District Champs!

So, while Shep was shooting pirates and such for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, I was again at my alma mater's football game. Unlike my last post, Kapaun came out on top. They defeated Newton 41-12 to claim the district championship ... WAHOO!!!

After YEARS of shooting football and really struggling to come up with strong images for a daily paper, I think I have the secret to doing a good job: don't shoot it for a paper! :) OK, in all seriousness, it's amazing that I struggled for the years I had to shoot football for the paper. Now, I'm shooting it for me (to stay in good practice) and I do a fine and dandy job. Sheesh ... what gives? (but don't think for a minute I'm complaining! I'm having a BLAST!)

OK, so wanna see some photos?



Coaches go gaga for touchdowns. On the left is the new head coach, Danny Adlehardt. He came to KMC last season and led the team to its first post-season action in years. Looks like they're on track for it again this year!



This is my personal favorite of the night. I LOVE shooting digital at football. It lets me see if I got the moment. I was jumping up and down like a mad woman on the sidelines when I saw this on the screen. Of course, it can also be a distraction and sometimes we get too focused on the screen, not the game ... but this time it TOTALLY paid off!



I shot this team for 2-3 years in high school and NEVER remember seeing this much passing, but it makes it so much easier to photograph the team when they're not running the ball up the middle!



Last one ... and a running shot. Go figure! I couldn't resist!

Boo!

Wouldn't you know that on the day when the Valley Center Hornet football team decides to end its 20-game losing streak (a 20-19 win over Wichita West), I'd be off somewhere else? I've been shooting that team all season but had another worthwhile cause come up on Friday. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sedgwick County had its first-ever Halloween party. It's an activity that my wife, Angie, brought with her from the Topeka office. It was a huge success there and was as much of one here. I set up a background and lights in the agency's lobby and took some portraits of Bigs with their Littles as they arrived for the party. There were about 30 matches that came, which kept me too busy to shoot anything of the actual party.

One of those days

I went on assignment to Manhattan today to cover the Kansas State basketball media day for USA Today. Specifically, I was to shoot the new men's coach, Bob Huggins. A nice enough guy, he was willing to go along with just about every corny and cliché photo idea the dozen or so photographers there threw his way. He wasn't particularly expressive, although I thought this moment, captured as he gave a phone interview courtside, summed up the mood of the day. You could tell that no one, media or player personnel, particularly wanted to be there. The weather outside was a typical dreary fall day. I had a blowout on the way into town and was a little late getting there. It turned out fine, though. I got the pictures I needed, unexpectedly spent $350 on new tires and drove home two hours in a constant rain. Yes, it was one of those days. Coach, I feel your pain.

Pumpkin Patch

Had a free Saturday, so I went on a self assignment. My photo quest took me to the Cottage Lane Pumpkin Patch in Ellis. It was cold, cold, cold but there were TONS of great photos to be had.


There was a variety of pumpkins. They were cute, cute, cute.


To get to the pumpkin patch, they take you on a hay rack ride. Fun times! This is Miranda, who was an enthusiastic participant in a cold Saturday jaunt through the pumpkin patch.


Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, along with gourd make nice decorations around the area.

Rebekah Jane

Hung out with my favorite little girl tonight!



At 15.5 months old, Rebekah is getting ready to be a big sister!

Holga F-U-N!

So, life for me involves re-organizing things for Heartland Photogrpahy. This is NOT a visual process, so I decided to show off some oldies but goodies from this summer.

First, let me explain about the Holga. It's a TOY camera. Yes, that's right it'a a toy. It's totally plastic from its body to lens. In all, it cost about $20 on ebay. It is SO MUCH FUN, though. It takes large film (yes that's right, as a photographer I still shoot SOME film). So anyhow, it takes larger format film and takes square pictures. I think it's heaps of fun. I've dappled in this for almost three years and LOVE IT! My most favorite part about the camera is that it's NOT digital. There's a sense of anticipation because I don't know what it will look like. There are two exposure settings and three depth settings ... so it's really a gamble.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.



This sort of goes with Mike's Friday the 13th theme ... It's from the cemetery in Victoria, Kan. I'm working on a writing project about the old, iron crosses of Ellis County. While I have a designated photographer for the project (the luxuries I have as a writer!), I couldn't resist taking a few photos. Now that I look at this, I may seriously go back and shoot some more with my Holga.



This is from Veteran's Day. Heaps of red, white and blue!

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th proved to be as unlucky as all the other recent Friday nights have been for the Valley Center Hornet football team which lost 47-14 to the Newton Railers, the team's 19th loss in a row. I've been covering the team throughout the season for the Ark Valley News, a well-respected weekly newspaper. At every game, I've found something more visually interesting than the game itself. Last night, it was the appearance of a lingering spirit that hung over the field on the traditionally unlucky day. In reality, it was just smoke from the barbecue grills but as I stood there watching the Hornets get railroaded by the Railers, I thought the scene to be all too eerie.


As for the game action, the running back was hauled in by a pair of linebackers.


And the quarterback took a licking on a fumble and had to be helped up by teammates.