Primary persuasion

"Actor Kal Penn, who starred in the 2004 movie "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," speaks in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at Towson University, Friday, Feb.8."

With the primary elections happening in Maryland on Tuesday, the buzz of political power has been resonating everywhere.

All the big candidates are expected to make appearances in the area between Saturday and Monday. I've never shot a presidential rally, so I don't know what to expect the next couple of days other than tons of traffic, in my car and on my feet, and tons of other media.

Starting off my campaigning photo spree was Actor Kal Penn, who starred in the 2004 movie "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." Kumar as students called him, I called him Taj from the film "Van Wilder," spoke in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at Towson University on Friday.

As always at Towson, a poor turnout for the event. I counted 20 students, one photographer and five television videographers. The media made up a large percentage of the crowd, which was depressing.

Even for those students in attendance, they still seemed to be pretty dull, sitting like ducks on a pond with zero emotion.

I had rushed back from an early morning assignment down at the Maryland Institute College of Art for this, one hell of a lame assignment.

I tried some random angles for something off the wall for a boring, behind a microphone speech. I found the angle from the back of the stage lent itself to some red, white and blue lights. The flair and a railing helped create a patriotic theme to the image.

I really expected a lot more students, at least 100 and more of a rally. The face on Penn's face says it all. He also seemed very disappointed in the low supporter turnout.

To be perfectly honest, it felt as if I was at a horrible comedian stand up show. Even when he tried to make some jokes, which were funny, students sat there dumbfounded.

He was probably thinking he should have stayed in home in sunny California.