Snow Drifts
Since Christmas Eve I have been photographing the large snow drifts around my home. Slowly, they are disappearing into muddy puddles. It is hard to imagine at one time they were pieces of art created by wind.
-Sarah Phipps
Leaking Light
Stanley Johnson of Douglass High School on Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla. By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
If you missed the Sports department’s High School All State Sports 2009 that was published earlier his week, you missed some interesting photographs by Staff Photographer Chris Landsberger. He used a small, plastic camera called a Diana Fplus to photograph high school athletes in the studio at The Oklahoman. Like a Holga, the Diana is made completely of plastic, and is not exactly light proof. The seams of the camera aren’t lightproof, so just a little bit of light gets in darkens the corners of the image.
Julian WIlson of Southmoore High School on Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla. By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
Other than playing with Holga and Diana cameras for fun, The Oklahoman staff is completely digital. The equipment used to process film was donated to the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond around 1997. Landsberger took the film to be processed at Epperson Photo here in Oklahoma City, and then used a scanner to get the pictures into the computer and store them in the archives.
Sonny Puletasi of Lawton High School on Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
-John Clanton
Best of the Year is online.
Paul Norwood watches helplessly as his neighbor's home is destroyed by wildfires in eastern Oklahoma County Thursday, April 9, 2009. These homes are in Oakwood East housing addition, near SE 15 and Westminster. By Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
Both of you have probably been wondering where the best of the year site is. I’ve previewed it a couple of times (here and here) and now it’s online! Take a look by clicking this link.
-John Clanton
The classic sled
Claire McCoy's pulls her sled on hill in the Trails neighborhood, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Claire McCoy climbed an ice-covered hill in her Edmond neighborhood dragging her sled behind her.
She met her father, Mark, on top of the hill and together they inspected the sled.
“We can fix that. We can put a screw in there,” he told her.
The old sled is a hand-me-down. It is a treasure from her mother’s childhood. It is slightly beaten up and is missing a wood plank.
“It is a classic,” Claire explained.
Her father said they have tried all types of sleds including plastic ones, inner tubes and even improvised sleds such as cardboard boxes and plastic storage bin tops. But nothing beats the trusty wooden and metal sled.
“It is the best sled,” Claire said. ” It goes the fastest.”
As Claire prepares to take one last run, a pair of neighborhood boys walk up with their modern sleds. Claire’s father told her to quickly go down the hill and show them how much faster her classic can go.
He then gave her a running push and she zoomed off down the hill.
Mark McCoy pushes Claire McCoy, 12, down a hill in the Trails neighborhood, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Claire McCoy's pulls her sled on hill in the Trails neighborhood, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Claire McCoy, 12, pulls her sled up a hill in the Trails neighborhood, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Claire McCoy, 12, sleds on hill in the Trails neighborhood, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Record snowfall
Staff Photographers from The Oklahoman headed out into the snowstorms over the weekend to look for pictures. On Christmas eve, Jim Beckel got stuck at the airport, Paul Southerland went to El Reno and was stuck in the snow out there for hours. Here’s a few of the many images that were sent in over the weekend.
A driver receives help after getting stuck on Britton Road in Oklahoma City Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009. By Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Julie Nelson shields her daughter Caiden Cauwell, 3, from the weather as she does some last-minute shopping in Norman Thurs. Dec. 24, 2009. By Jaconna Aguirre, The Oklahoman
Rosario Riley shiellds her face from blowing snow as she leaves Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City on Dec. 24, 2009, after her flight to Cleveland was cancelled. By Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
Kristin Dong, 8, makes tries out her new inline skates on ice in her yard on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, in Norman, Okla. By Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
A front-end loader removes snow around an abandonded car on E.K. Gaylord and Robert S. Kerr. Many spent Christmas Day, Dc. 25, 2009, digging out from record snow storm that dumped 14 inches of severe winter storm in the Oklahoma City area. By Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
-John Clanton
Another Sneak Peek
Here’s another set of pictures that will be in The Oklahoman photo staff’s Best of 2009.
Antonio Aguirre fulfills a promise as he and his family visit the National Shrine Infant Jesus of Prague at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Prague, Oklahoma on Sunday, August 2, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
A group of children look on as they watch firefighters battle a four-story apartment fire near the intersection of Covell Road and Kelly Avenue on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
Tech. Sergeant Raul Estrada hugs his 4-year-old daughter Jade during a deployment ceremony for members of the 137th Air Refueling Wing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma December 21, 2009.Just before departing the group's flight was canceled due to bad weather on the east coast. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman
We’ve been working to compile or favorite videos, slideshows and photographs for the year. Look for the webpage soon on NewsOK.com.
-John Clanton
Best of 2009 preview
Over the last couple of days the photographers at The Oklahoman have been compiling their five best pictures from 2009. On the 8th floor, the NewsOK.com designers are getting a page designed for us to display our favorite images, slideshows and videos from the last year.
We’re still working on the details, trying to get it down to 5 pictures per photographer but here’s a few pictures that will certainly make the cut.
Virgil "Cowboy" Kalbaugh places his hand against a panel of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall on the name of Brent Street, Sunday, July 5, 2009, in Piedmont. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
OU quarterback Sam Bradford (14) lays on the turf after being injured late in the second quarter during the college football game between the Brigham Young University Cougars (BYU) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, September 5, 2009. Bradford left the field after the play and did not return. BYU won, 14-13. By Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
Tre Porter, of Carl Albert, for the cover of the high school football playoff special section themed, "Dark Horse" at OPUBCO studio Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Look for the Best of 2009 photo page at NewsOK.com
-John Clanton
Reflecting on a food assignment
Nate Billings and I talked at length in the studio about this assignment. It doesn’t sound that difficult. Photograph champagne and a hibiscus flower in a champagne flute for a New Year’s Eve story by the Food Dude. Once you get into it though, it gets fairly complicated. We set up a black background behind the glass, and Nate had good advice on controlling the reflections on the sides of the glass. After awhile, we made it work and got some good pictures of the champagne-soaked hibiscus flower. When I looked through the pictures a few hours later I found a couple that looked like this.
A photographer accidentally ruins a photograph of champage with a hibiscus flower.
Apparently, even with Nate’s advice, we managed to get a reflection of a certain balding photographer in a few of the pictures.
-John Clanton
Back at work
My ten-day vacation just came to an end. When I got to work today I searched through our archive system called Merlin to see what the staff had been up to while I was gone. There were plenty of great shots but I narrowed it down to five of my favorites.
Flaming Lips front man Wayne Coyne poses for a photo in the OPUBCO Studio on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
Norman firefighters responded to a fire at 3700 Burlington at 1:28 pm on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Norman, Okla. Embers from the first fire caught the roof of a house at 3617 Glenbrook on fire. The Burlington house was a total loss and damage was estimated at $375,000. The damage to the house on Glenbrook was $100,000. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) and Oklahoma City's Shaun Livingston (14) and Nick Collison (4) fight for a loose ball during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Kevin Durant (35) of Oklahoma City blocks the shot of Detroit's Will Bynum (12) in the fourth quarter of the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Friday, December 18, 2009. Oklahoma City won, 109-98. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
Parking lot during Christmas shopping at Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman
-John Clanton
Pictures I like–Cold horse edition
Steve Gooch took these shots of a horse on a cold morning in Guthrie, Okla., recently.
Jennie Gayle, a 27-year-old mare, stands in a field near Pine and Highway 33 in Guthrie, Okla., December 4, 2009. Temperatures dropped into the teens in the area overnight. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman
Jennie Gayle, a 27-year-old mare, stands in a field near Pine and Highway 33 in Guthrie, Okla., December 4, 2009. Temperatures dropped into the teens in the area overnight. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman
-Nate Billings
