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Archive for the ‘York’ Category

In search of DownTown

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

What does it take to be the mascot for the York Revolution?

A lot more than I’d thought.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Jacob Arbittier, 16 of Dallastown, gets help from Rafael Vargas of Bronx, N.Y., and Rob McKinney of Dover before Arbittier's two-minute audition for the York Revolution's mascot DownTown on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, at Sovereign Bank Stadium. Nine hopefuls ranging in age from 16 to their mid-50s auditioned to play DownTown for at least 60 of the 70 home games this upcoming season at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

As Jacob — who’s been the Wildcat mascot at his high school, Dallastown, since August — explained, people who play mascots need to make very exaggerated motions. People who are bad dancers are more likely to be good mascots. And yes, it’s a very fine line between being an awesome mascot and being a laughably bad mascot.

Be sure to read Bill’s laughably good article about the auditions, which in part profiles another interesting candidate, as well as watch my video starring Jacob.

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Best of 2011

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, The York Dispatch, York on February 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

After some agony, a nearly two-month delay and a lot of hemming and hawwing, I’ve finally edited together what I think are the best of my photos from 2011.

2011 was good: It was the first full year in which I shot on assignment, full-time, every week. In January, I left my home in Texas for an internship at a paper in York, Pa.; in May, I left my internship for a job at the other paper in York. I’ve since been learning my way around York County, exploring the rest of Pennsylvania on occasional outings and making friends among various local and regional journalists.

2012, so far, has also been good. We’re only about a month and a half into the new year, but I’m already looking forward to compiling next year’s “Best of,” as well as looking back at 2011 again and coming up with an entirely new selection. But — in the meantime, here’s what I have from last year.

Hope you enjoy.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Blake Cooper hauls a piece of plywood to board up a lower-story window of 136 W. High Street in Red Lion on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. Cooper, who works for Major Restoration Services, said the fire damage at this duplex was among the worst he has seen. The fire, ruled as arson, was caused by trash bags filled with gas that were thrown onto the porch of 136 W. High Street and ignited. Both families living in the duplex were displaced.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Penn Manor's Colby Graham wrestles Spring Grove's Neal Grudi in the 189-pound bout at Spring Grove Area High School on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Grudi pinned Graham; Spring Grove defeated Penn Manor 44-19 in the first round of the District 3-AAA Team Tournament, but lost to Cumberland Valley 35-19 in a quarterfinal match later that night.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. With the help of her father Reggie Ross, Miracle Ross reaches for the ceiling fan switch in their home on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. When she was born four months early on Jan. 23, 2009, Ross weighed 13 ounces and couldn't leave the hospital until that July. Now almost three years old, Ross was diagnosed with liver cancer in May 2011 and receives chemo treatments every day at home when her blood levels are high enough. Ross also has a feeding tube and underwent a tracheostomy because her diaphragm and lungs are not strong enough to support her. Doctors have evaluated her to be at the same stage of mental development as that of a 10-month-old - an evaluation with which Ross's mother Sherrie Baker disagrees.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. In search of a toy to comfort her upset 4-year-old daughter Mariah, Katie White bends over to pick up an undamaged slinky in her fire-damaged home the day after the fire, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. White is nine months pregnant with her third child and first son, whom she and her husband Anthony will name Darius. The White family had occupied the downstairs apartment of a rowhouse on the 600 block of Wallace Street in York, Pa., for about two years when, on April 26, 2011, their upstairs neighbor left her cooking unattended. The resulting fire destroyed three rowhouses, including a condemned property, and displaced seven adults and three children. The Whites' renters insurance had elapsed, and they are currently staying with family.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Zach Cline, 10 of Mechanicsburg, sits atop a barricade and eats his popsicle as he and other Summer Adventure Camp participants wait their turn to go down the slope in the H2 OGO ball at Roundtop Mountain Resort's Mountain Adventure area on Thursday, July 14, 2011. Roundtop Mountain Resort is offering its fourth year of five-day Summer Adventure Camps, during which kids ranging in age from 8 to 15 participate in activities including fishing, kayaking, Frisbee golf and high ropes.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. York Revolution outfielder Val Majewski and other teammates celebrate their 2011 Atlantic League Championship win with Champagne in the locker room on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, after defeating the Long Island Ducks 6-3 at Sovereign Bank Stadium and becoming back-to-back champions.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. DeWayne Boyer of Ashton, Md., laughs in response to one of his friends' remarks as he stands in chest-high water on what used to be the patio of his summer house in Goldsboro on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. With the help of family and friends, Boyer stripped the carpets and relocated valuable items in his family's summer house in the 70th block of Water Street, as the Susquehanna River's floodwaters flowed into the house's basement and neighboring houses.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. FightRight MMA promoter and fighter Eric Albright lies splayed out on the wrestling mats after a three-minute match against former Red Lion wrestling coach Biff Walizer, on Wednesday, June 8, 2011, at Red Lion Area High School. Albright and Walizer are training to fight in the Brawl in the Hall mixed-martial arts tournament on June 18, 2011, at the York Expo Center. Albright, who wrestled at Red Lion Area High School in 2004 and 2005, is promoting the tournament via his organization FightRight MMA. Walizer, who was Albright's wrestling coach, just ended his final and 12th season coaching at Red Lion and has fought 16 MMA fights.

© 2011 by The York Dispatch. Red Lion's Gisselle Truiett gets a mouthful of the ball as Wilson's Ivory Bailey fouls her in the third period of the District 3-AAAA title game on Friday, March 4, 2011, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Red Lion defeated Wilson 39-20 and won the title. The Wilson Bulldogs failed to score until the second period, and didn't bring their total into the double digits until after halftime.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Tah'ryzma Holland, 3, looks up at her grandmother Rebecca Moore as Moore prepares to leave the house for a while on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The girl, known as Nana to friends and family, and her father live with Moore on Parkway Boulevard. Nana calls Moore "Mommy" and gets separation anxiety whenever Moore leaves the house without her. Moore is a resident on Parkway Boulevard, where she has seen the level of crime and violence rise in the past six years. Moore has since formed Operation Stand Up -- an organization that assists residents and police officers at crime scenes -- and become an outspoken member of the community against the Parkway Gang's activities.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Penn State corner back and senior Chaz Powell leaves the field visibly upset after Penn State lost 17-14 to Nebraska in the Nittany Lions' first game in 46 seasons without former head coach Joe Paterno at the helm at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Brian Keefer, center, and his family react after seeing their newly renovated home for the first time on Sunday, June 26, 2011, in Newberry Township. Per "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" tradition, the show's bus blocked the family's view of the house until host Ty Pennington, the family and 1,000 supporters shouted, "Move that bus!" Greeted by 1,000 supporters, the builders and the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" crew, the Keefer family returned to their Newberry Township home, which is renovated and features a connected wing for son Brian Keefer, on Sunday, June 26, 2011.

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Up in the air

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

“If you want to get really good photos out of the airplane,” the pilot told me over the phone, “you’ll have to ride up front and open the door while we’re flying, because that window is glued shut to the door.

“You’d be strapped in, of course,” she added.

I did ride up front (and the co-pilot sat behind me) in a single-engine Cessna as we flew over York County two Saturdays ago. But we didn’t open the door — the pilot decided it could be a bad idea, since this was my first time in a small aircraft.

Turns out, leaving the door closed was a good idea, as I finally got motion sickness on the return leg. I didn’t throw up, but no amount of ginger ale or crackers could alleviate my queasiness for the next 10 hours.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Sovereign Bank Stadium, as seen from about 2,000 feet above sea level on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.

Maybe next time, I’ll open the door.

Be sure to check out more aerial photos on our new staff photo blog!

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Chasing down the man in red

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 9, 2012| 2 Comments »

I could probably use one hand to count how many times it’s snowed this winter since the freak snow-dump in October. Because of this fairly mild, fairly snow-less winter, it’s all the more important that, every time it does snow, we get snow features.

At least, that’s the way I see it. And that’s why, on my way to and from an assignment in southern York County, I opted to take state roads and some other back roads instead of the interstate. (Because, as I learned in Atlanta, you don’t find feature photos if you’re driving 65-70 on an interstate.)

To make this photo, which ran as the secondary photo on today’s front, I had to make some quick turnarounds.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Tom Beck of Springfield Township jogs on the Heritage Rail Trail in Codorus Township on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Beck, who is training for an upcoming five-mile race in Jacobus, said he runs five days a week and likes running in the snow. "It's so quiet, all you hear is your breath," Beck said. Snowfall was forecast on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, from a coating to an inch.

I was taking Rte 616 from Railroad up back to York when I saw this man jogging on the Heritage Rail Trail, which runs parallel to 616 for a little ways.

“Man, that’d be a great feature,” I thought to myself as I continued driving. But I was driving in the opposite direction, and parking my car and finding him — and keeping up with him — would be difficult. Especially since 616 is a two-lane road with steep embankments and no shoulders. But… he was running. In the snow. And he was wearing red. Which would contrast really well with the snow.

So, next chance I got, I turned onto another street, turned onto another street and turned back onto 616. After that, I wasn’t sure how or where to catch up with the man. The section of 616 on which I was driving at that time is separated from the rail trail by a long stretch of private property. I knew there was a road — Seitzville Road — coming up that intersected with the rail trail. Maybe I could park there and just stay put and wait for him… unless he’d already passed that area.

Whatever. I turned onto Seitzville and, as I pulled across the railroad tracks (which give the rail trail its name), I saw the man in red. Running toward me. I’d beat him there, but only narrowly. I parked on the other side of the tracks, jumped out of my car, waved him down, ran ahead of him, made some pictures, talked to him briefly — and then we went our separate ways.

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Lost license? Free booze!

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

A local club recently lost its alcohol license after the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board decided not to renew it, citing fights that have happened outside the club.

The club’s solution? Free alcohol.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Liquor bottles cast long shadows on the floor of one of the bar areas at Club XS on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Club XS bartender Travis McCarty mixes a drink at the club's back bar on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012.

Full disclosure: I actually made these pictures for an article that ran shortly before the club lost its license. And fortunately, we’d just received our new D3s camera bodies, so I definitely needed every bit of that 128,000 ISO rating.

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Portrait: Her husband’s quilts

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Be sure to read this really lovely column that Mike wrote about this widow’s husband.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Joann Walker of East Manchester Township stands for a portrait in front of her home with two of the four quilts her late husband Pat made, on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Pat Walker made his first quilt four or five years before he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His wife Joann, an avid quiltmaker, said he then didn't make another quilt until after his diagnosis. Pat completed three more quilts before his death last Wednesday, Jan. 11.

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High school ice hockey: Central York defeats Hempfield 7-2

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Every time I shoot a new sport, I a) overshoot, b) just follow the ball, c) keep faces in focus and d) also try not to get overwhelmed. Then again, and again, and again, through the next few games until I start to better understand the sport. This has been my method with baseball, football, tennis, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, field hockey, wrestling, volleyball and a few others that I might have forgotten here.

And, now, ice hockey.

I have attended a professional hockey game and even voluntarily watched a few games on TV, both thanks to Jeff, who’s a fan. Despite his best efforts, though, I have little understanding of the game. So, last night, I just did my damnedest to follow the puck. Maybe someday, I’ll understand hockey the way I understand football: well enough to shoot it.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Central York's Kenny Gross and Hempfield's Kyle Long keep their eyes on the puck in the third period on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Central York defeated Hempfield 7-2 to clinch the CPIHL Tier 1 regular season title.

Off the ice, I saw these kids pressing their noses against the glass, so whenever the action headed their way, I trained my lens on them — at which point, naturally, they would immediately become distracted by something else and lose their focus on the game. This is a picture wherein I don’t mind that they’re not too terribly engrossed in the sport at that moment.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Aaron Miller, 3 of Manchester Township, wipes his nose as his sister Autumn, 7, watches their cousin play goalie for Central York against Hempfield on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, at the York City Ice Arena.

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Portrait: Rising waters

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on February 1, 2012| 1 Comment »

Thanks to the summer floods and township/state policy, Bill Metz is up a creek without a shovel.

When I asked Metz to crouch down on his feet for me at the site of his former bridge, I told him, “This will be a portrait, but you don’t have to smile.”

“I don’t have anything to smile about,” was Metz’s wry reply.

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Bill Metz has lived in Conewago Township off Mill Creek Road since 2000 on a property bounded by a runoff stream from a closed quarry. The stream, which runs through a pipe under Mill Creek Road, flooded twice last summer, washed out the banks and deposited gravel about 2 feet deep onto the streambed. Because there is no longer a deep gully, rainwater rises quickly on his property now and threatens the corral where his horse lives. Conewago Township officials have refused to help Metz clean up the stream, and he is unable to clean it up on his own without getting a permit from the state department of environmental protection.

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Vaping

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on January 14, 2012| 1 Comment »

“Come back with a portrait of her using her electronic cigarette,” my editor said. “I want to see… not smoky…”

“Hazy?” I suggested.

“Yes. Hazy.”

The hazy portrait that ran on A1:

© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Sharon Luers of Shrewsbury exhales while demonstrating a particular model of electronic cigarette in her home on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. Luers is an organizer for the White Rose Vapers Club, a group of about 50 people in the York area who smoke electronic cigarettes. Luers herself has a sizeable collection of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids, the use of which she encourages as a way to stop smoking actual cigarettes.

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“It’s a sick world”

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on January 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Dec. 30, 2011 — A woman’s children find her lying on the living room floor, with duct tape over her mouth. She was already dead.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. A York City police officer exits a home in the 200th block of Liberty Court, where the body of Anaida Rivera was found by her children on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in the living room of their home.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Neighbors inform Joseph Rodriguez, of York, left, of the death of Anaida Rivera on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, outside her home on the 200th block of Liberty Courty in the city. Rodriguez said Rivera was his daughter's mother, that he was swinging by her home to pick up his daughter and that he had not heard of Rivera's death before he arrived.

Dec. 31, 2011 — Anaida Rivera’s death is ruled a homicide.

Jan. 6, 2012 — Four men are arraigned on charges of criminal homicide, burglary, robbery and conspiracy. One of the men tells police they had taken jewelry and $80 in cash.

Reporter Mike followed up with the victim’s family following the arrests:

“They’re monsters. They’re animals to me.” — Rivera’s sister-in-law

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Ruth Kennedy holds her great-granddaughter Daymaya Peoples, 19 months, as her other great-granddaughters N'elossia Kennedy, 7, and Unique Williams, 5, stay with her on the porch on the 200th block of Liberty Court, as police investigate a homicide in a nearby home.

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A shot of a flu shot

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on January 6, 2012| 1 Comment »

Getting a shot of someone getting a flu shot is a little trickier than you might think. Sometimes, you’ll be in such a position that you’ll get the needle but not the person’s face, or the person’s face but not the needle.

Or, sometimes, you’ll get the person and the needle while the person gets the needle.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Jayda Trust, 15 of York, gets her flu shot administered by nurse Debbie Stoops at the York City Health Bureau office on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011.

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Ringing in 2012

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on January 1, 2012| 1 Comment »

Last night, I moved from downtown venue from downtown venue over the course of six hours.

With a camera bag on my shoulder. And a camera around my neck.

Ringing in the new year with a camera to my face was a new experience for me, but the music was loud, people were reveling and the spirit in the air was infectious. Here’re a few of my favorite photos from the scenes around downtown York last night:

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Lacie Evans of Heidelberg Township, far right, toots her horn as her son Riley, 2, plays his own noisemaker while on his father Corey's shoulders at the Children's Countdown event on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, at Central Market. York's New Year Revolution 2011 celebration included events at various venues downtown, as well as a main stage area in Continental Square, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Ginny and Jim Droll, of Cleveland, Ohio, dance together while singing "Auld Lang Syne" with Thirst 'n' Howl Musical Productions at the Children's Countdown event at Central Market on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Sara Gross of York holds her daughter Chloe Lewellyn as they dance alongside Heather Crapper, right, of Hellam Township, at the main stage at Continental Square on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

Be sure to check out the ountdown-to-midnight photo/video/audio piece I put together late last night!

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Snow golf

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Two days ago, it snowed — fleetingly.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Geese flock near the 18th fairway at Springwood Golf Club on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, as the nearby pond begins to ice over. Snow flurries turned to a small but steady snowfall at the golf course.

It wasn’t supposed to. It was barely flurrying as I hurried back to my apartment, where I’d left my work phone, and took the back roads from there to my first assignment. En route, I happened to see a lone golfer at a nearby golf course. Having been advised by my editor to keep an eye out for local daily/feature art, I decided to head back to the golf course after completing my first assignment.

So, back I went. And, to my surprise and contrary to the forecast, snow was starting to accumulate. The man working in the pro shop offered me a ride to the 17th hole, where two of four golfers on the course were driving.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Andy Spence of Oneonta, N.Y., walks toward his ball after his first putt on the 17th green at Springwood Golf Club on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. Spence was golfing with his brother, Greg Pondolfino of Windsor Township, when snow started to accumulate while they were at the 10th hole.

“Please don’t tell us we’re the only idiots out here golfing in the snow,” Andy said to me as we got close enough to hear each other speak.

“You’re not — there are two other idiots around here somewhere,” I reassured him.

“Okay, good to know.”

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Greg Pondolfino's ball stops after just skimming the 18th hole and gathering too much snow in his putt on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at Springwood Golf Club. Pondolfino, of Windsor Township, took his brother Andy Spence of Oneonta, N.Y., golfing because Spence is visiting and on vacation. "You go golfing when you're on vacation, right?" Pondolfino said later while warming up in the clubhouse.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Andy Spence of Oneonta, N.Y., chips his ball at the 18th hole on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at Springwood Golf Club. Spence said the snow mostly affected how well he and his brother could putt, as well as how easily they could find the balls after driving them.

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Christmas Magic

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 24, 2011| 1 Comment »

Every year, one of the county parks hosts Christmas Magic — a half-mile trail of Christmas lights, music, food and entertainment — from the Friday after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. I’d known about the event since last November, when I was offered the York Dispatch internship, looked up the paper’s front page and saw a Christmas Magic photo. So I was excited to be assigned to make pictures there this year for The Daily Record.

Unfortunately, photographing Christmas lights in a functional, easy-to-read-on-newsprint way is a lot more difficult than I had remembered.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. (Left to right) Djuna Plumb, 3 of Lancaster, and Quinn MacBride, 4 of Alexandria, Va., wander through the Christmas Magic lights display on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at Rocky Ridge County Park.

Unlike other holiday light displays, Christmas Magic features predominantly figurines — whose figures can be hard to capture in a camera. I quickly figured out that the trick is to use a wide lens in those rare cases when you can distinguish the shapes formed by the lights, and to use a long lens for people photos so all the lights in the background are out of focus.

But it’s not even that simple. People don’t stop to admire the light displays at Christmas Magic. They keep moving along the trail. And if it’s dark and the lights are all spread out enough (which they were)… well, you gotta be fast if you want to catch a candid, genuine “people” moment.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. The Christmas Magic lights display is up for its 28th season at Rocky Ridge County Park, from Nov. 25 through Dec. 31. This year's display features 500,000 lights on its half-mile trail, as well as heated indoor areas for refreshments and other attractions.

It was tough. I had to walk the trail twice before I felt confident I had enough pictures. But it all worked out.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Gillian Sipe, 13 of New Freedom, checks her phone while waiting to perform as a member of the Trinity Bells choir at the Christmas Magic lights attraction on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at Rocky Ridge County Park.

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Plane crash

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

While covering a high school swim meet, I sat down during the girls’ 500-yard freestyle — ’cause that’s a pretty long race, and my feet were tired, and I haven’t felt well in a week — and checked my phone.

Then I saw that my editor had texted, called and left a voicemail.

Then I left to cover a plane crash that happened about a mile and a half north of the school.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Emergency crews remove the body of a 38-year-old man who crashed this two-engine, 1980 Cessna plane in a farm field in Jackson Township on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. The man, of California, was pronounced dead at scene.

Read Rebecca and Teresa’s article for more details.

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A girl named Miracle

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A few weeks ago, I got to spend a few hours with a little girl named Miracle.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Miracle Ross reaches for a glove that her nurse Lori Maxwell is blowing up for her in Ross's home on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. Maxwell, who works through Pediatric Services of America, has come to the family's home every day since Ross left the hospital as a 10-month-old baby in Oct. 2009. When she was born four months early on Jan. 23, 2009, Miracle Ross weighed 13 ounces and couldn't leave the hospital until that July.

The paper has run at least one story about Miracle before, given her delicate medical condition. Recently, though, she’s been diagnosed with liver cancer, and doctors say there’s nothing they can do: “She’ll never be cancer-free.”

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. With the help of her father Reggie Ross, Miracle Ross reaches for the ceiling fan switch in their home on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. Now almost three years old, Ross was diagnosed with liver cancer in May 2011 and receives chemo treatments every day at home when her blood levels are high enough. Ross also has a feeding tube and underwent a tracheostomy because her diaphragm and lungs are not strong enough to support her. Doctors have evaluated her to be at the same stage of mental development as that of a 10-month-old - an evaluation with which Ross's mother Sherrie Baker disagrees.

As I spent time with Miracle, her parents, her aunt and her nurse in that dimly-lit living room, I was overwhelmed by the warmth and love that surrounded the little girl. It’s a sad story, and I spent only a few hours with Miracle, but I left the house grateful for my own health and glad that the girl’s last memories will be of her family, home and love.

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Note to self

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

When you’re bending over to make pictures of a 2-year-old… and you’re wearing your press ID around your neck…

Well, just remember that young children are tactile.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News.

More to come, soon.

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The 2011 Winter Nationals Ferret Competition

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Up:

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Beth Bowles of Westmoreland County, Pa., holds up her partner Ruth Heller's ferrets, General Quarters and Pandorica, while playing with them at the American Ferret Association's Winter Nationals Ferret Competition on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in West Manchester Township. Ferret owners and ferret vendors came together for the American Ferret Association's Winter Nationals Ferret Competition on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in West Manchester Township.

And down:

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Beth Bowles of Westmoreland County, Pa., holds her partner Ruth Heller's ferrets, General Quarters and Pandorica, as Tabitha Hammer of Lancaster County lets them sniff her hand at the American Ferret Association's Winter Nationals Ferret Competition on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center in West Manchester Township.

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Hallelujah moment?

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on December 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church member and volunteer Karen Gleba checks a deep freezer for more frozen soups in the parish hall basement on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Church members cooked all the freezer sale items in the parish hall's commercial kitchen, and stored the finished foods in dedicated deep freezers until the annual Divine Delights Freezer Sale. Always held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the freezer sale features foods ranging from pesto to pie. Organizers said the sale, which they hope raises $8-10,000 this year, benefits the church's outreach budget.

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Friday night football at West York

Posted in Journalism, Pennsylvania, Photography, Photojournalism, Sports, The York Daily Record/Sunday News, York on November 30, 2011| 1 Comment »

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News.

Last Friday, West York ended its 10-3 season with a loss that cut short the team’s hopes of playing the district championship final.

But the Friday before that? Victory.

I shot the game for the next day’s sports section, but I also shot outside the game for a monthly gallery feature that ran in Tuesday’s living section. Here are a few frames, which I did convert to black-and-white for this blog post. You can view all the photos, and read the brief, as they were published.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. (Left to right) Head bowed, West York running back Brock Snellbaker sits on the steps outside West York Area High School as wide receivers C. Kingsley Chikezie and Ryan George (sitting on railing) wait for pregame warmups to begin before the PIAA District 3AAA quarterfinal game against Susquehanna Township at home on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. West York defeated Susquehanna Township 42-14 at home on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, to advance to the District 3AAA semifinal round.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. (Left to right, bottom) West York residents Brett Butler, Tom Eyster and Chris Eyster watch the game as West York eighth grader Emma Rikas and West York Bulldog Marching Band color guard members Daniela Ngounou, Ornella Ngounou and Maxine Stough cheer after a second-quarter West York touchdown during the PIAA District 3AAA quarterfinal game against Susquehanna Township on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. West York football players lift their helmets as they return to their home fans after defeating Susquehanna Township in the PIAA District 3AAA quarterfinal game on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. West York head coach Ron Miller gets high-fives from students and fans after the Bulldogs won the PIAA District 3AAA quarterfinal game against Susquehanna Township on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011.

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