As spring approaches, and with the arrival of Daylight Saving Time, I am outdoors more, both as a journalist and as a homeowner. Since I am a photographer both as a profession and for a hobby, I am always taking pictures. Some of these pictures are very straightforward, like tornado damage, flowers blooming, or kids…
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I recently spoke to the Byng School student body as part of Journey of Hope, a program from the Oklahoma City National Memorial, about my experience as a journalist covering the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. At the end of the session, organizers opened…
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As I write this, my community and I are mostly idle, since most activities have been halted by a sharp cold snap, accompanied by freezing rain, sleet, and snow. Despite the outdoors being somewhat inhospitable, life goes on, and we all try to do something inside. Housecleaning is productive. Movie night is fun. Eating hot…
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My readers know that I tend to be a healthy eater. One thing that makes eating healthy easier is that I have very little “sweet tooth.” The result is that I seldom have added-sugar foods in my home, foods like candy and cake, and only eat them sparingly when I encounter them elsewhere. And I…
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Continuing with a series of scans from my newspaper files from the film era, these images are from a photo essay to go with a story about the Ada Police Department training in special tactics in February 1990. This is an interesting study in the evolution of police gear, attire, weapons, and tactics. I made…
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Here are a few recent images that passed my eyes on the job, but which weren’t suitable as content for my newspaper.
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I was sorry to see the Ada Cougars football team’s season come to an end Friday with their loss to Bethany. At the same time, I am definitely a forward-looker, and I am looking forward to basketball season. Honestly, every season is great, as long as I and mindful of what matters most: being the…
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The Ada Cougars’ recently enjoyed pep rallies in advance of their playoff football games. Both pep rallies were hosted by Doc’s Food Truck Park, which is fun and says that Doc’s is really engaging with the community. The stage and a sound system are lit by couple of street lights, various LED lights on food…
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My readers might remember that last month I talked about my very memorable first weeks at The Ada News, in October and November 1988. One image in particular, of five Boy Scouts holding the U.S. flag and saluting it, came back to mind last week when Scouts from Troop 4, Hawk Mater, Kevin Fender, Carter…
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This week on October 24, I marked 36 years at your Ada News. I know at least a few of my readers will remember what Ada looked like in 1988, and who I was then, just 25 years old. The passing years have brought changes, but the essence of the work we do at the…
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Most of us have seen the fake photos making the round this week, mostly the one of the little girl in a boat holding a puppy. These photos are easy to spot as fakes, being created by AI image-generators. Many of my photojournalist friends called out these photos, some even promising to “unfriend” anyone who…
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The photography community has been taking itself a little too seriously lately, so I thought it might be fun to explore the more playful side of my work. One thing us nerdish-leaning photographers do is pull out old lenses and explore their “bokeh,” which is a term used to describe the quality of the out-of-focus…
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One of my biggest ongoing projects this summer into fall has been my efforts to make certain my digital life – the photos, videos, writings, audio recordings, and everything else that lives as data – is safe and easy to access. An interesting, even counterintuitive, part of this project is that I am throwing away…
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Prior to the Olympics this summer, several news agencies decided to issue new cameras and lenses to their photographers, some of whom would take them to Paris to cover the Games. Some of those photographer posted this news, often that their newspapers or agencies were buying them new Sony equipment. Almost immediately, Sony users chimed…
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As I write this, the photography press has been up in arms again about, as you might be able to guess, Artificial Intelligence, or AI. And while there are legitimate concerns about the misuse of anything complex enough to damage the human condition, I feel that AI will soon move from the “next big thing”…
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