AeroShell Aerobatic Team pilot Steve Gustafson of Tallulah, La., flies a World War II era AT-6 Texan aircraft in a formation over Lake Michigan near Marquette Park Beach in Gary, Ind., during the Gary South Shore Air Show, Saturday, July 10, 2010. This image was shot with a Go Pro Hero HD camera mounted to the wing, set to capture a still image once every two seconds.

Far in the distance, though the hazy blanket of hot summer night air, they greet my eyes as shimmering, golden orbs far on the horizon. A rising planet? A star? Something from beyond our solar system? I start to get nervous, “This might be it, Guy, remain calm.” With my eyes now keenly fixed on the target, the shimmering golden color begins to ascend into a brilliant white as the orb rises higher into the sky. OK, it’s not a star, definitely not a planet

Henry Colquitt of Chicago, Ill., consoles his daughter Jackie Colquitt, 13, outside the late singer Michael Jackson’s childhood home at 2300 Jackson St. in Gary, Ind., Friday, June 25, 2010. A ceremony unveiling a monument took place at the home Friday, commemorating the first anniversary of the singer’s death.

There’s a select few events in our country’s history that have created defining, indelible memories in the minds of those who lived through them. People can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when the news of these events broke. When I was a child, these events were often ones relegated to our parents’ memories, and passed along like cherished, historic heirlooms. They told of being curled up in front of black and white TV sets watching Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon, or of school teachers running into classrooms in tears with the news that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

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Professional midget wrestler Tony “Teo” Elliott of Lake Station, Ind., leaves the field at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago after throwing out the first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game against the Texas Rangers, Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Elliott stars in the new Spike TV series Half Pint Brawlers.

With the start of the latest incarnation of my web site and this blog, I’m going to make a vow to be honest with all of you here, even if it puts me in a less-than-favorable light. So, here comes the first morsel of truth: I’d be lying if I said I looked forward to each and every photo assignment I do. I fantasize about a world where every assignment was like the favorites I’ve done, from following Willy the pyromaniac at Willy Works blowing stuff up next to his store around July 4th, to holding a camera above my head in a Stearman biplane shooting the pilot behind me doing loops over Lake Michigan.

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