A return to photographing events in Albuquerque for SWE
The uncanny symmetry in timing of photography shoots continues, as nearly exactly two years to the day, and at the very same hotel, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque, I photographed my first indoor event since the pandemic started! It was a big return too, shooting 10 hours on a Friday and Saturday for SWE (Society of Women Engineers) having one of their WE Local events right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was great to be back photographing a multi-day conference and feeling the energy and excitement of such an event. Plus, I learned a lot too as I photographed the dozens of breakout sessions and the four keynote speakers. I really appreciate Rochelle, a local member, recommending me for this job as she was a former headshot client.
Jessica really likes monster trucks, in particular Grave Digger, and that means whenever Monster Jam comes to town, we go. This time I brought my telephoto lens with me to capture some of the big tire, big air action! They mixed up the event format for the better in my view, getting rid of the ATV race with a motorcycle stunt jumping demonstration. It was my first time seeing that kind of thing in person and those pro riders make soaring through the air for 5 seconds look so easy! Due to the very small size of the venue here in Albuquerque, it is far from the most impressive Monster Jam freestyle competition, but Grave Digger did pull off an impressive nollie (see above) and that really got the crowd electrified.
Early morning portraits from the 3rd hole at Twin Warriors
Events, especially outdoor ones, are starting to come back in New Mexico, and it was a great time making golfing foursome portraits on the 3rd hole of the Twin Warriors Golf Club as part of the 3rd Annual Jennifer Riordan Golf Classic. I was actually working for Junior Achievement of New Mexico who put on a great event and provided me with two great volunteers to help photograph 35+ foursomes that day. Thank you to Lindsay and Jeff for helping out with the photography and to Patricia for choosing me as the photographer for this event!
Secretary of Energy Granholm is all over Albuquerque
Not one, but two events on one day photographing Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico was how I spent a recent Wednesday. These were the first real events I photographed since the pandemic started. The first event was hosted by SWEEP and took place near a residential building in SE ABQ. The spectral lighting made it tough to get good looking photos from a photography perspective, but as you can see from the photo below, my camera was not the only one there dealing with that challenge! The next event was at Kairos Power, which is a new client of mine I did a lot of headshots for just the prior week. This time they invited me back to photograph Secretary Granholm on a tour of the facility. Many of those photos can be used in house only because of the propriety content in them, but I am able to share a few of the tour photos, ending with a creative shot of the Secretary ending a long day in ABQ!
The first event I photographed since the pandemic began
With the goal of bringing more affordable housing to the greater Albuquerque area, Multigreen held a ground breaking ceremony on the west side of ABQ that will develop 40,000 units by 2030 according to the banner used as a background for the group photos. This was the first formal event I photographed since the pandemic started over a year ago. Photographing events like this and also national and international conferences used to be 15%+ of my annual business and some of the photography I enjoyed the most. I look forward to their return, hopefully in the not too distant future.
Sunrise volunteers help the community in New Mexico
Early on a Saturday morning I drove to an area south of Albuquerque to photograph a community event put on by Roadrunner Food Bank and Wells Fargo. This was the first time to photograph an event at sunrise that was not a triathlon for me! In a very short amount of time the team of volunteers and staff setup and organized a very efficient space for giving out three types of food donations. My job was to photograph this in a respectful manner that highlighted the community outreach. Everyone was so friendly and in such good spirits despite the hard circumstances so many are living through now in Covid-19.
Photographing the orchestra at Albuquerque Academy
Now having photographed two plays at Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I am excited about expanding into the area of theatre photography. The latest play I photographed was the final dress rehearsal for Pirates of Penzance (see those photos). Before the performance started, I had a chance to photograph the orchestra getting warmed up in the pit. I had free range to go anywhere in the auditorium, including the catwalk! Also, the lighting changed during the warmup from very bright to the actual dark light level that would be used when the play was being performed. The last photo was of all the musicians out of the bit and on the stage for a clear group photo. I look forward to photographing their next play and of course sharing those photos with you here on Jason Collin Photography.
