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Through the course of 2000, our many photographers were present at over fifty events, running and otherwise, and took over 1,800 photos for the website. At the end of 2000, this web site has more than 4,500 photos. If you tell us that some other club has as many pictures on their website, we'll have to say that they must be out of their minds. On this page, we have selected ten of our favorite photos of the year. There are no exact criteria for their selection, and they can be said to be quite quirky. Certainly, the visual quality of these photos was important. But, above all, we felt that these photos conveyed some essential qualities of the subjects. When we look at these photos, now and later, they remind us fondly of these people who have made running so much more enjoyable for us. In return, we would also like to think that we have made them happier as these pictures (or, at least, most of them) suggest. PHOTO: Our first favorite photo is not of any team member. This is a photo of Manhattan viewed from the Staten Island ferry. At the start of the new millennium, we lived and ran together here. Many of us came from far corners of the world and, in time, some of us will be scattered to other far corners of the earth, but just remember that once upon a time we were in this most gorgeous and vibrant of all places --- New York City. PHOTO: We are thankful when people compliment us for taking good photographs. But we would point out that our role is sometimes accidental, as we believe that great subjects are what make good photographs. Look at this picture of the radiant smile of Julie Denney, and you have to conclude that our camera was just fortunate to be there to capture this brilliant moment. PHOTO: Here is yet another photo that left us completely dumbfounded. This photo of Stacy Creamer was taken at the L'Oréal Twosome, among a batch of fairly good-quality photos. And as we processed them for publication, we saw this outstanding photo. Somehow everything fell together in the right place at the right time --- if only we knew what those elements were! And it is more than just light and color, because the person jumps right out of the photo at us. PHOTO Rob Zand arrives at the 'little' hill entering Central Park at 102nd Street in the New York City Marathon. What is the pensive one thinking about? (1) "Even if I walked the last 5K, I would still get a PR?" (2) "Where are those teammates of mine who are supposed to be congregating here to cheer?" (3) "Why is the wind in my face no matter which direction I run in?" (4) "This Central Park home crowd should give me a lift, and the large crowd on Central Park South should even be better, right?" (5) "Is Stuart Calderwood going to catch me?" (6) "I hope our camera crew took some decent photos of me --- you know, they are really not very good at taking pictures of people running ..." PHOTO: The best shot of a person is to catch him/her completely unaware. This is Shelley Farmer, who would later say, "You sooo bad!!! With your quick eye, you actually caught me paying attention!!" As our senior statesman Sid Howard puts it, "Shelley is a great addition to this club. She is not only a great athlete, but she has a terrific sense of humor." PHOTO: Let it be said that we do have a few pranksters on this team. This is Raphael Devalle showing us a warmup trick with the 'rope.' (WARNING: Do not try it in your own home!) Of course, he is not the only magician on the team --- we understand that the same Raphael Devalle can also ride bulls, Toby Tanser knows a few tricks with the 'stick' (and heal a few imaginary injuries), Stacy Creamer can spin wool (and not just over your eyes) and, most impressively, Ross Galitsky can do three Ironman Triathlons one after another without resting. PHOTO: Sandra Scibelli rests after a race. What sentiments can you discern? Fatigue, relief, satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, ... all the reasons that you want to be in the sport of running. PHOTO: Let it also be said that we are not totally unsentimental. This is the famous photo of Scott Willett and Julie Denney exchanging wedding vows. Did your heart melt at that sight? PHOTO: We cite this photo of John Scherrer and Jonathan Pillow for the color composition, which looks just like some very delicious frozen peas and carrots ... (Technical note: the natural colors have been enhanced with Adobe Photoshop v5.5). PHOTO: This is a running club, so how could our favorite photos not include a good action photo? This one is the photo of Toby Tanser winning the Staten Island Half Marathon. Technically, this is the perfect picture that has captured everything --- the runner, the two VIP's holding the tape, the master of ceremony, the clock time, the name of the race on the overhead banner and, most importantly, the name of the race sponsor (PHS Health Plans). While Toby has won many races this year, this was a special win. During the preceding week, he was suffering from a cold (see the video). On the day before the race, he could not even run one loop around the Central Park reservoir. But since he was just selected as the Comeback Runner of the Year, he felt that he had to make an appearance. During the race, he was hurting from the first inch to the last inch (listen to the audio). So this win really meant a lot to him, and we are priveleged to be there to record the moment. MISSING PHOTO: A reader suggested that we should have included a photo of the person who was principally responsible for taking these photos (with a lot of help from his many accomplices). We thought that this was a great idea, but unfortunately we could not find any photograph of that person ... KIDS' STUFF: |
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