a lot of covering major sports is not really about shooting, it is dealing with problems: hassles, no-shows, nay-sayers, people in the way, no-men. it drains energy and creativity.
one of my favorite people in big red country is butch hug. he is basically in charge of every events that happens at the school. he even runs the starter pistol at state high school track.
he is direct. he is friendly. he does his job well and lets you do yours. if he says, "no," he has a good reason behind it. it is always nice when i see him at an event because i know that means things will go smoothly.
anyway, wild bill and i were walking around the stadium before a high school final football game in search of edible food. i saw butch watching the crowd spill in from one of the empty portions of the stadium...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
meet me in the dream of this hard land.
a friend and mentor, jeff haller, spent a good chunk of last year in red cloud, neb., documenting his hometown. i probably spend as much time as anyone driving around this state trying to capture life in the rural midwest. he showed me how to do it well.
so, grab a cup of coffee, beer or whatever you like to drink. get comfortable. and watch this.
and then do jeff a favor a buy a print or two from him.
so, grab a cup of coffee, beer or whatever you like to drink. get comfortable. and watch this.
and then do jeff a favor a buy a print or two from him.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
with your feet in the air and your head on the ground.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
you made me forget myself.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
all the players came from far and wide.
i had an assignment to shoot a wide shot of the coliseum in lincoln for husker volleyball. volleyball tickets are much much harder to get than football -- they will have their 99th straight sell-out next weekend. i have shot a ton of wide shots in the past, so i tried to do something different. michael from the lincoln journal star had the same idea-- put a few pictures together to make a panoramic shot. he is good at that stuff, and he spent a fair amount of time on it. i look forward to his image. this was mine...
unfortunately, in the paper, it was cropped to just the team. so it goes.
unfortunately, in the paper, it was cropped to just the team. so it goes.
Friday, October 05, 2007
the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away.
so a less-funny post than normal...
in the spring, i was sent to take pictures at arlington national cemetary for the paper's memorial day package. i spent about half the day in the section where soldiers from iraq and afghanistan were killed. i left feeling heavy. i wrote a little but decided not to post it. a number of wives, children and parents came to visit the graves. i talked to one. but mostly just walked around, reading the notes. looking at the mementos left.
later that day, i took an impromptu portrait of a young nebraska vet, 24, who was at walter reed. he always wanted to be a marine. they would not take him. so he joined the guard instead. got hit three times in one month. he thought he was fine. he was not. head trauma.
then last week, i went into d.c. early in the morning. since the museum i wanted to see did not open until 10a, i got coffee and walked around the mall. i drank coffee. listened to the national. mermaid avenue. springsteen. i walked up and down the mall. sat the the ww2 memorial for a while. then walked up to the wall. i have been there twice. in fifth grade we took a family trip, and in college i went with the husker fb team when they met president clinton. anyway, i had not spent much time there before.
the names on the wall are in the order of death, but there are alphabetical books to help you find certain people. the last name "miller" took four pages up four pages. my uncle was in vietnam, but we were lucky- his name is not in the book. neither is my dad's. apparently, he had a really low number (if i understand it correctly) when the u.s. started to pull out.
since it was early, the memorial was pretty well empty. some workers were doing some maintenance on the wall. some asian tourists were taking pictures. one man took a hat from the ground, put it on and posed for a photo.
near the end of the wall, one man was kneeling with his head down.
i gave him some space (much like i did this spring at the cemetary). i took some pictures of other stuff. he came and asked me to take some photos of him next to his buddy's name. i shot some pics with his rebel and iphone. he thanked me, then started talking. his best friend growing up was killed. apparently, he saved some lives. the man told me how he had a tour, as well. i took a photo of his friend's name, and he asked if he could take my picture. anyway, i am not nearly eloquent enough to share what he told me or how he talked or looked. as we parted, i heard him start talking to his buddy's mother on the phone.
i googled the name and found this:
"Let us not forget Specialist Four Richard Steve Pennamon, casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Army, SP4 Pennamon served our country until April 19th, 1968 in Quang, South Vietnam. He was 20 years old and was not married. Richard died from multiple fragmentation wounds/mine. His body was recovered. Richard was born on December 13th, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois.
SP4 Pennamon is on panel 50E, line 052 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for one year."
now back to our regularly-scheduled posts.
in the spring, i was sent to take pictures at arlington national cemetary for the paper's memorial day package. i spent about half the day in the section where soldiers from iraq and afghanistan were killed. i left feeling heavy. i wrote a little but decided not to post it. a number of wives, children and parents came to visit the graves. i talked to one. but mostly just walked around, reading the notes. looking at the mementos left.
later that day, i took an impromptu portrait of a young nebraska vet, 24, who was at walter reed. he always wanted to be a marine. they would not take him. so he joined the guard instead. got hit three times in one month. he thought he was fine. he was not. head trauma.
then last week, i went into d.c. early in the morning. since the museum i wanted to see did not open until 10a, i got coffee and walked around the mall. i drank coffee. listened to the national. mermaid avenue. springsteen. i walked up and down the mall. sat the the ww2 memorial for a while. then walked up to the wall. i have been there twice. in fifth grade we took a family trip, and in college i went with the husker fb team when they met president clinton. anyway, i had not spent much time there before.
the names on the wall are in the order of death, but there are alphabetical books to help you find certain people. the last name "miller" took four pages up four pages. my uncle was in vietnam, but we were lucky- his name is not in the book. neither is my dad's. apparently, he had a really low number (if i understand it correctly) when the u.s. started to pull out.
since it was early, the memorial was pretty well empty. some workers were doing some maintenance on the wall. some asian tourists were taking pictures. one man took a hat from the ground, put it on and posed for a photo.
near the end of the wall, one man was kneeling with his head down.
i gave him some space (much like i did this spring at the cemetary). i took some pictures of other stuff. he came and asked me to take some photos of him next to his buddy's name. i shot some pics with his rebel and iphone. he thanked me, then started talking. his best friend growing up was killed. apparently, he saved some lives. the man told me how he had a tour, as well. i took a photo of his friend's name, and he asked if he could take my picture. anyway, i am not nearly eloquent enough to share what he told me or how he talked or looked. as we parted, i heard him start talking to his buddy's mother on the phone.
i googled the name and found this:
"Let us not forget Specialist Four Richard Steve Pennamon, casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Army, SP4 Pennamon served our country until April 19th, 1968 in Quang, South Vietnam. He was 20 years old and was not married. Richard died from multiple fragmentation wounds/mine. His body was recovered. Richard was born on December 13th, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois.
SP4 Pennamon is on panel 50E, line 052 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for one year."
now back to our regularly-scheduled posts.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
i stood stone-like at midnight.
spent a long weekend in d.c. and baltimore. one highlight was the national museum. mostly went to check out the edward hopper exhibit. pretty cool. buzzed through most of the rest of the museum, as well. for some reason, i liked this guy taking a shot of the nude statue, kinda like jock sturges.
more photos in the next few days.
more photos in the next few days.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
i'm going down to alphabet street.
i don't know what they did with all the books. apparently, reading is uncool in rushville.
in other news rushville news, the american legion will likely stop offering shrimp at their monthly steak and shrimp dinner because the shrimp is getting too expensive. a small* steak and a skewer of shrimp was 12 bucks.
*their word, not mine. i would call it "large."
in other news rushville news, the american legion will likely stop offering shrimp at their monthly steak and shrimp dinner because the shrimp is getting too expensive. a small* steak and a skewer of shrimp was 12 bucks.
*their word, not mine. i would call it "large."
Sunday, September 16, 2007
cat knows kitty's been untrue and she left him for a city dude.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
call me. call me. any, anytime.
and the good times keep on rolling:
sunday message:
it looks like the voice mail cut him off at the end.
sunday message:
it looks like the voice mail cut him off at the end.
Friday, August 31, 2007
your voice across the line gives me a strange sensation.
ok... after some debate (ok, just a little), i have decided to post and ask for help...
a man called the paper a couple months ago asking when his photo would be published. he left a message at my desk. since i did not remember taking his photo, i searched the archive and could find nothing. as i was headed out to an assignment, i just called him back from my cellular telephone, or mobile (as the kids call it these days). he was not there, so i just left a message and told him our library may be able to help him out.
days pass...
i got another call from him on my mobile. he spoke with familiarity. i was vague. he may have asked to hang out (i can't remember all the details). i just mentioned that i had to go out of town, which was the truth.
a week later, another call. 1130p. "did i wake you up?"
"no." it was a lie, but only after i hung up did i realize i was asleep. he wanted me
to come hang with a few buds at a park. seymour smith park, as i recall. i have shot high school baseball there. heckuva nice park.
on the road again... another call. (a smarter man would have programmed the number in by then.) i was a little ill. said sorry, i was busy.
there were a couple messages sprinkled in there... in the middle of this, i started to figure out that he thinks we went to high school together. but, the calls stopped for a bit. some friends also suggested that at this point, i should just ignore and hope it goes away. they said it would serve no purpose to make him feel dumb at this point...
well, i recognize the number now. he has called three times this week and is now programmed it the phone. how should i handle this? should i just keep collecting the voice mails?
help a brother out here, people...
tuesday's message:
thursday's message:
friday's message:
a man called the paper a couple months ago asking when his photo would be published. he left a message at my desk. since i did not remember taking his photo, i searched the archive and could find nothing. as i was headed out to an assignment, i just called him back from my cellular telephone, or mobile (as the kids call it these days). he was not there, so i just left a message and told him our library may be able to help him out.
days pass...
i got another call from him on my mobile. he spoke with familiarity. i was vague. he may have asked to hang out (i can't remember all the details). i just mentioned that i had to go out of town, which was the truth.
a week later, another call. 1130p. "did i wake you up?"
"no." it was a lie, but only after i hung up did i realize i was asleep. he wanted me
to come hang with a few buds at a park. seymour smith park, as i recall. i have shot high school baseball there. heckuva nice park.
on the road again... another call. (a smarter man would have programmed the number in by then.) i was a little ill. said sorry, i was busy.
there were a couple messages sprinkled in there... in the middle of this, i started to figure out that he thinks we went to high school together. but, the calls stopped for a bit. some friends also suggested that at this point, i should just ignore and hope it goes away. they said it would serve no purpose to make him feel dumb at this point...
well, i recognize the number now. he has called three times this week and is now programmed it the phone. how should i handle this? should i just keep collecting the voice mails?
help a brother out here, people...
tuesday's message:
thursday's message:
friday's message:
Thursday, August 30, 2007
southern trees bear strange fruit.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
a public service announcement followed me home the other day.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
this is the story of hurricane.
every once in a while, i get a really bad reaction to something... food. air. spices... nonetheless, my face swells up, my throat and chest constrict and nearly my entire body itches. it sucks. sucks ass. it may or may not have been worse than it looks here... this is eyes wide open.
ps-- no one commented on the last post... you would not want to break the streak would you?
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
two-pack habit and a motel tan.
now that the bald eagles have been removed from the endangered species list, it looks like al gore and the rest of those liberals have found something else to focus their efforts on:
now that the bald eagles have been removed from the endangered species list, it looks like al gore and the rest of those liberals have found something else to focus their efforts on:
now that the bald eagles have been removed from the endangered species list, it looks like al gore and the rest of those liberals have found something else to focus their efforts on:
Monday, July 09, 2007
lookin' good, mr. kotter.
i've been busy the last few weeks... college world series. then a couple weddings.
this fella here was an usher at my sister's wedding. this was not his post-wedding attire, in case you were wondering. looked pretty cool, though. i mean, pretty sure i would not wear something like this, but more power to him.
this fella here was an usher at my sister's wedding. this was not his post-wedding attire, in case you were wondering. looked pretty cool, though. i mean, pretty sure i would not wear something like this, but more power to him.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
buffalo soup
i can't remember the lakota name for this delicacy... basically, it was buffalo intestines and stomach lining. i liked the stomach parts better. the smell and taste were reminiscent of mushrooms. it was rich and spongy. i am glad i had it. although i will not seek out a recipe, i would eat it again. (i also had some fantastic fry bread. mmm... fry bread.) i spent four days with the some lakota. they were riding horses from fort robinson, neb., to pine ridge. about 70 miles. although the pictures were not fantastic, i did learn a lot and had some unique experiences.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
honeymoon night we figured we best shake on it instead *
my best friend ryan found himself a quality woman. last weekend, they got married up in the twin cities. it was a great weekend. some snaps:
first thing ryan does when he opens his eyes on his wedding day? gotta check the email.
i had a problem with my pants. a big problem. luckily, my folks went out and found me a belt. yeah, my folks came up from ft. worth for the wedding. i am not sure who took this photo. my photo friends don't know that a camera can be turned vertical.
this was nearly a disaster. luckily, ryan has long thighs and was able to get out of the way of the spring champagne.
and a couple shots of the couple, courtesy of travis, who was kind enough to come up and document the weekend:
* i have no idea what the couple actually did when they left the bar.
first thing ryan does when he opens his eyes on his wedding day? gotta check the email.
i had a problem with my pants. a big problem. luckily, my folks went out and found me a belt. yeah, my folks came up from ft. worth for the wedding. i am not sure who took this photo. my photo friends don't know that a camera can be turned vertical.
this was nearly a disaster. luckily, ryan has long thighs and was able to get out of the way of the spring champagne.
and a couple shots of the couple, courtesy of travis, who was kind enough to come up and document the weekend:
* i have no idea what the couple actually did when they left the bar.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
black hills high
last week, i was lucky enough to score a work trip to the black hills. i spent one night camping all by myself in the semi-freezing wilderness. it was so quiet i could hear the air filtering through the feathers of the geese as they flew by across the lake. this was my view as i ate dinner:
at least i think i was alone.
good thing i am more scared of mice than any other animals out there.
at least i think i was alone.
good thing i am more scared of mice than any other animals out there.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
a common theme...
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
cleaning up the desktop...
Monday, March 19, 2007
i got a two-pack habit and a motel tan.
so, i stayed in this here hotel room because i checked it out months ago and knew i could shoot out the windows down on the main intersection in downtown o'neill during the big celebration.
little did i know, they would, "fix up," the room before st. patty's day. so, for more than $110 a night (two night minimum), i got two towels, no maid-service, little hot water, and some neighbor who liked to get his/her head banged against the wall.
super good.
and for those wondering... this was the entire room, minus the eight-square-foot bathroom.
little did i know, they would, "fix up," the room before st. patty's day. so, for more than $110 a night (two night minimum), i got two towels, no maid-service, little hot water, and some neighbor who liked to get his/her head banged against the wall.
super good.
and for those wondering... this was the entire room, minus the eight-square-foot bathroom.
a horse of a different color
Sunday, March 18, 2007
early in the morning, sometimes late at night
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
something you don't see everyday.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
a bit indulgent...
this meal was brought you you by mark davis (morels), ryan soderlin (beer), ryan pederson (skillet) and bronson riley (for taking me to whole foods where i bought the blue cheese). i couldn't have done this without your support.
unfortunately, i cut off of the potato, which had blue cheese melted into it. oh so good.
and dessert? some fantastic irish whiskey (knappogue castle) and a good pipe smoke with my feet up on the radiator. all this with some vintage springsteen on the hi-fi.
Friday, February 16, 2007
back in the saddle again.
had a rough day at wrestling on thursday. didn't make any good snaps. i thought it was pretty much my fault, but today, after shooting many more matches, i think it may have had more to do with the lousy matches i shot. maybe a 50-50 split. even saw a couple i enjoyed watching. well, i saw one that was really good.
no good crying pictures, but i did get a couple shots i always get a kick out of. and i had not gotten a good reach-around shot in a few years...
no good crying pictures, but i did get a couple shots i always get a kick out of. and i had not gotten a good reach-around shot in a few years...
Saturday, February 10, 2007
i'm a man, not a boy...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)