Split Second Staccato

new blog

2011-06-21T22:59:00.003-06:00

I've moved my blog over to djamilagrossman.com/blog where you can also see my new website.
thanks for visiting.

birds love flooding

2011-05-13T16:17:00.001-06:00

track

2011-05-13T16:10:00.002-06:00

arizona immigration

2011-05-08T23:03:00.003-06:00

Mesa's main street feels forlorn. the part that houses the hispanic stores and businesses, that is. the impact of sb1070, the immigration bill passed last year, can be partially measured by looking at the empty strip malls and boarded-up storefronts. this is the backyard of russell pearce, the senator who introduced the bill and who is the public face of the immigration debate in the state. he is proud of this impact, "they're leaving in caravans," he said. but others aren't so thrilled. a recall petition is gaining ground in the neighborhoods, and fellow republican lawmakers are turning their backs on him. it used to be a potential model for how to handle utah's immigration woes. a year later some in mesa are looking at our approach, the utah compact, as something possibly more fitting for their state. the lds church also plays into this story in interesting ways. a great read. here.

CONCACAF

2011-04-30T12:02:00.003-06:00

2011-04-25T22:52:00.001-06:00

Dawa Chodon, 10, carries a piece of cake during a candlelight vigil held by Utah Students for a Free Tibet for the 22nd birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, at the City County Building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday, April 24, 2011. The Panchen Lama and his family have been missing for 16 years since their abduction on May 14, 1995 by the Chinese government. As the 2nd highest Religious Leader of Tibet after the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama plays a significant role in Tibet’s politics and history. Official reports from the Chinese government claims he is safe and hidden for his safety, however he has not been seen since he was abducted.

easter sunday

2011-04-25T22:51:00.001-06:00

recovery

2011-04-25T22:43:00.002-06:00

Stephen Pio hangs out at his family's home in West Valley City, Utah, on Saturday, April 23, 2011. The 9-year-old recovers from injuries after he and his sister were hit by an SUV while crossing a Kearns road in February.

kit-hae

2011-04-25T21:19:00.002-06:00

meows coming from a phoenix backyard last week. kitty had been sleeping under a tree and stepped out into the sunlight. snap.

Cowboy Poetry for NYT

2011-04-11T22:52:00.002-06:00

The Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nev., has been the recent subject of budget wars in Washington. They put on the annual Cowboy Poetry Festival and have a huge archive of cowboy-related documents and media. They only receive a small amount of their funding from federal sources but politicians have used it in their tug of war between left and right nevertheless. Story here.

conference (and lots of it)

2011-04-04T22:39:00.003-06:00

fatty

2011-04-04T22:27:00.003-06:00

Sadie, a Samoyed, was 30 pounds overweight when her owner got her from the shelter. With some exercise and diet the dog lady had lost 15 of them six months later. This giant fur ball of a dog was the sweetest thing I had come across in some time.

2011-04-04T21:30:00.004-06:00

big**s bridge on wheels being moved in the dead of night.

toooor!

2011-04-04T21:25:00.002-06:00

First game of the year. RSL beat Galaxy and I was happy to shoot fussball again.

day-to-day

2011-03-26T17:30:00.001-06:00

now that the wonderful iphone has brought me back to shooting a lot here and there I'm actually considering taking a real camera out with me again.

Tucson

2011-03-26T17:27:00.001-06:00

went back to the old home for a few days for ncaa. beautiful and confusing and happy-making.

The Trio

2011-03-26T17:20:00.003-06:00

Daniel Day Trio portrait when I thought I was shooting a show of theirs and had neither lights nor location figured out but then things are never the way you expect them to just gotta make the best of it and these guys were very patient with me and my long exposures and Mike's clunky tripod that saved my life.

more iphone bonanza

2011-03-24T00:56:00.000-06:00

how do they do it?

2011-03-21T12:52:00.004-06:00

military homecoming after 12 months in afghanistan.
no idea how families deal with it, it must be incredibly hard.
i tried to put myself in the shoes of the woman who was crying so hard when she saw her husband. i couldn't even bear it. it brings tears to my eyes now. the girl below would not stop sobbing as she was holding her dad. and this is even supposed to be the good part, the happy end if you will. what about those who aren't coming back and their families....

GAGA

2011-03-21T12:14:00.002-06:00

I've always dismissed lady gaga as some pop culture phenomenon i'm not really interested in, in part because i'm not into her music in the first place. it was awesome though to see how open minded the fans were i mean when is it ever a cool thing in mainstream utah to see someone dressed up in drag?! the people seemed from pretty wide ranging social backgrounds yet the atmosphere was incredibly relaxed and friendly. you could see how lady gaga's appearance had a huge impact on how these people thought about being different and celebrating that. loved it.

one more aggie

2011-03-21T12:10:00.000-06:00

utah tea party people for NYT

2011-03-19T13:39:00.003-06:00

During the interviews I loved hearing how these people got into politics. whether you agree with them or not, the tea party has been quite the movement and I guess I was struck by how normal everyone was. Family moms, business owners, a young and inspired lady. dudes and dudettes, basically. it interested me and I guess with the photos I wanted to show that they're not shiny people sitting in big offices. but like everyone else, they're trying to make a difference.

did he know

2011-03-19T13:10:00.003-06:00

Utah State University basketball coach Stew Morrill watches his team during practice at the University of Arizona McKale Center during the NCAA tournament, in Tucson, Ariz. He wasn't too impressed with their performance then and I doubt he was impressed when they lost against Kansas State the day after.

kid, ducks, calls

2011-03-19T13:04:00.003-06:00

Tate Douglas, is a duck and geese caller. Sounds like a real duck that's quacking at the top of his lungs into an amplifier. So loud neighbors called the cops once.

lent

2011-03-19T12:56:00.002-06:00

The people were nice and the light was nice and the music was great but for the life of me I couldn't find a good angle to shoot from inside. So I left. Taize Vespers at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley. Shot through the rainy glass doors from the outside in.

2011-03-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

we thought winter was over. and then, one morning....

telefon kamera

2011-03-07T01:22:00.003-07:00

Though late, I finally traded in my ancient flip phone for an iphone. This week I tried the hipstamatic and I find it astounding that you can point it at almost anything and get an interesting looking photo out of it. it's nice to shoot for fun again without having to carry around that big fat clunker I use for work. here's a few days worth...

granite hot springs for NYT

2011-03-06T17:43:00.006-07:00

the only way to get to the springs near jackson, wyo. is to take a snowmobile, skis or dogs on a 10-mile trek. it was somewhere around -20 degrees out and the plastic buckles on my camera bag broke off when i tried to close it. duct tape crumbled into little pieces and i looked like a suicide bomber with camera batteries wrapped in pocket heaters strapped to various parts of my body. it was beautiful and magical and I only wish I would've had a chance to jump in the water...story here

DeChristopher trial + rally for NYT

2011-03-06T16:56:00.004-07:00

belly galore

2011-03-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

dancers on stage

2011-03-05T17:50:00.002-07:00

refreshing to hear leaders of faith talk about immigrants as people, not as those green things with antennae that descend upon us from outer space, as politicians like to call them...

funding cuts deep

2011-03-05T17:43:00.002-07:00

they have to cut money somewhere and once again those who are economically the most fragile and socially the least powerful will end up on the chopping block. federal funding for head start, below, and other social programs in utah currently is up in the air.

2011-02-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

carving the owl quest

hs hoops

2011-02-27T03:07:00.001-07:00

2011-02-27T03:02:00.002-07:00

distracted
from game action
me

2011-02-27T03:00:00.003-07:00

city library hula hoop

vietnamese new year hula hoop

florence welch for nyt

2011-02-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

Drill Team Champs

2011-02-05T17:21:00.001-07:00

2011-02-05T16:55:00.001-07:00

exhausted.

2011-02-05T16:31:00.002-07:00

Nicole Simoneau, 22, a junior at Utah State University, carries her son Kemper, 1, across campus during gymnastics practice in Logan, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. After having the child, Simoneau returned to competitive gymnastics soon after.

2011-02-04T00:51:00.002-07:00

The Vietnamese Community in Utah is celebrating the Lunar New Year with a big festival. Emily Nguyen, 10, and other children hold up branches with flowers as they practice a dance they will be performing during the festival, at Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple in Taylorsville, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011.

rally for beau

2011-02-04T00:37:00.002-07:00

A rally in support of Beau Babka who was charged with misusing public money while running for sheriff. Well, he filled up his car's gas tank using public money, so that would be $30, roughly...? Then Babka came and talked and everybody got emotional and you stand there and don't know what to think and in my opinion that's a good thing. There are at least two sides to nearly everything and it's good to be reminded of that.

aaaaand one more sundance

2011-02-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

Chess grandmaster Alexander Shabalov plays chess with Andrew Roach, 8, of North Salt Lake, at the Thomas Kearns McCarthey Gallery in Park City, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. The event was organized by the World Chess Hall of Fame and Museum to support the premiere of Bobby Fischer Against the World, during Sundance Film Festival.

heche

2011-02-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

Anne Heche talks to the media before the premiere of her movie Cedar Rapids, at the Eccles Theater, during Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011.

going home

2011-01-27T09:05:00.001-07:00

When they learned that bus service would be canceled at Sunrise Elementary in Smithfield, parents banded together to run their own bus service. Sunrise student Julia Chambers gets out at the bus stop in Smithfield.

my kinda sundance

2011-01-25T18:07:00.004-07:00

I was drawn to the events outside the confines of the red carpet press prison...ha.

Micha

2011-01-24T16:09:00.011-07:00

I saw the ring at last but had long ago made up my mind. It's not a decision that comes about in a whim, nothing changed when I said yes. It's more that every day creates a stronger bond like fingers that clasp tightly around each warm memory. You know it's right when to reciprocate means more than to receive and forging plans together means not giving up who you thought you were. It's a growing certainty made from little moments that stick and burn themselves into becoming us. The ring, the canyon, the embrace was a celebration of what has been and all that is still to come.

AZ

2011-01-24T16:04:00.003-07:00

Took a few days with Micha to go down to Arizona, drive insane amounts and try and come back in one piece. It was a beautiful trip through the backcountry.

found

2011-01-24T16:02:00.001-07:00

from maybe a year ago or so. been meaning to blog it and forgot.

snakes for nyt

2011-01-23T11:23:00.003-07:00

Usually we don't ever get asked if we're comfortable with the assignments we're about to photograph. And then, I would have answered the question "Are you afraid of snakes?" with a "Nah," even if I had been terrified of them.
I never knew snakes could stare at you, follow you with their eyes from their bed of dry saw dust. When they don't slither about or flick their tongues but just tense their long bodies and lay with a motionless stare there is a little rabbit within that would prefer using a very very long lens and then get the hell out. "It's your red jacket," said Jeremy Stone and laughed as his hand rested on his favorite albino boa constrictor. A few feet back another one had snapped at the clear plastic wall of its box as I walked by --"tock tock," after which I decided not to press my nose against any of these cages to watch their habitants from up close. It was feeding day and the snakes were hella hungry. Hundreds of them, in small boxes filled with dry saw dust, their bodies tense, with flickering tongues. It's the photo you want to see through your lens that draws you closer and makes you forget about yourself. You compose and preconceive and become entangled in the movie that's playing just so close to you. It's intimate and the reason why I would never say "No" even if I had been terrified of them. Which I'm still not. Story about Jeremy Stone and his snakes here.

Lee in DC

2011-01-14T18:03:00.002-07:00

Mike Lee and his family spent the day at the Capitol where the newly elected Utah senator was sworn in.

2011-01-13T14:59:00.001-07:00

more feature huntings

more features

2011-01-04T13:03:00.002-07:00

snow, sledding and hot chocolate -- these guys looked like a utah ad. everybody flocked out into the mountains in the last few days, when the sky finally changed to blue after looking like grey gooey sauce for the longest time.

finding snow

2011-01-02T13:46:00.002-07:00

the dreaded feature hunt that most of the time ends up actually being pretty fun...

sf artifacts

2010-12-27T13:34:00.002-07:00

Spent a few days in SF a few weeks ago, for a story on the ancient indian pottery market. Gov. raids here have turned this into a controversial topic and we weren't usually greeted with open arms over there. It was interesting, exploring a world I never really knew existed. Story here

last christmas

2010-12-26T15:27:00.003-07:00

by the time christmas rolls around, I'm usually tired of anything to do with it. this year it was really nice, though, and this assignment on christmas day also was more real than the 'santa is visiting' stories i get so sick of. this was a refugee family from africa -- one of over 100 in our area that received clothes, toy and food donations. story here.

alicen

2010-12-26T14:49:00.004-07:00

daniel and shyanne and their baby alicen have spent over a month at the newborn icu at primary children's in salt lake.
we spent a little time with them for our a story in our faith section, here. slideshow. be patient.

Merry Christmas/Frohe Weihnachten

2010-12-25T08:46:00.001-07:00

from pet santa. ruff ruff

2010-12-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

Under the new healthcare law, Becky Smith can finally purchase insurance for her 12-year-old son Nathan who has epilepsy. But she recently found out that adding Nathan to their family policy will cost more than $1,000, nearly doubling their monthly premium. Smith plays with her children Savannah, 1, Ryan, 3, and Nathan at their West Jordan home, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010.

bret michaels @ bret michaels

2010-12-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

posing for santa

2010-12-14T21:33:00.001-07:00

mark and britnee cutting onions for crying portraits at terry gross.

for nyt: hep c

2010-12-14T14:36:00.002-07:00

Robert Davis contracted Hepatitis C while working in the Navy in the 1970s. The disease has nearly destroyed his liver and side effects from drugs have caused the discs in his back to degenerate. Davis watches television at his home in Ogden, Utah, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. Audio and more photos of Davis and other Hep C patients here.

mitchell trial

2010-12-13T12:52:00.003-07:00

spent the last two days of the trial in front of the court house, as part of a giant media frenzy surrounding the case. the photo with the pieces of paper is how the reporters inside the court house told us about the verdict - phones and internet aren't permitted in there. though freezing and rainy, it was really interesting to be there and watch everything unfold.

2010-12-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

People light their candles to commemorate World AIDS Day at the City County Building in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010.

2010-12-13T12:46:00.001-07:00

hatch. veterans day.

DREAM prayer

2010-12-13T12:33:00.003-07:00

a few days before the dream act made it through the house some people came together to pray for its passage. i don't think very many of them thought it would really happen.

2010-12-13T12:30:00.002-07:00

i like dogs. remember?

eating up delicate

2010-12-12T09:38:00.008-07:00

Lensche came to visit and on day two got to experience the full extend of my job. what was planned as a quiet weekend at home with her, turned into a pretty exciting trip to moab to cover the manhunt for the guy who shot park ranger brody young. In the end we took some time to hike up to delicate arch, which I'd never seen. It was beautiful and she was beautiful and the time we spent was beautiful as well. And that's the explanation for the photos below. slideshow, be patient.

golden hair

2010-12-11T22:24:00.002-07:00

waiting outside the courthouse at night during the mitchell kidnapping trial.

Lensche and the snow

2010-11-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

2010-11-24T22:08:00.002-07:00

jeremy johnson was not only cool because his name combines those of my current and past photo editors and therefore it was incredibly easy to remember. he also took me up in his helicopter through the rising icy morning sun and into tiny monticello air strip to get gas. yes, and he searched for days for the guy who tried to kill his friend.

2010-11-24T22:07:00.001-07:00

feature hunt before the cold plucked the last leaves off the trees.

2010-11-24T21:59:00.003-07:00

spent the last weekend in moab, following the search for the guy who shot down park ranger brody young on friday. grand county sheriff jim nyland had to face us bi-daily and feed the media beast despite him often having not much new to say. now, almost a week later, there's still no man.

2010-11-24T21:58:00.002-07:00

byu v usu. byu won.

“Nothing is ever the same as they said it was.”

2010-11-24T19:08:00.003-07:00

Self Assigned.
We had an exhibit up in Park City a few weeks ago. Above is half a quote from Diane Arbus and we had 48 hours to come up with four photos to match it. We means Trent Nelson, Mike Terry, Erik Daenitz, Grayson West, Mike Friberg, Tyler Cobb and I.
The assignment was a refreshing departure from what I usually shoot and sort of pushed me to think different I guess. Maybe it just happened because I didn't have any other, better ideas. Anyway. This is what I came up with and because the photos look a little less obvious than what is usually posted on this blog, there's an explanation below each photo and in the end if you're interested.

life, chaos, days fly by, my grandmothers' jewelry and dress and wisdom, it'll be over before we know it
self image, moving around and feeling my body, being happy and content but also obsessing over it
love, life with micha, our apartment, hopes that we'll stay together and fear that we won't
creativity, photography, letting the mind flow and stressing that it's not flowing well enough and that it's really only as creative as a rock and before long people will notice

The things I love most in life are also what I'm most concerned about.
From the outside they may seem exclusively positive, enviable even. I think as a society we do that. What we say about people is mostly what we can tell about them based on their outward appearance: they have money, a phd, a good job, are well-read, creative, a happy family, have tons of friends, and so on.

But I realize more and more that what I'm most attached to I am also incredibly tormented about, which is really hard at times. Photography is an example many of us can relate to. I don't know how many times I've been torn up and feeling terrible about my photos, doubtful, fake, and just ready to run away from it all. Anyway. I love it too. So that's why I stick with it.
The photos are trying to represent that chaos. They are collages from all the things I associate with a topic, stuck on top on each other in photoshop, voila.

2010-11-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

girl love in ogden.

2010-11-15T00:58:00.002-07:00

a show against bullying/homophobia/racism and anything along those lines put on at rose wagner that was so moving i had to hide behind my camera and stay busy so i wouldn't plop down on the ground and cry. one of those times when you leave and the world feels different somehow.

2010-11-15T00:57:00.000-07:00

vet parade in ogden

oh hanging out...

2010-11-08T22:33:00.005-07:00

it's been a while since i've just spent time with someone, trying to figure out who they were as much as looking for photos.
i could feel it in my bones rolling up to that family's house. it seems that seeing for me comes with having time to absorb, feeling thankful for being let into someone else's life for a while. three hours of having dinner and playing outside gave me a good dose of happiness. maybe a lot of the time we're looking for something extraordinary to document. but normality is so moving. we dream of heroes and award those who stand out. but people content with what they have teach me so much more. hanging out provides me that chance of seeing things for what they are, quietly, and celebrating them. it's a slideshow below

kitty!

2010-11-08T22:27:00.002-07:00

picture this: tiny kitty teeth trying to eat your camera strap and clawing at your fingers. cute. meow. assignment on foster kitten almost had me bring some home. more than one, I mean. while I always feel awkward and slightly out of place around human babies, little animals make my heart explode with love immediately.

2010-11-08T21:55:00.003-07:00

park city mayor dana williams and his buddy now run a guitar shop/coffe shop/hang out there. excuse me, but that's soooo park city...ha. awesome.

before they knew

2010-11-07T23:29:00.001-07:00

tailgating before the utah - tcu game in which we got killed.

after

2010-11-07T23:12:00.003-07:00

volleyball
one thing i admire about athletes is their ability to fight until the end. many times it doesn't matter and their team still loses. but every once in a while i've personally called a game but then the other team turns it around and wins. i don't think i would ever have that persistence and competitiveness in me. it's cool to watch though and it seems good teams don't give up until the clock stops running. i wonder if this makes sports so appealing: it's like life in a format your mind can actually grasp. sometimes it calls your game and you can't do a damn about it. but then sometimes - as in sports - you try harder and come back stronger.

before

2010-11-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

volleyball

bison vol., uhm 4?

2010-11-02T23:57:00.002-06:00

I've shot a lot of bison since moving to utah, it seems. two round-ups, vaccinations, ear piercings, calfs, bulls and lady bison, going wild, being calm...anyway. this time i rode in the roundup, which was awesome. frenchy, my 20+ year-old horse was a little sleepy at times but then i could let go completely and focus on shooting. he didn't go chasing after the bison. or away from them either. yes, so that was good.

too broke to go green

2010-11-02T23:55:00.001-06:00

The Green Building Center, which focused on environmentally friendly and energy efficient building supplies, had to close because business dropped with the housing market. Owner Ashley Patterson poses for a portrait at the empty store in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010.

apples

2010-10-28T12:39:00.003-06:00

fruitshare in the avenues. volunteers pick and keep some too.
it's a slideshow.

standing tall

2010-10-28T12:25:00.002-06:00

gov. herbert on the campaign trail with former nba player shawn bradley now running for utah house.

xc

2010-10-28T12:23:00.002-06:00

quick legged runners on probably one of the last warm days this year.
slideshow.

weather

2010-10-27T21:22:00.001-06:00

of which we've had a lot lately

booster class

2010-10-27T21:19:00.002-06:00

where the kids go that just came to the country so they can catch up quickly. this one with mrs. martinez was awesome.

philpot

2010-10-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

wants pelosi fired.

2010-10-21T01:13:00.001-06:00

nickelback. three songs and out.

2010-10-21T01:12:00.001-06:00

stephanie and lucy on the front steps

balloons

2010-10-21T01:09:00.001-06:00

a saturday when everybody wanted to release some...

take yer country back

2010-10-21T01:06:00.001-06:00

morgan philpot and mike lee on tour for votes

herriman reseed

2010-10-21T01:02:00.000-06:00

abandoned smelter tintic mine with snorkel pool adventure

2010-10-12T17:07:00.002-06:00

ausflug with micha, jason, mark and britnee.

quiet and numerous

2010-10-09T14:20:00.006-06:00

Several thousand lgbt supporters formed a chain around Temple Square to protest recent remarks by LDS apostle Boyd K. Packer that same-sex attraction is "impure and "unnatural." (click on image for more photos)

choir of the madeleine

2010-10-05T13:34:00.001-06:00

last one for today.