Lets Make A Deal

Shot Rich Sulkovsky for a interesting real estate story on beach bargains and the deals that can be had for The Washington Post this week. Check it out.
www.washingtonpost.com

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Its true.. I had the opportunity to photograph Michael Jackson when he came to the Washington D.C. area years ago. I had all of 120 seconds to make this picture then all the photographers where escorted away from the pit area in front of the stage. But I was able to stay back stage and listen to the rest of the concert. I remember that night, and also where I was the day the Thriller video was aired and of course where I was when I heard the tragic news. I think Quincy Jones summed it up best. Michael Jackson doesn't come around once in a century, or lifetime but only once..R.I.P. Michael Jackson

R.I.P. Kodachrome

Kodak officially announced the discontinuation of Kodachrome in November 2006, however they continued to produce the film in small production runs up until July 2008 when they announced batch #2672, with an expiry date sometime in 2009, would be the last batch.
As part of a tribute to KODACHROME Film, Kodak will donate the last rolls of the film to George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, which houses the world’s largest collection of cameras and related artifacts. National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry will shoot one of those last rolls and the images will be donated to Eastman House. See Kodak link below.

To celebrate the film’s storied history, Kodak has created a gallery of iconic images, including the Afghan girl and other McCurry photos, as well as others from professional photographers Eric Meola and Peter Guttman on its website: www.kodak.com/go/kodachrometribute.

I gave up film and switched to digital back in 2000, but I think a moment of silence is in order for the only film that found it’s way into our music culture.

Yes Paul Simon they are going to take your Kodachrome away.

www.kodak.com

Ringing In Merchandise Work

The Human Rights Campaign needed to have some of their new Summer merchandise shot this week and I was lucky enough to get the work. Pictured is the end result of the photoshoot; a email blast of the Vision Spinner rings. Check out the HRC online store. http://shop.hrc.org/

I am participating in a great fundraiser this summer in support of CAMP Rehoboth, the non-profit gay and lesbian community service organization in the Rehoboth Beach area that does great work for all the people living in and visiting Sussex County, Delaware.
For your $100 Art Ticket, you are guaranteed a small original work of art from one of the 200+ artists participating. If you come to the July 3rd event, the Lotto part is the order in which you get to select your art. If you can't come, buy a Blind Date ticket, and a work at random will be reserved for you. (you may pick it up or it will be mailed)

To buy your LottoHEART or Blind Date Ticket, please go to the CAMP Rehoboth website http://www.camprehoboth.com/. Link to the LottoHEART page where things are further explained (and see the participating artists). From there, follow the link for purchase.

Tickets may also be reserved by phoning 302-227-5620.

Thanks for your support and hope to see you there.

Delaware Beach Life Magazine Annual Photography Contest

Want to be this years winner of Delaware Beach Lifes 3rd Annual Photo Contest?
Click on the link below to learn more.
http://www.delawarebeachlife.com/photocontest/

El Tiempo Interview

I recently was interviewed by Gabriel Pilonieta, Editor of El Tiempo Newspaper. The interview ran in their April 24th editions. Click on link below and scroll down to page 11.
http://www.eltiempohispano.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Abril%2024.pdf

Senator,President, Photographer?

What a wonderful picture that White House Photographer Pete Souza took of The President turning the tables on photographers. Should photographers be nervous if The President decided to get more serious about photography?
To see more of Pete's offical White House Photographs check out Flickr. Its free to sign up and it only takes a couple minutes. Search for The Offical White House Photostream or if you are a member click on the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/

The Decisive Moment

I had a feeling the end of the day might produce a great sunset image up at "The Point" in Cape Henlopen State Park. As I was parking my buggy I spotted a sailboat making its way out of the harbor sailing towards the Harbor of Refuge Light. I grabbed a couple pieces of gear and scrambled down the long sand fence lined path. I quickly opened my monopod, attached my camera and lens and as I looked up there was the picture unfolding in front of me. I got off three frames and then Henri Cartier Bressons "decisive moment" was gone. This image was chosen for "Visual Vacation" (A photographic look at why we live here) in Delaware Beach Life Magazines May issue.
Just who is Henri Cartier Bresson and what is the "Decisive Moment"? Click below link to find out.
www.digitaljournalist.org

To subscribe to or learn more about Delaware Beach Life Magazine click on the below link.
www.delawarebeachlife.com

Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards Video

Hispanic Youth Awards Season

Tis the season, to hop on a Southwest Airlines flight (News Flash!! they now fly in and out of Boston) and travel to over a dozen cites and cover The Hispanic Youth Awards, sponsored by The Hispanic Heritage Foundation. They identify, inspire, promote and prepare Latino leaders through national leadership, cultural, education and workforce programs. I am there with my camera to capture these high school Latino leaders as they receive their award and grant money for their achievements in the classroom and community. This will be my ninth year and what a wonderful journey this has been.
The above picture, was taken during our Youth Award event in Chicago, its Jillian Alyssa Rodriguez who was being presented a gold medallion in the journalism category .
To learn more about Jillian click back on her name.
To learn more about the Youth Awards click on the Foundations link below.
www.HispanicHeritage.org

Photography Post-It's

Check out these neat large scale photography posters that were mentioned in Marie Claire Magazine last month. The article talks about an undercover photographer who goes by the name JR. He's French, part activist and part artist and transforms his photographs into large scale posters and pastes them on city walls to create photo galleries in the streets. His photos are breathtaking and meaningful.

JR is traveling the globe currently and working on a project called, Women Are Heroes. He has traveled to Africa, Brazil, Sudan, and Kenya and soon to India and Asia to take photos of women and highlight their struggles and the violence around them. Every visit he makes, he blows up his photos to be an enormous sized poster to be hung in a highly public space for everyone to see.
Check out his website
http://jr-art.net/

Women Are Heros project;
http://www.womenareheroes.be/?en

Another blog link to JR;
http://56minus1.com/2009/02/things-well-done-jr/

Service members Legal Defense Network 17th Annual Dinner

Every day LGBT service members report for duty. They do their jobs. They do them well. And they risk their lives to protect our freedom even when they are denied those same freedoms here at home. They risk losing their careers because of who they are, but put patriotism above those fears. That courage was honored at The 17th Annual National Dinner and Silent Auction held at the National Building Museum Saturday in Washington DC. Pictured are featured quests; Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) and Major Margaret Witt (Recipient, Barry Winchell Courage Award). Major Witt's military career spanned 18-plus years. The decorated operating room and flight nurse from McChord Air Force Base earned stellar reviews for her work, which included helping to evacuate the nation’s wounded troops and humanitarian missions to aid civilians. In 1993, Major Witt was a poster woman for the Air Force’s flight nurse recruiting program. In 2003, she was awarded the Air Medal for her Middle East deployment and, later, the Air Force Commendation Medal, for saving the life of a Defense Department worker.
Less than a year later, after an Air Force investigation, Witt, a reservist, was drummed out of the Air Force. Her offense: a committed relationship, with another woman, a civilian, from 1997 to 2003 in their home, miles from any military base. In 2006 she filed a lawsuit challenging her suspension as a violation of her rights under the Constitution’s “equal protection” clause. You can find out more about Major Witt and her heroism here.
To learn more about lifting the ban to help repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" click on SLDN's website.
http://www.sldn.org/

Cape Cod's Castle Hill Summer Workshops

I am thrilled to be asked to teach a digital photography landscape course at Truro Center For The Arts Castle Hill this summer. It will be a fun, digitally-energizing, photography workshop for those with previous experience with digital cameras, and computers, who are interested in creating dynamic and beautiful images of Truro in conjunction with Truro's Tercentennial. In addition we will get to know some of the basic digital workflow features of Adobe Photoshop CS3. Photography locations include the beaches of Truro, Highland Light and hikes on Pamet Harbor or Railroad Right of Way, Bearberry Hill and Cranberry Bog Trail, weather and time permitting. A dune tour out to the Peaked Hill Bar and shacks is a optional part of the workshop. The workshop begins with a presentation that covers digital basis's like, mode, white balance, image quality and why we use them plus touches on composition. We shoot (with the pro leaders help) til we get nice sun lit images. Then come back to our classroom, for a demo and handouts on how to download your images, resize and get selects ready for uploading for class and instructor critique. Note: downloading will be done on Macs using CS3. If you dont have Photoshop CS3 Castle Hill has several Mac laptops available for use. Shooting workshops will be scheduled for best morning and afternoon light.
Going to be on the Cape this Summer?
Looking for a excuse to be on the Cape this Summer?
Not a digital photographer? Courses are not limited to just photography. There's something for everybody; Painting, Drawing, Clay, Printmaking, Sculpture, Jewelery & Glass and Writing to just name a few.
Click on the link below to learn more.
http://www.castlehill.org/summer_workshops.html

Natures Best Photography,A Must See

If you have a luv or appreciation for nature you must go see the current exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. called Nature's Best Photography Awards. The images are absolutely breathtaking.This exhibit actually contains the 45 award-winning images from the annual Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards competition. The photography and quality of the pictures is fabulous. So fabulous in fact, some do not even look like pictures but instead paintings. Something I appreciate is each photographer has supplied a caption describing each picture AND provides information on what the animal is doing and how the photographer was able to capture such an amazing image, from what type of camera was used, to what the necessary angles were, to difficulties obtaining the shot. These stunning portraits of plants, animals, and people celebrate the beauty of nature while recognizing the importance of environmental stewardship.
And guess what? If you think you have what it takes you too can submit images for next years contest. Go to the Natures Best Photography website to learn more.
http://www.naturesbestphotography.com/index.php

For $0, this is a perfect way to spend a afternoon or lunch hour.

National Museum of Natural History
10th and Constitution Ave, NW
(202) 633-1000
http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/natures_best_2008/index.html

M.I.A.

May I introduce "Kittypenny". She is a feral kitty that I have been trying to work with so that someday she could be adopted. I am sad to have to tell you she is missing. If anyone here in the Lewes area has spotted her please contact me. (302) 644-4458.
I want to thank the wonderful organizations that have helped me with Kittypenny. The biggest thank you goes to Cathy Woinski who tirelessly devotes helfself to rescuing and adopting out rescued cats and kittens. Just this past summer my kittypenny had a litter of four kittens and it was Cathy that came over right away to help me figure out what to do. We then went about the business of getting Kittypenny neutered. Thats where Pat and Kathy of Just Us came in.They generously had her neutered. And if they hadnt we had the Sussex Mobile Feline Spray and Neuter Clinic that we could have taken her to. This past year I want to recognise and give thanks to the wonderful cat societies and the people that are at the other end of the phone when you call for help in Sussex County and our area of Lewes.

I would like to list the organizations that give countless hours of there time and own money to help rescue, spray, netuer, foster and adopt out all these colonies of cats we have. It doesnt take long after talking to any of these people to learn we have a huge population of cats and colonies and they need your help. Your time, donations of $$, cat toys, bowls, food. But the huge need is for fostering and adopting the cats they or YOU rescue. Please call or email any of them.



Historic Lewes Cat Society
Vivian Barry
http://historiclewescatsociety.org/mission.asp
Kitten@HistoricLewesCatSociety.org
302-645-1575
302-228-4881 cell

Cathy Woinski, works on her own but with all of these organizations.
Lewes,DE.
(302)644-2838


Just Us (A non-profit cat rescue founded by Pat and Kathy)
Rehoboth,DE.
Pat Riordan and Kathy Askew
302-245-7666


Cats Around Town Society,Inc. (CATS) (Mission: CATS assists with trap/neuter/release and offers fostercare for kittens & refers callers to De's low-cost spray/neuter program.
Ocean View, DE.
Sue Peck, V.P. (CATS)
http://www.catsaroundtownsociety.com
email: catsaroundtown@mchsi.com
302-355-9979


Bethany Town Cats (Mission: To Improve the quality of life of Bethany's Feral Cats.)
http://www.bethanytowncats.org/index.htm
info@bethanytowncats.org
302-537-5866


Sussex Mobile Feline Spray and Neuter Clinic
Dr. Jaine Weise
302-945-2561
vettofixem@yahoo.com
Visit SPAYVAN.COM to reserve or call (302) 231-8115

Winter Workshops

January and February have been great to conduct digital photography workshops. Here is a image from one of them that was held in Lewes Delaware. If I have peaked your interest please feel free to call or email to find out when the next ones are scheduled. Summer on-location workshops are in the works for Tilghman and Smith Islands. Look to this blog for more information on those workshops and more.
Rolfe Photography Company
jr@rolfephotography.com
302-644-4458

Music To Our Ears

There were pictures to be made January 20th and here are just a sampling of some of the V.I.P's I had the pleasure of capturing during the "Out For Equality" event; Melissa Etheridge, Sir Ian McKellen, Thelma Houston, Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright. The event was held at the Mayflower Hotel and the event took over the whole hotel. I estimated there were over 2,500 people in attendance and at midnight I felt like I had photographed everyone of them.

EMILY's List Inaugural Luncheon Event

EMILY's List Inaugural "Power To Change" Luncheon. This is one of several events I covered during inaugural week. Pictured is Ellen R. Malcolm, President of EMILY's List and the closer for the luncheon, soon to be Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
To learn more about EMILY's List or to become a member click on link below.
http://www.emilyslist.org/

Hearings,Hearings & More Hearings

October was a busy time for Capitol Hill Hearings. This is Representative Oberstar and Mica holding up a example of what they prefer not to fund during a hearing on "Investing in Infrastructure October 29th.

Trick Or Treat

Definitely a TREAT! Best-selling Author and Personal Finance Expert Suze Orman was honored at the Human Rights Campaign Gala Dinner as the recipient of the 2008 National Equality Award in October. The award was presented by Joe Billone, friend and Avon Vice President to Suze and she was accompanied by her partner in life K.T. To see more images from that night check out Orman's October 2008 scapbook.
http://www.suzeorman.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=SP&SRCN=layout_scrapbook&GnavID=6

Cut Back

Gatey Dawkins makes a beautiful cut-back on a seldom seen site this past summer, a good-size wave worth riding at the Navy Jetty in Cape Henlopen State Park.
Check out Gatey's blog.
http://gateydawkins.blogspot.com/

Tis The Season for Digital Workshops

It is a great time to think about signing up for a Digital Photography Workshop or secure a workshop gift certificate to be used another time. Its just gorejesus out there.

What A Week!

Lot's going on this week with Rolfe Photography. The week started with a Human Rights Campaign email blast of a band photographed during a merchandise shoot I did last month.
By the way you should check out their video on California's Prop 8 Ballot measure and their 12th Annual National Dinner. Senator Joe Biden will be the featured speaker and Personal finance expert Suze Orman will also deliver remarks at the dinner, where she will be presented with the National Equality Award. This would probably be a good time to mention I will be covering that too. Look for those images next week. Link below.
Then off to Washington D.C. to cover Senator Clinton addressing delegates during the Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA) conference.
The week ended with the publishing of Delaware Beach Life Magazines October issue of the winning images in their Second Annual Photo Contest . I along with DBL publisher Terry Plowman and photographer Carolyn Watston were this years judges. The winners along with having there images published in the magazine also won a Digital Photography Workshop with yours truly.

HRC site:
www.hrc.org

Suze Orman Site:
http://www.suzeorman.com/

CSEA site:
http://www.csealocal1000.org/

Delaware Beach Life site:
http://www.delawarebeachlife.com

Rolfe Digital Photography Workshops site:
http://www.rolfephotography.com/workshops/workshops.html

Promising

This week I was front and center with my camera capturing the energy that was in the ballroom of the Capital Hilton being generated by Amercia's Promise Alliance Action Forum. They are a partnership alliance committed to seeing that children experience the fundamental resources they need to succeed – the Five Promises (caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others) – at home, in school and out in the community. Pictured is founder Alma Powell. You might have heard of her husband General Colin Powell.
To learn more about the great things they are doing click on there web site.
http://www.americaspromise.org/APA.aspx