Winter Storm 2010 Day 2

Yesterday was another day spent slipping and sliding around Bentonville and Bella Vista searching for news and feature photos related to Winter Storm 2010. First off I shot a mailman delivering the mail in the snow. Cliche, but what snow-related photo isn't? The best part was getting the shot in the bag only 10 minutes into my day.


Then a cliche scenic photo including a human element...


Then the cliche old man shoveling snow photo...


After that I hit the slopes, or the golf course turned sledding Mecca in Bella Vista. Another repeat, but more good photos.




This kid turned up in most of my shots. He was the most fearless one on the hill, therefore he ended up in my viewfinder the most.




Hopefully this is the last storm of the season. I'm sick of snow, sleds, four-wheel drive, shoveling and sweeping the slushy, sandy, melted mess out of my garage every time I come home. I'm ready for 60 degrees and sunshine...and daylight savings time.

Winter Storm 2010 Day 1

Northwest Arkansas has been slammed by a nasty winter storm over the past 24 hours. We dodged a bullet and didn't get the ice that was initially predicted. We have received a ton of snow though, and it's still falling. I hit the door this morning and enterprised around Bella Vista looking for weather related news and feature photos. Here is a selection of my favs.













Tomorrow will most likely be more of the same.

From The Archive

Over the past week I've been uploading photos to my new PhotoShelter account as part of the process of getting my website going. As a result of the process I've come across many images I haven't laid eyes on in a while. The photo above was shot back in 2002 while I was still working at The Daily Times in Farmington, N.M. I was out hunting for wild art that day and noticed a good deal of smoke coming from the Bolack Ranch on the south side of town. As it turned out Bolack's ranch hands were busy burning underbrush in a stand of pine trees on the property. The combination of smoke and back lighting combined for some really nice photos. So nice that the image made New Mexico AP Photo of the Month, an honor I had garnered numerous times while at The Daily Times.

By the summer of 2002 I left my job at The Daily Times and relocated to Northwest Arkansas to freelance and start a new chapter in my life. The image had faded into memory as I was fresh into a new job at The Morning News – the freelancing wasn't as appealing as a regular job with benefits. To my surprise I received a call from a photo editor at Time Magazine in mid December informing me they had selected the image to run in their "Best Photos of 2002" issue. The honor capped off a pretty hectic year for me, both personally and professionally, and it ultimately helped me to move from a temporary position to a full time position at The Morning News.

After rediscovering the photo this week I find myself re-inspired. This PhotoShelter thing has been a bit redundant and tiresome, but I know I'm on the track to something good, my new website. It's funny how the old can inspire the birth of the entirely new.

Gameface

A funny feature for the New Year. Who woulda thought shuffleboard players could be so serious?

Should have a Liberty Bowl post up soon.

Recent Features

Here are some of my favorite features from the past two weeks. Everything from wild art hunts to assigned Christmas plays. Above is a shot from Townzen's Barbershop's annual fundraiser in downtown Rogers.


A weather balloon launch in Rogers.


A sidewalk guitarist working to attract business to a music store in Rogers.


A Polish violinist warming up before a concert in Bentonville.


Backstage at "A Bear-Y Merry Holiday" in Rogers.

Christmas Train

I shot the 7th annual Christmas Train back on Dec. 5 in Springdale. Simply put, this was a fun assignment that I enjoyed from beginning to end. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them.






















Merry Christmas!

Welcome to the Jungle

A feature snap from Bentonville's game against Rogers Heritage on Friday night. The game was all down hill for Heritage from this point on. Final score Bentonville 56, Heritage 27.

War Hawk

A feature from tonight's cross-town rivalry game between Rogers Heritage High School and Rogers High School at Gates Stadium. The startup War Eagles put a 24-9 beat down on the Mounties in their old house.

Back To School

Today was Back To School Day for school districts across Northwest Arkansas. For my part I shot feature art at an elementary school in Bentonville. The photo above was a group of kindergarten students attending their first music class. Let's just say when the teacher started playing "If You're Happy and You Know It.." I knew I was going to hit feature gold. The photo really doesn't do the moment any justice. The kids were completely spazzing out. I couldn't stop laughing. It was awesome.

Photo Booth

I was assigned to cover two teacher fairs today, one in Rogers and one in Bentonville. The image above was from the Rogers fair. Needless to say the photo booth vendor was a big hit at both fairs. Plus it made for a great feature opportunity.

Thanks Vincent Hunter!

Ok, so it's not the classic Coke commercial we all remember from when we were kids. It's still cute though. :)

Randomness

It's been over a week since my last post. No excuses here. I really haven't shot anything in the past eight days that I'm proud of. So in celebration of nothing, here is an assortment of random photos for your enjoyment. The lead photo is from the opening of the Crystal Bridges Trail which offers an overlook of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art construction site. The museum is expected to open sometime in this millennium.


Painting the downtown Bentonville water tower.


Kids touring the Old Spanish Treasure Cave near Gravette.


A fire at the Glad Manufacturing Plant in Rogers.


Senior portraits at Bentonville High School.


The Rogers High School Mountaineer Marching Band's freshman marching camp.

Is is football season yet?

Cool

The typical summertime water park feature. In my defense this is the first time I've ever shot at the Rogers Splash Park. It's been open for like three years. Crazy huh?

Happy Fourth of July

Far from my best fireworks photo, but you get the best you can get and run when you're on deadline. I saw I had some fireworks in the sky and the kid covering his ears and I ran like hell back to my Jeep to get out quick. There had to be more than 10,000 people packed into Veterans Park for the display and there are only two roads out.

Fourth Flags

Haven't shot anything exciting in a couple of days. This photo is notable seeing how I shot it on my way to the office yesterday morning. Always great to get a feature in the bag on your way in to work. The rest of the day is smooth sailing.

Of course that means the next day you won't be able to find a feature to save your life.

International Festival

A couple of photos from the 9th annual International Festival on Saturday in Rogers.