Photos from the Kerry rally in Rochester, MN (10/27/04)

[Quadrajet]

I posted this in the Minnesota forum, but figured the rest of you might want to know about the rally and see some the photos I took.

A short report from the Rally in Rochester Minnesota yesterday- From what I understand, the arena we were in holds 7500 people, but the place was packed! There were people on the floor and on fold out bleachers, so I estimate it at 8000 people! The foyer outside the arena was full and they were turning people away outside, yeah, it was THAT packed.

Garrison Keillor, Carol King and John Kerry spoke and the crowd was STOKED! It was amazing seeing Kerry in person, he is so much more personable in person than on TV.

I was lucky enough to score some VIP passes, so we got on the floor and right in front of the podium. I have to admit, I got some pretty darn good shots for not having a press pass. I'm still sifting through all my photos, but I put a few up for everyone to see.

Quad's Kerry Gallery

Go Kerry/Edwards, 5 more days!!!

[OKNancy]

1. Wow those are really good

are you a professional photographer?

[OKNancy]

3. sample

[Quadrajet]

7. Pro?

Thanks for the props!

Nope I'm not a professional. I have done some work for sports magazines, specifically BMX, but nothing that would put me in the realm of professional.

While at the rally I was watching the press scurrying around the stage trying to find the best angles. That would be an awesome job, not to mention being able to follow Kerry or Edwards around from stop to stop.

[Ruffhowse]

2. Great Shots!!

[Demit]

4. that one of Kerry in profile amid the confetti is gorgeous. thanks!

[liberal N proud]

5. Gerrison Keillor, The original Democrat

Read his book "Homegrown Democrat"
I related to most of the book and how and why we are Democrats.

[Kolesar]

6. I was just reading an essay from that book last night

There was an excerpt in Funny Times. www.funnytimes.com

[flygal]

8. I've seen him do PHC live - he's amazingly talented!

[RevolutionStartsNow]

9. Excellent photos!

How do you like that Sigma lens? I have the 70-300mm APO II, am thinking of getting the longer one.

Great job!

[Quadrajet]

12. Sigma 50-500

I bought the "Bigma" (Sigma 50-500) because I get the most bang for my buck as far as I'm concerned. Where else can you pick up a 500mm lens for less than $1K?

I like having the reach of 500mm, but most shots are soft at that range, unless you're shooting at f/8 or f/11. Between 100mm and 400mm is where the Bigma shines, in my opinion. It doesn't reach the level of sharpness that a Canon L lens will, but with a touch of Photoshop's unsharp mask, it's hard to tell a difference.

For the professional, stick with higher quality glass, but when you take into consideration the amount you'd have to pay to cover that range with high end lenses and I think you'll agree, the Bigma is a great value for the amateur.

[libbygurl]

10. Excellent shots! I can feel it-Kerry in a landslide!

[graywarrior]

11. Great pics. They pick up the emotion of the rally.

[Quadrajet]

13. Thank you, that's what I was shooting for!

I'm glad you could feel the emotion in those shots because there was a bunch of it there. I feel that Kerry is going to win...there's so much positive energy surrounding him.