Last Day with the Cit Pat

So it's my last day as a staff photojournalist with the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

I'll be updating my website soon, which is like posting a "best of" edit. So in lieu of that, I decided to feature one of my last assignments with the paper.

I spent a few hours with a father/son duo while they did their chores on the family farm. New updates to child labor laws would make it difficult for children like Jeremy, who is 14, to work on his family's farm. The legislation would place restrictions on the ability of anyone under 16 to work with livestock, pesticides and machinery. Additionally, children would be unable to work on a farm unless their parents were its sole owner, so farms co-owned by extended family are out.

I guess in my own, somewhat melodramatic, way I felt like this assignment was pretty on par with my time in journalism. It's a profession I've loved dearly since high school and I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I'm not sure what or where I'm headed to next but I'm trying to be excited for a new chapter in my life.

And, of course, I'm always available for freelance.

Thanks for looking.

Reflections

The Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery was awarded to Jackson Police Officer James Bonneau posthumously this morning in Jackson. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg were in town to publicly give the medal to Officer Bonneau's parents, Marc and Amy Bonneau. Bonneau was shot and killed in the line of duty 21 months ago when he responded to a call for assistance with a domestic at a residence in Jackson.

Taking it Back

This was a frame from the buck pole on opening day. It was the first time I'd shot the buck pole when it's been above freezing. . . I was not happy when I had to stand downwind from the carcasses but this frame made it worth the smell.

Thanks for looking.

Farewell Herman Cain

Mr. Cain was in Hillsdale last week to stump at the college there. Of course, his campaign is no more as of this week, but it was still fun to shoot something political. It's been a while since I had the opportunity to shoot President Bush or President Obama. I'd missed it.

Thanks for looking.

Late Awarness

This was a feature I generated for some of our Breast Cancer Awareness coverage.

Caption:

Tom Murphy, 17, leads the Springport high school and elementary school on a march as part of several events held for Breast Cancer Awareness Week Friday afternoon near their schools in Springport. Murphy's mother, Katrina, is currently undergoing treatment for stage 4 breast cancer. Though Springport hosts fundraising events for Breast Cancer Awareness Week every year, this year they decided to funnel the proceeds from a number of events over the week to the Murphy family. Tom, who helped organize the walk, said he was pleased with how everything came together. "To see it actually fall into place," he said, 'It's unreal."

Features from Kentucky

One of these is a scene setter from a tobacco farm. The other was from a zombie walk we shot. The frame count limit killed me that week, but since then I've been more conscientious about my composition, light and moments.

Thanks for looking.

Mountain Workshop

It's been a while since I last posted. Some rather heavy things have happened since October, but today I'm going focus on some of the recent work I've done I'm happy with, rather than on any less enjoyable topics.

So, this is a link to my work at this year's Mountain Workshop. For one week about 60 still and film student descended on Somerset, KY, to document life in the small-ish town. I was privileged enough to spend my week with Dr. Bruce Burkett, one of the last large-animal veterinarians in Pulaski County.

It was really great to take a week and focus on growing, on getting back to excellent storytelling for its own sake, rather than having to worry about the daily grind.

Though I'll most likely be posting a few outtakes from the week, what ended up running on the workshop's site, including the article I wrote about Dr. Burkett, can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/bnuwf98

Thank you for looking.

hereafter

When I was up in Grayling this past weekend, my mother, grandmother and I stopped by a local cemetery.

It's peaceful, nestled back in the woods off a single lane seasonal dirt road. It doesn't look like anyone's been buried there for the better part of 100 years, but a few of the grave stones are still legible. I would guess the place is pretty full, but most of the graves seem to be marked by only a cement marker or an arrangement of stones embedded in the ground. I think my favorite is the hand carved, "Dear Mother At Rest" on a simple stone. Very moving.

Thanks for looking.

Motion

Had some fun on the drive home from Grayling.

Thanks for looking.

Up North

Spent the weekend up north at the cabin with the fam. A few pictures of them, more to come.

Thanks for looking.

Water for Haiti

A few days ago I hightailed it up to Springport Elementary to see a talk given by two sisters who are about two weeks into a 10 state horseback trip to Texas. Brandy and Ashley Nelsey are aiming to raise $15,000 to purchase three wells for church's in Haiti. It's a pretty cool project for a really deserving cause. If anyone wants more information on them: www.horsebackforhaiti.jimdo.com.

Jackson in the Mist

From a feature hunt this morning.

Thanks for looking.

the most alluring popcorn of alltime

Someone Else's Work

Some little children hate the camera. Then again, some of the just love it.

Oh Hi September

I snagged this frame about a month ago while on a NASCAR assignment. I was in a boat being shuttled around Wampler's Lake during a charity bass fishing tournament when a boat carrying this woman and an absurd amount of dogs (there are two or three more on board than what you can see) cruised by.

I have no idea what was going on but I am so glad I had my camera.

Thanks for looking.

Tax Foreclosure, Part IV The Move Out

After months of uncertainty the time finally came for Annie to move out. Members of her family came from all over town to help. Sisters, brothers, sons, grand children and great-grand children carried boxes and appliances out of her dilapidated house.

Annie eventually went to stay with one of her sisters a few streets over. We've since lost contact with her, but I'm hopeful we'll be able to reconnect.

This project is ongoing, so I'm anticipating covering the next county auction in September, as well as tax forbearance hearings in court in January. The truth is, it's a problem without any easy solutions, just another situation in a cycle of poverty claiming more and more once-middle-class people. Annie worked all her life. She raised four boys on her own and helped raise two more generations of her family after that. She didn't have much money, but when someone would drop their kids off without notice she'd feed and care for them.

Tax foreclosure is something I hadn't heard of before April, but it's an issue continuing to plague our community even as it flies under the radar.

Tax Foreclosure, Part III Introducing Annie

I met Annie while Holly (the reporter) and I were making the rounds with Karen to check on the tax foreclosed properties in early April. We followed up with her over the next few months as she went back and forth about what to do.

Annie's story seemed to be pretty typical for tax foreclosures.

Three generations of her family had lived at the house, and she had let her children, grand children and great-grand children stay for months at a time without helping to pay rent, utilities or for their own food. When the bills piled up, she didn't tell many people in her family. Those she did tell generally played down the issue. So flash forward three years and her home was taken by the county for back taxes on April 1.

Despite the several notices posted by the county on her door and a personal visit from Karen, Annie was still unsure whether or not she would need to leave her house.

In late July, the county's process server finally came to evict her. Annie and her family pleaded for more time to move out of the house and were granted almost a week's reprieve. Still, when the locks were finally changed many of the possessions she had lived a life time with remained behind.

Tax Foreclosure Interlude

Had a spot of rather fun weather tonight. It rolled in while I was shooting a slow pitch softball tournament and then proceeded to dump buckets of rain on us.

I finally was able to shoot some lightening. On a side note, I am pretty much the worst storm chaser ever, as Libby March can attest. However, in the immortal words of Mr. Nick Dentamaro, "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes Katie."

Thanks for looking.