Broadway is Dark Tonight

Broadway is a street a few blocks to the west of the street I live on, which is Joplin. But I don’t live in Joplin. I live in Pittsburg, Kansas; going on my third week now. At this point, I still feel like I’m in a much smaller town than Springfield that doesn’t have nearly as much going on. I’ll probably warm up to it with time, at this point I’m spending all my time between my 9-10 hour shifts and sleeping working out or watching “Scrubs” on DVD.

The producing job is going more smoothly than anticipated. I’ve solo-produced a couple of weeks now, with only minor errors. But I know at some point, as live television gods dictate, something will go wrong and I’ll have to think on my feet and deal with the curve ball. When that day comes, I hope I have plenty of caffeine in my system.

Being out of college is only a little different than I expected. It’s relieving to only have to focus on one job and being as perfect as I can at it. At the same time, I’m driving to the same place five times a week,  putting in the hours and coming home exhausted. But I’m optimistic about the future as I continue to get accustomed to the sleep schedule. As the days go by, I won’t have to come in as early and leave as late and my body will make the adjustments and get used to not as much sunlight. Hopefully the weekend will take care of that.

Why I should be sleeping..

I write this as I go back looking through my pics from photojournalism class and still wonder why wordpress insisted on making them overlap everything when I posted them. Maybe I’ll find out how to fix the layout once things have chilled out. But not today.

I should not be awake now, instead striving to get used to the sleep schedule I will have for the foreseeable future. The last time I worked the third shift was right after I graduated high school and it was the most draining, god awful job I will ever have. My current job certainly isn’t god-awful. On the contrary I’m extremely thankful I stumbled upon it and glad I made the long drive between work and class on a Wednesday for the interview.

The job now is draining, but things will get better. If I can pull this off, I’ll feel I can do anything. My first test is Monday, when I produce my first newscast by myself. An hour and a half of news content. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Alas, the long-awaited Sports Pics

Some of the highlights of my sports-watching experience during my college years…

The MSU Bears take a break on their way to a streak-extending win against Creighton in January 2006.

The #9 car driven by Kasey Kahne leads the pack at the start of the April '06 race at Texas Speedway. Kahne would go on to win the race at NASCAR's fastest track.

Fans take to the court following Bears' inaugural win at JQH Arena against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Scavenger Hunt Photos

Here are my photos in all their unedited glory!< 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the morning newscast, KSPR's Natalie Nunn updates her weather graphics following a night of heavy flooding in Springfield.

Public Affairs Conference 2009

This year’s conference at Missouri State University focused on sustainability.

Dr. Harold Hodgkinson gave the final address of the conference on friday. His presentation focused on the implications of world population trends for the future.

Dr. Hodgkinson describes the major human migration routes over the last several years. Hodgkinson works for the Center of Demographic Policy at the Institute for Educational Leadership.

The first of many audience questions following Hodgkinson's presentation.

To make conference less confusing for out-of-towners, the campus shuttles that went from the garages to the union was clearly marked.

Photo Story: Orchard Owners Take Action to Save Crops From Cold

I took these pictures the weekend before the Ozarks saw multiple nights of subfreezing temperatures. I was covering a story on those who could be most affected by the cold-snap: orchard owners who rely on their crop for income.

This orchard is located in the hills near Highlandville, about 30 miles southeast of Springfield. While peaches are the primary fruit grown here, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and tomatoes can also be found.

Owner Paul Lais lives with his wife in Springfield, but during early spring he can be found at the orchard seven days a week, preparing for the growing season. He sleeps in a trailer he bought which he lovingly calls the "Man-Cave".

 

Lais says peaches and strawberries are the first to start growing; they typically blossom late March to early April.

Peach trees are the most vulnerable to cold during the blossom stage. Lais says if the temperature reaches 28 degrees, he can expect a 10% peach loss. If it dips to 25 degrees, up to 90% can be lost. During an early April cold snap two years ago, Lais lost a majority of his peach and strawberry crop and had to make up for the loss by working in Springfield.

If it gets below freezing, Lais will crank up his lone wind machine. The heat is generated from diesel-powered "smudge pots" placed near the base of the tower, and the propellor will circulate the rising heat throughout the 10 acres of peach trees.

 

Another tool to keep the peach trees warm is a sprayer. A tractor pulls the contraption between the peach trees as it sprays a mist of freeze-proof liquid calcium on them.

Lais will work the sprayer using a controller as he rides the tractor.

The fruit grown here will be sold to local grocery stores and the Farmer's Market in Springfield. If he loses most of his peach crop to the cold, Lais will have to buy fruit from other orchards and re-sell it. This costs twice as much as producing his own fruit.

Dozens of Ducks and Gaggles of Geese

For my feature pictures, I went to Nathaniel Greene Park in Springfield on a warm day hoping there’d be a bunch of fun photo ops with kids playing around. In actuality, there were only a few people busy walking the trail. So I turned my attention to the waterfowl.

On any given mild spring day, geese can be found near South Creek Lake. This bunch is checking out their neighbors on the far shore.

The geese seem accustomed to humans; letting those quiet enough within a few feet.

...and they're off

A memorial to Anne Case Drummond was built to honor the park lover after her death in 2002.

The south side of the lake seems to be the preferred spot for area ducks.

Covering Jefferson City

A photo opportunity practically fell into my lap this week. My broadcast journalism teacher invited the class to tag along to Jefferson City for a routine taping of the public television program she anchors, “Jeff City Journal”. When I heard we would also be meeting her mentor, Phil Brooks, instantly thought “photo subject!”

"This may be the beginning of the Republican fracture" Phill Brooks discusses one of the top stories of the day: heated debate in the Senate over business tax exemptions. The acting Dean of the Statehouse Press Corps, Brooks has covered the legislature for nearly 40 years.

"Phooey to Fair" is one of the most important phrases Brooks stresses to journalism students, though he uses a different word than Phooey. Brooks says not every balanced story has to be "fair" to the subject. "Do you think those covering the Holocaust would stress including Hitler's side of the story?"

Brooks with Missy Shelton (L). Shelton was a student of Brooks when she attended the School of Journalism at MU. She is now the news director for KSMU, the NPR affiliate in Springfield.

I can't take credit for this one, obviously. Missy took the picture.

 

News Event: Trout Day ’09

With opening day falling on the weekend, park officials expected record turnout. But snow cover and single digit temperatures kept all but the hardiest of anglers at bay.

For this assignment, we were to take pictures of a planned news event. Going home for the weekend, I found the perfect opportunity to get pictures of something expected: great turnout at opening day of fishing season at Roaring River State Park!

On March 1st, many showed up hours early to stake out a spot by the river.

 

Clarice and Junior Stephens officially start trout season at Roaring River. The couple from Olathe, Kansas also were honored with the first fishing tags of the season. They have come to every trout day at Roaring River since 1974.

 

Beth Brown rings up a fishing tag in the park's store. An accounting technician, she drove from Jefferson City to take part in opening day.

Neighborhood Composition

I love the variety of old homes I see on my way to and from school. There’s also a lot of opportunities for photos with good composition. A walk around the block yielded a few examples of what draws the eye in photojournalism.

Here's some diagonal lines. The fence stops just before the corner, but the driveway keeps going.

I positioned myself to get good symmetry with the driveway and the street.The gazebo is located where our "imaginary thirds" meet. I really like that oak tree; it looks like it belongs in Georgia.

This isn't really an example of any specific composition; I just like these cars.

 

The gazebo is located where our "imaginary thirds" meet. I really like that oak tree; it looks like it belongs in Georgia.