Happy Turkey Day!

What's normally labeled as the "busiest travel day of the year," was rather lackluster this year.

I went to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) this morning to get holiday travelers for our annual day-before-Thanksgiving-travel story. Unfortunately, due probably to the struggling economy, not as many people are traveling this year. So I made what I could and got out of there before the parking time ran too high.

I'm leaving for Little Rock in the morning to go visit and meet my girlfriend's parents and sister; so I won't be posting anything until I return to work on Sunday. Sorry, Beth. :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! And just remember there's only 242 shopping days left before my birthday.

Fishin' up some photos

I only had one assignment today. I went to Hickory Creek Marina on Beaver Lake to cover the Central Junior High School Fishing Club participating in their annual striper fishing tournament, the 19th annual Ann Martin Memorial Striper Tournament. These kids pulled in a few very nice stripers -- the biggest being 15lb, 2oz.

And after that, I drove around Tontitown for almost an hour trying to track down a fire I heard over the scanner. After driving aimlessly with no visible signs of smoke from over the horizon, I bailed on the search.

Then I went up to Bentonville to just grab a quick shot of the lowest petrol price I've seen in the area (it was $1.49/gallon on Sunday at this location) just in case we needed to run a fuel price story. Who knows if it will see the ink on the page.

Solo shooter

Well the other photographer who works with me on Mondays took today off so that left me as the lone shooter on the ADG team (for our office, of course).

Only had one assignment today and that was for Profiles section which meant I was wild-art hunting for the B section. Fortunately, my photo editor had a few things lined up for me, so what could have been a bitch of day actually ran rather smooth.

So the first and only assignment was a portrait for our Profiles section.

Following that fun, I moved over to the Fayetteville Library in hopes of finding something fun.

Today was the last day of early voting for our run-off elections so I went over the Washington County Courthouse. Boring photo, I know.

And finally, I went to First Baptist Church of Springdale for their annual Blessing Basket give-away for Thanksgiving.

Boring drive

I only had one assignment today -- travel up to Springfield, Mo., to cover the Razorbacks basketball team against Missouri State. And let me just add that the drive there (about 2 hours one way) is a boring drive with NOTHING between here and there.

The Hogs lost a tight one to the Bears, 62-57. But, to find a bright spot on the evening, I felt like I came away with some decent frames. And, if nothing else, head coach John Pelphrey still adds the fun that photographers love. And he picked up a technical foul less than five minutes into the contest.

And for all you photo nerds out there reading, this arena had some super sweet light. This was the first game in the new JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo. I shot the game with settings of 800ISO, 1/500th sec @ f/3.2. I just popped a custom white balance before the tip and everything came out beautiful (if I do say so, myself). It's a rather small arena, but quite possibly the best available basketball light I've ever shot under.

Finishing off the week

Today finished off the week much better than Monday and Tuesday started it.

I started off at Jones Elementary in Springdale for the announcement of their ESL program for Hispanic parents of children at the school (along with three other Springdale schools).

Then I went over to Butterfield Elementary in Fayetteville for an advance story. While I was there, I hung around for a while to try to find something fun on the playground. I couldn't really decide which one I like better, so I posted both here.

During my lunch, I went over to Wal-Mart in Fayetteville to pick up a couple things. While I was there, however, I found something else to shoot. Ozzie "the Wizard" Smith, one of my childhood heroes, was there signing autographs.

And I finished up the day with a portrait of the superintendent of Springdale Public Schools.

Two days full of misses

For those that have been complaining about missing blog posts (yes, I'm talking to you, Beth), I'm back. I had a four-day weekend so I didn't have any new photos to post. And I was very rushed after work yesterday, so I'm posting today for both days.

Unfortunately, both days provided several missed opportunities that seemed better before I got there. I started off Monday rushing over to Farmington HS after hearing of a fire over the scanner. Units from four different stations were responding, so it had to be something big. Right? Nope. Turns out someone set fire to a toilet paper roll in one of the stalls in the boys bathroom.

After the blaze (or lack thereof), I went to UA campus for the International Education Week Bazaar. This actually provided for one of the not-misses on the two days.

And finally for Monday took me to a press conference for UAMS. Enough said.

I started Tuesday at Elmdale Elementary School in Springdale where Gov. Mike Beebe was scheduled to visit. I know what you're thinking. Governor at an elementary school? That's gotta be fun art with him interacting with the kiddies. Nope. There was zero, zilch, nada interaction with the students. I didn't know until I got there that his visit was not intended to be with students.

I was scheduled to go back to UA campus following the fun with the governor but I got called to drive directly to Fort Smith as the feds were raiding properties owned by Tony Alamo Christian Church. This gave me the final miss on the two-day span. All the raids happened WAY before I got there and they all turned up nothing.

Here's hoping tomorrow (my Friday) turns a little more productivity.

Thank you, veterans

I went first today to the VA Medical Center for a Veterans Day ceremony.

After that, I had to go to the Springdale School Board meeting where local legislators were meeting to discuss ideas with the board members.

I couldn't stay there long as I had to shoot a portrait for our Profiles section a mere half hour later.

Back in town

After a fun-filled weekend back on the east coast, it was time to get back to the daily grind.

Started off the day at Central Junior High School in Springdale for their annual Veterans Day assembly. While there was plenty to shoot throughout the convocation, it got really animated when one of the faculty members performed a composite-character skit titled, "The Capture." The gentleman was very intense and really gave a moving performance on what he pieced together as a memory of POW's in the Korean War.

Following that, I went to shoot a portrait. That's not posted here because I haven't done anything with it yet.

Then I was sent over to Circuit City to make something interesting for the Business section front. The company filed for bankruptcy today and I was given permission to shoot on the premises but not inside the store. With the rain falling, it created a nice reflection on the parking lot. (We photographers seem to love reflections for some reason.)

Afterward, I was off to the Washington County Extension Office where these ladies were making care packages to send over to troops overseas.

And finally, I had to scurry over to a pawn shop in Springdale to get shots of the owner with assault rifles. With the recent election of Barack Obama, there's a fear spreading of the ban of assault rifle sales. So, of course, Arkansans are rounding up all they can find. And, according to the store owner, the AK-47 (pictured) is one of the top sellers. So, for those of you reading this that are in need of supplying your arsenal, you better get out and buy your weaponry before your neighbors invade with their militia.

Nice cock you got there...

So I traveled with the Piggies to Columbia, S.C. to cover their game against the Cocks.

Unfortunately for the Hogs, the score did not favor them. A 34-21 loss puts the Razorbacks in a must-win-the-last-two-games situation to become bowl eligible. OK, yeah, I can't even type that without laughing.

Let me just say. This stadium, Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, is the worst stadium I've ever shot. First of all, the end zones back right up to bushes, so there's NO shooting from the back of the end zone. Second, what sidelines are there, are crowded by people that have no business being on the field. Third, every so often, a random photographer would just stand up and walk right down the line in front of other photographers TRYING to do their job. And fourth, the shadow created by the press box is a mother ^%$&^&. OK, I'm done with my rant.

The first frame posted is from a fight that broke out near the end of the contest. One player from USC was ejected.

Overall, I felt comfortable with the stuff I got from the game. An unexpected surprise during the game was the appearance of Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps (next to the last frame posted).

And the last frame is just a "Hey, that's a nice cock you've got there." Enjoy.

Fall colors

I pretty much dedicated my enterprise shooting today to Fall colors.

I tried to make something nice with Old Main on UA's campus first.

Then I went over to Murphy Park in Springdale where I found this little kid mesmerized by the leaves around the playground.

I leave for Columbia, S.C. on Friday to cover the Hogs against the Gamecocks. It'll be nice being back on the east coast if only for a weekend. But I'm sure to miss a certain someone here in town while I'm gone.

Basketball? Already?

Today (Monday) started off on the wrong foot. Well, actually, the day started off great, but that wasn't part of the work day. But the work day, on the other hand, started with an assignment at the Union on the UA campus. I got there about 5 min. early. Unfortunately, I'm guessing they forgot to acknowledge daylight savings time because they started an hour earlier than advertised and were finished by the time I got there. So to compensate, I found another piece of enterprise art out front of the Union of students passing out free yearbooks.

Following that, I went over to the Walton Arts Center for a portrait.

Then, stuck trying to find another piece of enterprise art, I resorted in going back to campus to try to make something out of the colorful leaves along Maple (no pun intended) Street.

And finally my day ended with Hogs basketball. Yes, that's right. I said basketball. No, you don't need to check your calendar. It is the first week of November. Seriously? Has basketball season always started this early?

Anywho, the Hogs hosted Campbellsville University for an exhibition game. This was an interesting evening of shooting. New lights have been installed in Bud Walton Arena and available light is MUCH better than before. Normally, this is a photographer's wish. Unfortunately, however, this causes problems for those of us shooting on strobes as getting the strobe light over ambient is tougher. So I ended up spending over half the evening making exposure adjustments. Oh well, I'll work some more on that later, I suppose.

On a lighter (once again, no pun intended) note, head coach John Pelphrey reminded me why I LOVE shooting Hogs basketball. His animation throughout every contest is a photographer's dream.

Another day, another gold-medalist...

First assignment on the day took me back to my favorite hot spot, the Jones Center for Families in Springdale. They were hosting a judo seminar and a following tournament.

I only stayed for the seminar as I had to rush to the Wal-Mart in Rogers to get shots of Olympic gold-medalist Misty May-Treanor who was in town signing autographs for adorning fans. Being a huge fan of the May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh beach volleyball team, this was an exciting assignment for me. Unfortunately for her, she's still limited to crutches following an injury she received while competing on "Dancing with the Stars" earlier this year.