By Mike De Sisti – An airplane flying through the sky in Oshkosh during the EAA airshow is as rare as a Brett Favre jersey at a Green Bay Packers game. But an object this large floating through the air turns the heads of even the most seasoned EAA visitors.
The “Olympics of the fireworks world” landed this week in Buchanan, WI. The Pyrotechnics Guild International is held at the Wisconsin International Raceway on County KK south of Kaukauna. In addition to jaw-dropping nightly fireworks displays, vendors are on hand from across the country sell and show off their bag of tricks that will light up the night sky for the rest of the week.
By Mike De Sisti – See the effects 90-degree heat has on a bag of ice, popsicles, butter and an ice cream cake.
I figured if I made my plans public to run a marathon I would feel a little more inclined to carry through with it. It actually worked!
I shot this with a little point and shoot still camera that also shoots video.
By Mike De Sisti - Check out a behind scenes look at what goes into photographing the Academic All-Stars. Post-Crescent photojournalist Kirk Wagner took on the annual task of arranging the photographers at a near-by park for the group photo. Post-Crescent staff writer Kathy Walsh Nufer has the demanding job of organizing the students to all meet in one place. This starts weeks in advance. Post-Crescent photojournalist Dan Powers was also on hand to assist (and to try to finagle a bird’s eye view).
Who are the Academic All-Stars?
Every spring The Post-Crescent asks high schools (30 this year) in our region to nominate high school seniors they consider their best and brightest, and a team of judges selects 15 finalists (this year there were 78 nominees) for special recognition as the Post-Crescent Academic All-Stars. In the judges’ eyes, these kids are standouts among their peers in scholastic achievement, extra-curricular involvement, leadership and character. This is the 20th anniversary of the recognition program.
I recorded the last 48-hours of winter weather through a window of my Appleton home. Watch a weekend of snow fall and digging out in less than a minute.
I ain’t good with words. My tendency to get frustrated is causing my wife to shop for a defibrillator. Not a good mix of traits needed to stand in front of a recording camera while trying to explain what is flowing through my head. But like everything else, my job is changing. Yippee. Thank God for the sake of mankind I don’t have to this very often. Probably won’t ever do it again. Here are some of the dozen or so takes it took me to say a few simple sentences.
See the edited version: What Chicago thinks of Favre
The Burial Chamber Haunted Complex in Neenah, WI houses two haunted houses under one roof: Burial Chamber and Blood City. Each offers a generous dose of freight and bone chilling horror.
The Story:
“Where ever I find an empty spot, I put something out,” explains Sally Mattson. Holiday lights, a large inflatable Santa and even a mini-Ferris wheel only scrape the surface of what’s intentionally jampacked on her modest-sized Appleton lawn. No matter the season, Mattson adapts her exhibit. Throughout the year, she spends weeks setting up and taking down her expressions of Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. It’s her pastime, pure and simple. “People go out to eat, or go dancing, or go out to bars. This is my entertainment.”
My Take:
I had been driving past Sally Mattson’s Appleton home for a good year or so wanting to do a story on her extravagant holiday displays. I finally stopped one day and just knocked on her door. No one was home. So I left a note in her mailbox with my cell phone number and went on my way. To my delight Sally called me back later that afternoon and was more than willing to let me do a story about her.
The following is a column I wrote that answers some more frequent question I get on the job as a photojournalist. It ran in Tuesday’s print edition.
I’d like to think it’s my Dalai Lama-like aura or towering 5-foot-6 frame that draws the attention of a crowded room. But, in reality, people are probably looking at the two huge cameras and the array of lenses I have wrapped around my neck.
As a photojournalist for The Post-Crescent, I’m approached on the job a couple times a day with questions about being a professional photographer.
Getting a chance to talk with people is one of the coolest parts of what I do. Photography enthusiasts like me can attest: We love talking about photography as much, if not more, than actually taking pictures.
Some questions are odd, like the young man at a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball game, who pointed to the long lens on my camera and asked, “Is that a hot-dog launcher?”
But for the most part, the questions are pretty common. Here are a few of them:
What station do you work for?
I don’t work for a TV station. I’m a still newspaper photographer for The Post-Crescent. TV photographers use one huge camera. We use two smaller cameras.
Did you go to school for that?
Yes. Even though I’m “just” a photographer, I occasionally have to read a little and write a coherent sentence or two. I know of no working photojournalist who doesn’t have a four-year college education.
Do you shoot just one particular subject, such as sports or news?
No. We have six photographers on staff. The assignments we get depend on what shift we’re on and what particular event is going on during that shift. The other day, I went from a soccer game to a pow-wow. The next day, I shot a portrait of a doctor, then went to the Outagamie County Fair. It never gets boring.
Do you use film or digital?
What’s film? Seriously. We stopped using film around 2001. I’ll never look back.
Why do you take so many pictures?
I take a lot of bad pictures to take a few good ones. Trust me. Some of the ones you don’t see aren’t fit to be published on toilet paper.
How much does all that gear cost?
A lot. Enough to by buy two gently used 2002 Buick Le|Sabres with low mileage. Why? Are you thinking about robbing me? My monopod turns into a bayonet. So watch it!
Do you have to buy your own equipment?
No. The company foots the bill for all our gear. Since we went to a digital format, the cameras are considerably more expensive. In the film days, we were responsible for purchasing all our equipment and got a monthly allowance to help with the cost.
Why do you have two cameras?
Let’s say, in a rare event, I open my passenger-side car door while the camera is anxiously waiting to spring into action. In its enthusiasm, it leaps from the seat just short of my waiting hands, causing it to tumble to the ground. Now that I have a very expensive paperweight and an embarrassing story that’s sure to amuse my editor, at least I have a second working camera to use as a backup.
When both cameras are functional, it’s also convenient to have one camera fitted with a longer zoom lens for close-up shots, and the second body hosting a wide-angle lens to shoot scene-setters or large group shots.
Continuously exchanging different lenses on one camera body wastes time that could be spent capturing the moment. It also causes unnecessary wear and tear while increasing the chance of dust entering into the camera.
What kind of camera should I buy?
You can get one like I use, unless you’d rather make a nice down payment on a home or pay for a year of college tuition. Otherwise, there’s a whole world of digital point-and-shoot cameras that come in all shapes and prices.
Figure out how much you want to spend and let the research begin. In any case, and this is very important, buy extra batteries and a digital card that holds twice as many photos as you think you’ll take. The loss of either makes all cameras worthless.
So if you happen to see me on assignment and have a question or two, I’d be happy to oblige. Unfortunately, unless technology makes some serious advancements, I won’t be firing any Ball Park Franks into the air with my lens.
It’d be cool if I could.