Michael Avilla plays on the living room floor at his family's home in Midwest City on a recent Sunday. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

At his home in Midwest City, Michael plays with his toys in front of the television and looks up occasionally to watch a scene from Kindergarten Cop. When a neighbor comes by the house to visit, Michael backs toward him laughing, and hoping for a pat on the back or a hug.

-John Clanton

If you’d like to see a gallery of more photos, click here.

Marine Corps League Member Keith Howry holds an American flag during a presentation by the group at Johnson Elementary School in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Delbert Coulter proudly displays his medals of honor on his chest during the 45th Infantry Division Museum Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla. By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

Michael Breeden, a Marine Corps League Member, takes down the flag at Johnson Elementary School during a presentation by the group in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. The older flag was replaced with a new one during the presentation. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

J.W. Nobile gets an eye full from his daughter Eloise as they attend the 45th Infantry Division Museum Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla. By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

For more Veterans Day photos, click here.

-John Clanton

Oklahoma City's Thabo Sefolosha (right) and Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant go after a loose ball during the NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Oklahoma County jail inmate Jesus Lucero rides in an elevator as he cleans along with a group of jail trusties on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. Photo by Bryan Terry

Michael Meyers, of Norman, waves a flag during a rally on the north side of the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma CIty on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Jovia Franklin (21) of El Reno makes a catch over the defense of Kale Thaxton (20) of Duncan during the high school football game between Duncan and El Reno in El Reno, Okla., Friday, November 6, 2009. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

Cheri White Owl gives a hug to "Dan" at Horse Feathers Equine Rescue Facility in Guthrie, OK, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

Staff Photographers Chris Landsberger, left, and Sarah Phipps gather around James Nachtwey after he spoke at USAO in Chickasha, Okla., on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Photo by James Plumlee.

James Plumlee and I were worried that we hadn’t left Oklahoma City early enough to get good seats. As we opened the doors of Te Ata Memorial Auditorium on the USAO campus, we relaxed a bit. We were an hour early and were the first ones there. James Nachtwey, one of the greatest war and conflict photographers of all time, was speaking at USAO in Chickasha, Okla. Nate Billings had heard about the free event on NPR and we threw together a group of photographers including Sarah Phipps, Chris Landsberger, Nate, myself and former staff photographer James Plumlee to drive to Chickasha. We sat on the front row and talked while the entire auditorium filled up behind us. Nachtwey opened his speech by saying that this was his first time to visit Oklahoma.

If you’re reading Alternate Crop, you’re either related to a staff photographer at The Oklahoman or you have at least a passing interest in photography. Either way, you should be familiar with James Nachtwey’s work. There was a documentary about him called War Photographer. And he’s one of the founding members of VII Photo Agency. I’ve seen the movie, poured over his books and I keep the VII website bookmarked on my computers, but hearing the stories first hand and seeing the pictures on a big screen gave me plenty to think about. We hung around afterward, met Nachtwey and asked a couple of questions. I asked him if we could buy him dinner or coffee.

Every description I type and re-type about his presentation seems inadequate. Nachtwey’s photographs are heart-wrenching and inspiring. His stories from seeing war and famine around the world are chilling, but I think I liked his thoughts on journalism the best. He talked about journalists being involved in the community, locally or overseas, and about contributing to society by highlighting problems in our communities. I’m glad the five of us made the trip to USAO in Chickasha. He said, no, by the way, to dinner. I told him we’d do it the next time he came to Oklahoma.

-John Clanton

Firefighters battle a four story apartment fire at the Enclave luxury apartments near the intersection of Covell Road and Kelley on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Edmond, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

When news of the apartment fire in Edmond got to the Photo department at The Oklahoman,  Staff Photographer Chris Landsberger was sent toward the smoke. From the ninth floor windows at The OPUBCO tower, DOP Doug Hoke and I could see the flames from the fire that was about 8 miles away. Landsberger ended up spending about 4 hours photographing the fire, taking breaks to send pictures back from the car, in order to meet deadlines back at the paper. Meanwhile, just two miles away, I photographed a candlelight vigil for Bicycle Bob, a homeless man in Edmond, who was killed this week. A young man named Bryce Camp organized the event that drew hundreds of people to the Market Place in Edmond.

Bryce Camp bows his head during a candlelight vigil, that Camp organized, for Dwight Morgan, or Bicycle Bob, who was killed earlier this week. The vigil as held at the Market Place near Second and Broadway in Edmond Okla., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

Michael Watkins looks for customers for Terror on Tenth Street Haunted House in Oklahoma City on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Michael Watkins stood at the corner of 10th and Virginia and waited for traffic. For now, he’s wearing a deranged clown costume and holding a plastic meat cleaver. This is his first year working the Terror on Tenth Street Haunted house. After a haunted tour, I stand outside talking to the cast that inhabits the small house on weekends. They talk about scaring people so badly they’ve had punches thrown, broken windows and people running out the front door. Malinda Frisch, who volunteers with her grandson, dresses up as Nurse Ratchett and Dr. Hatchet. “This is our favorite time of the year,” she says. This is beter than staying at home. This is our family time.”

Malinda Frisch poses in her costume outside the Terror on Tenth Street Haunted House in Oklahoma City on Sunday night. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

Rev. Pam Normile blesses a cocker spaniel named Sipsey, during a Blessing of the Animals service outside First Presbyterian Church in Norman on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Visually, the service was very interesting. A semi-circle of chairs in a half empty parking lot,  a small table with a cross and dogs running around everywhere. You can watch a slideshow of the service by clicking here.

Miniature schnauzers Stella and Laney get their owner Charlie Crane, of Norman, tangled up in leashes during a Blessing of the Animals service outside First Presbyterian Church in Norman on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

A small fish, that was eventually thrown back, hangs from a hook at Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

As a photographer, when I think of ideas for an audio slideshow, I usually think of what pictures I might be able to get to go with a particular story, and then I back up the pictures with audio from the event. A few weeks ago I went out to Lake Hefner and hatched an idea for a new slideshow by doing the opposite. I listened to the sounds of the lake and how peaceful it was late at night, the animals, the water,  the creaking of the docks, and decided to take pictures that would back up the sounds of the lake. On three trips to the lake, mostly late at night, I met people who fish off the docks at Lake Hefner. Some people said they spend all day at the lake. They’ll start fishing at 2 pm and keep fishing until atfter 10 pm. Another group said they usually show up after work at 10 pm and sometimes fish until 3 or 4 in the morning.

A plane passes over Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. This is a 25 second exposure taken at about 9:30 pm. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

For pictures of the fishermen and the fish, I used 50mm and 35mm lenses. The Canon 5d markII takes pictures very well at high ISO, so I usually set it at 5000 ISO. Just last night I took a tripod out to the lake and used a 24-70mm lens and a really long shutter speed to photograph the docks. I did almost no color correction to the pictures in the slideshow. There are so many sources of light that are mixing together in the pictures, that I wanted them to look as natural as possible. There’s the moonlight, the yellow lights inside the dock and on the streetlights, and the white and green lights above the dock, lighting up the water. I almost never use a tripod for still photographs. I can’t remember the last time I did, but before I knew it last night, an hour and a half had melted away while I took pictures. When I sat on the rocks on the shore long enough for a spider to crawl up my leg, I knew it was time to leave. You can see the final slideshow by clicking here.

Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

Rebecca Tyberg, a junior at Piedmont High School, puts on her blindfold as she enters a ballroom for Dining in the dark at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Boone Pickens, center, holds court for a group of past and present Holdenville, Okla. residents during game day of the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and the Grambling State University Tigers at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Stillwater, Okla. By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

The Oklahoman Photo Department has been busy in the last seven days. Henry Bellmon’s funeral, OU vs. Miami football, a feature story about T. Boone Pickens and, of course, high school football are a few of the assignments we’ve photographed. Here are a few images that stand out over the last week.

Gov. Brad Henry and his wife Kim pay their respects at the casket of former governor Henry Bellmon as they remove it from the State Capitol on Friday, Oct. 1, 2009, in Oklahoma City, Okla. By Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman.

Miami's Thearon Collier (28) just misses catching a pass in front of OU's Quinton Carter (20) during the college football game between the University of Oklahoma (OU) Sooners and the University of Miami (UM) Hurricanes at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, Saturday, October 3, 2009. Miami won, 21-20. By Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

-John Clanton

Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant poses for Oklahoman staff photographer Chris Landsberger during media day for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

If either of you have looked in the paper and seen a nicely lit portrait of Sam Bradford, Dez Bryant or Russell Westbrook, chances are we didn’t take the picture the night before. We probably took the picture during the team’s media day. Professional and collegiate-level teams hold media days to try and meet a portion of media’s requests for access to players and coaches all at one time in one place. Basically, it’s a chance for still photographers, reporters, and video photographers to take pictures, ask questions and tape interviews so that later in the season we can concentrate on coverage of the teams. We usually archive the pictures so that when the sports department needs a nice portrait to augment a feature story, we can use a picture from media day instead of sports action photo from a game.

Chris Landsberger and I set up our station between the Associated Press and the official NBA photographers. We brought a backdrop, three lights, stands for the lights and background, pocket wizards, a pile of cords, battery packs for the lights and a partially filled basketball. The photographs that Chris took will be used throughout the season on NewsOK.com and in The Oklahoman.

-John Clanton