Portland Trailblazer Portraits

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This should be an interesting year for the Portland Trailblazers. People who know a lot more about the NBA than I do think they'll go far with the addition of Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez. I hope they're right. It'll be fun covering a successful team.

My role during media day was to try and make simple portraits of the players in a very short amount of time while Bruce documented the day for publication immediately on Oregonlive.com and for the next day's Oregonian newspaper.

I think Jonathan Ferrey made the best portraits for Getty Images. I was going to provide a link but they don't appear to be live on the Getty Images site yet. Trust me he did a great job with the light and poses.

Anyway, it was pleasure to shoot these guys...especially Luke Jackson who I've been shooting since his high school days in Creswell, Ore. He's already been in the NBA four years. That made me feel old.

Natchway's TED Project

>This is a letter I received from Natasha at the TED Conference.

Dear Thomas,

This is Natasha Dantzig for the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference.

I'm writing to ask for your for your help in breaking a major global news story on Friday, October 3rd.

This is an important story that has been documented over the last two years by renowned photojournalist James Nachtwey. In 2007, Nachtwey won the TED Prize, an initiative of the TED Conference, which grants three extraordinary individuals one wish to change the world. Winners are given one hundred thousand dollars in seed money, and individuals within the TED community and the world at large participate in making the wish come true.

Nachtwey wished for help in breaking a news story in a way that demonstrates the power of news photography in the digital age. On October 3, Nachtwey's work will be simultaneously revealed online, disseminated through numerous media channels, and projected on monuments and public buildings throughout the world.

How to get involved:
The following link contains embeddable badges, Nachtwey's TEDTalk, and other information related to Nachtwey's wish.
http://www.tedprize.org/nachtwey/bloggers.html
The site will redirect on October 3 to unveil the story.

We're reaching out to individual bloggers around the world with the hope that you'll help us get the word out by posting these items on your site in advance of October 3, and blogging about Nachtwey's upcoming reveal.

Thanks in advance for your consideration, and please don't hesitate to get in touch with me directly with any questions.

Best,
Natasha Dantzig

Oregon v. Washington State

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Bruce and I shot University of Oregon play Washington State University in Pullman this Saturday. It was a blowout like I've never seen before. The light was nice though. It was really quite a let down from Thursday when we shot OSU cream USC.

OSU Beavers beat USC 21-27

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I was there to see the Giant Killers take down number one ranked USC at Reser Stadium last night. It was a great game to shoot. The best so far this season.

Tai Chi

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I shot a Tai Chi class for seniors with arthritis in Eugene. I could see how it would really help the flexibility and balance of a older folks.

On the geek side of things, I used an Aperture plugin called Silver Efex Pro. It's really powerful with tons of super cool looks. This is the Tri-X Film filter. I think it looks very realistic as far as tonality, grain, and contrast.

Noise Ninja Plugin for Aperture

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These two photos show how effective the Noise Ninja for Aperture Plugin is at reducing noise. The file is a from a Canon Mark III shot at high iso. Check out the light colored shadow areas. Very impressive. Click on the link above to get it.

Clackamas Fire

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I headed out late tonight where a fire burned at a lumber yard. Click the link above for the story on oregonlive.com

It was a great scenario to cover a fire because it was right across from the railroad tracks. There was safe access to spot right in front of the fire. There were tons of Looky Lous, but not so bad I couldn't get where I needed to be.

Tom

Beacon Rock

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Even though my Columbia Gorge story has been published, I felt like I needed to include Beacon Rock in the edit. I headed out today and tried to make a picture of the rock. I think I like the night scene the best. I met some very friendly boaters who fed me dinner... Thanks Rick and Sandy! The weather was beautiful and an almost full moon lit the rock. I also shot some film on my Holga and Hasselblad, but you'll have to wait for that.

I was really lucky today with the boaters showing up. Then, kayaker Marvin Owen stopped to camp for the night on the tail end of his 1250-mile trip down the Columbia from Canada to the Pacific Ocean. That's his boat on the beach.

On my drive back I reflected on my day. I felt so fortunate to be doing what I do. When I explained to the people I was photographing that I was actually working, they listened in disbelief. They couldn't believe I was getting paid to be there shooting photos. On days like this, I can hardly believe it myself.

I spent six and a half hours there and I made exactly the photos I wanted to make. It felt great to just be in the moment, meeting people, and making photos. It was great to not be thinking about the industry, buyouts, downsizing, the economy, the war, the election, and the housing market.

My next trip will a climb to the top.

Private First Class Tan Ngo's Funeral

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Private First Class Tan Ngo's Funeral from Thomas Boyd on Vimeo.

I'm sorry for the loss of the family of Private First Class Tan Ngo. From what I heard at the funeral, he sounds like an extraordinary young man. He received a Bronze Star for his bravery and effort. Click on the link above to read the story. This slideshow has sound and is best listened to with headphones.

Leathered up

>Bruce Ely shot this of me from his bike while he had the cruise control locked down so he use his right hand. We went for a short ride last night. The weather was perfect in everyway.

Oregon v. Washington

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Vacation to Seattle

>For the kid's birthday, we took them to Seattle for an action-packed trip that included a Mariner's game. I took a few snaps with the trusty Canon G7 point-and-shoot.

T.J. Ward

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Oregon's T.J. Ward has tattoos on each arm that tell the stories of the two players -- Terrance Kelly and Todd Doxey -- who've died the past couple of years. Doxey died this July. Ward was photographed after practice inn Eugene, Ore., Aug. 21, 2008. Photo by Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

2008-2009 Oregon Ducks

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Here are some of my favorites from the a media portrait session with the Oregon Ducks.

2008-2009 Oregon State Beavers

>I've posted some portraits I shot of some key Oregon State University football players. I'll post the stories as they come in.

Ryan Schick Linked My Blog on aphotoeditor.com

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Ryan Schick works for Condé Nast’s Portfolio.com as the News Photo Editor where he sources all the daily news pictures and develops larger photo essay projects. In an interview by Rob Haggert he mentioned that my blog is one that he reads often. Click on the link above to read the article.

Thanks Ryan! I'm honored. I'll have to start posting more often. I didn't realize anyone but my mother actually looked at this thing.

Actually, because of that link I'm getting many more visits in a day from all over the world. It's been interesting.

Vincent Laforet also linked my blog on his sidebar here: http://vincentlaforet.wordpress.com/

Tom

Coverage of a Tragic Helicopter Crash That Killed Nine Firefighters

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Winning Entries in the NPPA Quarterly Clip Contest. CLICK HERE

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The Oregonian's winning entries from the NPPA Quarterly Clip Contest Winners have posted on the Vision Blog. Click on the link above to see the other winners.

Kids in Twilight

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The light was magical tonight. So I took pictures. It's been awhile since I just shot simple photos of the kids.

Bikini Coffee Company

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I was riding my motorcycle downtown Portland on my way to work and saw bikini clad women selling coffee. I headed back down to make some pictures. OregonLive.com shot a video. It's been on the home page for days, so I'm guessing it's getting a lot of hits. Click on the link above to see the video.