Walk to Defeat ALS 2012 – Fairborn, Ohio

Walk to Defeat ALS Registration – Dayton Photographer Alex Sablan (click image to see full shot)

On Sunday, September 23, 2012, I was invited to come cover the Walk to Defeat ALS at the Community Park in Fairborn, Ohio. It was a beautiful day full of sunshine and smiles.

If you have never heard of ALS, it is more commonly know as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. If you want to learn more about ALS, check out this site. If you would like to know about the National Walk to defeat ALS, please visit this site.

I mostly covered Maureen’s Green team. This was the team of a friend of mine, Andrea, who’s mother was afflicted with the disease in 2005 and passed away in 2006.

About the Event

Fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease – Dayton Photographer Alex Sablan (click image to see full shot)

The event began at 11am and lasted until early afternoon. There were tents from several local sponsors and a few national sponsors. Before the walk began, the individual teams milled around Community Park and some teams set up tents to spend time together before the start. There was a few teams barbecuing before the event and the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers filled the crisp morning air.

Right before the walk, Rhonda Moore of Fox45/WKEF22, the emcee, took to the stage for introductions and mentions of the sponsors. Then the Executive Director of the ALS Association Central & Southern Ohio Chapter, Marlin Seymour, spoke about the disease and how the event will help the cause. Then the Dayton Walk City Chair, Lisa Ross-Warnock, spoke from the edge of the stage before Sgt. Aaron Fraley sang the national anthem.

About the Shoot

Gem and Team Jill-E-beans – Dayton Photographer Alex Sablan

I shot the entire event with a Nikon D5000 with one of three lenses. The lenses were the Nikon 18-55mm, Nikon 85mm, and Tamron 70-300mm. I had a shot sheet to follow, but I ended up getting mostly story shots in an editorial style. Hope you enjoy the shots. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or fill out the Contact form.