Dominic Michael Bracco II photojournalist

Juaritos. one more week.

2010-05-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ciudad Juarez - Images by Dominic Bracco II

Also last night.

2010-05-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

A woman waits to be treated by emergency response at the municipal police station in Cd. Juarez after being beaten by her husband.

May 4

2010-05-04T03:01:00.001-07:00

EMT responds to the scene of the murder of two individuals, a man and a woman who appeared to be pregnant in the Morelos Tres colonia in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico on May 4, 2010. Both were declared dead on the scene. Their heads touching in an embrace, the bullet entered the man's skull and killed them both.

Cd. Juarez Day 1

2010-05-01T13:16:00.001-07:00

CONTACT INFO IN MEXICO

2010-04-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

MY NEW CELL:

FROM THE US 0115218331030382

FROM MEXICO 8331030382

THANKS, DOMINIC

falling off the grid

2009-09-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

I am going to be out of touch for awhile while I pursue some personal projects. if you need to get into contact with me the best way is via email dominicbracco@gmail.com however I will only have email sporadically. If you send me a text on my cell +13612328623 there is a small chance I might receive it. I will be back stateside around the holidays and return to a more normal beat. In January I am planning to relocate to Mexico for the year. Thanks Dominic.

Heading to Spain

2009-08-26T11:03:00.001-07:00

I am heading to Barcelona today - with a long layover in Dublin. I will be hanging out in Spain - then making it up to Perpignan for the festival for a few days.

D

New Site

2009-08-17T06:25:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of building a new website:

comments are appreciated:

http://dominicbraccoii.sites.livebooks.com/

Gambia

2009-08-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Gambia where I was working as a sound man and grip on a story on international investment. The 12 day shoot went great and we are all back safe stateside....now I am going to go somewhere else...but i dont know where that is yet haha.

On the Road

2009-05-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

So tonight I plan on leaving D.C. for three months to work on a project about America or something like it. I don't really have a clue where I am going although I am starting in Bland, Va. I don't know yet exactly what I will focus on or what exactly I plan on saying - if anything. Funny thing is this trip is a mirror to my present state of mind. I don't really have a destination, just hoping to figure things out along the way. Cheers

Dominic

UPDATE:I am not leaving yet because my sub letter just flaked out.

UPDATE:I am just going to completely move out - I gave away all of my things and am heading out.

Dance.

2009-05-15T10:19:00.001-07:00

I am going to make a new blog probably.

Happy Easter

2009-04-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

scary.

Awards Ceremony at Kennedy Center

2009-03-23T19:44:00.001-07:00

I did an assignment at the Kennedy Center for The Washington Post. Here are two pix that are a little bit more of me being me.

Tuna!

2009-03-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market

Among the market greens,
a bullet
from the ocean
depths,
a swimming
projectile,
I saw you,
dead.

All around you
were lettuces,
sea foam
of the earth,
carrots,
grapes,
but
of the ocean
truth,
of the unknown,
of the
unfathomable
shadow, the
depths
of the sea,
the abyss,
only you had survived,
a pitch-black, varnished
witness
to deepest night.

Only you, well-aimed
dark bullet
from the abyss,
mangled
at one tip,
but constantly
reborn,
at anchor in the current,
winged fins
windmilling
in the swift
flight
of
the
marine
shadow,
a mourning arrow,
dart of the sea,
olive, oily fish.
I saw you dead,
a deceased king
of my own ocean,
green
assault, silver
submarine fir,
seed
of seaquakes,
now
only dead remains,
yet
in all the market
yours
was the only
purposeful form
amid
the bewildering rout
of nature;
amid the fragile greens
you were
a solitary ship,
armed
among the vegetables
fin and prow black and oiled,
as if you were still
the vessel of the wind,
the one and only
pure
ocean
machine:
unflawed, navigating
the waters of death.

Pablo Neruda

New Orleans Gallery Online

2009-03-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.dominicbraccomedia.com

Rodney Atkins concert

2009-03-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I covered a Rodney Atkins concert for the Post. If you don't know his music you can find it here: http://www.rodneyatkins.com/. I was really great to work with his band and his manager. Thanks especially to drummer Kevin Rapillo, bass player Judd Fuller, banjo player Liam Bailey, fiddle player Mark Evitts, manager Greg Hill, Rodney and the rest of the band members and staff whose names I did not write down (oops :( sorry). Everyone gave me amazing access and let me follow them around EVERYWHERE hahah. The result was some different looking concert pictures.

website

2009-02-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

I made the pix on my website bigger and made some changes:

http://www.dominicbracco.com/

A new portrait project.

2009-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am shooting film on this project but when I was setting up my lights yesterday I saw a little moment in there and made this frame. It is very different from what the final product will look like but I really like the image. Funny how sometimes the best pix are just "in between the real pictures" or testing exposures.

Inauguration

2009-01-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

Due to many request, Lisa ;) and Rebekah ;) I will start posting again. Thanks for looking. These are from the inauguration.

its so cold here.

2008-12-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

First day I saw snow stick in Arlington, VA Dec. 6, 2008. This photo is in a park near my home.

voices from oak hill youth detention center

2008-11-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I shot a picture story at Oak Hill youth detention center in Laurel, Md. This is where many of the kids that are involved in violent crimes in Washington D.C. end up. The place opened my eyes to possibilities of rehabilitation but also spoke volumes to the severity of the issues on the streets. Here is a poem written by a boy - I will keep his name private.

RIP Crack, Ant, and Alcuz, My Tribute

"Im going to miss you dudes, man...
Crack was one of my closest friends, we put in work together, we played girls together, man, we basically lived together. We were at the dinner table together and for me to call home from jail and hear you got stabbed 30 times, man, that messed me up a lot man, but you are in a better place.

Ant, we was in the same class even though you was three years older than me, but I didn't look at you any different. You was my man, we did bamma stuff together and I'll never forget that you beat people for me and even though I was from another neighborhood than you was, I miss you.

Last but not least Alcuz, man not you. For me to call home and they tell me Alcuz got shot in the head, that crushed me Alcuz, you was one of the older dudes around the way that I liked the most. When ninjas was messing you stood up for me and I respect that.

Gone but not forgotten, all three of y'all. See you soon. I cried for all y'all."

-GQ

706

2008-09-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

I started a project a month ago about gun violence. My partner and reporter Michael Ruane, with the help of some computer analysts, was able to track down the most violent section of the city. PSA 706, or police service area 706. Michael and I found a subculture of DC that has become in tune with the turmoil of its occupants. Rituals, rhythms, rhymes, customs that have all become part of this terrible recurring nightmare. For some this is their home for generations. Economic reasons have left them trapped inside and like many war zones across the world it is often the families and innocent that are left to pick up the pieces...My pictures and text from my colleague with come soon after publication of the story in The Washington Post.

vuvox?

2008-09-17T15:02:00.001-07:00

I am trying this thing . what do you think.

Recent portraits

2008-08-06T18:02:00.001-07:00

Recent general assignments

2008-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

From Texas to DC

2008-06-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Wall

2008-06-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Post wins 6 Pulitzers!

2008-04-07T17:29:00.001-07:00

The Work

Bandera, Texas.

2008-03-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

I love it.

Women Voters / Washington Post

2008-03-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to Austin for The Washington Post to photograph some women voters. These are my favorite two....the assignment went well, and I even put three on the front page!! I couldn't believe it.

Sports Wild Art

2008-02-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

(from the other day for The Shorthorn)

Mixed Martial Arts

2008-01-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

(photos for The Shorthorn)

Happy Lunar New Year!

2008-01-27T14:45:00.001-08:00

community

2008-01-27T13:40:00.001-08:00

BW or Color?

2008-01-27T12:18:00.001-08:00

For the whole story?

The Last of Seven

2008-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

House work.

2008-01-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been tilting with motion to try to create a feeling of energy. I have several normally composed frames, but was wondering what your opinion is of this one. So far I am not sure how I feel about it.

News Years Eve in the Colonias

2007-12-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

Eloisa Perez reads a magazine in her home near Robstown, Texas. The Perez family has been in the home for over 20 years.

Lucinda Fernandez hangs up laundry to dry outside her home near Robstown, Texas. The plot of land that her family lives on is less than a mile away from the city dump. Properties such as this are often bought up by less fortunate families due to cheaper land prices, but many times this comes at a cost - properties near dump sites have a higher chance of well contamination.

Lionel Lopez, director of the South Texas Colonias Initiative investigates the site of a recent septic tank instillation that his organization helped to have built.

Jena 6 investigator

2007-12-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

Canadian Dr. Alan Bean has been influential in the investigation of the trial involving six black teenagers who beat a white student in Jena, Louisiana. Bean traveled 16 times between his Arlington, Texas home and Jena, Louisiana to investigate what appeared to be racially-charged events that led to the beating, to assist in finding lawyers for defendants, and bring national media attention to the case.

Photo by Dominic Bracco II (CanWest News Services)

Pigeon Racing

2007-11-03T16:52:00.001-07:00

I started a new project on people who race pigeons in Texas. I spent Friday in Denton, Texas with the club, pigeon racer Adrian Oliveira of Corinth, Texas, and Shirley Rodriguez of Hickery Creek, Texas learning about the sport. Here are a few snaps; more to come next week.

Anacostia Multimedia

2007-11-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to my progress on the DC project. I'm still fine tuning but take a look:

Anacostia Multimedia

Bush Departure

2007-07-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first time I had ever been to the White House...I shot two assignments, but this was my favorite. Today I will be back in South East.

Barry Farms

2007-07-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

I found God in the ghetto.

2007-07-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hassan demonstrates how much taller Shaq is than his new friend. I am taking a break from this project I think....I need to sort somethings out in my head.

Section 8

2007-07-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Blood on the wall marks the place where a man was stabbed to death by his girlfriend....10 months ago.

Bubba

2007-07-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

"I have no fear when God is with me."

2007-07-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

I always come back to my religion, whether I want to claim it all times or not, but in it most simplistic form Catholicism is something familiar in places that many times seem unwelcoming. Every time I dig deeper I realize that there is so much more to know. My friend Honey has lost a son to gang violence, my other friend has been a junky for 32 years, another is a Vietnam Vet., ex black panther, civil rights activist, ex thief, and exjunkie.

I met a nun from Romania and when I asked her about living in Anacostia she replied "I have no fear when God is with me."

Day 3 in South East (Anacostia)

2007-07-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today I went back to South East and went to see Mrs. Hawkin's who runs a nonprofit after school/activities program for unfortunate kids. She is a tough woman. The kids were great and it was a lot of fun but sobering at the same time. You can see the photos HERE. I let the kids play a little bit with my camera....one shot this photo of me and another kid......I think I need to go over focusing again :)

Day 2

2007-07-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

"You aint scared coming down here?"

2007-06-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Will write more later:

Day 1 of my ventures in Anacostia, a neighborhood known around DC for being a rough section of town...which is of course the reason I went. :) Today I mostly just did talking...talk talk talk talk....I took 5 pix. All shit. These were the best 3.

Folk Life.

2007-06-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

World Peace.

2007-06-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today I witnessed something beautiful on the metro back home. A moment between a pink-haired rocker dude with tats and piercings all over, and his newly acquired friend : A monk. There was something great watching them talk, between all the suits and busy people, like the fact that they were different from everyone was enough to bring them together. While I sat there and everyone looked at them with judging eyes, I smiled to myself and left my cameras by my side....It was a moment that most people would kick at me for not shooting, but I honestly made the conscious decision not to try and ruin it with a shutter. And instead of sharing it with you, I will just say that I am happy.

Thinking...

2007-06-23T14:18:00.001-07:00

I really need to start something personal because I think I might go nuts if I don't come home with at least one new story in the book. Plus I haven't really done anything socially significant in awhile, and that is the whole reason I got into journalism in the first place.

Shaw Rec. and U Street

2007-06-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today I walked around the U Street area of DC. I had seen a cage style basketball court there once before when I was driving by last week, so I took the metro this morning and set out to find it. If you want to see more images go here

The President in Black and White

2007-06-15T14:09:00.001-07:00

Today I got to cover former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the Holiday Inn. It was quite an experience, but I was also very attracted to the amount of work that was put on by the wait staff...A woman came to me and asked, "Can I help you sir, you sure do seem to be taking a lot of pictures of the staff, who are you with." I kind of thought that was insulting to the waiters, so I replied that I was impressed by their quickness and felt like telling their story too....

The Candidate

2007-06-12T18:08:00.001-07:00

These are pictures that I didn't publish, but I think sort of get you the feeling of what its like to be there, rather than actually show her. (dedicated to my friend Bek)

Dos Perros

2007-06-10T09:18:00.001-07:00

I shot this through the widow of my cousin's truck yesterday when we were trying to find a parking spot in Dupont.

A Sweet Frame

2007-06-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time.

Rainbow Street

2007-06-09T15:12:00.001-07:00

It took forever for someone to walk down this damn street!

The Senate Side of Capitol Hill

2007-06-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA), Washington D.C. (yes its a Christopher Morris rip off :))P.S. Update: I still have no idea what I am doing.

Some things are funny.

2007-06-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today I went to photograph the unveiling of a document written by Abraham Lincoln, which was basically just a sheet of paper...but what was crazy is that one sheet of paper actually holds a lot of significance, something that the former president could have simply thrown in a wastebasket.

Welcome to the Media.

2007-06-05T18:50:00.001-07:00

I shot this photo right before "Scooter" Libby exited the building. Today I was reminded of how little I know about my profession, and how much I have to learn!

Yard Bowling.

2007-06-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

Larry Worthington, of Arlington VA hurls an empty water jug toward lined up pins as part of the game, "yard bowling," which the group invented as a means to entertain themselves while drinking. "All good yard bowling, must have a great patio bar."

Meet The Maxwells

2007-06-03T09:54:00.001-07:00

I always enjoy taking images like this because they feel a bit like "An American Portrait" sort of work. The Maxwell's live is Fairfax, VA and are like a band living under one roof with the same last name. They all play numerous instruments and are very educated.... I enjoyed my time with them.

Chillin on The Capitol Hill

2007-06-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

House Speaker Nancy Peloci and Dem. Rep. Edward Markey discuss global warming issues during a press conference on Capitol Hill, June 1, 2007 in Washington.

(Notice the picture of the floor...there isn't much room to crawl around and make pictures! I was surprised at the tiny room they put us in!)

Day 2

2007-05-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

OK...I am a big dork...but hey, I never have had a Congressional press pass before!QUE COOL!

Day 1

2007-05-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

A man walks down the path from the Washington Monument.

Today I did a lot of walking...pretty much aimlessly through my new home. Its nice here....clean.

Summer.

2007-05-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for awhile because I have been on vacation, and I did not have the time to go get my film exposed. Anyways, I think this frame does a good job of explaining how much I love summer.

And then it stormed...

2007-05-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today.

2007-05-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today none of my photographers came to work so I was able to get out of the office to run down to the stadium with Caleb and make a quick photo for his page. The sky was nice, otherwise this picture would have been very boring. 15 min shot is a 15 min shot I guess...

Aikido

2007-04-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

Dominic Bracco/The Shorthorn

Joel Quintans demonstrates Iaido, or the art of drawing the sword, from the martial art Aikido, for members of the University Aikido ClubThursday at the P.E. Building. Quintans said the objective of Aikido is more about training the mind than the body, a lesson that he tries to instill in his students.

After looking for some sports wild art I met Joel...the light totally sucked...but I was able to pull out this...so whatever.

Lost and Found

2007-03-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

Corpus Christi, TX

Some frames I scanned in today from three months ago. They sat buried somewhere on my floorboard for 3 months before finally making it to a lab. Sad thing is these two were the only ones that made it from the roll...:( good thing is I found it! BTW these are taken with a Holga (crappy plastic toy camera).

Visiting Van's Shoe Service

2007-03-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today I got bored at work and decided to go on a bit of feature hunting...where I met Sharon Henderson and the shoe repair people.

Big Bend and Terlingua Texas

2007-03-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Another Day in Primavera Estates

2006-12-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

The Maravillas were the first to move into the colonia Primavera Estates. Mrs. Maravilla and her husband both came to Texas from Mexico about 11 years ago.

Richard Trevino plays with his cat Windy to pass the time. Without anywhere to go, Richard said he is thankful for his friend.

The Maravilla family consists of five children and the two parents. All of the children were born in the United States.

Beyond Just Our Poverty

2006-12-28T17:57:00.000-08:00

Mark Trevino moved into his brothers home after his had burned down. Trevino lost his niece a year ago in a fire at his parents home.
Richard Trevino lives with his brother. They have no running water, air conditioning or heat. His only form of heat is a small space heater that sometimes does work. A heater just like this one caused the fire that burned down their mothers home.

Mark, already in his late twenties, was jumped at his neighbors house by five men. His ribs were swollen, face bruised, and his back was severely scratched from dragging him on the concrete. This sort of group violence is not uncommon he said.

A man takes food to his dogs. "Even the dogs are poor in the colonias," he said jokingly.

Like many poverty stricken areas, drugs are an escape from the turmoils that have surrounded their daily lives in the colonias. This user said he has been smoking crack as a way to get rid of all the pain in his life.

Revisiting the Colonias

2006-12-27T17:21:00.000-08:00

The front door to a families home in Tierra Grande, a colonia outside Corpus Christi, Texas. This is home to a mother and her children.

Richard Trevino, 25, of Robstown, Texas said he has been living in poverty since 1998. "It is difficult because you have to depend on other people," said Trevino.

Lionel Lopez, director of the South Texas Colonia Initiative, investigates the former home of the deceased Mr. Vera who died in his home alone several months ago.

Barrio de Lata (The Tin Neighborhood)

2006-12-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

A mail box is all that is left of Priscella Rodriguez's home in Taft, Texas after a tornado demolished it some months ago. The family now lives across the street in an abandoned restaurant and could not afford to clean up the property.

Bleeding Clean

2006-12-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

A small black tip shark is left to bleed on new jetties at JP Luby Park, in Padre Island, Texas. The tail was removed to allow the fish to bleed out the "fishy flavor" and leave behind clean meat.

Flight

2006-12-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

Two brown pelicans set off at the end of a jetty in Corpus Christi that extends into the port.