My photo of a young man talking to his father while laying on the hood of his wrecked car has won 2nd place in the Texas AP Managing Editors Awards 2012 in the spot news photography category, 1st place in the NPPA Region 8 August Spot News Clip Contest, as well as a previous 1st place award in August 2012 news photography from SportsShooter.com.

Colton Magill, from Big Sandy, Texas, lays on the hood of his wrecked car and talks with his father on a cell phone along Highway 67 southwest of Wake Village, Texas Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012. Magill was escorting a semitrailer with an oversized load when says he fell asleep, lost control of the car, and flipped the vehicle, coming to rest along the shoulder. (Doug Strickland/Texarkana Gazette)

My photo of the wife of a Cleveland, Tenn. police officer saying her final goodbye and kissing his casket won 2nd place in the spot news photography category from the Tennessee AP Managing Editors 2013 awards.  The photo won 3rd place in the NPPA’s May General News Clip Contest in Region 6.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – May 24, 2012. Danielle Maples kisses the casket of her husband, Officer Justin Maples, after his funeral service at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Cleveland, Tenn. on Thursday.

Also winning in the May General News category for Region 6, and taking 1st place, was a photo of an international religious ceremony at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – May 23, 2012. Kimberly Hughes participates in a group prayer during the first worship service of a four-day unity convention at the Chattanooga Choo Choo on Wednesday. About 20 religious leaders from seven different countries are meeting for the convention to overcome stereotypes, language, and cultural differences.

Taking 2nd place in the NPPA May Region 6 Spot News category was a photo of a man comforting a woman involved in a wreck along Signal Mountain Rd.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – May 05, 2012. A woman is comforted as she is loaded onto a stretcher by EMS workers after being involved in an automobile accident on Signal Mountain Rd. in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Saturday. Police said a black Ford Escape and a tan Lincoln collided head-on as the Lincoln was making a left turn into the Wal Mart shopping center, and the two drivers were transported to local hospitals for emergency care.

My photo of a bartender carrying beer along the street won 3rd place in the NPPA’s 2012 August Feature Single Clip Contest.

Brandon Finton, a bartender at La Esquina Zapata Grill, carries a case of beer past an alley from the main restaurant to the La Esquina annex while preparing the bar for Wednesday night’s customers on Aug. 22, 2012 in Texarkana, Ark. (Doug Strickland/The Texarkana Gazette)

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Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 23, 2013. Erin Prinzinger, her husband Joseph, and their son Joey are dressed in civil war attire as they sit near a campfire Saturday before the start of the Siege at Bridgeport 2013 Civil War battle re-enactment in Bridgeport, Ala.

Last month, I got to cover the Siege at Bridgeport Civil War re-enactment in Bridgeport, Al.  Believe it or not, despite four years of working for newspapers in the south this was the first Civil War re-enactment I’ve ever covered.  Don’t ask me how I’ve avoided it so far – I don’t know.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 23, 2013. Men dressed as Confederate soldiers walk up a hill towards cannons before the start of the Siege at Bridgeport 2013 Civil War battle re-enactment in Bridgeport, Ala.

The Siege at Bridgeport was a fairly large-scale re-enactment.  They had nearly a dozen cannons and full contingents of confederate and union re-enactors.  Lifelike camps and family participants contributed to an immersive, if not necessarily accurate (when would you have seen a wife and baby at camp?) portrayal of 19th century soldiering life.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 23, 2013. Men dressed as Union soldiers fire a cannon during the Siege at Bridgeport 2013 Civil War battle re-enactment in Bridgeport, Ala.

Between the cavalry, mock firefights, and huge cannon blasts, the only thing that would’ve made this a cooler event to cover is if I could’ve been in the middle of the re-enactors.  Of course, I’d need a big, heavy, and ancient plate camera for that; you’ve got to keep to period equipment on your person if you’re in the re-enactment.  Maybe I’ll work up a period photographer’s wagon and figure out a way to get my DSLR inside of a fake 4×5 with tripod for next year…

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 23, 2013. Mike Shadrick covers his 6-year-old son Waylon Johnson’s ears as cannons fire during the Siege at Bridgeport 2013 Civil War battle re-enactment in Bridgeport, Ala.

I did get one photo that actually reminded me of the few photographs to emerge out of the war.  At the time the Civil War was fought, photography was not yet advanced enough to capture action or even slight motion.  Photo-sensitive chemicals were slow working, and even in bright sunlight exposing a photograph often required the “shutter” (at the time period usually a cloth or cap which covered the camera’s lens) to be open for many seconds to allow enough light to expose the chemically-treated exposure plate.  Movement would blur the photograph, and when people were being photographed they had to be careful to stay very, very still.  This meant that photos of the Civil War showed troops posed before battles and the aftermath of battles rather than the battles themselves.  Corpses, as a rule, didn’t move.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 23, 2013. Men dressed as Confederate soldiers play dead during the Siege at Bridgeport 2013 Civil War battle re-enactment in Bridgeport, Ala.

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Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – April 20, 2012. Chattanooga Lookouts designated hitter Brian Cavazos-Galvez warms up in center field before the Lookouts’ final game of their series against the Birmingham Barons in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday. The Lookouts won 9-2.

It’s baseball season in Chattanooga, and the Chattanooga Lookouts season opener is tonight!  If the weather holds, I will be covering it…which looks like a big “if” right now.

I had the pleasure of photographing lots of Lookouts games last year, and I only hope I get to cover as many again this year.

It looks like it could be a great season, too.  The Dodgers’ $42 million sign Yasiel Puig is on the roster, and the comparison on everyone’s lips is “Bo Jackson.”  Let’s hope that comparison holds when it counts!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from last year’s coverage.  Stay tuned for highlights from this season.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – May 10, 2012. Chattanooga Lookouts second baseman Rafael Ynoa jumps for a throw from home as Montgomery Biscuits second baseman Tyler Bortnick steals second in the fourth inning of the final game of their series in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – June 22, 2012. Chattanooga Lookouts pitcher Ethan Martin pitches the ball during their home game against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Friday.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – June 22, 2012. Chattanooga Lookouts catcher Griff Erickson tags Pensacola Blue Wahoos third baseman David Vidal out at home plate in the third inning of their home game in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Friday.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – April 20, 2012. Fans reach for a foul ball tossed by Lookouts manager Carlos Subero from the third base line during the Chattanooga Lookouts’ final game of their series against the Birmingham Barons in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thursday.

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Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 13, 2013. Ooltewah left fielder Jared Davenport blows on his hands to keep them warm as he waits at first base in 30-degree weather during their baseball game against Soddy-Daisy Wednesday in Ooltewah, Tenn.

Around here, high school baseball begins when it is frequently still frigidly cold outside.  This is weather more common to football season than baseball, and it makes for some chilly evenings spent waiting for something to happen at 3rd base.  It’s also dark by 7:30 in mid-March, which only contributes to the cold.

I get to bundle inside of layers of clothes, coats, scarves, and hats, but the players have no such luck.  The best they can hope for is some under armor and batting gloves.

I like to keep hot hands in my pockets to frequently warm my hands between batters and innings.  They also come in handy for keeping batteries warm so that they hold their charge longer, but be careful not to place them directly against your camera batteries; when batteries get too hot, they can leak or, worse, explode.

I’m looking forward to spring.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 13, 2013. Soddy-Daisy center fielder Devan DeMatteo tries to dodge a tag in the basepath by Ooltewah third baseman Logan Burnette during their baseball game Wednesday in Ooltewah, Tenn.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 15, 2013. Gordon Lee’s Bay Wright slides safely into second ahead of a throw to Christian Heritage second baseman Nich Bartley Friday during their baseball game at Christian Heritage School in Dalton, Ga.

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Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 09, 2013. Dan Rose has his 16-month-old daughter Bernadette strapped into a harness on his chest as he signs a roll call sheet at a meeting by the Concerned Citizens for Justice Saturday at the Eastdale United Methodist Church. The meeting was held to discuss community relationships with police in the wake of the videotaped beating of Adam Tatum by Chattanooga police officers.

Well, as expected I didn’t keep up with my “Week’s work” posts the way I would have liked, so this week’s edition is devoted to catching up.  Below are just a few of my favorite photos from the last two weeks (that I haven’t already blogged about).

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 01, 2013 – George Fleetwood kisses his new wife Pam after being married by minister Troy Simmons Friday at the Ringgold Wedding Chapel in Ringgold, Ga. The chapel is a full service wedding facility capable of supplying clothing, decorations, and a minister.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 01, 2013 – 15-year-old Austin Noonan skateboards near Battle Academy Friday in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – February 28, 2013 – Washington Academy student Tuiquan Vaughn speaks with a Chattanooga Police Officer Thursday outside of a gas station along 4th Ave. in Chattanooga, Tenn. Vaughn and other students were stopped for truancy, and officers advised them about the need to stay in school and stay safe.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 05, 2013 – UTC wrestler Alex Ward, a former high school wrestler for McCallie, poses for a portrait Tuesday in the wrestling practice room at McKenzie Arena. Ward will be wrestling for the Mocs in the Southern Conference tournament Saturday in Lexington, Va.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 08, 2013 – Tennessee State Trooper Wade Clepper checks seats on a Hamilton County school bus during a surprise inspection Friday at Soddy-Daisy High School in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. Troopers conduct periodic surprise inspections on school buses in addition to annual scheduled inspections to help insure compliance with safety and mechanical standards.

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Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 07, 2013. Skyla Castleberry puts on makeup in her car while waiting for her husband Sgt. Chris Castleberry’s return Thursday at the National Guard Armory in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 1st Battalion of the 181st Field Artillery Regiment of the Tennessee Army National Guard returned Thursday after a year-long deployment with 9 months spent training troops overseas.

Some of my more avid readers may recall that last spring I photographed the 181st Field Artillery Unit of the Tennessee Army National Guard as they said goodbye to their families and left for a yearlong deployment.

This week, I got to cover them coming home.  The crowd wasn’t as large for their homecoming, and neither was the group getting off of the bus (many of their families had gone directly to Smyrna, Ga., to pick them up themselves), but those who were there were ecstatic.  I know I would be after leaving my loved ones for a year.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 07, 2013. Families cheer as buses carrying troops arrive Thursday at the National Guard Armory in Chattanooga, Tenn.

One of the interesting parts of this job is being able to see events come full circle.  If you’re in one place for long enough, you frequently get to see the beginnings and ends of many events.  It is especially nice when the events are happy ones.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 07, 2013. Spc. Charles Douglas embraces his girlfriend Danielle Mitchell Thursday in the parking lot of the National Guard Armory in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 06, 2013. Bradley Central’s Kayla Withrow hides her face inside her jersey as the takes her seat on the bench in the final minute of their state basketball tournament quarterfinal game against Science Hill Wednesday in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Bradley Central lost 64-38.

I was sent to Murfreesboro this week to cover the Bradley Central Bearettes in their state basketball tournament showing.  State basketball finals are some of my favorite sporting events to cover, so I was as happy as ever to make the trip to MTSU’s Murphy Center (even if it does have awful windows that backlight your photos around 75% of the arena).

This was the second of the Bearette’s games I got to photograph over the course of the season.  The first was their victory over Blackman the previous week, which sent them to the state tournament.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 06, 2013. Bradley Central’s Brooke Copeland, center, is heavily guarded by Science Hill’s Enjelica Reid, left, and Shae Smith during their state basketball tournament quarterfinal game Wednesday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Bradley Central was on their game when playing at home, but when they made it to the state tournament without player Rebecca Reuter, who was ineligible to play because of technical fouls received in the previous game, they couldn’t sink their baskets and fell 64-38.

Staff Photo by Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press – March 06, 2013. Bradley Central’s Brooke Copeland, center, has a layup knocked down by Science Hill’s Enjelica Reid, left, and Shae Smith during their state basketball tournament quarterfinal game Wednesday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

It is never fun to photograph teams during losing games.  Emotions always run high, and while it is part of my job as a photojournalist to make photos of players as they react to and deal with their loss, it isn’t easy.  Pointing your camera at someone who is crying and taking a photograph never is.

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Simply put: It isn’t.

Now, before I lose you completely, let me explain why paying $1200 for a commercial portrait shoot or wedding is inexpensive.

Photography, contrary to the beliefs of many a parent with a digital SLR camera, takes years of training, practice, and skill to master, and the abilities of the photographer alone add uniqueness and value to a photo shoot.  If capturing the special moments in your life are important, then you want to trust them to someone who knows how to catch them.  If conveying a particular brand, image, or feeling is important, then you want to hire someone who knows how to do that.

Beyond that, the costs associated with being a photographer are high.  Unlike people who work 9-5 jobs 40 hours each week and receive payment from an employer, we are contract workers.  We pay all of our own self-employment taxes, expenses, and insurance premiums out of pocket.  Health, liability, and equipment insurances are particularly expensive.

Combine this with the cost of equipment and the need to be able to pay ourselves from our business (we have to eat and pay rent like everyone else), and our overhead cost of doing business can be very high for what is often a 1-2 person enterprise.  The professional photographic equipment, computers, and software needed to produce the quality of images expected by our clients are expensive, and it is not unusual for photographers to spend $40,000 on an initial equipment investment with more spent every year on upkeep, maintenance, and replacement.

“So what?” you say, “why should I pay $700 when you’re only going to be doing two hours of shooting?  That’s $350 an hour!”

Actually, it isn’t.  Our job doesn’t begin when we arrive at a shoot and end when we leave.  Photo shoots require preparation, scouting, and office work that spans beyond the time we are present and clicking a shutter.  Shoots also require hours spent in front of a computer screen cutting, editing, and preparing images for delivery to clients.  For every hour of shooting it is likely another hour was spent performing general office, editing, and prep work.  Then, only a fraction of that “hourly” wage calculated goes directly into our pockets – most is spent on the costs of doing business listed above.

This brings us around to why paying $1200 for a commercial business portrait would be considered inexpensive.  It all comes down to the value of the photography.  How will the photos you are having taken be used?  Will these images be used to market your law firm in a newsletter?  Will they be the first thing a visitor sees when they come to your web site?

Will they be memories of your wedding, a once-in-a-lifetime event that will never be replaced?  Will they run on the front page of a magazine and entice customers to buy your publication or product?

Here is the most important question: Will paying less for poorly executed photographs reflect badly on you, your business, or your memories?

The word expensive implies that you are paying a high price for something with low value.  Certainly, the price for professional photography may be high, but is it expensive?  No.  It is not expensive because professionally produced photographs have high value for the client.

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If you can believe it, my looks even sillier, but hey, it gets the job done extra wide and super low:

Bradley Central’s Taylor Benrey (20) tips the ball into the hoop past Walker Valley’s Caio Hysinger during their district 5-AAA boys basketball tournament game Tuesday in Cleveland, Tenn.

It looks even better in McKenzie arena at F8 with our strobes as the primary light.  Please ignore how I stopped my shutter speed up too high and got the annoying black bar at the bottom of the frame:

UTC’s Z. Mason, left, lays the ball up around UNCG’s David Williams, right, and Korey Van Dussen during the Mocs’ basketball game Thursday at McKenzie Arena.

To be fair, that same moment shot tighter and without strobes is still pretty nice.  Oh how I’ve missed college arena light.

UTC’s Z. Mason, left, lays the ball up around UNCG’s David Williams during the Mocs’ basketball game Thursday at McKenzie Arena. The Mocs lost 94-68.

It wouldn’t be basketball season without some portraits, even the quick and dirty ones done on the bleachers.

Sale Creek High School basketball player Logan Burton poses for a portrait in the gym Thursday in Sale Creek, Tenn.

Whitwell’s Justin Harris, center, lays the ball up between Grace Baptist Academy’s Andrew Godsey, left, and Brandon McQueen during their Region 3-A boys basketball quarterfinal game Friday at Grace Baptist Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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