new backyard

on Thanksgiving, while a "wintery mix" was coming down.

the first week flew by

My first week at the News-Leader was great! I think we're really going to like Springfield. This weekend we're moving, so hopefully soon, things will be a little less crazy and I'll be posting more regularly again. For now, here are a couple of shots I like from a WIC recipient's appointment with a nutritionist last Friday.

a few football features

I've really improved my sports shooting during my St. Joe internship, but features are still my favorite part of shooting football. These are a few of my favorites from the season. If you wanna see some action shots, check out the Friday Night Football gallery. This is my last post from St. Joe! Goodbye Pony Express town.

window painting

Yesterday I photographed some people painting the windows at the Downtown Furniture Emporium building. The business moved to the mall a while back and now plans to return to the original location. At first I had no idea how to make an interesting picture of some guys way up in the air. I could barely even see what they were doing from the ground. Then the owner of the company doing the work offered to let me go up in the lift. Then he mentioned he had keys to the building, and let me go inside. And viola! What I thought was a doomed assignment turned out to be a lot of fun, and I like the pictures I made, too.

Bluffwoods Conservation Area

Jamie came to visit this weekend and we went to Bluffwoods Conservation Area yesterday. I've passed by it several times on the way to Atchison, KS and am glad I finally got to check it out, and on such a gorgeous day for hiking.
I think this shot needs a unicorn leaping through it.

There was a patch of giant turnips...

... and pretty fall colors.


Jamie kept saying, "This is like Arkansas!"

Albany, Mo.

I drove to Albany, Mo. on Tuesday for a story about the town winning the Community of the Year award in the Missouri Community Betterment competition. I had no information until I got there, and soon realized that nearly all of the projects that won them the title were unphotographable--clearing lots of abandoned houses, a recycling program for which the bins are still on order, and improving the wastewater system. So, I photographed the trophy, the Old City Cemetery (cleaning it up was another project) and a volunteer repairing old Community Betterment project reports at the library. When I left the library, I saw this mural and waited for a passerby. It's a simple photo, but I think it captures the small town atmosphere and has a nice sense of place.

a pretty portrait

Mary Collins has been battling breast cancer since July 2009 and will soon undergo a mastectomy. She spends time in the chapel at Heartland Hospital because it's a peaceful and reflective place to be. "I am who I am because of my faith," she said.