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Foul ball!

If I were in this picture, I would be cowering in fear.

-Nate Billings

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Spring Snow

All week the weather forecasters have been telling everybody to stay inside Saturday because of the snow.

People seem to have listened.

Sarah Phipps, Paul Hellstern and I spent the day looking for folks out in the snow in the Oklahoma City metro area and didn’t find many. Truthfully, we didn’t find a whole lot of snow either. The metro area was spared the blizzard that buried much of the north and western part of Oklahoma for the past two days.

For a gallery of some of what we did find, click here.

-Nate Billings

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Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival

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.

-Nate Billings

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Cpl. Gary L. Moore

As photographers, we have very little control over what happens to our pictures after we turn them into the newspaper. Often they are cropped or not even run at all for a variety of reasons, some reasonable, some not. What I like about this blog is that we can show you the photo as we think it should be seen.

This photo by John Clanton ran on today’s front page with a very different crop that cut off the bottom half of the photograph. I think the uncropped version, shown above, is a more powerful image. Since we cannot see the subject’s face, the picture relies on body language to add to the emotion. If his legs are cut off, as in the photo on the front page, we lose the subtle lean and the raised foot of the subject. The crop also weakens the composition of the picture.

I hope photographs like the one above will make people pause for a moment to consider the loss of Cpl. Moore and the other soldiers who have died in Iraq.

-Nate Billings

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OU men in Kansas City

Bryan Terry has been covering the OU men’s basketball team during the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Kansas City. Here’s some photos from the team’s win over Michigan to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Both of our regular readers should note the new caption box feature on our photos here.

To see a gallery with more photo from the game, click here.

-Nate Billings

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Take My Picture

I’ve gotten a little bit behind on the “Hey, take my picture!” posts. To update new readers, photographers hear that phrase a lot. So when we started  the Alternate Crop blog site, we started taking pictures when people asked. This one I took in Moore when the members of Westboro Baptist church were protesting Moore High School.  Nate Billings took the picture below by request at the Oklahoma Youth Expo junior livestock show.

It’s funny, I think most of the time people don’t think we really took the picture.

-John Clanton

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Up late with Big 12 basketball

Texas Tech’s Mike Singletary (32), middle, and Darko Cohadarevic (31) react after a play in front of Bryan Davis (0) of Texas A&M in the second half of the opening round game between Texas Tech and Texas A&M during the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Texas Tech won, 88-83. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

The days with four games in a row at the Big 12 Basketball Championship can take a lot out of you. When the tournament is in our town, we photograph every game. If the tournament were in Kansas City or Dallas, we would only photograph Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, our teams. By the time the fourth game rolls around on the first day, it can be hard to keep focused if neither OU or OSU are playing. Mike Singletary and Texas Tech, however, kept my attention in the second half with an amazing performance and made it worth sticking around last night.

Singletary scored 43 points, including 29 in a row, off the bench to lead Texas Tech to the biggest comeback in Big 12 tournament history. As the game was starting, I was still in the media workroom. I looked up at the score as I was editing photos from the Oklahoma State game against Iowa State. Texas A&M was up 15-2 early. At that point I didn’t feel too excited about rushing back out to the court to photograph a blowout. I’m glad I stuck around. Singletary’s reaction during Tech’s rally, seen above, made the best picture I took all day.

We’ve got two photo galleries from yesterday, divided into the two tournament sessions.

For the first session with Baylor vs. Nebraska and Colorado vs. Texas, click here.

For the second session with OSU vs. Iowa State and Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M, click here.

-Nate Billings

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The Big House and strobe lights

In this view from the catwalk, workers assemble the Big House floor at State Fair Arena in preparation for the state high school basketball championships, in Oklahoma City, Monday, March 2, 2009. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

The Oklahoma State Basketball Tournament begins tomorrow with Class A and B high schools at the Big House. For those of you who do not follow high school basketball, the Big House is the nickname given to State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City for the state basketball championships. Class B through 4A play at the Big House, while the 5A and 6A championships are at other arenas. This year 5A and 6A are at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.

The yearly ritual for photographers at The Oklahoman is to go down to State Fair Arena and check our strobe lights. Sports photographers often install strobes lights that can be triggered remotely at arenas for basketball games when the available light is too dark to stop the action in photographs or the light is just plain ugly. The Big House is too dark to shoot without some sort of flash.

Oklahoman staff photographer Chris Landsberger cuts cable to connect a strobe light in the catwalk at State Fair Arena in preparation for the state high school basketball championships, in Oklahoma City, Monday, March 2, 2009. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

We also have lights in the Ford Center, Gallagher-Iba Arena, and the Lloyd Noble Center. Those arenas are just bright enough to photograph with available light, however, we often use our strobes for remote cameras or when we just want the photos to look better. Instead of taking pictures at 1600 ISO or higher, we are able to shoot at 200 ISO with the strobes installed in the ceiling. The lower the ISO, the better the quality. The downside to using the strobe lights is you can only get one shot about every two seconds while the lights recycle. Without the lights, our cameras will shoot between 5 and 8 frames per second.

On Monday, Chris Landsberger with a little help from me went down to State Fair Arena to check our lights and reinstall the the cable that links all four lights together. There are two radio receivers attached to the cable. The radios receive a signal from our cameras and then fire the strobe lights (there’s one in each corner) in sync with our cameras.

A view of the spookiest part of the catwalk at State Fair Arena, the walk from the stands to the ring around the ceiling of the arena, in Oklahoma City, Monday, March 2, 2009. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

I’m not a big fan of heights, but the State Fair Arena catwalk doesn’t bother me as much as the one at the Ford Center. Perhaps that is because the Ford Center’s catwalk is more than twice as high. However, the catwalk at the State Fair Arena is very dark, dirty, and sways back and forth when you walk on it. Not very reassuring.

Look for our photos from the championships for the next couple of weeks in The Oklahoman, on our photo page NewOK.com, and on this blog.

We’ve also got a gallery of some of the pictures from past state tournaments. You can check that out here.

-Nate Billings

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Lone Grove Tornado

So far, at least eight people, possibly nine, are dead after a tornado moved through Lone Grove, Okla., Tuesday night as part of the rare February severe storms that struck our state. Usually after a big news event, I feel like writing something about what it was like for us as photographers or how hard we worked to cover the story. We had people working Tuesday night and others starting before dawn Wednesday morning, but I don’t want to write about that today.

Right now, the details of how we spent Wednesday don’t seem very interesting compared to what the people and emergency workers in Lone Grove have been through or what many of them have lost. So, let’s keep the attention on them.

Here’s some of our photos from Lone Grove.

Lone Grove firefighter Greg Allen (top) and volunteer Jack Brown search through broken trees north of Highway 70 in Lone Grove following deadly storms the day before around Lone Grove, Okla., Feb. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman 

Margie Hughes, left, gets a hug from her sister Neda Wilson as they look at Margie’s destroyed home following deadly storms the day before around Lone Grove, Okla., Feb. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

John Taliaferro sees the remains of his furniture store in first light after Tuesday’s deadly tornado in  Lone Grove, Okla., on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman

A home on Highway 70 was destroyed in Tuesday’s deadly tornado in  Lone Grove, Okla., on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman

Lone Grove firemen search a home for unaccounted people on the north side of SH 70 in Lone Grove, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN

Trina Quinton sits with a lost dog at her cousin’s destroyed furniture store, John’s Furniture, on the north side of SH 70 in Lone Grove, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN

Searchers look through mobile home debris for four unaccounted for persons on Brock Road in Lone Grove, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. The rails in the tree are the base of a mobile home. BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN 

Deric Brawley, 12, sits with his dog on a friend’s couch inside their destroyed home following deadly storms the day before around Lone Grove, Okla., Feb. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Gov. Brad Henry talks with Sue Rose while surveying damage at the Bar K Mobile Home Park in Lone Grove, Okla., Wednesday, February 11, 2009. On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, a tornado moved through Lone Grove killing at least eight people. Rose was unable to seek shelter in time to avoid the tornado and rode out the storm in a mobile home with four other people. The mobile home was damaged, however, the people survived. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Dennis Parker holds his granddaughter, Brooklyn Hickman, 3, while sifting through belongings from his destroyed mobile home at the Bar K Mobile Home Park in Lone Grove, Okla., Wednesday, February 11, 2009. On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, a tornado moved through Lone Grove killing at least eight people. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Tammie Rose searches for items to salvage from the destroyed mobile home in which her daughter, Shawna Inlow, used to live in Lone Grove, Okla., Wednesday, February 11, 2009. On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, a tornado moved through Lone Grove killing at least eight people. Inlow and her three boys were able to ride  out the storm safely in Rose’s cellar. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Neda Wilson reacts as she looks at her sister’s destroyed home following deadly storms the day before around Lone Grove, Okla., Feb. 11, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman

To see a photo gallery of more pictures from Lone Grove and photos from damage in the metro area, click here.

-Nate Billings

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Historic night at the Ford Center

I spent Monday night Monday night covering the women’s college basketball game between the OU Sooners and the defending national champions, the Tennessee Lady Vols, at the Ford Center. Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt was going for her 1,000th career win, while OU was trying to prove it deserves to be mentioned among the elite teams in women’s basketball.

OU won the game, 80-70, and history was made that night. Courney Paris’ streak of 112 consecutive double-doubles came to an end when she fouled out of the game with 38.2 seconds left with nine points and 12 rebounds.

I have to give it up to the OU fans. The atmosphere was loud and crazy in the arena.  I also think that the game made more good reaction pictures from the players than any in recent memory.

Some of the photos from the game are below. And you can check out a full gallery from the game here.

OU’s Courtney Paris (3) waves to fans after fouling out of the game with 38.2 seconds left in the second half of the women’s college basketball game between Oklahoma and Tennessee at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Monday, February 2, 2009. OU won, 80-70. Paris finished with 9 points and 12 rebounds, breaking her streak of 112 consecutive double-doubles. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

OU’s Whitney Hand (25) reacts after a play in front of Tennessee’s Alex Fuller (2) and Glory Johnson (25) in the second half of the women’s college basketball game between Oklahoma and Tennessee at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Monday, February 2, 2009. OU won, 80-70. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

Tennessee’s Glory Johnson (25), middle, steals the ball from OU’s Jasmine Hartman (45), right, next to Carlee Roethlisberger (10), left, as Tennessee’s Briana Bass (1) looks on in the background in the first half of the women’s college basketball game between Oklahoma and Tennessee at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Monday, February 2, 2009. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

OU fans hold signs referencing Pat Summitt’s attempt at 1,000 wins in the women’s college basketball game between Oklahoma and Tennessee at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Monday, February 2, 2009. OU won, 80-70, keeping Summitt’s record at 999 wins. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

OU’s Danielle Robinson (13) reacts in front of Tennessee’s Alicia Manning (15) after a play in the first half of the women’s college basketball game between Oklahoma and Tennessee at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Monday, February 2, 2009. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

OU head coach Sherri Coale, left, and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt hug before the women’s college basketball game between Oklahoma and Tennessee at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Monday, February 2, 2009. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN

To check out the full gallery of photos, click here.

-Nate Billings

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