Sunday, December 26, 2010

My son.

My wife made some stupid bet with her uncle, that she could keep the secret of our babie's sex until Christmas Eve. So I couldn't post this as soon as I knew, and it was killing me not to! My baby is too cool for everyone not to know what IT is...

Well IT isn't an IT anymore. IT is a BOY!

I would like to introduce you to my son. We have a name picked, but are up in the air about the spelling. We want something very simple, but also unique.

I cannot wait to teach my son all sorts of things! Maybe he'll like baseball, or breaking the hearts of many girls. Maybe he'll like books or cameras. I don't know! All I know is I can't wait to meet him.



Sunday, December 12, 2010

Are things getting better???

Before I start, I want to say that my living room is at 68 degrees.

There are so many different types of photography out there. You have everything from advertising, stock, weddings, portraiture, sports, macro so on so forth. You can break down each category into something else. A lot of things fall into photo journalism. Photo journalism to me is more than just news. I take it simply as the two words.

A photo journal.

A journal of photographs.

A collection of photographs to tell a story.

Photo journalists in my mind are both paid and unpaid. Some are working some are just taking photographs to document things, and the may or may not realize it. Some are in the military, some are traveling to different locations.

So I'm driving home from the mall, best buy and Sam's club. I was looking to do some Christmas shopping, and to price a new desktop computer. I had some take-out pizza in the car too. (All of this has a point).

What do I see? I see a man holding a sign saying "homeless, looking for work". He didn't have a cup asking for money, he had a sign asking for work. He had his possessions in a back pack, and was standing in the cold, rain. I hurry home quick, and eat my pizza combo, feeling guilty the entire time. So I go through the kitchen and get some produce, a few bottles of water, a few bagels, and some packaged things to eat. I put them in a shopping bag, and check my wallet for how much cash I have on me.

I drive back with the bag of items, and park about 100 feet away, then walk towards the man. I hand over the bag of food and explain to him that I do not have any work for him but am interested in learning about him. I ask his name and he tells me that it's Mike. I say, "Mike, I am absolutely against giving away money. Food is yours to keep no matter what you say, but can I give you a few dollars to let me photograph you?".

He said, sure. So I shouldn't have done this (because it's not exactly safe) but I open my wallet and show him that I've got a handful of singles and I'm giving him all of them for this. That it's not a handout, that I'm hiring him to do a quick job. He seemed pleased and happily accepted the exchange. So I go across the way and photograph him, and then when I came back I said that I'd like to take a close-up. So I got my photographs, and then I asked him his story.

Mike was born a heroin addict. His mother was on drugs through the pregnancy and he was born an addict. He said that he has been in and out of the system and explained to me the pains of addiction and his faith in God to make things okay for him. he says that he doesn't need much of anything. He would just like to have food in his belly that he worked for.

I asked him what his skill set was. He said that he is mainly a laborer, and can do most labored aspects in home building. He also said that during his time incarcerated that he learned either Office or Word 1997-2005 (I cannot remember which).

Now I know what most people are thinking, I've got a man who is a convict telling me that he found God, and is a changed man. I know, that's the story of every convict.

I do not know whether or not to believe him, but I can't help but think that there's some guy standing int he rain, looking for work, and it's freaking COOOOLD outside. The guy sleeps under underpasses and wherever he can. That he wants to go to a temporary labor place, but he needs a new social security card and he can't get one because he doesn't have a permanent address. That he tried a PO box but they aren't valid for it, and that he was going to save up the 65 dollars for a mail box at mailboxes etc or whatever it is called, and get his social security card so he could get temporary work. That maybe he could get a hotel room for 120 a week where there is heat, at least through the winter.

So I sometimes forget how lucky I am to be in the position I am in. I have a small, modest home, but a home none-the-less for my wife and unborn child. I have a wife, and an unborn child. I have a job, at least until they lay me off (The management of where my day job is at, wants to get rid of everyone in 3 departments, and outsource the labor to contract companies.I cannot say anything detailing the negotiations, as it is not in good faith of the negotiations. What I am saying though is public knowledge.

Okay, back to the point, I've got a car, worldly possessions, and the amenities of a modern life, while there's a guy who wants to work and can't get work. Tonight when I go to bed, it'll be in a bed, in a heated bedroom with a blanket. This guy will be outside in the rain.

So I say, Are things getting better? Altoona is a town with like 50,000 people in it and the area of Duncansville and Holidaysburg. We shouldn't have homeless wandering around town. It just doesn't seem to be right.






What this has told me is, that I have a true appreciation of photo journalists that detail the more REAL things in life. What I mean is, the things that make us sad, upset, scared, frightened. The people that can document these things and do it. Because, this has me heart broken.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

!!! What!?



So...it's cold and been snowing on and off in PA. So I decide to go take some photos out in the snow...stops snowing as soon as I get in the car.

I decided to take a photo of some birds, and a mirror self portrait...I'm not big on pictures of me, but every once in awhile I should put my face out there...let everyone know I'm really a human and not some robot with a camera (or maybe I am, who knows anymore. With as much Thera Flu and headcold medicine I've been taking/drinking I could be a robot. Powered by Nyquil).

Monday, November 22, 2010

PFC 4 Blackman MMA Harrisburg PA

This is a week overdue. I had gotten the photographs ready for the blog, and then fell ill. I was pretty sick for a few days, then I started feeling better on Wednesday. Well Wednesday night, I became even worse. Even today, I am not up to par yet.

However, I can write something about the last MMA event I photographed.

To sum it up in one word, Excellent. I don't know if you guys know who Steve Blackman is. He's a former WWF/E superstar, and an impressive mountain of a human being. He is now an MMA promoter and has some excellent shows.

Yours truly was lucky enough to be at one of his events, at the Zembo temple in Harrisburg PA. Being a Shriner, it was also cool to get to see another temple so it was an added bonus.

The night was original slated for 8 pro fights, but 2 fighters backed out on their opponents, so it was a night of 6 pro fights, and 7 amateur fights. It was a damn good night of fights. Every single person on the card fought their asses off.

A few other things I can say about the promotion is that Steve has his shit together. He runs a tight ship. The people that work for him listen, and they listen well. His promotion shows it too. The fans weren't restless. They were entertained for hours.

I also made it out of the event after photographing it for the evening, in time to make it to a local sports bar and walk in RIGHT AS BJ Penn started fighting. Good thing I made it when I did! That fight didn't last long!

Until next time,
















CPWC9 photos














A little late, but I'm getting ready to type up the blog for the most recent show I photographed, so I figured I'd better get these up quickly! :)

Full gallery is located here,

http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/CPWC-9-11122010/14636289_K2apW#1089088491_V8QzH

My write-ups, as usual with photo highlights appear on matcombatsports.com

Thanks!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Central PA Warrior Challenge 9

Hello everyone! It's been two weeks since our last update. Been working on a lot of behind the scenes stuff that will come to light before too long! Stay posted for that.

On Friday Novemeber 12th, Mark Jovich had the 9th installment of the Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge in York PA. A beautiful day to drive down and see some of the good ol' Pennsylvania turnpike (I don't feel like I get 15 dollars worth of value from the Turnpike when I use it, however...I'm lazy! So I guess I have to pay to play :( )

The downside with turnpike receipts is they are printed on this crappy paper with ink that must eat right through the paper as soon as it's printed. I keep them for my taxes, and I have receipts that are just a few weeks old that look like they are from the prehistoric peroid of mankind.

Enough of that nonsense :) The fight card was stacked with both pro and amateur talent. 16 fights in all.

The photographs from the night can be seen here,

http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/CPWC-9-11122010/14636289_K2apW#1089088491_V8QzH

There are watermarks on the images and download protection for a reason, it means they aren't free to take. I hate to stress this, but there's been a lot of trouble lately with people feeling entitled to my work (and the work of other people too).

As with a lot of the MMA coverage, I've written a quick results, a photo highlights, and also a small article for mid atlantic combat sports. I need to stress that EVERYTHING that is sent in to ANY media station is edited. This is MOSTLY good. See, it keeps the writer from looking like a complete fool for making terrible errors. One of the things I do A LOT is...

"In a welterweight bout, Dane Cook FACED off against Dennis Leary. The action STARTS early with Dennis pounding Dane's eyes shut. Dane REBOUNDED and FLEW off of the top rope".

See, past and present tense in the same sentence. Now my editor will tell you...I am getting better with it! It's a process. I make no claim to being a professional writer.

The reason I bring this up though, is sometimes folks read an article that I wrote and was edited. They don't realize that it was edited by someone who WASN'T the writer, and wonder why perhaps their bout was left out. Sorry if this has happened to you. When asked about it the answer I'm provided with is that there's space constraints, and that they are looking mainly for "highlights". I can appreciate their position. Afterall someone said that searching for a youtube video worth watching is like panning for gold in a river of shit, or picking to drown in pee or drown in water...

No one wants to wade through tons of dross to look for a few sentences worth reading. So I can appreciate both sides and just wanted to get that information out there. Please don't be angry with me, OR the publications. This is just the nature of the beast.


Here are the links on matcombat's site
Quick results
http://uscombatsports.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=234:mid-atlantic&id=7803:central-pennsylvania-warrior-challenge-9-quick-results&Itemid=325

Photo highlights
http://uscombatsports.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=234:mid-atlantic&id=7830:central-pennsylvania-warrior-challenge-9-photohighlights&Itemid=325

Write up
http://uscombatsports.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=234:mid-atlantic&id=7825:central-pennsylvania-warrior-challenge-9-honors-and-highlights&Itemid=325


So Friday turned out to be a damn exciting night of fights...but of considerable note worth mention...Noe Quintanilla. A seasoned professional fighter with a ton of fights. Friday was the first time his wife seen him in a pro bout! Another fellow Rumsey, it was his 21st fight on his 21st birthday.

The main event fight winner proposed to his girlfriend in the cage! Congratulations to both!



(EDIT! I've got an upload tying up all of my bandwitdh. I'll get some photos in this blog tomorrow! Thanks!)

Sunday, October 31, 2010

VFL Mason Dixon Showdown

I'm fresh back home after the VFL Mason Dixon Showdown 4 show, in Chambersburg PA. It was a mixed card of fights. Both pro and amateur, also featuring 6 amateur boxing bouts.

I contribute articles to a sports website, and from there an editor articulates a bit better, my message.
Here is a link to the article for the night,

(copy and paste into your browser...)http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-results/vfl-28-mason-dixon-showdown-honors-and-highlights.html

Here is a link to the "quick results" (just who won/lost)
(copy and paste into your browser...)
http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-results/vfl-28-mason-dixon-showdown-quick-results.html

There were some great fights for the night. Hungry fighters looking to make their mark. I will post the full gallery on my website in the next 14 hours (They are uploading now), then I'll edit this post with a link to those photographs.

For now, you'll have to enjoy the photo-highlights of the night (the same ones that can be found on the matcombat site).






















See you at the next VFL MMA event in Altoona, PA on December 11th! I'll be in Harrisburg PA on November 20th, and Lancaster on the 12th, all for MMA :) Look forward to the photographs!

Rob

Monday, October 25, 2010

IWFC 4 and changes to the website

Before I begin the actual "text" part of the blog, I've got to take a minute to compliment ANYONE who EVER steps into ANY combat arena. This doesn't matter if it's a gladitorial arena, a cage, or a ring. I am a true lover of combat sports. As a long time practitioner of Judo and JuJitsu and a long time fan of MMA, these events are special to me. Win or Lose, if you get in the ring I've got immense respect for you.

Everyone who is a fan needs to take just a minute to think about the chances these fighters take for us and our entertainment. The risk to life and limb, and especially these up and comers who work full-time jobs while fighting, who make maybe 100 dollars to risk injury to their body to do what they love.

Thank you to every fighter out there. You've got my respect.



The spoils of war for the winner


The taste of defeat for the loser of the battle




(for the photographers out there, the EXIF is ISO 6400 @ 1/400)




Okay here, where to begin? See this is the trouble I've got with blogging. I'm not a good writer. My grammar online isn't near perfect and sometimes I struggle to get the point across in as few words as possible.

I happen to be one of the fortunate few (well there's two of us, Nick and I) that are the "official" photographers for the Iron Will Fighting Championship. So naturally if they have a show, I'm photographing it. The show was at the S and T bank arena in Indiana, PA. It was a very good crowd for a great night of fights. I'm not exactly sure who the match maker is, but the promoters need to pat themselves on the back. It was on hell of a night of fights.

Here is a link to the photographs on my website for purchase,
http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/IWFC4/14344831_BLmNm#1062051375_xw43p
(copy and paste into your browser)

I am a contributing writer and photographer for Mid Atlantic Combat, so I will be posting a few links to their website (as of now, my quick results and photo highlights are up on their site. I'll edit this blog as the full write up I did is posted).
For the "quick results" article, check here,
http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-results/iron-will-fighting-championship-4-quick-results.html (copy and paste into your browser).

For the "photo highlights" section, check here,
http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-photo-highlights/iron-will-fighting-championship-4-photohighlights.html (copy and paste into your browser)

Okay, so my thoughts on the night in as short of a statement as possible.

Great fights, hungry fighters, great action.

Making a guest appearance was UFC Veteran Charlie Brenneman. Charlie is a home-town hero, and an excellent fighter. Let's wish him well in his upcoming bout in January.

So here's some photographs from the night. Check out my blog often for discounts on photo sessions (I'm not just an action photographer, I also photograph portraits, weddings and events.)























Okay, I talk about changes to my website in the title. Here's the changes. Even with right click protection, individuals have been circumventing the security precautions and still stealing the photographs off of my site. Now the right click isn't fool proof, but it's there to keep people honest. Even though my website clearly says that I am copyright owner of all work posted, people still feel entitled.

I've been toying with this idea for QUITE some time, and have come to a conclusion. I must watermark my photographs. This is the only way to help deter theft of my work.

Now if you order photographs from the website these watermarks will NOT affect your purchase. Your photographs will be delivered CLEAN from the watermarks. However when you're browsing you'll have to see the message, © Rob Lynn Photography @ www.RobLynn.org

I am very sorry that I've had to do this, however I have to do what I can to put a stop to the theft of my work. Yes, I do love what I do and yes I do love putting the photographs out there, however the time, the website, and the equipment doesn't pay for itself.