Diana in the daylight
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State football at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
Something strange happened this football season. I photographed several more daytime football games than I usually do.
I love the daytime games because the light is better, deadline is far away and I should be able to get home (or to my hotel room) before midnight.
I took advantage of the daylight by bringing my plastic Diana F+ camera with me to most of the games. The small aperture of the camera and slow film speeds make it best suited for daylight photography. To add an even stranger look to the pictures than you get by just using a camera made of plastic, I used slide film and then had it cross processed in C-41 chemistry, normally used for color negative film.
The effect of the soft, plastic lens on the Diana and the contrast and green color cast from the cross processing give an eery and impressionistic look to the photos.
It’s like the Instagram filters done the old fashioned way.
Here are some of the pictures from the Diana.
Big Tex, R.I.P., outside the Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fair before the OU/Texas football game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State football at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
After the OU/Texas college football game outside the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State football at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
The Pride of Oklahoma during the OU/Texas college football game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
Oklahoma State at Baylor football inside Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
The OU/Texas college football game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State football at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
Oklahoma at Iowa State football at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings
#eventualgram
-Nate Billings
2012 Pictures of the Year
John Meeks, 16, Boys Ranch Town carries an American flag on horseback during the LibertyFest Fourth of July Parade in Edmond, Okla., Wednesday, July 4, 2012. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
It’s that time when we look back on what we’ve done and share a little bit of it with you all by picking our photos of the year. Each photographer selects some of his or her favorites and we combine them into a few galleries. Some of the photos are of significant moments in the year, while some are simply visually striking. If you have a spare few minutes, check out the pictures:
Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard (3) leaps over Kansas State’s Nigel Malone (24) during the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kansas State University Wildcats (KSU) at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, in Norman, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
Stephanie Dunham screams, “It’s not fair, ” as she is taken from the courtroom by two deputies. An Oklahoma County District Judge sentenced Stephanie Dunham to prison for 18 years for her part in the deaths of her three children. They died in a mobile home fire in Del City in January, 2011. Judge Jerry Bass imposed the penalty on Dunham in his courtroom Wednesday afternoon, July 11, 2012. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman.
-Nate Billings
100th All-State football team
All-State high school football player Trey’vonne Barre of Jenks poses for a photo in Oklahoma City, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
This year our high school sports writers picked The Oklahoman’s 100th All-State football team and asked me if I could do something to make it look a little “old school.” I happily agreed, deciding to use film for the project.
I took the pictures with a Fuji GF670 medium format camera set to make 6×6 cm square negatives (it can also do 6x7cm) and used Ilford HP5 black & white film.
I chose the square format because of my many discussion with Tulsa World photographer Mike Simons about Instagram. He likes to call square photos taken on film Eventualgrams. I love that term.
So, here are some Eventualgrams of The Oklahoman’s 100th All-State football team with the real film borders and all. You can see pictures of the entire team in this photo gallery.
All-State high school football coach Gary Rose of Carl Albert poses for a photo in Oklahoma City, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
All-State high school football player Justice Hansen of Edmond Santa Fe poses for a photo in Oklahoma City, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
All-State high school football player Kimmie Carson of Tulsa East Central poses for a photo in Oklahoma City, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
All-State high school football player Dominique Alexander of Booker T. Washington poses for a photo in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
Check out more of the photos in this gallery if you have some time.
-Nate Billings
Jerry Laizure, 1953-2012
Photographer, assistant and overall technical wizard Jerry Laizure poses for a photo at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., Friday, August 17, 2007. This photo was made with a Sinar Norma 4×5 view camera on Polaroid Type 55 film. By Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
Last week we lost Jerry Laizure. He was a legend in the Oklahoma photo community and one of the best people you could have ever met.
Always helpful and witty, Jerry made every assignment easier and a lot of fun.
Once you were part of Jerry’s club (and just about everybody was), he would do anything to help you, even at the expense of doing his own job. For many out-of-town photographers who had shoots in Norman, Jerry was their first call for information or assistance.
Jerry’s signature look was the Hawaiian shirt. And many of the hundreds of people who attended his memorial service last Saturday wore a Hawaiian shirt in his honor. Some of the photographers there gathered briefly for the photo below.
Jerry Laizure poses for a test shot on July 20, 2006 in Norman, Okla. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Jerry Laizure at OU vs. Texas Tech football in Lubbock, Texas, October 6, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
I, and the rest of our department, are very sad to have lost him. We miss Jerry already.
-Nate Billings
The Arrival of the Christmas Season
Aiden Gillespie, 7, tubes down a snow slope at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Christmas has arrived in Oklahoma City with the return of Downtown in December.
I went down to the Bricktown Ballpark to take photos of people enjoying some snow slopes.
Caleb Edwards, 11, carries his tube up to take another ride of the snow slope at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
People line up to ride tubes down a snow slope at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Linda Elliot, of Edmond, tubes down a snow slope at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Employees spray snow on a slope as Macy McColl, 9, rides down at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Mary Jane Flores rides down a snow slope at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Tubes stacked at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Reflecting on an Assignment
A photojournalist should always be aware of his or her surroundings, but sometimes they get caught up in the moment and forget about simple things like mirrors and their ability to reflect.
Miranda Marshall holds up her son, Nathan, who is the sixth generation of a family that has been seeing Vona Hankins for haircuts in Oklahoma City, Friday, Nov. 16, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall Colors
David Lamer and his dog, Gus, play fetch at a field near the Loyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
One of my favorite things about being a photojournalist is documenting the change of the seasons. Of course, Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year. It is a time when the colors around us are the most vibrant and diverse.
I have spent recent afternoons enjoying the weather and scenery.
A fall leaf lays on the grass in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Fink Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Fink Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Fink Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
A fall leaf is held up by the wind on a chain-linked fence at the University of Central Oklhaoma in Edmond, Okla., Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Fall leaves cover a path at Hafer Park in Edmond, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Editor’s Note: This post was revised Nov. 11.
The passing of two coaches
Hollis, Okla. – Nov. 7, 2003. Former Texas coach and Hollis high school football player Darrell K Royal, right, signs a program for Hollis resident Kenneth Bartlett during halftime of the Hollis vs. Mangum high school football game. Hollis has named their football field after Royal. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
At Alternate Crop we were sad to hear of the death of two football coaches this week. The first was Darrell K Royal, the legendary University of Texas head coach. I had the pleasure of eating dinner with Royal in his hometown of Hollis, Okla., in 2003.
Berry Tramel and I traveled to Hollis for a story about the high school’s football field being named after him and ran into the coach at J.C.’s Grille before the game. Berry has put the story from 2003 on his blog along with his column about Royal still being an Okie despite having the greatest coaching career in Texas history.
Hollis, Okla. – Nov. 7, 2003. Former Texas coach and Hollis high school football player Darrell K Royal, right, reaches over Dustin Adams, middle, to talk to Justin Fletcher, left, as the Hollis Tigers pose for a picture with Coach Royal at Hollis High School. Hollis has named their football field after Royal. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
The second death this week was Chandler head coach Scott Myers at age 45 from cancer. Former staffer John Clanton followed Myers for a night when he was coach of the Moore Lions. Myers had continued to coach the Lions after learning he had cancer. Clanton’s blog entry and audio slideshow are worth checking out here.
Moore head football coach Scott Myers talks with quarterback Vova Razryvin before a game at Norman High School in Norman on Friday, Sept. 10, 2010. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman
With his team ready to take the field before their game, Moore head football coach Scott Myers looks out at the field at Norman High School in Norman on Friday, Sept. 10, 2010. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman
We enjoyed photographing these coaches and were happy they let us into their lives for a short time.
-Nate Billings
Covering the Oklahoma Democratic Watch Party
Kristen Gadlin, right, and Fannie Kay, both of Oklahoma City, watch television coverage of the 2012 election during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
I had never covered a watch party before tonight. It was definitely a lot more than I expected.
From 7 p.m. to when it was announced that Obama was re-elected, the energy in the room never wavered. There was a live band, people cheering, and definitely a lot more alcohol than I would have imagined.
Eric Dixon, of Oklahoma City, watches a television during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Obama/Biden support stickers during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Seidah Vaughn and her son, Lucas, 10, cut up Obama support stickers during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Wannie Debouse, of Midwest City, has her photo taken with cardboard cutouts of Barack and Michelle Obama during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Democratic supporters clap while watching election coverage during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Arnola Gipson, of Oklahoma City, cheers during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Roseanna Angelo reacts as President Obama wins the 2012 election during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Debra Yarbrough hugs Sonja Foxx after President Obama won the 2012 election during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
Tiffany Thompson reacts as President Obama wins the 2012 election during the Oklahoma Democratic Party watch gathering at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Oklahoman
The faithful football assistant
Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads during the Cyclone’s football game against the Oklahoma Sooners, Nov. 3, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
I have no idea if Iowa State head football coach Paul Rhoads has broken the clip on his headset’s belt pack or he just prefers to not have the weight on him. Either way, I found this sort of funny.
Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads with assistant during the Cyclone’s football game against the Oklahoma Sooners, Nov. 3, 2012. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
-Nate Billings
