Catch Up - Continued

I'm looking back at the last few months of work and posting them to the blog. I was going to do one frame a day but decided everyone probably prefers a gallery so here it is.  Hope you enjoy and as always comments are welcome!

Boston, MA - Boston Mayoral Candidate Dan Conley pauses for a moment while on a door knocking campaing in West Roxbury on Friday, August 23, 2013.  Photo by Matthew Healey

Boston, MA - Boston Red Sox batter Mike Napoli slides under the glove of Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham on a double in the third inning at Fenway Park on Saturday, August 31, 2013. Photo by Matthew Healey

Boston, MA - Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes performs at the Boston Calling music festival at City Hall Plaza on Saturday, September 9, 2013.  Photo by Matthew Healey

Boston, MA - James Tavares of Taunton smokes marijuana at the 2013 Boston Freedom Rally on Boston Common on Saturday, September 14, 2013.  Photo by Matthew Healey

Leo Finn (C) sits on the front steps of his home while his four-year-old son Cash Finn (L) plays on a scooter and 10-year-old son Nicholas Finn (R) opens the front door in the village of Buzzards Bay in Bourne, Massachusetts on October 2, 2013.  Leo, who has stage 4 bile duct cancer was going to take part in a clinical trial for a new cancer medication at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but the trial has been put on hold due to the government shutdown.  Photo by Matthew Healey

Part-time commercial fisherman, Dave Gelfman, who splits his time between Chatham, Massachusetts and Ridgefield, Connecticut, leans in the doorway of his 36-foot day boat "Horse Mackerel" while tied up at the Chatham fish pier after a day of fishing in Chatham, Massachusetts on October 21, 2013.   New EnglandÕs fisherman often have to make room on their boats for unwelcome guests: federally-mandated observers. The passengers keep an eye on the catch to make sure the crew doesn't violate limits on depleted fish stocks.  There is currently a pilot monitoring program underway which replaces the observers with video cameras. Photo by Matthew Healey

The Boston Red Sox bat boy Chris Cundiff carries six balls in his hands before game one of the ALCS between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on October 12, 2013.    UPI/Matthew Healey

Detroit Tigers runner Prince Fielder (28) is chased down by Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (39) while third baseman Xander Bogaerts (72) waits at third base after Tigers batter Jhonny Peralta (not pictured ) grounded into a double play in the sixth inning of game six of the ALCS  at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013.     UPI/Matthew Healey

Boston Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara celebrates with his teammates after winning the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers  at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013.     UPI/Matthew Healey

Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz walks onto the field with a flag draped over his shoulders after the Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers to win the ALCS in six games at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013.     UPI/Matthew Healey

Boston Red Sox left fielder Jonny Gomes celebrates after the Red Sox won the American League Championship after defeating the Detroit Tigers in six games at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013.  Victorino had a grand slam in the game.  UPI/Matthew Healey

Cranberry harvester Felipe Amparez uses a floating boom to corral ripe cranberries towards an industrial pump at the Bumpus cranberry bog during the fall cranberry harvest for the A.D. Makepeace Company in Carver, Massachusetts on Wednesday, October 2, 2013.  A.D. Makepeace is the world's largest cranberry producer. 

Sox

Thought this sums up how September is going for the Sox right now.

Boston, MA - Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury adjusts his cap in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Saturday July 9, 2011.   Photo by Matthew Healey

Old Timey Baseball

Just a little break from my ongoing story.  Shot the Cubs v Sox game on Saturday at Fenway.  The teams donned circa 1918 style uniforms as a nod to the year that the Cubs were last in town.  They even went so far as to bring in old announcers with big megaphones that walked around and called out the players at bat.  Pretty cool.  I shot the introductions with a lens that I thought would fit the mood.  It adds a heavy vignette on the edges of the photo and allows me to shoot in a shallow depth of field.  My intent was to give the images that old timey feel.  Have a look and let me know what you think.

Sox dude

Little late on updating but here is a pic from my first Red Sox game of the season.  It was a long wet night but it felt good to be back at Fenway, well except for the foul balls.   The scary scary foul balls.
Here is a link to the start of the article and a little gallery:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1248090

(041710  Boston, MA) Boston Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew (7) tries to slide under Tampa Bay Rays catcher Dioner Navarro (30) on a single by David Ortiz in the 11th inning of the game continued from the previous night at Fenway Park.  Drew was tagged out on the play.  Photo by Matthew Healey

I have started to slowly fill out my archives at http://www.photoshelter.com/c/matthealey/gallery-list and will soon be updating my website http://matthealey.com so keep an eye out.  Thanks for looking.

Scenes from Fenway

Got to photograph the Sox as they took on the Marlins last night. Decided to try and chase the light a bit as the sun started to set across the park. Let me know what you think.

Florida Marlins relief pitcher Matt Lindstrom (22) warms up his arm during batting practice before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on June 16, 2009.

Fans watch as the Boston Red Sox take on the Florida Marlins at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on June 16, 2009.

Fans watch as the Boston Red Sox take on the Florida Marlins at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on June 16, 2009.

Boston Red Sox catcher Goerge Kottaras heads to the dugout before the Sox take on the Florida Marlins at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on June 16, 2009.

Summer is winding down..

....that means traffic jams on the local roads from 2:30 onward because of school...but on the plus side, I no longer have to pay for parking at some of the surf spots I go to. I think the latter makes up for it.

So here are some pics from the past few weeks.

First one is from a fundraiser concert featuring Buddy Guy and George Thorogood amongst others.

Second one is a Red Sox game last week. Don't see Big Papi sliding too often. This was on a double that he hit.

Third one is from a pro soccer match. I was sent to cover Beckham but also get game action. I have never shot professional soccer and I have to say, it was pretty fun. Good action, and surprisingly A LOT of contact. They don't allow too much of that in the high school soccer games I have covered so it certainly added a nice element.

Lastly a feature photo from Boston shot on Labor Day. I have talked about feature photos before. They are when you are tasked with going out and finding something on your own. In this case I was asked to get something that said warm weather and a day off. I already got a shot of someone doing something outside with their shirt off but wanted to shoot some more. So I drove around and passed the North End in Boston. The North End is known as the Italian section of the city, and it still is but like everywhere it is also becoming more and more gentrified. Anyway, I noticed a sign for a feast that was going on, so I found a parking space and started looking for it. This was one of the smaller feasts in honor of Saint Lucia. Just two groups roving around the narrow streets, one of them an Italian brass band, and the other a band and a group carrying around a statue of Saint Lucy. The residents come out and attatch money to the statue as it is marched around. It is essentially a way to raise funds for charity/organizations (I believe). Anyway, I struck out for most of my attempts at capturing the event, then I saw this woman hanging out of her window, so I started chatting with her and managed to get the photo below. She was really sweet, and I was happy to have made a decent photo.

Fans cheer as George Thorogood takes the stage at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts on August 17, 2008.

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz (34), right, slides into second base past Chicago White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera (18) on a double in the fifth inning at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on August 29, 2008.

Los Angeles Galaxy defender Greg Vanney (L) goes up for a header with New England Revolution defender Pat Phelan in the first half of the game on August 30, 2008 at Gillette Stadium.

Life long North End resident Anna Onessimo and her dog 'Tizzy' look out the window of her Margaret Street home after the Saint Lucia statue passed by for the Feast of Saint Lucia on September1, 2008.

No comments...just some photos

I hope you like.

John (last name withheld) who is a homeless veteran, stands for a photo on Court Street in Boston on July 3, 2008. John has been staying at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans but will soon be moving into his own apartment with the help of rental vouchers.

David Ortiz who is in the designated hitter spot on the Pawtucket Red Sox sits in the dugout underneath the autograph requests dropped by fans before the game against the Toledo Mudhens on July 17, 2008 at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Lowell Spinners Ryan Dent (R) signs an autograph for 9-year-old Aaron Milgram of Framingham before the Spinners took on the Hudson Valley Renegades on August 9, 2008 at Fenway Park as part of the Futures at Fenway double header. The Spinners defeated the Renegades 4-3 in twelve innings of play.

Farmland in Elgin, Ontario.

Vacation, Ontario.

An Update

Well I am back. I know you all missed me. Right?

I just looked at one of my invoices for last month and I was pretty damn busy. Which is always great. I was getting nervous there for awhile after being told that three of my 'clients' who are now owned by the same company were told by said company that they cannot use freelancers for the entire month of September. When did said big company announce this? August 28th. Real nice of them to give us notice like that. I got the call as I was moving into a nicer (read: more expensive) apartment.

I knew that this one month off that they were trying out would most likely last longer than a month. I knew it was just a test to see if they could get by without freelancers. Turns out I was right....partly. They have slightly lifted the ban, but only slightly. Work from them is very sparse.

But things have turned out okay so far. Well, I do have established relationships with the editors and certainly liked working for them, I have been able to find other work.

For starters I have been working a bit for a company in Providence that publishes a business newspaper every week. They have been fairly consistent.

Then things with UPI started to pick up. I have been covering the Patriots this season and of course the Red Sox. UPI usually has a hard time getting me into Sox games but they make room for a lot more shooters during the playoffs and series.

I have also started freelancing for the Boston Herald. One of their regular freelancers got hired full time and they needed some people to fill her shoes. It's been great working for them, I have learned a lot in a short period of time, and everyone has been very cool. The stress factor is a bit high because it is a daily with an early deadline and I am filing from my car or wherever I can but all part of the job.

For photos, I guess I will start with the Red Sox. So I had known that the Sox had been doing well but really hadn't planned on covering any of their playoff games. As I had said, the Red Sox credentialing process can be strict and I was rejected for quite a few games during the regular season. But for the playoffs they add a ton of space for photographers. The regular photo pits are just past the home dugout and just past the away dugout. For big games it gets very very cozy in there. For the playoffs and ALCS and World Series they add auxiliary spots that are literally on the field. One on each side of the field on the inside of the dugouts down towards home plate and one further out on the left field side past the regular photo pit. When I say on the field, I mean you are sitting in the dirt. This is the only photo I have from what I believe was the ALCS. I was sitting in the aux spot for the first inning so that I could get clean photos of the two starting pitchers, then run back to the third base well and transmit them and shoot the rest of the game from there. I dont know why the photo is backwards or why I didn't smile. Think its because I couldn't figure out how to work my stupid cellphone camera.

Anyway it was pretty great to be able to watch the games from these spots. For the World Series I got to sit in the third base line auxiliary pit next to the Rockies on deck circle for both games. I shared the 4 foot by 4 foot space with one of the Boston Globe photographers and in the next space was a guy I know from US Presswire. Both of them had at least three photographers there along with an editor. I was flying solo. Not the only one I am sure, but having at least one other photographer there would have been nice. Oh yeah and I guess I had a bit of face time on Fox because of my spot. I have heard about it from quite a few folks, which has been very weird.

Oh I forgot to mention one other thing....THE FRICKIN WORLD SERIES!!!!! W...T...F????

Seriously, two and a half years ago I was working my first newspaper assignment shooting a basketball game for the Holbrook Sun. I left my office job right at 5 ran to my car, drove to Hollbrook as fast as I could and shot the heck out of the game. The next week when it was published I drove down to Holbrook and bought 5 copies when I had some time off. I still have them all.

My first published pic. I remember seeing this on the LCD of my 10D
during the game and thinking "Wow". Still love this one.

I never in my life thought I would end up doing something like this. For the first 6 months when I went freelance full time I would leave an assignment and drive to the next one and every now and then just burst out laughing in the car. I couldn't believe I was getting paid to shoot photos. It was surreal. I have kind of lost that feeling a bit, gotten a bit more settled down, its become a regular job now, not regular in the traditional sense, but the dream has settled into reality. I don't or rather didn't view the World Series games as anything other than work. Chance and luck had a lot to do with how I ended up there, as well as help from really good friends and family. You know who you are.

Okay I have to admit, that when I walked into Fenway for the first game and saw the absolute media zoo that was in front of me it kind of hit me that this just wasn't a regular game. Oh and did I mention that the press dining hall had free lobster rolls, sushi, and beer? Yeah cause it did. I only went once though.

Anyway, here are some photos. We all like photos right? Trying for diversity here.

Some guy from Baltimore that was at the game with his son.

One of the first pitches of game one of the World Series.

Hi Papi!

Lugo

Pedroia.

I dont have much from the Patriots on this computer right now. But will put some of those up when I get a chance.

I will leave with a shot from an assignment for the Patriot Ledger. A guy named Domenic Yaniero from New Jersey who impersonates a once very famous professional wrestler 'Ultimate Warrior' who was huge when I was a kid. Now this guy dresses like him and bills himself as 'Warrior' and wrestles at semi pro matches held all over the place. They never actually mention that he is an impersonator at these shows just that 'Warrior' will be there. So people come from all over to see 'Warrior' thinking it is the 'Ultimate Warrior'. Some of them know it may not be the real thing, but don't care, others don't have a clue and hound him for his autograph and a Polaroid photo for a price. It was a great assignment. Seriously.

I photographed 'Warrior' behind the scenes walking through the upcoming match with his opponent. Another wrestler saw me do this and told the manager of the show. The manager asked me about it and I played dumb. He wanted me to delete the photos of them walking through the upcoming match because his opponent is a 'bad guy' and people will see them working together and may think that they are not really enemies. I was later told by the reporter that the manager follows old school pro wrestling rules and that no one pretends that whole bad guy good guy thing is real except during the actual matches.

QUINCY, Mass. - October 19, 2007: Domenic Yaniero, left, AKA 'Warrior' to wrestling fans, prepares for his match behind the curtain at the Quincy Armory while his opponent 'Prince Alad' watches the current match through an opening in the curtain. Yaniero who lives in New Jersey wrestles on weekends as his 'Warrior' persona.