I recently found out that, the image I took of then Sen. John McCain’s visit to Adluh Flour in Columbia, SC during his campaign for the Republican Presidential Primary while on assignment for the Associated Press has been selected for a traveling photo exhibit by the AP titled The American President. I feel extremely honored for my image to be selected for this exhibit since, “The photos in this exhibition are drawn from the AP Images photo archive, which contains more than 10 million film and digital images and is one of the most extensive collections of news and documentary images anywhere,” according to the exhibit’s official promotional flyer released by the AP.
Additionally, I am the only freelance photographer whose work is contained in the exhibit, all of the other images were created by some of the best AP staff political photographers of all time, and I feel honored for my work to be chosen to be displayed side by side with the work of photographers of that caliber.
To request interviews or speakers, to request use of photos from the exhibit or to book an exhibit for display, contact AP Corporate Communications at 212.621.1720 or visit http://www.ap.org/americanpresident
Tags: ap, associated press, exhibit, feature, flashnick, McCain, photo, photography, politics, president, traveling.
When I was asked by a client to photograph the No.1 ranked team in High School Football, in the entire nation, I wasn’t sure what to expect, just another high school football game, or something unique. What I saw, the players on the James F. Byrnes Rebels bring to the table is the simple fact that even those a the top of their game have an off night, it is just in how you handle those setbacks that seem to make the difference in champions and everyone else.
The, Rebels, began their season ranked No.1 in the USA Today Super 25, and after last night’s game, now stand at 2-0. But last night’s opponent, Ridge View, turned out not to be the pushover that many expected. With six turnovers (4 of them by the quarterback Chas Dodd in the first half alone), the final score of the game was 45-20. Even with the Byrnes offense not performing at their best, when things clicked, the athleticism and work ethic of these players really came out, and was something amazing to see.
I don’t know if this will be my last high school football game or not. I’m really starting to dread having to deal with the dis-organization, and egos, and professionalism (relating to the organizers, and officials) that go along with covering these sporting events. Its really sad that all of the positive efforts put forth by these kids and their coaches, gets tarnished, because the adults involved can’t seem to play nice, be professional, or act their age.
Tags: action, assignment, byrnes, football, game, high school, locker, photo, prep, sport.
I just wanted to take a minute to post my favorite images of the Democratic and Republican nominees for president that I had the opportunity to make while covering their primary campaigns, and share a few things I learned during my time with them.
(AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)
Above: Sen. John McCain, R-Az., right, and his wife Cindy McCain, left, wait behind a large American Flag, to be announced at an event in Columbia, S.C., on April 26, 2007.
(Brett Flashnick/WpN)
Above: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., makes a grand entrance into the Columbia Convention Center, during his first visit to the south, on Feb. 16, 2007.
Overall I think the most important thing that I learned along the process is that the relationships you make are crucial when you are in situations like this. When you cover something as large as a political campaign (especially those of the top tier candidates), you are often subjected to being part of pack journalism. Something that I personally detest, since it greatly tends to limit the amount of creative freedom you have to photograph the events as you truly see them, and find real moments which is something I truly value. I found out early on that taking the time to build relationships with the candidates staff, interns, and advisors, the same way I would with a regular client, I was able to put myself in better positions to make the images that I wanted. After the relationships and trust were established, convincing advisers, press spokespeople, and staffers to let me make the images I wanted to was a much easier thing to achieve, and once I got to know the candidates personally it resulted in me being able to photograph them as I saw and perceived them, and by the end of it I had the campaign staffers trying to help me make the images that I wanted to, and the best part was I got paid to do it. In my book that is a win-win situation all the way around.
Tags: campaign, journalism, lessons, photography, photojournalism, politics, primary.
I just wanted to make a quick post to let everyone know that I have not forgotten that this blog exists. Things have been very busy lately, both shooting and business wise. I’ve got a lot of new things that I’m working to make happen before the end of the year. I’m making plans to start doing a lot more tutorial posts here on the blog (even some with video).
Over the Labor Day weekend I started working with Marshall (the best web programer I know) over at
Fun Sun Studio on version 1.1 of my website, and I’m really stoked to see what he has come up with. I’m busy adding new content to the framework of the site, making design nit picks, and he’s slaving over a hot keyboard to make the changes like a champ. Here is a quick preview of what we’ve got going on…
Goodbye Flash… Hello JavaScript… This is really exciting for a wanna be techno geek like me. But I haven’t been spending all of my time in front of a computer screen… I have gotten out, and made some images lately. Here are just a few that I shot the other night as the University of South Carolina opened up their season on ESPN’s Thursday night game, against North Carolina State (this is for Angie my new blog bud over at
OH MY GOFF! who is a Gamecocks fan, but now lives in D.C.) I hope you all enjoy…
Above: USC starts their opening drive after receiving the kick off from N.C. State at Williams-Brice Stadium, in Columbia, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.
Above: South Carolina, quarterback, Tommy Beecher, right, takes a snap in the shot gun formation during their opening drive against N.C. State, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.
Above: South Carolina, tailback, Mike Davis, 25, left, gets a fist full of N.C. State, corner back, Jeremy Gray’s, right, face mask, while trying to stiff arm.
Tags: carolina, college, Columbia, design, football, Gamecocks, stadium, usc, website, wolfpack.
Above: South Carolina, quarterback, Tommy Beecher, right, takes a snap in the shot gun formation during their opening drive against N.C. State, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.
Above: South Carolina, tailback, Mike Davis, 25, left, gets a fist full of N.C. State, corner back, Jeremy Gray’s, right, face mask, while trying to stiff arm.
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