Been staying busy lately.

The state schools superintendent comes to South Bend near the deadline for three of the city high schools to improve scores ("or else"). I've had the best luck with board meetings at this job so far.



Not much spot news happening on my watch lately. This was pretty much all I had.



Broke out my old lighting skills to make this portrait. I had some problems with my wizards (which seems to always happen on location!), so this set-up used an off-shoe cord with a flash hand-held and a second flash (fill) on a light stand with my trusty optical slave to trigger it.



Another kid with a gun.



Another last minute feature.



South Bend Memorial Day Parade. Kids cover their ears as fire trucks pass by blasting their sirens.

Mishawaka Memorial Day Parade. The classic "cute kid pointing" photo.




It's High School Graduation season again...



Bobby Knight teaches Digger Phelps how to properly toss a chair 60 ft.


"Read to a Canine Friend"


Street artist CAD tags a utility box as park guest pass by. This was the real deal.



Softball sectional champs celebrate after win.

Starting to feel like summer in South Bend.

St. Joseph's Patrick Klima slides in safely as Mishawaka's Trey Bickel tries to make the out at second during the game at Baker Park in Mishawaka on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. *Too bad it looks like this guy is punching the second baseman in the face.


(Same game) St. Joseph's Nicholas Kleva, right, tosses the ball to Connor Brown, left, too late as Mishawaka's Demonia Casey crosses first base during the game at Baker Park in Mishawaka on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. *Just glad to have something other than a play at home or second.


St. Mary's seniors Ally Drake, left, and Kelly Zanere, right, relax in the sand with Notre Dame senior Brian Castello next to the St. Joseph River near Lasalle street in South Bend on Thursday, May 12, 2011. *This isn't a great shot and I don't think it ever ran, I just found it to be an usual beach scene. I don't think we had many places like this in NC, most people just went to the ocean.


Nick Decicco, a rookie from the Mishawaka Fire Department leaps into the swift currents of the East Race Waterway during his first time taking the Indiana Diver Rescue Course, sponsored by the SBFD and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, in South Bend on Thursday, May 12, 2011. *This was just a feature I spotted while shooting the "beach goers" 500 feet away. I really wanted to jump in with these guys.



Civil War re-enactors recreate a battle scene during the 5th annual Niles/Brandywine Civil War Re-enactment on a field at Brandywine High School on Saturday, May 14, 2011.


Keith Harrison portrays a Union Major as he participates in the 5th annual Niles/Brandywine Civil War Re-enactment on a field at Brandywine High School on Saturday, May 14, 2011.

From a desperate dog feature to the easiest feature yet.

Somehow the second half of April actually managed to be slower than the first. Relentless rain took me from shooting baseball/softball almost daily to only having two games in the past three weeks. Fortunately a few good assignments landed in my lap and I think I made the most of them.



Crisco, an 11 year old Dalmatian-Great Dame mix, lets his jowls flap in the wind as he chases a tennis ball thrown by his owner Mia Santiago, left, while her older brother, Spencer Gravenor, watches at Potawatomi Park in South Bend on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. *This was a horribly slow, rainy/cold day in South Bend and I was having a lot of trouble finding anyone outside doing anything. Finally, after a couple hours of driving around, I found this. I was glad to not return empty-handed.


Fort Wayne's B.J. Guinn, left, catches the late throw to second as South Bend's Keon Broxton safely slides in for the stolen base during the game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend on Thursday, April 21, 2011.


Infants and their mothers pack into the small room where they will be a part of a new world record attempt for changing diapers during "The Great Cloth Diaper Event" at Bethel College in Mishawaka on Saturday, April 23, 2011.


Jesus' cross is erected during the crucifixion scene at the eighth annual Easter Passion Play at Andrews University in Berrien Springs on Saturday, April 23, 2011.


Penn's Whitney Grace makes the final attempt of the day in the Pole Vault event during the Princess Mishawaka Relays at Mishawaka High School in Mishawaka on Friday, April 29, 2011.


Saturday, April 30, 2011. *I quickly realized I was far too close to the action when the cars knocked the concrete barriers out of the way and began circling me as they started smashing into each other in the infield.


Workers attached to cables work on the roof of the Marriott Riverside building in South Bend on Thursday, May 5, 2011. *I spotted this on my drive back to the office after an assignment. It took less than a minute to grab my 300mm and 2x converter and shoot this from next to my car. Not the best feature ever, but certainly the easiest I've ever shot.

Slow in April

Although I went out on a few spot news calls, the past two weeks have been pretty slow. I did manage to get a few good assignments, some of which gave me some good experience in dealing with grieving people and still getting the shots and information I need.


Claw and teeth marks are apparent in the room where a dog was found dead after the owners are believed to have abandoned it inside the house located at 310 E. Indiana Avenue in South Bend on Thursday, April 7, 2011.



April 7, 2011. Finally had a softball game with a little action.





Robert Rast salutes as his son's flagged-draped coffin is removed from the airplane at South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.


The coffin holding the body of sailor Benjamin Rast is carried inside Hahn Funeral home in Mishawaka on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.


St. Bavo first grader and boy scout Nathan Watt salutes as the coffin carrying the body of sailor Benjamin Rast is transported inside Hahn Funeral home in Mishawaka on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.





April 13, 2011. No Ball! Almost a decent shot.




Jennifer Coffman, Kim White-Stout's cousin, hugs her daughter Taylor Coffman, 9, during the on-site prayer vigil for Kim White-Stout at the corner of Ardennes and Normandy streets in Mishawaka on Thursday, April 14, 2011.


Sue White, the mother of Kim White-Stout, hugs her sister-in-law Jeanie Coleman, left, after the on-site prayer vigil for Kim White-Stout at the corner of Ardennes and Normandy streets in Mishawaka on Thursday, April 14, 2011.




2011 Notre Dame Football. 82nd Annual Blue-Gold Game:

Finding my place in the Bend.

It's been a bit longer than I had hoped for an update on here and editing down two weeks of work to around ten photos was difficult. I'm always impartial to my most recent stuff, so most of this is from the past three or four days.


March 22, 2011. Dowagiac HS (Michigan) wins state quarterfinals. The gallery from this game was popular and turned out well.


Elisha Jerdon, 3, gasp as her grandmother Betty Jerdon reads a book about junk food during "Jammies in the Gym" night at Merritt Elementary in Niles on Friday, March 25, 2011.


South Bend Police surround the house where they believe a suspect is hiding following a double shooting Tuesday, March 29, on Bowman Ave. in South Bend.

I'll admit, I was entirely too close to this event.


BASEBALL season. Thursday, March 31, 2011. I'm not used to baseball in 30 degree weather. Here is the gallery.


Saturday, April 2. Just a feature.



Police and paramedics tend to a man who reportedly led South Bend Police on a high-speed chase through downtown streets before crashing and attempting to flee on foot at the intersection of Western and Kaley streets in South Bend on Sunday, April 3, 2011. The unidentified man claimed to have taken ecstasy earlier in the day.

This was the result of good scanner monitoring and fast driving.



South Bend emergency officials and airport crews respond to a small plane crash next to a runway at the South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend on Monday, April 4, 2011.

Turned out the plane was blown off the runway by high winds. It took a lot of glass to reach this from the behind the airport fence.



Death on the field! Nahh, not literally at least. Here's the caption: New Prairie's Seth Shail collapses to the ground in frustration after dropping a pop-up foul ball in an inning that left the Cougars down 33-0 to Marian High School at New Prairie High School in New Carlisle on Monday, April 4, 2011. Here's the game gallery.





March 4. Just a protest/march yesterday downtown.

The first three weeks...

Three weeks ago I left my home in North Carolina for a job with the South Bend Tribune in northern Indiana. Working with the Tribune is an awesome opportunity and an incredible place to start. Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly.

This blog will follow my progression as I continue to settle in at this new place. I will try to update it weekly. This is a personal blog and has no affiliation with the South Bend Tribune. All work is copyrighted.


Here are some of the highlights from my first three weeks on the job:


The first feature that I shot on the second day of work.


The Runner-Up at the Miss Blossomtime Pageant in Benton Harbor, MI. I was very surprised at how big this event was.


This is a warmer weather feature. The snow had melted, but it was still cold.


Wild Art. This kid was really good, he won his division.


An angry taxpayer.


> Insert drive-thru joke here <


James Taylor with his son Ben. My third day at work I find myself shooting the famous NC native.


High School Basketball


High School Basketball



A quick sports portrait of the player and coach of the year. I only had about 15 minutes to spend here so it is pretty standard.