John Boal Photography

The other day I watched the post-reaction to the Obama address to Congress. I couldn’t see the actual address because I was working. What I saw as Obama left was interesting to say the least. And I’m not necessarily talking about Rep. Kucinich among others, sitting for hours so they could get a front row seat to shake President Obama’s hand as he left the Capitol (this was reported on Anderson Cooper last night). What I am talking about is the groups of giddy teenagers waiting patiently for Obama to pass by so they could shake his hand, get an autograph, and generally act like they just met Justin Timberlake after he stepped off the Grammy stage. It was a remarkable sight contrasted against the sea of gray hair that preceded them. And it occurred to me, as it has on more than one occasion: Congress is being run by a bunch of old fogies. In this sense, at least, Obama is a much-welcomed change. I loved Bobby Jindal’s response, by the way. Despite sounding like he was telling a group of ...

I visited a research lab at the Manassas campus of GMU to speak with and photograph, Dr. Yuntao Wu, a pre-eminent HIV/AIDS researcher. He was a very friendly person who was gracious enough to take me around to his lab, office, and even the weekly journal club lunch meeting. Other than photographing him in his environs, we spoke about science. It all took me back about 10 years. I was a graduate student then, having recently finished my undergraduate program, I began my march towards my MA in Experimental Neuropsychology, and likewise my futile march towards a career in science. While conversing with Dr. Wu, I struggled to frame my questions coherently. I could visualize what I wanted to say, but the terminology escaped me. Five years was too long to be away from science. The facts were too foggy to recall and I simply admitted my failure, and followed with mentioning that this was probably why I was ill-suited for the field. Early into my career as a neuroscience researcher, I found it...

I had the opportunity to take pictures of a celebrity the other day. Interesting. I felt like a paparazzo. Kevin Bacon came to the Quantico Marine Corps Museum for the screening of his HBO film, “Taking Chance”, a story about a Marine who takes the body of a fallen Marine back home with him. Or something like that. I don’t get HBO, so if I hear it gets good reviews then it will goe on the Netflix queue. So I was ushered to the “press line”. Which is essentially a row of velvet rope where the celebs (in this case Bacon, the director and producer(s)), walk down the rope granting interviews to whatever press has gathered. It is my job to get a picture of him. I repeat: it is my job that I get a picture of him. This is why I have credentials. And this is why it is called a “press line”. Kevin Bacon talking about his movie, "Taking Chance" So, you may imagine my consternation when this exchange occurs about 5-10 minutes after Bacon shows up at the “press line”: [A man ...