Hard Times for the Dogs (and Cats)

In the small, but crowded city of a quarter of a million people, there is only one animal shelter. Every stray cat, dog and occasional ferret in Jersey City is brought to the Liberty Humane Society. And there are a lot of animals that need homes. I recently visited the shelter to view their very limited space and resources and see the cats are confined to cages in a single upstairs room. There are not enough beds for the dogs. And in these hard economic times, there are more and more animals are coming in.

However, the shelter is attempting to help itself with a long shot. In an online contest, the Liberty Humane Society is currently second in the rankings to win one million dollars to expand and improve their facilities. They have great reviews from anyone who has adopted from the shelter and run a wonderful facility despite limited resources. I encourage you to visit the contest online and cast a vote for Jersey City.

Click here to visit the contest and help.
And click here to read Lisa Zimmerman's story.

Citizen Journalist

Running along the Hoboken waterfront, I was one of many photographers chasing US Airways Flight 1549 as it floated down the Hudson River. Framed against the Manhattan skyline painted with the setting sun, the scene was surreal to say the least. The entire city seemed to stand still as the plight of the flight unfolded. All traffic came to a stop along the river so people could get a glimpse of the plane in the icy water. Much as we slow to down to look at a car crash, everyone seemed fixated to the could-be-catastrophe. I got my first shot of the plane from atop a firetruck stopped in the middle Park Ave. I ran up to the firefighters frantically asking if they had a view, and they let me stand with them on top of their hoses and ladders.

The shot was through thick trees and too far away for my meager equipment, but it was a start to an interesting spot news phenomena.

While I was happy with some of images I collected, I noticed something about the wealth of photos that surfaced from the incident. I raced back to the office to file a few frames for an online gallery, as The Jersey Journal published some of the very first shots of the plane in the Hudson. But as material came in from the wire, the most engaging images came from the general public shooting from camera phones. There were even photos taken from people aboard the ferry boat that was first to the plane. I was amazed the general public felt the need to document the event, eventually composing a great well of material of the whole ordeal on the Internet. The citizen journalist truly shined that day.

And I for one am thankful. Spot news takes so much dumb luck, it often feels impossible to cover these events that are over within minutes. Spot news might best be left to using the citizen with his or her iPhone, having the brilliant stroke of foresight to record these moments of history through photography. The journalist will always be there to verify and dig deeper within a story. Our focus is between the apparent action and catastrophe, examining the intricacies of the whole story.

Amongst the madness of that day, my friend and fellow Journal photographer Byron Smith photographed a student taking pictures of the plane from the Hoboken waterfront. Byron discovered the kid was actually suppose to be on that flight to Charlotte, NC, but cancelled three days prior. Now that's a journalist at work.

To read Byron Smith and Tom Shortell's story click here.
To view a slideshow of The Jersey Journal's fine photo staff's coverage click here.

Fire Leaves Us Cold

My first day back after a quick vacation, and there is a fire. There seems to be several fires each day in Jersey City, so we often wait for the number of alarms. One and two is a no-go. Three we'll listen closer. Four I'll grab my bag. And five I should already be there. This is not a five-alarm fire, but there are flames. So I grab my bag.

Jersey City firefighters are clamoring all through the three story house, the blaze still licking the back of the building. It is the first scene I have arrived on with real, orange flames. And of course I like the photo without any actual fire in it. But I do think it conveys the horrible beauty of these fires. The courage it takes to fight them, and the cold reality it leaves. No one was hurt, but the blaze left about ten adults and several children homeless two days before the new year.

Below is a slideshow by our chief photographer, Reena Rose Sibayan and myself.

Click here to read the full story by Mike Conte click here.