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

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.

My week started off innocent enough. It was the first day that it really felt like Spring outside. I went to Baker Park to make a warm weather feature.

I hadn’t been there for 20 minutes when some kids showed with toy guns - or so I thought.

Kids show up at Baker Park in New Castle, IN with airsoft weapons. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

No. They weren’t real guns. But they were airsoft guns and probably didn’t belong on a playground.

Kids load their airsoft guns on the playground in Baker Park. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

A kid takes aim and fires his airsoft pistol in the Baker Park playground. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

Some parents called 911 and reported these kids. While the kids weren’t shooting at anyone, I think parents were concerned with ricochet.

A New Castle police officer gives a group of kids a warning after concerned parents called 911 to report the use of airsoft guns in the Baker Park playground. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

That was Monday.

Wednesday brought something much more exciting, journalisticly speaking.

I was headed back into New Castle after spending the morning grabbing some shots in Knightstown (which is in the southern part of Henry County). My phone rang. It was my news editor letting me know that an armed robbery had just taken place (but of course it was in the northern part of the county).

I arrived in time to watch officers from Henry and Randolph counties along with Indiana State Troopers  search the bright orange truck that was used as a getaway vehicle and the surrounding property.

Officers from Henry and Randolph counties and state troopers stand in front of the house where two men were arrested Wednesday after a robbery. The truck in the background was allegedly the getaway vehicle. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

After deciding jurisdiction, both of the suspects were transferred into the custody of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department.

John Michael Evans places his hands on his head as Henry County Sheriff's deputies and Indiana State Troopers transfer him into the custody of the Randolph County Sheriff's Department. Evans was caught at his residence after allegedly committing armed robbery in Losantville. (C-T photo Max Gersh) ©2010

The weapon wasn’t recovered until the next day.

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.