Mine are the Mohawk and Mirror images. Main image by Diego Robles.

The first two weeks of January, I was at the New York Times Institute in Tucson with some excellent journalists from around the country. I got to shoot a lot with one of the Times editors and compete with other skilled photographers.  Here is an audio slideshow of my work.  And it has a funny picture of me. I couldn’t convince Sal not to use it :/

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From journalism.columbia.edu

I’ll be in Tucson with the New York Times Institute the first two weeks of January.  Here’s the story my school ran.

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20091103_election

Voters were out making their voices heard in Harlem on Nov. 3. This was for an assignment in my audio class. \

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In one day, Panaderia Caotzingo bakery produces 270 pieces of pan de muerto, Spanish for "bread of the dead."

Nushin Rashidian and I recently spent an evening at a Mexican bakery in Queens preparing for The Day of the Dead. Check out our story at nyfoodchain.com.

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Aztec Press Oct. 29, 2009. Main photo by Daniel Woolfolk

In late 2008, while tagging along with Deanna Dent in Mexico, I took some photos at Casa de Elizabeth Orphanage. The Aztec Press recently wrote a story about it. You can read the article by Jose Rodriguez here.

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Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch is back to work at his Manhattan office near Times Square after undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery in June. (Photo: Daniel Woolfolk)

My friend Joel Meares and I interviewed former Mayor Ed Koch in his Manhattan office for a story on eating on the campaign trail for nyfoodchain.com. The Huffington Post picked it up as did the Columbia Journalist. It’s got another portrait.

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Climbing gear as it lay. Mt. Lemmon, Ariz. April 2009.

Photos and Writing by Daniel Woolfolk

Some people aren’t satisfied with just any sport. Many Tucsonans challenge themselves by climbing a cliff, grabbing onto morsels of rock, bit by bit, dozens of feet off the ground.

“It’s a great city for climbers,” said Stefanie Cafferel, 24, a Pima Community College student and a staff member at Rocks and Ropes climbing
gym.

When she’s not working , Cafferel is either honing on her skills in the gym or climbing outdoors, in and around Tucson.

“You’re right on the hub,” she said, explaining that Tucson is close to great climbing areas such as Cochise Stronghold near Tombstone, Hueco Tanks east of El Paso, California and Colorado. “Plus, you have Mount Lemmon in your backyard.”

Mount Lemmon offers different types of climbing, from roped climbing to bouldering, which doesn’t require ropes because the climber is typically less than 15 feet from the ground and is protected by mats and, usually, by others spotting from below.

Climbers enjoy a wide range of climbs from the base to the top of Mount Lemmon.

“You can boulder in the hot sun and drive half an hour and be in pine trees,” said Patrick Rees, 21, a University of Arizona fisheries management junior.

Tucsonans don’t need to go as far as Mount Lemmon to get a climb in. Many people even climb during their lunch hours at Rocks and Ropes, which is located downtown. It has 55 35-foot high ropes set up in addition to a freestanding boulder and a bouldering area that don’t require ropes

For roped climbing, a partner is needed to belay, serving as an anchor and pulling slack from the rope as the climber ascends. The ropes at the gym are set up in such a way that a large difference in weight between partners is not an issue.

“An 80-pound kid can belay his dad, no problem,” said Rocks and Ropes Manager Jon Mavko, 25.

Fear of heights is something that 38-year-old gym owner Jason Mullins and staff deal with regularly.

“You don’t have to go to the top,” Mullins said.

Mullins sees that happen in the kids’ program and said he provides gym-goers with a non-intimidating environment. One day a fledgling climber may go up part way to gain confidence. By the end of the week, the new climber is

Published: April 21, 2009. Aztec Press, Tucson.

ringing the cowbell at the top of the route.

One kid climber went from climbing at Rocks and Ropes to becoming a world-class climber.

Eric Scully, 25, got his start climbing at the rock gym on his 10th birthday. As a 13-year-old, he became the youngest American to ascend a rock with the rating of 5.14, the highest rating given to climbs at the time.

After a bout with cancer, Scully became the first American to climb that rating after surviving cancer, according to Scully’s biography on rocksandropes.com. He has been a sponsored athlete and competed in the United States and abroad.

These days, aside from being a business major at UA, Scully coaches the youth team at Rocks and Ropes. He is there many days a week, motivating kids in the sport he loves so much.

“It’s just a great way to give back to the community that gave me so much,” he said. “They get training from a pro athlete who’s competed all over the world.”

Scully said he hasn’t competed much in the past year but has plans to in the future.  He is especially interested in the world cup circuit.

Rocks and Ropes is open seven days a week. First-time goers ages 12 and older can climb, get an initial lesson and rent equipment for $30. Day passes cost $12, and memberships are available. Students are charged a discounted rate.

Make sure to bring a friend so that you can use each other in the belay instruction.

FYI
Rocks and Ropes climbing gym
Location: 330 S. Toole Ave.
Phone: 882-5924
Web site: www.rocksandropes.com

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A climber at Central Park's Rat Rock. May 15, 2006. Photo by Christopher Lee

Bouldering in New York City’s Central Park at Rat Rock, August of 2009. Click below to hear the audio. I will be upgrading the audio player very soon. Please feel free to leave feedback, because this is one of the first audio pieces I have done.

Rat Rock

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A man mocks members of the Neturei Karta outside of the United Nation General Assembly meeting in New York City. Sept. 24 2009.

While reporting for a story, I got to shoot anti-Ahmajinedad protests.  The Neturei Karta had a demonstration that really brought out a lot of anger in people.  This guy had a creative way of expressing it.

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Here’s a shot from  an animal blessing at St. Martins Episcopal Church in Central Harlem on Sunday, Sept. 27.

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