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Tag : fire

Favorites of 2013

With 2013 in the past, it’s once again time to share some of my favorite images from the year. As always, it’s easy for photographers to get attached to their images for a variety of reasons. Some images may have been technically challenging to create and required significant planning and anticipation. Others simply captured an excellent moment. My first round of edits left me with near 100 images. I was able to whittle it down to 45 that I really enjoyed […]

Gridiron Preview 2013: How the shots were made

August was a busy month for photographers at the Rockford Register Star. We were brainstorming and shooting our annual Gridiron preview section. This special section releases on the day of the first high school game each season. Each team in the NIC-10 conference has a page featuring a portrait, a story and other related information. Each year has a theme. Two years ago, the portraits mimicked famous album covers. The layout was reminiscent of the Billboard Top 100 chart. Last […]

A week of Hazmat

Spot news has a tendency to come and go in waves. Sometimes, there is a long dry spell. Other times, it’s a downpour. Of the spot news incidents photojournalists cover, hazardous material spills aren’t very common. June let me hit my hazmat quota for the year. Let me rewind. The last hazmat issue I can remember covering was when I was an intern in St. Louis. The Charter Communications headquarters received letters contaminated with a powdery substance. The powder was […]

2013 Illinois Press Association awards

I managed to rake in a few awards at this year’s Illinois Press Association editorial contest. The Rockford Register Star claimed six awards total. My photo of Byron’s Hunter Hill received second place in Personality Portrait, Division F. A shot that barely made it in the 2012 calendar year received third place in Spot News Photo, Division F. I don’t put a lot of weight in contests. Everything about them is subjective. A photo could do really well in one contest […]

First responders and mans best friend

On Sunday, I went out to a fire at an apartment complex on Rockford’s southeast side. When I arrived, I saw something that was new to me. A dog was laying in the parking lot under blankets breathing through an oxygen mask. A firefighter came over to adjust the mask. He also tried to comfort the dog. No people were injured in the fire but one dog did die. The pictured dog is reportedly recovering well.