Chalk artist Bobby Marsee creates a work of art, as Rose State College hosts a cultural fair as part of the 23rd annual Global Oklahoma festival at the Rose State College campus in Midwest City, OK, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman

In addition to the OU game against Ball State, photographers at The Oklahoman also staffed the Head of the Oklahoma Regatta, the 23rd annual Global Oklahoma Festival, a Czech Festival in Yukon, and the Homecoming festivities at the University of Central Oklahoma.

You can see all our photo galleries by clicking here.

Oliver Salowna, of the Dallas Rowing Club, shows off his "live to row, row to live," tattoo during the 2011 Head of the Oklahoma Regatta at the Oklahoma River in Oklahoma City on Sunday, October 2, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

A rower carries his boat toward the Devon Boathouse after the 2011 Head of the Oklahoma Regatta at the Oklahoma River in Oklahoma City on Sunday, October 2, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton…

Daisy, a Cocker mix, belonging to Pam Lanman, rests after competing in the Look Alike category with Katie Thornton, 5, Pam's granddaughter during the Krazy Kids Dog Show at Shannon Miller Park in Edmond Saturday, September 24, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

Riley Cranford, 2 1/2, plays with her wand during the Faerie Ball in the Paseo Saturday, September 24, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

Amanda Lane watches her daughter play during the Faerie Ball in the Paseo Saturday, September 24, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

Faerie dancer performs during the Fairy Ball in the Paseo Saturday, September 24, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

To see a photo gallery from the Krazy Kids Dog show click here.

To see a photo gallery from the Faerie Ball in Paseo click here.

In all, it was a magical day taking photos.

-Doug Hoke…

Stephen Cully and his teammates get dressed before practice in the locker room at Konawa High School in Konawa, Okla., on Monday, Aug. 29, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Last week I traveled to Konawa, Oklahoma to photograph Stephen Cully for a story by Staff Writer Jason Kersey. Stephen, who plays fullback and linebacker for the Tigers, was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome. You can read Jason’s story about Stephen and his impact on the community by clicking here, or take a look at more of our nDepth pages.

Here are a couple of pictures from last night’s games and some links to photo galleries from the games we covered on Thursday night and on Friday night.

High school football fans wait for the start of Del City's football game against Midwest City in Del City, Okla., Friday, September 2, 2011. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

Moore quarterback Corey Reeves narrowly misses a tackle attempt by Westmoore's Preston Higgins (left) during their high school football game at Moore Stadium in Moore, Oklahoma on Friday, September 2, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

 …

Athletes race into the water to start the Arcadia Lake Triathlon and Aquabike at Arcadia Lake in Edmond, Oklahoma on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

It’s not often that I get to work as the sun rises while wearing crocs and swim trunks, but if there’s a triathlon in one of the area lakes, I get to do just that. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Arcadia Lake Triathlon and Aquabike in Edmond last weekend.

You can see more images of the triathlon by clicking here, or you can follow this link to see more photo galleries from assignments around the Oklahoma City metro area. Remember that you can get a closer look at any picture featured on Alternate Crop by clicking on the image.

Spectators watch a close race as Brad Steele (left) and Boz Anderson (#218) sprint toward the finish lineduring the Arcadia Lake Triathlon and Aquabike at Arcadia Lake in Edmond, Oklahoma on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Boz Anderson swims toward shore during the Arcadia Lake Triathlon and Aquabike at Arcadia Lake in Edmond, Oklahoma on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton…

I found Reich Sunday morning picking through the rumble searching for anything of value. Oklahoman photography intern Zach Gray and photographer Bryan Terry also met Reich Saturday evening as Blackjack Lane burned.

George Reich tries to salvage items after his home on Blackjack Lane was destroyed by wildfire in Edmond, Okla., Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011. A wildfire burned 1,000-acre blaze and several homes Saturday. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman.

George Reich walks past the burning remains of his neighbor's house on Blackjack Lane in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, August 6, 2011. Reich's home was also a complete loss. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

George Reich's motorcycle his home was destroyed by wildfire on Blackjack Lane in Edmond, Okla., Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011. Photo By Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

The large grassfire claimed seven homes and three mobile homes around the Coffee Creek area in Edmond, Okla.  See The Oklahoman photographs from Saturday and Sunday by clicking the links below.

Saturday, Aug. 06, 2011

Sunday, Aug. 07, 2011

Watch a video on the fires by clicking here

-Sarah Phipps

 …

The mob dance was organized by the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City to post on the “Let’s Make Ellen our #1 Thunder Girl” Facebook page. Thunder Girls taught the crowd a dance routine that goes with a Thunder song. If I hadn’t been there and seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have thought you could teach several hundred fans of all shapes and sizes a dance routine in 30 minutes, but they did. I was amazed at how in synch everyone became in such a short time. Great team work!

Tania Way-Garcia, left, and Ashlee Paul practice the dance moves during a Thunder mob dance to send to Ellen DeGeneres at Hafer Park in Edmond Wednesday, May 18, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

The crowd practices the dance steps during a Thunder mob dance to send to Ellen DeGeneres at Hafer Park in Edmond Wednesday, May 18, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

Girls with Ellen on their shirts learn the dance steps during a Thunder mob dance to send to Ellen DeGeneres at Hafer Park in Edmond Wednesday, May 18, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

The crowd practices the dance steps during a Thunder mob dance to send to Ellen DeGeneres at Hafer Park in Edmond Wednesday, May 18, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

Leah Sparks learns the dance steps with an Ellen mask on her head during a Thunder mob dance to send to Ellen DeGeneres at Hafer Park in Edmond Wednesday, May 18, 2011. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

A lot of energy and fun! To see more photos click here.

To watch video of the mob dance click here.

Go Thunder!

-Doug Hoke…

Complete lunar eclipse Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

Tuesday’s lunar eclipse was the first time that it has coincided with winter’s solstice since 1638, 372 years! A once in a lifetime occurrence, so I decided to stay up and take photos. First thing was look up the times that the eclipse would occur and hope that there were no clouds. I gathered my equipment and then took a nap for an hour, setting my alarm for 12:40 am., which was the start time. After waking and going outside to see if it was clear, I grabbed my camera gear.

Before the lunar eclipse Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

To shoot the moon you need a long lens, 300mm minimum, the longer the better. I used a 300mm f2.8 Canon L lens and added a 2X extender to create a 600 f 5.6 lens. I then used a 50D body which has a 1.6 crop factor for the chip, which basically gave me a 960mm f 5.6 lens. Next thing to grab was the sturdiest tripod I had which had a Slik Pro Ball head on it. The eclipse was almost straight up, so the ball head worked well.

Start of the lunar eclipse Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

Not having a remote cord handy, I set the self timer to the 2 sec. delay. That allows the camera to settle down after the shutter button is pushed. Next thing is to determine exposure. Because of the 2X extender, I knew I wanted to use f8 so that the lens would be stopped down one f-stop from wide open to improve sharpness. I started with iso 800. While the sun was still on the moon that gave me a shutter speed somewhere around 1/500. There were light clouds that cut the exposure down some.

About halfway to the lunar eclipse Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

I used the camera in manual mode and proofed the exposure on the camera monitor. Automatic will not work in a situation like this because of all of the black surrounding a bright white object. If your camera has a “spot” meter setting, this is the time to use it!

About 1/4 to go to the lunar eclipse Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

Once the earth’s shadow had completely covered the moon, about 1:40 am, I had to move my iso to 2500 and slow the shutter down to about 1/2 sec. to expose the red glow of the moon. I was really  glad the Oklahoma wind was still, or everything would have been shaking at those slow shutter speeds. Next time there is a lunar eclipse, plan ahead and give it your best shot!

Down to the last sliver of moon left before the complete lunar eclipse Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman.

-Doug Hoke…

Aaron Williams (4) of Texas tries to make an interception but cannot hold on to a pass intended for OU's Ryan Broyles (85) in the second quarter of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Texas Longhorns (UT) at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, in Dallas, Texas. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

I’ve been meaning to put some sports pictures up for a few days. With staff photographers covering football, volleyball, softball, and now Thunder basketball, we’ve had some remarkable pictures to look at in Merlin. Here are some of my favorites from the last few weeks. Most of these you may not have seen because they weren’t published in the newspaper. After the games that we cover, we always post a gallery full of images, you can see all the photo galleries by clicking here.

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (35) is introduced before the preseason NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and CSKA Moscow in Oklahoma City, Thursday, October 14, 2010. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

Micha Hancock gets a hug from assistant principal Carrie Higdon afyer receiving her championship medal during the 6A Volleyball state championship game between Edmond Memorial and Edmond Santa Fe at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

OSU's Dan Bailey makes the game-winning field goal during the college football game between Texas A&M University and Oklahoma State University (OSU) at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

OU's Jonathan Nelson (3) reacts after the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Texas Longhorns (UT) at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, in Dallas, Texas. OU won, 28-20. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

OSU's Josh Cooper (25) tries to get past Cody Davis (16) of Texas Tech in the second quarter during the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Texas Tech University Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, October 16, 2010. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

Yukon's Kendall Smith, center, celebrates Yukon's win over Jenks during the Class 6A fast-pitch softball championship at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton…

Dillon Slater, 12, of Oklahoma City, (front) and Nate Elix, 16, help carry a dove during the Pinwheels for Peace Festival at Plunkett Park on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Well, the last 11 days not counting college football. Here are some images from a peace rally at UCO, the State Fair, a high school game and more. There’s a page on Newsok.com that we call a story wall featuring images and stories from the Oklahoma State Fair. Go here and then click on the images to see the full version. Also, as both of you know, you can click here to see photo galleries by staff photographers at The Oklahoman.

Elaf Alshak, left and Fatemah Alaslman ride the Enterprise at the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City, September 20 , 2010. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman

Yvonne Underhill kisses her grandson Jeremy Underhill, 7, after school in their Choctaw, Okla., home on Thursday, September 9, 2010. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

Painted pink for Win-Win Week, Moore senior Garrett Scaggs, 18, left, and junior Nick Harschfeld, 16, cheer during the football game between Moore and Southmoore on Thursday, September 17, 2010. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton…

Boy Scouts march with American flags during the LibertyFest Parade, Saturday, July 3, 2010, in downtown Edmond, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

Since the Fourth of July fell on a Sunday this year, there were celebrations to photograph the day before. Some events made it through the weather, like Edmond’s LibertyFest Parade and the concert by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic with a fireworks display at Red, White, and Boom! The Yukon Freedom Fest, however, had to pack up early because of the rain. Hopefully the events today will avoid the weather problems.

Click here to see a photo gallery from the LibertyFest Parade.

And here for pictures from Red, White, and Boom!

Fireworks explode as the Oklahoma City Philharmonic plays "Stars and Stripes Forever" for the finale of their free Patriotic Pops concert during the Independence Day celebration Red, White, and Boom! east of the Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, July 3, 2010. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

Ted Flanagan squeegies the rain off of his 1963 1/2 Ford Falcon, during Freedom Fest, in Yukon, Oklahoma, Saturday, July 3, 2010. Flanagan's Falcon won the People's Choice award at the event's car show before the rain ended activites. By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman

Have a happy and safe Fourth.

-Nate Billings…