Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

October was a very hectic month for me. It seemed like every day was packed to the gills with assignments. For some stretches, I was in the office eight or nine days in a row. I can’t really complain because I love my job.

In the middle of the month, I had to do a portrait of the new president of the board at the Booker Washington Center, Robert King. I could tell he was extremely excited to be able to help develop and grow the center. So excited that it was a little difficult to keep him still for a portrait. It took a little patience but I finally got him where I wanted him - right in front of a large mural on the south side of the building.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Booker Washington Community Center board president Robert King stands near a mural on the south side of the facility Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, in Rockford. King says he wants to put a new mural up in its place within the coming year. “I love the past but I want to bring the simplicity back to the center and bring it back to Booker Washington himself,” King said. © 2011

One day, I was sent out with a simple assignment - look for illegal dumping sites. It sounds easy. It seems you can never remember where or when you saw that rusted out refrigerator in the the brush when you need to photograph it!

I was poking around in an area I had heard was problematic when I ventured out of my car and into the nearby woods. I found a slew of chairs and a bunch of random things. Brooms. A drawer with a book in it. A router. Something that looked like a salon hair dryer. A strange collection. If I hadn’t left my car to see what was beyond the treeline, I would have never stumbled upon the hidden trash trove.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Chairs and other garbage sit in the woods between the old Rock River School and Kishwaukee Street Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, in Rockford. © 2011

Since October is breast cancer awareness month, we all photographed cancer related stories for a special cancer themed section. I went to a rehab facility to photograph patients receiving physical therapy.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Physical therapist Alane Curry (left) and physical therapy technician Betty Kendell (right) walk alongside Colleen Mains of Loves Park while she practices using forearm crutches Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, at Orthopedic Rehab Specialists in Rockford. Mains lost her right leg when bone cancer developed on the right side of her pelvis. “It was literally a life over limb decision,” Mains said. © 2011

On the morning of October 19th, I was up and at work by 4:30 a.m. Considering I usually work the night shift, this was an extreme shock to my system. But I was wired with excitement. I was going to be riding around with the police while they executed arrest and search warrants all over town.

Call me morbid, but I was hoping to get some shots of good as-seen-on-TV police action. You know, throwing a running suspect to the pavement. That kind of thing.

But as luck would have it, all of the homes that we stopped at were dead ends. The wanted person was never there. It still made of an exciting morning.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Loves Park Police Officer Mike McCammond (left) and Rockford Police Officer John Johnson talk with a man while executing an arrest warrant at a home in the 500 block of Kilburn Avenue Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011, during Operation Clean Sweep in Rockford. © 2011

As the current high school sports season is coming to a close, we’ve been traveling some to photograph the local teams that make it to tournament play. For two days in a row, I had to drive into Chicago to photograph local soccer teams.

The more exciting locale was when I covered Stillman Valley playing at DePaul University. I was shocked to that see a school of that size didn’t have any lights on their soccer field. The game started at 4 p.m. but by the end of the match, I was pushing my camera to its absolute limits.

Stillman Valley didn’t win, but I got a nice shot of a player celebrating after scoring a goal. He jumped in front of the score board, pumping his fist in the air. Of course I’m bothered by the fact that the score keeper hadn’t yet put a “1″ in the guest score box.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Stillman Valley’s Pifa Estrada (22) celebrates after scoring the team’s only goal Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011, during the 1A supersectional soccer tournament against Parker at DePaul University’s Wish Field in Chicago. © 2011

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’m not wild about covering concerts. However, when I was told I was going to photograph ZZ Top, I did get a little excited. I can’t lie. I’m jealous of their beards.

Normal concert photography procedure is that you photograph two or three songs at the beginning of the show from a designated location - usually either in front of the stage or from the sound board. However, when I arrived at the show, I was told I’d be shooting two songs in the middle of the set. Very strange but nothing I could do about it.

ZZ Top’s set list. Photographers were allowed to shoot the two songs in the marked section. © 2011

The concert kept me out late. I got off work around 11:30 p.m. The very next morning, on what was supposed to be a day off for me, I was called in early because a deer busted through the window and into a downtown store. I was there within five minutes of getting the call.

The police had us out of sight of the deer. I think they were worried about spooking it. When I saw an officer approach the door with an assault rifle, I ran across the street (further away from the store) to get a shot. In my tired state, I stumbled while crossing the street and tore open the knee of my pants, also scrapping up my skin.

My knee after falling while on assignment. © 2011

I got right back up and made it across the street to get a shot before the officer went in and killed the deer.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Rockford police move in to CD Source to kill a deer Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in Downtown Rockford. The deer crashed through on of the stores front windows earlier in the morning. © 2011

As I’ve said many times before, some assignments in the life of a photojournalist can be really boring. REALLY boring. But the worst of the worst are worth it for the best.

I walked into work one August morning and checked my assignment bin. I did a double take when I read that I was going to a local high school to watch different police organizations do active shooter training. First, I didn’t really know what this meant. Second, police running around an empty high school with guns!? How could this not be a fun assignment?

I got to the school about 20 minutes early because I didn’t want to miss a second of this shoot. I was glad that I did because it gave me an opportunity to talk with one of the chiefs that was running the show. He explained more specifically what this training was for.

In essence, it’s all for worst case scenario. Think Columbine. An “active shooter,” or a bad guy with a gun that is using it, in a crowded environment like a school, business place or mall. This training was to teach law enforcement how to respond.

They learned different tactics for moving through hallways as teams and individually.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Jason Hergenroeder (left) of the U.S. Marshals Service and Ryan Fulton of the Cherry Valley Police Department practice going down a hallway with a team Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

They trained with different tools including a shield.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Adrienne Horn of the Rock Valley College Police Department takes cover behind a shield Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

Then they started scenarios. The “responding officers” had to follow the sounds of gun shots. They didn’t know what they would run into. One of the chiefs fired starter pistols to draw the attention of the officers. I was glad I had my ear plugs in because those rounds are very loud inside a school building.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Chief of Police for the Rock Valley College Police Department Joe Drought loads starter pistols Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

The other cheif that was there followed behind the teams to ensure safety as they moved through the halls. There were dummy pistols, grenades and other dangerous objects on the ground along the way. The only immediate danger would be tripping on one of them.  But they certainly elevate your heart rate as you think about the real possibilities.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Cherry Valley Police Chief Todd Houde (back right) watches as Clint Wagner (from left) of the Rockford Police Department, Jason Hergenroeder of the U.S. Marshals Service (rear center), Robert Lewis of the Roscoe Police Department and Ryan Fulton of the Cherry Valley Police Department make their way down a hall Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Officers cover a hallway Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

There were a few civilian volunteers to play hostages and sometimes the bad guy. However, when they wanted a multiple shooter scenario, some of the officers played the roll of the bad guy.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Geoff Guzinski of the Dekalb Police Department plays the roll of a criminal while officers make their way up a flight of stairs Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

This was a seriously fun thing to cover. That being said, I hope I never have to see these guys use these techniques in the real world. But it does instill a certain level of confidence knowing that we have officers trained and ready, just in case.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Ryan Fulton (from left) of the Cherry Valley Police Department, Ashley Calhoun of the Rockford Police Department, and Adrienne Horn of the Rock Valley College Police Department clear a hallway Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, during rapid deployment to an active shooter training at Harlem High School in Machesney Park. ©2011

I grew up riding a BMX bike. VERY poorly. I had the benefit of living only a few miles from one of the nations premiere BMX tracks, EP Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, KY. I rode with my friends through middle and high school. Never once did I consider myself even remotely good at the sport.

A few weeks ago, I was assigned to photograph the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. Only then did it hit me that I had never photographed BMX racing or any bike racing for that matter. I probably should have stopped riding BMX long before I did and picked up the camera earlier. It was a heck of a lot of fun to shoot.

The track layout was very similar to the track I rode on in Louisville. I think my limited knowledge of the sport helped me position myself for some decent frames.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Riders take off from the start gate Thursday, June 16, 2011, during practice runs for the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Riders take off from the start gate Thursday, June 16, 2011, during practice runs for the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Shawn Whitfield of Rockford puts together a new bike for Snap Factory BMX rider Chase Pauza (not pictured) Thursday, June 16, 2011, before the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. Pauza, 13, of Huntley, Ill., said he wanted the theme of the bike to be lots of color. "It got to the point where matching colors became a hassle so I just got whatever was in stock," Pauza said. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Erik Meyer,12, of Libertyville, Ill., comes down over a hill Thursday, June 16, 2011, during practice runs for the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Henry Chudzik, 7, of Chicago rides the final section of the track Thursday, June 16, 2011, during practice runs for the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Andres Papajohn, 9, of Gardnerville, t

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Trever White, 15, of Aberdeen, S.D., catches air Thursday, June 16, 2011, during practice runs for the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Brandon Ceslok (center), 15, of Janesville, Wis., takes the outside edge on a turn Thursday, June 16, 2011, during practice runs for the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals at Searls Park in Rockford. ©2011

Photojournalists usually have a favorite part of the job. Some love shooting sports. Others enjoy shooting concerts and similar lifestyle events. For me, it’s the thrill of chasing spot news.

Spot news differs from regular “news” photos in the fact that it isn’t planned or scheduled. It is a spontaneous event, be it a fire, shooting, car accident or the like.

Many elements come into play when making a spot news photo. I think it is safe to say in most instances, you won’t make the photo if you’re not listening to a scanner. Constant monitoring of police, fire and EMS radio traffic helps alert you to breaking situations.

On top of hearing the dispatch for a particular incident, you begin to hear stress levels in dispatchers voices. You know some fire chiefs will call for mutual aid when it is not really needed. When others call for it, you better get your butt there now. With practice, you begin to know what is worth responding to and what isn’t.

It really helps to know the roads in your town or at least to have a GPS ready. I use my phone’s built in GPS running Google Maps so I can look at routes on the fly as well as see relatively accurate traffic conditions. Roads will frequently be blocked and traffic will be diverted in emergency situations. Finding a quick route around these can be instrumental in making images.

For newspaper workers, good communication is crucial. Sometimes an editor in the office may be hearing different information than you are in the car. I can’t count how many times my editor heard the call for an incedent while my scanner was picking up a different channel. Eventually I heard the radio chatter about the incident but seconds can matter when chasing spot news.

Recently, I was called into action hours before my shift because I was closest to the scene. I was asleep in bed when a home exploded a few miles away.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR A Nicor employee surveys the scene of a house explosion in the 400 block of Kishwaukee St. Friday, May 20, 2011, in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Workers from NICOR Gas work the scene of a home explosion Friday, May 20, 2011, in the 400 block of Kishwaukee Street in Rockford. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Rockford Fire Investigator Tim Morris stands in between a home that exploded and the home to its south Friday, May 20, 2011, in the 400 block of Kishwaukee Street in Rockford. The neighboring home has been condemned from extensive damage and debris caused by the explosion. ©2011

In this situation, it may not have been an immediate concern to get there as fast as I could. The house wasn’t going anywhere. But at the time, we didn’t know if anyone was living in the home or if further damage was going to occur. I try to treat every breaking news assignment with the utmost urgency.

Often times, getting a spot news photo involves quite a bit of luck. Things can happen so fast that being in the right place at the right time can make all the difference. For example, I was in my car and in route to an assignment when there was a call for an armed bank robbery very close to where I was. I got there so quick, there was a call on the scanner telling a deputy to get me out of an unsecured area. My boss was able to warn me that I was about to be moved before the deputy came over and talked to me.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Police officers search the wooded area on the east side of Hannah Court for a man Friday, June 24, 2011, after being suspected of the armed robbery of Associated Bank in the in the 6200 block of North Second Street in Loves Park. ©2011

I was there when they shouted that they found him two blocks away. I took off on foot with all of my gear and got photos of the officers loading the suspect into a squad car. They then brought him back over to the bank so he could be identified by employees of the bank.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Loves Park police officers and a Winnebago County Sheriff's deputy hold Robert J. Alar, 51, Friday, June 24, 2011, after an armed robbery of Associated Bank in the in the 6200 block of North Second Street in Loves Park.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Loves Park police officers escort Robert J. Alar, 51, into the back of a waiting Winnebago County Sheriff's Department squad car Friday, June 24, 2011. He is a suspect in an armed robbery of Associated Bank in the in the 6200 block of North Second Street in Loves Park. ©2011

Being properly equipped for the job can be the difference in making a photo or not. A few weeks ago, I was called out to a river rescue. At the time, we didn’t know exactly what was happening other than rescue workers from three counties were searching the river for something. It was later revealed that it was a 20-year-old that was pushed off a boat during an altercation and drowned.

It was already getting long in the day by the time I was called out. On top of that, the police roped off the area far back from the river. Luckily, I had an image stabilized 300mm f/2.8 lens with me. This picture was taken shortly after I arrived on scene. For the photographically inclined out there, this was shot at 1/640 sec at f/2.8 and 1600 ISO.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Emergency responders from the New Milford Fire Protection District search the Rock River Saturday, June 4, 2011, after a call came in for a river rescue near Silver Creek Road in southern Winnebago County. ©2011

As the search continued, a lady let me on her property and into her backyard. I was able to get a much better view of the rescuers in the water but it was incredibly dark. For this shot, I had the lens balanced on a trash can, the image stabilized engaged and it was shot at 1/20 sec at f/2.8 and 3200 ISO.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Emergency responders from Winnebago, Ogle and Boone counties search the Rock River Saturday, June 4, 2011, after a call came in for a river rescue near Silver Creek Road in southern Winnebago County. ©2011

It’s not perfect but it was the best I could do in the circumstances and it told the story.

Spot news can sometimes be emotionally tolling. With deaths, there are usually emotional friends and family around. It is hard to hold my camera up at what could be the saddest moment in their life. However, it is my job as a journalist to shoot through the difficult moments.

Shortly after this drowning, there was a call for one in the lake at a local state park. I arrived shortly after rescuers pulled the boy’s body from the water. But on the scanner, I heard the dispatcher say the mother was on her way in a particular car. I saw that car pull up and just started firing.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Winnebago County dispatcher Tracy Wilson runs from her vehicle into a waiting police car after her 17-year-old son, Mitchel Krause, was pulled from the water Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at a boat dock in Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park, Ill. ©2011

After looking at the photo and recognizing the badge on her arm, we were able to determine she was a 911 dispatcher for the county. In an interview, she said that she never imagined that the drowning call was her own son.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR A conservation officer looks at a canoe Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at a boat dock in Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park. A 17-year-old boy that was pulled from the water had been riding in the canoe. ©2011

Sometimes, no matter your effort to get to a scene on time, you just can’t. Just after getting in my car after an assignment, a call came out for a car accident with injuries. The dispatcher went on to say that there was a vehicle on fire and extrication may be needed. Shortly after that, a rescue helicopter was dispatched to the scene. For me, the only problem was that it was in another county.

I hustled over there but was stopped about half a mile away from the scene. I had heard rumors that it was probably a fatal accident (later confirmed). I took out a 300mm f/4 lens and a 1.4x teleconverter to achieve a 420mm f/5.6 lens. I took a few photos of the scene but decided the best shot I could get from that distance was as the helicopter was taking off.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR A helicopter takes off from the scene of a two-vehicle accident Thursday, June 30, 2011, on Genoa Road near Fern Hill Road in Boone County. ©2011

Right around that time, another vehicle pulled up behind me. Keep in mind that I am in the middle of a farm area and the only other person near me is a sheriff’s deputy directing traffic. As it turns out, the person that pulled up suspected that one of the involved cars was his family member. Judging by emotions after talking with the deputy, his suspicion was correct. The man went hysterical and got out of his car and was crying and rolling on the ground.

The photographer in me wanted that image. I had to think to myself at what cost was I willing to make that image. It is one thing to take images like that unnoticed. If I am unseen, then I am not seeming to be invasive and antagonizing to a person who is suffering. If I snap away from a few feet away while we are two of the only people in the area, that is a different case. Lastly, I didn’t think the image would be necessary to tell the story. I decided to not raise my camera.

As I’ve said before, journalists are also human. We may hide our emotions while working to help maintain objectivity. But at the end of the day, seeing tragedy is never easy. I hope it never becomes easy.

Sometimes, assignments just seem goofy. For example, how about a charity dog wash held at a car dealership? You can imagine what I went home smelling like. But the soggy dogs made for some cute and funny pictures.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Kacy Peters (left) hoses off Beemer, a 4-month-old Bichon mix, while Amanda Witczak holds him Saturday, June 4, during a charity dog wash at Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall in Cherry Valley. Proceeds from the event benefit Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, PAWS Humane Society and Rockford Career College Vet Tech Program. ©2011

This one dog got a little attitude and stuck his tongue out at me.

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Wiley, a 3-year-old Rat Terrier, holds up his leg while being rinsed off Saturday, June 4, during a charity dog wash at Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall in Cherry Valley. Wiley's owner, Jaime King, said "He hates baths and that's the best I've ever seen him behave for a bath." Proceeds from the event benefit Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, PAWS Humane Society and Rockford Career College Vet Tech Program. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Angus, a 13-year-old West Highland White Terrier, stands still while Julie Henry and Ray Fuller rinse him off Saturday, June 4, during a charity dog wash at Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall in Cherry Valley. Proceeds from the event benefit Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, PAWS Humane Society and Rockford Career College Vet Tech Program. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Kacy Peters' feet get wet while giving Buddy, an 8-year-old Golden Retriever, a final rinse Saturday, June 4, during a charity dog wash at Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall in Cherry Valley. Proceeds from the event benefit Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary, PAWS Humane Society and Rockford Career College Vet Tech Program. ©2011