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Last weekend, our staff was surprised when we repeated as the Wyoming Press Association’s recipient of the Robert Warner Photography Award for photographic excellence. In all, we won  12 awards in the daily division’s 7 categories.

It was a “Bad News Bears” tale. We spit, cheated, drank, caroused and were led by Walter Matthau (in spirit only — God rest his soul). Truly a good year.

It was pretty cool for us to win again since the state is pretty packed with talent (namely Gillette’s Nathan Payne). We’ll have to work pretty hard — and have a lot of luck — if we want to have this kind of success again next year.

Below is the list of winning photos:

Michael Smith: 1st Scenic Pictorial, 2nd Scenic Pictorial, 2nd Sports, 2nd Photo Story, 3rd Photo Story (shared)

AAron Ontiveroz: 1st General News, 3rd General News, 1st Spot News, 1st Photo Story, 3rd Photo Story (shared), 2nd Feature, 2nd Portrait, 3rd Portrait

Shauna Stephenson: 3rd Photo Story

Jerrett Raffety: 3rd Photo Story (shared)

Thanks for looking.

My brother and I went to Steamboat yesterday. We rode the mountain for about four hours before the binding on his board exploded under the sheer strain of his mass. Our day ended.

At the time, I was a little disappointed because I left Cheyenne at 4:30 a.m. to pick him up in Laramie before heading to Steamboat. Four hours seemed all too brief for a drive that I dangerously made while sleeping.

The abbreviated day sort of resulted in good things, though. As we drove back to Laramie, we came to a turnoff on Colorado Highway 14 outside of Walden. There, we were stopped by a sheriff — not for any illicit activities. He was actually holding traffic for a Bovine University graduation ceremony.

Yes sir, the fine stock in that class was prime.

A team of honchos and cow pokes were moving a bunch of cattle from Rand to Lewis Ranch just outside of Walden. While we waited, I asked my brother not to explode the car as I shot a few frames. He made no promises and I didn’t trust him either way, but I wanted to pass the time without sitting in a car with him any longer than necessary.

One of the cowboys said that when the team left Rand earlier in the a.m. the temp was about -8 degrees Fahrenheit — at the time I met them, it was about 30. The cows, whose faces were covered with ice did not comment on the weather, though they did seem to enjoy playing in the snow.

Below are more photos of the drive.

Thanks for looking.

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Santa asked, “What do you want for Christmas?”

The little girl replied, “A horse.”

Santa, a little taken aback by the tall order, said, “Oh, a horse… Well, what kind?”

Without hesitation she spouted, “A mare.”

It was humorous. Nice attention to detail. If Santa asked me what kind of horse, I would have said, “One with legs, I guess?”

Today was a pretty funny trip back in time for me. I tagged along with Santa (who is apparently pro union and proud of that fact) as he toured Sunrise Elementary School. There are few things these days that really get me going. I’ve lost that lovin’ feeling for lack of a better analogy.

Unlike me, however, the K through 2 students at the school — and some older ones in the hallways — lit up at the mere site of S.C. Without hesitation, they gravitated towards him and spilled their guts about dirt bikes, Barbie dolls, perfume, and of course, mares.

The site of their faces and pure, unadulterated joy made me think back to what I wanted when I was their age… As far as I can remember, it was hoping my mom wasn’t going to cook that year. I must have been bad because, on occasion, she did.

I am hopeful that, again unlike me, these kids get what they want.

After all, it takes guts to ask a man flying a reindeer driven sleigh through brisk winter air to carry a horse… Not to mention finding a way to stuff it under a tree. I guess that’s all part of the magic of Santa Claus.

Thanks for looking.

Growing up my mother always told me horror stories about going to catholic school.  Wooden ruler slaps on the hands by nuns were mentioned more than once. Mom made it clear that nuns were strict and put up with no nonsense.  I often got this speech after getting a couple of swats from the principal or when teachers complained about me being a distraction in class — so most days.

So with this in the back of my mind, I got up at 5 a.m. in mid-November and headed south of the Wyoming border to the Abbey of St. Walburga. I must say I was startled when Sister Scholastica answered the door of the abbey with a wide smile and warm words.  I  could hear Gregorian chants echoing in the background as the nuns started their morning prayers.

I was extremely careful and selective while photographing during the morning service. The spiritual meditation of the service was obviously disrupted with the noise of my camera’s shutter. It made me nervous when the nuns would look at me every time I took an image.

However, after the service the nuns went about their daily duties and  made me feel like they were happy that I was there.  They laughed often and not once did I feel the wrath of a wooden ruler across my hand.  These women have made an admirable choice and were happy to talk with someone from outside of the abbey.

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed not being swatted.

I’ve been fascinated with the idea of photographing Native American ritual for quite a few years now. When I realized the Wind River Dancers, of the Wind River Indian Reservation near Riverton, Wyo., were going to be performing at the American Indian Heritage Day Celebration at the Cheyenne Depot Museum this past Saturday, I jumped at the opportunity.

What I found was a diverse display of traditional dances from tribes such as the Ojibwe and Arapahoe. The dances themselves had a variety of purposes from healing to paying homage to animals to retelling stories of battle and the hunt. Some were even highly functional, such as the mens’ grass dance — wherein Native American tribes would use dance to flatten grass on the prairies where they would make their camps.

I wasn’t surprised to find that, by arriving early, I found pictures that I treasure as much as the shots of the main event. Meaning, with many performances and athletic events, I find that the preparation photographs tell just as much, if not more, than the shots of the main event. Here, I’ve provided a few photos of traditional Ojibwe performer, Brad Whelan, as he prepares his headdress, feather bustle (a spread of golden eagle feathers which go on his back) and other items for his performance for the public. You’ll also notice photos which display the clothing and dance which, amongst other things, makes these cultures so unique.

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