Never give up, never back down

Lisa Lefkow, 48, right, kisses her sister Bonnie Thayer, 31, after they finish the 21st Annual Naples Daily News Half Marathon on Sunday, January 19, 2008 in downtown Naples. Lefkow is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. The two said they were running for "Team Lisa," and sending the message "never give up, never back down."

Adji Update

For those of you wondering, Adji Desir, the 6-year-old boy I posted about, is still missing. The Collier County Sheriff's office called off the ground search on Saturday, January 18 and are now continuing the investigation through tips.

This is one place you could go if you have tips: HERE

MISSING

On Sunday, I covered the first day of searching for 6-year-old Adji Desir. He was last seen outside of his grandma's home in Farm Worker Village in Immokalee, Fla. — a migrant town about 40 miles outside of Naples. They have kept searching with no leads. He has been on Nancy Grace, Headline News on CNN and our local news non-stop, but still no sign of him. Please, I know people come to this blog from all over, and the chances of him being in California are slim, but keep your eyes peeled. And for goodness sake, if you have kids, hold them close. I feel so much for Adji's family. Please keep them and Adji in your prayers. Please take the time to read the stories and see his photo here.

Light Painting Photo Columns

For all of 2008, I and fellow staff photographer Greg Kahn spearheaded a photo column where we light painted landmarks and historic sites in the Naples Daily News coverage area. It was a team effort that was fun, sometimes frustrating, but educational and definitely worth it. We published one picture a month for 12 months. Here they are. Feel free to click on the links to read the stories.

The Naples Pier
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay, Greg Kahn, Michelle Cassel and Jakob Schiller


The Ochopee Post Office
Team Members: Greg Kahn, Lexey Swall-Bobay, David Albers and Michelle Le


Lely Freedom Horses
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay and Greg Kahn


Edison Winter Home Banyan Tree
Team Members: Greg Kahn, Lexey Swall-Bobay, Michel Fortier and David Albers


Haldeman House
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay, Greg Kahn, David Albers and Courtney Potter


Holocaust Boxcar
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay, Greg Kahn, David Albers and Manuel Martinez


The Hitching Post
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay and Greg Kahn


Sunniland Oil Field
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay, Greg Kahn and Josh O'Connor


Koreshan State Historic Site
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay, Greg Kahn and Jennifer Whitney



Palm Cottage
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay and Greg Kahn



Naples City Dock
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay and Greg Kahn


Everglades City Hall
Team Members: Lexey Swall-Bobay and Greg Kahn

Year in Photos

Please check out the great work done in 2008 by the Naples Daily News staff photographers. Go HERE.

or here:
http://www.naplesnews.com/videos/detail/2008-photos/

"Mejor Amiga"

Miss Tracy Crazy Miguel is becoming Señora Navarro this weekend. I have the honor of shooting her wedding. Here are some pre-wedding portraits I shot of her and her fiancé, Kiko, today.

Golf

Normally, I don't give a hoot about golf, and especially about photos of golfers teeing off. But, I like the intensity in Greg Norman's eyes in this picture I shot yesterday at a tournament here in Naples. This is the same intensity he gives you if you take a picture before his club hits the ball. I made the mistake of letting him hear my shutter on Saturday. I knew better then, and certainly knew better after. He turned and looked at me with the look of death (but I swear the club wasn't even in his hands). Didn't matter.


And I just thought this squirrel was funny. He seemed to like attention.

In search of irie

In a dimly lit room filled with dust and handmade tools, Matt Nickell carves the perfect wave.

Cascades of white foam barrel away from his fingers and break to the ground.

Surrounded by the color of the sea, Nickell moves his arms back and forth, shaving away millimeters at a time.

Irie.

It is what Nickell hopes to achieve in his art and in his life, and it’s the name of the surfboards he’s been making since 1992.

Irie is a Jamaican word that means to be in tune with nature and the planet, and the way he feels on the water, said Nickell, 38, who admits Jamaica is one of the few places he hasn’t surfed.

A Naples resident since 1977, Nickell, 38, grew up in the shallow surf of the Gulf Coast, but has chased waves just about everywhere. He rattles off a few of the places in no particular order — Nicaragua, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands.

“The waves are fickle in Jamaica,” he said. “If I’m going somewhere to surf, I want to know there are going to be waves.”

He continues to shape the board, referring every-so-often to one of the hundreds of handmade templates he’s created. Rock and roll music pours from a radio in the corner, surrounded by clutter: Music that is less for listening than for filling empty space, as he sands from the tail to the nose and back again.

His boards are used by some of Naples’ best surfers and sold in Olde Naples Surf Shop on Third Street South. He does it less for the popularity, and more for the love of creation.

Just like a wave that is sucked out to sea, only to become the next wave, Nickell’s passion and inspiration is recycled every time he is on the water.

He watches the way other surfers will come off of a wave, giving him ideas for the tail of his next board. Maybe instead of a thumb tail, he’ll create an octagon, giving the rider more maneuverability.

“The water is like a canvas,” Nickell said.

And a place to attain irie.

Dos and Don'ts

Found a Goodwill and an Urban Outfitters today. So happy.

Little People in Savannah

I drove to Savannah, Ga. yesterday. I guess I just needed my own personal silent retreat. Get out of Naples. Get away from work and everything familiar. My cousin asked me why I was coming here. I didn't have a reason, except that I've always wanted to see this city. Unfortunately, I arrived with five dead camera batteries and no charger. (I thought it was in my car. Apparently not.) So, I'm shooting with my point and shoot. It's ok, though. I love my little camera and it definitely lightens the load. I walked around for five hours today (good thing for new shoes) and I've probably only said a couple dozen words all day. That includes ordering a coffee at Starbucks and food at Spanky's. I find myself thinking in Facebook-speak — not to be confused with Bob Dole-isms. (i.e.: Lexey loves Spanish moss. or Lexey thinks the light is always good in cities like Savannah. or Lexey is effing cold.) I can tell when looking through my pictures from today, that I had no desire to really talk to anyone. Hence why everyone in each frame is itty-bitty.

Fair Prep

I may run away with the fair.

Moved by Change

There is sense of relief in the air. Whether it is because they voted for Barack Obama or because they are just glad the presidential election is over, most people I see are smiling today. A weight has been lifted and the country can move forward. I felt lucky to be covering the news last night. I felt lucky to be a journalist and witness and report on an historic moment in time.

'Tis the Season

Shot a few portraits at our local haunted house.

Boo Spooky

Good Things

Grandmas

Eating food straight from the ground.

Dogs that smile

Parents who still love each other

Pretty light on pretty faces

Long and windy roads

Remembering when it was fun to photograph flowers