From the sidewalk in KC

A few images I took while walking around the Plaza in K.C.

Portfolio edit = fail....moving on.

Thank you Charles and Ryan for taking the time to offer suggestions. I've already implemented some of them and considering others. I guess it was too much to ask for people to take the time, sit down, and spend more than five minutes on something. Everyone is so used to the three-minute sound bite that probably seemed like an epic undertaking. Anyway, back to regular posting. Here is an outtake from a recent shoot at Benedictine College about new dorms they had constructed.

A little recognition: Oh Snap Click

My piece "Finding Their Way" is featured on Aaron Snyder's Oh Snap Click website. Definitely cool to be up there with some really great photographers whose work I admire. You can check it out HERE Thanks for the props Aaron!

Be my portfolio editor

OK, so I have no idea how many people actually look at this blog, so I may be mainly writing to the wind with this. But, I figured it's worth a try.

For those who do read it every once in a while, this is a chance for you to be my photo editor. After looking at my portfolio so much to decide what should stay and what should go, I feel like I need some fresh eyes on it. This is where you come in. Over the last several months I've posted all kinds of photos to this blog. Some of them work, some don't. Also my portfolio has seen a few small changes. But now I'd like to hear your input. You get to help me decide what new photos I should bring in to the portfolio. More importantly, you get to help me decide which ones I should take out. After all, a portfolio is only as strong as its weakest photo. So here's how it's gonna work, you can do as much or as little of this as you want. For you other photographers out there, when the time comes, I'll do the same for you...

Take a look at my PORTFOLIO. Let me know a couple of things: Which photos really grab you, or you particularly like? Which photos could you do without. Use a simple system going by the category and number. For instance, "I don't think singles #1 and #4 should stay." Photo stories are not immune either, let me know if a photo just doesn't fit right.
Then, go to my FLICKR PHOTO STREAM, which has all of my recent work. Check out pages 1-9. If you see some photos that you really would like to see in the portfolio, let me know about that.

Leave all these comments, critiques, etc. in the comments section below. If you don't like a photo, tell me why. Don't worry, I have thick skin when it comes to that, I'm really interested to see what you guys think.
The photos that receive more than just one vote will be considered for the portfolio, same with those that should maybe be taken out.
A BIG thank you to anyone who participates in this. I feel like we photographers tend to lurk around other photog's sites without leaving much feedback. I know I do. Hopefully this experiment will help change that approach. That said, big thanks to fellow MU students CHARLES, MITO and TAYLOR and anyone else who occasionally drops some comments on the blog. Check out their work if you get a chance too. We should be each others editors more often, it only makes us better.

-August

The white light

An outtake from a photo illustration I did with STJNP reporter Joe Blumberg. This was just one of the lighting test shots, but I thought it was kind of cool.

Levels of abstraction

Some recently found scenes. The waterfowl made it to the front page of the STJNP a few days ago.

Sheltered Workshops

A few shots from a story about how the worsening economy is affecting the availability of work at sheltered workshops. These workshops provide a solid day's work to developmentally disabled people. It was a great assignment because all the people working there were so excited to see me. Several came up and shook my hand and introduced themselves. Hopefully their jobs remain safe for as long as possible.

Geometry

Features from the field

A few shots I made while feature hunting the other day. No need for them and no space, so they'll only see the light of day right here.

Curtain Call

This weekend the Missouri Theater almost burned down. A worker stopped by to check some last minute details for the next day's show and smelled smoke. A fire was brewing on one of the electrical panels, and it was stopped before reaching the curtains. I got sent out yesterday to see how the cleanup was going. This is a beautiful theater and I wanted to get a photo that showed some of the interesting features of it, while also telling the story. After spending close to an hour and shooting many frames, I figured I had something useable. While I was walking out, I turned around and saw this scene. I knew right away this was the picture. So I stopped again, pulled out the camera and made the frame. There's always one more picture to be made. Sometimes that last one can be the photo you were looking for the whole time. It's always important to step back, see, and be open to new possibilities.

Cookies

These are from a shoot I did a while back. Only one saw the light of day... the cookie cutter one. The other selects, you now get to see. The boys were really funny, they kept sneaking frosting when the teacher wasn't looking. I guess they didn't see me photographing it, or they didn't mind.

Struggling Sudanese

This was one of those stories that could've been really great, but just didn't pan out. I started working on a story about a group of Sudanese women who are struggling financially in St. Joseph. They had witnessed many atrocities in their homeland and finally made it here in the U.S. Unfortunately, for many reasons beyond my control, the story all but fell through. This is pretty much the only image I like from spending nearly a whole day with them. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. The main thing to remember though is to carry on, and keep moving forward and making pictures.

Of Rabbit and Men

Blue and red

I waited around for about an hour for the right person to walk through this frame. To make things even better, his guitar lined up and he had the right color clothes on! Sometimes things work out better than you could expect.

State Bball Quarterfinals

I really don't care too much for posting sports shots usually, unless there's something a little different about them. While I know these shots have probably all been done before, at these games yesterday I felt like I was starting to get a little more competent covering basketball. They're from the girls and boys state quarterfinals. I think next weekend I'll probably be down in Columbia covering the finals, but we'll see.

Mista Libertah

Andy Worley waves to cars passing by Liberty Tax Service on the Belt Highway
on Friday. Worley said he's been dressing up as Mr. Liberty and Uncle Sam
for two years. "All I do is dress up and stand here waving at people to
attract business for four hours a day," Worley said. "It's something to do
and it keeps me out of trouble." According to Worley, there are both good
and bad things that accompany his profession. "The negatives are when people
flip me the bird or yell obscene things at me," he said. "But the positive
is when people honk their horns or chicks yelling stuff like 'Hey
sweetheart."

Homecoming tears

Sgt. 1st class Timothy Akins lets out a few tears upon seeing his daughters for the first time in a year. He and other members of the 129th Field Artillery Unit from the Missouri National Guard completed nearly 1,500 missions during their year in Kosovo, and returned to their homes on March 10.

Lesson from a window washer

I always take my gear with me, just in case. Yesterday it finally paid off. I was heading to lunch and saw this interesting reflection going on with a window washer. I stopped the car and parked and went to ask if I could make a few pictures. He didn't mind, and it ended up being a standalone for today's paper. It reminded me how important it is as a photographer to always be looking, never stopping, because you never know when a picture will present itself.

New multimedia: Coming Home

Yesterday was a long shift. I drove to Albany Missouri to photograph the homecoming of soldiers from the 129th Field Artillery Unit. After getting back to the office, I had to put together a multimedia slideshow of the event. There are several things I would have done differently if circumstances allowed, but... I at least learned a few lessons. Probably too many kids, not enough layered photos, could've used some more telling images maybe. Anyway, I'm open to your critiques. You can watch the result HERE

Bball sectionals, on the sidelines

A few from the sidelines of the sectionals tournament I photographed a few days ago.

Story preview...maybe

I found this woman and her interesting house the other day. She has decorated the whole exterior with all kinds of handmade crafts. She keeps doing it to prevent her hands from getting arthritis too much. I might do a mini-story on her and her husband if I have the time, where I write the story and put together a photo package. We'll see... either way, this one ran as a standalone on Monday. What do you think? Does this photo make you want to know more, or perhaps not?

Looking through the black box

Having a little fun with some recent shots.

Mask

Queens of dairy

A few snaps from an assignment about Dairy Queen...errr...spring.

Housekeeping

In case you were wondering what happens after you leave the hotel room... This is an outtake from an assignment about hotel taxes. For some reason it turned out looking kind of creepy, but I think it conveys an interesting feeling. What do you think?

Power

Though I never actually got to see the story, I think this photo was for a story on upgrading power lines in Missouri.

The wheels go...

From a shoot where I was told to get something generic that said transfer students. This was the best I could come up with.

Still snow on the ground

This was my select from the snow feature hunt I went on the other day. It ran in the Midland section today. I figured since it's still snowy out up here I would post it.

Lincoln in the house

George Engelbach, right, talks with state Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, left at the Buchanan County Lincoln Day held in the Holiday Inn Riverfront on Saturday. Engelbach played the role of former President Abraham Lincoln for the evening. Buchanan County Republicans honored Sen.Shields with the Theodore Roosevelt Award.