72 Inches of Truth

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-04T17:40:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been an eventful year. I've had the good fortune to be able to create some fantastic memories with dear friends and see a few incredible places. Here's to hoping 2012 is a good one for us all. . .

Last Day with the Cit Pat

2011-12-30T13:02:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-19T14:57:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-07T14:17:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-05T13:56:00.003-05:00

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

2011-11-13T18:29:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-09T17:07:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-08T16:08:00.004-05:00

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

2011-10-14T09:53:00.002-04:00

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

2011-10-12T14:17:00.003-04:00

Had some fun on the drive home from Grayling.

Thanks for looking.

Up North

2011-10-11T16:08:00.002-04:00

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

2011-09-28T16:46:00.003-04:00

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

2011-09-20T14:24:00.001-04:00

From a feature hunt this morning.

Thanks for looking.

the most alluring popcorn of alltime

2011-09-19T16:26:00.000-04:00

Someone Else's Work

2011-09-07T17:05:00.001-04:00

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

Oh Hi September

2011-09-06T22:30:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-26T16:40:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-25T17:21:00.003-04:00

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

2011-08-24T22:41:00.002-04:00

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.

Tax Foreclosure, Part II

2011-08-18T14:39:00.002-04:00

Introducing Pat and Reuel. The husband/wife duo are the county's eyes, ears and hands when it comes to managing the tax foreclosed properties.

Their company secures the properties after the county takes possession of them. They do regular checks to ensure they're secure, in addition to all the maintenance (like lawn mowing.) Pat tours each one, making assessments and then recommendations to the county about what condition the property is in, as well as what is fit to feature for open house. On the years when the county hosts open houses, they fix up the interiors for show.

Pat and Reuel work between 10 and 14 hour days as the annual auctions draw closer. Both take their jobs very seriously, and feel a deep obligation to be good neighbors in the community. They were great to work with.

Thanks for looking.

Tax Foreclosure, Part I

2011-08-16T16:01:00.002-04:00

This is the first part of an ongoing project I'm working on here at the Citizen Patriot. I'd wanted to do a project on the impact of foreclosure in our community for a while, but this March Holly Klaft approached me about doing a ride along with our county treasurer while she checked on properties acquired because of tax foreclosure.

Once we realized the instance of tax foreclosure was growing rapidly in our community and that few, if any, avenues of help were available to help those in need, we decided to expand the story into a project. Well, the first two stories ran Sunday and Monday. The links to the written stories are:

http://tinyurl.com/44lxvwy
http://tinyurl.com/3zsjrzc

There's also a video and a gallery of images, though I'll be posting a tighter edit here.

These images are from the house visits I did with Karen, our county treasurer. She tries to get around to each of the houses, particularly if there might still be people living in them.

Thanks for looking.

From the County Fair

2011-08-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

Floydfest II

2011-08-10T09:46:00.001-04:00

The adventure continues. . .

Floydfest

2011-08-08T17:12:00.003-04:00

Finally got around to editing my photos from the road trip down to Floyd, VA. Marcus and I hopped into the mom van with Jeana and Dylan and made our way south for the music festival. These are a few frames from the first night of our trip, mostly from Ohio and West Virgina.

As always, thanks for looking.

Recent Work

2011-07-18T10:01:00.004-04:00

A few images I've shot over the past week, including a salmon dish from a local restaurant, our annual Hot Air Jubilee and the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Thanks for looking

Belated Fourth of July

2011-07-12T13:07:00.002-04:00

Marcus and I spent the Fourth of July with my parents in Grailing. We went canoeing, swimming, had a few lovely fires, took a trip to Hartwick Pines and went to a demolition derby. Good times indeed.

my job rocks my socks

2011-07-06T17:40:00.002-04:00

Tuesday I was lucky enough to spend some time with a Tin Goose. The 1929 Ford Tri-Motor takes off, lands and cruses at a brisk 85 miles per hour. It was one of the first mass produced planes. This particular one used to make mail runs from Havana and Puerto Rico. Oh, and Johnny Depp also flew on it for Public Enemy.

Pretty swanky stuff.

Pet of the Week

2011-06-29T13:48:00.002-04:00

I love Streak.

Carp Carnival

2011-06-24T15:42:00.002-04:00

I shoot a lot of festivals in the summer. The Carp Carnival was a new one for me. A few frames from Michigan Center's big deal of the summer.

because I am not humble

2011-06-20T19:37:00.005-04:00

http://tinyurl.com/3sr29ry

weekend funtime

2011-06-13T17:17:00.000-04:00

moments and color

2011-06-06T16:02:00.003-04:00

The weekend before last I shot a Quince Años with my dear, dear friend Jeana-Dee. Out of the several hundred frames I shot, I was most taken with the vivid color of the entire event.The evening was lovely.

Thanks for looking.

my own rothko

2011-06-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

Neighbors

2011-05-26T17:10:00.002-04:00

I usually try and really use this weekly column as a way to keep my portraits varied. Lately I feel like I've been in a rut, but I was pretty happy with this one. The deal is that this man loves his kids and tries to be a good father not only to them, but to the neighborhood kids, as well, when they play at his house.

Thanks for looking.

An Evening with Family

2011-05-23T16:37:00.003-04:00

About two weeks ago I spent an afternoon with a local family who have two biological children, two adopted from foster care and two more they are currently fostering. Obviously, we couldn't use any pictures of the two children still in foster care, but the rest of the Fannin's were more than enough. Lovely people, and a lovely evening.

Cabin Fever

2011-04-20T11:56:00.001-04:00

A few images from a weekend spent in a cabin with friends. More to come on fb.

A few from down south

2011-04-01T11:29:00.002-04:00

Went to South America for a week with an old friend and two brand new ones. Here are a few of my favorite frames from Bogota, Colombia. Thanks for looking!

Images I Like

2011-01-18T11:14:00.005-05:00

From 2010 (and one from 2009.) Some of my favorite singles from the past year.

Thanks for looking.

So Long 2010

2011-01-03T09:11:00.003-05:00

Rather than spend my time editing my work for competitions or to showcase the best of it. . . I decided to create a slideshow of my friends and family.

Happy 2011.

frames we don't publish

2010-11-23T16:57:00.002-05:00

Last week I shot a fire that broke out in an abandoned house a few blocks from the paper. No one was living in the house at the time it caught fire, and no one was injured. We had space for one photo so I chose the more conservative shot of firefighters doing their job.

I was thinking about this today and questioning my decision. The men in the vertical photo were clear they didn't want to be in the paper when they saw my camera, but by that time I'd already shot this frame. On the other hand, I see crowds of people gathering to watch fires or car accidents play out all the time and we, as members of the media, rarely acknowledge this reality. I still don't think this would have been the right photo to put front and center in the paper, but as a standalone on A5 (where the horizontal image ran) it might have been an appropriate slice of a situation we don't report very often. Just my two cents.

Thanks for looking.

Ride Along

2010-10-29T17:03:00.003-04:00

A few days ago our cops reporter and I went on a ride along with animal control during one of their sweeps. They were looking for vicious dogs, unlicensed etc. It was a pretty eventful day. . . as evidenced by photos:

I am so tight with these falcons

2010-10-26T16:36:00.003-04:00

You may or may not recall, but I've shot these birds from the time they were just eggs in the side of a building. Anyway, I was on top of the county towers building today (it really is the tallest in the county) to shoot they sky for a weather feature. While I was snapping away, one of the falcons paid me a visit. Pretty sweet stuff.

Thanks for looking.

so apparently this is now a landscape blog. . .

2010-10-22T16:02:00.001-04:00

But whatever, I totally am down with pretty pictures of nature.

Shot this one a bit after dawn this morning on Center Lake in Michigan Center. Last night was the first frost of the fall; it was fairly mild so by the time the sun rose most of it had melted. Just thought the scene was worth stopping for.

Thanks for looking.

Grand Haven Seriousness

2010-09-29T15:49:00.002-04:00

This weekend Marcus and I went to my dear, dear friends Jeana and Dylan's wedding in Grand Have. I promised myself I wasn't going to view the entire weekend through a lens, so I satisfied my itch to shoot by taking a walk to the beach shortly after we arrived on Friday. I'll post some personal shots from the weekend later, but for now here are a few seascapes. Thanks for looking.

School Started

2010-09-21T16:40:00.003-04:00

Okay, so it was a while ago, but I found these photos I shot last month of a local middle and high school combining. The assignment was to shoot seventh grade orientation as they checked out the high school and tried to find their place in it. I felt pretty good about this assignment after I shot it, so I thought I'd keep up with the posting and whatnot. Thanks for looking.

Combat Operations are Over. . . ish

2010-09-15T14:56:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday I shot another National Guard battery departure. I've been shooting these for probably six or seven years now, and they're always difficult.

I hope my photographs did some justice to the pride, sacrifice and love evident in these people during some of their final moments together.

Thanks for looking.

RUN

2010-09-09T18:27:00.003-04:00

I had a really good time shooting a cross country meet yesterday. Some nice light combined with a visually appealing course made from some images I feel pretty good about. Thanks for looking.

NASCAR Dreams

2010-08-19T21:55:00.003-04:00

I shot my first NASCAR race this past weekend. . . very interesting experience. I was pretty happy with my photos, though not quite pleased as punch. I've got some ideas for next season. . . see you in June.

Beach Day

2010-08-17T16:30:00.002-04:00

This is one from a feature hunt today that didn't make the cut for edit. The boys spent most of their time horsing around, yelling, moving etc. In short, they were being boys and the quiet moment in the raft photo didn't really tell the story accurately. Still, I like calm in between the excitement.

The other two are fellow outtakes I was fond of.

Thanks for looking.

aaaaaannnddd. . . we're back

2010-08-11T15:43:00.002-04:00

So sorry for the drought. Hopefully I'm going to get back into posting more often. To start off, here's a frame I shot after I got rained off a golf course.

Best,

Katie

Birthday Weekend

2010-06-03T15:52:00.002-04:00

Just a few pictures from my Memorial Day weekend. Marcus and I went to the Jackson Auto show for a bit on Friday. There are a few more pictures to be posted from this soon, but alas, I don't feel like toning them. Saturday Jeana, Dylan, Marcus and I went to Glenhaven for the day. Beautiful weather, icy death cold water. . . I still swam. Then it was back to Fenton and family for Sunday and Monday.

Thanks for looking.

Oh Bubble Gum

2010-05-04T14:26:00.004-04:00

Yes it's probably a bit of overkill on the bubble gum photos, but yesterday was one those days where I feel like I can't choose between frames. So anyway, a local elementary school has instituted a program encouraging good behavior with monthly "reward days." April's reward day was bright and sunny, so the kids ended up playing games, including learning how to blow bubbles, outside.

Thanks for looking.

Penny the Horse

2010-04-30T11:51:00.004-04:00

So I got called out yesterday to take pictures of a man who rescued a horse from some bad conditions and was keeping it in his front yard inside city limits.

Tony Hamilton was fishing with an acquaintance when the man mentioned he wanted to get rid of his two horses because he could no longer afford to care for them. He took a look and realized they probably wouldn't last much longer, they were so malnourished.

So Tony took them the next day, walking 20 miles with Penny and another horse before he could find someone to lend him a horse trailer for the remaining 15 miles back to town. The other horse stayed with the owner of the trailer, and now Tony is trying to find a home for Penny.

Currently she's tied up to a light post in his front yard on his quarter acre property near the house he and several family members live in. Obviously he can't keep here there long, so he's scrambling to find a new home for Penny. I hope she goes somewhere wonderful; this horse deserves it. Tony also deserves a medal for taking it upon himself to do the right thing, even when it's a major inconvenience.

Easter with the Fam

2010-04-08T14:33:00.003-04:00

Spent a bit of time with my family over Easter weekend and shot a few portraits. It's nice to be with everybody. For the complete edit, check out my facebook.

Much Love.

Autofocus

2010-04-01T23:46:00.000-04:00

Enough said.

Texture

2010-03-24T17:06:00.003-04:00

I went for a walk in the woods last weekend on some public land near Napoleon. It's nice to get out and do some hiking off the trail. Hopefully spring will be here soon. . .

Sorry I never post

2010-03-16T16:09:00.003-04:00

But I'm trying to fix that. These are a few images from a recent Quince Años here in Jackson. I'll try to make the posts more frequent. . .

The Saint Fair

2010-02-04T17:35:00.002-05:00

I went to a local Catholic elementary school last week for their first annual Saint Fair. The kids researched a saint of their choosing and on the day of the fair dressed as them and answered questions from parents and teachers.

making it home

2010-02-02T16:32:00.003-05:00

Spent a few hours this weekend watching other people hang artwork in my apartment. Pretty enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

PS. Props to Nick D for taking a, "Pretty picture of the cat."

Care Giver

2010-01-21T23:09:00.003-05:00

Last week I spent an afternoon with Jean Alexander, who has been caring for her husband, Carl, full time since 2004. Carl has advanced Parkinson's disease and dementia and is totally dependent on Jean. Last Monday he was placed, for the second time, in hospice at their home in Grass Lake. Jean is a truly remarkable woman. Her life has been caring for Carl, and she loves him deeply. The passion she shows in her constant care and selfless attention for him is amazing, and I feel lucky I was able to share the afternoon with them.

2010

2010-01-19T17:54:00.002-05:00

It's the first post of 2010. Oh feature, how thee I love.

Let it Snow

2009-12-28T18:20:00.002-05:00

I nabbed this frame when I was feature hunting today. I liked the quiet feel of it more than anything.

Merry Belated Christmas

2009-12-27T17:44:00.001-05:00

Oh the men in my life. . .

America

2009-12-17T22:56:00.000-05:00

Aaaaaannnnddd. . . . Part II

2009-12-11T16:43:00.003-05:00

War Games Pt. 1

2009-12-06T18:29:00.004-05:00

So this is the first of a two part post on the time I spent with some WWII reenactsors Saturday morning. These are a few of the pictures I shot in the morning before they went out to fight in the woods. They were staying at an closed down old west city. . . so kind of surreal to see Nazis at the O.K. Corral. More to come in a few days. Thanks for looking!

Granny D's

2009-12-05T12:55:00.002-05:00

Spent a bit of time with one family as they searched for the perfect Christmas tree.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T15:57:00.004-05:00

Opening Day Buck Pole, an inter-tribal Powwow, dads waiting in line for flu vaccines, and a 97-year-old harmonica player. Happy Thanksgiving.

Farm Fresh Eggs

2009-11-22T22:29:00.001-05:00

Barth Schutter makes his egg gathering rounds Monday morning after feeding his 300 chickens at his home just outside Jackson. Schutter and his wife, Linda, (not pictured) have been raising chickens and selling their eggs in a stand by their driveway for about seven years now. While they do have about 30 acres of land and several cows, the Schutters don't farm full time. They did, however, want fresh eggs every day. After buying their first round of chickens, Linda said they decided to start to sell the eggs. "These are so good we need to share them." Despite the fact it costs about $150 more a month to keep the chickens than they make off their eggs, the Schutters don't see divesting themselves of their birds any time in the near future. "We do it 'cause it's fun." Barth Schutter said.

Good Times, Sweaty Runners

2009-11-12T20:34:00.002-05:00

Had a lot of fun Saturday at the state cross country championships at the Michigan International Speedway. Got to ride in a van as it sped around the track at 80 mph. . . all good memories, and some photographs I was really happy with. Thanks for looking!

track

2009-10-23T16:15:00.002-04:00

I actually enjoyed cross country. . .

more recent work

2009-10-21T21:11:00.003-04:00

Alright, so it's been a while and I haven't been posting very frequently. This is a monster post of some recent work from the last week or two. In no particular order. . . .

Two people peer out of the Commonwealth Commerce Center in downtown Jackson Friday morning at protesters lined up on the street. About 15 people turned out to voice their opposition to former Rep. Tim Walberg, R, and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who was in town to help Walberg campaign to reclaim the district seat he lost in the last election to Rep. Mark Schauer. "In a logical and nice way we need to discuss health care." Jan Baszlei, a protester, (not pictured) said. "There can be differences of opinion, but we need to do away with the nastiness."

A mother and son share a moment during a free festival hosted by a church behind the Menard's off US-23.

Francis Anderson, of Grass Lake, center, speaks with other attendants of the 17th Annual Land of the Falling Waters Traditional Powwow Sunday afternoon at Middle School at Parkside in Jackson. Anderson, who goes by Red Bird, said the bear skull at the end of his staff was a gift sent by mother nature for him to find. "Everything on my regalia I find." He said. "I give back what I take too. That's why we sweat."

Bernard Gipe, of Spring Arbor, left, is reflected in the windshield of his 1929 Model A Ford Pickup while John Stafford, of Grass Lake, center, takes a look behind it Sunday afternoon during the Fall Harvest Festival at Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson. Gipe's Model A joined a number of other classic cars and tractors on display at the festival, which included historical demonstrations, food, free planetarium showings and local vendors.

"Everything I've worked hard for is slipping, being stripped from me."James Belle, of Jackson, said. Belle was laid off from his job in January, loosing his health insurance. His wife, a hair dresser, had her hours cut in half at about the same time. Now he's struggling to keep up on house payments and put food on the table. On Saturdays Belle waits in line at the food pantry at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Jackson. He says the added food makes a huge difference for his wife and two daughters, one of whom is struggling to make tuition payments for college. "I never thought I'd be in this line. I was making $40,000-$50,000 a year. Then one day here I was. Never say never."

This photo is really sad. There was a two car collision last Saturday. An eight-year-old boy wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car. He died at the scene.

there was a fire

2009-10-14T18:01:00.001-04:00

some recent work

2009-10-11T21:16:00.001-04:00

another fall themed festival, and a ride along with police to check on parolees.

Cat

2009-10-07T13:17:00.002-04:00

Her name is Ami.

Another festival

2009-09-30T16:00:00.002-04:00

It's kind of my thing, plus a grandparents day.

A few good moments

2009-09-18T15:14:00.002-04:00

Feeling like a Square

2009-09-16T19:54:00.002-04:00

So after railing against square photos for just about as long as I can remember, I find that I seem to be shooting them. Perhaps my subconscious is telling me not to be such a hater.

Recent Work

2009-09-11T23:07:00.002-04:00

The week in review: An outdoor church service on Labor Day, a family checking out a foreclosed home with the prospect to buy, and a blood drive on 9/11. More to come.

avast ye matey

2009-09-06T16:15:00.002-04:00

I spent Saturday speeding around Michigan Center Lake with a bunch of people decked out like Pirates for a themed scavenger hunt. And yes, I was horribly sunburned. I look like a lobster. But it was totally worth it. Sometimes I can't believe I'm lucky enough to get paid to do this job. Thanks for looking. . .

muster

2009-09-05T17:27:00.004-04:00

The Cascades Civil War Muster is the largest civil war reenactment in the midwest, and wouldn't you know it, takes place in Jackson. These are a bit old, but this is what I did last weekend. It was hilarious and fun and a great assignment. Thanks for looking.

Vacation Time

2009-09-03T22:44:00.004-04:00

So I took a three day vacation with my dad before I started work in Jackson. It was supposed to be this overnight canoe trip in the Grailing area but then the weather shit all over those plans. So we ended up in Munising, White Fish Point and Tahquamenon Falls. All of which was very cool. I had my pack full of wilderness shit, food, mess kits, sleeping bags, tents etc. So of course we stayed in a hotel, ate at restaurants and drove around a ton. Still, I had a great time and enjoyed very much documenting this, particularly the boat tour we took of the Pictured Rocks that turned into the voyage from hell. The swells were about 8 feet high and all the kids on the boat were puking all over the place. Ah, the stuff of memories. Thanks for looking.

Jackson Cont.

2009-08-28T23:02:00.004-04:00

These are from a football game I shot Friday evening .

This was a three car accident from Wednesday.

JACKSON

2009-08-28T22:53:00.006-04:00

Alright, so it's been a while since I've posted. Basically, I've been in Jackson for about five days so far. Things are going well and I'm really excited to get started on a story or two. Here's a sample of what I've been working on, and I'll try to update this more regularly. Thanks for looking.
The governor came to town promoting a high speed railway that will come through Jackson.

Pet of the Week

A lovely woman named Virginia is retiring as a social services director at The Salvation Army.

it's been a while

2009-06-14T20:27:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to get back on the horse, wagon or whatever. this seemed appropriate.

just a thought

2009-04-21T21:12:00.000-04:00

focus is overrated.

fall

2009-03-23T21:37:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder of a lovely afternoon drive.

ASB III

2009-03-13T18:58:00.001-04:00

Fin.

asb II

2009-03-13T18:37:00.001-04:00

so much to say. . . so little time to post. I'll elaborate later

asb I

2009-03-10T18:30:00.003-04:00

Alternative Spring Break, hence forth referred to as ASB, has proved to be an amazing experience so far. We're staying at the Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in north Baltimore. It's the "mother" of all American Methodist churches apparently. More on that to come later.

On Sunday we went to D.C. as part of our free day. As always it was lovely, though without the presence of Lauren, which sucked.

The people I'm with are beautiful and really diverse. It's a great start to a great week.

crisis

2009-03-02T20:10:00.002-05:00

some poor kid had the misfortune to get stuck in the elevator in a hotel while a conference full of drunk photographers shot him. what follows is a short essay on the drunken gawkers, in all their glory.

cleaning house

2009-03-01T23:27:00.000-05:00

In the words of Robert:

College Photographer of the Year
Second Place : Katie Rausch, Michigan State University
Honorable Mention : Nick Dentamaro, Michigan State University

In the following categories State Newsers competed against professional as well as students and claimed the following awards:

Campaign
Honorable Mention : Nichole Hoerner, The State News, ?Election Shock?

General News
Second Place : Nick Dentamaro, Jackson Citizen Patriot, ?Choir?
Honorable Mention : Katie Rausch, Flint Journal, ?Good Friday?
Honorable Mention : Katie Rausch, Flint Journal, ?Prayer for Flint?

Sports Feature
Honorable Mention : Sam Ruiz, Jackson Citizen Patriot, ?Defeated Warriors?

Feature Picture Story
First Place : Jeana-Dee Allen, The Flint Journal, ?Brothers and Sisters?

2009-02-18T19:45:00.001-05:00

update

2009-02-17T23:51:00.000-05:00

I've been doing next to nothing. But here are a few shots from the inauguration. . . really late I know

.

NYC. . . at last

2009-01-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

I finally put together my soundslides from NYC. I shot the photos and Jeana took the audio. All together, a fantastic time with great friends.

BAGELS!

2008-09-29T00:57:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since we all got together to make bagels, but I think life events like these are about as evergreen as they come. What a night. . .

and now we're back

2008-09-21T23:09:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone.

After quite the sabbatical, I'm back to reality. Working at TSN and shooting sporadically, I was told I'd be de-linked if I didn't update soon.

So without further adieu, I bring you Applefest: 2008.

We're off. . .

2008-05-23T00:11:00.001-04:00

On an epic, life altering road trip! Check out my progress at katie-jeana.blogspot.com

I probably won't be updating this one as much, but I'll try to keep up.

Thanks for looking. . .

Oh Golf, how thee I love

2008-05-20T09:37:00.000-04:00

Shot golf yesterday. It was cold and miserable and I couldn't find anybody so I just zoomed around in a golf cart. But I usually enjoy shooting the sport because it gives you the opportunity to really get creative. I tried with these shots, and am not wholly unhappy with the results.

I bought a 50

2008-05-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

And it's lovely. It's a 1.4, 50 mm fully manual beauty. This was one of my first picture with it.