"[...] A giant tumbleweed of a comedy drifting aimlessly through a laugh-free desert."

Some work from a couple assignments. Feels like I haven't shot much recently. Weird.

Portraits of Poverty: Joe Janetski

Joe Janetski, a mechanic at D J's Automotive Center at 713 S. Mission Road, was born in Midland and has lived in Rosebush for the last 19 years. Since the economic recession, Janetski said that business has slowed down. "People don't have money to fix cars, and there are more unsaved cars on the side of the road than I've ever seen. More cars are coming in with parts falling off. No one's doing preventative maintenance." Just as people don't have extra money for car parts, Janetski doesn't have extra money to spend on what he calls toys. "Get your priorities straight," Janetski said about how to keep up cars on a limited budget. "Don't put garbage [in your car.] People are putting $1000 sound systems and than a ball joint falls out. No one cares about tinted windows if the wipers don't work. You're not only endangering yourself, but others. Honest to God, steering and stopping are the most important. It doesn't matter how well it runs when you fly through the Mission/Pickard stop light."

Graphic Portraits

Top caption:
Larry Bauder, an investigator for the Tri-City Ghost Hunters Society, sits in front of the projector screen Wednesday afternoon while audio evidence is played back for a sold out audience to hear during the Ghost Hunters presentation at the Alice & Jack Wirt Library in Bay City. Besides playing back recorded audio evidence, the group explained their goals and how their equipment works. Started in 2009 by Nicole Beauchamp and Mandy Moore, the group does research on haunted locations and investigations for anyone in need.

Bottom caption: Adam Federspiel, 22, of Midland, a senior at Central Michigan University, stands while waiting for the 12-mile Ride of Silence to begin Wednesday evening. The ride memorializes cyclists who have been injured or killed on public roadways, and promotes motorist awareness of cyclists. "My cousin was riding his bike in Redford when someone took a left, didn't see him, and he was struck and killed. I do it memory of him," Federspiel said.