Egg farm, Coo-Coo-Kachoo

Starting this last week we began running a series in the paper about food producers in our area, highlighting local farms. Tonight I shot my first piece for the series on the Lebovitz egg farm north of Bay Center. I really enjoyed hanging with the family — and it truly is a family affair — as they did their nightly chores around the farm. The kids were especially active.
I really wish I would have gotten down to her eye level on this one. I try to live by the advise of the Seattle Times' Alan Berner who said that when photographing kids he always gets down on their level so you're not looking down on them. Unfortunately this moment happened too fast...



This may be my favorite, even though I doubt it will run with the package in the paper.


Someone else visiting the farm at the same time as me noticed there were eggs falling out of this tree, so I took a look inside and found more chickens hanging out.
Ellexa checked it out too.

BTW, did anyone else know that chickens were cannibals? This chicken litterally ran over to eat this dropped egg and was soon joined by a few more... ewww

-DKM

Stretching out — on deadline

It's not often that I end up shooting photos on deadline for the paper, being a weekly, it's kind of an advantage. But sometimes it just works out that I have to shoot something in the hours before a section of the paper is due. Such was the case this morning as I photographed a Tai-Chi class at the Peninsula Senior Activity Center.
The story was a general update on the senior center and about how they offer various activities that you would not have found at senior centers in the past. The Tai-Chi class was a natural, but it happens at 10 am Monday mornings (the story was running in the Life section of the paper, which is printed after 2 pm Monday afternoon.
I didn't have a long time to spend there, but with the class only lasting an hour it gave added incentive to work quickly. When I saw the scene below with someone performing a Tai-Chi move near vestiges of senior centers past — and old electric organ, a card table covered in puzzle pieces, flags, etc. — I pretty much knew I had a shot that would work to help tell the story (plus it had cool light).


This freed me up to start looking for other supporting pix, including this one of Pete Hanner, as he figuratively and literally "wipes away" stress, during a serious of movements at the start of class. Pete is a very cool guy. He and his wife are in their 80s, but you certainly wouldn't know it by the way they live their lives. I'd love to do a story and them and their relationship (they've been married more than 70 years).


I made it back to the office around 11:30, and had these pix on the page an hour later.

-DKM

Mini cowboys

Aaaaaand we're baaack! Yeah, it's been a while since I've been on here. And honestly it had been awhile since I shot a picture for the paper. After spending the better half of a week at the Bellingham Visual Journalism Conference, where I was a coach in the multimedia workshop on day one, I was back at work this week. Yesterday I shot the annual Long Beach Rodeo with a focus on the activities and events for young kids, which is way more fun than watching yet another cowboy get trampled by a bull...
A couple years ago I spent a little time shooting the stick horse races, but this time around I knew it would be a highlight of my day. I kinda like the one below better because of the rodeo queen behind her, but I'm not sure.

This lil buckaroo had a pretty serious look.

He even held his own in the mutton-busting event.

Unbelievably, in my nearly 15 years of shooting for newspapers yesterday was first ever foray into mutton busting, an event that was seemingly invented for photos.


Heck, I even pulled off a fairly successful panning shot during the youth barrel races...


-DKM

His own private island

So yeah, haven't posted anything in awhile — probably because I haven't felt like much if what I've produced the last couple weeks is really worth sharing. But this was a fun sorta assignment.
Last week me and a group of three others paddled out to Baby Island, a small, solitary island on the east of Willapa Bay. It is a particularly noteworthy landmark around here in its unique size and shape, and its historical significance to the Chinook people.

One of the fellows we paddled out with was Steve Rogers (no, not the original Captain America...) whose family has owned about 2/3rds of the 2.8-acre island since the 1950s.

Not many have visited the island over the years (especially the last 50 or so I'm sure) as the only safe way to get there is by boat during a high tide. This of course made it all the more unusual to find a crew from Department of Natural Resources already ashore when we arrived. Apparently someone saw a small of pillar of smoke rising from the island an hour earlier and they went out to investigate. Thankfully they were able to contain the small, smoldering fire.

The trip was around three miles total, against the tide both ways (my second time in the last few weeks manning a canoe for an assignment). Fun way to spend a day at work. I'll be sure to add a link to the story once it's posted later today.

-DKM

Fourth

I live in a small town, therefore small town things like the Fourth of July parade is a must. Here's a few from the annaual "Olde Fashioned Fourth" parade in Ocean Park this afternoon.



Yeah, it's out of focus big time, but at the same time I thought it looked kinda cool, I may be wrong


I just thought this was kinda funny — I was walking behind this father & son in matching leather chaps on my way into Okie's for a Vitamin Water after the parade.


-DKM