ANTOLINO

OLGA

KYCIA

TA’VIS

CORE VALUES INSTALLATION

Due to popular demand it is back and this time — I made the front cover!

We were very excited to buy a home this year and become permanent members of the Summerville community. With home ownership comes responsibilities, like growing up, so we decided to have a formal family photo taken by the tree. We would all dress up, set the camera on a tripod and use the timer to capture our first family portrait in our new home. What could go wrong?

Honestly, I don’t know of any other portrait in the world that captures the true personality of a family better than this. The kids were along for the ride but Chris was very instrumental in the concept. She wanted the perfect family photo gone wrong.

The program is a combined effort of the Leadership Dorchester class, Slow Food Charleston, the Woodlands Inn, Trident Technical College and Alston Middle School to teach a healthy-eating initiative that would eventually expand to other schools.

The Leadership Class is hosting a fundraiser to benefit the healthy eating program at the Woodlands Inn. For $25, you can partake in an All You Can Eat Lowcountry Boil, special tastings from six selected restaurants, a silent auction, cash bar and live music. Oh, did I mention you can meet 2011 Miss South Carolina who will share her own story of weight loss. The CHEFS Fest will take place at The Pavillion at the Woodlands Inn in Summerville from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, September 29.

I’ll be honest… I burn water. Sometimes I like to stretch my creative culinary skills and make a PB&J. It’s not that I don’t like to cook, I just lack the basic skills. I was obviously the odd man out recently when I spent some time taking pictures of the new sous chefs at Alston Middle School.

They certainly looked the part as they arrived dressed in their bright-white uniforms carrying large kitchen utensils. We spent the morning taking pictures in the cafeteria and came away with some fun images.

Now, this is not the first time I have worked with a Leadership Dorchester class on a project. Last year, I had the pleasure of watching as Summerville Elementary successfully launched their Art of Leadership project. Through the Leadership Dorchester class, the school was able to not only raise funds but awareness for the new initiative.

You to can support the Leadership Class by joining them this Thursday for some food, music and a chance to rub elbows with Miss South Carolina. See you there!

As a photographer, I have no room to talk. They ignored the danger and went in search of the perfect wave… I followed looking for the picture.

Though the waves of Hurricane Irene were 8 ft high, the wind and the rain made it very difficult for surfers Friday at Folly Beach.

Actually, the danger was very minimal as we hit Folly Beach on Friday morning. After tearing through Puerto Rico, Hurricane Irene, made a bee line towards the east coast and threatened to make landfall in South Carolina.  Thankfully, Irene passed by Charleston and we were treated to fierce waves, wind and a bit of rain.

A surfer braves the weather to ride the waves of Hurricane Irene Friday morning on Folly Beach.

During the first part of the day, few surfers ventured out into the water. As one guy explained, between the wind kicking the water up and the rain, it was hard to see anything on the water.

Those who did venture out were getting beat up by the constant onslaught of waves crashing down on them. It was pretty rough out there.

Locals come out to the waves of Hurricane Irene Friday morning on Folly Beach.

Basically Friday was a wash at the Washout but many surfers claimed they would be back Saturday morning at high tide when the wind would be minimal and the waves would be smoother. High tide was at 6:40a.m. — which is rather early for me on a Saturday. Though it was a difficult call to make, I decided to head back to Folly Beach.

The walkway to the beach had been washed out by the ocean surge from the hurricane.

The next morning it became evident how much damage Hurricane Irene had done to Folly Beach. Much of the beach had washed away and many walkways were badly damaged or gone.

The surge of high tide on Friday evening had pushed the waves over the dunes, damaging them and the walkways that cross over them.

Surfers stormed Folly Beach to catch some waves Saturday morning.

But the waves were good and the water was dotted with surfers — the water was littered with them.

A surfer shows his excitement while riding the waves of Hurricane Irene Saturday morning on Folly Beach.

Parts Folly Beach Park are still closed for repairs but obviously we fared much better than our neighbors to the north. You can see more photos from Friday and Saturday on the slideshow below. Enjoy and surf’s up!

Welcome to high school football season and what better way to ring in the new season then with a football preview.

Summerville’s Dalton Saunders and Fort Dorchester’s Ethan Long

Last year was the first time I photographed the cover for the Journal Scene’s football preview. It turned out rather nice, which of course set the bar for this season. I will say I had nothing to do with raising the bar as much as the paper has this year — they came out with two editions for Berkeley and Dorchester counties.

Now teams from both counties are featured on separate 2011 Football Preview covers. Sports Illustrated has been doing this for years with their college football preview.

Berkeley’s Hunter Shepherd, Timberland’s Daquan Lucas and Goose Creek’s Matt Steffman

All said, it was a lot of fun to shoot and the players were great to work with. After finishing the cover and sending them off to the artists, I started reminiscing about past football sections I have photographed.

For those who don’t know, at one time I lived in the high school football mecca of West Texas. People didn’t just like football, they worshiped the pigskin. Large temples were built and whole communities made pilgrimages to pay homage every Friday night.

Rice quarterback Kyle Herm.

Why do West Texans love their football so much? Please take a look at the photo above for reference… there is nothing else there. It is true, West Texas is a barren landscape populated by ranchers and roughnecks but the people are nice and the sunsets were beautiful.

The front cover for the “Texas Football” section.

My first year working on a football section, we came up with the theme  “Texas Football” and the preview was composed of four sections including high school, college and professional teams. I found a barn with a Texas flag painted on the roof and we went to work photographing West Texas’ best players.

The next cover I shot came during the filming of the movie Friday Night Lights. The movie producers wanted to film the whole movie in Austin but changed their minds after they saw Ratliff Stadium, home of Odessa Permian. The stadium towered above the desolate surroundings in the middle of nowhere. But on Friday nights, as many as 35,000 came to watch football.

Fellow photographer Mark Sterkel and I relaxing at Ratliff Stadium during the Friday Night Lights photo shoot.

We decided to play on the movie star status of football in Odessa and used actor’s chairs on the front cover. I still have those chairs.

Players on The Odessa Roughnecks defense.

Sometimes, the strangest of characters make the best subjects. One of my last assignments in Odessa, photograph players on the new arena league football team, The Odessa Roughnecks. These guys offered a wide range of facial expressions. They made it easy to get the picture though it was hard to keep from laughing during the shoot.

Outtake from The Odessa Roughnecks photo shoot.

These guys didn’t have a problem laughing at themselves. I laugh at myself all the time — we got along just fine. Throughout the season, I only see helmets and pads, this is the only time of year I get to meet the person behind the mask. What I have learned, most players are pretty good guys… unless you are on the opposite side of the ball.

A short walk down memory lane but you can see more photos from the past and present, minus referee’s butts and pompoms, on PaulZoeller.com and see the new 2011 Football Preview.

Sunbathers line the beaches of Positano, Italy.

Italy is an interesting place. In northern Italy, the region is very clean I have been told. In Rome, it is spotless. Southern Italy reminds me a lot of Mexico, charming but a bit dirty. It is hard to generalize all of southern Italy as dirty but flying into Naples doesn’t leave a good first impression.

We traveled to Sorrento where we would be staying for the weekend. Great place to stay, close access to Pompeii, Capri and Positano. The hotel, located high on a mountain side, offered a great view of the Mediterranean from the room or poolside.

Sorrento viewed from the water.

Capri

The island of Capri is a small piece of land right off the coast, about a 35 minute boat ride from Sorrento. Upon arrival we were meet by locals offering to take us on a tour by boat, scooter and car around the island. They speak great English until you tell them something they don’t want to hear and all of a sudden there is a language barrier. I wanted to cruise in the convertible taxi — literally a van with the top cut off and replaced with a canvas screen. Everyone else wanted to ride on a boat. I never win.

Small boats along the shore in Capri.

The island of Capri is kind of like lifestyles of the rich and famous. Major fashion designers like Versace, Armani and a bunch of rather wealthy people have homes on the island. The narrow streets of Capri are lined with expensive clothing and jewelry stores. The waters around the island are littered with yachts the size of Summerville.

A sign Italians don’t work too hard.

Already you can tell we fit right in with the locals. I did find a nice little studio apartment if anyone wants to live on Capri for the reasonable price of 845,000 Euros.

Though the lifestyle is expensive, the island is beautiful to explore. A series of trails and paths takes you  to Villa Jois on the top with a beautiful view of the Italian coastline. The hike is not for the faint of heart but well worth it. Lets just say no one is out of shape on Capri, every path is on a steep incline.

The view from Villa Jovis on Capri.

The boat ride around the island is beautiful as well. Capri is known for its grottos and an interesting land formation, Faraglioni, also referred to as the tunnel of love. Boats travel through the rock formation and everyone kisses. It is hard to visit the most popular grotto, the Blue Grotto, when the seas are rough so we had to pass on that, kind of a bummer.

The rock formation Faraglioni, also known as the tunnel of love.

Pompeii

Whenever I hear about Pompeii, I envision a couple of buildings and a museum with a couple of artifacts. It is impressive to think a volcano completely preserved the city and centuries later, over half of the 164 acres of the town have been uncovered. The visit is a day trip and it is still hard to see all of Pompeii.

The ruins of a building in Pompeii.

Walking through the streets, we found fish markets, bakers and even a bar. Imagine going through your daily routine and instantly being entombed in a layer of ash. Judging by the plaster molds made of people found during excavations, there was little time to run.

The plaster mold of a man found kneeling next to his donkey when the ash covered Pompeii.

Positano

The best way to see the Amalfi Coast is by boat. Sure you can gamble with your life on the single lane roads carved into the side of the cliffs but the view is much better from the water. From Sorrento, we traveled past Capri to Positano. This little town was easily my favorite destination in Italy.

Positano from above.

Very colorful and breathtaking views, it was a photographer’s dream. Though we spent only a couple of hours there, I would definitely travel back and stay. While there a couple was getting married and as far as I could tell, tourists played the role of guests cause we were the only people who greeted them as they left the church.

This couple had a wedding coordinator, photographers and that was about it.

Some of my favorite moments in Italy, road signs. I am not sure how anyone could drive there and understand the signage. Whole walls would be covered in signs, it was almost impossible to read them all while driving past.

A very small sampling of the way signs are posted in Italy.

I also loved the gelato. No pictures though, I was too busy eating and it probably didn’t look very neat. One of our last memories of Italy came on the boat ride back to Sorrento. While cruising along, a couple of dolphins swam along side us jumping out of the water every so often. That in itself is not so memorable except that when they did jump out of the water, Chris would squeal like a little kid. Every time they jumped, she would let out this loud noise, jump up and down while clapping her hands in excitement.

Swim Mr. Dolphin!

I guess it wouldn’t be a vacation if there was nothing to get excited about. Thanks Mr. Dolphin for the memories. I couldn’t end this without thanking my wonderful sister-in-law Jennifer for being our gracious tour guide.

More photos of Italy can be seen at www.paulzoeller.com.

God Save the Queen

Welcome to England — the land of tea, royal weddings and beheadings! Though I didn’t get to participate in any of those activities while in England, I did manage to have a bit of fun.

Arriving in London, I couldn’t wait to get out of town and see the English country side. I have been to London before and decided long before we arrived I would refuse to see any more of that overly-priced city. I could not endure another ride on the crowded tube, another high-priced lunch or another site-seeing tour. I was done with London… or so I thought.

Thankfully I was not in charge, actually I am rarely in charge.

So began our tour of the city. Is London expensive? Yes but there are many inexpensive things to do. First, we visited many markets including flea markets, flower markets and even a fish market. Though we did not buy much, the markets did prove entertaining — especially if you are into people watching. That is one thing I enjoy about London, everyone has their own style.

Speaking of style, when did gas masks become so fashionable?

After sifting through antiques, we were introduced to the sweet smells of the flower markets. Nothing could be funnier than burly guys pushing delicate flowers. “Have I got a deal for you, these were 15 quid, now you can have them for 10. Why, we need the money!”

What would have been nice, place the flower market next to the fish market. Maybe the smells would have cancelled each other out.

We had to get up early to visit the fish market. Every kind of fish imaginable was for sale — salmon, crab, shark, stingray and even eel. This market is open every day around 5 a.m. delivering the freshest of seafood right off the boat.

Of course, one of the more exciting markets was actually found in old horse stables in Camden Town. Although, I think the locals are far more exciting than the markets.

What used to be a large punk underground scene has now dwindled down to a bunch of middle aged guys who pose for pictures for a quid to buy beer.

Street performers are common all throughout London but my favorite was sitting in front of the Camden Town Underground Station. Though he looks like Lenny Kravitz, he sounds… well not that good but he made me laugh.

Looking for other ways to tour the city without breaking the bank, we visited museums. Most of them are free, including the British Museum which housed the Rosetta Stone and many Egyptian artifacts. We also saw some amazing art pieces at the National Gallery which just happened to the be spot where thousands of Harry Potter fans gathered to watch the stars walk the red carpet during the movie premiere in Trafalgar Square.

These were dedicated fans who braved the elements for a week to see their favorite wizard.

The English Countryside

Though it was fun cramming into the tube, I craved the freedom of the English Countryside. So we rented a car and the friendly GPS guided us through some amazing scenery.

Leeds Castle was the first stop of our journey. I love castles and would happily live in one. They are quite expensive though and many of the castles we visited were privately owned and lived in but families had to open up their homes to tourist to pay the bills.

St. Michael’s Mount was very interesting castle on an island near the town of Marazion. Though the castle is accessible by boat during high tide, a path becomes visible as the tide rolls out. Though I became more interested in the sailing club, many waited along the beach for the path to appear.

Another favorite stopping point on our trip were visits to Abbey ruins. This particular ruin, Battle Abbey, was the site of the Battle of Hastings and was attached to a private school.

Imagine conversation during a quick game of tennis. “Nice serve! By the way did you know 1,000s died on this spot when William the Conqueror invaded England?”

After a long day of travel, nothing is more relaxing than a bedroom above a pub. This is where we stayed the first night, second floor right above the pub.

Remember Pauly Shore and ‘Bio Dome’? We found the Eden Project nestled in an old clay mine. Each dome was home to a different environment including tropical and mediterranean climate. The futuristic Eden Project stood out among the old seaside towns and ruins in the Cornwall area of southwestern England.

Traveling through the Cornwall area was an experience. Most roads were wide enough for one vehicle and when two met, someone backed into a driveway or inch past each other. This became more intense as we encountered tour buses who felt like they owned the road.

That evening, we made our way to St. Ives where the natives have a very interesting way of parking their boats. We arrived at the seaside town before sunset during low tide. The town had no docks, every boat sat in the harbor — on the beach.

That next day we were off again, to the most westerly point of mainland England– Land’s End.

Beautiful views from the cliffs high above the Atlantic Ocean.

Though the roads were narrow and no one seems to know how to drive on the correct side of the road, I would rent a car and travel throughout England again.

Once back in London we went on night excursions to photograph different iconic buildings like St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Back home, I realized I had taken over 6.000 photographs during my trip. Obviously, all of them would not fit into this blog but you can see more on my website