the little things

kristen and jeremy

2011-08-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

fall

2010-09-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

happy first day of fall!

big girl

2010-09-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

jenna turned 2 last week. had a birthday party over the weekend with the family and some friends. the picture of them running through the water in the driveway was taken on her birthday, they both get the biggest kick out of doing this - they ask every time it rains.

lost

2010-08-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

while driving in circles in erie trying to find some farmers for a story i saw this in my rear-view mirror and pulled over to take a picture.

Monroe County Fair (2010)

2010-08-05T08:23:00.001-07:00

It's fair week in monroe. long, hot days. over and over and over. year after year after year. is it just me or do most photographers hate county fairs? i meet people i know at our fair and they say "oh, you must love your job," i just smile and nod in polite reply, but in my head i'm thinking "you came here voluntarily???" a lot of people do because it's always packed at our fair (but i'll bet you $100 that, other than the 4-H kids, they're not coming back tomorrow). i'd probably like the fair a whole lot more if we didn't shoot 10 hours of it 8 days straight - for the past 10 years i've worked here! don't get the wrong idea ... i do like my job (love may be too strong a word), but i certainly do not"love" the fair - sorry.

hair

2010-07-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

hair - jenna and lynne have a lot of it, i haven't had it for a LONG time and jack just got his cut. lynne buzzed jack's hair last night with a set of new clippers. he laughed when he saw himself in the mirror.

Higgins Lake

2010-07-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you Ryan and Angie for a great weekend on the Lake. The kids LOVED the boat rides. Hope to see you guys again soon.

more sports, more features

2010-07-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

With our ever decreasing staff, there are fewer and fewer assignments to shoot ... except sports! seems the only things i shoot anymore are sports and feature photos. here are two recent "clips." hope everyone is having a good summer! (if anyone reads this anymore ... ha!)

sloppy game

2010-05-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

we got over an inch of rain yesterday - nothing Biblical or anything, but it must have bit too much for the Lutheran South soccer field. i started shooting the typical "soccer" photos then the ball would get stuck in the mud about center field. It was a sloppy wet photo extravaganza. i shot over 500 photos (ha ha!), just hoping to get one whip out. and then after 80 minutes of squatting in the wet grass the photo gods gave me a gift - the wipe out i had been waiting for. 30 seconds later the game was over ... phew. at half time i also shot two boys carefully walking through the wet areas surrounding the field on their way back to watch the rest of the game.

lightning delay

2010-05-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

lightning does strike twice in the same place ... three times actually (okay not in the exact same spot but close), canceling my soccer game tonight midway through the second half. on the way to the game i spied this girl hanging out at the concession stand ... i liked the dead center composition.

the driveway adventures

2010-04-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

the kids love riding up and down the driveway on their push cars, quad and bikes ... up and down ... up and down. jack has graduated to a big boy bike, though he tells me he doesn't like it ... that it needs to be fixed. i pretend to "fix" it so he keeps trying - it is much bigger, so he may be a little scared.

working

2010-04-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

a sample of stuff i shot from this week: sports feature, tire swingin', and a pinwheel memorial for abused children. tomorrow .... the easter egg hunt! WooHoo!!!!

family portrait

2010-03-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

not often we're all together and sitting still, so i grabbed a family portrait ... the ole "Hail Mary"

i love you ... bye

2010-03-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

jenna learning new words just about every day ...

a good day

2009-12-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

after playing in the snow until we couldn't feel our fingers or toes jack and i sat next to the fire ... drank hot cocoa and watched a christmas movie on the mac (thanks rob). a good day!

here comes santa claus

2009-12-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

a little late getting this up here, but the bosch's went to see santa last weekend - jack was pretty pumped up about it. we practiced sitting on daddy's lap a few days before so he would be up to the task. when asked jack said he wanted "big cars, big trucks and suckers ... lots and lots of suckers" jenna immediately tried to jump out of his lap right after she got a good look at him ... a little early for her i suppose. merry christmas everyone ... and a happy new year!

what i've been doing

2009-11-20T19:33:00.000-08:00

a co-worker saw me in the hallway today and said "bryan! where've been!?" people never get used to the idea of photographers actually going somewhere to take pictures. last week i photographed airport volleyball as they lost (unexpectedly) in the state quarterfinal match. the star player (pictured) fell down to her knees and let out a heart-wrenching scream/yell. i felt her pain and got a little chocked up myself. shot a rehearsal tonight for the nutcracker - simple foot photo, but i like it. the week before i met laura, she turned 100 on the 13th. i can not tell you how many 100-year-olds i've photographed while at the evening news. too many to count. i think that's pretty amazing, so many that i can't count them all.

lost in leaves

2009-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

wasn't it 40 degrees on Tuesday? what the??? today it at least 65. spent the afternoon raking and playing in the leaves - i loved that when i was kid. well, the playing in the leaves part anyway.

jenna

2009-11-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

after trick-or-treating downtown grand haven i made jenna sit for a portrait in her costume

sheep snack

2009-10-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

drove by this on my way to an assignment thursday ... did a u-turn. happy halloween!

foggy thursday

2009-10-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

twas foggy this morning. i like fog

catching up

2009-10-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

with facebook taking over the world i've noticed a significant reduction in blog updates - not just my own but around the blog world. seems everyone if pre-occupied with mafia wars or something. well here are a few posts to catch up ... jenna turned one sept. 16th (happy birthday beans!) she loved the attention - she likes being the star. lynne and i celebrated our 7-year anniversary with trip to south bass island out in lake erie.

little critters

2009-08-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

just some pretty stuff shot through our bedroom window.

summer vacation

2009-07-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

we spent our summer vacation in my former home town grand haven. we stayed in my sisters empty house three blocks away from my parent's house ... she let us stay there after her renters moved out, so it was like our very own summer cottage. here are a few highlights from our week there ...

father's day

2009-06-21T17:34:00.001-07:00

happy father's day to all dads out there. here are a few pictures from my fd weekend. jack yelled "happy mother's day" to me this morning, it's the thought that counts. after i had some coffee jack and i went out to water the flowers ... i was surprised to see a morning glory so i took a picture with my cell phone ... jack must have been watching me and heard the noice the phone makes because immediately after he started holding his cell phone (the one we gave him with no battery) over the flowers and making a camera sounds with his mouth ... hard to describe, but it cracked me up.

sunny saturday

2009-04-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

took the kids to a nearby community park this weekend. it was a beautiful sunny saturday.

rugrats

2009-03-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

tonight jack said he wanted to hold jenna on the couch ... we're very lucky he's really sweet to his little sister. after i took a few frames (about one minute) he sighed and said "all done." good thing i took a few frames while it lasted.

file photo

2009-03-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

i found this goodie in my archive of photos from over the years. kim will have to verify this, but i think this is her picture of me when we spent an afternoon shooting illustrations in our studio at work for a story about motorcycle helmet laws ... right kimer?

new cell phone

2009-03-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

my new cell phone has a camera, so now i'm cool like millions of other tech dorks. here's my first cell phone video.

happy birthday jack!

2009-02-25T13:40:00.001-08:00

solid foods

2009-02-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

jenna's been on solid foods for a couple of weeks. we started a little bit early 'cause she just would not sleep through the night. she likes her cereal and it instantly made a difference. mom and dad now get a full-night sleep (well most the time anyway) so, now were branching out into vegetables and, as you can see by the look on her face, this is going to take some work. even our over-enthusiastic "mmm, jenna squash is yummy" cheerleading didn't seem to help, she didn't much care for it ... but i seem to remember going through the same thing with jack. this age is a lot of work, but its also something new every day.

I'm a photographer not a terrorist

2009-02-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

I don't have cable TV, so I've never watched the Colbert Show, or whatever it's called ... but oh my gosh is this bit funny. It is amazing how good intentions almost always go awry. I know this is intended to be funny, but fact is this really does happen. Laws like this came from Bush's Homeland Security legislation after 911. I know and understand our government is trying to keep us safe ... but, really. This is the best we can do???

nene visits

2009-01-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

nene and papa (my parents) came for the weekend. it is SO much easier with two other adults around. even though we didn't go anywhere, except one trip to SAMS club for diapers, it was very relaxing. thanks nene and papa, we enjoyed a nice break.

what a good memory

2009-01-18T18:28:00.001-08:00

jack is a creature of habit. he gets in a groove ... like asking for the same books over and over at bedtime... and its hard to get him to mix it up a little. the other night i was walking down the hallway and heard a familiar story coming from his bedroom. he was recalling, from memory, one of the books we always read together as he lay on his bed acting like he was reading. it was cute, i loved the crossed leg - awesome. he pretty much got through the whole book (skipping a few pages by accident) at about 75% accuracy. not bad from memory.

... and a Happy New Year

2008-12-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all the warm fuzzies that go with it ... from our hearts to yours.

big boy bed

2008-12-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

mom reads jack a bedtime story in his new bed. unfortunately the new bed did not solve the getting out of bed problem we've been having ... sigh. i suggested duct-taping him in bed, lynne vetoed that idea. i think it would work tho.

more about the big three

2008-12-15T17:43:00.001-08:00

Nation doesn't owe Michigan a dime - or does it?

a column written by Charles Slat about the reluctance of The U.S. Senate or The U.S. Congress to lend a hand to Detroit mentions some interesting facts about income taxes. I was unaware Michigan has been such a cash cow for Washington, so why are we getting the cold shoulder?

the big three

2008-12-09T18:11:00.001-08:00

i have mixed feelings about our taxes supporting detroit's auto manufacturers. they have built and sustained a quality of life in michigan that is immeasurable. i'm sure in some way i have benefitted from their succes, HOWEVER, this frontline documentary asks some pretty tough questions and makes me have less mixed feelings and more angry feelings.

love my job today

2008-12-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

it was a pretty typical news assignment for me. a local school making christmas cards for soldiers. we do this every year and its hard to photograph anything original ... but i find any assignment with children fun. adults can be too shy or concerned about themselves and children seem to lack the self-consciousness. the kids do like having the newspaper in the classroom and its usually a lot of fun. today was one of those assignments and as i was leaving one of the little boys i had photographed gave me this note. i love my job today.

santa comes early

2008-12-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

santa came early to nana and papa's house (lynne's parents) and look what he brought us ...

snippets from work

2008-11-14T11:21:00.001-08:00

first is a portrait of a married couple that just moved to the area and are victims of a recent home burglary. their dog, roxy, was shot twice during the break-in (the couple was not home at the time). home invasion is on the rise in our community ... 5 suspects were arrested and it's believed they are part of a larger city-based crime ring preying on rural homes. the second is a frame i like from veteran's day.

the choice ...

2008-11-03T05:06:00.000-08:00

everyone get out there an vote tomorrow.

fast and furious

2008-10-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

two days of fast and furious shooting. seems like every thing i had to shoot this week had to be cut short so i could either get back to tone pictures for the paper or pick up the kids ... top one is from a story about repossession ... the second is an out-take from a school assembly. i love those eyes - they're so mesmerizing.

the choice

2008-10-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

i often hear the same phrase over and over, "i don't like either of them," during discussions about the two major candidates for the next president. frontline's documentary the choice 2008 helped me learn more about john macain and barak obama. i highly recommend it.

mother and son

2008-10-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

jenna takes a lot of mommy's time, but jack gets a dose of 'fun mommy' now and then.

mrs. bosch

2008-10-10T19:08:00.001-07:00

recently i've converted lynne to a mac user ... i'm so proud ... sigh.

bitsy bisty cider

2008-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

tell it hank!

2008-09-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

"You can do anything you wanna do, but uh-uh, don't step on my cowboy boots."

- Hank Williams Jr.

jenna is home

2008-09-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

jenna came home today with mommy. everyone doing well ... getting rest.

baby girl

2008-09-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

jenna marie bosch was born 16sept2008 at 4:20pm. mommy did it natural, which she says now she doesn't recommend (ouch) we're very happy, very proud and very tired. thanks for all the well wishes everyone.

labor of love

2008-09-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

personal projects are the most frustrating, yet most satisfying stories to tell. frustrating because you never feel that you get enough time to work on them and you don't want to finish the story because you always want it to be better. satisfying because you become deeply involved in someone's life or situation and it becomes more meaningful than the typical one hour you spend with subjects for newspaper assignments. i just published a 3 part series and audio slideshow about nancy, who made new years resolution to lose weight - her determination inspired me to keep coming back.

the pose

2008-09-08T11:55:00.001-07:00

i originally stopped because she was twirling in front of the fountain and i needed a feature, but whenever a photographer stops to take a picture the scene always changes. her name is Lindsay, she's 3. her uncle joe was giving her coins to throw into the fountain. she never twirled again after i started taking pictures, but she did pause and throw me this marilyn monroe style pose - i made other pictures of her throwing in money, but my kept coming back to this one. she looks so adult, such attitude for such an innocent girl. i like it.

a day at the beach

2008-08-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

friday after work jack said he wanted to go to the beach ... how could i say no? he like picking things up ... like rocks and shells, but wouldn't go in the water - even after begging.

learning colors

2008-07-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

jack is just starting to learn to recognize his colors ... obviously we need to work a little harder.

papa and jack

2008-07-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

papa bennett and jack walk back to the house after a ride on the ranger ... jack loves taking rides on all the farm stuff, except for the big tractors and the combine. "too big" jack says.

over the ocean blue

2008-06-20T12:35:00.001-07:00

went sailing with dave and sue grassley of Monroe - it was unbelievable. the crew was very nice, even though i must have been in their way ... very cool people and they've invited me back to "work" on the boat ... are you kidding me! we'll see - anyway i had a fantastic time - he's a self portrait from the boat and one of the grassley's.

mr buckingham's flag

2008-06-16T11:48:00.001-07:00

he doesn't remember where or when he got the flag, but kenneth buckingham speculates he must have taken it off a dead japanese soldier while fighting with the 41st army infantry in the south pacific. he explained enemy soldiers carried flags on them and that they contained names of loved ones and possibly religious text that helped them into eternity ... if it came to that. mr. buckingham had a saber once too, but said he'd given it to a friend in the service, "those navy boys bought everything," he said regarding the value of such items. one story he told gave me goose bumps. once in the mountains on a philippine island his patrol stumbled on a village. they searched for japanese soldiers, but found none, nor any villagers which made them nervous. mr. buckingham searched one of the huts and discovered a saber in the corner of the room with beautiful jewels on its handle. knowing it was rare and valuable he thought of taking it, but second guessed his instincts ... it might be booby trapped he said to himself ... so he passed it up. later, as the patrol retraced theirs steps back to the safety of their own camp they came upon the village, still empty. maybe i'll get that saber after all he thought and went into the same hut, but the saber was gone. he asked every man on the patrol and none had taken it, plus only he had searched that hut and anyone lying would have a hard time disguising what they had taken. mr. buckingham has thought about that day many times since. "i remember searching the room, but i never looked up." he concludes someone was in that room. "if i would have went over and picked that up ... my rear end would have had it,' he said.

i love my zoo

2008-06-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

jack lynne and i went to the toledo zoo today with college friend pam, her husband bob sons evan, braden and daughter ava. it was a perfect day, a little on the warm side, but i won't complain. jack was very excited to see the aquariums ... the fish, otters, seals, ducks and polar bears. my photos aren't that great because he just would not sit still. "oh, that's a big one," he said looking at the seals ... it was so fun to watch and in hindsight would have made a better video. he also enjoyed the train ride and hotdog for lunch - could it get any better jack?

father rooney

2008-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

i photographed father rooney today ... he's leaving monroe for another parish in temperance. we talked more than we worked on making a picture and i mentioned i was from west michigan. "ah you're a calvin" he stated confidently, must be there are a lot of Calvinists in west michigan or something ... i told him i was methodist (which was a white lie because i don't belong to a church, but like methodist the best) lying in church ... to a reverend ... i better pray tonight before bed. he told me he's from belfast ireland (he has a gorgeous accent) and preceded to give a wonderful history lesson in religion there and how the methodists kind of acted like neutral Switzerland for both the Protestant and Catholic churches there. i've been pushing myself to take better portraits, i'm happy with this one.

blinded by the light ...

2008-06-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

worked last night catching up on some freelance ... i was walking across the empty newsroom when i was suddenly blinded by sunlight - i'm okay, i survived the ordeal and walked away with a picture too.

X

2008-06-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

supposedly there is a killer bbq place at the top of this building in monroe, have to try it sometime. i love how old this town feels, especially on a drizzly day.

memorial day

2008-05-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

happy memorial day all ... a frame from a memorial day service sunday night in monroe.

tired

2008-05-20T07:25:00.001-07:00

haven't blogged in a long time ... i won't bore you with everything taking up my time lately, but life kind of goes in cycles doesn't it? right now the "cycle" of my life includes very little time on the computer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. here is a frame from a recent wedding. i relate to his expression - it sums up the tired, beat-down, draggin-ass way i've felt lately. looking forward to memorial day weekend - time to recharge my batteries before summer.

ultrasound

2008-04-30T12:27:00.001-07:00

It's a girl! this is lynne's 20 week ultra sound picture (above) and a rough video (below) Yay, its a girl.

big shoes to fill

2008-04-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

jack loves to wear mine and lynne's shoes ... maybe all kids do, dunno, but jack sure does. he gets so frustrated sometimes, i assume because it looks really hard for him to walk in them, but despite falling ... often ... it is still one of his favorite things to do.

feeling much better

2008-04-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

we're feeling much better ... jack stayed home today (monday) just in case ... but he's back to his old self. over the weekend he didn't play much, spent most of his time laying down and watching lots of Bob the Builder. But today we had oatmeal - or oatman as jack pronounces it - and he's been on his feet all day. he's wearing ME out today.

sick day

2008-04-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

jack isn't feeling well, actually he feels terrible. he woke very early friday morning with a stomach flu or something ... he hasn't kept any food down since and he's too little to understand why mommy and daddy won't give him any crackers or toast (he asks for them repeatedly) it just crushes me. we tried toast last night, but it didn't stay down. he holds down fluids tho ... so we're giving him small amounts of juice, water, and pedialite popsicles every 15-20 minutes. poor dude, going to be a long weekend, hope the little guy can get over this soon. he's asleep now in the chair and hasn't thrown up yet today ...

snowman

2008-03-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

well, why not build a snowman if its going to snow the first week of spring? i tried this earlier in the year with jack, but he couldn't have cared less then, this time he was more into it. we've watched the snowman ... named "snowman," slowly disintegrate as the weather warmed to more seasonable temperatures ... but he was cool while he lasted. when mommy came home from work jack was very excited to show her the snowman he and daddy made. "snowman cold," he declared.

spring snow

2008-03-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

i felt the same way about the recent snow storm as the little brown bear statue in monroe appeared to feel ... ugh.

wanna be like you

2008-03-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

jack imitates just about anything his cousin reese will do. its funny to watch them, reese is pretty good about it ... i wasn't so keen on the idea when my sister followed me around everywhere like a shadow on the wall (sorry kristen i owe you big time) but these guys manage pretty good. i still remember walking downtown grand haven with the bosch clan ... jack was only six months old ... we were at an intersection waiting for the crosswalk light and out of the blue reese blurts out "green means 'go' red means 'stop' jackson." what a good teacher.

play rehersal

2008-03-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

i never tried out for the school play. too chicken shit i guess. i'm terrible with remembering lines - even when i play guitar i have to have the lyrics in front of me or i fall apart ... so i admire these kids for getting out there and putting on a show. practice is hard work, and its tiring and i guess that's what i like about this frame. i was tired too, long day.

jack turns 2

2008-02-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

happy birthday to my home boy jack. he's 2! can't believe it. for his birthday we told him he was going to be a big brother ... that's right - mrs. bosch and i are having another baby due in september. jack didn't understand the whole new baby thing. i guess he'll figure it out when he hears all the crying.

purdy pitchur

2008-02-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

funny. i call myself a photographer. my job title is "chief photographer." when i call to set up appointments for the staffers i say "my name is bryan bosch, one of the 'photographers' at the evening news." yet i take so very few pictures. i manage the department, which isn't as glamorous, and too complicated to explain every time i introduce myself ... so i just say "i'm a photographer." i wouldn't change my job, its important, nor do i mean to complain. having the job i do means i enjoy weekends off. i enjoy being home with my family in the evenings. i enjoy looking at the great work that surrounds me. when i DO get the change to go out and shoot an assignment i usually try to find something personally rewarding ... even if its a just a pretty snow scene on the drive back from the assignment.

high and dry

2008-02-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

thanks for all the words of encouragement regarding the flooding and all. i'm happy to say all is well. new pump kicking butt, broken underground line temporarily mended, so we're high and dry for the moment. as i write this our five inches of snow is about 75% melted after the inch of rain (that's right more rain) we received this morning. i was very concerned after watching last night's weather report - and was prepared for a day-long fight to keep dry, but the new pump is keeping up with the snow melt ... phew. this crazy winter weather ... yesterday the high was 20, today its 47, tomorrow its forecasted to be low 30 with a chance of snow - what is going on with the weather? could this be evidence of global warming?

bob and melanie

2008-02-11T18:57:00.001-08:00

bob and melaine, lynne's parents, renewed their wedding vows along with about 20 other couples yesterday at their church in ionia ... i debated bringing out the big gear for the ceremony, thought it might look a little over the top shoot a big 70-200 with motor drive cranking full balst, but i'm glad i did, i like this moment. they've been married 39 years and are good role models for what being married is all about. no, i didn't say they were perfect, but they sure make it look easy. congratulations, again, mr. and mrs. bennett.

why do you hate me?

2008-02-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

i don't know what unseen force is out to get me, but i have to ask whomever or whatever has a beef with little ole me "why do you hate me?"
after spending the entire day battling flooding, broken pumps, rain ... then sleet ... then snow i finally could rest knowing i'd fixed the pumps and they were keeping up with all the water (see previous post). THEN today i come home from work to this scene. the underground line running from the new pump to the ditch had ruptured and water was gushing to the surface ... the water flooded and eventually draining back to the yard tile, back to the pit and then out the broken line again onto the yard then back the the drain tile - recycling the water instead of pumping it out - so i'll ask again ... why do you hate me?

water worries

2008-02-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

mother nature is a tough cookie. for two nights we've had hard rain ... on top of 4 inches of snow - so my entire yard is a soupy mess. why is that a big deal? well my yard drains to the same pit my crawl space drains to, so if the pumps don't keep up, the water from the yard will fill up the pit and back-up into the crawl space ... not a good thing. during the second night one my sump pumps went out. it takes two to keep up with the amount of water we've had. so for 7 hours today i battled mother nature. i was under the gun because there is another inch of rain beginning to fall with a forecast for sleet turning to snow with a possibility of 1-4 inches. so i had to get both pumps working before we got hit again for the third time. long story short it took 4 hours for the water you see in these photos to drain and another 3 for me to finish adjusting the pump - which required me rigging up this bucket with holes in it....without the bucket the pump kept clogging with debris from the bottom of the pit - a problem i noticed last year it flooded in mid winter ... ugh! well, since i added the bucket both pumps are running full blast. phew, just in time. i won't say i "beat" mother nature, i'll just say i'm a step ahead ... for now.

old mill

2008-02-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

so tonight i was assigned to shoot the grand opening of a new exhibit at the old mill museum in dundee ... well no one came to the opening, i mean NO ONE, unless you count me and the reporter. on the way to the ribbon cutting ceremony, which btw ribbon cuttings are a joke to photojournalists - they're fake and therefore a taboo - hence the "journalism" portion of "photojournalism." anyway back on point ... i was on my way to the ribbon cutting ceremony and i saw this composition. i like the mix of warm and cool light. it ended up being the best frame from the night, so i pitched for the front page, but i'm a little nervous about this being the dominant photo. it doesn't really tell a story, but it will get attention - i'm such a risk taker ... that's sarcasm in case you missed it.

the DRB

2008-01-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

we said goodbye to a very good photo intern, amanda, saturday night. the photo staff took her out on the town and then ended up at the always open DRB (daton road brewing a.k.a. rob's garage) a good time was had by all - rob is always a good host (sorry for drinking all your expensive beer btw). i caught one good frame the whole night - kim throwing rob a "whatever dude" look. you know that story about the boy who cried wolf? well, that's rob ... always the joker.

pond hockey

2008-01-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

one of the best things about a good cold snap is good ice for pond hockey. it'd been in the single digits at night for a couple of days ... meaning the ice would be good for a pick-up game of pond hockey. i look forward to this every year ... whenever the conditions are right (frostbite be damned). it took a little extra convincing to get the gang together this time, it was only 11 degrees, with minus zero wind chill, but once the guys were out skating i could tell they were happy they showed up.

more jack

2008-01-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

i've been sittin' on this photo for awhile ... trying not to post since its yet one more photo of jack - i was holding out, hoping to shoot something else cool, but i spent another week behind the computer ... so in an effort to keep the blog fresh i'm posting it anyway - since he's been my only subject lately. now, don't get me wrong, i love jack photos - i have a collection of favorites that tops over 200 photos ... i just don't want to overdo the "jack" factor on the blog is all ... no offense jack.

christmas 2007

2007-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

it seemed rushed, but the time we spent with family this christmas was great. hope everyone had a nice holiday ... now get ready for 2008!

poy

2007-12-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

made a pictures of the year slideshow (also known as the tim hussin photos of the year slideshow) for monroenews.com. our designer is on vacation, so i had to make the graphic too. one of the better ones i've done - i'm pretty horrible at fonts/graphics. thanks to alex cohn for showing me simpleviewer ... kewl.

snow

2007-12-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

i was as cold as he was with my bare hands holding the camera. the wind was awful, hence the hood. his name is rock and he was my first photo during a day filled with feature hunting for weather photos as monroe county dug out from a snow storm. it could have been much worse ... the forecast predicted 6-10 inches, but i think we only got 5 or so ... hard to tell with all the drifting. i'm warm now, back at the office editing for tomorrows paper. i think i like the picture of rock. as i edit i keep going back to it ... it's not perfect i realize, i wish he had ice and snow all over his hood, but still something about it keeps drawing me back to it.

mommy is queen

2007-12-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

it's no secret. mommy is #1. dad is fun and cool and all, but mommy is the fav. dad rough-houses, plays chase, cars and tickle torture, but mommy is #1 - enjoy it while you can lynne, 'cause your reign will come to an end. just as soon as i teach him to write his name in the snow - or - teach him how to "hock a loogie." then i will be king. i will be #1. but for now you rule and i know it and that's fine...for now. happy birthday baby, love jackson and daddy.

my addiction

2007-12-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

i'm coming clean ... i have an addiction ... to abstract/cropped photos. why oh why do i love it so? i do not know. it just is. please someone help me, cure me from the high i get composing and cropping in the frame ... its so much fun, i can't stop - i need another fix ...

laugh at yourself

2007-11-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

the photo department got a new laptop and while testing it our rob pointed out the build in web camera and the "funky" filters it has. some days its good to laugh at yourself.

the farm

2007-11-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

so, this weekend after a thankful thanksgiving we visited with nene and papa in grand haven and then nana and papa in ionia. papa bennett took jack around the farm in the BIG tractor - which was a little scary for jack at first, he's used to the small farmall papa usually takes him out on, but its too cold for that. when we rode up to the steer barn he kept his distance from the animals. not sure who more skidish, the steer or jack. Its cute too, he say "cow" long and drawn out like, but then anything big on four legs is cow to jack ... like the horses we drove by today on the way home from work. "cow." I know what he means.

good morning!

2007-11-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

it was my turn to get up with jack today - which is usually between 6 and 7 in the morning....lynne and i take turns so each of us has one day to sleep in late. while i was making pancakes for jack's breakfast i realized the kitchen got awful quiet ... hmm ... i wonder where jack went? he went looking for mommy - opened our bedroom door and told told her "up." and so mommy didn't get her sleep in this morning ... sorry mommy.

the fort

2007-10-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

jack and i made a fort today after work. "go daddy" he commanded when i got tired from playing and sat in the chair. "goOO." he didn't stay in the fort very long - he's more interested in having you chase him through the fort rather than sit in it with you - but i was able to keep him still for a little while by showing him how the flashlight makes a circle of light on the blanket we used as the top of the fort. that kept his attention long enough to make one half-way decent frame. then it was more "go daddy. go!"

sad jack

2007-10-20T11:10:00.001-07:00

i don't exactly remember why he's so sad in this picture. i think it was many things. what i do remember is that it was a long day (for both of us), mommy was working late and dinner was taking too long ... 'eat' jackson kept demanding - and crackers would not do.

energy illustration

2007-10-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

shot an illustration this morning on deadline for a story about saving energy. pretty happy with it, tho it was rushed so there are some flaws (like the bulbs aren't exactly the same perspective ... d'oh!)

spirit week

2007-10-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

its spirit week at monroe high school and tonight the students had a bonfire, dj, and talent contest ... revving up for this friday's game against dearborn. last week monroe knocked-off the number 1 state ranked team, allen park. its been an exciting week for football and homecoming.

bobcat band

2007-10-04T16:58:00.001-07:00

i published an audio slideshow about the 22-member marching band at whiteford - same band as last post. these are a lot of fun to produce and work on, but they can be time consuming - working on these during normal work hours in pretty much impossible. "bryan is there a mug shot for so-and-so.... bryan is there a photographer available for an assignment this afternoon .... bryan there is a woman at the counter who wants to talk to a photographer" you get the idea. i can get 10 times as much done in one hour at night than a whole entire 8-hour day at work. click the picture to watch.

i'm a bobcat

2007-09-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

"i'm a whiteford bobcat,"jaylon simms tells me at a recent football game. i've been covering a lot of football this year, like any other news photographer...but this night i was shooting a feature on a 20-member marching band at whiteford high school. jaylon told me he joined the band because he isn't good at sports, but wants to support and represent his school. while others in the band gossiped and giggled, jaylon was on the edge of his seat, rooting for his beloved bobcats.

homecoming

2007-09-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

ahh...to be young again. it was milan high school's homecoming tonight and this group of kids were tailgating with hot dogs, country music, a sofa and a case of Big K cola. they were extremely nice kids, unlike the "hooligans" we always associate with younger generations.

senior olympics

2007-09-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

this is lou. she's 97 and kickin butt in the the basketball hoop competition of a local senior olympics. she was graceful and a good sport, winning the bronze metal for this event. i hope i can still hold my head up when i'm 97.

psst...let me out

2007-09-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

walked through the alley this morning to my favorite coffee joint ... tim horton's ... and noticed something through a small opening in a an old barn. the tiny opening revealed an old car - 70/80 era and in struck me as if the car was whispering "psst...let me out" as i walked by.

shirt N tie

2007-09-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

it wasn't until i was washing my hands that i noticed, in the mirror, i made a mistake this morning dressing for work. i picked the wrong shirt in the dim bedroom light this morning.. you see lynne bought me this pimp tie with a long sleeve shirt to match, but it was gunna be 80 plus degrees today, so i opted to wear a similar orange/rust colored short sleeve shirt with my new tie ... trouble is red happens to look an awful lot like orange when you've just woke up and aren't with it yet. i didn't realize the mistake until i was already at work and couldn't change. one of my coworkers said the colors "complimented" one another - she was being nice. i'll admit i'm not a morning person ... i often walk out the door wearing dress pants without a belt - the shame!