Christopher Halloran Photography

Port of Long Beach

Chris H. — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:09:37 +0000

I recently spent part of a day shooting the operations of the Port of Long Beach, something I have long wanted to do. For security and safety reasons, the logistics of photographing a busy port can be complicated. I have driven around both the Port of Long Beach and the neighboring Port of Los Angeles a couple of times to try to figure out vantage points from which I could shoot without either being arrested or hit by a truck.

That problem was solved recently when I discovered that the Port of Long Beach offers weekly boat tours. Instead of shooting from land, I was able to capture my images from the water, out of range of the trucks and with the blessing of law enforcement.

I love shooting big industrial landscapes. What they lack in conventional beauty, they often make up for in aesthetically pleasing geometry and symmetry. I also like being witness to the innovative ways we solve big problems. How do we efficiently transport as many cars as we can from one continent to another? How do we reduce the cost of launching a rocket into space? How do we efficiently load and unload a ship the size of four football fields?

Here, for example, is a group of gantry cranes used to load and unload container ships:

Gantry Cranes – Port of Long Beach, California

Because the Earth is nearest to space at the middle of the planet, rockets are occasionally launched from floating platforms at the equator in order to reduce costs. Long Beach is home to one such platform, called the Sea Launch, which is towed by a ship called the Sea Launch Commander. Here they are:

The Sea Launch and Sea Launch Commander – Port of Long Beach, California

Electricity is produced at the port by the Harbor Cogeneration Facility, which is a 100 megawatt natural gas-fired electrical generation plant.

Harbor Cogeneration Facility – Port of Long Beach, California

In addition to all of this 21st century technology, the Port also has some throwbacks to the past, including the Queen Mary…

Queen Mary – Long Beach, California

…and some Art Deco warehouse facilities, dating from the mid 1950s:

Pier D – Port of Long Beach

Filed under: industrial, photography, photojournalism, travel Tagged: black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, industrial, long beach, monochrome, photographer, port of long beach

Premiere of Dark Shadows

Chris H. — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:25:21 +0000

I expected last night’s Dark Shadows premiere to be a zoo, but, at least in the media corral, it was much more civilized than other entertainment events I’ve shot. We were herded like cattle, as we always are, but more like free range grass fed cattle than the corn fed feedlot variety.

The fans, some of them hard core, were out in droves. Check out the costumes in this group of folks trying to attract Johnny Depp’s attention:

And, here’s Johnny…..

Michelle Pfeiffer

The lovely Bella Heathcote…

The director, Tim Burton….

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer….

And wacky Steven Tyler and Cloris Leachman…

Filed under: candids, celebrities, editorial, events, photojournalism Tagged: actor, bella heathcote, candids, celebrities, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, dark shadows, events, Hollywood, jerry bruckheimer, johnny depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, movie star, photographer, photography, premiere, steven tyler, tim burton

Primm (Pt. 2)

Chris H. — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:40:46 +0000

There is a kind of sadness about this stretch of road leading down into Primm. The desolation of the desert and the desolation of this grim little town.

Primm, NV

Filed under: landscapes, photography Tagged: christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, desert, landscape, landscapes, nevada, photographer, photography, primm

The Road to Primm

Chris H. — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:05:19 +0000

I recently had to run up to Las Vegas for a meeting and decided to amble my way home, stopping at a variety of roadside scenes that have caught my eye over the years, although never enough to make me actually slow down. One of the scenes I have wanted to capture is the desolate valley surrounding the town of Primm, which exists for no other reason than to attract some portion of the tourist traffic en route to Vegas.

Road to Primm

Filed under: landscapes, photography, travel Tagged: b&w, black and white, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, I-15, landscape, landscapes, Las Vegas, monochrome, nevada, photographer, photography, primm, travel

Dana Point, California – Redux

Chris H. — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:33:49 +0000

Another image from a few days ago…..

Gulls at Dawn - Dana Point, California

Filed under: landscapes, photography Tagged: b&w, beach, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, dana point, landscape, landscapes, monochrome, ocean, pacific ocean, photographer, photography, seascape

Dana Point, California – Monochrome

Chris H. — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:24:15 +0000

The tail end of what was likely one of the last rainstorms of the season left the ocean choppy this morning. I drove down to Laguna Beach, where it was still raining, but by the time I arrived in Dana Point, the sky was beginning to clear.

Jetty - Dana Point, California

Dana Point, California

Filed under: landscapes Tagged: b&w, beach, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, dana point, jetty, landscape, landscapes, monochrome, ocean, pacific ocean, photographer, photography, seascape

Scenes from SFO

Chris H. — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:01:24 +0000

I was recently in San Francisco International Airport with a couple of hours to kill, so I grabbed my camera and wandered around Terminal 3 looking for things to shoot. Really, you see everything in an airport: buttoned down businessmen and eyebrow-pierced budding rock stars, people in a hurry and people with too much time on their hands, salesmen dreading another grinding week on the road and young couple thrilled to be off to Maui. I don’t love spending more time in airports than I have to, but I found, by slowing down, there are interesting things to see.

Girl in Cowboy Boots - SFO

Stetson and Cell Phone - SFO

Sleeping Soldier - SFO

Filed under: candids, photography, travel Tagged: black and white, california, candids, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, monochrome, photographer, photography, San Francisco International Airport, SFO, travel

Paris at Night

Chris H. — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:41:08 +0000

After a jet-lagged first day, I got some sleep and was able to enjoy this magical city. Although this is my first visit to Paris in more than 20 years, I had planned to keep my overtly touristy activities to a minimum. We spent yesterday going to church, visiting a spectacular but lesser known photography museum in Saint Gervais, wandering around the Marais with an old friend from the U.S., eating falafels in the Place des Vosges, and people watching in front of the Hotel de Ville. But, I couldn’t resist the Eiffel Tower at night.

Eiffel Tower - Night

Filed under: cityscapes, travel Tagged: christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, cityscape, eiffel tower, france, paris, photographer, photography

Newt Gingrich Iowa Campaign Tour

Chris H. — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:35:43 +0000

On the day after Christmas, I got a call from the Gingrich campaign asking if I could fly to Des Moines to document Newt’s Iowa “Jobs and Growth” bus tour. I spent the next eight days following the campaign bus around the state – two thousand miles, 40 hours in the car, 22 cities, 4-5 hours of sleep per night, and 10,000 photographs.

It was a great experience, both personally and professionally. I was impressed by the caliber of the campaign staff, touched by the kindness and generosity of the many Iowans I met along the way, and amazed by the stamina and discipline required of anyone who runs for the Presidency.

Here are a handful of images from the tour:

Newt and Callista Gingrich in Mason City, IA

Spencer, IA

Le Mars, IA

Televised town hall in Des Moines, IA

A campaign supporter attends a meet and greet

Taking questions from the national press

Independence, IA

Walford, IA

Davenport, IA

Muscatine, IA

Greeting supporters in Muscatine, IA

Campaign bus in Burlington, IA

Iowa Caucus in Cedar Falls, IA

Cedar Falls, IA

Filed under: candids, celebrities, events, photography, politics Tagged: campaign, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, events, Iowa, Newt Gingrich, photographer, photography, politicians, politics, President, republican

JMH at the Beach

Chris H. — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:27:21 +0000

I love this portrait of my wife, taken at sunset near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach a couple of days ago.

JMH - Newport Beach

Filed under: personal, photography, portraits Tagged: beach, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, monochrome, newport beach, photographer, photography, portrait, winter, women