Christopher Millette Photography

Video: Paul S. Miller Plays "You Are My Sunshine."

2008-12-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

Watch as Paul S. Miller plays "You Are My Sunshine" on a dulcimer he built. Recorded in the dining room of his home in Tioga, West Virginia on December 7, 2008. Enjoy.

Video: 2008 Harding School Halloween Parade

2008-11-13T02:51:00.000-08:00

Take a walk with Mrs. Sabol's kindergarden class as they march in the annual Halloween parade at Harding School in Erie, Pennsylvania on October 31, 2008.

Photo: Dirty Looks In The Basement

2008-09-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

I've been in Erie for a year and a half and I just found out that Henrik Ostergaard lives here and is reforming Dirty Looks with local musicians. I'm not clear on the details, but I think he's been here a while.

Dirty Looks released Superdeluxe in March and it sounds like the best from Cool From the Wire, Turn of the Screw and Five Easy Pieces, which were released in the late 80s and early 90s. Check out Oh Ruby on YouTube if you need a hair band flashback. They did it good.

Anyway, they're playing the Warner Theatre in Erie on 10/5. My newspaper is promoting the show in our Thursday weekend section. Of course, I HAD to take this assignment, which was to shoot the rehearsal at Henrik's house tonight. It's strange to see Ostergaard with no hair, rocking out in front of his washing machine.

I brought my six-year-old son, Grayson, to the rehearsal. He's obsessed with Star Wars, trash cans (don't ask), trains (as you may already know or soon find out) and rocking out to my iPod's Rock Mix. I thought he'd get a kick out of seeing in the flesh one of the bands he likes. I plugged his ears and he stood there, mesmerized as these guys lit it up.

As soon as we came home, he insisted on putting on a concert for us in his bedroom with his bongo drums and his death-metal lyrics that he's (unfortunately) adapted in his own six-year-old way from my Metallica selections. His mother is thrilled.

I would have shot something of Grayson with Henrik, but although he was cordial and helpful, Henrik wasn't chatty and the whole band seemed to want me to get done ASAP. And this was a tough shoot in a tiny basement room with all five musicians nowhere near each other. I'm glad I brought my lights and my 14mm lens. Henrik concluded the shoot by saying they all wanted to watch the Steelers/Ravens on MNF. So I didn't ask for an autograph...

Enjoy. 9/29/08.

Video: Railfest 2008

2008-09-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the sights and sounds from RailFest 2008 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was a warm July weekend, but Grayson and I had a great time camping out and watching trains. We took a ride around the Altoona Curve on that classic Pennsylvania Railroad EMD E-8 set, one of only a few that are still in operation. Then we spent hours at the curve watching the trains go by. By the way, I forgot to include a credit in the video, the song I use is called Altoona by Artese N' Toad, which I purchased from iTunes. I hope they don't mind my usage. Enjoy.

Video: Railcars at LSRHS

2008-09-23T02:50:00.000-07:00

Watch as two local members of the North American Railcar Operators Association show off their railcars at the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society in North East. The boxy railcars were once used to haul track maintenance workers for railroads across North America. For a donation to the LSRH, you can take a ride on a railcar on Sept. 27 & 28 from noon to 4pm when they return as part of North East's 27th annual Wine Country Harvest Festival.

Video: One Hour on the Franklin Avenue Bridge

2008-09-23T02:46:00.000-07:00

If you're a railfan in Erie, Pennsylvania, you know how to find the Franklin Avenue bridge. It traverses the CSX and Norfolk Southern tracks just south of the main gate to GE Transportation, where many of the locomotives are made that you see on the tracks. In an hour's time, we saw quite a few trains and some interesting surprises.

Photo: Ian's Funeral

2008-09-13T05:01:00.001-07:00

Ian Kilmer's funeral. From left are his wife (my mother) Gale Kilmer, Ian's daugher Kelly Kilmer Harding, mom's cousin Patti Kalish, Ian's oldest son Randy Kilmer. They were watching as Ian's casket was loaded into a hearse following his funeral at St. Eugene's Catholic Church in Asheville, NC. It's all about the light and the content.

Photo: Mom's Foot

2008-09-13T04:37:00.001-07:00

While visiting my mother in Asheville, I accompanied her to a visit with her podiatrist. I loved the light and was intrigued by the content. One frame, then my camera battery died. Enjoy. 8/28/08.

Photo: Tomatoes on the Window Sill

2008-08-19T20:18:00.001-07:00

I'm trying a vegetable garden in the back yard for the first time in years. Just tomatoes and squash. Maybe more next year. Anyway, this is some of the fruits of my labor. It's all about the color, baby.

Video: TVUUC Memorial Service at the UUCE

2008-08-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie held a memorial service on Aug. 3 for the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church following a tragic shooting at the Knoxville-based church a week earlier. Watch as the UUCE remember their fellow UUs through words and flowers.

Video: The launch of the Grace

2008-07-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

Watch as my friend Marc Mancinelli launches his 16-foot grand banks dory for the first time in Presque Isle Bay in Erie, Pennsylvania on July 28, 2008. He's been building this boat by hand for more than six months, and his family and some friends were on hand to see it off on its maiden voyage. Apologies in advance for the shaky shots. I forgot my tripod. Enjoy.

Photo: Rainbow Fish

2008-07-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

It's only a little bluegill, but its coloring reminds me of Marcus Pfister's Rainbow Fish. Presque Isle State Park. Erie, Penn. 6/15/08.

Photo: Eglinton West

2008-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is a northbound subway leaving the Eglinton West station in Toronto. I like the motion, and how the flash caught the reflective tape on the back of the car. Enjoy. 6/23/08.

Photo: Swim the Bay

2008-06-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

I asked our intern Carlos Delgado (whose last day is today... bueno suerte amigo!) to help me edit my still photos from the Swim the Bay event that I detail in the video below. He went right to this image. "Well, that's really more of a photo for my blog," I said. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that it really SHOULD be in the mix for the print and online package we developed for this event. So it's planned to run as the lede photo on the jump page for this story, which is fine. It's still a nice photo for my blog. If you'd like to read more about this event, click here. Enjoy. 6/28/08.

Video: Swim the Bay

2008-06-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

I shot this video today while on assignment, covering the first mile-long swim of Presque Isle Bay, from Vista 3 at Presque Isle State Park in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, to the Erie Yacht Club in Erie. I really like the guy's comments at the end. If you'd like to read more about this event, click here. Enjoy. 6/28/08.

Photo: Toronto Bus 86

2008-06-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

I love street photography and I'm a huge fan of mass transit, so I put those two passions together to make this image during a recent family vacation to Toronto. We took Via Rail from Niagara to Toronto, so we were beholden to public transportation while there. This bus was returning from the (underwhelming, except for the stingray exhibit) Toronto Zoo. It was packed with humanity and I saw something brewing. I made three frames that I like, but this one is really all there. There's something '70s about it. I'm not sure, but I really like it. 6/24/08.

Video: Dennis Mead's Trains

2008-06-28T21:01:00.001-07:00

Dennis Mead of Summit Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania was kind enough to let us see his great Erie Lackawanna G-gauge model railroad layout. All the kids (big and little) enjoyed it. Hope you do too. The best part is the tunnel that goes through the bottom of his double-wide. 6/8/08.

Video: Erie SeaWolves 2008 opener

2008-06-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is a video I shot in April. Since baseball is my favorite sport, I had a good time shooting this video. I especially like the interaction between the father and son as they watch a good fielding play come together. Enjoy. 4/10/08

Video: 2008 UUCE Community Yard Sale

2008-06-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is a look at the annual community yard sale at the church we attend. It's a big deal for the church and the community. Enjoy. 6/7/08

Photo: Anniversary Bugs

2008-06-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is an odd scene that I noticed late on a very warm (for Erie) October evening, which happened to be a sad anniversary for me. 10/17/2007.

Video: Searching for emerald ash borer beetles

2008-06-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here's another video I shot recently. It shows how a couple of Pennslyvania Department of Agriculture interns set traps for emerald ash borer beetles, which are an invasive bug that's killing trees in the midwest and has been found in a couple Pennsylvania counties. My favorite still photo from the shoot is below. 6/6/2008.

Emerald ash borer program surveyor Bethany Addis checks a net after sweeping the lower branches of an ash tree June 6 at Frontier Park in Erie. Addis, 24, who is an Edinboro University masters biology student, is interning with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture this summer. Her job this summer is to set an Ash Borer trap in every 1.5 square miles of Erie County for the invasive emerald ash borer, which has been found in ash trees in counties south of Erie. The beetle lays its eggs in the trees and the larve feed on the wood, eventually killing the tree. 6/6/2008.

Video: Grow Your Own Garden

2008-06-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

I went on this assignment not expecting to shoot video, but I thought it warranted it once I got there. Shot it on a $200 FlipVideo, which you can check out here. The picture quality is good, but it's a bear to edit on Final Cut Pro.

Video: Villa Maria garden

2008-06-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a video I shot and produced on a local Catholic elementary school's garden project. I had to double shoot: stills and video at the same time. I try not to force my photographers into this situation, as both stills and video suffers. But, as shown here, it happens sometimes. 6/5/2008.