Changing the face of billboards

This is a piece I did for the Columbia Missourian’s photo column, “Boone Life.”  This semester, the theme of Boone Life is “Beginnings” which means we have to go out and photograph different types of beginnings (we sort of use this term very loosely).  Last week was my turn to do the photo column.  My idea for a “beginning” was the installation of new billboards and the people who climb up and do it.

Unfortunately, because of 5,000 different federal OSHA laws, I didn’t actually get to go up on the billboards.  But, I did what I could from the ground.  You can also read the article I wrote here (A writer I am not) and you will find the multimedia piece below:

Ode to Whataburger

If there is one thing I really miss about Texas, it is Whataburger.  The distinctive orange and white striped buildings are landmarks of deliciousness.  So, I was extremely elated when I found one while I was in Stillwater, OK shooting the Mizzou/Oklahoma State game.  I made Joel drive to it at 1 A.M.  Luckily he cooperated or I would have resorted to drastic measures.  Oh how I love Whataburger…

Lighting Cemeteries

There’s nothing quite like running around in cemeteries dating back to the 1800’s at 1 o’clock in the morning.  Chelsea and I did exactly that the other night to take photos for an upcoming VOX Magazine article on old Missouri cemeteries.  Since we both had to shoot the Mizzou Black & Gold basketball game that evening, we got off to a late start which meant we had to be a bit sketchy and walk around these places at odd hours of the morning.  We visited the Walnut Grove Cemetery in Boonville, MO which is supposed to be one of the oldest cemeteries in all of Missouri (we are told it was there before Missouri was even a state).

I really like the first picture below.  Most of the trees in the cemetery have turned yellow during fall and they were all backlit by the street lights surrounding the cemetery.  It made for a cool picture.

The second photo is about a 30 second exposure.  Chelsea hid behind a tombstone and shined a flashlight on all the back gravestones as well as the trees.  I stood behind the camera and lit the graves in the foreground.  We shot this photo for use as a cover for the magazine, so we left space to work with at the top and bottom for the designers.  A fun, but creepy night:

Frankenstein

Did you know there is a town in central Missouri called Frankenstein?  Neither did I until this past Thursday.  Frankenstein (said just like it sounds) is a small unincorporated town in Ozark County and mainly consists of a Catholic Church and the neighboring Catholic grade school.  I went there to photograph both the church and the school for a story on how they create a sense of community for Frankenstein.

I wasn’t happy at first having to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to Frankenstein in time for morning mass, but once I got there, I had a great time.  After shooting mass, I got to hang around the grade school for most of the day.  It is a small 4-room school building with two grades in each room.  Because of that, the kids are used to working while other things go on around them (like a strange person with a big camera).  It was an overall good day and the teachers and staff at the school couldn’t have been more welcoming.  Here is the multimedia piece I put together:

Barrels and Bottles

The other day, I got to photograph Matthew Kirby who runs both A&K Cooperage and the Cooper’s Oak Winery in Higbee, Mo.

The winery is the only winery in the country that has barrel-making and wine-making facilities all on the same property.  Even cooler, the cooperage makes 95% of the oak barrels for Napa Valley’s Silver Oak Cellars.  If you know something about the wine industry, you know that Silver Oak makes a damn good bottle of wine (I don’t think they make a bottle below $75).  I found it interesting that most of their barrels come from this small town in Missouri.

Matthew was kind enough to let me bug him for most of the day and look over his shoulder as he made barrels, labeled bottles, and worked on his next batch of wine.  Here is the multimedia that ensued:

Mizzou vs. Furman

Got to shoot the Mizzou game against Furman today.  Some clouds rolled in just about game time and created some great light to shoot in.  It was a pretty mismatched game which made for a lot of touchdown passes/runs to photograph.  Final score: 52-12 Mizzou.

Mizzou defensive lineman Jaquies Smith, 3, runs for the end zone after intercepting a pass during the third quarter of Saturday’s game against Furman at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

Despite losing his left shoe, Missouri running back Kendial Lawrence runs down field during the third quarter of the Tigers’ game against Furman.

Missouri’s Danario Alexander, 81, hops into the end zone past Furman’s Julian Hicks, 31, during the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

Mizzou wide receiver Danario Alexander, right, celebrates with teammate Jerrell Jackson, center, after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Furman Paladins at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

Ghost Hunting

Chelsea and I went on a ghost hunt / “paranormal investigation” with the Kindred Moon Paranormal Society this past weekend to do a story for the Columbia Missourian.  We were supposed to go and investigate paranormal activity at Bridal Cave in Lake of the Ozarks but a wedding reception canceled those plans.  Instead, we went to a railroad bridge on the Katy Trail that is rumored to have a one-armed man lurking around it.

I decided that I wanted to photograph the entire night without a flash… only flashlights.  I figured a flash would make things look too unnatural.  To really get a feel for what it was like, I felt we needed to use only the flashlights.  Although Bridal Cave would have been a little more visually interesting, I think we did good with what we had.  Below is the multimedia piece that Chelsea and I put together along with a few of my photos.

Mizzou Volleyball

Shot through one of the big banners hanging in the Hearnes Center.  I got bored at my second volleyball game of the day and played around a bit:

Another School Year

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while (I know, I know, you were all crying yourselves to sleep). But, since driving home from Reno I have been busy moving in, going to meetings, and getting back into another year of grad school. This semester I will be working for the Columbia Missourian so once I get into that groove, I’ll start to post new images.

In the mean time, here are a couple of random shots from the summer that I never posted.  The first one is from an assignment I went down to Las Vegas to shoot.  It was for a story on a local kid who plays for a summer basketball team in Las Vegas and is being recruited by a few different schools.  The next two photos are of the “Hot August Nights” classic car show that ran for a week in Reno.  Its one of the biggest car shows in the country and people drive in from across the country to attend.

The Las Vegas Prospects basketball team stretches behind the bleachers before a game at Rancho High School in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday, July 23, 2009. (© John Schreiber/ Reno Gazette-Journal)

A classic Chevrolet Corvette cruises by a line of spectators along Virginia Street in downtown Reno, Nev., Saturday, August 8, 2009 during the Hot August Nights Controlled Cruise. (© John Schreiber/Reno Gazette-Journal)

Jeff Oberg of Toledo, Wash. is reflected in the rear view mirror of his 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport as he cruises down Virginia Street during the Hot August Nights Controlled Cruise in downtown Reno, Nev., Saturday, August 8, 2009. (© John Schreiber/Reno Gazette-Journal)

The Looooong drive home

After 3 months in Reno I am finally driving home on Wednesday.  But, that doesn’t mean I won’t have fun doing it….  I’ll be stopping at Great Basin National Park, Moab, Arches National Park and then climbing four 14,000 foot peaks near Alma, CO.  Here is a rough map of my 1,800 mile trip (and you can even interact with it….ooooooooo) Pictures will come later:

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