Photo Files

The best photos of the past week.


Thursday, February 14, 2008

Youth at Play: Pottsgrove under-14 soccer

video
The Pottsgrove under-14 girls soccer team recently battled the cold and snow to prepare for the President's Day Soccer Festival IX at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
To watch the slideshow, click the play button above.
To order copies of the photos pictured here, go to our reprints Web site.

Labels: , , , ,

Friday, February 8, 2008

Week in Review, Feb. 1-8, 2008


A giant groundhog visited the downtown, area teams achieved PAC-10 championship titles, and Faschnacht came and went.
For a slideshow of the best photos from The Mercury this past week, click here.
To purchase reprints of photos run in The Mercury, check out our photo reprints Web site.

Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, February 4, 2008

Pottstown shaped by fire



To view a slideshow of historic fires in downtown Pottstown, click here.

To read Fires reshape High Street from the Sunday, Feb. 3, edition click here.

Labels: , , ,

Friday, February 1, 2008

Week in Review, Jan. 23-29, 2008


To watch this week's photo slideshow, click here.
Copies of photographs are available through our photo reprints site, http://photos.allaroundphilly.com/index.asp?ID=1674.

Labels: , , , , ,

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Youth at Play: Tri-County Diving

video

Eighty kids from swimming programs in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties participated in the Tri-County Diving Championships for children ages 6-14. Mercury staff photographer Daniel P. Creighton was on site to take the above pictures of Owen J. Roberts students on the board and off.

To order reprints of these photos and others, click here.

Labels: , , , ,

High Street fire, Jan. 26, 2008



To watch a slideshow of images from the downtown fire on High Street in Pottstown, click here.

If you have pictures or a story from the High Street fire, tell us. Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of this posting and tell us your story or add your photo. If you don't have a Google or AOL account, please put your name in the comments box and click "anonymous."

To read about the fire, click on the links below.

Fire burns half a block of High Street

Fire could impact downtown revitalization

Firefighters displayed heroic effort as blaze engulfed the downtown

Electrical problems cited as cause of blaze

Business owners start picking up the pieces

Patching the hole in High Street

Video of the fire can be viewed in our archives below:

Labels: , , , ,

Friday, January 25, 2008

The Week in Review, Jan. 19-25


Click here to view the slideshow.

To order reprints of any photos, click here.

Labels: , , , , , ,

Youth at Play: Springing to the Hoop



St. Francis and Old Dominion meet in a game in the Spring-Ford Youth Athletic League's Pee Wee Basketball Division.
Mercury Staff Photographer Kevin Hoffman was on hand to catch the action.

Labels: , , ,

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Our Photographers



John Strickler began working for The Mercury in 1974 as a copyboy in the newsroom and learned to use a camera on the job. He was promoted to full-time staff photographer in January 1976, and was named photo supervisor in October 1989. During the 1990s, Strickler was instrumental with former editor Walt Herring in converting from black-and-white photography to color and in upgrading technology. The process began in 1993 with a Fuji color film processor and Nikon film scanner, and continued to January 1996, when the days of hand-developing film in tanks and tray-printing came to an end. Strickler was also involved in upgrading to full pagination of The Mercury in August 1996, and supervised the conversion to digital photography, ending the use of color film, in 2001. But first and foremost, Strickler is a newsman who thrives on recording events of his hometown and the people who live here. In 1987, he traveled to San Francisco with the Pottstown High School band for the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate bridge. He went to Washington, D.C., with Vietnam veterans and Gold Star mothers, covered a Live Aid concert and Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, reported on the making of Marines at Parris Island, and captured the Pottstown PAL Patriots as they played in a Pop Warner National Championship tournament in Orlando, Fla. Strickler has won numerous state and national awards for his work. His favorite subject to photograph: people with American flags.


Since September 1986, staff photographer Kevin Hoffman has been “the eyes” of The Mercury at countless news scenes. His work has ranged from the devastation wrought by tornadoes in Limerick to the return of Norristown native Joseph Cicippio after he was released from a long captivity in Beirut. Hoffman traveled to Okla-homa City in the aftermath of the bombings there for a special report on victims’ rights. But he is best known for his work closer to home, covering the drama of news and the emotional impact on people of the Pottstown area. “I have witnessed many walks of life, both good and bad, and I have seen firsthand joy and happiness,” he said, of his years at The Mercury. “I also have witnessed the sorrow and grief of life’s horrific tragedies. The experiences I have documented have made me appreciate what life has to offer.” During his two decades at the paper, the craft has changed from black-and-white to color, from film to digital. Hoffman said starting “as a black-and-white shooter taught me to be a better photographer.” He has won numerous state and national awards, most notably the 1999 Photo of the Year award from Editor and Publisher for a picture of a woman fleeing from a burning building. His work has been featured in numerous national publications, including the cover of the National Firefighters Association calendar. When not shooting the news, he enjoys photographing saltwater fishing and boating scenes.


Dan Creighton came to Pottstown in the fall of 1992, after starting his career in 1989 at the former Today’s Spirit newspaper in Hatboro. Creighton learned of the job from Kevin Hoffman while both were photographing a military parachute jump demonstration. “I was able to make the big jump to daily news photojournalism and to this small town I now work in and call home,” Creighton said. The leap to The Mercury coincided with the strides being made at the paper in converting from black-and-white to color photo technology. Creighton brought with him a strong technical expertise that proved valuable during those years of change. In his 14 years at The Mercury, he has shot more than 30,000 images. One of his specialties is sports, and his action shots make up about 80 percent of his work for the paper. However, the photo he is probably best known for was a 1998 car wreck on Route 100. The image of emergency workers and Good Samaritans rescuing a driver shortly before the car burst into flames awed readers. Creighton said he was “just in the right place at the right time.” Whether sports, news or features, the job of a photographer gets you “up close and personal” with people of all walks of life. “I know that our photos often show sorrow and grief, but I also know that photos help to ease those emotions by capturing the memories that bring smiles and joy,” he said. Creighton, an outdoorsman, has twice chronicled the Schuylkill River Sojourn from his kayak as part of special projects for The Mercury. He enjoys nature and conceptual photography.

For a look, visit DCphotog.com

Labels: ,

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

How to post a comment

Having trouble posting a comment?
Perhaps these tips will help.
If you would like to post a comment, click on the "comments" link at the bottom of the blog entry.
A window will pop up. Type in your comment.
After this you must choose an ID, using either your own blogger account, an AOL account, or another Open ID. Then type in your name and URL.
If you do not have a blog or use the options given, type your name at the bottom of the comment and click on "Anonymous" at the bottom of the pop-up window.
You must choose some kind of identifying information.
When you are finished, hit "preview" at the bottom of the window. You can review and edit what you have typed.
Note: Profanity or comments in poor taste will be removed from the site.
When you are satisfied with your comment, hit "publish your comment."

CONTACT US  •  OUR PUBLICATIONS  •  PRIVACY POLICY  •  NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION
© 2007 Journal Register Company. All Rights Reserved.