Redirection

Switching over to a new location.

Please visit me here

http://jeremymlange.com/blog

Looking forward to it.

Vacation… or Up the I-95 Corridor

7:30 AM, ready to go…

Sorta

We went sailing on the Chesapeake Bay

On the Cross Bronx Expressway

Of course, we hit traffic

They really are everywhere

Haverhill, MA

Downtown

Generations

East Thetford, VT

Cleaning out my Grandpa’s studio

The corn was late, but delicious

Only once a day now

Spent 10 days on the road with the family, seeing the Northern contingent, driving the hell that is Interstate 95 between Richmond and Boston.

Thanks for putting us up.

On Assignment: Suicide in the National Guard for the New York Times

HQ of the 1451st Transportation Company, Boone, NC.

Lawrence Parker is the father of 1st Sergeant Roger Parker, who took his own life after returning from Iraq and losing 2 of the men in his unit.

Jennifer Wilson is the younger sister of Sgt. Jeff Wilson, who committed suicide after the deaths of 2 men in his unit in Iraq.

A memorial for the fallen soldiers from the 1451st Transportation Company, Boone, NC.

Elaine Hafner is the mother of Sgt. Jeff Wilson, who committed suicide after returning from Iraq and losing 2 friends just weeks before the end of their tour.

A few months ago, I worked on a story for the New York Times about a North Carolina National Guard unit, the 1451st Transportation Company, out of Boone, that had 4 of their soldiers commit suicide after returning from a tour in Iraq where they lost 2 men less than 2 weeks before returning home. The story focuses primarily on Sgt. Jacob Blaylock, but I met with the father, mother and sister of 2 of the fallen soldiers, 1st Sgt. Roger Parker and Sgt. Jeff Wilson, all of whom reside in western North Carolina. It was one of the hardest stories I have worked on from an emotional stand point. Even a year or more after the deaths of their children, the parents and siblings still have a pronounced sense of loss and some anger as to why their sons and brother were not better looked after by the Army. Not enough counseling or mental care and contact after they returned from war after losing 2 friends just weeks before heading home.

I just want to thank the Hafners, Parkers and Wilsons for inviting me to their homes to share their stories about their sons and brothers with me. Without strong families like them, these men would have been all the more lost and I hope this story will help the military get a handle on what they need to do to keep this from happening again.

Read it all here, see the slideshow here, more photos here.

See more photos related to the effects of the wars in the Middle East on the US here.

On Assignment: Arrests in Terror Case for the New York Times

The home of Daniel Patrick Boyd, the alleged ringleader of the group.

Khalilah Sabra, right, answered questions after reading a statement from Sabrina Boyd. Sabra is the Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom, a advocacy group not associated with the Boyd’s, but wishing to ask for calm until the charges are proven.

The mosque where Daniel Patrick Boyd was said to have occasionally worshiped.

Chased the breaking news story yesterday for the New York Times about 7 arrests of local men charged “supporting violent jihad” in a federal case .

Not much to shoot, all was rather serene under the circumstances, but more is sure to come out about the charges at tomorrow’s detention hearing.

Read Campbell Robertson’s story here for more details.

The Ladybug Transistor

As part of the Merge Records 20th Anniversary bonanza, Brooklyn based band, The Ladybug Transistor, played an off site show at the Holiday Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. They played and recorded 2 songs, one in the room and one in the hallway outside. Fun, great idea and they were a good bunch to work with, in the tight quarters,  especially since it was all being filmed and recorded for a documentary of sorts about all the goings on related to the anniversary.

Full edit here

Yellow

New Work: Merge Records Turns 20

Merge Records, a leader and innovator in the indy rock scene, think Arcade Fire, Pipe (find it), Polvo, Spoon, Conor Oberst, Superchunk, etc, etc turns 20 this week. They are having the Merge Fest in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, sold out long ago, and in anticipation of the event, I shot photos of the founders Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan.

Read all about it here.

Worth A Look: David Burnett at Lens

Image copyright David Burnett/ Contact Press Images

Awesome set of photos over at Lens (the NYT photojournalism blog) by David Burnett of the 1969 Apollo 11 launch that put men on the moon. He photographed the crowds that turned out to watch the launch as opposed to the actual launch and the images are striking in their historic value, but more so for their timelessness and style. Not so far off from many of the current trends in photojournalism, the out of focus foreground objects, the vignetted flash. I like them all when well used, and it is funny to see how it all comes around again. Burnett is one of the best so take a moment.

Click the photo to see the full set.

Polaroid?

Waiting for the services to begin for NC National Guardsman Sgt. Robert L. Bittiker to start, Jacksonville, NC.

It has been interesting shooting photos on the phone, like everyone else theses days, but occasionally I get something I never thought I had, a surprise of sorts. Processed to look like everyone’s favorite party favor, but the colors look good and somehow they seem lighter than the photos from the “real cameras” even under circumstances I would not wish on anyone. Trying it out in the down time, the waiting.

Just a Few….

Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, NC.

Michael Jackson Memorial, Raleigh, NC.

Been a busy couple of days, I am exhausted. Funny, the contrasts in where this job will take you from day to day.