Spoon for KUT

Shot Spoon for Texas Music Matters on Tuesday. It was fun to run around the set of Austin City Limits and not be hostage to the usual two song limit.  This band also rocks my socks off.  Bonus.  See the slideshow below.

'Under the Hood' for KUT

I found myself back in Killeen with KUT reporter Nathan Bernier last week.  Under the Hood is an anti-war coffee house where soldiers can vent their feelings about the military without fear of reprisal.  Army Spc. Eric Jasinski and Pfc. Mike Kern recounted their struggles to receive mental health care after returning from their deployments to Iraq.  Cynthia Thomas, the proprietor of the coffee house organized a protest last week to bring attention to the lack of services soldiers and their families receive.

NYT - Cole Marcoux

Cole Marcoux was a relatively unknown quarterback from the Fieldston School in New York before the football reality series "The Ride" threw him into the spotlight. Marcoux beat out seven other promising high school quarterbacks after six months of training and testing by a panel of professional coaches. He earned a spot in the Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. Read his Cinderella story by Kevin Armstrong here.

 

 

Central Texas Charrería for Slideluck Potshow Austin II

I put together a short edit of my charreada project for Slideluck Potshow Austin this past winter.  I was excited to be accepted into the show but was stunned when they chose my piece to lead off the night.  But really, who can resist Los Fabulosos Cadillacs?

Favs from 2009

It's contest season for photojournalists everywhere - that magical time of year when we unearth files from hard drives and DVDs to create our year in review. There's the thrill of discovery (the frame you forgot to file) and the groan of defeat (yep, the composition is still off).

Whatever your attitude is about contests, the process is what's important. It's a reckoning, really. A pause in the endless 'next' to feel both satisfied and dissatisfied - to set goals and dream big. After a few days of hemming and hawing over photos I'm sick of them all and can't wait to get back out into the thick of things. Here's to a 2010 full of stories.

Marion Jones for AOL

Got a call to photograph former track star Marion Jones as she works towards a WNBA tryout next year. After a six-month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators about her steroid use and the birth of her third child, Jones started training in September for her comeback as a professional athlete.

I was impressed by her candor with reporters and how articulate she was about her fall and potential rise. You can read Kevin Blackistone's column for AOL FanHouse here.

Center for American Progress

The Center for American Progress used some photos from my Raising Emilie story in their recent report 'A Woman's Nation' which included several chapters on the changing roles that men face at work and at home.



I was impressed by their use of documentary images throughout the 450 page document. In an age when generic iStock imagery is slapped on just about everything, it was refreshing (and, dare I say, encouraging) to see someone taking the time to seek out real moments and stories.

Ft. Hood

I spent five days this last week covering the shootings at Ft. Hood for the NYTimes. My role was a supporting one for the Times staffers that were already on the scene. I covered the daily pressers and enterprised what I could on the side, running down leads with reporters and revisiting important sites. It was a great learning experience to see how a large publication covers an evolving news story of this magnitude.

I was on the visual peripheral of the story, but did my best to contribute to the team effort. Times photogs Nicole Bengiveno and Michael Stravato and the writing staffers were amazing to work with, all focused on the story and working around the clock to make sense of everything.

Here are some outtakes and pictures that made the various NYT slideshows.

enchanted

took a hike at e-rock last week. i thank the parent who took their girls hiking in pioneer dresses.

quiet

a few quiet frames from last weekend's wedding with brett buchanan at H12.