DC High Heels Race

One of the most entertaining events in DC happens the Tuesday before Halloween, an event that reaches back almost a quarter century. The DC High Heels Race, a traditional race of drag queens, cross dressers, and spectators, includes a parade of participants followed by a three block sprint (high heels required) to the finish line. Take a look at the always entertaining and always photogenic high heels race at:

http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2008/10/30/News/A.Royal.Race-3515662.shtml

Obama's Last Rally: Manassas, VA

On November 3, 2008, now President-elect Barack Obama took the stage one last time in Manassas, VA for the closing rally of his campaign. Here are a selection of photos from that event.




View in full screen mode to best see the images.

GW College Democrats Campaign in North Carolina

This weekend I spent my time traveling with the GW College Democrats as they bussed down to Charlotte, North Carolina to campaign for presidential candidate Barack Obama as well as senatorial candidate Kay Hagan. Forty students hopped on a bus at GW and 8-hours later found themselves at a YMCA, their hotel for the next 2 nights. They took the streets, canvassing through local neighborhoods trying to drive support for their candidates.

To see the multimedia show that I did on this trip, check out:

http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2008/10/27/News/Democrats.Canvass.To.Turn.North.Carolina.Blue-3507688.shtml

Thanks for watching, stay tuned for a new post on the DC High Heels Race, coming soon!

-Nick

Meet the Girls of the DC Roller Derby

Last weekend I had the chance to hang out with a large group of girls, all of whom could easily kick my ass. On skates.

Meet the girls of the DC Roller Derby, and do so by checking out my new multimedia audio slideshow viewable on the GW Hatchet's website here:

http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2008/10/06/Life/Rollergirls.Take.It.Out.On.The.Track-3471499.shtml

I can't take credit for ALL the photos, I was helped out by the Hatchet's photo editor Alex Ellis and Life section editor Brittany Levine for some of the audio, however most of these photos are mine.

DNC Slideshows

I was lucky enough to travel to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO a couple weeks ago, and after lots of photographic labor I handed my shots over to a very talented couple of people at the GW Hatchet, where I work as the Senior Staff Photographer. I not only shot photos but I also compiled audio clips throughout my trip which as you will soon see drastically changed the way these photos were presented. With the help of the Hatchet's Multimedia Editor Ryder Haske, and the Web Editor Andrew Nacin, the finished product turned out to look (in my humble opinion) far beyond what I could have hoped for. I invite you to view the resulting 4 part series, which can be found at:


http://media.gwhatchet.com/interactive/20080908-dnc/index.html

Enjoy, and keep coming back for what will hopefully be a school year filled with projects just like this one.

Friends and Music

If there are two things that put me at ease, it would have to be good friends and good music. Luckily for me, there was Lollapalooza 2008 to bring these two together this summer. I hopped onto a plane to join the (mostly) men that you will see in these photos, and with downtown Chicago as our backdrop we engaged in what most college-aged kids would refer to as nothing short of "a good time."

While Radiohead and Kanye West were shot to death full of digital frames, I instead opted for the road less traveled. I found my subjects in the friends I knew best. The greatest access given to a kid with a single film camera and a 50mm lens was from my comrads, not backstage with Perry Ferrel. So these photos I dedicate to those that made it possible, those that made it memorable, and those that gave me a pull out couch to sleep on for 7 nights (special thanks to the Bender family).



Please view in full screen mode for the best view of the photos.

Surf Kings

Every summer some of the best surfers in the world come to Huntington Beach to compete in the US Open of surfing. Watching these surf kings twist and cut their way through waves makes it almost look easy, but we all know better. The ocean is their playground, and we are merely spectators to a talent long thought to be reserved for the laid back, the hippies; the beach stoner kids. However, I assure you the guys I saw at Huntington were pure athletes, and here is the proof.



Please view in full screen mode for the best view of the photos.

A Night with Lucha Libre

On July 16 I took a night out of my life to go explore a cultural movement that I knew little about, cared little about, and for all intensive purposes decided that this particular facet of culture was all-in-all unnecessary. I speak of course about the Luche Libre's, the masked Mexican wrestling craze that with a little help from Jack Black became known across the United States, at least in a satirical sense. What I experienced that fateful night however was not the lame fake wrestling (ok... well the whole thing is fairly lame fake wrestling) of the WWF I grew up with, but instead pure entertainment. We have progressed in society from the days of gladiators to simpler forms of beating the shit out of each other, we now do it with glam, with a routine practiced ahead of time, and of course, with masks.

Here is what I saw.



Please view in full screen mode for the best view of the photos.