. There was no way I could get in. Determined to get something, I set out in search of some great photos!

Somehow I ended up off Oak Rd. The entire road was under water. I parked my car in a nearby subdivision, and walked about 1/4 past the road block. It looked like a loading dock at a lake. There were several vehicles out in the water. A red van to the right continued to sink minute by minute. I got the chance to talk to some people who witnessed some of the cars which had been stranded. A lady who lived near by informed us that a floating mound of red off in the distance was a search and rescue boat the capsized while it was rescuing the stranded. A police officer on the scene joked with everyone asking if that was their car out there as he took photos with his camera phone. Then, some teens came running out of the flooded woods, and we heard fire horns blow. They were scared and froze as we all watched a herd of firefighters coming down the blind drive yelling at the kids. The firefighters were there to retrieve their boat... :) Moments after, another officer arrived on the scene and kicked us out. On the walk back, I got to speak with a lady that lives right next to this mess. She told me her house was unharmed, and she didn't have flood insurance. If the water had broken to the right rather than the left, her house would have been floating. Just before I departed, I asked her if she was planing on getting flood insurance after this. "Um... Maybe," She responded. I smirked, put my head down and kept towards my car.

I think the coolest part about this was everyone thought I was from "the paper." In the future instead of revealing myself as a student, I will refer to myself as a Freelance Journalist.

I socks a soggy.

Photo ripped from Jayne's facebook

It has been raining here in the metro area for roughly a week straight now. I'm talking POURING. Record rainfall! Lake Lanier has risen over 2 feet since Sunday. Creeks normally considered flooded at 12 feet are now over 23 feet. Gwinnett County is among the worst hit. Schools have been closed today, and will remian closed tommorow. Major roads have flooded with feet of standing water. Interstates are being shut down because of the flooding. The downtown connector, 78, i20, Ronald Regan, Sugarloaf and countless more. People are having trouble getting to and from work. What is normally a 45 minute drive has become over 5 hours, or indefinite! Houses are washing away without warning. People are dying. It's just crazy. This is the perfect time for photo journalism. I would love to go out a shoot. However, when should a photographer draw the line between safety and a photo. I've risked myself for a couple photos before, but realizing the danger after I did it. With adrenaline rushing, I didn't think. Getting the shot was my mode. How can I consciously venture out to shoot mudslides, and sudden downpours, and flash flooding, and cars being swept away with a sudden surge of water? On the other hand, I'm regretting every second I'm not out there. I guess some words of encouragement/discouragement would help.

A Fallen Airman Returns Home...

First Lieutenant Joseph Helton was killed in action in Iraq last week. Helton was flown into Brisco Airfield, and escorted through Lawrenceville, Grayson, and Loganville to his home town of Monroe. People were urged to line the streets in respect for this fallen Airman. Grayson was able to show their respect in a huge way. Two fire engines lined opposite sides of highway 20. They raised their ladders, and joined in the middle where a flag was sprawled above the highway. It was an amazing sight. Amanda and I arrived around 4:15. The clouds quickly rolled in and the winds picked up. The rain held out until moments before the escort rolled through. They were gone as quickly as they came, leaving behind flooded roads, and soaked bystanders. Read the full story, and see the news report with special appearances from Amanda, and a quick glimpse of yours truly!

The Portfolio Show!

I have posted pic from the portfolio show on my facebook. (the good, the bad, and the ugly!) haha! <-updated link

THE PORTFOLIO SHOW!!!

Last night was the 2009 Portfolio Show! It was absolutely amazing! I got to shoot the event, and in the process met some really amazing people! I got to know some of the current graduates better, and was able to meet some of the graduates from years before! I was so much fun, and I can't wait until ours... NEXT YEAR!

GRADUATES:

First, congratulations!!! You guys rocked it! Second, I'm editing all the photos I took now. I will have then in an album on my facebook with in the next day or too. If you're on facebook, search Damian AhChing and add me. If not, I'll be posting a link to the albums soon. Thanks, and congratulations again!

Hanging For the Portfolio Show!

This afternoon, the GRADUATES ;) hanged their work at Art Station. Brett, Jayne, and I decided it would be a great photo opp. and it would let us get familiar with the lighting as we will be shooting the actual Portfolio Show on Saturday. It was great! It gave us the opportunity to get to know the graduates better, and we definitely got the advantage over our other classmates. We also got a few Speedlight/Speedlite lessons from Finch! Overall, the day went off smooth! It was great to see everyone working so well together! The moral is so high with everyone, and I can't wait for the Portfolio Show on Saturday! It's going to be a good one!

"The Girl In The Picture..."

Today I was browsing the web, and came across an article the photo above. We've all seen it, and to hear the the story is so powerful. This 9 year old girl was burned over 65 percent of her body from napalm in Vietnam. She's gone through many surgeries, and has almost died several times because of her surgeries. Doctors actually told that she wouldn't survive. Now, she's a peace activist, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and public speaker! Read about the whole story here.