My Eye on Idaho

NEW BLOG

2010-02-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

It is with some mixed emotions that today I am announcing the launch of my website and new blog. I have been posting here at this blog for the past three years but I have decided it's time to make my own. So if you get a chance cruise over to the new website and from there you should be able to navigate to the new blog.

www.charliejlitchfield.com

Please leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know what you think. I'm still sort of working out the bugs so if there is something egregious or out of place please let me know!

Thanks for checking in!

Charlie

Wanderings

2010-01-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

Just some photos from today. Not much more to say.

A Heavy Cross To Bear

2010-01-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

It seems like the world often works itself out in very weird little ways for me.

You see, the past few days have been a little taxing as I have made the transition from a somewhat typical five day work week to a little less common four day work week made up of four 10-hour shifts.

I have been surprised to find that starting my day two hours earlier has proved to be rather difficult. After working the same shift for three years I have settled into a routine. Now that routine has changed and it is certainly taking some getting used to.

Anyway, I tell you that to tell you this. In addition to the new schedule, I've been dealing with a mammoth amount of trepidation about the future. I tend to get worked up about who I am and where I am going from time to time (as all of us do) and today I began to crack.

That is, until I went to Caldwell to get a few shots of the construction of a new community college. On my way there I saw an unusual sight that caught my eye. There was a man walking along the side of the road carrying a ten foot wooden cross. Like many passing motorists I slowed down to take a good long look at what was going on.

I literally said, "hmm, don't see that every day" and kept driving. I thought about it for the next 10 or 15 minutes and then decided "what the heck, I'm sure he has an interesting story, why not go listen to it". So I did.

I circled back around the block from where I saw him last and found him as he was sitting down to rest for a minute.

I sat with him for about 20 minutes listening to him tell me stories from the last 20 years where he claimed to have walked thousands of miles to "remind people that the good lord died for their sins and through him they can have ever lasting life".

I wasn't inherently interested in what he had to say about his religious beliefs but the thing that I found surprising was that I actually enjoyed listening to him talk. He had some pretty interesting stories to tell of his endeavors over the years and for some reason I found his humble message pretty refreshing.

People walk for miles and miles always in a hurry to get somewhere. Today I met a guy who walked for miles and miles to go nowhere in particular. It made me realize that it's easy to get caught up in where you think you need to be or where it is you should be going but in a lot of cases worrying about it doesn't get you there any quicker.

First Few Weeks of 2010

2010-01-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Life over the last couple of weeks has been fairly busy on a few different fronts. I'm staying occupied at the office with happenings like the kickoff to the 2010 Idaho legislative session and with winter sports season in full swing I'm spending a good chunk of my time outside the office out in the elements.

Here are some highlights from the first few weeks of 2010...

Great Polar Bear Plunge

Renovation and reopening of the Idaho capitol building and kickoff to the 2010 legislative session.

And some random features...

On the horizon... I am getting closer to moving myself into the 21st century and laying the ground work for a website to showcase my photography. It's still a ways off but I have a really good start. If any of you web gurus out there have put together your own or come across any really nice photo websites please feel free to send me some info. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time...

Moving the Mountain

2010-01-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

With roughly 24,000 people holding season passes and thousands of day-use tickets issued every Saturday, the scene at Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area can seem quite hectic.

But behind the hustle and bustle of skiers and snowboarders making their way up the mountain is a group of people who aim to make things move along as smoothly and as safely as possible.

"It's like directing an orchestra" snowplow operator Jim Livingston said as he made his way through the parking lot on a particularly busy Saturday afternoon. "There are a lot of moving parts."

Many of these individuals are rarely seen, but in some respects play a critical role in the safety and enjoyment of their guests. This is a look at the jobs that often go unnoticed.

Click below to see their stories...

Jim Livingston

Myron Hermon

Tanya Eckert

Think Snow!

2009-12-12T17:43:00.001-08:00

It's nearly the middle of December and I have yet to even slip on my ski boots. We are finally starting to get some snow here in southwest Idaho but we could use A LOT more. So take this moment to do your best snow dance and help bring thoughts of powder shots to the inland northwest!

Thanks!

A Cold November, and December...

2009-12-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

After yet another lengthy break away from the ole' web log I have once again returned to inundate you with stories from this small town journalist (Please, hold your applause till the end).

Over the past two months I have ebbed and flowed through the proverbial ups and downs most anyone encounters on this roller coaster called life. I have seen things that have made me smile and experienced a hand full of heart-ache along the way. Let's see... Where to start?

As I recall I last left you hanging on a happy note about how my job has been something spectacular as of late. While that largely remains the case, over the past couple of months I have taken a couple of careening detours from the yellow brick road of journalistic joyfulness.

I won't delve into the details of these aforementioned detours because I'm not here to complain. Truthfully, I don't have much to complain about. I've fought with my equipment, struggled with my horrendous hours, stressed out about my mounting credit card debt but none of this is new.

Bottom line: I can still find things to enjoy about my job and I guess that is enough for me.

So here it is. The quick and dirty run-down...

There have been a number of truly great assignments lately but I can't talk about it all - I'm not that patient and I'm sure you aren't either. Instead here are a few of my favorite photos from the past two months...

As some of you may know, I have had the opportunity to cover the Boise State Broncos all season but unfortunately I won't be making the trip down to Glendale, Ariz., for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. I am not terribly dejected about being denied the opportunity to shoot the game but I am however incredibly disappointed that I will miss the chance to see my Iowa State Cyclones line up against my second favorite school - the Minnesota Golden Gophers - in the Insight.com Bowl, which is a few days prior to the Fiesta.

Had I been selected to go down to represent my newspaper I would have no doubt had the chance to cheer on my Cyclones as they participate in their first bowl game since 2005. Big Bummer indeed but I suppose my co-worker and roommate Dave Southorn (who is from Minnesota and whose father attended Iowa State) will be down to cheer 'em on for me.

Before I go I just wanted to share one more thing that weighed heavy on my heart over the past months...

On Sunday, Nov. 15th my grandfather Charles Edward Litchfield passed away at the age of 76. I traveled back for services later that week and although I had the opportunity to reconnect with family whom I hadn't seen in years, it was with a heavy heart that I did so. As I now know him, my grandpa Charlie (or Tuna as he was affectionately referred to by many) was an extraordinary man.

For much of my trip to Iowa I tried to spend time just listening to those who knew him better than I share their stories. Quickly I came to realize that he had a bigger heart than I ever knew and cared greatly for his family, his friends and of course, his Cubs. After only a short time I was overwhelmed with feelings of regret for having never taken time to know better the man for whom I was named after. Although I have regrets I am tremendously thankful for the times we did share. I will always have a special place in my heart for bottled pop, Cubs baseball on WGN and the serpentine sounds of an old ford pickup as it picks up speed.

He was a great guy and I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that he raised my father to be a great man himself. I can now see some of my grandfather's greatest traits in my father and I am more thankful than ever to be my father's son.

After he passed away my dad and I acquired the bike which was considered one of Charlie's most prized possessions...

A 1951 Schwinn Phantom.

The bike was always something I quietly admired and now knowing that it meant so much to him makes it priceless to me.

I'm also happy to report that it has now been outfitted with a new set of replica Schwinn Typhoon whitewall tires and a new fully functional horn assembly. The bike rides like a dream and as I get older I know that its importance will never fade, even if its paint job does.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

A Day Unlike The Day Before

2009-11-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today I was again reminded why I love my job.

Now granted I don't love every aspect of the work that I do but then again, who does? There are small things that drive me a little nuts from time to time but at it's most fundamental level my job is what I believe I was born to do.

On a good day I get to meet people from such vastly different walks of life that it's often hard to remember what kind of person I have convinced myself I am or exactly what socio-demographic I feel I should fit into.

Thing is, in my past I have never felt comfortable being put into one category or another. My circles of friends has always looked like a Venn Diagram, and so have my interests.

And that's why I think I fit so well into this niche I've found. Every day I meet different people and every person that I meet presents me with a completely different personality; challenging my ability to communicate with, understand and of course photograph them. Truth be told, the actual act of taking a picture is often secondary to the experience of being at an event or meeting a person or group of people. Rather, it's simply a tool to gain access to slices of life most often only read about or pass in fleeting glimpses. Or maybe a tool that enables me to see slices of life that people often overlook. However you want to frame it it is something that I am aware of and thankful for.

I would argue that what makes some photojournalists so great is that they have a truly exceptional ability to relate to all walks of life in all situations. In some respects they just happen to know a little bit about a lot of things but whatever the case may be they find something they can identify with in their subjects.

I think the reason I have found so much happiness in this line of work is because this is what I have done nearly my entire adult life. Learning about the people I meet and the things they do and in the process learning about myself. The picture taking has pretty much always been an afterthought.

Now I am not saying that everyday is lived under a rainbow with sunny skies and yes, many days do feel like work. But every now and again I get a day like today...

I arrived into work an hour early fueled by a half a pot of coffee and an angelic 12-hour slumber... and not just any old 12-hour slumber. This was the kind of sleep that mattress companies advertise can only be achieved by sleeping in their beds. You know, bed in a field of rolling hills at daybreak with a man and a woman embracing as if they had literally spent the night sleeping on clouds. Mine was just like that, except instead of a beautiful woman it was my smelly 60-lb Lab.

I digress...

After unloading my camera, computer, lunch and coffee cup I sat in my swiveling seat and awoke my computer from hibernation. As I looked at a blank slate of assignments for my shift my mind began to race in search of tasks to accomplish over the course of the next eight hours.

I starred at the computer for a minute more and then began typing about what else...? You guessed it... The weather. I had a pair of photos I had taken from a trip to a pumpkin patch a few days back and thought that I would attempt to dictate a defense for why I loved the changing of the seasons.

Fortunately for humanity my attempt at defending the goodness of pumpkins was interrupted by an assignment at an antique store in Caldwell. The antique store was under new management and... Well that's not really important. I snapped a few photos of the kind folks at Avalon Antiques and then begrudgingly began my journey back to my cold grey cubicle.

I drove about six blocks before encountering a man standing on the corner of a busy intersection near downtown Caldwell. Not entirely unusual except that drapped over his shoulders was a gigantic piece of cardboard donning the phrase: "NO ON THE JAIL BOND". As it turns out the man was one of more than a couple who was hired by a candidate to display the signs in the days leading up to Tuesday's election.

Naturally, I stopped to talk to the guy and was surprised to find that he was only in it for the money and was actually intending on voting in the opposite position for which he was advertising. So we talked for about 20 minutes and as I thanked him and turned my back he softly said, "The Lord blesses you". I thanked him again a walked away happy to have met him.

I arrived back in the office with a small spring to my step feeling as though I had just experienced a truly unique character. I mean, who gives you their name followed by the statement "I have a misdemeanor" and concludes the conversation with "The Lord blesses you"?

So I sifted through my photos for a few minutes before being dispatched out to photograph a 19-year-old who had recently arrived back in her home state after spending the last two months in an Intensive Care Unit in Seattle for injuries she sustained after falling from a window on the campus of the University of Idaho in September.

I walked through the doors of Trinity Mission Health & Rehab - an assisted living facility in Nampa - and immediately grief and anxiety hung over my head like a black umbrella. The swelling of self pride I had previously carried was swiftly deflated as I entered a dimly lit room and passed by the privacy curtain to see a beautiful young woman lay nearly lifeless. She was surrounded by her mother, step-father, brother and sister who, considering the circumstances, were surprisingly upbeat and supportive.

I visited with the family for about 15 minutes before thanking them and gracefully making my exit. As I walked down the halls of the facility towards the front door I noticed that every patient looked to have lived a long life, and although choices had been made and likely could have been avoided I found it overwhelmingly unfair that Amanda Andaverde was not going to get the opportunity to reach her potential.

Although I will admit it sounds like the proverbial emotional roller coaster ride, today was just one more day at the office. Nothing like the day before and hopefully nothing like the day after...

One Week Later

2009-10-26T15:15:00.001-07:00

It's been a week since the marathon and I have now had ample time to collect my thoughts and put together a post... So here it goes...

A week ago yesterday I celebrated the culmination of 4 long months of training by running in the Des Moines marathon. There was a lot of stress in the week leading up to the race as thoughts of airborne viruses and injuries raced through my head but I am happy to report that I made it to the starting line in great condition.

On the day of the race I woke up around 5:30 AM to give myself a couple of hours to eat and get loose. After enjoying a couple cups of coffee and running through the hallways of our hotel, Jessie and I left the comfy confines of the Super 8 and stepped out into the cold and dark morning air; surprised to find frost on the windshield of the car.

We made it down to the starting area about 45 minutes before the start and took care of some last minute "business".

The forecasters turned out to be right as the weather report held true to the guarantee of sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's (although at 8AM it was still a little chilly).

The race went almost exactly as I had envisioned. I started out a little fast running splits about a minute faster per mile than I had originally planned but I felt great. At that point I hadn't run in almost 5 days which seemed like an eternity after having run 4-5 days a week for 15 weeks.

There were supporters lining nearly every mile of the course which was truly remarkable. And the course itself was gorgeous! Beautiful tree-lined streets, sunny boulevards, nice neighborhoods, and wonderfully scenic lakeside trails.

Around mile 18 I started to hit "the wall" and began dropping off about :15 seconds per mile pretty much the whole way home. Regardless of the loss of energy towards the end I was able to bring it in at 3:36.

Garmin Connect - DSM Marathon

I tried not setting up too many expectations and instead vowed to just "run my own race". Having that mantra running through my head as more experienced runners blew by me in the final miles served me well. However, in the last 10 miles I realized that finishing in under 3:30 was possible so I set my sights on that but honestly the time doesn't mean a whole lot to me; just knowing that the hard work payed off and I was able to finish my first marathon was enough.

Immediately afterward I claimed to have run in my last marathon. Now, a week later, I am giving that a second thought. I found the entire experience to be immensely rewarding and I am pretty certain that I would like to give it another go. With that said, I know it is going to be tough to match the enjoyment and emotions from running this race because of the amount of support I received from family, paired with the experience of enjoying my home state with my girlfriend for four days.

And I swear, ice cream tastes a million times more delicious after you've finished a marathon.

In the days following the race Jessie and I made a few trips out to my grandfather's lake house for some much needed rest and relaxation. Looking back on the entire experience almost brings me to tears because the whole thing went so well. I got to see old friends, spend time in my hometown, go to a football game, eat at many of my old haunts and most importantly spend some much needed time with my best friend. Makes me wish vacation came around more than two weeks every year but I guess that is why it's so great; because you don't get to do it every day.

Special thanks to everyone who made the trip more enjoyable!

Now it's back to the grind. I've got the first week back under my belt and I will say that it does feel good to get back into a routine.

As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by a see what's up!

Check back for more soon!

One Week Away!

2009-10-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

This time next week I will hopefully be celebrating the successful completion of my first marathon. The nerves are starting to build now as I look forward and worry about things like the weather on race day or look backwards with concerns about the training I've put in. I've been nursing a couple injuries for the past few days and I'm hoping that the wounds will heal in time to run the race. A steady dose of ice and pain killers over the next couple of days outta do the trick.

In addition to running in the marathon, I will be turning this trip into a nice little vacation back to the home state of Iowa. I'm particularly excited because my girlfriend Jessie will be making the trip with me giving me the opportunity to share with her all sorts of things (mostly restaurants) I enjoyed during my time in Iowa. I'm also looking forward to seeing some old friends. To those of you who may be in Iowa, hope to see you soon!

Hopefully I can find the time to post a couple updates during the trip.

So here we go... A couple more days of work and then it's off on a week of vacation!

Oh and when Sunday rolls around, if you wanna keep track of my progress check this out...

HERE

Cheers!

Spud Story

2009-10-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

As I had hoped the potato story went national. Check it out... HERE

Kind of Cool New Find...

2009-09-25T19:26:00.001-07:00

I just realized that the data that my shiny little wrist top computery doodad collects can be shared from the website Garminconnect.com. I thought it would be a cool way to share my training.

This was from a run on Wednesday, which happened to be my last long run as I am now starting to taper off the mileage as the race gets closer.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

Shared via AddThis

A Contrast In Personalities

2009-09-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I started my afternoon out at the Albertsons Boise Open which is arguably the biggest golf event in Boise. There were no sightings of golf elite like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. This is a Nationwide Tour event, which is like the minor leagues to the PGA. Even though big name golfers rarely come through, this tournament is still something I look forward to every year.

In years past I have spent entire afternoons meandering the course at Hillcrest Country Club but unfortunately this year I was unable to spend so much time out there. The reason? I had to drive out to New Plymouth, Idaho to cover The Big Nasty Hill Climb, an event I had never before covered.

People come from all over the northwest to attempt to do battle with gravity and race up a super steep 600-foot hill on their high powered hill climbing dirt bikes. It really is a truly unique event that I have never covered and so I was very excited to see it for myself.

Let me just say that I was not disappointed.

I watched as men over the age of 75, women in their mid 20's and just about every other demographic in between attempted to safely scream this highly rutted mountain. After watching the first person attempt a run on "The Big Nasty" I couldn't help but smile and laugh.

It really takes a unique kind of person to attempt such a feet and after spending most of my morning rubbing elbows with the yuppie elite of Boise at a golf tournament I really enjoyed the stark contrast in personalities that I experienced in one day.

I made a quick little video of the whole hill climb experience. Check it out...

Apparently There are Potatoes in Idaho

2009-09-18T16:54:00.001-07:00

About two months ago I picked up a freelance assignment with the Associated Press here in town. I won't divulge the details of the story since it hasn't yet hit the wire but I wanted to share a little personal experience from the shoot.

After living here in Idaho for well over two years I have yet to do a single assignment that has had anything to do with a potato. Which is shocking seeing as how the only thing Idaho is known for besides potatoes is our former foot tapping senator Larry Craig.

In July I traveled down to Kimberly, Idaho to the University of Idaho Kimberly Research Center where a small cohort of scientists study a handful of experimental varieties of potato. It was neat to see a potato field for the first time and having attempted to grow potatoes in my own garden it was neat to see what a professionals plants look like (mine were over run by pumpkins and have long since failed).

The cool thing about this research lab was that they were experimenting with these varieties of potatoes in an attempt to build a better french fry. The assignment called for me to photograph these scientists and visually convey the work that they were doing. I was delighted to find that these two women truly LOVED french fries!

They had taken the stereotype to the tenth degree, decorating every corner of the office with every kind of potato nick nack you can imagine. There were posters on the walls, a Mr. Potato Head on every countertop...

...and a potato shaped bar of soap in the bathroom. One of the scientists was even wearing french fry earrings for God's sake...

It was fun to meet people who took so much pride in something that so many Idahoans hate to hear about... "Yes, I am from Idaho... Yes, there are potatoes".

With any luck the story will run nationally within the next few days.

A Long Road to Run

2009-09-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

A lot has changed for me since this time last year; granted I'm still shooting for the newspaper, working the same old nights and weekends schedule I have been for the past 2 1/2 years.

So let me rephrase that, a lot has changed in my life outside the office.

Let me explain...

Around this time last year I was really into mountain biking and over the course of the summer I managed to rack up around 500 miles of trail riding. This year, however, I've sort of set aside the saddle and swapped it out for a pair of running sneakers. In fact, I've become so enamored with the sport that in the past three months I have run about 450 miles all with the hope of finishing the Des Moines Marathon in October.

I've set out in the dark of morning and of night. I've gone running in the heat of the afternoon and been caught in the rain once or twice. I've cruised through runs of 15 and 20 miles and struggled through arduous outings of only four or five. I've had bloody toes, sun burnt shoulders, sore knees, hamstrings, calves and of course the occasionally inflamed Iliotibial Band. As weeks have fallen from the calendar I have found my longest distances turning into "short" and "easy runs". Through it all I can't help but look back and say that I have arrived at this new place a more confident, content and happy person.

I've learned a lot about myself throughout this journey but what I've found most inspiring is that a year ago I never would have thought I'd be able to do something like this. The human body and mind truly are amazing and often are capable of accomplishing tasks we never imagined were possible.

Although these past few months have been challenging I can't take all the credit for following through with them. I have had a pretty super support system of friends from other states, fellow runners from across town, my folks who live just down the street and a very special someone who, at times, may not understand this silly thing I do, but has always been beyond supportive.

So here we go... One month from today I will celebrate my four months of sacrifice and suffering with a 26.2 mile run around the city of Des Moines and a couple days of post run fun around the rest of the state of Iowa. Am I excited? Of course! I'll try to continue to post my progress as the race day nears.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Something New...

2009-09-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been a bit arduous but I thought I'd share just a couple things. I shot another Boise State game which was far less than exciting as Boise State walloped Miami (Ohio) on Friday night. Nothing super exciting to share from that experience...

Yesterday I shot an event that was sponsored by the Idaho Meth Project. There were hundreds on hand to take in the music from local bands, the fare from local vendors, and the stories from local people recovering from addiction to methamphetamine. Truth be told, it felt more like a Hispanic fiesta rather than a celebration of methamphetamine recovery in that the event was promoted by the local Mexican media representative, Bustos Media and all of the music, live dancing and food were all Latin American inspired.

None the less, it turned out to be a pretty fun afternoon in the park...

I also went out to O'Connor Fieldhouse in Caldwell on Friday to put together a slideshow from the model train expo. I interviewed a couple of really interesting people whose interviews I tried to incorporate into the slideshow in a sort of This American Life style production. Didn't come together quite that well but you can check it out for yourself...CLICK HERE.

As always, thanks for checking in!

Ready For Some Football?

2009-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Football season is here and for me it started off with a bang. I shot the Boise State vs Oregon game last Thursday. The game was broadcast on national television and if you tuned in you likely saw the fiasco that ensued after what was an ugly start to the season for both teams. It was an exciting game to cover and I can only hope that the rest of the season provides as much drama and excitement. Here are a few photos from the game...

A Little Catching Up...

2009-09-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've made the time to put together a post and I have a ton of stuff to talk about. So I'm gonna put up some pictures and give you a quick run down...

The summer is finally coming to an end and as you are all aware, football season is in full swing meaning that fall is only a few short weeks away (something which I am super excited about).

There has been a ton, I mean A TON of activity in the waning weeks of summer. It all started off with a short vacation to north Idaho to hang out on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene. It was a beautiful way to start what would turn out to be a busy and semi chaotic month.

On the week that I returned home I had the opportunity to cover the Caldwell Night Rodeo, which to many rodeo aficionados, is one of the biggest rodeos out there. It is actually a great event because it takes place outdoors and really does have the feel of an old western rodeo. Oh and the fans are always entertaining...

Coming in on the tails of the Caldwell Night Rodeo was the Western Idaho Fair, which was as entertaining as always. There were young children herding around their livestock and children running around riding rides and playing games... Good times.

I saw a few other things that made for decently interesting photo opps.

Grandparents Support Group

2009-08-10T20:13:00.001-07:00

Tonight I traveled out to Caldwell to sit in on a support group session for grandparents who are raising their kids' children. I had a hunch that this may be a nice assignment and I turned out to be right...

Deep in the basement of the Grace Lutheran Church around a horseshoe shaped arrangement of card tables and folding chairs sat a group of grandparents who came together to share their unique stories of circumstance to like minded peers.

Laughter often mixed with moments of uncomfortable honesty as a pair of boisterous grey-haired women bantered back and forth telling jokes at the expense of each other. You can't help but smile while they go on about their struggles bridging the age gap with their grandchildren or defending their sons and daughters with the argument that they were once young and made mistakes too. You smile because they laugh, but also because you know that they do what they do because of their love for the children they've adopted.

At one point a heavy canvas curtain cracked open and a pair of young girls made their way through a maze of steel chairs. They approached their grandparents, Donna and Jim Johnson, and interrupted a grown up conversation about finances and fundraisers and shared with them a pair of pictures that they had drawn. On the two matching pieces of thick yellow construction paper the Johnson family had been drawn as a bowl full of fish. Grandma was the big clown fish and, of course, grandpa was the big blowfish. The family shared a laugh and even the reverend who was attempting to lead the discussion stopped to join in.

It was a great moment that made my night. These kids had been given a second chance by their grandparents after circumstances forced them from their parents. You just sort of got a sense that everything was going to be alright. And that's why I was smiling.

The Case of Robert Manwill

2009-08-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

On July 24th a young boy, 8-year-old Robert Manwill, went missing from his mother's home in Boise. After only a day or two the city of Boise rallied around the Police Department and the family and helped in a search effort which went on for ten days. After numerous vaguely detailed press briefings speculation began to run wild and citizens (and media members) began expect the worse. On Monday, August 3rd they found his body on the banks of a canal one town over.

Finally the family has some closure as they have now found their son, unfortunately, the case has officially been declared a homicide and police have yet to make any arrests (although there are credible leads).

On Friday evening the family made one of their first public appearances since Robert was found last Monday. Community members teamed up with local businesses to put on a vigil in honor of Robert, which turned out to be very moving. The mother and father were both visibly emotional as dozens of green balloons were released into the evening sky.

I caught a moment of the mother reacting to the display as a neighbor attempted to console her. It was a very moving scene and as the family prepares to lay to rest their son you can't help but look at the photo and feel the pain they are experiencing.

Meet Levi...

2009-08-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I came up with the idea to do a story about a football player with the local af2 (minor leagues to "big time" arena football) the Boise Burn. My fascination with these athletes is that the majority of them don't get payed enough to be full time athletes and so many have part time jobs. Before doing any research I had hoped to find a player who in his spare time worked as a plumber or a roofer or some other blue collar job. Unfortunately, I didn't find such a player. However, I did meet Levi Madarieta, a 5-year arena football veteran who happened to have a pretty interesting story to tell.

Initially I wanted to follow him on his journey through the rigors of a typical "work week" but after starting the project I began to struggle to find the time to tag along with him because of the time constraints of the daily schedule.

I was able to hang out with him about three or four times. Up until the Saturday before the package was supposed to run the story continued to evolve. Originally I wanted to do a mix of video, audio and stills but then I had an epiphany...

On Saturday, July 18th I attended an SPJ narrative writing workshop here in Boise. I'll admit that I've never been much of a writer but I have always had interest in it and so with a little bit of trepidation I decided to sign up... And I am so glad that I did. The guest speaker was Pulitzer Prize winning feature writer Tom Hallman Jr.. Tom turned out to be a very inspiring speaker who made the world of narrative story telling, which was once such an unknown to me, seem so clear. I left feeling as though learning to write well would be my next greatest challenge and after a few weeks I still feel the same way.

So anyway, I was inspired by the event and decided to try to write some copy about Levi. It turned out to be a pretty challenging exercise but I really enjoyed it.

This is how it read...

--------------------------

BOISE - It's three hours before kickoff and inside Qwest Arena the lights are off and the seats are empty. In a narrow hallway beneath the bleachers workers shuffle from one end of the arena to the other, preparing for the hordes of fans that will soon help bring the place to life. The hustle and bustle is interrupted momentarily as workers stop to say "hey" to a man who makes his way through the hall.

He feels butterflies in his stomach as the sounds of laughter and loud music grow closer; knowing full well that once he walks through that door, it's time to go to work.

At 29, he's not exactly young for a football player but after five years in the af2 - three spent as a starter for the Boise Burn - Levi Madarieta is in better shape than ever before, and most importantly, he still loves what he does.

"I'm still able to do it at a high level and perform well and so why not," said Madarieta, I love to do it."

Even though he speaks with a breath of ambition about his future in professional football, he understands the reality of his situation.

"In this league you're either trying to go somewhere and move up to bigger and better things or if you're like me, you play because you love it."

With a laundry list of injuries from broken fingers and ribs to a complete reconstructed ankle, Madarieta has experienced plenty of painful setbacks, but throughout it all has remained positive.

“My body has taken a beating over the years but it’s worth it to me" he said, "on Sundays when I wake up and I can't really move I don't exactly love it, but when the weekend rolls around I remember why I do it."

--------------------------

Not necessarily a masterpiece but for a first try I feel pretty good about it.

I also produced a short slideshow about the guy that you can check out HERE.

Remember this one?

2009-08-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was backing up some photos on my fancy little blue lego-looking hardrive when I started searching through the archives to look at some of my really early stuff. I came across one of my very first portrait shoots ever and felt like sharing it.

I took this photo of former Oregon State outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury while working at the Oregon State Daily Barometer in 2005. For those of you who don't know, he went on to be the 23rd overall pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 2005 draft and has since made a name for himself by making great diving catches in the outfield and stealing home.

I remember being so incredibly nervous because I had never had the opportunity to take a photo of an athlete and I didn't know what to expect. Looking back I can't think of a single athlete I've shot since who was nicer than Jacoby. He could tell I was nervous and was patient enough to let me try a few different things and although it didn't result in the most compelling photograph, I have to say that it is one of my favorites.

This was a fun time in my life and I'm thankful I was smart enough to hold onto an image that helps me remember it.

Some Summer Stuff...

2009-08-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

June, July and August are without a doubt the busiest months of the year here in my small corner of the world. Don't believe me?

Summer Supreme (So Far)...

2009-07-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well here it is folks. I am LONG overdue for what has unintentionally turned into my monthly posts of photos.

So let's see... Where to start? I suppose I should start by switching gears on the apathetic tone with which this post has already started.

Ok, so my last post was in late May and since then a whole lot of stuff has happened. First of all, on May 31st I turned 25. Amongst the multitude of feelings from the passing of another year I am convinced that 25 not only sounds older than 24 but it undoubtedly FEELS older as well. I was able to celebrate the date with a great group of friends from here in Boise who I've come to know quite well over the past couple of years. The long and short of it: Drinks were drank, stories were told and songs were sang (including a spectacular karaoke rendition of the cult classic "To Be With You" by Mr Big).

June passed by in the blink of an eye with very little excitement falling in front of my camera lens. However, there were a few notable memories from the past couple months including, but not limited to...

A Jonas Brothers concert...

A big hay stack fire...

An appearance by the Budweiser Clydesdale...

Of course some fireworks...

... and a couple other things...

As the days have continued to fall from the calendar I have found myself focusing less and less on the work I've been doing and more and more on the people in my life and the miles under my running shoes.

On June 29th I began a 16-week quest to train for the finishline of my first marathon; the IMT Des Moines Marathon on October 18th. As you can likely imagine it is going to take some work to reach the finish of the 26.2-mile course and after almost two weeks, so far so good! I am up to four runs a week with my longest to-date being 14 miles. I went ahead and bought myself a funky little GPS watch to keep closer track of my progress and I have been pretty pleased with this little wrist-top-computery-doo-dad.

In addition to the birthday celebrations, marathon training and of course work I have found time to...

Travel to the central Idaho mountains...

Have some AMAZING Huckleberry Cheesecake...

See some sand dunes (in Idaho!)...

... and float the Boise River.

So far the summer has been a blast! Hard to believe that it is half over but I am sure I will find a few more adventures before the season starts to change. I just hope I can get another blog update in before then!

As always, thanks for checking in!

Just Pictures For Now

2009-05-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been about forever and a day since I've posted any new material. I'll try and follow up with some more words soon. Until then, enjoy these pictures I've taken in the past month or so...

Paintball Fun

2009-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon I caught wind of a few guys playing paintball out at the Canyon County Fairgrounds and since I didn't have anything on the budget for the day I decided to check it out. I ended making a video, which I thought turned out pretty fun. Take a look!

Some Spring Fun

2009-04-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

On Monday I was able to escape out of the office at bit earlier than usual and because it was my Friday I decided to head for the hills for an evening ride. The ride was spectacular. The sun started to set as I began a 6 mile descent along some stellar singletrack, which made for some super long shadows and extremely warm light. I topped off the ride with a cold beer at the car which was a perfect end to a great day.

Afterwards I met up with some folks at the local bowling alley for a few games of discount bowling. A good time was had by all.

Some Recent Happenings

2009-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well it has been almost a month since I last logged an update and in that time a ton of stuff has happened. Some good, some not so good.

So let's start from the top...

The weather is once again warming up and this weekend I reluctantly hung the skis up in the garage where they will sadly stay for the foreseeable future. With the exception of a few fantastic days in Utah, this ski season was, well, lets say marginal. I began to lose interest in early February as I began training for my first half marathon.

Billed as "The Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest" the Race to Robie Creek features a grueling 9 mile climb which gains almost 2,000 ft of elevation before dropping sharply downhill in the last 4 miles. Training for this race consumed much of my free time and as running became more and more fun for me I started skiing less and less.

So after about eight weeks of training I set out on Saturday to tackle the course alongside about 2,500 other runners and walkers. I had been struggling with a cold for much of the week before the race but by Saturday morning it had completely cleared up and all I wanted to do was run.

I cleared the course in just under two hours which was better than I had hoped to do. The great part about this particular race is that at the finish line free food and beer is provided to participants - which turned out to be a powerful motivator as I began to struggle around mile 10.

Now I am hooked and am looking forward to running in another half soon. Oh and to see some more photos check out my photostream on Flikr.

Another happening worth noting is that tough times have finally hit home at my paper. Like many newspapers across the country, revenues are down and in an attempt to cut costs earlier this month the publisher of the IPT took action and is imposing a one week furlough on all employees as well as a 2.5 hour reduction on all hourly employee's work weeks.

As you can probably imagine, this was tough to take. However, I will say that I am very happy to still have a job, unlike so many journalists across the country.

Beyond the change in workweek (and paycheck) things are by-in-large still the same. I'm still shooting as much if not more than I have been - which is why I have been away from the blog for so long.

So that's where I'm standing right now. I'll try and come back with a more picture-heavy post later in the week.

As always, thanks for checking in!

Madness: Round Two

2009-03-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is an update from the second round action of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament in Boise. As hoped, the action from Sunday afternoon was quite exciting, with both games decently dramatic down the stretch.

The second game between Marquette and Missouri turned out to be very exciting after what was a less than exciting first half. Marquette stormed back to be within a shot with only five seconds left in the game until a player from Marquette stepped on the baseline while inbounding the ball, thus ruining any attempt at a last minute buzzer beater.

Even though the action from these games trumps any action I typically see while working the Sunday shift I have to say that I was left feeling a little disappointed as I was unable to find the time to take in the media taco bar which looked spectacular. As they say all work and no, well, eating? Wait I don't think that's what they say.

Anyways, if you'd like to see some more photos check out this quick slideshow I threw together.

Oh and one more thing... My Sunday actually started much earlier than usual as I rolled out of bed and headed down to the fairgrounds in Boise to cover the Idaho Cat Fanciers Cat Show. Yes, that's right, a cat show. After all, you're not a true community journalist until you've had the opportunity to cover a cat show. Check out the slideshow here.

Madness

2009-03-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

As many of you are most likely aware, a few of the first and second round games of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament are being played in Boise this year. On Friday I had the opportunity to cover a couple of games, the most notable of which was the 61-59 overtime thriller between Wisconsin and Florida State.

It was a ton of fun (and a little unusual) to cover a game between two high flying athletic teams in an area not typically known for its basketball.

Fortunately for me the fun isn't over quite yet. On Sunday the four winning teams will advance to play in a pair of afternoon games. Check back Monday for updates from the second round...

A Bowler Says, What?

2009-03-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

I don't think I could consider myself a bowler. I mean, I'm not in a bowling league, I don't own my own ball or my own shoes and although I do own a sharp retro bowling shirt, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a bowler.

I do, however, thoroughly enjoy a game every now and again.

On Saturday, March 14th I traveled over to the Caldwell bowling alley to cover the first-annual Bowl Down Drugs community event. More than 60 children and their families came to the event, which focused on raising awareness about drug abuse prevention in the home.

As I watched these children and their families laugh and cheer as pins hit the hardwood I couldn't help but feel a small sense of jealousy swell up from within. Watching people have fun has always been a part of my job but for some reason this particular assignment drove me to action.

After clocking out later that evening I coerced a couple friends into heading down to the bowling alley to play a few games of our own. I came out playing some inspired bowling as I was able to string together a set of 5 strikes in a row in the first game, beating my personal record of 178ish with a score of 195.

My second game, however, did not go so well.

While photographing the children bowling earlier in the day I caught a little guy reacting to a missed spare attempt. As it would turn out, this image captured quite well the feeling I experienced that night when I bowled my best game ever and then turned around and posted my worst score in recent memory the very next game.

A 65. Yes, 65.

To add insult to the matter, we were bowling next to a group of high school girls who all were able to score higher than I and then made it abundantly clear to me just how pathetic the game had been. Feeling as though my own personal sense of dignity had been damaged I came back with vengeance, bowling a 188 in the third and final game.

So to those of you who may now be skeptical, I would like to make one thing abundantly clear. It has been said that the shoes make the man (or in this case the bowler). I roll in rental shoes so I, my friend, am no bowler. Just a dude in a tacky retro bowling shirt.

The Boys (and Girls) of Summer Are Back

2009-03-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

As March Madness swings into full effect this week there is plenty to be excited about, however, the sport of baseball will likely be an afterthought at best for most sports fans.

The greatness that is the NCAA Men's basketball tournament has been well documented so I won't waste time to pander to those of you who are in agreement with this fact. Instead I want to remind you that as the days get longer and the landscape grows greener the passage from winter to spring and summer sports is something to get excited about.

This week I bought a bag of sunflower seeds and ventured out to the ball park to cover my first game of the season; an NAIA matchup between the College of Idaho and Concordia University at the newly constructed Wolfe Field in Caldwell. The weather was less than cooperative as a cool wind steadily blew through the ball park all afternoon and although it wasn't the true sunny spring Saturday I had hoped for on Friday night, it was still enjoyable.

So as your glued to the television praying for your 12 seed to upset that number 5 this week, take a minute to tune in to see what your favorite ball club is up to. Whether it be to a local high school, a minor league club or even an MLB squad, get out and catch a game. Who knows, you may even forget about that heartbreaking loss your number 5 seed dropped to that 12 seed.

Dogs Behind Bars

2009-03-16T16:46:00.001-07:00

I'm a dog person. I said it. It's not that I dislike cats. I just love dogs.

For pretty much as long as I can remember I have wanted a dog and throughout much of my college years the famous phrase from my mother: "you can have one when you move out" reverberated through my head.

Well, in December I decided that the time was right to adopt a dog. As previously mentioned, this whole process was something that I had been anticipating for much of my adolescent years and so when the time came to adopt a dog I had it pretty well planned out.

The dog that I got was from the Humane Society in Boise and was enrolled in a program called the Inmate Dog Alliance Project of Idaho. I will admit, when I first read the line in the dog's description that said "This dog is currently training in the Inmate Dog Alliance Project of Idaho," I didn't think much of it.

To my surprise the dog was very well trained, knowing all the basic commands including sit, lay down, roll over and stay. It wasn't until this week that I put two and two together for why my dog came equipped with such an uncanny array of talents.

On Monday, March 9, I ventured out to the Idaho Correctional Center south of Boise to photograph the 12 dogs that are currently enrolled in this IDAPI Program. Very quickly I came to realize that at one time my dog, Buddy, was one of these puppies in cell block B.

It was an incredible experience to be able to step inside the heavily fortified walls of the ICC and see these offenders letting little puppies lick them in the face. The general sentiment from the inmates who I spoke with was that these dogs were changing their lives.

"I've seen everything from a garden variety burglar to a murderer, down on the floor with a dog licking his face," said one inmate. "That's what we live for, because there isn't that much to live for in here."

Check out a slideshow I produced by directing your mouse here.

Two Years in Review

2009-03-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

On March 1, 2007 I began work as a full time Photojournalist here at the Idaho Press-Tribune. Two years have now passed in what seems to have been the proverbial blink of an eye. For most, two years is not considered a great deal of time to be working in one place and I would generally agree, however, in two years I have seen so much that it almost seems unbelievable to me that it hasn't been longer.

In this position I have had the opportunity to witness the very best and the very worst in people - occasionally in the same day - as well as many moments that fall somewhere in between.

There have been rodeos and carnivals, parades and high school, college and semi-pro sporting events. There have been hectic days that seem to go on forever and slow days with nothing but a ball game on a sunny Saturday afternoon that seem to go by far to fast. I've watched as sprint boats race around waist deep water and I have seen rodeo cowboys hang on for dear life in a battle between man and beast. Along the way have gotten to know many people both young and old who, under normal everyday circumstances I may never have met.

Everyday has been different and as I look forward to my third year and beyond I can only hope that the daily routine continues to be anything but routine.

Exciting Times at the IPT

2009-03-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, March 1, 2009 my paper, The Idaho Press-Tribune, began a 20-year Joint Operating Agreement with the competing local newspaper The Idaho Statesman. The agreement requires the IPT to print the Statesman daily newspaper product on our newly expanded printing press. As you can imagine this is a pretty big deal for us at the IPT.

The Statesman prints roughly 56,000 copies in their daily edition compared to around 20,000 by the IPT so as you can probably imagine, this working relationship is somewhat unique in that our largest competitor has now become our largest customer.

I covered the initial press run last night and made a slideshow as well as a video and they can be found HERE.

In addition to my coverage you may want to take a look at what the local NBC news affiliate did. Watch till the end and see if you recognize anyone... Check it out HERE.

Goodbye Rocky

2009-02-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

The current condition of the newspaper industry has been pretty well documented with the large layoffs and deep cutbacks but up until now no newsroom downturn has been as well covered as the recent closure of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colo.

The story is truly tragic. The Rocky Mountain News has been producing a paper since April 23, 1859 and on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 they printed their final edition after Rick Boehne, E.W. Scripps President/CEO and Mark Contreras, E.W. Scripps Senior Vice-President of Newspapers announced earlier in the week that the downturn in the economy paired with the faltering newspaper business model has left them with no choice but to essentially cease to exist.

For years the Rocky has been a beacon of professionalism and journalistic integrity and it is an absolute shame that they will no longer be there to lead the way in what I consider to be the highest quality of journalism.

Check out the content they produced in their final hours... CLICK HERE.

Awakening from Blogging Hybernation

2009-02-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

If I recall correctly, in my last post I confessed to not having time to publish a very detailed post... Well, I again don't have a whole load of free time but again, I do want to get some new photos up for those of you wondering where I've been.

So here's the deal...

The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games have now come and gone and after last night's championship games the Idaho High School Girls Basketball season is now over.

The Special Olympics ended on a sort of high note for me when I had the opportunity to photograph Vice President Joe Biden as he deboarded Air Force Two in Boise a day before the closing ceremonies.

This weekend I covered Middleton High School as they played in both the semi final and state championship games (Friday and Saturday nights, respectively). I was able to come away with a pair of photos I am pretty pleased with...

The Girls state tournament is always so much fun to cover because in every game there is just an overwhelming amount of emotion - both happy and sad - and in some games you don't know what kind of shot you are going to end up with or shoot for until the last couple of seconds.

I also have a couple more photos that I took earlier in the month that I neglected to publish in my previous post. The first was a shot of a few fans celebrating at a local sports pub as a Pittsburgh Steeler defender returned an interception for a long, long touchdown.

This other shot was taken from a house fire a few weeks back.

Outside of work not much has changed. I have been keeping myself busy as I am preparing to run in a half marathon this coming April. It's slated as "The Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest" and as my first official race I have been training daily in an attempt to finish with a respectable time.

I should just quickly apologize for such spotty posts lately. As the weather begins to get warmer I will hopefully begin to come out of my winter blogging hibernation. Stay tuned...

Back for a short time

2009-02-08T18:09:00.001-08:00

Well I don't have a ton of time to devote to a detailed update this evening, however, I did quickly want to post an update to prove that I am in fact still alive.

As you can most likely imagine, things have been immensely busy as of late. This week nearly 2,500 athletes from 100 different countries rolled into Idaho to compete in the highly anticipated 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The opening ceremonies took place on Saturday and the sports action will undoubtedly stir some excitement starting Monday and concluding Friday with the closing ceremonies. I shot a little figure skating Sunday. This is a shot from that event.

As if that weren't enough to keep a newsroom busy, Idaho High School Girl's basketball will be coming to a close over the course of the next couple of weeks starting with the district championship games, which will be played this coming Friday.

After the Girl's basketball state finals come to a close in a couple weeks, Idaho High School wrestling will be heating up as the State championships land the following week.

I would hazard a guess that I won't be updating much in the next week or so but rest assured that once the dust clears and the action winds down I will take some time to reflect on my experience. Until then, take'r easy!

Time in the Slammer (Take Two)

2009-01-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

On Thursday of last week I had my second opportunity in one week to visit a correctional institution. This time, however, I went to the big house... The Idaho State Correctional Institution.

Again, I was amazed at the amount of access I was granted and much like my tour to the Canyon County Jail, this trip provided a fair share of discomfort around the collection of criminal offenders.

I spent about three hours touring the grounds and was able to see every corner of the 65 acre medium custody facility. Pretty cool.

Check out the photos and the short slideshow below...

SLIDESHOW

Time in the Slammer

2009-01-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

This past week I had the opportunity to visit the Canyon County Jail. I had never been inside a prison or a jail so when I stepped foot into this facility there were a number of things that shocked, surprised and scared me.

After meeting up with a Sheriff Deputy from Canyon County I was given a brief set of lackadaisical warnings about the dangers that lie behind the closed doors, yada yada yada. I thought for sure there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about. What the officer said next changed my mindset. He said, "you're really in no danger, but you NEED walk within reach of me at all times." No big deal, right? Gulp.

So they then opened the door to "G Block" which is one of two general population units which held around 20-30 of what they called "minor offenders". These were guys who were serving time for alcohol, drug, assault and gang related criminal offenses. Almost as soon as the door opened and I made my entrance, the attention of all these individuals was focused on me and my escort. Not the kind of attention I care to have.

I continued the tour and got a chance to see the major offenders (murderers, rapists, etc...) and although I tried hard not to show it, I was pretty damn uncomfortable. Needless to say, I opted not to take pictures of these guys.

After spending about 45 minutes in the jail I had had about enough and decided it was time to break out. So as I made my way through the myriad of narrow windowless hallways with steel blast-proof doors I couldn't help but reflect on what I had just seen. These were people, many of whom had made a life out of breaking the law, and were sentenced to spend a specific amount of their future in a dark, damp and depressing box with no windows, no fresh air and absolutely no hope.

If I took one thing away from this experience it would be that I am not criminal material (for starters I don't have any tattoos, which seems to be a mandatory accessory). I can't imagine spending even one night in a place like this.

Year In Review

2009-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

2008 is now in the books and as I look forward to 2009 I want to first reflect on the past years activities.

In this year I've done a lot. I lived in three different locations throughout Boise. I logged almost 35,000 miles on my car. I went back to the Midwest for the first time in almost two years to see a great friend get married. I grew a mustache. I rediscovered a passion for running. I adopted a dog. I made new friends and rekindled relationships with old ones. I laughed (a lot of times at myself). I napped early and often. And of course, I took a lot of pictures...

I can only hope for bigger and better things going into 2009. Bigger and better in all things except the amount of miles traveled in my car. That's not something I care to aspire to.

Holiday Happenings

2009-01-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! It seems as though the posts have begun to slow to a sluggish pace but I assure you that it is not for any lack of activity. For the past couple of weeks my schedule has been flipped upside down allowing me time to celebrate the holidays with my friends and family.

Quick recap... I worked over the Christmas weekend, which enabled me to take time off this week to head down to Utah for some skiing with the fam. My sister and her husband live in Logan, Utah and after meeting up with them and a plethora of grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews we made our way to Salt Lake City for two days of skiing (and shopping) in the area. The weather was wonderful and the skiing was fantastic.

After two really nice days of skiing I set my course back north to Boise to join some friends in celebrating the new year. That was also a great time, however, there were no pictures to document the occasion. Bummer.

Now it's back to the grind. In a way I am relieved to have a set schedule again but I can't help but feel a little wistful when thinking about the beautiful snow and scenery of Utah. Another trip will surely be in order this year.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year... Or So I'm Told

2008-12-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how it has happened but one way or another three weeks has past by in the proverbial blink of an eye.

In the past few weeks a lot has happened both on the job and in my personal life. As many of you have now noticed, the holiday season is upon us which means many things to many people. To me, it means cold nights covering night time parades, Christmas light displays and the occasional sporting event.

One interesting side note (or at least interesting to me)... Earlier this month I went to the local library in search of newspaper front pages from the day of and day after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor back in 1941. As you can imagine, there aren't many newspapers from the '40's just hanging around, however, the local media centers here in Nampa and Caldwell have a pretty extensive collection of old newspaper Microfilms.

Until a week ago I had never used a microfilm machine and when the time finally came, I have to say, I was pretty darn impressed. Something about flipping through newspaper headlines from famous dates in American history left me with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. Kind of hard to believe that these machines were once believed to be a high-tech.

As previously mentioned, my personal life has had a recent development that I think is worth noting. For the past, oh say 18 years I have wanted a dog and for as long as I can remember my parents have always responded to these wishes with the phrase... "When you move out you can get your own". So after careful calculation and consideration (and nearly 6 years of living on my own) I adopted a dog.

His name is "Buddy". The name is pretty cliche and common but it has a little bit of meaning to me. Aside from the fact that this dog is in fact my buddy, he shares the name of my grandfather, Charles Litchfield's recently deceased Collie "Buddy". While riding the fence on whether or not to take this dog home with me I realized the similarity and thought it was just to serendipitous to pass on.

He absolutely lives to play fetch and is happy in his kennel as long as he has a selection of tennis balls to gnaw on. He minds very well and shows affection to anyone and everyone. To be honest, I couldn't have asked for a better dog.

So that's that. The holiday break is coming up and I am very excited to get some much needed time away from work. My hope is to spend some time with my family at my sister's home in Logan, Utah, which will hopefully mean a few days of skiing in "The Greatest Snow on Earth".

Hitting The Hardwood

2008-11-22T17:03:00.000-08:00

Basketball season is back and as an Alumni and fan of the Iowa State Cyclones, I couldn't be happier. Happy not because the 'Clones offer promise in the coming Men's hoops season but rather because as basketball season starts, football season is thankfully now over. What a disappointing showing this year. 2-10 overall, 0-8 in the Big XII.

As a Cyclone sports fan you come well accustomed to the phrase "there's always next year" and unfortunately this year the football team left me with my head in my hands muttering just that.

Over the past few days I've had my fair share of collegiate basketball while covering the Boise State Broncos as well as The College of Idaho 'Yotes.

Although I enjoy every opportunity I get to cover these schools, they seem to fail by comparison to my 'Clones. Hard to beat a tall Clone Cone within the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum.

Only In Idaho

2008-11-22T16:11:00.001-08:00

There are many things I don't fully understand about this state, country or some of it's people.

On Thursday, Nov. 20 these feelings were validated when I was sent to Sand Hollow, Idaho, to photograph a gentleman who recently purchase three AR-15 assault rifles and one AK-47 simply because he maintained an imminent fear that the government will soon be taking away his right to bare automatic firearms.

Whether or not this fear is actually ever realized seems irrelevant to me. My point of contention is that the "need" to own, posses, or carry a weapon designed for the sole purpose of killing quickly and maliciously seems completely unnecessary. That's all.

I will now step down from my soap box.

Another Busy Weekend

2008-11-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went up to Moscow, Idaho to cover the Boise State vs. Idaho game with sports reporter Dave Southorn and sports editor Phil Dailey.

Since the drive from Boise to Moscow takes around six hours I decided to make a video about the game on the way up and another on the way back.

We returned to Boise around 2:30 PM on Sunday and immediately there after I set off for Emmett, Idaho to cover a Muzzleloader shooting event for our community section.

It turned out to be quite an adventure because it took me almost an hour to find this hidden little shooting range and when I got there the people were pretty interesting. Check out the slideshow I made here.

Veterans Day

2008-11-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

On Monday I had the opportunity to meet Bert Chandler and his wife Esther. Bert and Esther have been married for 66 years, and after visiting with them for about 45 minutes I was able to hear many amazing stories from the couple's past.

First of all, 66 years is a LONG time to be married. Second, anyone who has lived on this Earth for 86 has no doubt seen and experienced a great deal (especially someone who was around this country in the 20th century).

Unfortunately, I was not there to hear about the highlights from all 86 years, but rather just three of them. Bert served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1944, contributing to the Allied war effort in World War II. He was one of only 3 men from a battalion of nearly 200 who survived the The Battle at Omaha Beach and after being wounded in 1944 Bert was awarded The Purple Heart along with numerous other United States military decorations in recognition of his exemplary service to his country.

To have the opportunity to sit with a man and listen to him tell stories of his first hand experiences in monumental moments in history truly makes me thankful to be both a Photojournalist and an American. It's people like Bert who have given the ultimate sacrifice, allowing me to take for granted the freedoms and opportunities available to each of us in this country, and for that I am thankful. Celebrate Veterans Day and thank a Veteran.

What a Week

2008-11-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

The past week has been wildly busy for me so to give you the true detailed rundown I'm going to pick up right where I left off last week.

As almost everyone knows, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 was a truly historic day for America and as I recall my previous post left off the day before the election. Covering an election of any kind is something that I enjoy very much for many reasons. There is always a certain degree of uncertainty hanging in the air throughout the day and this day was no different.

I started my morning at about 7 AM in Idaho City documenting the election day activity for the Associate Press. The idea was to capture the essence of rural Idaho in only a couple pictures, which proved to be pretty darn difficult.

After returning to Boise, casting my own vote and taking a nap, I geared up for what would turn out to be a long night of newspapering.

I did a lot of running around on election night and got the opportunity to see both Republicans and Democrats celebrating victories and mourning defeat.

After taking Wednesday and Thursday off to recover from what was a frantic few days I returned to work to cover an interment service for abandoned veterans...

... and some high school football playoff action Friday night.

On Saturday the Boise State Broncos faced off against the Utah State Aggies in a highly unusual Saturday afternoon WAC match up. The light was great, however, the game was less than exciting. The Broncos crushed the Aggies, 49-14 to improve to 9-0 on the season.

I'll leave you with a little inspiration here...

This little flower was growing through a fence, which I'm sure would fit well in a one-liner inspirational poster... Perseverance (or something).

Thanks for stopping by!

Get The Vote Out

2008-11-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

The next 36 hours are going to be insane for me, so no major update. Go vote!

Happy Halloween (a little late)

2008-11-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

Of all the silly or slightly stupid holidays Americans celebrate, I have to say that Halloween is one of my favorites. It is the only day of the year that parents allow their children to break the rules they force their kids to follow every other day...

"Don't dress like a weirdo!
Don't take candy from strangers!
... and don't go running through the streets at night!"

As for adults, it is really the only night of the year that you can go out on the town and not feel the need to be discrete about people watching. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is encouraged.

This weekend I photographed some folks out trick-or-treating in downtown Nampa as well as a two-mile costumed fun run. I also dressed like an idiot and went out to join the costumed crazies Friday night, but those stories I will keep to myself.

Check out the slideshow from the trick or treating.

Tonight I will be continuing the theme of Halloween by photographing an Alanis Morrissette acoustic concert in Boise. Talk about scary!

Bridge Construction Collapse

2008-10-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Shortly after I arrived at work and settled in for what I thought was sure to be an incredibly slow Monday afternoon, I was startled by a frantic desk editor who instructed me to drop everything and follow up on a hot piece of breaking news.

Around 2PM on Monday afternoon a call came across the scanner that a bridge had collapsed in Nampa, and roughly 25 cars or people were involved in some way or another (or at least that is the information I was given).

As additional information became available I learned that the bridge that had collapsed was actually a prefabricated section of overpass which had not yet been installed over the interstate. You see, the idea (as I understand it) is that they build the bridge in sections on site and once completed they put them into place over the interstate.

Unfortunately 14 workers were involved in the accident, however, none of them were fatally injured.

I produced a quick little slideshow that you can check out here.

Soccer Saturday

2008-10-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Idaho High School soccer championships rolled into town so for much of the past two days I have been out at the fields covering the action. Today I covered three different games, which made for a long day, however, I can't complain to much because the weather was wonderful and the action and reaction was pretty exceptional.

As with any championship game in any sport, emotions always run high and this weekend's games were no exception.

Soccer has always been one of my favorite sports to cover for many reasons, all of which I was reminded of today.

Welcome Home

2008-10-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 23rd I returned to work after a week long vacation to my home state of Iowa. The primary reason for heading back to the heartland was to help in celebrating the marriage of two of my long time friends, Danny and Chelsea.

Being that Ames, Iowa is the land of my birth and that I haven't been to the state in almost two years, I had a long list of places I wanted to go and people I wanted to see. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to accomplish all of them, however, I did have the opportunity to cross a few important items off the list.

I caught up with a few old friends.

I ate at a few of my favorite restaurants.

I went running in through the streets I ran in high school.

I bellied up to the bars I frequented in college. Oh, and I shot some really big guns (when in Rome, right?).

So much more to say but I'll leave it at that. Thanks to everyone who made my trip so special!

Pretty Bird, Pretty Bird...

2008-10-12T16:44:00.001-07:00

Show Time

2008-10-10T20:35:00.001-07:00

Last night I covered the Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson show in Boise. Pretty uneventful although I was highly entertained by all of the poor guys who had been dragged there by their wives and girlfriends. Hilarious.

Brain Pains

2008-10-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

On Monday, October 6th I spent my afternoon at the Caldwell Senior Citizen Center with Executive Director Paige McMichael.

Paige has been struggling with pain associated to the two herniated discs in her back, which she cannot afford to have surgically repaired since she has no health coverage. As the director of the center and a board member for two other community organizations, Paige works very hard and stretches herself out pretty thin.

After hanging out with her in her office Monday afternoon it became very obvious that she was dealing with an immense amount of pain, which made for compelling pictures, however, made it harder for me to bring myself to take them.

Here are a couple shots from my afternoon with her.

If you'd like to read the story you can check it out here.

Be The Hammer

2008-09-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2008-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

I suppose they call it the flying short course for the simple reason that both faculty and students fly into a hub to get together, but I would defend that it takes on a new meaning in that the weekend you spend will ultimately fly by.

What a weekend. I spent two days in the beautiful city of Portland, Ore., listening to some of the most innovative visual journalists in the industry divulge some of their deepest secrets. In addition to the amount of new information I acquired, I also had the chance to sit around and "talk shop" with really creative people who have some of the same fundamental interest as I do.

The vast majority of the material covered at this short course was focused primarily on the development of web based content in general and online video in particular. I have to say, after hearing all these wonderful people share their stories, it allowed me to walk away with a refreshing sense of enthusiasm that I will hopefully be able to take to my job back home.

One of the many, many highlights of the weekend came on Sunday afternoon when I had the opportunity to try out the new Canon 5D Mark II. For those who are unfamiliar, the 5D Mark II is a Digital SLR which is simply unlike any other on the market for many reasons, primarily the fact that it shoots HD video. It is a really impressive piece of equipment with a really reasonable price tag. It'll hit shelves sometime in November and I am super excited about it.

I have so many more stories to tell, but unfortunately I have to hustle through security to catch my plane for Boise.

Thanks for checking in!

The Roof Is On Fire

2008-09-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

I should have known better.

I thought for sure Friday was going to be nice and easy; a couple of assignments and then with bags in hand head off to the airport.

NOON: Change of plans.

En route to my first afternoon assignment I noticed an enormous plume of thick black smoke in the distance and only moments after I was buzzed by a Nampa fire engine, which was racing to the scene. So like any good photographer, I put my cardboard press sign on my dash (as if it were a siren or something) and followed close behind.

I arrived on the scene of a structure fire in the heart of a crazy convoluted subdivision. I wasn't on scene quick enough and consequently the flames had been almost completely extinguished, but I hung around for a bit and got some semi run of the mill fire photos.

Now I'll be bumming around before heading to bed before a full day of workshops tomorrow. Should be fun!

Bump, Set, SPIKE!

2008-09-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening I made the trek out to Middleton to cover a three team volleyball meet. Since the light in this particular gym is less than spectacular, I brought along a strobe to bounce off the ceiling. The resulting pictures had a much more acceptable exposure.

On an unrelated note, this weekend I have been exempt from my duties on the photo desk and will be traveling to Portland, Oregon to attend the Flying Short Course, which is a workshop for visual journalists. I will be flying out Friday evening and returning late Sunday. I am excited to have the opportunity to meet many of the PNW area photographers, whose work I have admired for some time now and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my excitement to spend some time in Portland - one of my favorite cities to visit.

Check back later for details!

A Few Photos

2008-09-22T13:21:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of photos and a slideshow from Sunday.

SLIDESHOW

A Long, Wet, Day

2008-09-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm not sure where to start so I'll just start from the top.

Saturday was crazy. Crazier than usual. For starters, I was the only photographer on the desk, which meant I did more running around than usual.

Heading home Friday night I had two morning assignments and two evening assignments on the bill for Saturday.

To my surprise, I woke up early Saturday morning to thunder, lightning and an uncharacteristic downpour of rain. Usually a Saturday morning thunderstorm is something I enjoy, however, on this particular Saturday every one of my assignments was scheduled to take place outdoors so I was less than enthusiastic.

The first, was a 5K fun run in downtown Boise. The run started at 8:30am and went off without a hitch. After realizing that my grand-master-plan of hopping out of my car for a quick frame and then hopping back in was not realistic, I began to walk towards downtown. It only took about 30 minutes before I was completely soaked.

Around about 9:30am I made my way out to Eagle, Idaho for one of the largest cross country meets in the Northwest, the Bob Firman Invitational. Cross Country is usually fun because the action is very predictable, which allows you to get creative with your backgrounds and Saturday's races were no exception. The rain only gained strength as the morning went on and consequently the condition of the course continued to get worse with each passing race.

Around noon the rain relented and the sun made an appearance. At 1pm I was scheduled to cover a ceremony, which marked the completion of a four-day Sand Mandala project at The College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho. It actually turned out to be a pretty interesting assignment.

After a very quick lunch I hustled back to the office to edit some video as well as the photos I had taken throughout the morning. I was able to sit for about a half an hour before my editor called to request some last minute art of fans watching the Boise State vs. Oregon game at a local sports bar. We actually sent a photographer to the game (which is why I was the only one working the desk) but the idea was to get some local reaction from locals.

I was scheduled to round out the evening with a hometown idol competition, modeled after the hugely popular American Idol. As previously mentioned, the event was scheduled to be outdoors and after heavy storms rolled into the area in the evening, the event was consequently canceled.

So that's it. One long, wet, day. Let's hope for sunny skies tomorrow!

Remember This?

2008-09-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Not to brag or anything, but I'm a pretty big deal.

Check Mate!

2008-09-17T13:06:00.001-07:00

Recently I worked on an assignment about schools in Idaho that teach chess as an alternative platform for educating kids on subjects like reading, math, as well as strategy and various other important skills. It was assigned to me through the Associated Press in Boise and therefore had national distribution. Pretty exciting...

Check it out here.

Goin' Goofin'

2008-09-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday turned out to be a truly wonderful day, which for me was just what the doctor ordered. Lately I have been stressed out by a multitude of people, places and things and for one day I was able to put all aside and enjoy my surroundings.

The only task on the budget for Sunday was to cover the final round of the Albertsons Boise Open and if there is one thing more relaxing than playing a round of golf, it is taking pictures of professionals playing a round of golf.

Sometimes it's nice to do something so familiar that you can lose yourself in the moment and although that may not make much sense take my word for it, it's a good thing. Sunday I was able to lose focus on all of the things that had been weighing heavy on my mind and just enjoy the tournament.

Here are a couple shots from the afternoon...

Now it's Monday, the end of my work week. Time to kick off my shoes and relax....

Sports Mania

2008-09-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

The fall sports season is now in full swing and if things keep up at this pace, chances are my posts may come a little less frequently. To prove my point I'll take you through the last week of activity.

I've covered a number of prep sports including: soccer, volleyball and of course, football. This is a wonderful time of year to be out shooting sports simply because the light is almost always spectacular and the temperatures tend to hover between comfortable and cool.

Here are a few choice shots to prove the point...

Yesterday was a busy, busy day, which was a welcomed change of pace from the two days prior. I spent my morning at the Indian Creek Festival, which was a community celebration throughout the streets of downtown Caldwell, Idaho. I produced a slideshow and strived to make this one a bit different than the norm.

Check it out here.

After finishing the slideshow and scarfing down a quick meal, I hopped in my car and drove down I-84 to Boise to cover the Boise State, Bowling Green game at Bronco Stadium. Once again, the weather was great and the game was actually pretty entertaining. I was nearly the target of two consecutive plays to the sideline, escaping near calamity both times by about a half a step. I walked away with a nice battle scar and a couple of nice frames. Check it...

Now it's back to the grind starting this afternoon with the final round of the Alberston Boise Open - a Nationwide Golf Tour event. Should be pretty fun...

Check back later for details.

More Football

2008-09-05T20:30:00.001-07:00

After spending a nice and relaxing three-day weekend with family down in Utah I returned back to work and shot a couple of prep football games Friday night. Beautiful weather and wonderful light. Nothing great but here it is...

Update

2008-08-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have left me feeling exhausted, frustrated and just generally unhappy so I will spare the ramblings and instead share a few photos from the Boise State-Idaho State football game from last night. Enjoy.

Labor Day? More Like Labor Week

2008-08-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

This past week has been one for the books. Monday, which is typically the care-free end of the week was absolutely crazy. The day started off as any other Monday; slow with a few random assignments, but it would end unlike any day to date. Around 5 p.m. Monday evening a storm started to roll in over the typically bright blue skies. You could actually see a plume of dust rolling in from the west, which made me a little nervous.

My nerves proved to be valid as the cloud of dust brought with it wind gusts around 60 mph. Around 7 p.m. a fire started in a field of sagebrush bordering a southwest Boise subdivision and by 7:15 p.m. the blaze had rushed up the hill catching seven high end homes on fire. The blaze would continue to rage for the next 45 minutes and once the fire had been contained 10 houses had been totally destroyed and another 9 had been seriously damaged.

I was instructed to rush to the scene well after the fire had been started, around 8:15 p.m. By the time I had arrived on the scene Boise Police had completely shut down the area, preventing me from getting anywhere near the fire. After running through random neighborhoods for roughly 20 minutes I decided I would head to the local church where some of the displaced homeowners had gathered.

I almost always hate having to follow through with my job in these situations because there is so much emotion. This time, like many others, I hid myself behind my camera and pretended like I wasn't there so that I could document the scene. This was the only photo I could bring myself to take.

The next day I was able to pick up a freelance assignment with the Associated Press, which turned out to be exactly what I needed. I drove down to Silver City, which is a true Idaho ghost town. I was instructed to meet a rural rancher who had received a satellite phone from the BLM in order to help alert land managers of wildfires near Silver City. It was an absolutely gorgeous day in some absolutely beautiful country.

Now, football season has begun to consume my life. Last night I shot a local prep football game, which was the first of many games to come I am sure. Tonight the Boise State Broncos are playing Idaho State in Boise so I will spend all night at Bronco Stadium. Here is a shot a friend of mine shot of a local photographer and I working the sideline at the prep game last night.

And yes, I am working all of Labor Day weekend. Ironic?

Take One... Take Two.. Take Three...

2008-08-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening I headed over to Nampa High School to shoot the cover for our upcoming High School Football preview tab. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I always get a kick out of doing athlete portraits and this particular session was no different.

I typically like to show up about an hour early so that I can have everything dialed in by the time the talent arrives. Last night I arrived at the stadium around 6:45pm, giving me plenty of time to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. From my experience, I have found that it is always best to give yourself the benefit of additional time in the event that some unforeseen issue arises - which it almost always does.

For this particular shoot I had to arrange three guys into the frame, which for some reason is almost always difficult. In order to light them all evenly I brought three monolights with one umbrella and one medium softbox. What I would come to realize was that none of the lights were able to sync up, forcing me to use only one portable light and of course the ambient evening sun.

After the lighting debacle I had to decide where I wanted these guys to stand, and without the help of a stand-in I decided to set the self timer and jump in the picture. Turned out it didn't really help me much but I figure anytime you can take a self portrait, you should.

Ultimately, I abandoned the complex plans I had conjured up for a much more simplified system, but as they say, simplicity is... Well I don't know what they say, but simplicity worked for me this time.

Bug Day

2008-08-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing terribly exciting to share. Today I went out to the Idaho Botanical Gardens in Boise to put together a slideshow from "Bug Day", an annual event that gives kids the opportunity to get their hands on unusual insects.

Check out the slideshow HERE.

Another Busy Weekend

2008-08-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

The rodeo season is officially over. Phew!

Saturday night was packed with action and as I expected, tons of stress. I did plenty of running around and ultimately ended up getting the shots I needed but it wasn't easy.

Sunday I spent three hours out at the Western Idaho Fair, which is essentially the Idaho State Fair. I was instructed to work on two packages, one for our community section and one for our news section. The community desk asked for a photo page and slideshow and the news desk wanted to do a feature on the unusual foods found at the fair. It's almost always fun going to the fair, especially when you get in free and are getting paid basically to people watch. Not too shabby.

Check out the slideshow here.

Under Pressure

2008-08-16T16:42:00.001-07:00

This is it. The end of summer is near, however, I still have to survive one extremely taxing week before I can be rewarded with some much needed down time.

This week the Caldwell Night Rodeo rolled into town with the finals being held Saturday evening. I am more stressed out than usual because this particular rodeo takes place at night, forcing me to work much more quickly due to deadlines. It's a really stressful ordeal simply because everyone wants to see a photo of the champ spread across the front page but there is really no way to ensure that you are going to get that shot. As with most of assignments, the name of the game is calculating your odds and determining what position will give you the best chance to get the shot. Ultimately, the rider you need the most is the one you didn't get, making you want to pull out your hair - but that's life.

On Thursday evening I did get the one I was looking for. Check it out...

Horsin' Around

2008-08-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Horses are hugely popular throughout much of the Western U.S. and on Saturday I experienced two drastically different uses for them.

For my first assignment I went out to the Idaho Cup; an annual horse race that showcases horses from throughout the state. Horse racing is always a fun event to shoot because it has so many inherently visual elements. Jockeys in bright colored get-ups, juxtaposition of short jockeys and big horses, cowboy hats and of course the racing action itself.

The second event was distinctly different from the first and although in both the horses were racing around, the first assignment did not involve firearms - which I am convinced makes all assignments more interesting.

You see, the concept here involves guys and gals in late 19th early 20th century attire riding around on horse back and shooting balloons with pistols and rifles. I actually found myself sporting a pretty big grin as I watched these crazy folks maneuver around obstacles wielding large firearms. As a funny side note; the whole event was sponsored by the firearms manufacturer Colt and throughout the event the announcer made it a point to inform the audience that the gun which "won the west" was a Colt - The Peacemaker. Early American arrogance at it's best.

My 08.08.08

2008-08-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

802. That was the total number of frames I shot on Friday. Needless to say, I kept pretty busy.

My day started a couple hours earlier than normal Friday when a desk editor called to inform me that Brandi Swindell, a "Christian Rights Activist" from Boise made her return to the Gem State after being detained by Chinese officials early last week for protesting the Chinese government in Tiananmen Square - a big no no. 148 Frames.

Then it was on to the Vans Warped Tour for what I thought would be a couple quick photos for our entertainment publication. Two hours, three bottles of water and 559 frames later I was on my way back to the office smelling far more offensive.

After about an hour of editing I was ready to head home and call it a day. I left the office and got in my car when unexpectedly I received a call from a reporter informing me that there was a multiple vehicle, multiple injury accident in semi-rural Canyon County. As it turned out, one vehicle ran a stop sign and was struck head on by a vehicle, which was traveling in the opposite direction at about 60 miles/hour. Two were taken to the hospital and one was pronounced dead at the scene.

Just proof that in this line of work you can see the best day of someone's life and the worst for another all in a matter of hours. 95 more frames makes 802.

Are you ready for some football?!?

2008-08-04T19:29:00.001-07:00

With air temperatures continuing to hover around 95 it may not feel like it, but fall is just around the corner. How do I know this? Simple.

Monday was the first day of practice for the Boise State Bronco football team.

Although I don't like to admit it, football is a pretty big deal in Boise. Every game day you can count on encountering a gridlock of motorists and pedestrians making the pilgrimage to Bronco Stadium and unfortunately for me I'm often caught right in the middle of it.

I am now in for another six months of non stop Bronco Blue & Orange which I am sure will have its moments (most notably a Sept. 20 match up against the University of Oregon at Autzen, which I may get to shoot).

Enjoy the Scenery

2008-08-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

So unfortunately over the past couple of days I haven't had much work I've been eager to brag about so in this post I will share a tidbit from my weekend. On Tuesday evening I made the 130 mile trek from Boise up to Stanley, Idaho for a couple days of camping, reading and mountain biking in the Sawtooth Mountains. It was wonderful.

I was able to check out the scenery at the gorgeous Redfish Lake...

...and spend some quality time in the saddle...

The trail I rode cut through an area that was burned in a fire last season and consequently tons of beautiful wildflowers are now in bloom. All in all it was a fun and relaxing weekend. Oh, and I had a face to face run in with a badger. Fun stuff...

On Saturday I covered the Crime Prevention Fair in Nampa, which is held in association with the National Night Out program. I made a slideshow from the event and if you would like to check it out you could do so...

Here

Another Tasty Silhouette

2008-07-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, July 22nd my nephew Joey celebrated his first birthday with a heaping pile of cake. Didn't eat much of it but he sure enjoyed it!

Brutal

2008-07-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 25th I started a project on the brutality of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. I decided to do produce a video and as of right now I have big aspirations for it. I captured a ton of footage from the fight and still need to do a number of interviews. The project is slated to go live on Sunday, August 10th so it will be a while till I post the video up here but for now, consider this a taste of things to come...

Marlboro Man

2008-07-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of nights I have been covering the Snake River Stampede Rodeo in Nampa. I took this shot outside the arena and thought it was worth sharing. I mean c'mon, who doesn't like a photo of a cowboy riding into the sunset?

More Than a Feeling

2008-07-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

I made it. At times I had my doubts, but I survived.

I typically look forward to the 4th of July with a certain degree of apathy only because I am often asked to spend hours in the hot summer sun shooting seemingly endless parades and patriotic fanfare. Like many of you, I enjoy the cliche American amusements like hotdogs, fireworks and fried food, however, attempting to document people participating in these patriotic activities every year tends to change your perspective.

But I digress... I only share this to put into context my complete satisfaction with not having to think about another parade till next summer.

Now the train rolls on and it's time to start thinking about football season and of course, more rodeos.

This last week I had the opportunity to cover a concert of the band Boston. Many of you more than likely remember their songs, but chances are you don't remember any of the band members. The original band has dissolved and reformed so many times that only one original member remains; Guitarist Tom Scholz. It almost feels as though you are watching a professional cover band, even though you're paying $50 per ticket, go figure.

These other photos are just a few random pics from the past few days.

Enjoy!

Summer Days

2008-07-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's no Winter, but there are things I love about Summer.

For starters, the obvious. The weather is warm and the sun is out for longer than I am typically awake. You can't beat Boise in the Summer simply because the sun shines for almost three months straight and there is little to no humidity, unlike the unforgiving jungle of the midwest from which I hail.

Now obviously Summer means different things to different people, but to me it means baseball, beer and bratwurst. Here in Boise (and throughout much of the Northwest) baseball takes a back seat to a variety of other outdoor activities but for those who crave the game, there is a solution...

The Boise Hawks are a Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and although they are not the real thing, (not even close, really) they are good enough for me. Their season is only about two months long and they rarely have more than 2,000 fans in the stands yet I jump any chance I get to catch a game.

Maybe it's the intimate setting with the great view of the mountains, maybe it's the sights and sounds of the ball game, or maybe it's the tacky promotions and cheap beer. Whatever it is, I like it.

Leftovers

2008-07-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

So for the past week or two I have been stuck in a rut. I had a string of a month or so were I felt like I was coming away from every assignment with something special and for whatever reason my luck has run out. I guess this is just a part of life and soon enough things will turn around but for now I'm stuck spinning my wheels.

Here are a couple shots from the past month or so that I never published. Check 'em out...

Moving into the 21st Century

2008-06-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

My paper has now made a considerable effort to up our multimedia production over the course of the past couple of weeks (as you may have already noticed by the number of slideshows on here).

So I have finally swallowed my pride and picked up the video camera to produce my own videos. Here are my first two attempts.

This is a test

2008-06-20T08:49:00.001-07:00

The other day I was driving through downtown when I saw a sign that advertised gas for less than two dollars. Unfortunately the station that was backing this advertisement had been closed for years, but at that moment I had an epiphany. I thought it'd be cool to try and find as many of these old run down stations and photograph them in order to document this strange period in American history. We'll see how it goes...

On an unrelated note, Thursday evening there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Nampa! Not a real quake of course, but two of the local hospitals simulated such an event in order to practice their evacuation strategies. I made a slideshow from the whole sha-bang. Unfortunately the idea to produce this slideshow came to me a little late and so the quality is less than great but check it out here.

Are you a Doctor?

2008-06-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday afternoon I was en route to an assignment for a supplemental publication of my newspaper when I pulled up to what turned out to be a very serious accident. As I would come to find, someone had made an attempt to pass in a no passing zone, colliding head on with a big Idaho-style pickup.

I somehow managed to show up before any emergency crews had arrived on the scene, putting me in the awkward position between helping those injured in the crash or doing my job to document the moment. As I pulled off to the side of the road I was immediately rushed by a frantic passerby who asked me if I was a doctor. I was flattered to think that someone would mistake me for a physician but I very quickly set them straight informing them that, "No, I don't make nearly that much money". Fortunately multiple paramedics did arrive on the scene moments after I had so I did not have to pretend like I remembered my first responder training from years ago.

I ended up getting a brief interview with an officer and decided to package it with some photos in a quick little slideshow. Feel free to check it out.

I finished out my day with a nice outdoor rodeo in the town of Eagle, which lies about 20 minutes north of Boise.

Oh and one shameless plug... I recently received a pair of awards for photos I had taken in the month of may...

As always, thanks for stopping by to take a look!

Sprint Boaters

2008-06-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today I ventured out to the rural Idaho city of Marsing for Sprint Boat Racing. I had never seen nor heard of an event quite like this. I was amazed by the maneuverability of these crafts as they would enter into tight turns at serious speeds. I also was quite entertained by the interesting crowd that filled the bleachers. "True Americans" if you will.

More Graduation

2008-05-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

I got this shot tonight at a graduation for the Skyview High School Class of 2008. Nothing much to report, I just thought it was cool and worth posting. Enjoy!

Long Road Home

2008-05-29T14:45:00.001-07:00

My how quickly time goes by. I spent the past couple days moving boxes (mostly all of which contained my sisters kitchen gear) as my sister and her husband prepared for their big move. I won't bore you with the details of the move but I thought it'd be fun to share a picture of their almost 1-year-old baby boy, Joey. He's a great little man, and when I say little, I actually mean big (he now weighs in at an unwieldy 30-lbs). Here is a shot of him enjoying one of his favorite pastimes... cruising in the walker.

I returned Wednesday evening after a six-hour drive in a borrowed pickup with a full load of Lindsey and Brian's personal effects. The drive took a little longer because I was hauling a good sized desk and also because I made several stops off to take photos of people floating down the Payette River, which follows the highway for a ways north of Boise.

Now it's back to work for a couple days before I take the weekend off to turn 24. I'm looking forward to catching some sun and maybe playing a little golf. Check back in a week for fun pix from the weekend.

Running on Fumes

2008-05-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

How quickly optimism can turn into spiteful pessimism.

This weekend I was busy. Busier than I have ever been and I have not yet decided whether it was good or bad. One thing I do know is that I am very thankful that this weekend was very much the exception to the norm.

Over the course of the past three days I have covered just about every kind of event you could imagine; mundane and catastrophic, jubilation and dejection and most things in between. Now that it is over and I am on the verge of a two day break I am taking the proverbial sigh of relief.

Among the highlights from the weekend were a handful of graduations, more high school rodeo, a bike race in downtown Nampa, a massive fire in Caldwell and a couple of Memorial Day ceremonies.

I have encountered a variety of interesting experiences over the past few days, but I will spare you and instead leave you with a quote I heard at a Memorial Day ceremony today in Caldwell, Idaho.

"America is not at war; The military is at war. America is at the mall"

Thanks for checking in!

Breathe Deep and Count to Ten

2008-05-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

As promised, graduation season is now in full swing and it has brought me as much stress as I had anticipated it would. This weekend I have four graduations to cover in two days and a number of other athletic events including State Track finals Saturday and more High School Rodeo on Sunday. Oh and I am going to be the only one on staff because my weekend counterpart is taking an extended weekend. Sound's like fun huh?

Believe it or not I am actually pretty optimistic about the whole situation simply because I will be leaving Tuesday on a road trip up to see my sister and her husband for the last time in their home in Moscow, Idaho before they move to Logan, Utah to settle in greener pastures. I'm hoping for some quality time with them, their boy and their dogs and hopefully some quality time in the saddle up on Moscow Mountain. In addition, Saturday, May 31st is my 24th birthday and I will be taking the weekend off to enjoy the company of friends and family.

So here is a taste of things to come in the next couple of days.

What a Weekend

2008-05-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

The past three days of my life have been crazy. Saturday I worked an 11-hour day where I covered Boise State's graduation, a Boy Scout Fair and the WAC Track Championships. I made a slideshow from the Boy Scout Fair, which is most certainly forgettable but I'll let you be the judge... Check it out...

There have also been a flurry of prep championships over the course of the past few days which has added to my stress load. And to make matters worse, summer has arrived in the valley and temperatures have soared well into the 90's.

On the bright side, I'm coming up on a couple of days off, which I am looking forward to with breathless anticipation.

Something a Little Different

2008-05-13T14:29:00.001-07:00

So this post is going to stray a little from the format I typically follow. I usually post updates on what I am doing at work and the stories behind the random assignments I shoot, but today I thought I would try something a little different.

As some of you may or may not know, I typically take my weekends on Tuesday and Wednesdays, which means that today is essentially my Saturday. You may also know that a few of my hobbies are skiing and mountain biking and since the snow has basically vanished, this morning I decided to hop on my bike and go for a ride.

I have done a fair amount of biking in the Boise foothills, yet there are still a ton of trails I haven't even located yet. So this morning I left home with the simple goal of going someplace I hadn't yet been. The trail I settled on was a lightly traveled stretch of singletrack which climbs almost 3,500' over the course of 10 miles (amazing!). The trail is called "Hard Guy" which I think appropriately captures the shear burliness of the ride.

The ride up was gorgeous and every bit as grueling as I had hoped. About an hour and a half after setting out I reached the ridge road, which as the name states, runs along the top of the ridge of the Boise Front. I had originally hoped to ride the road for a while till I could hook up with a trail that would take me back down to town but to my surprise the road was still covered in nearly a foot of snow. Highly unusual and a little disappointing but still very satisfying to have even reached the road.

When it was all said and done the ride took a little over three hours, covering 25 miles. So much fun that I can't wait to do it again tomorrow!

Farewell Concert

2008-05-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

Monday night I went to a farewell concert for the music director of the Nampa School district who is retiring after 36 years in the district. I made a slideshow from the concert. Check it out...

Here

Tony Bennett

2008-05-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 10th I covered a Tony Bennett concert which turned out to be the highlight of what was a long and busy day. I started working around 9 AM and was only able to nab one 30 minute break the entire day.

It's not every day you get the opportunity to see a legend perform and I have to say, I feel very privileged to have had the chance to see him. I've never been a huge fan of Jazz but I found the music pretty toe-tapping, and not in the Larry Craig sense of the phrase.

Gymnasts

2008-05-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

If I could provide anyone out there with a minor pearl of wisdom, it would be to always remember to bring your memory cards to assignments.

Today I ventured over to east Nampa to take a portrait of four youth gymnasts who will soon be traveling to the U.S. National Championships.

I strolled into the gym around 3:15, met the girls and immediately came up with the idea of catching all four posing in mid-air. I then set up the lighting equipment and quickly realized something wasn't right. You know when you have that feeling that you are forgetting something. For me it is a very common occurrence and it seems like every time I get that feeling, I almost always am in fact forgetting something.

So I got ready to shoot and realized I had forgotten my wallet of memory cards in the office. Fortunately, I had a friend in the office who was able to run them out to me, for a nominal fee of course.

2008-05-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, May 4th I officially kicked off the summer season with two assignments which were very much the first of many more to come.

For those of you who are unaware, rodeos are huge in Idaho. In fact, they are so huge that over the course of this summer I will more than likely cover somewhere between 10 and 20 rodeos. Some are big, some are small, but one thing they all have in common; dudes in funny hats with big belt buckles, boots and bad country music. I have some moral objections to rodeos but I can't help but get at least a little excited every time I get the opportunity to cover one.

I took this photo at my first rodeo of the season this past Sunday morning at the High School Rodeo in Homedale, Idaho.

Another very distinct assignment that rolls around every year is the annual turning of the tassels. Unlike rodeos, I tend to dread covering these events simply because of the sheer number of them I have to attend and the fact that they are all essentially the same. The kids walk in, sit down, listen to a forgettable speech, do the grip and gin and if you're lucky they'll throw their hats, hug and cry. If I sound jaded about graduations, that's because I am.

I took this photo Sunday night at the commencement for Northwest Nazarene University.

Congratulations, now get a job!

Slow News Sunday

2008-05-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to a slideshow I did this past Sunday at a National Guinea Pig Convention in Caldwell, Idaho. Sort of a silly assignment so I felt that it would be okay to put together a sort of silly slideshow. Take a look...

Here.

Another Beautiful Day in my Neighborhood

2008-05-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day.

I'm not trying to be overly sentimental, however, I have to say; I love it when the weather changes and the world seemingly comes back to life. Today the sun was out and the colors were wonderful. I'm not going to break into poetry here, but I can't help but share my satisfaction with the weather.

I spent the majority of my afternoon in the Boise area today, covering a district softball game and taking a feature shot of a pair of quarterbacks who head the local arena football team. This softball shot is pretty much the run-of-the-mill, however, I think the portrait turned out pretty stellar. Take a look and let me know what you think...

I also wanted to through in a random feature I took of a local ripper catching some air on his bike.

As always, thanks for taking the time to take a look!