[in the Arena]

I wish I could have set the room with lots of lights to evenly illuminate it but I had only the strobe gear (one 580) that I carried in my bag. It wasn't nearly enough to properly light the room. There were no spot lights of any sort on the stage, just a few florescent lights in the ceiling of a room that was probably 30-40 feet tall and approximately the size of a gym

If it was such a crummy picture...why even submit it to print...

[pollyannaish]

It wasn't/isn't a crummy photo. It was crummy lighting which is a big difference.

Personally, I think it is a very interesting photo because it gives us a look at what is happening from the soldiers pov, rather than an "observers" pov. At the same time, it gives us the opportunity to study the faces of the men and women, ok men, who serve our country, rather than focusing on the face of the "star."

All and all, a competent piece of photojournalism from my perspective. Not brilliant, but interesting. It tells the story.