OKC Memorial Marathon
Here’s another look at some of the photos from this year’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. This year Sarah Phipps shot the marathon with our director of photography, Doug Hoke, who had to pinch hit thanks to some travel problems for staffer John Clanton. Here’s some of my favorites from this year. You can see a gallery of even more photos here.
Marathon participants make their way through the Oklahoma City National Memorial before the start of the ninth annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
People take part in the service at the Survivor Tree before the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.
National Memorial at the beginning oRunners make their way past the OKC f the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.
Runners make their way up the Walnut Street bridge during the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Marathoners make their way up the Walnut Street bridge during the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Runners make their way north on Lincoln Boulevard near the Capitol during the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Marathoners run in the Crown Heights area during the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
A runner grabs water at Lake Hefner during the Memorial Marathon, Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Men's marathon champion Jordan Kinley waves to the crowd after winning at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
ouglas Woods rests in a blanket after the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
To see more pictures, click here.
-Nate Billings
A busy week
There was plenty to cover this weekend in Oklahoma City with the Festival of the Arts and the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in full swing. Here are just a few images, to see more of these events or to see other galleries we’ve made, click here.
With two of his bottom teeth loose, Ryan Jones, 6, struggles to get a good bite into this ear of roasted corn at the Festival of the Arts in Oklahoma City Thursday, April 23, 2009. The festival ends Sunday. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman
Sonya Thapa, age 5, of Norman, plays with other children at the Creation Station during the final day of the Festival of the Arts in downtown Oklahoma City on Saturday, April 26, 2009. Photo by John Clanton
Truman and June Garland, of Moore, hold hands as they walk past artwork during the Festival of the Arts in downtown Oklahoma City on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman
Marathoners make their way up the Walnut street bridge during the Memorial Marathon, Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Runners make their way past the OKC National Memorial at the beginning of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
The men's marathon winner Jordan Kinley crosses the finish line at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 26, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
-John Clanton
Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival
Tom Hendrix plays the drums for the Pipes and Drums of the Highlanders of Oklahoma at the Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival and Highland Games at the Kirkpatrick Family Farm in Yukon Saturday March 21, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Every now and then Doug Hoke, our director of photography, will leave the office to take photos because we are short-handed or he just wants to remind all of us that he’s not just our boss, but a pretty darn good shooter as well.
Last Saturday, Doug photographed the Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival and Highland Games in Yukon, Okla. We were short on photographers that day, however, I think he just did it for fun.
If you’d like to see a gallery of even more photos by Doug from the event, click here.
Benny Hughes, drum major for the Oklahoma Scottish Pipe and Drums, bows his head during the prayer at the opening ceremony at the Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival and Highland Games at the Kirkpatrick Family Farm in Yukon Saturday March 21, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Chad Justin, Lawrence, Kansas, competes in the weight for distance at the Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival and Highland Games at the Kirkpatrick Family Farm in Yukon Saturday March 21, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Christopher Jones, Beggs, Okla. competes in the stone put for distance at the Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival and Highland Games at the Kirkpatrick Family Farm in Yukon Saturday March 21, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
Members of the Pipes and Drums of the Highlander's of Oklahoma play after the opening ceremonies at the Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival and Highland Games at the Kirkpatrick Family Farm in Yukon Saturday March 21, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman
-Nate Billings
Hey, take my picture! Mascot edition.
Doug Hoke, our director of photography, contributes this “Hey, take my picture!” entry from the OSU football game against Baylor this weekend. As characters whose sole purpose is to get attention, mascots are naturals to appear in this feature. Here’s Bruiser, the costumed version of the Baylor Bear.
-Nate Billings
Best of The Week 9/15/08-9/21/08
Here are the selections for this week from The Oklahoman Photo Staff. I am finally getting on track and making this happen at the first of the week instead of the end. Practice, practice and more practice to develop the habit. Thanks for looking. 
-Chris Landsberger
Best of the Week 9/8/08-9/14/08
Here are my selections for this week. We have a lot of variety this week, you can see the how each day brings the unexpected for each one of us on staff. Take a look and let us know your thoughts and enjoy.
Seen through a ripped screen still clinging to a front window, Megan Bridges looks through the remains of her grandparents’ home in rural Harrah Wednesday morning, Sept. 10, 2008. The 3,200 square foot home at 19620 SE 38 was destroyed by fire Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured in the fire. BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
-Chris Landsberger
Best of the Week 9/1/08-9/7/08
I am running behind this week, but here is the update of my choices… Enjoy! 
Ryan Roberts celebrates in the Oklahoma RedHawks clubhouse after the Redhawks beat the Iowa Cubs in the deciding game of the American Conference Finals, Sunday, September 7, 2008, in Oklahoma City, Okla. BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN. 
-Chris Landsberger www.highvelocityphoto.com
The Oklahoman Photos of the Week
As we continue to grow this blog, I wanted to do something that provided you a more in depth look at photos that The Oklahoman photo staff produces each week. Each member of the staff works hard each day to produce the best visual and story telling report on a wide range of topics that can go from one extreme to another in a matter of minutes. To acknowledge and show the talents of the photo staff that I work with, I am going to do my best each week to update the blog with my personal picks to be called Photos of the Week. These will be photos that I enjoyed viewing the most at week’s end. Some of the photos will have made it into print and other unfortunately did not, so this allows those unseen photos their moment in the spotlight as well. I hope this allows you to see even more of the great photography that is produced by the staff, and the hard work we all put in each day. So here goes, for the first week here are my selections are……….
-Chris Landsberger
From the Director of Photography
We have lots of tours at OPUBCO and one of the highlights used to be the photo department. I say used to be because in the age digital photography, our office looks pretty much like everyone else’s, a desk and a place for a computer. Gone are the cool things we used to show, the rotating doors to the darkroom, the darkroom illuminated by a dim safelight, the film processing rooms with reels and tanks and turbo dryers. Gone are the trays we used to watch our handiwork appear before our eyes. Watching the print develop was one of the things that turned me on to photography. It was a magical thing to see the photo slowly appear out of nowhere. But also a thing of the past is the repugnant odor of fixer, the dry rot on your fingers from having your hands in liquid all the time and the itchy feeling of being slightly allergic to the chemistry. Yes, we were supposed to use tongs to move the prints from tray to tray, but on deadline late at night it didn’t happen very often!
I resisted digital until the quality became comparable to film, but now I say “FILM IS DEAD!” Yes, the prints from real fiber-based silver prints are superior to anything digital, but they only belong in a gallery hanging on the wall. For most people, digital is an enormous jump in access, cost savings and ease to share. For most publishing, digital is the new king, for better and for worse. Better because we can do things much faster and cheaper and worse because we can do things faster and cheaper! Because of the low cost of technology, more people can afford better cameras and the software to deal with photos.
But a 10 megapixel camera, business card and photo manipulation software do not make a photographer. The art of photography is just that, art. It is created in the mind through a media that captures light and shadows and takes a lifetime to perfect. Yes, I will concede that anyone can get a good photograph occasionally (several Pulitzers have been won by amateurs who were in the right place at the right time), but it takes a professional to do it day in and day out. Which leads me back to the photo department at The Oklahoman.
Our office is now wherever we can find a digital signal for our laptops. Whether that comes from phone, hardwire or WiFi. Have cameras will travel! Our staff of 16 photographers have an average of close to 20 years in the profession and now we can stay longer and get photos into publication faster than we ever would have thought possible 10 years ago. So that vision, plus technology makes for so great photography on a daily basis. In print, on the web and now in this blog. Enjoy!
- Doug Hoke
