Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

While in a meeting with the newsroom earlier this week, I asked everyone if they had any upcoming stories that they would like me to try and add some multimedia to.

Our sports editor spoke up immediately with an idea. He was doing a feature story on a kid that shoots incredible basketball trick shots at the YMCA.

Yesterday, I met up with the sports editor and the trick shot champion, Michael Harsha.

Michael Harsha is a trickster on the court. He practices his shots at the YMCA in New Castle. He played for the Trojans and graduated from New Castle Chrysler High School in 2009. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

I have done backboard still shots like the one above but this was my first attempt at a backboard video.

I stayed on the ladder while he was shooting to keep the video camera from moving too much. I didn’t use a GOBO so you can see my head moving around a little in the reflection.

Aside from getting nailed with the basketball in the leg a few times while I was up on the ladder, I think the video came together pretty well.

This last weekend was busy for me. First I had the Republican candidate Senate debate on Saturday. On Sunday, I was sent to photograph a service at the St. Anne Catholic Church. I had a few pictures of the church in a post not too long ago.

This was special service. The church was burnt down by an arsonist nearly three years ago. It has taken all that time to raise funds and rebuild. This was the churches dedication ceremony and first service since the fire.

In the slideshow, you will hear from Father Joe Rautenberg, the church’s Sacramental Minister, and from Sister Shirley Gerth, the parish life coordinator.

Yesterday, I covered a debate among the  five Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Indiana. The candidates - Marlin Stutzman, Don Bates Jr., Richard Behney, Dan Coats and John Hostettler - are competing for Sen. Evan Bayh’s seat.

The debate was held at the Moose Lodge in New Castle, IN. Because of the relatively small venue, tickets to the event sold out almost immediately. It was a full house.

I had the difficult juggling act of shooting stills while simultaneously shooting video.

Audio at this event was less than desirable. I had a shotgun mic on my video camera but there was a lot of space between the debaters and myself. I also set my portable audio recorder up close to the debaters as a backup. That came in very handy. At one point, the audio on their mics went haywire. My portable unit picked up a lot less of the buzzing noise for some reason.

The debate was rather tame. The candidates agreed on many points, or only had slightly varying positions.

The one thing that stood out during the debate was when former U.S. Senator Dan Coats and former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler went back and forth on their differing opinions of the war in Iraq.

When I edit a video, I try to keep it short and to the point. This argument between Coats and Hostettler seemed to be a good key difference between the candidates.

I added some photographs to the video to offer more visually appealing imagery.

For those of you that enjoy the tech specs of all of this, I was using a Canon FS-100 camcorder with an Audio-Technica ATR55 Telemike attached. My secondary audio recorder was a M-Audio MicroTrack II.

Here are a few still images from the day.

State Sen. Marlin Stutzman, far right, speaks during the debate on Saturday, From left to right are Don Bates Jr., Richard Behney, Dan Coats and John Hostettler. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Former U.S. Senator Dan Coats speaks during the debate. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Former U.S. Senator Dan Coats speaks during the debate. Also pictured are (left to right) Don Bates Jr., Richard Behney, John Hostettler, Marlin Stutzman and Nate LaMar.Former U.S. Senator Dan Coats speaks during the debate. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler speaks during the debate. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

If there was one valuable thing about photography that I learned in college, it was the science behind lighting.  Understanding the inverse square law and how multiple lights can affect an image proved to be invaluable to me.

While I was at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I had an editor give me the idea of shooting a food set with multi-point lighting. The basic multi-point setup includes three lights. One each to the left and right and one from behind. The problem is I only have one light - my Canon 550EX Speedlight.

While I was realizing how impossible this was with my gear, my editor opened my eyes. Why not set the camera on a tripod and shoot a long exposure. During that time, I can walk around with my flash off of the camera and fire it manually multiple times from multiple angles.

Voila. Max’s quick and easy multi-point lighting was born.

The one problem with it is that it is very hard to replicate an image. You can never get the light exactly where it was before. This is one of those situations where you shoot a lot with a general idea and hope for the best.

The first time I attempted and accomplished this technique was exactly one year ago on location at a Brazilian restaurant in the Central West End of St. Louis called Coco Louco Brasil.

Monday February 16, 2009 Coco Louco Brasil Foreground: Espeto Misto - kabob with pricanah (brazilian steak), smoked sausage, shrimp, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, chicken wrapped in bacon, onions Background: Tostada de Camarão - shrimp sauteed in Bobo sauce served on toasted garlic bread. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2009

For that shot, the camera was set for a four second exposure at f/16 and ISO 100. If I remember accurately, I fired the flash three to four times.

Coincidentally, I used the same technique today.

I was given the last minute assignment to shoot a group of local high school wrestlers that have advanced to the state championships. I wanted to isolate them in the image. I turned off all of the lights in the room and fired the flash twice - once from each side.

New Castle wrestlers (left to right) Connor Mullins, Brenden Campbell, Alex Catron and Cody Fellers will compete Friday and possibly Saturday in the Indiana High School Athletic Association state championships. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

This time, the camera was set to a two second exposure at f/8 and ISO 400. I also was using the Gary Fong PowerSnoot on my flash.

With one light and forward thinking, any image is possible.

Cell phones are everywhere. Most people have one. Many people have more than one. It should come as no surprise to me for people to be using their phones in my pictures.

As a society, we are now used to seeing citizens take out their phones to snap pictures at the passing by celebrity or even from the upper deck at a sporting event. National Geographic even published a book on how to optimize your cell phone photography.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 Fans embrace Will Smith as he exits the St. Louis Post-Dispatch building Wednesday afternoon. One fan in the lower section of this image can be seen photographing Smith with a cell phone. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2008

But is it always appropriate to be on your phone? Does it sometimes go beyond what social etiquette deems acceptable?

I want to say upfront that I pass no judgment on the people in these photos. I have no idea what is considered acceptable in their fields. These images just struck me as peculiar.

This first photo is from St. Louis on the Martin Luther King Bridge. There was a fatal car accident. I was shooting from the MetroLink station in Illinois just south of the bridge.

The police officer in the photo had already taken what I presume were the official photos of the scene with a DSLR. Then, it appeared as if he were taking shots of the wreckage with his cell phone.

Friday, December 5, 2008 A police officer holds up his cell phone at the scene on an early-morning fatal accident that blocked all traffic on the Martin Luther King bridge. Max Gersh | Post-Dispatch ©2008

Today while photographing a meeting of the New Castle/Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC), one of the panel members seemed to have trouble staying off of his phone.

Scott Hayes, right, a New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corp. board member, talks on Monday about problems the EDC has with a proposal for an economic development alliance while County Commissioners Kim Cronk and Bill Cronk listen. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

These photos have no significant meaning other than the included cell phone usage caught me off  guard.

Again I want to stress that I pass no judgment on the people in these photos. I don’t know if there was something of the utmost importance that couldn’t wait. I just felt like sharing these images to see if anyone else had to think twice about the situation.