Community cleanup

Jalen Robles, 10, left, gets help from her sister, her friend, and her mother while reaching for a piece of trash in a creek during a community cleanup day at a Charles Gardiner Park in Roseburg. The park is the site of frequent alcohol related criminal activity and the girls were volunteering with Umpqua Partners for a Drug-Free Future. 

The Prom Photographer

I'll be the photographer again on Saturday at the Glide High School prom. Maybe Disney should make a silly teen movie and call it "The Prom Photographer".

Gollywhopper

A crane fly clings to a blade of grass in a city park in Roseburg, Ore., on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. According to wikipedia the long-legged fly has many aliases: mosquito hawk, mosquito eater, skeeter eater, gallinipper, and gollywhopper. In the United Kingdom they are commonly referred to as daddy long-legs.

Tamil Tiger child soldier

A young Tamil Tiger rebel soldier pauses while on patrol in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.  I took this picture about 20 years ago while traveling in South Asia after college. I often wonder if this young man survived the bloody Sri Lankan civil war. I would love to go back and see the country again now that the war has ended. I'm thinking about a trip for 2012. It would be great to get an overseas assignment, but I'll probably stay closer to home. 

Senior portraits on the ranch

 

Friends Josie and Rachel did their senior portrait shoot together on our ranch near Elkton, Oregon last week.  It was really fun, and a little challenging.

 When I shoot senior portraits, it's the person being photographed which is important.  The background is nice, it's really all about the light and the subject.

 Check my website for rates.  My studio is in Roseburg, Ore., but I'm happy to travel to any location.

Gray digger on watch

 A California ground squirrel, also known as a gray digger squirrel, keeps watch near its burrow in a meadow at Whistler's Bend Park near Glide, Ore., on Friday, April 22, 2011.  Did you know California ground squirrels are often preyed on by rattlesnakes, but some populations have developed varying levels of immunity to rattlesnake venom.  I had no idea, but Wikipedia says so, so it must be true.

Hummingbird and cattail

A rufous hummingbird collects fluff from a cattail at the edge of a marsh in Dixonville, Ore., on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. The little bird was probably using the fluff to build a nearby nest.

 I was very lucky to spot this cool little bird collecting the fluff.  I waited for about an hour and she came back twice.  Check out more of my nature pictures here.  Reprints are available from the gallery.

 The folks at Zuma Press used one of the hummingbird photos in their Pictures of the Day Gallery.

Animal Tracks

Three of my recent critter photos are on display in this week's  Animal Tracks gallery on msnbc.com. 

After working at newspapers for 19 years and now being on my own it's nice to see my work getting published.  It's also nice to get paid for my animal photos. 

The goose photo also appeared in The Week in Pictures.  The last time I checked it was winning, by a wide margin, in the people's choice vote.

Cute and fuzzy

 A wild days-old Canada goose gosling naps in a flowery field near a pond in Roseburg, Ore., on Tuesday, April 19, 2011.

There are now about 20 goslings hanging out near the duck pond in Roseburg.  They're mostly unafraid of people, but I still shot these with my 600mm with the 1.4x converter. 

Zuma Press picked up one of the shots for their Pictures of the Day gallery.  The little cuties are pretty irresistible.

Femme fatale

 With the telltale red hourglass visible on her abdomen, a female black widow spider crawls over the surface of a mirror in Roseburg, Ore., on Monday, April 18, 2011.  The venom of the female black widow is a neurotoxin and dangerous to humans.  The spider was discovered living inside a business in downtown Roseburg.

 It was a little scary, but fun shooting the black widow under studio lights. 

 She was a bit feisty, but settled down for her closeup.

Believe it or not, we have enormous spiders in Oregon.

Raindrops keep falling

Like Jewels

Small raindrops cling to a plum blossom in our orchard near Oakland, Ore., on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Kiss the baby

An hours-old calf gets a lick from its mother in a pasture on a ranch near Oakland, Ore., on Friday, April 15, 2011. The calf and its mother live on a ranch which specializes in raising organic grass-fed beef.

Walter Breuning (1896-2011)

Walter Breuning of Great Falls, Mont., died yesterday at the age of 114.  He was the oldest man in the world and the second oldest person.  Back when I worked in Great Falls I had the pleasure of meeting Walter and taking his picture.  He was an amazing man.  I made a little video with him when he was a sprightly 110.  Rest in peace Walter.

And here he is throwing out the first first pitch of the season when he was also 110.

Downy comfort

My recent gosling photo was picked up by msnbc.com in The Week in Pictures.  As of this evening the photo is leading in the people's choice vote.  It always amazes me when one of my cute animal photos wins the vote over some of the best hard hitting photojournalism in the world.

Check out this video about The Week in Pictures.  I'm interviewed in the segment.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tax day cometh

A sign waiver attempts to get the attention of motorists outside Liberty Tax Service on N.W. Garden Valley Blvd., in Roseburg, Ore., on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. This year tax day falls on April 18th instead of the traditional April 15th. 

Zuma Press used one of my photos for their Pictures of the Day Gallery yesterday.

Feather bed

A newly hatched wild Canada goose gosling yawns while snuggling in the feathers of its parent near a pond in Roseburg, Ore., on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.  Canada geese are monogamous and most couples stay together for their entire lives.

I seem to shoot a similar photo almost every year.  The little gosling are just so cute.

Teaching an old frog new tricks

Photographed in captivity.  A cricket rests on the head on an albino bullfrog near Roseburg, Ore., on Tuesday, April 12, 2011. The pet frog normally feeds on crickets, but in this case it seemed content to let the insect sit on its head. Albino bullfrogs are extremely rare and sought after as exotic pets.

I believe

I believe newscientist.com is using one of my images from the UFO museum in Roswell, New Mexico.  They picked up the photo from Corbis Images.  I hope they also use it in their print edition.  The story by Paul Marks is getting quite a bit of interest on twitter and in the blogosphere.

Hanging with the homebees

Two honey bees have a meet 'n greet on a blade of grass outside their hive this afternoon near my home in Elkton, Oregon.

I put on a little protection while shooting photos of the beehive.  The bees seemed pretty calm and happy with the warmish weather and the nearby blooming orchard.  I probably would have been fine without the headgear, but gosh I hate getting stung. I used a hand held flash on a sync-cord to get the super cool back light on the bees.  You can see the flash head sitting on the hive in the self portrait.

Thrift store cats

 A cat roams the New Beginning SPCA Thrift store in Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, April 7, 2011. The New Beginnings SPCA is a non-profit  no-kill cat, dog and rabbit shelter.  The center operates on donations and proceeds from the thrift store.  The organization wishes to one day build a separate animal shelter, but for now they always have about 12 cats roaming the thrift store with more kept in cages in a back room.

I've visited the thrift store a few times, and I knew I could make a few nice shots of the cats living in the store.

 The center also offers the low income help with animal food and spay and neuter services.

 The New Beginnings SPCA Thrift Store is always looking for donations of pet food, items for the store, and cash. It's also a great place to volunteer.

Why?

Why did the turkey cross the road?  I don't know, but he looked good strutting across North Bank Road near Rosburg, Ore., yesterday.  Check out more of my animal and nature pictures.  Reprints are available from the gallery.

A boy and his dog

 Studio portraits of a boy and his dog.

 Check my website to see my very reasonable sitting fees.

For a puppy, I was really impressed by Luckie's calmness and composure.  Good dog!