Antler / light test

Dreaming of summer

In the midst of a brutal January, I'm dreaming of summer garden features and chasing patches of sunlight.

Favorites of 2013

I'm a little late to the game here, but, wanted to share my favorite photos of 2013. This year the Gazette staff put together a gallery over on reFocus, and once again I'm so proud to work with such a talented group of photojournalists. A few of my favorites from the year are shared here, along with the tearsheets from the printed pages.

 

Looking for light

In the darkest of all imaginable rooms, Cedar Rapids casino investors made their case to the Iowa Racing and Gaming commission. A TV crew and a projection screen provided brief spots of light in the darkness.

Marion Avenue nativity

For the 39th year, Marion Avenue Baptist Church in Washington put on a live animal Christmas play. Not all the animals were at the rehearsal I photographed, but I was still completely in awe of the production. Make sure you read Alison Gowans' story for the Gazette, and see more photos.

Ushers Ferry

Last month at Ushers Ferry Historic Village, I tried to make the most of the fading light on a cold night.

Tangled

Outtake from a recent shoot at a new boutique in town.

Waiting on a downtown train

Two days of jubing

In photographer-speak, “jube” refers to photos of celebration, or jubilation. With the state volleyball tournament in town, we’ve had plenty to go around. We each had a two-day rotation at the tournament this year, which meant five games a day with plenty of opportunity to get great jube photos. Here are a few of my favorites from the past couple of days. To see the Gazette’s coverage of the tournament, with 40 (yes, 40) game galleries, click here.

Photographer-in-training

This photo has languished my 'to post' folder for awhile now. I met this fledgling photographer at a story in January; he was following me around the classroom pretending to take pictures of me, so I turned my camera back on him. Kids are always curious about my own cameras, and I find myself giving little lessons while on assignment on a regular basis. Of course, those lessons are usually just along the lines of "Okay, now push this button for a really long time!" and waiting for their expressions of amazement at the rapid-fire of the shutter.

Pomerantz

Jeff Pomeranz, Cedar Rapids city manager, has teamed up with the City Council to provide City Hall economic-development incentives for developers willing to invest in new projects. Geonetric Inc.’s new three-story office building on 12th Avenue SE in New Bohemia, pictured here, is one such project. Geonetric, a local and growing health care software and services company, is investing $4.5 million in the project. Photographed on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, in Cedar Rapids.

Sunrise at the Tree

Cummins Central Power employees Gordon Harrison of Shellsburg (from left), Dave Kirker of Newhall and Lyle Krug of Cedar Rapids walk back up the river bank to the Tree of Five Seasons Plaza after collecting trash along the river on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, in Cedar Rapids. The men were part of a larger group of volunteers helping remove trash from along the riverbank downtown. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Early harvest

One hour to kickoff

Off the grid

At the drive-in

Last month I spent a Friday night at the Grand View Drive-In, where, despite the heat, a small crowd still turned out for the evening's triple-feature. Our story focused on the business side of things -- the future of drive-ins as theaters switch to digital. You can see more photos at the link.

Once it was too dark to continue shooting (you know how I feel about shooting available light almost always...), I headed back to my car, where a far-off lightning storm and the field lit by the concession stand's neon lights caught my eye and I stuck around a little longer.