GRAND STANDING

This past weekend I covered the first San Jose Grand Prix. The paper generously put the photograpehrs up in the Marriot, in downtown San Jose, where the race was happening. So I was put into the pit and I had a good time despite the heat. I was sweating a lot! But I think it was good for me and my body. The paper also gave me a new camera, A Mark II! Can you believe it? I was like I don't think an intern as ever been treated so well. Lord knows the Free Press didn't, allow they were very generous as well and catered to my needs. I felt like the talent :0) Mariah Moment! All eyes were on me being the intern and getting the pit position, when suppossedly that was an important spot. I had fun and I almost got run over by a champ car. This official literally had to yank me out of the way. I was shooting down low envisioning this perfect shot of a champ car that was coming in and I guess I was thinking so hard I did not see the other champ car that was closely trailing it. Oh well, the only way you learn is by making mistakes right?



This a photo of a female Toyota Atlantic driver who won the race and getting dosed with champagne. I was really excited when she won. Everyone kept saying she was the real deal. As a woman you have to prove yourself more than if you are a man especially in male-dominated fields. She is british and she was very gracious and did not act like the "talent" like some of the drivers did. One guy who won second had bodyguards all around him when he got out of his car like the media was just going to hound him. well he didn't win who cares about him. I got this shot because pat tehan, another merc photog, where standing on the side and he said, "Do you think we can go backstage?" I said, "I don't know, but wouldn't hurt to try," and then he said, "Yeah don't leave until they kick you out." So we went back there and they ended up running this photo as lead on the inside of sports. It was like six columns. I am just glad that I was able to fulfill my duty and that the paper wouldn't feel like they made a mistake putting a rookie in there. But actually we were all rookies. None of us had shot racing before, much less the Grand Prix. I woke up to engines revving in the morning and went to bed sore for three nights. But then the strange thing is I missed it Monday. I wanted to shoot some more. In the great words of Busta Rhymes "Give Me Some Mo!"



Things are not as bleak as I would like to think. So right now I am in the Las Vegas airport waiting for my connecting flight to Arizona and then my final destination, Atlanta where the NABJ conference is this year. This is my first official conference. I am exicted. I made a really cool dvd slide show. I like it alot. I put photos in there from cultural dance essay. I have al lot of photos and i really need a real edit. I am listenting to Zero 7, a british group. I love there music. I have about 30 mins until my computer dies. I am looking for a job, but things don't look as bleak as I previously thought. I think its all that positive energy I am putting out there. It is bound to come back, right Richard? I love taking photos too much to let it just drift away like the sand in the tide. I have to some how anchor my dreams and make them real. I feel like a mad scientist who is about to create her masterpiece, Frankenstein! :0)