Gersh Photo Post | Max Gersh | Multimedia Photojournalist

At the end of the year, many “best of” contests roll around. This year has been no different. It requires you to go back through all of your work to find those few images that stand out from the crowd.

The problem with this is that some images are personally significant because of challenges and problems that were overcome to make the photograph. Those don’t win contests. The judges don’t see the back story.

Here are a handful of images that popped out at me for one reason or another. Many have been featured on here before. We’ll see how they hold up this contest season.

SPOT NEWS:

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Tyler White of Sharon, Wis., shuttles firefighters from Auburn Street down a dirt road to a home on fire Friday, July 29, 2011, in Winnebago. White, whose family's home neighbors the one on fire, was in town helping his family clean up storm damage. ©2011

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

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

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

GENERAL NEWS:

MAX GERSH | ROCKOFRD REGISTER STAR Former Speakers of the House Newt Gingrich (left) and Dennis Hastert and State Rep. Jerry Mitchell blow out the candles on a cake Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, for President Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday celebration at Deer Valley Golf Club in Deer Grove. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR People fill the State Capitol Friday, Feb. 18, 2011, in Madison, Wis., to protest Gov. Scott Walker's bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights for state workers. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR National Guardsmen pile dummies outside of a door Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, at the Barber Colman complex in Rockford. The National Guard and Rockford Fire Department were training in the building to simulate a rescue scenario in a tornado damaged structure. ©2011

FEATURE:

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Ice clings to Jaxon Oshita's facial hair Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, while he uses a snow blower to clear his Camp Avenue sidewalk in Rockford. Oshita said this blizzard is one of the worst snow storms he has ever seen. ©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

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Elijah Chandler, right, watches his brother, Emmanuel Chandler, lift weights in Edvon Macklin's (not pictured) driveway Tuesday, April 12, 2011, on Oakley Avenue near Andrews Street in Rockford. Macklin said he tries to be a role model for younger men in the neighborhood. "From just coming outside with a curl bar, people wanted to come and join," he said. "You have to get out here and physically do something to make a change." ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Ski Broncs performer Tyler Smith leaps off a tower on the State Street Bridge while being pulled by a boat Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011, during On the Waterfront in downtown Rockford. ©2011

SPORTS:

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

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Rockford School Board President Harmon Mitchell tosses a Ronald Reagan commemorative coin Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, before a game against Belvidere at Guilford High School in Rockford. © 2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR IceHog Garnet Exelby skates out of the tunnel Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, before a game against the Milwaukee Admirals at the MetroCentre. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Boylan's Eleyia Manns (right) hands the baton to Bryn Bauling during the 4x100 meter relay Thursday, May 5, 2011, during the NIC-10 girls championship meet at Belvidere North High School. ©2011

PORTRAIT:

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

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Harlem High School Assistant Track Coach Kelsey Lueshen watches a race Wednesday, April 13, 2011, from the infield at Hononegah High School in Rockton. ©2011

MAX GERSH | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Head chef Jason Williams bites a plate of Thai peanut noodles and grilled steak Thursday, April 28, 2011, at Octane InterLounge in downtown Rockford. ©2011

Be sure to check out the gallery on my newspaper’s site to see the favorites of my coworkers as well.

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.

A day in the life of a photojournalist. Some days are slow. Many are non-stop. Assignments can be spontaneous and range in topics. That keeps the job interesting.

Yesterday was no exception. I went to the high school to get art for a story on College GO Week. There weren’t a lot of photogenic opportunities. I was told that teachers were invited to wear shirts from their colleges. I found a teacher that would let me sit in on his class for a little bit to get a few shots of him is his Purdue apparel.

Bill Wessler wears his Purdue shirt Thursday afternoon while teaching a government class at New Castle Chrysler High School during College GO Week. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Bill Wessler wears his Purdue shirt Thursday afternoon while teaching a government class at New Castle Chrysler High School during College GO Week. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Shortly after getting back in the office, a call came over the police scanner for a house fire in a neighboring town. I rushed down there since the dispatcher kept calling in more and more departments to help fight the blaze. As it turns out, this home predates the Civil War and was a stop in the Underground Railroad.

Firefighters finish extinguishing a house fire Thursday afternoon in Spiceland. The homeowners were downstairs when a neighbor alerted them of the fire which was visible in the upstairs windows. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

A firefighter communicates out of a second story window with crews on the ground Thursday afternoon while trying to locate hot spots in a home in Spiceland. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Joey Cunningham, assistant fire chief at the Spiceland Volunteer Fire Department, looks out a second story window Thursday afternoon after extinguishing a house fire in Spiceland. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Covering the fire made me late to a tennis match but I got there in time to get a few shots of the final matches.

New Castle's A.J. York volleys against an Anderson player Thursday afternoon during the No. 3 singles match. York lost in two sets, 6-3, 6-4. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

After that, I had to rush back to the office to make sure I got all of the photos edited and in the system before deadline.

Busy days are fun days as long as you have enough time to devote to each assignment.

Some of my friends think my job is glamorous. I get access to many things the public doesn’t get to see other than through my pictures. Some of those things aren’t always easy to witness.

I’ve seen fatal fires, hit-and-runs, homicides, devastating floods…the list goes on and on.

This week I witnessed one of the worst car accident’s I’ve ever seen.

I had just gotten off work. I was at home putting some food into a skillet to cook dinner. That’s when I got the call from my news editor. A call had come over the police scanner indicating there was a wreck with entrapment.

I hustled out the door and headed the short distance to get to the scene. As I got closer, I could see there were a lot of emergency vehicles. I called my news editor back to give him an update. That is when he told me they were sending a lifeline helicopter to the scene.

I pulled off the road when I got nearby. I put on my reflective vest (required by law for media personnel) to make sure I was visible at the scene. I grabbed my camera and rushed into action.

Keep in mind that this is after 10pm on a rural county road. It was VERY dark. I had my camera’s ISO set to 1600. I had my lens open at f/2.8. I took deep breaths and held very still as I made exposures ranging from 1/10 sec to 1/50 sec.

Instinctively, I started taking pictures where ever the action was. First, that was of a kid that the police and medics were talking with.

Justin Ryan Pierce, 19, of Mount Summit, talks on his cell phone late Wednesday night after crashing a 1987 Mercedes-Benz in a cornfield near the intersection of Road 300S and Ind. 103. His passenger, Jimmy Luna, 17, of New Castle, was flown from the scene to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Then, I noticed the crumbled Mercedes in the cornfield. I moved that way.

A 1987 Mercedes-Benz lies mangled in a cornfield late Wednesday night after crashing near the intersection of Road 300S and Ind. 103. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

The vehicle was so badly mangled, police officers could not locate the license plate and instead had to fight a door open ro get the vehicles VIN.

Henry County Sheriff Deputies take down the VIN number off of a 1987 Mercedes-Benz late Wednesday night after it wrecked in a cornfield near the intersection of Road 300S and Ind. 103. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Just by observation, pieces of the puzzle started to come together. It was a single car accident. The kid talking with the emergency responders was the driver. His passenger was still stuck in the car.

I worked the scene as best I could in such poor lighting conditions. I took special care to stay out of the way of all of the police, medics and firefighters on the scene. I respected their space and in turn, they respected mine. I had full access to the scene.

I was there as they pulled the passenger from the vehicle.

Emergency responders carry Jimmy Luna, 17, of New Castle, from a mangled vehicle to a waiting ambulance Wednesday night near the intersection of Road 300S and Ind. 103. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

I was there as they checked the driver for injuries.

Emergency responders check Justin Ryan Pierce, 19, of Mount Summit, for injuries late Wednesday night after he crashed a 1987 Mercedes-Benz into a cornfield near the intersection of Road 300S and Ind. 103. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

I was there as the lifeline helicopter landed and then again as it took off.

While I have become rather calloused to difficult events like this, they still have an effect. They make you think about yourself. Your friends. Family. Coworkers.

It is my job to tell you these stories. Sometimes the photos can make you cringe. Hopefully that means they are conveying a powerful message.

Be safe out there.

For those of you that don’t already know, I am a week in to my new job. I am the new Chief Photographer and Photo Editor at The Courier-Times in New Castle, IN.

The Courier-Times

The job comes with perks.

My personal parking spot at The Courier-Times

I love the challenge of making an interesting photo, no matter the situation. That is something I had to do my first day on the job.

The town is building a Mr. Fuel gas station right off the interstate. I guess I should say they will be building one. Right now, it is just an empty field.  I decided it was best to show the location and leave the empty field in the background.

The southwest corner of the Interstate 70 and Ind. 3 will be the home to a new Mr. Fuel station. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

As we were winding down for the day and getting ready to send the paper off to the press, news breaks. A man robbed CVS Pharmacy.

Narcotics officers come down from the roof of Greenstreet Elementary School on Monday night after recieving a robbery report from CVS Pharmacy. A man allegedly threw a bag of narcotics on the school's roof. The bag is being carried away by an officer in the foreground of this photo. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

Here is how it played the next day.

The next morning, I drove to Tri Elementary School to cover a science fair.

Tri Elementary students walk through the gym and look and their classmates science fair projects. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

I then shot a portrait of a kid who is donating almost 50 pairs of his shoes to Haiti.

For something a little different the next day, I photographed a hearse pulling out of a funeral home. The man being cremated was a well know member of the community that road a Harley. So it was only fitting to take him to the grave the same way.

Charlie Williams is led to his grave by a Harley Davidson motorcycle pulling his hearse. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

That night, we kept an eye on the window waiting for the impending snow storm. The next morning, we started getting pounded by snow, accumulating something like ten inches in the next 24 hours.

Driving conditions on Memorial Dr. (Ind. 3) during a snow storm. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

Blowing snow caked onto a street sign near memorial park in New Castle, IN. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

Snow nearly hides a tree from sight in Memorial Park. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

Hay bails and tires sit stacked and snow-covered at the bottom of a popular sled hill in Memorial Park. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

Snow covered roads in New Castle, IN, a few days after a snow storm. This road is directly in front of The Courier-Times office. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

Thank god I bought a Subaru!

This morning I had my first sporting event. Almost all of the games for the weekend were canceled because many of the counties were in a level 3 snow emergency. That means if you travel on the roads and it is not an emergency, you can be ticketed or arrested.

The regional bowling tournament was postponed a day so I shot that briefly this morning. When there isn’t a good vantage point to shoot from in front, it is difficult to make a nice bowling shot. I focused on the coach and team while a teammate was bowling.

Trojans head coach Ronald Ragan (right) watches over his team during the first round of bowling Sunday morning at Rose Bowl for the Indiana High School Bowling Club Regional Tournament. The tournament was scheduled for Saturday but heavy snow in the area left many counties under a snow emergency. (C-T photo Max Gersh)

So what’s next?

Unfortunately, I can’t predict spot news. But I do know my area is set to get another 4-8 inches of snow on Tuesday. I have a feeling more snow photos are in my future.

I love being a photojournalist. I have something different to do every day. It never gets old and it never will.