mchenry west high school graduation

Nicholas DeLorenzo, left, and his girlfriend Trisha Hurckes kiss while waiting for the comencement ceremony to begin, on Thursday evening, May 20, 2010, at the McHenry West High School, in McHenry, Ill.

Nicholas DeLorenzo, left, and his girlfriend Trisha Hurckes hold hands while waiting for the comencement ceremony to begin, on Thursday evening, May 20, 2010, at the McHenry West High School, in McHenry, Ill.

Curtis DeLord, left, has his tie knot made by Tom Switzer on Thursday, May 20, 2010, before the commencement ceremony at the McHenry West High School.

Samantha Broderick plays with her hair while talking to a classmate on Thrusday, May 20, 2010 minutes before the commencement ceremony at the McHenry West High School.

Graduates throw their caps up in the air on Thursday, May 20, 2010, at the end of the commencement ceremony at the McHenry West High School.

These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

face paint

Nathan Nguyen, 4, of Cary smiles after seeing the star that Liz Delzell, a Fox River Grove Memorial Library employee, drew on his cheek, at his request, during the Earth Day festivities, on Saturday, April 10, 2010, at the Fox River Grove Memorial Library,

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

rush hour in the pond

i was in evanston ill. a week ago and at some point i took a walk on the northwestern university campus. it's a beautiful campus, right on the michigan lake shore. they also have a pond there that is filled with asian carp. i find it amusing that the duck is pushing the big fish away with one of its feet.

lost dreams

firefighters worked friday night into early saturday, april 10, to put out a fire that engulfed and completely destroyed the house at 3619 berry court,in crystal lake. the house was uninhabited at the time the fire started. the owners were planning to move in the following week. the damages were estimated at $3.5 million.

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

track & field meet

These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

old cemetery

Maureen Mikyska sits on a chair in between two tombstones Saturday afternoon, during the landmarking ceremony of the Barber Cemetery, in Riley Township. Mikyska, dressed as a "lady in mourning," represented the mother of Lucius W. Barber, a former Civil War sergeant, who lived in between 1839 and 1872 and was burried at the Barber Cemetery.

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

night burn

a few weeks ago i was assigned to photograph a prescribed prairie burn at the glacial park in ringwood, ill. bellow are some of the images i took that evening.







These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

man-made rainbow

yesterday was a warm day - the high was around 70 degrees farenheit - and very breezy. it was also a busy day for the firefighters. there were a few general alarms over the radio and i had to cover one of them at a farm nearby. an old hog barn and some corn stock bales got swallowed by the fire. fortunately, the damage was minimal, and the fire didn't spread to the more important assets of the farm. while i was lurking around the firefighters, i noticed that a small rainbow had formed in the area right above the corn stock. i took a few quick shots before it disappeared. i guess it was the smoke, water, and bright sun light combination.

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

ouch!

Woodstock North's base runner Natalie Bruchsaler, 19, bottom, colides with Richmond-Burton's first baseman Jessica Kerns, 3, amid a pick off during a double-steal attempt in the fourth inning, on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, in Richmond, Ill. Bruchsaler was called out and Kerns continued to play.

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

freezing soccer moms

spring showed up about a week or so ago, but didn't hang out for too long. the days were still sunny, but the air was cold. and the wind blew like crazy. especially on thursday. i was assigned to photograph a high school girls soccer game that evening. it was already cold outside and the over 25 mph wind made it even worse.

Jacobs fans Brenda Bishop, center, and Jane Mammoser, right, bundled up and braved strong winds and temperatures below freezing, on Thursday, March 25, 2010, while watching the girls' soccer game between Cary Grove and Jacobs high schools, at Cary Grove, in Cary, Ill.

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

potty-training

Benjamin Gerhardt, 3, center, plays with a piece of toilet paper on Tuesday, February 17, 2010 during the Potty Training class at the Algonquin Public Library, in Algonquin, Ill.

This image is © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

pitchers and tricks

the high school baseball and softball seasons have started, and i've photographed a few games so far. i'm not a big fan of these sports - mainly because i don't really know or understand their rules - but i'm trying to have fun while i'm covering them. here are some of the images that i took this week and the one before it. the one in which the ball is in focus is a veritable baseball cliche image, but i've never done it before, and i thought i'd give it a try. i wanted to see if i can do it. it didn't seem hard at all. in the end, it's just a trick.






These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

medieval americans

i took these photographs back in september 2009, in vermont, at an archery and history aficionados gathering.






These images are © 2009 Valley News and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

abandoned

it's been a year already

a little over a year ago i photographed a freelance assignment for the columbia tribune. it was the last evening of the true/false film festival. i saw pictures of this year's edition of the festival on some of my friends' blogs and i remembered about the ones that i took and i decided to post them.


Dusk falls on Missouri Theater one hour before the showing of The Yes Men Fix the World, the documentary film that closed out the 2009 True/False Film Festival.


A last minute spectator rushes to find a seat for the last showing of the Festival at the Missouri Theater.


Sour Mash Hug Band leader Fiddler Mickey performs inside the Missouri Theater lobby during Busker's Last Stand.


Movie goers converse as they enjoy free food inside the Missouri Theater lobby before the final showing.


True/False Film Festival co-founder David Wilson thanks the crowd gathered at the Missouri Theater before he final showing of the 2009 edition of the festival.

sled dawgs

from an assignment i shot a few weeks ago. the dogs in the first image look like they're fighting but in fact they were playing.




These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

last night, after work, in the parking lot

portraits 1

portraits aren't exactly my strength, or at least i don't feel like i have taken any good portraits yet. but i'm trying to get better at it. i took several of them in the last few months, and i've been hesitating to post them here. today i decided to start posting them. i'll start with two, very simple, ones that i've shot on assignment.

Huntley resident Frank Kajikawa remembers his experiences as a fiteen-year-old living in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, on Friday, February 5, 2010, at his home in Huntley, Illinois.


I photographed Jenny Hanrahan, a Crystal Lake South high school senior and basketball player, for a story that focused on her being a successful student and athlete. Jenny lost her mom to cancer two years ago.

These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

at da pool

some outtakes from a high school swimming event.




These images are © 2010 Northwest Herald and may not be reprinted or used without permission.

a few hours in chicago

i took the metra train to chicago yesterday afternoon and spent a few hours wandering around.