Focus | Photo Blog of Tanner Curtis

Hello, goodbye

2012-01-19T17:34:00.003-06:00

My time with blogspot is over. After I unintentionally deleted almost every photo ever uploaded here (thanks, Google) I stopped posting. I have, however, started a new blog. Please add it to your RSS feed or blog roll to keep up. Thanks!

http://tannercurtis.tumblr.com/

Live Free or Die

2011-06-26T21:33:00.005-05:00

I took a trip to New Hampshire this weekend to hang out with my friend Ben Severance. I made some new friends, went to a barn jam/dance and took some pictures. NH is beautiful. Can't wait to visit again.

RIP Andrew Igidi

2011-06-07T22:46:00.004-05:00

On the night of Memorial Day Andrew Igidi, 74, was shot dead outside of the Hot Corner Market on Albany Ave. in Hartford. Igidi's death was one of four homicides to occur last week in Hartford and one is 17 this year so far. His brother Emanuel (first and last photos) invited the Courant to a vigil being held for him at the site of his murder. The vigil was hosted and conducted by Mothers United Against Violence, a local organization reaching out to families of victims and attempting to stop the killing.

Softball

2011-06-07T22:43:00.003-05:00

Politics

2011-06-07T22:37:00.004-05:00

On my first day of actually shooting for the paper I was sent to the capitol to cover the final days of the legislative general assembly. The capitol itself is absolutely gorgeous. It was basically full of lobbyists scurrying around trying to push for legislation they want as well as some state representatives staying out of the main House chamber.

B.O.M.B. Fest!

2011-06-07T22:25:00.005-05:00

The first thing I got to cover was before my internship at The Hartford Courant even technically started. Bring Our Music Back (B.O.M.B.) Fest happened over Memorial Day weekend in Hartford. Tons of national touring bands and local acts performed, but not much of a crowd attended. This made it easy to get around and cut down on lines, but wasn't so great for the promoters. It was still a blast. Here are a few photos from the festival.

Oh, did I mention that I got to shoot my favorite band? Awesome!

Toy Camera

2011-05-04T21:30:00.002-05:00

One assignment we had for our Photojournalism Projects class was to shoot with a toy camera. I know the Holga is cliché but I had never used one. We had to shoot an adjective. My goal was to shoot loud and quiet and pair the images together. All of this was shot at my friends Ryan and Ed's going away party in a cabin. There was loud music and lots of beer but there was also a quiet forest and a drained lake.

Random

2011-05-04T19:46:00.004-05:00

Catching Up: I Love Mountains Day

2011-05-04T19:06:00.003-05:00

The semester is ending and my workload is finally lessening so I finally have time to post some things I shot in the last few months. Here is the first of those posts.

I met Jerry Moody at I Love Mountains Day, an annual rally in Frankfort, Ky., on Valentine's Day to stop mountaintop removal mining. Jerry was standing under the archway to the capitol entrance in beautiful light. Once I saw him light up his pipe I had to take his picture. We talked for a bit before and after and he was a super great guy.

Final Four!

2011-03-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

Today I went home to Lexington for my sister's 18th birthday dinner. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings so we could also watch UK play UNC in the Elite 8. The place was packed and full of energy. We had a blast and I shot a few photos. All but the last one are my family. I changed the first one to black and white because the TV in the background was green (weird).

My uncle and cousin.

My dad when UNC caught up to UK in the second half.

My mom laughing after spraying silly string.

Onward to Houston! Ooooooooooh C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS!

Photo Editing

2011-02-03T20:31:00.000-06:00

Last semester I was hired as the photo editor for the College Heights Herald and I loved it. I had an amazing staff who did some great work. I really enjoyed the editing experience. I learned a lot from working with other editors and looking through hundreds of photos every week. These are some of my favorite issues from the fall 2010 semester.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2010

Open publication - Free publishing - More oct. 12

Open publication - Free publishing - More oct. 19

Open publication - Free publishing - More nov. 2

Open publication - Free publishing - More newspaper

Videos

2011-02-03T20:15:00.000-06:00

Last semester I took the Web Narratives class at WKU. This was my first time shooting and producing video pieces. Some were more successful than others I think, but overall I enjoyed working with video. Here are three of the pieces I made last semester. The first was for an assignment called "Journey," where our only job was to take the viewer on a journey.

This video was part of a team project with Kelly Lafferty. The assignment was to choose a zip code and produce short video stories showing what makes it special. We focused our project on Rosine, Ky., the home of bluegrass music. This is the video I produced.

This was also a team project with Ben Severance. The Web Narratives class teamed up with students from the Practicum class and produced stories about high school football teams in south central Kentucky. We were assigned to Greenwood High School. The other projects can be viewed on the Friday Night Lights website.

hip.

2011-02-03T19:42:00.000-06:00

It's been a looooong time since I've posted on here. Last semester I was the photo editor at the College Heights Herald and took a video class, so the blog fell to the wayside. I will try my best to post here more often now. This is my last semester at WKU. I'm incredibly excited but also incredibly nervous. Most of the semester will be spent working on one project, but there will be other things, too. I'll make another post with videos from last semester and a few of my favorite Herald issues.

For now, here are some photos shot on my iPhone with the Hipstamatic app. I've had the app for a while but have never really played with it. These are some fun sets of pictures from the last month-ish.

I even made the title hip with lowercase letters and a period!

WKU vs. UK

2010-09-13T00:24:00.000-05:00

As a preface, there will probably not be many updates this fall. I am currently the photo editor of the College Heights Herald and spend a lot of my time looking at the work of my awesome photo staff. I, however, do not have a problem with this. I like editing more and more every day. I am also taking a video class, so expect to see some of those posted throughout the semester. I do get to shoot stills occasionally though.

Yesterday I went home to Lexington to shoot WKU vs. UK at Commonwealth Stadium. I went to a few games there as a kid, so it was very exciting to be on the field instead of somewhere in the stands. I had not shot football in almost a year and was pretty nervous for the game. I tried to channel all of that into excitement. After WKU scored a touchdown in the first minute and a half I got chills. I thought we might actually have a chance at breaking our two year losing streak. Unfortunately, last night wasn't the night. Nevertheless I made some pictures I was happy with, although they are more feature than action, but I'm ok with that. I can't wait to shoot some more sports this fall! Let me know what you think!

Bonfire

2010-07-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

High School Workshops

2010-07-08T14:50:00.000-05:00

Last month I had the pleasure of assistant coaching two high school photojournalism workshops: The Kentucky High School Media Institute and Envision. Both workshops were a lot of fun and the kids were great to work with. I was really inspired by the motivation of the participants and the quality of the work they produced. My job, along with assistant coaching, was the document the kids at the workshops. Here are a few of those pictures.

Recently

2010-07-08T14:46:00.000-05:00

These are a few pictures I shot for myself while working the high school photojournalism workshops this summer at WKU.

Lexington

2010-06-18T17:26:00.001-05:00

Just a few pictures from the past few days in Lexington. It's good to come home for a few days.

Rave

2010-05-03T19:53:00.000-05:00

The first time I went to a rave I was overwhelmed by the entire atmosphere. The visuals. The sounds. The Herald multimedia team decided to do a video piece on the next rave. I shot almost all video this time. Here are two stills I shot that night and the video piece the Herald produced.

Nashville Floods

2010-05-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

So, I'm trying to get my blog caught up this week. I have a lot from the last month to post. Keep checking back this week for new pictures!

Today I went to Nashville with two friends to check out the flooding that happened this weekend. We drove around most of the time looking for people to talk to and to photograph, but didn't have much luck. It was wild to see so many parts of the city underwater. Here are my picks from the day.

Take Back the Night

2010-04-06T22:28:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I'm a little late on this post. I've been spending a lot of my time in the last few days posting content on the new Kentucky Photo Brigade blog. For those who don't know, The Photo Brigade was started by freelance photographer Robert Caplin as a way for other freelance photographers to get exposure through social networking. Recently Robert has been setting up regional branches of the brigade for different photo schools. I'm the regional editor for the WKU blog. Check it out!

For now, these are a few images from Bowling Green's Take Back the Night. The event's purpose is to raise awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence victims. I've covered it before, but this year was different: it was pouring rain. Here are two frames I liked from the event. Check back next week!

Unsung Hero

2010-03-29T23:41:00.000-05:00

This past week I produced a multimedia project. Our topic was Unsung Hero. After a few things fell through, I decided to do my story on Rink Ragan, coach of the Vette City Vixens roller derby team. The team is fairly new and is a very small community of people. Rink is one of the leaders in this community and that's why I saw him as an unsung hero. Let me know what you think!

Mostly fun

2010-03-23T11:56:00.000-05:00

Not a lot to show from last week, but here are a few of my favorites. The first is an issue I hope to cover throughout the semester: domestic partner benefits. In February the benefits committee ruled to not allow domestic partner benefits for Western employees. I'm currently doing more research on the issue and making contacts for with people to photograph. The other two pictures are just fun shots from St. Patrick's Day.

Sun Belt Day 3: It's Over

2010-03-08T23:05:00.001-06:00

Today both the men's and women's teams lost. The Lady Toppers fell to MTSU and the Hilltoppers to Troy. It's been fun here in Hot Springs, but I wish we were staying for the championship then onto the NCAA. Here are my favorites from today.

Sun Belt Day 2

2010-03-08T00:17:00.000-06:00

Today started off with the Lady Toppers facing off against the University of South Alabama. The Lady Toppers won 72-67, advancing them to the semi-finals tomorrow against Middle Tennessee State University.

Next was the men's game against Arkansas State University. There was a large turnout of ASU fans and they were ready to see their team win. The Hilltoppers came out on fire in the first half, but ASU took the lead at the start of the second half. With about three minutes left in the game it got super intense. Western ended up winning in the last minute of the game, 65-64. They play Troy tomorrow in the semi-finals. I'm having a blast covering basketball here and trying to improve. Check back tomorrow night for another update!

Sun Belt Day 1

2010-03-07T00:29:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures from my first day at the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Hot Springs, Ark. I didn't come away with too many frames I was really excited about, but here are some that I like. If you want to see more, we will be posting daily galleries on www.wkuherald.com

Feature + Sun Belt

2010-03-06T14:47:00.000-06:00

Here's a feature I shot this week. I'm currently in Hot Springs, Ark., to cover Western's men' s and women's basketball teams in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The mens' team plays their first game tonight against New Orleans. I'm going to post pictures every night after the games, so check back!

From left: Freshmen Jack Arbaugh and Owen Adwell, both of Louisville, Ky., Liz Starke, of Evansville, Ind., and Blake Garrison, of Bowling Green, Ky., pick up the balls after a round of Bocce outside of Grise Hall on March 1, 2010. In Bocce players throw a smaller ball called a pallino and try to throw the bigger balls as close to the pallino as possible.

Boxing part 2: Evan Goddard's story

2010-03-01T20:06:00.001-06:00

This is the edit of my story on boxer Evan Goddard. The Pi Kappa Alpha junior was named middleweight class champion for the second year in a row at the sixth annual Sigma Chi Battle of the Greeks, or fight night. I followed Evan for a week training for the event and at fight night itself. Evan is extremely focused and driven and I hope that comes through in the images. Let me know what you think! Criticism/comment would be awesome.

UPDATE: Here's the multimedia project that our multimedia team at the Herald put together on Fight Night.

Prove Yourself from Ben Severance on Vimeo.

Boxing part 1

2010-02-28T22:57:00.000-06:00

I'm working on putting together an edit of the pictures I shot of Evan Goddard leading up to fight night. In the mean time, here are a few other pictures from Sigma Chi's Battle of the Greeks. The first two are outside of Jaycees Pavilion where the event was held. I'll hopefully have another post up later tonight or tomorrow with pictures of Evan. Let me know what you think!

Extra update: Lone Star Rodeo

2010-02-23T23:56:00.000-06:00

A little extra update. I shot this a few weekends ago when the Lone Star Rodeo was in town. They wouldn't let me on the floor because I didn't wear a cowboy hat (!?). I walked around the stands for a bit after that. I didn't get much, but I did like this.

A lot of different stuff

2010-02-21T22:58:00.001-06:00

I shot a lot this week. I started a story on Evan Goddard, a Western junior competing in the Sigma Chi Fight Night this coming week. We're producing a huge multimedia piece for the Herald. I'll post a link as soon as it's posted. There was also a rave in Bowling Green on Friday. It was apparently the first one in ten years. There are also a few pictures from a cookout we had today to celebrate the great weather. I hope winter is almost over. Anyway, here are the pictures. Let me know what you think!

Portrait and Friends

2010-02-14T17:15:00.001-06:00

I'm making a (late) new year's resolution. Update every week with whatever I shot that week, even if it's pictures of friends. I'm starting this week with a portrait I shot for the Herald and some fun pictures from the week. Let me know what you think!

I had an assignment to shoot twin sisters on Western's track team. Mary Ellen Mark's portrait series on twins immediately came to mind. I wanted to do something with that same look and feel. Here's my attempt.

Long time no post! WKU vs. Troy

2010-02-07T13:01:00.001-06:00

First post of the new year/decade! I haven't really shot a lot that I've been happy with since my last post. I'm working on that though. I'm also working on re-making all of my web stuff, so there could soon be a new tannercurtis.com, a new blog, etc. I'm taking Intro to Multimedia this semester and am very excited about it. Expect some audio slideshows in the coming weeks/months. For now, here are some pictures from last night's men's basketball game against Troy. It was great to shoot sports again. I forgot how much fun it is. Let me know what you think and I hope not to go two months without posting again.

OR a tighter crop?

This was crazy. Troy guard Vernon Taylor dove over a row of seats for the ball and busted his ass. He was on the ground for at least a couple of minutes before one of the assistant coaches came over to help him walk back to their bench.

Every game they throw a bunch of one dollar bills on the floor and let people grab as much as they can in one minute. It's kind of ridiculous.

KHSAA Class 4A State Championship

2009-12-06T18:41:00.000-06:00

For our final in Photojournalism Practicum we are doing a series of assignments on deadline. We are given 15 assignments over the course of three weeks and have to shoot at least 10. They have ranged from Black Friday to a ribbon cutting at a bank to a portrait of a family member to, most recently, the KHSAA football state championship. The two day championship was held Friday and Saturday at WKU. We had to turn in three pictures before the end of the third quarter and three more after the game.

I shot the division 4A game, Boyle County High School vs. Lone Oak High School. It was the most fun I've had shooting an assignment in a long time. Watching Boyle County come back from a 22-7 lead by Lone Oak was inspirational. I felt lucky to photograph the passionate football players of Boyle County. Their energy gave me a boost of excitement and reminded me that it's possible to pull through even when it seems impossible. Let me know what you think!

Regulars

2009-11-26T13:33:00.001-06:00

This is my photo column from practicum a few weeks ago. Mr. B gave us the topic "edges of campus" but told us if we had a better idea to go for it. When I was in Kalamazoo this summer I thought about what keeps people coming back to certain places. What makes people "regulars"? There are some great stories behind why people frequent restaurants, coffee shops, bowling alleys, etc. I hope to keep this going as a personal assignment for as long as I can. Here are the five I turned in for class (click to enlarge).

Small update

2009-11-19T17:45:00.000-06:00

Just a small update from a story I'm working on about Logan Hatfield. Logan is studying to be a chaplain in the US Army. He is in Western's ROTC. He's not in the first picture, but I kind of like it (probably because it's been so long since I've shot in great light).

Mountain Workshops!

2009-11-08T22:56:00.000-06:00

The Mountain Workshops were one of the first things I knew about WKU's photojournalism program. I was introduced to them through the Russellville book after my first tour of the lab. Last year I was a labbie for the workshop and this year I was able to shoot. I learned so much from my coach, Cheryl Diaz Meyer, that I'm still processing it all. Maybe sometime at the end of this semester when I'm able to breathe again all of the knowledge I've gained from both the Mountain Workshops and Eddie Adams Workshop will sink in. My story can be found on the workshop's web site. Here are some pictures I liked that didn't make it into my story. Let me know what you think!

Red and White Swimming

2009-10-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

Today I shot the red and white swim meet at WKU. The team competed against each other in preparation for the season. I tried some new things today just to see what I could get. Here are my favorites.

Let me know what you think!

Barnstorm XXII

2009-10-19T19:55:00.000-05:00

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the 22nd Eddie Adams Workshop in Jeffersonville, N.Y. It was an incredible experience and I left feeling more inspired than ever. I was on the Orange Team and our topic was "Under 21." My story is on Amber Passalaqua, a cheerleader and track athlete. This June she won the New York State Pentathlon. She hopes to study speech pathology in college next year to help children with speech problems like her two-year-old brother, Tyler Ramsey.

Friday Night Lights

2009-09-19T15:13:00.001-05:00

Here's a feature I shot last night at the Warren East vs. Warren Central game. I shot it for my practicum class. We had to turn in a feature, two action shots, and a shot of each coach by 9:45 p.m. It was fun but I'm glad we have one more chance to do it better. I'll try to update more often.

Members of the Raiderettes cheerleading squad watch the Warren East High School marching band perform at half time Friday, September 18, 2009. The Warren East Raiders took on the Warren Central Dragons at Warren East Friday for the first time since 2004. The Dragons defeated the Raiders 50-7.

Vintage Baseball

2009-08-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

This is the start to another small project I'm hoping to work on in my few weeks left at the Kalamazoo Gazette. This past Saturday I drove to South Haven, Mich., to photograph a vintage baseball game. It was so much fun. Basically, each team has their own time period and each time period has specific rules. Some of these include not running past first base, no sliding or diving to catch the ball, the ball always being in play, and no gloves. There is a double-header coming up next weekend in Douglas that I'm hoping to photograph. Let me know what you think!

Here's what ran in the paper.

Week 5

2009-08-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

Here are my favorite photos from week five of my internship at the Kalamazoo Gazette.

The first is from the Kalamazoo Country Club Invitational golf tournament. This was the first time I ever photographed golf. It's a pretty different sport. I did come away from it with this picture.

One day I was getting ready to walk in the door at work and got a call from my editor telling me to go photograph a wreck at the intersection of West Main and Drake Road. Thankfully no one was injured. This man, D.J. Rush, walked away with only minor scratches on his arm.

This is the start to a small project I'm working on about The Lonesome Moonlight Trio. The band performs at the Cooper Café in Cooper Township every Wednesday and Saturday. They're really great guys and play great bluegrass music. I'm working on putting together a short audio slideshow once I gather more content.

Let me know what you think!

Out and About in Michigan

2009-08-02T19:20:00.000-05:00

Just a few shots from wandering around Kalamazoo recently (except the last picture, which is from South Haven). I've felt a little stagnant in my shooting recently so I've been trying to push myself to look at things a little differently than I normally would. It's been fun so far. Let me know what you think!

Week 4

2009-07-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

Favorites from week four in Kalamazoo.

I've been shooting a LOT of food since I've been here. We have a section called Dining Out that I get at least one assignment for a week. Here is some of the food from this week.

(That wasn't for an assignment. I just thought it looked cool.)

These two are from Island City Fest in Plainwell, Mich. This year they featured an antique tractor and farm implements show.

The next two are from a jazz concert I shot on Friday. Helen Sung is an incredible jazz pianist. I say this knowing nothing about jazz, but it sounded good to me.

This last picture is from the first funeral I've had to photograph. I felt bad being there. I tried to be as respectful as possible. I stayed behind a small wall and used a long lens. I think I maybe shot 30 frames the entire time. This is one I really like, but almost felt bad for shooting. The McDonough family embraces each other at Robert McDonough's funeral Saturday. The funeral for the Fabius Township supervisor and former Three Rivers mayor was held Saturday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Three Rivers. The church was nearly full of McDonough's family and friends.

Any critique/criticism/snide remarks are appreciated.

OH YEA! Check out the video I made of Terry Cleary from the week 2 entry. Sorry the editing is a little rough, I'm still learning the program. Any feedback on that would be awesome.

Week 3

2009-07-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry this post is so late. My favorites from week 3 in Kalamazoo.

My first assignment for the week was to photograph abandoned/condemned/blighted buildings. This is the window into a basement of one of the buildings. The board was most likely removed by a squatter. At every house the people that showed the reporter and I around looked around to make sure no one was squatting there.

I had my first A1 this week (the toilet picture is mine, too)!

This picture ran inside, but I like it better than the one that ran A1. The story was about a one-year-old girl who had spent her whole life in the hospital due to heart defects. She finally received a heart transplant last month and was released. Over 40 family and friends gathered at the home to welcome little Lindsey.

These two are from a press conference held at the Pfizer building in Portage that has been vacant for a long time. Carl Sedlak, the man pointing, is an investor from California. He bought the building and is planning on leasing it to businesses in the area. The building has a glass ceiling that made some pretty sweet light.

This is one of the nicest women I've met here. Pam Drake and her son Liam Drake, 5, of Oshtemo walk around the yard of Benjamin Drake's 19th century home. Pam and Liam donned Civil War attire to attend Benjamin Drake's 222nd birthday party. Pam and Liam Drake have no relation to Benjamin Drake.

I can't remember the man's name, but this banjo was handmade! The strings are made out of gut and the neck of maple!

These are from a new festival in Kalamazoo called Woofstock. Sue Willming of Kalamazoo throws a toy for her dog, Bella, to catch in the Ultimate Air Dogs competition at Woofstock Saturday. At one point, Bella jumped over 19 feet.

LEGEND The Band performs at Woofstock at the Arcadia Creek fairgrounds Saturday.

Tido soaks owner Christy Charles, of Kalamazoo, while drying off after competing in the Ultimate Air Dogs challenge at Woofstock Saturday.

I also did my first video project this week! Check it out here.

Let me know what you think! I'll have another update posted in a couple of days from this past week.

K-zoo Week 2 (Get it? It rhymes!)

2009-07-15T21:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting stuff from week 2. I've had a crazy week. I traveled to and from Lexington this weekend to shoot a wedding (a couple pictures later in the post). Some assignments are more fun than others but I'm really enjoying all of the different kinds of people I'm meeting on assignments. It's definitely the best part of this job.

This is Chef Sean at the Coffee Bar. We did a profile on their new location. Since then I've gone back for lunch and had an AWESOME panini.

Jack Driver was one of my favorite people I met last week, though. Jack was stationed on the USS Hornet, the ship that received Apollo 11 and took the crew aboard. He lives right outside of Kalamazoo, so we're doing a story about him.

I've also been shooting a lot of kids in water pictures.

But, by far, the most interesting assignment I've had so far was about Terry. Terry has Locked-in syndrome. He suffered a stroke 12 years ago that did damage to the lower half of his brain, but not the upper half. This means he is totally cognitively aware, however, he has no motor skills. He communicates using his eyes to blink "yes" or "no" or to go through a chart of the alphabet and spell words. The woman in these pictures is not a nurse. Her name is Roxanne. Roxanne's church visited Terry's nursing home eight years ago and went door to door after being stuck inside by a snow storm. Roxanne and Terry have become best friends and she has become one of his primary care givers. Their story is beautiful to me and I can't wait to spend more time with them while I am here.

This weekend I shot my first wedding. It was interesting. I had a good time but was exhausted at the end of the day. Here are just a few pictures I really like. The first two are of the groom's son (the second with the groom) at a lunch the day of the wedding, the third is my friend's sister and the last is the bride and groom in their first dance.

Sorry for the length of that entry. Let me know what you think!

Kalamazoo Gazette: Week 1

2009-07-05T15:45:00.001-05:00

Just as I was starting to be ok with cashiering all summer and giving up on the hunt for a second job I applied for a last minute internship opening at the Kalamazoo Gazette in Michigan. Well, I got the internship, put in my two week notice at work, packed up my car and moved to Kalamazoo last Sunday. So far I'm really enjoying the paper. Here are some of my favorites from assignments this week and a few from around my apartment.

One of the first things I shot here with one of the staff photographers. A feature on Camp Discovery, a camp funded by the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan. The camp is tailored to children with Epilepsy.

Photos from my first assignment on my own: a youth fishing program run by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

This small town, Colon, Mich., about an hour south of Kalamazoo is known for how they celebrate the Fourth of July. There is a boat parade, a street parade, and tons of fireworks.

A feature from an assignment about a group of families that traveled together to China to adopt young girls.

My apartment.

Expect more consistent updates from now on. I'm enjoying shooting pictures again, although I enjoyed my break after this semester to recharge. I'm also hoping to start on a personal project here soon. I have a few ideas. Let me know what you think!

PS: You can check www.mlive.com/kalamazoo for more from the newspaper

Art House

2009-06-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

My friends Robert and Graham turned their house into an art gallery for their last night there. It was a very cool experience. Most people brought something to hang on the walls and there were "audio exhibits" all night.

Persevering with Love

2009-05-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

This is my final story for Picture Stories. It is a continuation of my story on Mildred and Bill. They are such wonderful people and I love photographing them. Mildred is so inspirational in her perseverance of living life fully. I look forward to spending more time with them and continuing this story. Let me know what you think and what I should look for as I continue the story. Feedback greatly appreciated.

Softball: WKU vs. Belmont

2009-04-29T22:50:00.000-05:00

Today I shot a softball game for the College Heights Herald and had an ok time. I had trouble shooting at the field because there were nets almost everywhere I tried to shoot. I think I did an ok just working around them but I want to try again. Tomorrow I'm shooting high school softball and some more lacrosse. I've really stared to like shooting sports this semester. Let me know what you think!

Wow I actually shot some verticals! Weird!

Track and Field

2009-04-26T17:23:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I shot WKU's Track and Field Invitational Tournament. I really wasn't enjoying it until the steeple chase. That was fun. All of my pictures are from that event because I wasn't really happy with anything else I shot. Tell me what you think!

I couldn't decide how to crop this one. Any ideas?

Love

2009-04-15T18:53:00.001-05:00

This week our story topic was "love." My story is on Bill Ferkler and Mildred Livesay. Both Bill and Mildred were married for 40 years and two months before both their spouses died of Cancer. Bill's daughter introduced him to Mildred and they started dating. They dated for 10 years before they were married three years ago.

Mildred is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system that inhibits the brain's ability to send and receive messages. Because of her MS Mildred needs constant assistance. She lives at the Bowling Green Retirement Village, but Bill lives in his own house. They only really see each other on weekends when Bill takes Mildred back to his home. Even though he is not with her constantly he is practically on call 24/7. If Mildred ever needed him during the week he would be there in a heart beat.

This is the first story in a long time where I really just enjoy being with the people. I think their story is important and I am going to continue shooting to develop it to where it needs to be. Here is Bill and Mildred's story so far.

Immigration

2009-04-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

Last week our story topic was immigration. I shot Pastor Julius Ayeni of Living Springs church in Bowling Green. He is from Nigeria and his congregation consists of several African immigrants. I only ended up spending one day with Julius, but here is what I got.

Baseball

2009-04-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

So, I've learned recently that baseball is really hard to shoot. I went to my first game on Friday and came back with nothing. Today I went out again because the light was great and I needed to shoot some pictures. I'm not very good at the action part so far but I really enjoy shooting more feature-y pictures. So here's what I got today. Let me know what you think and any advice you have for shooting baseball!

I couldn't decide between these 2:

or

A Photo A Day: Day 1

2009-04-02T22:19:00.000-05:00

This week Will Yurman interviewed for a teaching position at WKU. He gave a presentation to the students and said that he has posted a photo a day to his Web site for the past few years. This is my attempt at that same project. I think it will help me to be more self-motivated and fall in love with pictures more and more. Check my Web site for daily updates!

I shot this while looking for an immigration story for my picture stories assignment. I went to Iglesia La Hermosa and sat in on a Spanish bible study for a bit. I didn't find a story, but it was an interesting experience to be the only English speaker in the room and not really know what any one was saying.

The Forgotten

2009-03-29T18:07:00.000-05:00

Last week our assignment for picture stories was The Forgotten. I had a few ideas that didn't pan out and ended up shooting Brad Phelps. Brad is a janitor at T.C. Cherry Elementary in Bowling Green. He's a really great guy who loves his job. I only had 4 hours to shoot but here's what I got.

Rugby

2009-03-28T18:02:00.001-05:00

I've been shooting a lot of sports recently for my sports portfolio in Picture Stories class. I'm really enjoying it. Today I shot some Rugby. That sport is ridiculously intense. Let me know what you think!

LAX

2009-03-21T17:14:00.000-05:00

Today I shot a high school lacrosse game at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky. It was a super intense game that went into over time. The Greenwood Gators faced off against the Northern Kentucky Warriors. The Warriors won in overtime with a score of 8 to 7.

ACP Singles

2009-03-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

Portraits and features from ACP 2009.

ACP Story

2009-03-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

This is my story from the 2009 Appalachian Cultural Project. It's on Lynn Bolling, a worker at the IGA grocery store in Isom, Ky. She's a very family driven and welcoming person.

Fields of Fire

2009-03-16T18:20:00.000-05:00

Some of my friends in Lexington are in a band called Fields of Fire. They're a metal band and they pretty much shred. I got to see them for the first time this weekend and it ruled. I know these are just performance shots but the red light fit the mood too well and I wanted to share the images. I'll post ACP stuff later tonight. I'm having a bit of toning trouble.

Truth Ministries Church

2009-03-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

This morning we had to find a church service to shoot. I wound up at Truth Ministries Church in Whitesburg. It is an evangelical church and the people there were really welcoming and passionate. I don't know if I've ever seen people with faith like that. I love this area. Both its landscape and its people are beautiful.

More updates as the week goes on!

Welcome to Whitesburg

2009-03-07T14:52:00.000-06:00

Two things I'm happy about right now.

1. Great weather
2. Being back in eastern Kentucky for ACP

I'll post stuff at the end of the week. I'm excited!

First Story for PJ

2009-03-01T13:43:00.000-06:00

So we finally got to stories in Picture Stories. Our story was on a teacher or coach. This is Christina Pollard. She is an elementary school art teacher at three different schools in Warren County. She is very dedicated to giving her students an art education, something she did not have growing up. Anyway, here it is!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T17:24:00.000-06:00

I was sitting in a Chinese restaurant with Betsy today and the light was just gorgeous. I waited for someone to walk into the frame and this is what I got. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

One Week's Work

2009-02-11T19:16:00.000-06:00

Feature

General News

Sports

Portrait

Wild Card

Pictorial

Six Degrees

2009-02-04T19:08:00.000-06:00

Our first assignment in Picture Stories was Six Degrees of Separation. You start with one person and they refer you to the next and so on. I decided to show how connected the art community in Bowling Green is. I'm pretty happy with a couple of these but not so much with a few. Let me know what you think!

Winter Break 2008/2009

2009-01-02T18:19:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos I've shot over winter break. The first is my aunt and uncle at my family's Christmas party, the next group are from a trip to Louisville, and the last two are from New Year's Eve. I'm enjoying this break quite a bit, but I'm ready to get back to work. I hope everyone else had a great and safe holiday season.

Lighting Portfolio

2008-12-02T22:35:00.000-06:00

Today I turned in my final for lighting. My original idea was to do a series of before and after photos like the first two posted here. That idea kind of fell through because I didn't plan them out as well as I should have. I'd like to do some more in this style. Overall I'm fairly happy with what I turned in for the assignment. Onto picture stories next semester! Let me know what you think!

Black Friday

2008-11-28T13:50:00.000-06:00

I was driving around looking for long lines of people and I found these guys playing soccer in the Best Buy parking lot. They were cool.

SPORTS!

2008-11-24T01:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend I had three assignments from the Talisman and they were all sports. I'm really trying to get better at sports action. Let me know what you think/how I can do better. Anyway, here's what I got this weekend.

Fashion

2008-11-10T00:14:00.000-06:00

This is the first thing I've liked that I shot for lighting. The assignment was a three picture package on fashion. My theme is winter clothes. I had a really good time shooting this and my model was wonderful. These are my favorite shots. Let me know what you think!

Election Day!

2008-11-05T21:57:00.001-06:00

Last night I shot the Republican headquarters in Bowling Green when the polls were announced. More than anything I think it was a lesson in keeping my mouth shut. I didn't say anything about politics but it was really hard not to. Jim DeCesare was re-elected as a state-representative and Brett Guthrie won a U.S. Congressional seat.

Bruce Lunsford Rally

2008-10-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Stone, Crouch and I went to a Bruce Lunsford rally where Bill Clinton was also speaking. I was really excited until we got there and were stuck in the press pool. They told us we were not allowed to take any photos outside of the pen. I'm sure there are ways around this but I didn't know them. I left feeling really pissed off that I was only able to get podium pictures. I'm interesting in doing political photography, but I guess I just need to figure out how to play that game.

I couldn't decide if I liked this one better cropped or uncropped.

This is from Jackson's Orchard today. I usually don't see things like this but I thought this was pretty cool looking. (It looked better before the web sucked out my contrast.)

Lock Down

2008-10-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Today WKU's campus was locked down due to reported shootings outside of PFT. Armed men were also reported at South Campus. Apparently there were no shots fired, but five people are in police custody and being questioned. It was a crazy experience photographing this. I've only shot spot news once before so it's still really new to me. Anyone have any advice?

Family

2008-10-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

So I decided to find a different story for my lighting midterm. This is Jane Garton, Thomas Mayhugh and their daughter, Elspeth Marsh. They are so sweet. I wish I had more time because they have a great story. Maybe I'll try to shoot more of them in the future.

The Traftons

2008-10-12T23:58:00.000-05:00

So for our midterm in lighting we have to shoot a story about family. My story is on the Traftons. Joseph and Paula both teach at WKU in Cherry Hall. They've been married for 38 years and are very religious. They have three children who have all grown up and moved out. The story is not really about family, which sucks, but I feel like I've gotten some nice pictures despite being denied access to certain things. I'm shooting more tomorrow, so I'll add those later.

Bad Day Turned Good

2008-09-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

Today I realized that taking photos can be therapeutic. I was riding around with Alex and we decided to stop and look for features. This is what I got.

PS: Can anyone tell me how to make photos bigger on my blog/have the image appear the way I toned it?

I'm so bad at this

2008-09-08T01:51:00.001-05:00

I swear I've shot since Fort Knox. I'll update later this week with some recent stuff. Sorry I'm so bad at blogging.

Co. A 1/46th Inf.

2008-07-03T12:54:00.000-05:00

These are my best photos of Alpha Company at the Leader's Training Course in Fort Knox, Ky. I feel like I did a pretty good job of covering everything, but there are several things I wish I'd done better. I wish I had gotten to know my Cadets better, spend more time with 1st and 2nd platoons and shot a few things differently. The busiest part of my internship is over and now I'm just covering things for the paper. I'm having a blast and really enjoying this job. I hope everyone's internships and/or summers are going well! (Sorry there are so many photos.)

*

*

* = Co. C

Long time no see

2008-07-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

I swear I'm still alive and taking photos. I will update in the next few days with the best photos of my company. Sorry for such a long delay. For now though, here two photos that mean a lot to me.

My grandma died last Wednesday after fighting Ovarian Cancer for five years. She lived with us in Lexington and was always right up the street in Ashland (where we lived first). The first photo is after my high school graduation. My grandma said she wanted to stay alive to see me graduate high school, something she didn't do, and start college. The second photo was taken just over a month ago after Mother's Day. We got her a new swing so she could sit outside. I assembled it and we layed there for a long time. I don't really know what else to say other than I will miss her more than I can say with words.

RIP Nanny 1930-2008

Team Development Course

2008-06-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

My company of cadets arrived at Ft. Knox this weekend and I've spent all of my time shooting them. Today they did the Team Development Course (TDC). Pretty self explanatory I think. Tomorrow they graduate the Soldier First phase and enter the Warrior Leader phase. It's going to be a long day. Anyway, here are my best images from TDC.

Fort Knox: Day 1

2008-05-22T20:27:00.000-05:00

This summer I'm interning at The Leader, a newspaper in Fort Knox, Ky., that follows ROTC cadets during the Leader Training Course (LTC). The cadets don't arrive until next week, but we got an early start to warm up to the base. Today we shot air assault school.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

The Clintons

2008-05-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

This has been the week for political rallies in Kentucky. Bill and Hillary Clinton came to Transylvania University in Lexington yesterday to speak. It was very different than Barack Obama's rally the week before. This one felt more like a traditional political rally and I'm not sure if I like that or not. I support Obama, but if he doesn't get the nomination I will support Hillary. Anyway, here are some pictures.

I tried to go for a different type of picture. I don't think it ever really worked out though.

I can't decide if I like this one better with (bottom) or without (top) the crop.

Comments? Suggestions? Snide remarks?

Barack Obama

2008-05-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

I got an email from Barack Obama's campaign saying he was speaking in Louisville that evening. Three of my friends and I traveled to see him. It was really incredible to feel like a part of history. Anyway, here are some photos from the rally.

I'll make a more elaborate post later with my final from PJ Tech.

Mary Gomez

2008-04-23T01:17:00.000-05:00

This week in class we have to turn in a single from our final story. My story is on a woman named Mary Gomez. Mary's husband, an illegal immigrant, was deported last October. They have been married for 10 years. This left Mary alone to support their three children: Carlos, 7, Manuel, 6, and Maria, 5. They are not very well off, but love keeps them going.

In this picture Mary is on the phone with her husband. He is in Mexico staying with his mother. On Thursday he will be in Juárez, Mexico for another attempt at U.S. citizenship. The Gomez family cannot afford a lawyer, so they do all legal work themselves.

Football and things

2008-04-21T01:02:00.000-05:00

One day I will be better at blogging. I'm working on it.

Anyway, recently I've been going in and out of being incredibly motivated. I think of an idea or something I want to shoot, but then I decide I'd rather just hang out in the nice weather. I'm working my way out of it, though. This week will be productive.

This weekend there was a football scrimage at WKU. I went and took the 80-200 I've been borrowing all semester and tried to shoot. I didn't get anything I like but at least I tried.

Sports

2008-03-19T01:02:00.000-05:00

I'm still getting used to keeping this bloging thing. Sorry for the lack of updates.

That said, here are a few photos from a basketball game I shot during ACP. This is the Estill County High School Engineers vs. the Hazard High School Bulldogs in the 14th region semi-finals. I made the decision at the beginning of the game to follow the Engineers because the Bulldogs seemed kind of cocky with an, "I know we're gonna win" attitude. They did win but the Engineers put up a great fight.

Prayer/Worship

2008-02-26T17:22:00.000-06:00

These are just a few shots I took this weekend for my prayer/worship assignment. The photos are from Hillvue Heights church. They've been around since the 1950s and almsot fell apart in 1991. Now they boast huge numbers and many baptisms every day. One woman told me they had 505 baptisms in the 2006-2007 "baptismal year".

Introduction?

2008-02-24T16:33:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I'm new to this blogging business. My name is Tanner Curtis and I'm a photojournalism major at Western Kentucky University. I created this blog because I thought it would be nice to have a place to post some of my work. Any feedback is definitely appreciated. I'll post some pictures in my next entry.