Kodak American Greenways Awards

Recently, one of my favorite not-for-profit organizations, The Conservation Fund, asked me to come photograph the Kodak American Greenways Awards ceremony, an event that they hold every year in conjunction with Kodak and National Geographic celebrating and honoring individuals and organizations who have dedicated their time and energy to the creation and expansion of America’s greenways. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the Wikipedia definition for greenway is “a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle traffic and sometimes including multiple transportation (streetcar, light rail) or retail uses.” The Conservation Fund focuses more on greenways that are used for recreation and serve as wildlife habitat linkages.

The event is held at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C., and while I may never become a National Geographic photographer, I at least had the opportunity to take photographs in their hallowed halls.

I’ve attended this event in previous years and this one by far was the most fun and entertaining. The Fund rented a long green carpet and Kodak, one of the key sponsors, hung a backdrop against the wall.

I was asked to photograph the guests and participants as they arrived at the event and Kodak would print out 4×6 images on a mobile print kiosk they brought along. Many of the attendees were happy to mug for the camera, like this group of lovely ladies.

After taking over a hundred photos of the guests, I turned my attention to the awards ceremony and was faced with a tricky glass background that tended to make the heads of dark haired individuals disappear.

Adjusting the angle helped a bit, but the background was a little busy. Here, Mary Bomar, Director of the National Park Service, discusses the importance of greenways.

Finally, I’m so impressed with the sharpness of both my new Nikon 50mm 1.4D lens and Nikon D700 camera, as shown by the photo of these two Conservation Fund staffers. Editorial note: names have been slightly blurred on the name tags.

Located just behind and to the right of these ladies is a gallery in the National Geographic headquarters where top quality photography and other exhibits are featured. I highly recommend a visit here to see what’s on display.