Monthly Archive for July, 2009

Henry Louis Gates-gate

Published
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Kelvin
on July 28, 2009
in Photojournalism and Uncategorized
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So by now, you’ve most likely heard of all the brouhaha behind the Henry Louis Gates arrest by the Cambridge Police. Like everyone else in the Boston media, Gatesgate took over my life over the weekend as a result of President Obama’s remarks that the police acted “stupidly.”

I’m not complaining — it’s almost like my own personal stimulus package! I worked four-straight days over the weekend.

Here’s a few from the Cambridge Police’s press conference last Friday showing support for arresting officer Sgt. James M. Crowley.

7.24.2009 — CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, left, listens as Massachusetts Municipal Police Association attorney Alan S. McDonald, right, addresses remarks from President Barack Obama on Crowley's arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at a press conference at Hotel Harlowe on July 24, 2009.

7.24.2009 — CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, left, listens as Massachusetts Municipal Police Association attorney Alan S. McDonald, right, addresses remarks from President Barack Obama on Crowley's arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at a press conference at Hotel Harlowe on July 24, 2009.

7.24.2009 — CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Cambridge Police Sgt. Leon Lashley signals to the media his support of Sgt. James Crowley, left, at a press conference addressing remarks from President Barack Obama on Crowley's arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at Hotel Harlowe on July 24, 2009.

7.24.2009 — CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Cambridge Police Sgt. Leon Lashley signals to the media his support of Sgt. James Crowley, left, at a press conference addressing remarks from President Barack Obama on Crowley's arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at Hotel Harlowe on July 24, 2009.

The man behind the moon… landing

Published
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Kelvin
on July 23, 2009
in Photojournalism and Uncategorized
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Just a few portraits from the weekend.

This first one is of Mr. Eldon Hall, who was managing MIT’s Draper Lab when they developed the navigation computer for Apollo 11. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, Hall gave a speech at MIT to show off some of the old school tech they sent up there.

7.19.2009 - WESTWOOD, Mass. - Eldon Hall was supervising MIT's Draper Lab in the 1960s when his team developed the navigational computers for the Apollo missions to the moon. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Hall will be giving a speech at MIT on July 20, 2009, showcasing some of the technology that was used in the original computer. Though he was present for the launch, he watched the actual landing a few days later with his wife, Grace R. W. Hall, from their home back in Massachusetts.

7.19.2009 - WESTWOOD, Mass. - Eldon Hall was supervising MIT's Draper Lab in the 1960s when his team developed the navigational computers for the Apollo missions to the moon. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Hall will be giving a speech at MIT on July 20, 2009, showcasing some of the technology that was used in the original computer. Though he was present for the launch, he watched the actual landing a few days later with his wife, Grace R. W. Hall, from their home back in Massachusetts.

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This next one is of Josh Gerber, owner of the 1369 Coffee Shop in Cambridge’s Central Square. He thought he was awkward and non-photogenic for some reason, but clearly, the man plays well in front of the camera!

7.20.2009 - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Josh Gerber, owner of 1369 Coffee Shop in Central Square, says he enjoys the competition from the Starbucks down the street on Mass Ave. Despite Starbucks' marketing strategy to rebrand itself as a neighborhood coffee shop, Gerber says he expects his regulars to keep coming. "I think people are just starting to get tired of Starbucks," he said. But still, he said his own shop, which he purchased from another owner 7 years ago, owes much to its corporate competitor for making espresso and lattes mainstream.

7.20.2009 - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Josh Gerber, owner of 1369 Coffee Shop in Central Square, says he enjoys the competition from the Starbucks down the street on Mass Ave. Despite Starbucks' marketing strategy to rebrand itself as a neighborhood coffee shop, Gerber says he expects his regulars to keep coming. 'I think people are just starting to get tired of Starbucks,' he said. But still, he said his own shop, which he purchased from another owner 7 years ago, owes much to its corporate competitor for making espresso and lattes mainstream.

I had to photograph him for a story on Starbucks changing their name in their Seattle shops to seem more like a local coffee shop, which would seemingly try to put them at odds with actual local coffee shops like Josh’s. Anyway, relax, Josh! Photos turned out great!

Summer in the City

Published
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Kelvin
on July 21, 2009
in Photojournalism and Uncategorized
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So after literally a month and a half of nothing but rain and clouds, it appears that summer has finally arrived in New England. Swung by my favorite spot in the city — the Christian Science reflecting pool complex — Sunday while on duty for the Herald.

Made a few images by the fountain (IN the fountain, actually), and then back in front of my old stomping grounds in front of the Boston Magazine offices.

7.19.2009 — BOSTON — Nitin Madan brings his daughter, Sanika, 11 mo., of Woburn, in for a splash in the Christian Science Church fountain on Huntington Avenue on a sunny Sunday afternoon on July 19, 2009.

7.19.2009 — BOSTON — Nitin Madan brings his daughter, Sanika, 11 mo., of Woburn, in for a splash in the Christian Science Church fountain on Huntington Avenue on a sunny Sunday afternoon on July 19, 2009.

Some hacky sack, which I haven’t done in about 10 years!

7.19.2009 — BOSTON — Sam Marshall, center, gets ready for his turn with the hacky sack while playing with friends Sean Canedy passes and Lindsay Harris on the lawn of the Christian Science Church on Massachusetts Avenue on a sunny Sunday afternoon on July 19, 2009.

7.19.2009 — BOSTON — Sam Marshall, center, gets ready for his turn with the hacky sack while playing with friends Sean Canedy passes and Lindsay Harris on the lawn of the Christian Science Church on Massachusetts Avenue on a sunny Sunday afternoon on July 19, 2009.

They fought the law, and the law won

Published
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Kelvin
on July 7, 2009
in Photojournalism and Uncategorized
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Back to work for the Herald yesterday!

Over the weekend, nine inmates at the Middlesex County Jail in Cambridge decided to have a little holiday fun and proceeded to destroy the sprinkler system in their cell block, flooding their floor and the floor below. This particular jail is at the top of an old county courthouse, sitting 17 floors up. Makes it hard to escape, for sure, but all that water also knocked out the power, and thus, the elevators. It was not a pretty scene.

I was sent in the day after to get some pictures of the cleanup (Herald story). Most of it was done before I got there, as they needed to get all that water out of there before they could actually do the cleaning. All the inmates were evacuated, as well, except for a few who were on work duty to bag and tag belongings.

Here’s a shot of a few of these guys at work, unidentifiable, of course.

7.6.2009 - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Inmates at the Middlesex County Jail begin cleanup on the 18th floor of the building, where nine inmates flooded the Tiers 18 A and C the day before, in Cambridge, Mass., on July 6, 2009. The inmates broke the sprinkler system, which also flooded onto the 17th floor of the jail with about 9,000 gallons of water.

7.6.2009 - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Inmates at the Middlesex County Jail begin cleanup on the 18th floor of the building, where nine inmates flooded the Tiers 18 A and C the day before, in Cambridge, Mass., on July 6, 2009. The inmates broke the sprinkler system, which also flooded onto the 17th floor of the jail with about 9,000 gallons of water.

Oh, but I wasn’t done, yet. Headed over to MIT to get a quick portrait of some guys who started this company called Ginko BioWorks, which manufactures custom DNA strains. That in itself is not the cool part, but rather the extreme low cost that is now prevalent in the field (Herald story).

7.6.2009 - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Ginko BioWorks founders Jason Kelly, center, and Tom Knight, right, started their biotech company to provide custom DNA manufacturing. Based out of MIT, the company uses robotics, like Sue, the machine in the foreground, and their lab to create specialized strains of DNA or bacteria to their clients. They also have enlisted the help of Mack Cowell, left, to help create do-it-yourself biology kits, or DIY Bio, to help amateur biologists, like Cowell, sequence and study strains of bacteria or DNA they find on their own.

7.6.2009 - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Ginko BioWorks founders Jason Kelly, center, and Tom Knight, right, started their biotech company to provide custom DNA manufacturing. Based out of MIT, the company uses robotics, like Sue, the machine in the foreground, and their lab to create specialized strains of DNA or bacteria to their clients. They also have enlisted the help of Mack Cowell, left, to help create do-it-yourself biology kits, or DIY Bio, to help amateur biologists, like Cowell, sequence and study strains of bacteria or DNA they find on their own.

According to the co-founder, Jason, this robot in the foreground cost them $500 on eBay! As a result, they’re also diving into the field of Do-it-yourself Bio, or DIY Bio, with their friend Mack, left, who calls himself an “amateur biologist.” With costs so low, they’re preparing kits where regular people at home can swab their own cultures that they find, send it out to the lab and get their own DNA sequencing. Cool stuff!