Light matters

a long overdue entry

Xavier Mascareñas — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 05:13:11 +0000

well let’s just jump right in. i’m loving the job, and am getting the opportunity and resources to make great storytelling photos…and occasionally work on longer-form stories. so the ball’s in my court. on that note, shortly after i started, i was assigned to photograph three families for a series writer Gary Stern was working on about the different approaches families take for caring for their elders/parents. here are a few photos from my time with the Siragusas. my goal, while working within a specific window of time, was to give a glimpse into the everyday routine of children taking care of their elderly parents.

Nancy Siragusa, 48, top, cares for her parents, Edmund Siragusa, 92, and Mae Siragusa, 85, with help from elder-caregiver Dorothy Rinda, far left. Nancy attends to her parents while Dorothy feeds Mae and Edmund naps in the elder's New City home July 7, 2010. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

Nancy covers her mother with a blanket to be comfortable while watching television in Mae's room July 7, 2010. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

Nancy Siragusa, 48, makes calls to try and procure a lightly-used wheelchair for her mother after setting her down to watch television July 7, 2010. Nancy cares for her father, Edmund Siragusa, 92, left, and mother, Mae Siragusa, 85, in their New City home. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

Nancy shares a lighthearted conversation with her father July 7, 2010. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

Nancy Siragusa, 48, pulls her mother, Mae, over a curb on their way to the Nanuet salon to get her hair done by Marie Limongelli on July 10, 2010. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

Nancy Siragusa, 48, cares for her parents, Edmund Siragusa, 92, and Mae Siragusa, 85, in their New City home. Mae is photographed July 10, 2010, geting her hair done by Marie Limongelli at Hair Creations in Nanuet, while Nancy, right, watches. ( Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News )

in related news, you can now see my work at LoHud.com, the website for The Journal News in White Plains, New York, which has two separate editions — one which cover Westchester County (the location of the main offices, and larger paper/coverage area —home to the cities of Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Scarsdale, and a whole load of villages and towns), and Rockland County (across the Hudson, on a little triangle of NY that borders NJ). the coverage area for breaking and community news is so vast, and publications numerous, i do not always know what runs when, but i will post selected work here on a more frequent basis. ideally.

thanks for stopping by.

several photos from the last couple weeks — and some personal news

Xavier Mascareñas — Mon, 17 May 2010 09:08:27 +0000

…and they go hand-in-hand. actually, i haven’t posted any photos for a few days, but i wanted to be sure and post them now, because the foreseeable future has me sorting, trashing, packing, loading, driving, and driving, and … I am moving cross-country! to New York (White Plains) for a staff job with The Journal News! enough exclamation points for now, here’s some recent work. enjoy.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Cedar Ridge Inn resident Bill Trotter, 90, reacts to a kiss on the cheek and an earful of flattery from Director of Nursing Nicole Templeton while slow dancing on Friday during the Senior Prom, named “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” which was held to celebrate Nursing Home Week, according to administrator Lisa Higgins.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Newly-crowned Senior Prom royalty Ramoncita Maestas, 93, and Miguel Valdez, 85, who makes a face for a photo, sit at a table Friday during Cedar Ridge Inn's event, dubbed “By the Light of the Silvery Moon," while surrounded by family.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Prom escort Dante Bird, 9, peers at the crowning of the Senior Prom King and Queen on Friday at Cedar Ridge Inn. The event, dubbed “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” was held to celebrate Nursing Home Week, administrator Lisa Higgins said.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police officials Cpl. C. Malone, left of center, and Detective Ron Paquin, on the phone, investigate a fatal vehicle wreck on East 20th Street at Tucker Avenue on Friday. A man driving an older model Ford F-250 pickup truck, far right, was driving recklessly, according to officials, and caused private property damage in the area before crashing into another pickup truck and coming to a halt on the sidewalk in front of Aloha Salon on East 20th Street. Alcohol was a factor in the accident, according to Detective Paquin.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Julie “Snoop Dogg” Ellison interacts with an adoring crowd at McKinley Elementary on Friday after performing a reading-themed rap, set to the music of MC Hammer’s “U Can't Touch This,” during an assembly celebrating the school’s reading program.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Richard White, far right, gets excited as he talks about the horses racing in the Kentucky Derby, and the odds of them winning, with Chuck Slattery, far left, and Gerald Barber at SunRay Park & Casino on Saturday before the start of the televised race in Churchill Downs.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Horses carry their jockeys toward the finish line in the third race of the day, for a distance of 400 yards, at Sunray Park on Sunday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Racehorse-owner Wade Whitehead, of Tucumcari, N.M., vents his frustration after learning that his horse, "Rances Reason," did not place higher in the second race of the day Sunday at the track at Sunray Park.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jockey Adam Martinez, fresh from riding "Cala Me Debonaire" in the first race of the day at Sunray Park on Sunday, relaxes near the stalls between races.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; “Jenuine Joy” appears to be recovering from taking first place in the fourth race of the day Sunday, while director of racing for SunRay Park, Lonnie Barber, right, waits to congratulate jockey Ricky Ramirez.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Piedra Vista High School sophomore baseball player Shilo McCall hits the ball with a solid crack of the bat Thursday during practice at PV.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bloomfield High School player Rockey Mackey follows through on a tag on Robertson High School’s Fabian Montoya at third base Saturday during the first round of Class 3A state baseball tournament play at BHS. Montoya tried to advance to third base on a sacrifice fly ball to the outfield, but centerfielder Jeremiah Duran rifled the ball directly to third for the double play to end the fifth inning for the Cardinals’ at-bat.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mesa State center-fielder Kevin Becker makes a run to the outfield fence Saturday after a hit by New Mexico Highlands University batter Danny Brown in the fifth inning of the Division II Central Regional NCAA Baseball Championships tournament at Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M. NMHU won, 11-8.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mesa State’s Austin Buck congratulates catcher Brett Nigbur after Nigbur hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday to tie the ball game against the Winona State Warriors during the Division II Central Regional NCAA Baseball Championships tournament at Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys pitcher Cruz Sedillo leans down to hug teammate Phillip Rodriguez after the Cowboys’ 12-8 loss to the St. Cloud State Huskies on Saturday night at Ricketts Park in Farmington, N.M., during the Division II Central Regional NCAA Baseball Championships tournament. The game was the Cowboys’ final one in the tournament, which wraps up Sunday, May 16, 2010.

a few photos from Farmington and Shiprock

Xavier Mascareñas — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:32:28 +0000

hi all. here’s a few photos from last week — with some more recent photos to come soon…hello weekend! Monday is my “Friday,” my last day of work before my days off, so i feel a little guilty being in such a TGIF mentality. i just hope i get weekend weather — it threatened to snow here a couple times last week.

enjoy the photos.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Tanitha Holyan, 11, walks home over two miles away with her brother, 6-year-old Gabriel Scott, along Navajo Route 571 after being dropped off by separate buses Thursday outside Shiprock. A change in some of the Central Consolidated School District bus routes, adding several miles to some children's walk between their bus stop and home, has raised concerns from community members over the safety of the affected students.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Six-year-old Morgan Cristello, who plays on the PB&J youth girls softball team, runs through a gauntlet of high-fives from local high-school players on Monday at Ricketts softball field No. 3, during the opening ceremony for the Four Corners Fast Pitch Association.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Piedra Vista shortstop Sheasia Yazzie, center, shows her enthusiasm for the procession of young girls running through as part of the opening ceremony for the Four Corners Fast Pitch Association on Monday at Ricketts softball field No. 3. Yazzie said the flowers she is holding were a gift from her "best bud," 10-year-old Hannah Sayyeau.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Officer Tayna (CQ) Benally, center, and Sgt. Ron Foreman, both with the New Mexico State Police, investigate the scene of a two-vehicle collision Sunday at the intersection of County Road 7010 and N.M. 371. A man, not involved in the accident, stands behind the vehicle that struck a car that failed to yield while trying to cross N.M. 371.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Special Olympics New Mexico San Juan County participant Tanisha Lewis, right of center, reacts after hearing she was named athlete of the year Friday at Heights Middle School during the opening ceremony for the area Special Olympic meet.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Three-year-old Sam Dearing, center, of Farmington, waves excitedly to his family while getting a lift on a 60-foot crane operated by San Juan Signs' Ramon Gonzales on Saturday at McGee Park during the Farmington Moms’ Club Touch-a-Truck charity event benefiting ECHO Food Bank.

video from youth-league players’ ceremony, HS game

Xavier Mascareñas — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:30:20 +0000

here’s a recent video from Farmington last Friday. i’m uploading right now from my mom’s rancho in the South Valley of ABQ (beautiful!). the video’s a bit long, but it’s actually two events in one.

i shot stills from the game for our sports section (i’ll post a few here later), and this video of the whole afternoon of the young’ns followed by the game (in Canon 5d Mark II, 640×480 compressed-video format). it was my first time shooting action (or anything major, really) with the 5D’s video mode, which is manual focus so a bit tricky…but it turned out fun. it’s awesome to have an SLR that can do that! i’m looking forward to shooting more video with the 5D in the future, and since most other events will be shorter, i can use the full 1920x1080p and have enough memory to handle it.

Enjoy.

back to work! here’s a few photos from a fun, busy week

Xavier Mascareñas — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:48:36 +0000

just a quick post before work here. my regular schedule has me working Thurs. through Mon., so I just wanted to post a few photos before going in today. kind of like cleaning house (maybe i should do more of that, too?!).

enjoy.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Juanito Garcia, 7, tries to catch water in his mouth — which posted signs say should not be consumed — from a water spurt at the fountain at Berg Park on Sunday. His family was in town from Del Norte, Colo., for a wrestling tournament at Aztec High School.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Seven-year-old Kaylin Bryant, far left, waits in line with her dance squad, the Danz Force Twinkles, to perform at the Four Corners Dance Exhibition at Farmington High School on Monday. The event, also known as the Kelly Greens exhibition, is a fundraiser for the FHS Kelly Greens.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Bart Robinson, of Cottonwood, Ariz., talks with his son, 17-year-old Samuel, between events on Saturday at the 7th Annual Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo at McGee Park’s Memorial Coliseum.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Danielle Montoya, left of center, is comforted by her sister, Gabrielle Montoya, after finishing strong in her relay to take first for the Cuba High School girls’ medley team during Saturday’s track meet at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium in Aztec.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jamira Lewis, 7, shrieks after being pulled by her friend, 10-year-old Jermiah (CQ) Manning, into the cold water from the fountain at Berg Park on Sunday.

a few news portraits from March

Xavier Mascareñas — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:32:00 +0000

here’s a few working portraits, not shot for The DT. i think i get what i need done with the couple of Canon strobes i have, but i do miss out on all the light-modifiers available with studio monolights. a few companies sell modifiers for strobes, but i found a DIY solution for a strobe-fitting beauty dish online awhile back (here), and made one since i really loved the results they give, which i found out about while assisting a photog in Austin (i shot him, here, which is kind of funny, too; his name is not on the post because it made the photo pop up first whenever someone Googled his name!).

these women are former-meth users who are in recovery, and although the tone of the portraits for the article was serious, they really were patient and fun to work with (which was great, since this was kind of a last minute assignment). best of luck to them.

this young cowboy lives on

Xavier Mascareñas — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 21:25:16 +0000

story about the 7th Annual Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo, held in memory of a teenager who was killed by a drunk driver, can be seen here. here’s a few non-action photos i liked.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Barbara O’Connor places roses near a photo of her late-grandson, Ty Waybourn, in preparation for Friday night’s 7th Annual Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo at McGee Park’s Memorial Coliseum. The rodeo wraps up Saturday night.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mike Waybourn, father of Ty Waybourn, is seen in a rear-view mirror of a 1929 Ford Model AA on Friday while making preparations for the 7th Annual Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo at McGee Park’s Memorial Coliseum.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Jenna Suazo, sitting on Goldie, listens quietly to the song, "In the Arms of an Angel," recorded by Sarah McLachlan, outside Memorial Coliseum on Friday evening at the 7th Annual Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo at McGee Park. Ryn Robinson stands beside them helping coordinate the sponsor flags, which raise money to combat drunk driving and provide scholarship money to rodeo athletes.

news magnet

Xavier Mascareñas — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:52:27 +0000

the first few photos are from a chase and subsequent arrest that passed me while i was on my way to a sports assignment. i’m glad no one was hurt (including me — i try to be sure i don’t surprise/startle officers — or suspects for that matter — when i arrive early to a scene) and our cops/courts reporter wrote a brief on the event. the last couple of photos are from a really minor fire that was so small, it escaped detection from the Farmington Fire Department — initially. i was at the scene when they left, so decided to make the best of it and get wild art of a couple kids flying kites on a windy day, but i was glad i stuck around. smoke started to billow out of the vents behind one of the buildings, so FFD was called back. they returned, and quickly put it out. there were never any flames visible, and although there was smoke damage to a few other apartments, everyone in the building was lucky it wasn’t worse. apartment fires have the potential to spread quickly and end tragically.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police Officer Jerry Worrell escorts a suspect from hiding in a structure on a property near the corner of North Orchard Avenue and East Comanche Street, where a vehicle pursuit involving police ended on Thursday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; FPD Officer Travis Sprell shouts to another officer Thursday to follow a fleeing suspect after a vehicle pursuit ended in the neighborhood of North Orchard Avenue and East Comanche Street.

the photo below was just a quiet, interesting photo i had to post. life goes on.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police Officer Jerry Worrell, far left, detains a suspect found hiding in a structure on a property near the corner of North Orchard Avenue and East Comanche Street, where a vehicle pursuit involving police ended on Thursday.

here’s a straggler-photo from last month. for no particular reason.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Xavier Tsosie, 8, holds up a book he examines while his two aunts look for other books Monday at the Farmington Public Library. The library has activities scheduled for children throughout the spring-break week.

below is a photo from a surprisingly fruitful assignment today, when i was asked to get photos of a neighborhood that had its mail service interrupted for several days due to a postal carrier being chased by a dog that got loose from one of the homes. the reporter showed up at the same time i did, and we immediately saw a home that we thought may be the one where the dogs in question lived. it had about four dogs (mostly pits) visible, and a couple of children she said she was babysitting in the front yard. read the reporter’s story here for more info, but long story short, i suspect this woman might very well get a visit from the authorities (she mentioned one of the dogs on her property had bitten a child and herself — and she didn’t seem reluctant at all to talk to us, which i found very odd. and refreshing;)

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; A dog living at a home in Farmington reacts to strangers Thursday while chained on the property. The home has been the subject of numerous complaints regarding aggressive dogs kept there.

what can i say. i’m just happy i made it to practice in time, after the breaking news, to at least get a portrait.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The Piedra Vista varsity girls golf team, from left, Grace Gutierrez, 17, Gracey Brown, 17, Kyra Garrison, 18, Domi Dinallo, 17, and 14-year-old Miel Johnson hang together at Piñon Hills Golf Course on Thursday after an afternoon practice.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Billy Howard, an employee of Shiya-Strephans Contracting Co., keeps his attention toward a water truck while working on construction of a water pipeline Monday at West Apache Street and West Main Street. The pipeline will carry water through Farmington to the Navajo Nation when completed.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Zyan Begay, 9, works to help untangle a kite flown by his friend, 7-year-old Tierren Wyatt, after high winds took it for an unpredictable flight Monday outside the San Juan Apartments on East Main Street.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Fire Department personnel work to extinguish the fire on the third floor at San Juan Apartments on Monday. There were no injuries reported, but the Fire Department said there was heavy fire and smoke damage to the two units.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Robert Gonzalez, a resident in the building affected by Monday’s fire at San Juan Apartments in north Farmington, watches smoke billow out of an open window in what he said was his apartment on the third floor of building C. Gonzalez tried to contain the fire until the Farmington Fire Department arrived on scene.

15 photos from the last couple of weeks

Xavier Mascareñas — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:37:16 +0000

it’s been a crazy last couple of weeks — tax time! i’m also excited to be judging monthly clip photos for a NPPA region, and i’m seeing some really great stuff. it’s inspiring, and a peek into the clip contest process. i’ll update here when that’s done.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Cadet Jonathan Nyce, a recruit for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, is sprayed directly in the face with pepper spray by Farmington Police Officer Reyes Flores on Friday at Safety City as part of the 25-week law enforcement academy training.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The Atcitty family's hogan sits in the foreground of a wind-blown landscape showing Shiprock peak Thursday. The land pictured, called "txaash hedíín aahí" in Navajo, according to Teri Atcitty, means "dirt that comes together."

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Swim Rio Rancho’s Luis Conejo, 13, completes a turnaround in the consolation heat of Sunday’s 100-yard breaststroke at the Four Corners Championships Invitational at the Farmington Aquatic Center. Conejo, swimming to the cheers of a crowd of supporters from Rio Rancho, came in second in the race.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The Carpenter family, from left, Danny, Krickitt, Kim and LeeAnn, sit at the table in their home in Farmington on Friday for an interview. The Carpenters have been the subject of media attention since a car accident in 1993 left Krickitt with amnesia, and Kim to care for her.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Alma Ballón, right, who sings a duet of “Go and Sin No More” with Jacqueline Sigala, expresses a serene look as she listens to Sigala’s part during a rehearsal of the Passion Play Ministries International production, “He’s Alive,” at the Farmington Civic Center on Thursday.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Nine-year-old Kyle Rippingale performs an “ollie” on a skateboard Friday in front of the community center at Sycamore Park. San Juan Safe Communities Initiative is trying to secure a grant from Pepsi to build a skate park at the site in south Farmington.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Farmington Police recruit Tyler Brown celebrates his 25th birthday by washing pepper spray out of his eyes and off his face Friday during the law enforcement academy training at Safety City.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Nine-year-old Celeste Rudolfo, left, and fellow Four Corners Aquatic Team member Claire Madera, 10, cheer on another teammate, 12-year-old Cheyenne West, as she races to the finish of her race Saturday at the 2010 Four Corners Championships invitational at the Farmington Aquatic Center

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Civil Air Patrol cadet Dominic Pile listens closely as cadet Senior Master Sgt. John Ellsaesser gives details on their next marching drill Thursday during their routine afternoon meeting at the Four Corners Regional Airport. The Civil Air Patrol’s Cessna 182 airplane, which is housed in the hanger where the cadets train, was recently repainted to make it easier to identify from the ground.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Game action from the San Juan County Fire Department against the Bloomfield Fire Department on Thursday at Aztec High School as a part of “Paint Our Town Purple.” The San Juan County Fire Department won the game, 41-10.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; The view past runway 25 at the Four Corners Regional Airport shows incoming stormy weather Monday. Part of the $975,000 the airport could receive in improvement funds if approved by City Council, with $926,000 of that coming from the Federal Aviation Administration, would go toward snow removal equipment.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Mary, played by Linda Harris, appears grief-stricken as she beholds the dead body of her son, Jesus Christ, during the Passion Play Ministries International production, “He’s Alive,” on Friday at the Farmington Civic Center.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; Civil Air Patrol cadet Senior Master Sgt. John Ellsaesser, center, calls on volunteers to answer a question Thursday at the Four Corners Regional Airport during cadet training. Cadets Dominic Pile, left, and Christian West raise their hand to answer the question.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; A guardian angel, played by Ashley Lucero, appears from the background to help comfort Jesus Christ, played by Rick Bibo, in the garden of Gethsemane in the Passion Play Ministries International production, “He’s Alive,” on Friday at the Farmington Civic Center.

below is a photo of the Marshall Plummer, the Navajo Nation’s first vice-president, who recently passed away. the photo is an outtake (at the time) from a ground-breaking ceremony i photographed last year. he was a amazing guy, on and off the Navajo Nation, and will be missed.

Xavier Mascareñas/The Daily Times; In this photo from the groundbreaking of the Navajo Heritage Center at Navajo Ministries on Sept. 9, 2009, Marshall Plummer stands next to a horse he uses in a skit during the groundbreaking ceremony. Plummer, a former Navajo Nation vice president, died the night of March 25, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

photos used in NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams report on Lorainne Melgosa, featuring Shiprock military widow Charlene Westbrook

Xavier Mascareñas — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:47:32 +0000

this is a moving piece on a woman from Colorado, Lorainne Melgosa, who uses her horse-drawn carriage to transport the caskets for some military funerals in the area — and she was at Sgt. Kenneth Westbrook’s burial in Shiprock. NBC asked the paper a week ago to use photos from that day, and i sent them six to choose from. i’m glad they were able to use a couple. the whole “Making a Difference” profile is beautifully done (definitely inspires me to do more video). the segment with Charlene Westbrook, Sgt. Westbrook’s widow, starts at about 1:20. Charlene is one of the nicest people i’ve met, especially considering the circumstances, and it’s touching to see her thanking Lorainne Melgosa for the work she does.

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