I was a witness to many memorable events in 2016, from several nasty building fires, to extreme weather, to a tragic trench collapse. Here are some of these moments. Photos taken on and off my Boston Herald news photographer shift. Thank you to the Herald, and to my subjects, many of whom are first responders.
Posts Tagged ‘Boston’
My year in Boston photos: Memorable, sometimes sad moments from 2016
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 12/21/2016My fire & ice photos: Boston firefighters work yesterday’s six-alarm fire in Charlestown.
by markadmin Posted: Saturday, 12/17/2016Frigid temperatures and a dangerous windchill hampered Boston firefighters yesterday at the scene of a 6-alarm fire. The building housed 11 residents and a laundromat, which was featured in the Ben Affleck movie, “The Town. My photos were part of my coverage as a staff news photographer at the Boston Herald.
Also, two Go-Fund-Me webpages have been established —-> here & here.
Pictureboston recognized by prestigious Aviation Week Magazine photo contest
by markadmin Posted: Tuesday, 12/6/2016I’m really proud to share this news. I placed 1st and 2nd in the prestigious AVIATION WEEK Magazine photo contest, with two Boston photos from Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Boston police, fire, & EMS personnel care for, then talk man off ledge.
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 11/23/2016A distraught man climbed onto a 4th floor ledge of a local college frat house today. He laid down in a precarious position for almost two hours as Boston police negotiators, EMS, and members of Boston fire’s Technical Rescue crew talked to him, listened to him, and gave him blankets and water until finally climbing onto the ledge and rescuing him. The incident happened at the corner of Hereford and Marlborough streets.
*I chose to publish these on my blog to show the teamwork and overall caring/human approach that the rescuers exhibited.
Holiday time can feel desperate, for many. If you are feeling desperate please call Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
**I have blurred the young man’s face to keep his anonymity**
My Photos & Thoughts on the Deadly Boston Trench Collapse
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 10/26/2016While on the 7th hour of my Friday shift as a Boston Herald staff news photographer, I was summoned to Beacon Hill for photo coverage of the Herald’s Home of the Week. I started that way from Melnea Cass Boulevard, near Northeastern University. While driving on Tremont St., approaching the traffic lights at Dartmouth St., I noticed the leading edge of what appeared to look like an ocean tide encroaching on a beach. This torrent of water, rolling down Dartmouth St., was quite strong. There was no audio from my police/fire radios regarding an event/emergency of this type, but I stopped anyway thinking this was newsworthy and might make for interesting photos. I parked, still thinking that I was going to photograph a short-lived apparent water main break. It was then that I heard police sirens. I started to take photos, but when I came upon the scene something seemed different. A police sergeant told me to leave the street, and the faces of workers, neighbors, police, and shortly thereafter Boston firefighters, told a story of anguish and deep concern. It was shortly thereafter that I learned that one, and then another worker was presumed trapped. Steve Smith, a construction laborer working close by, and who was on a break when he heard screaming, sprung into action as he tried to reach the trapped workers. He tried to enter the hole but dangerous conditions forced him back. I retreated to the sidewalk and watched, then photographed, as he was reaching into the water to attempt to find the street plates covering part of the trench. On his hands and knees he finally found the part of the heavy plates where a chain can be affixed, to then lift with a backhoe. Smith seemed to pause for a split second, as exhaustion and grief overwhelmed him. Boston firefighters used sticks with hooks on the end to try and hook the workers, but to no avail. A very sad day. My photos appeared on page one and inside the October 22, 2016 issue of the Boston Herald.
I tried to photograph lightning late last night during the first and second waves of some pretty hefty thunderstorms. Things did not go as planned, as the lightning became too unpredictable, thus too dangerous. I did get a shot of lightning over the city of Boston, from my perch along the Winthrop coastline. Dejected, I went home and then to bed. Just prior to bed, the weather radar on my trusty iPhone app., was showing a line of heavy storms bubbling-up near the Connecticut/Rhode Island border. These storms appeared to be growing and moving toward Boston. I was too tired and dejected to wait for them, so I wait to bed. Ninety minutes later, at approximately 2:30am, I was awakened by thunder. I noticed that the frequency of the lightning was impressive, with maybe 1 lightning bolt per every 5 seconds. I headed out again but was a bit too late, as I needed some time to get set up (with a tripod, etc,) and to get to my position (trying for a city of Boston skyline foreground). This storm was too fast and the heavy rain, as well, was not helping matters. Finally, thinking the storm was over, it was time to get home and go to bed. Then, my weather app. pointed to some regeneration of the lightning at the tail end, the Southwest end, of the storm. I set up my tripod, Canon EOS 1DX, cable release, and Canon 100-400mm II lens, setting it at 248mm, along the coast of Winthrop. I set the ISO to 50, and my exposure was 5 seconds at F5.6. I do not ever like to “fudge” a photo, so whenever the first burst happens, I then shutdown the camera, thus keeping it real with the one moment of impact. I pointed the camera toward Graves Light lighthouse, and I waited, and waited. Finally, at 3:18am this morning, four large lightning bolts, during a split-second cloudburst, appeared over the Boston Harbor landmark. This photo is almost full frame, as I cropped in from both sides and a little from the top. I have a bit of a too-tight scenario happening at the base of the photo because it was hard for me to tell where the lighthouse and horizon lines were due to the extreme darkness. I was happy nonetheless. Thanks for viewing my site.
Preparations for shooting Boston Light and BIG moon, and the finished product(s).
by markadmin Posted: Wednesday, 7/20/2016I was planning on photographing the moon over Boston Light Wednesday night. Below is the finished product with 3 other photos I shot last night. The moon hid behind haze and clouds for the first several minutes, disrupting my plans to get the moon directly behind the lighthouse. This (below) is the moon at during the first moments that the moon was visible, unfortunately. It just go to show that the best plans are still at the mercy of nature. Very frustrating. When it finally popped up, it was a bit too high for my liking. I will try again to get the pleasing photo that I have been trying for. Prior to the moon shot, I photographed the sun, which was a hot, hazy ball as it was setting over the Tobin Bridge. I also photographed two high altitude planes. I shot all these at Deer Island using a Canon 800mm lens, carried on my back as I rode my bike. HEAVY, for sure. Below the sun and moon photos, are photos of some of the preparations that I needed.
Thanks for viewing, and if this is your first time here, please follow me on Twitter and Instagram @pictureboston.
Stoneham & Boston Firefighters escort home young firefighter shot & killed Tuesday
by markadmin Posted: Friday, 7/1/2016Firefighter David Atherton did not die in the line of duty. That fact didn’t matter this morning to his fellow Stoneham firefighters and his brothers and sisters at the Boston Fire Dept., as they saluted and escorted his body from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Atherton was accidentally shot and killed by a lifelong friend. See that Boston Herald story here.
3000′ separation miles over Boston, as two “ships” pass in the evening.
by markadmin Posted: Thursday, 6/30/2016There is magic above, just look up. Lot Airlines flight LO26, Warsaw-NYC (JFK), flying at 37,975′ passes United Airlines flight UA999, JFK-Brussels, which is at 34,975′. I photographed this at 7:34pm tonight, from my driveway in Winthrop. Scroll down for the very cool radar readout, courtesy of the very awesome planefinder.net.