“Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” – Chuck Close

I have been feeling extremely uninspired for a while now, completely uncreative and unmotivated to go out and make pictures. When I am busy as hell, swamped with work, and have no time, I seem to always find the time to get out and shoot for myself, work that inspires and drives me, I guess it’s because the creative juices are already flowing. When work is slow and I have all of the time in the world, I do nothing! I find myself sitting around thinking of all of the things I want to shoot, yet doing nothing. Well work has been real slow, and it’s winter, and it’s cold, and I’m uninspired, and blah, blah, blah. I was out Wednesday night and having kind of a crappy night, I came home and sat in front of the TV and thought of the quote from Chuck Close. Screw this! 12:30, I got up, packed up my gear and some very warm clothing and went out to do some light painting. Light painting always cheers me up. For those that aren’t familiar, light painting is basically shooting in the dark or darkish, using a long exposure to soak up the available light, and “painting” in areas with a light source other than the available. For most of the shots below, for example, the exposures are around 4-5 minutes due to the full moon providing good available light, though I have taken other photos with exposures as long as an hour. I then paint in certain areas with a spot light to accentuate or add depth.

There’s something very therapeutic about being out alone in the middle of the night, when the rest of the world is asleep, it’s quiet, it’s eerie, it’s surreal, and for me it’s amazingly refreshing. I have time to think, to reflect, and to be alone with nature and alone with world…and try to make some cool pictures!

I started off driving down to Cedar Bonnet Island, about an hours drive, at about 1am. This was the only thing I planned on doing for the night, a place I have photographed before and wanted to again, this time with some snow on the ground for a different feel. I’ve often thought about doing some seasonal series of pictures, the same or similar photo during each season, inspired by Monet and his seasonal painting series. I got to the sight at about 2am, grabbed everything I’d need, and headed out. The shack, the focus of my pictures, is about 200 yards or so off the road and in the middle of a marsh, which makes for some fun navigating at night as the depth of the water varies and you can easily end up waist deep in water. I was fortunate and only ended up ankle deep for most of the night.

Cedar Bonnet Island 2:20am.

Cedar Bonnet Island 2:35am.

Cedar Bonnet Island 2:45am.

Cedar Bonnet Island 2:55am.

Cedar Bonnet Island 3:00am.

Cedar Bonnet Island 3:15am.

After finishing up at Cedar Bonnet Island, I was having so much fun and getting good pictures and generally feeling so alive that I didn’t want to stop. I drove up to Island Heights to try for more. Island Heights is a small town, not quite a square mile, located on the Toms River and Barnegat Bay. There are a a few broken down docks there on the river that make for some fun photos.

Island Heights 4:20am.

Island Heights 4:30am.

Again, after finishing up in Island Heights, I just didn’t want to stop, I was on a roll and the adrenaline was pumping! I headed to the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, there’s a causeway on Georgia Tavern Road with a great view. I’ve shot here many, many times, the trees coming out of the water have always had a very surreal feel to me, like a Dali painting.

Manasquan Reservoir 5:55am.

Manasquan Reservoir 6:05am.

Manasquan Reservoir 6:15am.

Manasquan Reservoir 6:30am.

As you can see, the first signs of dusk were showing as I was finishing up at the reservoir, so I decided to try to make it to the beach for sunrise. I drove to Ocean Grove and made it about 5 minutes before the sun peaked over the horizon and it was gorgeous!

Ocean Grove 7:25am.

Ocean Grove 7:30am.

Ocean Grove 7:35am.

What a night/morning!!! 7 and a half hours, 140 miles, and some great pictures that I am very happy with, I felt so alive! I need to do this more often, though by the time I got home and to bed I had been up for 32 hours, so maybe next time I’ll spread it out a bit more.

All Images ©2011 Mike McLaughlin / All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

I got a call, from The Star-Ledger, on Friday January 14th, to go to Lakewood for an officer involved shooting. There was very little detail known as I was driving down, just that an officer had been shot, his condition was unknown, and they were looking for a suspect. This is the kind of assignment I have always dreaded, anything involving a death, but especially when it is a cop, everyone is on edge and you show up with a camera, the media, the vultures, paparazzi, etc. You have to handle this situation carefully and respectfully, it is news and the story needs to be told, but I never go in just snapping away.

By the time I got to the scene, or more precisely the neighborhood where it happened as the whole area was closed off, I had gotten word that the officer Lakewood Patrolman Christopher Matlosz, 27 years old, was shot and killed by an assailant who had approached Matlosz, who was parked in his patrol car in a residential neighborhood, and fired on him before he had time to react. 27 years old. There wasn’t much for me to do there as there was no access to the scene, nor would I have wanted access, but I had to be there in case something developed or they caught the suspect. When I got home and checked the web and saw a photo of Patrolman Matlosz, I realized that I had worked with him in the past, dealing with him on assignments. Over the next couple of days I talked with friends and officers from other towns who were friends of his. A real tragedy for many people.

I was fortunate a few days later to get a call from the Asbury Park Press to cover a candlelight vigil held in front of the Lakewood Police Department for Patrolman Matlosz. It was a way for me to be able to honor him in some way, to be there and to document it.

All images ©2011 Mike McLaughlin / All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

For more information and photos check out the Asbury Park Press and The Star-Ledger online. The Press has links to photos from the viewing and funeral on the Asbury Park Press Photographers facebook page.

My good friends Tom Gilmour and Nick Strickland opened their photography/video production/rental studio Bull Dog Clip Productions (The BDC) at 611 Bangs Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Awesome guys, awesome place for photographers of all levels to hang, shoot, learn, and comingle!

Anyway, long story short (kinda), Tom was telling me about t-shirts for the opening with RUN BDC on them, and I had a vision for a shoot with Tom, Nick, and Gabby, their studio manager! So here’s the outcome. (Maybe some outtakes later.)

RUN! RUN! BDC!

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin / All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

I shot a great story this past Friday for the Asbury Park Press about Father and son triathlon team Dave and Blake Ferrell, of Middletown, New Jersey. Ferrell swims, bikes and runs with Blake, who has special needs, competing in marathons and triathlons around the area. Dave pulls Blake in a boat while he swims, pushes his wheelchair during the run, and attaches a special hitch between his bike and Blake’s chair, to ride together. I had the opportunity and fortune to photograph them practicing with the Sandy Hookers club in the Navesink River off Rumson. For the full article, visit the Asbury Park Press.

Dave and Blake Ferrell arrive early at Victory Park in Rumson. Dave has to get Blake’s boat inflated and get Blake ready for the swim before the rest of their club members arrive.

Dave puts sunscreen on Blake before going for their swim in the Navesink.

Dave and his son Luke, 7, launch Blake in his boat for their practice swim.

With Blake in his boat, Dave attaches a waist belt to tow the boat behind him for the swim.

Dave and Blake take off for their practice swim.

Dave pulls Blake in after their practice swim.

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin / All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

Special thanks to Sean Brady for loaning me his water housing for this job!

3 good friends of mine debuted their newest project at the Langosta Lounge on the boardwalk in Asbury Park. Motopipe is Slim Polski on guitar, John Laidlaw on bass, and Erik Schmidt on drums. The trio play a classic surf rock/garage rock sound, covering some classics as well as originals. Great show guys!

Motopipe 6.10.2010 – Images by Mike McLaughlin

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin / All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

These are 4 of 8 recent baseball portraits I did for the seniors of Shore Regional High Schools baseball team.

Clockwise from top left: Shore Regional High School Blue Devils Zach Campi, Matt Marsh, Mark Britton, and Mike Zimmermann.

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin / All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

This weekend was the final game in the high school state championships for lacrosse at Rutgers. Summit High School went up against St. Joseph’s High School (Metuchen). Summit won the game, not only giving them the state championship, but also breaking the state record for most consecutive wins at 45 games! Helluva game!

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin/All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

I got to shoot a couple of Memorial Day events for the Asbury Park Press over the weekend, and thought I’d share some of the photos. The 1st was on Sunday, the 15th Annual Berkeley Shores boat parade and blessing, and a memorial service in the middle of Barnegat Bay. I jumped on the boat with a retired Army Chaplain and a Pastor to photograph the blessings, then I had them call over a Coast Guard boat to take me closer to the memorial service where they veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq to lay a wreath and roses in the bay.

The last photo is from the Lacey Township Memorial Day Parade on Monday. It is of Korean War veteran Herman Gutierrez as he waves to the parade participants as they go by. Herman, who grew up in Colombia, served in Korea with the Colombian Army in 1955. He has since become an American Citizen.

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin/All Rights Reserved. www.mikemclaughlin.com

Nezu-jinja (Nezu Shrine) was established by legendary priest Yamato Takeru no Mikoto. In 1705, Tokugawa Tsunayosi, the 5th Shogun, built the structures that still stand today, one of the oldest original structures remaining in Tokyo. It is located between Ueno and Sendagi, which is where I was staying for my time in Japan, so it was an easy walk from home and I made two trips there during my stay. The shrine is known for its Japanese azaleas (tsutsuji), which are beautiful running alongside torii lined walkways, and wisteria (fuji) gardens, blooming from late April to early May. Otome Inari lays just beside Nezu-jinja on the same grounds. A smaller shrine dedicated to the goddess of rice, Inari, it’s walkways are lined with reddish orange torii gates and fox statues (kitsune).

Later in the evening we all went to Ikebukuro to a Yakiniku restaurant, niku is meat in Japanese, and I think yaki means burnt. There are grills set into the tables, and for about $25 US per person, it’s all you can eat for two hours, they just keep bringing tons of different kinds of meat. It was a lot of fun, as always!

To see more photos, click on the pictures below or go to archive.mikemclaughlin.com > Galleries > Collections > Japan 2010

One of the Heiden (offering halls) for the Otome Inari Shrine.

A walkway lined with Torii gates.

A walkway lined with Torii gates, during the Azalea Festival, makes for a very colorful sight.

One of the Heiden (offering halls) at Nezu-jinja.

Large numbers of Koi and turtles share the ponds on the grounds of Nezu-jinja.

Ayu’s youngest sister Achan (Harumi), and her boyfriend Ikun, who I met for the 1st time that night, nice guy.

Ayu’s mother Miekosan, Yui, Emi, and Ayu.

Satchan’s boyfriend Atsushi and Jim, probably talking about toys or models!

Ayu’s middle sister Satchan (Satomi), and Achan’s boyfriend Ikun.

Ikun, Satchan, Jim, Emi, and Achan leaving yakiniku.

Satchan and Ayu, with Yuika, at Ikebukuro Station.

All Photos ©2010 Mike McLaughlin/All Rights Reserved www.mikemclaughlin.com

We interrupt the previously scheduled Japan updates for some breaking news! I just found out that I was in the Washington Post, well WashingtonPost.com to be exact. And no, it’s not a photo by me, but a photo of me. Washington Post photographer Toni L. Sandys took some great shots of the Washington Nationals at spring training in Melbourne, Florida this past February, and apparently a photo of me shooting portraits of Nationals pitcher Ron Villone made it into their slide show online. Check out the photos at washingtonpost.com I’m photo #38. I’ll be accepting calls from agents next week. ;P