New Friends

I made two new friends last week at the Gilcrease Animal Sanctuary. One is an emu from Australia and the other is Bill Gilcrease, 93.

See the Las Vegas Sun story here.

Male Strippers, Mitt Romney, Elvis and Horse Portraits

To say the least, it has been a professionally strenuous couple of months. August and September have seen the departure of many respected work colleagues. And although I haven't blogged consistently these past fews weeks as much as I would have liked, I still want to share this stuff. Better late than never. So, in one big lump, here are some of my very latest pics. They remind me why I love this job. Even with the ups and downs, I still get paid to take photos. I must not take that for granted.

Animal Attractions

A couple weeks ago, I was given the task of taking photos of all the places you could go to see live animals in the Las Vegas area. There is definitely a variety, from aquariums inside casinos to aquariums inside malls, to lions inside casinos and mermaids swimming in a large tank next to a Bass Pro Shop. You can watch flamingos fight during mating season while eating at a casino cafe. You can also ride a water slide through a shark tank a one local casino pool. Not to mention the little noted Las Vegas Zoo on North Rancho and the Bonnie Springs Petting Zoo out in Blue Diamond. There are definitely plenty of animals to see around here, if you are so inclined.

Animals of the Year

This is my favorite time of the year. I get to look through my work from the past year and pick my favorites. I love it. The holidays are great too, but this is what really gets me excited during the holiday season.

Part One: Animals of the Year

Horses, But No Reining

I had no idea what horse reining was until I went to photograph the High Roller Reining Classic at the South Point Equestrian Center September 12-18, 2010. The National Reining Horse Association defines it as a judged event designed to show the athletic ability of a ranch type horse within the confines of a show arena, running patterns which include small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, 360 degree spins done in place, and sliding stops. It all sounds very exciting. I didn’t end up photographing any of the actual competition though. I was struck by the horses, their beauty, and the trainers and riders relationships to the animals inside the stalls and the indoor practice arena. So, for those curious to see actual reining competition photos, you won’t see them here...just pictures of horses standing around.

The Circus Debate

Personally, I have very mixed feelings about the circus. But I am a journalist and try to put most, if not all, of my personal feelings aside while working. I shot the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus last Friday. We ran a circus photo page today in the Sun. Click here for some more photos...and a raging debate in the comment section.