This is my goodbye blog.... today is my last day as a full-time employee at the Times Record News.

A lot has changed since then... hell, a lot has changed in the last week for me.

Amy and I were married on Saturday, in a perfect little ceremony in the backyard of our house with a small group of friends and family. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am or how happy that day made me. I truly do feel a level of completeness that I haven't felt before. Not that the puzzle is finished by any means, but a really important part was.

Oddly enough, we picked up the wedding license the same day I turned in my 2-weeks notice. Change indeed.

It has been 4.5 years of full-time work for me here. Before that, it was three years of part-time, freelance and interning work.

The industry is changing more rapidly than the corperate decision-makers can plug holes in the dam with fingers. Although I know that I can keep up with the changes happening around me in the way that I am responsible for bringing you photos and news, it's not a one-person show and never has been.

Still, the journey to this point has been hard for me and will be hard for me for many months to come I have no doubt.

I am a photojournalist and will be for the rest of my life.... I just don't have the same outlet to show the world what I see anymore.

People have asked me if I will miss the newspaper.

Truth is... I won't miss the paper.... I'll miss the daily interaction with the subjects that I photograph. I'll miss the friends I have made in the office and those that consider me a friend in the community.

People look at you differently when you have a camera around your neck. Both in a good way and a bad way. I was despised by some and adored by others. There will be many who will still recognize me at that guy that was at everything with a camera.

They may ask "Didn't you used to be a photographer?"

That's an easy answer.... I'll always be a photographer, just not a full-time employee of this paper.

My hope is that I am still able to contribute to this paper.... either by freelancing when they need me, or contributing special projects when I can tackle them.

Either way... I'll still be out here, taking photos either in my head or with a camera in front of me.

I'm not leaving Wichita Falls, this has been my home since I came to MSU and will be for a long time to come. So, while it is a little sad that I won't be here at the TRN anymore, I'll still be around.

Feel free to drop me a line at jpphoto79@gmail.com or come visit my website Jason Lee Palmer.com.

Actually... I need to update my website with stuff from the last 1.5 years or so... guess I'll have to actually do that now.

This falls under the hilarious banner for me.

nataliedee.com

The dog that's been in my life since I was 12 was put to rest over the weekend. The tears are already coming back again.

His name is Tex and I will miss him more than I can put into words. He had a great run... 17 years if you can believe it.

This was not an easy decision by far... some of them were shoe-ins and stuff that you've probably seen on this blog before if you read regularly.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
New York Giants cornerback R.W. McQuarters (25) hauls in an interception in the endzone on 4th and 20 to end the Dallas Cowboy's season with a 21-17 playoff loss.

#4 of 2008

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Sunlight hits a funnel cloud as it drops from the sky near Wellington Lane during a severe thunderstorm as it moves over eastern Wichita County near Electra and Iowa Park Monday afternoon. Tornado warnings were sounded around the area as funnel clouds dipped from the rotating storm.

#3 of 2008

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Dozens of Iwo Jima survivors and their families watch the re-enactment of the flag raising at Mount Suribachi at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel Saturday morning.

#2 of 2008

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Andrew Swinhoe has returned to play baseball for the defending Class 1A State Champ Archer City Wildcats after a fatal head-on wreck during the middle of last baseball season.

Here's the original blog on how I did this one.
http://blogs.scripps.com/trn/j_palmer/2008/02/howd_he_do_that

#1 of 2008

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A pair of young raccoons, one of them albino, lounge on a chain-linked fence near the Jasper St. Water Plant in Wichita Falls, Texas, Thursday, June 12, 2008. Wildlife biologists put the odds of albinism in raccoons at 750,000 to one. Those are slimmer odds than being struck by lightning (576,000 to 1).

Those are my top five photos of the year... I hope you've enjoyed the series as much as I have.

Now... back to your regularly scheduled broadcast.

I love being on the sidelines capturing the moments that make and break the games and then being able to show them to the masses (well... the "masses that read our paper".

So.. here are five of my top sports photos of the year.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Henrietta's Jessica Rogers (17) kills a shot over Nocona's Elaine Coffman (10) during their volleyball match against Tuesday night in Henrietta.

Andy Newberry requested that I get something kind feature-y for the Henrietta Bearcats volleyball team as they were heading into the volleyball playoffs on top of shooting the regular game action.

I immeadiately knew that I wanted something super wide-angle and really low to the ground. Once I got there, it was just a matter of time before I got all of my regular action photos and could concentrate on the fun feature stuff.

I sat really low and right next to the umpires' chair and used the seldom sports seen 17-55mm lens from my kit. Shooting as wide-angled as possible meant that I would have to bide my time until the perfect play was in front of me.

It also meant that I would have to pay attention and wait for a cross-court set to the player on the near side. It took about 1/2 a game to get the right shot but this one was a major highlight of my volleyball year for sure.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Holliday shortstop Brayden Little (15) tries to leap over Palmer baserunner Jarrett Stone (21) on a failed double-play attempt in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Eagles fell 3-1 to the Bulldogs and were swept from the Region II 2A Semifinal and in Mineral Wells Friday night.

When shooting baseball, you only have a few chances to catch something really special. Usually, it's the pitcher, batter perhaps a fielding play and if you're lucky, a slide into second or home.

Every once and a while, you'll get the fraction of a second to get something really really awesome. This was one of those chances. It was a bang-bang attempt at a double play except the baserunner didn't quite slide to the ground and left the Holliday shortstop to kinda jump over him.

You really have to be on point to get this kind of stuff and that's why I love baseball so much. You have to see a play setting up in front of you and anticipate the action before it gets there... or it's too late.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Craig Alvarez (10) of Wichita Falls slides into home just ahead of the ball and tag from Vernon catcher Austen White (10) Monday afternoon at Hoskins Field.

This one was a bit easier to get but only out of luck. I saw the play setting up as the baserunner was rounding third. It was good timing to get his sliding into home like that... but having the ball perfectly placed in the from was simple pure lucky.

I'll take it...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Rider forward Megan Barnhart (9) is fouled from behind by Wichita Falls defender Brianne Bates (2) on a header in the box during the second half Thursday night at Memorial Stadium. The Lady Raiders scored on the ensuing penalty kick and won 4-0 securing the district championship.

Soccer is by far and away my fave. thing to shoot in sports. Guys or girls... high school it doesn't really matter to me.

I have always loved soccer the most. I know that a big part of it is that I played and one of my sisters plays soccer. But also it's the awesome expressions and body movement.

Other contact sports like hockey and football you have helmets that mask their faces and pads that cover their bodies. You don't have that in soccer.

Combine those with the grace of two players in a midair collision, with the ball... in a story-tellign moment like a foul in the box (although I don't really think it was that hard of a hit)... and you've got a great shot.

lastly...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Rider wideout Reid Barnett (14) hauls in a 33-yard touchdown pass ahead of Little Elm defender Joey Merlene (27) during the first quarter Thursday night.

It was a lean year for really dramatic football photos without the great passing attack of Rider all year. Most of the area schools were run run run. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it doesn't always make for the best shot.

One of the only real deep passes in a game that I was in position for turned out to be one of the best of the year. Reid Barnett hit a sideline pattern that the young QB connected on.

It was one of those play action things where I found the reciever and had time to focus properly and wait for the jump and catch.

Lucky me got both players in the air and a great shot to boot.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Outgoing 82nd Training Wing commander Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux shields his face from a water spray after he completed his final flight at Sheppard AFB Friday afternoon. Devereaux has been assigned to Randolph AFB in San Antonio, and will be replaced at Sheppard by Brig. O.G. Manning.

It is customary to give any commander the spray down on his last flight. Usually it's the two fire trucks that spray water over the plane as it taxis in and then the family gets a chance with a fire hose.

Gen. Devereaux was always a good sport and one of my favorite people to photograph in various situations. I really wanted to get a good shot of him as he was getting soaked with the water... but he put his hands over his face defensively and you couldn't even see him once the water hit.

You can still tell by the expression that he's grinning ear to ear in this shot and this one ran huge on the front page the next day.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Isabella and Daniella Martinez (left to right) perform a dance during the Fiestas Patrias parade in downtown Wichita Falls Saturday morning.

The Fiestas Patrias parade always provides the chance for excellent photos along the way. The bright colors, dozens of kids and everybody is usually having a great time.

These young girls were just learning the steps to a basic traditional dance, but the looks of determination on their faces was priceless.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Eli Young Band drummer Chris Thompson is silohuetted against the sunset during their performance at Shrine Fest 2008 on Saturday, August 23, 2008.

The best thing about an outdoor concert is the lighting... provided that you have the right angle of sunlight to really make a good selection of shots.

Now... the Eli Young Band is by far my favorite music group out there, so I didn't mind wading through 1000s of teens and adults drinking adult beverages to get the shots of the band that I was really looking for.

Honestly, they are on my list of bands to not miss anytime they are performing in or near Wichita Falls.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A construction worker paints the Wichita Falls city logo on the side of a new water tower off of Kell Blvd. near Barnett Road Tuesday afternoon.

Really I don't think this photo needs any explanation... It just kinda makes me laugh when I see it. Really the result of lucky timing that the painter was far enough out of the way to be able to read the entire sign.

Why I'd rather have weather like San Diego... because when it's bad weather, I have to be out in it shooting photos.

Be it wading through floodwaters (again), walking on ice or chasing tornados... all of which happened in 2008.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Ben Cooper, 6, wades through floodwaters at his grandmother's house on Wellington Lane Tuesday morning after an overnight thunderstorm brought flash flooding and nearly two feet of water through the neighborhood.

I really hoped I wouldn't have to be in this situation again... after the flooding on the East Side, Tanglewood and Wranglers Retreat in 2007... Something about wading nearly thigh deep in water that more resembles chocolate milk.

Sure enough... after the one in a 500 year thunderstorm that parked itself west of Burk and dropped between 8-13 inches of rain on the land, I get the call early in the morning that I need to head down to Wellington Lane for flooding photos.

By the time I got down there and started walking through the water, it had already dropped more than a foot from the high mark... it came and went in a hurry and did as much damage as it could.

The first house I came to had this kid walking around his front yard or driveway... I couldn't quite tell. I'm not sure if he really grasped the severity of the situation, but he was a nice kid.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A pedestrian uses an umbrella as she crosses 8th St. in downtown during a heavy rain shower that developed right over Wichita Falls.

Every now and again...with any change in the weather or rain storm.... the newspaper deems it necessary to have "weather art" to let everyone know the next day that it was cold or it rained.

Seldom do those situations produce great chances for photos... much less one that stands out from the nearly 3000 photos turned in to the paper last year.

Oddly enough... this time it did. I was in downtown during a sudden burst of heavy rain and I knew that if I waited at this spot, eventually somebody might cross the street in the shadows of the trees and make a good silhouette against the street behind it.

It actually worked better than I thought it would, with the faint coloring of the umbrella from the light behind her.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A stranded motorist walks down from his vehicle stuck on the highest bridge of the Falls Flyover interchange Thursday morning as a line of freezing rain and sleet coated Wichita Falls with ice in the early morning hours creating havoc all across the city.

These are the days that I dread the most working at the paper.... when it's stupid freezing cold and there is ice everywhere. Snow... that's okay, just cold... also okay.

But when there is a layer of ice around town and everybody is supposed to be staying inside... I'm outside. Driving. Looking for something to illustrate the danger... which also puts me in danger. Not a big fan of that at all.

But that's my job so I found myself out at the Falls Flyover (still a stupid name) which was shut down because several drivers in non-4x4 vehicles thought they were impervious to the ice and could make it up and over the bridge span. Umm... no you can't.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Multiple vortexes drop from the sky near Electra Monday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm rumbled across the area. Tornado warnings were sounded around the area as funnel clouds dipped from the rotating storm.

Then there was the time I decided it would be wise to chase after tornadic storm near Electra that had already spawned a could of warnings with confirmed tornados on the ground.

Actually... chased after is a bit misleading... the storm was moving east and I was going toward it FROM the east. I've never said I was the brighest pea in the pod.

But I figured that if there was going to be a major tornado hit Electra... I was going to be in position to capture it one way or another. I mean, I've seen the movie "Twister" at least 20 times so I am pretty much an expert in weather related things.

Actually, I know a heck of a lot more about weather than you'd think. See... I'm terrified of storms like that. Ever since I was a kid and taking shelter in the hallway under a mattress I've tried to learn as much as I can so that I can rationally explain what I'm seeing and not be afraid.

To tell you the truth... I did know exactly what I was seeing and had a plan to escape any harm... but I was scared to death. People who chase storms talk about this addiction to it after their first time. Let me tell you, I felt no such desire to purposefully go and see that again. Being a journalist, I know that it's my job to do so... just like seeing bad fires and murder scenes.

I look forward to testing my mettle again this year for the sake of the newspaper... but trust me, I'd be curled up in a ball in a bathtub if I weren't working.

But that wasn't the only bike riding that I shot this year.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Dozens of cyclists navigate the rolling landscape along FM 2332 east of Petrolia during the Byers Bike Bash Saturday morning. Organizers say nearly 350 people registered for the first-year ride.

The Byers Bike Bash had a awesome turnout for a first-year event. It was a blast to photograph as the terrain was totally different from the annual HHH and provided a bit more to look at in the way of photos. Something about boring flat land just doesn't do it for me for a bike shot.

Of course... I didn't get the really awesome watertower shot with all of the riders going past like I had wanted... but there will always be next year. I'm fairly certain that this is one ride that will have a good following of people year after year.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A cyclist pedals along the bicycle trail near Southwest Parkway Tuesday evening.

This was one of those random times when the bosses needed a beauty shot of the trail system for a story they were working on.

Of course, they asked me shortly after lunch when the sun was really high in the sky and it wouldn't have made a very pretty shot IMO. So, I took the liberty of time and waited until much later in the afternoon when the light would cast stark shadows. I had staked out a location and knowing the trails like I do I knew there would be folks riding their bikes under the bridge at Southwesk Parkway...

I also knew there was the pretty wooden bridge they would cross. It was a simple stakeout from that point. Just wait long enough in one spot and somebody will come to you.

Sure... folks were honking at me as they were driving by and I even got a text message from a friend who had seen me and told me "not to jump."

But I knew the shot I wanted and was willing to stand next to a busy road to get it.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A sea of colorful jerseys and riders fills Scott Street in downtown Wichita Falls before the mass start of the 2008 Hotter'N Hell 100 Saturday morning. More than 11,200 riders filled the streets.

I now know what it must have been like to witness the great herds of buffalo roaming the countryside in the early 1800s....but with more color and spandex.

The mass start for the Hotter'N Hell 100.... 11,000+ locking in their pedals and starting one of the more grueling races in this part of the country. It was freaking awesome.

I do wish I had a higher vantage point to shoot it from... and I may take a ladder down there next year to get a higher view to see further down the line, but none-theless it was pretty cool.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Hundreds of cyclists make their way towards the Scott Street bridge over the railroad tracks during the mass start of the 2008 Hotter'N Hell 100 in downtown Wichita Falls Saturday morning.

And once they got going... I simply had to just turn around to get the other view as they left downtown.

It's funny because you see such a range of people doing this event... from the professionals to the guys who think they're professionals to those who have a lighter view of life.

One of my faves was the guy towing a child cart with a boom box blasting songs.

After they finished filing out of downtown... I simply sat around and waited until they came back to town... it was a thrilling finish that had me guessing who to focus on until the very last of the race...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Christian Helmig, from Flower Mound, (in center) races to the finish with a breakaway pack during the Men's Pro 1 category of the Michelob Ultra Road Race during the 27th annual Hotter'N Hell 100 Saturday, August 23, 2008 in Wichita Falls. Helmig would hold his slight lead and take the title.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Christian Helmig, from Flower Mound, pumps his fist after winning the Pro 1 category of the Michelob Ultra Road Race during the 27th annual Hotter'N Hell 100 Saturday, August 23, 2008 in Wichita Falls.

It was a total hoot and I hope I get to hang out in the downtown area again next year.

Not every shot warrants tons of planning and perfect execution, but four of them stood out for me this year and here are three of them. (The 4th was one of my top five for the year, and you'll see those in a later blog).

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Rider sophomore basketball players Ashley Zimpel, Lauren Haley and Sammy Hislop (left to right) take the court for the Lady Raiders this season. Photographer Jason Palmer used an advanced photoshop technique to blur bottom half of photo.

Sometimes, you never know what kind of background you are going to find at a location for a good shoot. Usually with sports, a painted wall with their team colors works just fine....

That's exactly what I found when I shot these girls for the basketball preview. Sure, I would have liked something more polished like if they'd have their game jerseys on... but hey, can't have everything perfect right?

Once I got back to the office, I decided that I wanted to try something cool I had seen in another photographer's work... the 1/2 out of focus look. I thought that it would be pretty cool and work well with this type of shot.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
City View High School softball players Krysten Long, Montiel Bruce, Kayla Long, Amanda Bradley and Molly Kimball. (left to right) look to sent the Lady Mustangs back into the playoffs again this year.

Sticking with the idea of trying something totally different for me... I used a ring flash technique on this one.

Basically... I used 4 flashes and using various clamps and brackets I positioned all 4 of them around the lens to create a kind of spotlight look. I never did quite get it perfectly dialed in and felt bad for taking too long with the girls.

I wasn't sure if the shot would look as good as it does, so I was pleasantly suprised when I got back to the office and it looked great. Sometimes lucky and good work better than at other times.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Wichita Falls band Lycergus members Brandon Arnold, Rusty Holcomb, Tyson Arnold and Jason Cooper (left to right).

This shot is probably my fave. band shot I've ever done though... and it's all about the background and attitude. These guys are probably the nicest rock band members you could meet, and they were thrilled when I told them the idea I had.

I scouted around downtown for an hour or so before I decided on this parking garage... mainly because of the cool light filtering in from the open bricks behind them. I knew that I could control that light and balance it with a off camera flash that would throw the right attitude into the shot.

Once I showed them the shot on the back of my camera, they were totally loving it. And every time I've seen any of them out and about in the community, they always have come up and said hello and thanked me for the time I took to make them look good.

Photographing people who are crying is pretty hard for me. I'm a fairly emotional guy to say the least and having a camera in front of my face doesn't always protect me from getting misty-eyed too.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Rider defender Kelly Gill and goalie Collin Bowersock hang their heads after ending their season with a 3-1 loss to El Paso Del Valle during the UIL Class 4A Regional Quarterfinals Friday afternoon at Grande Communications Stadium in Midland.

Sports is usually where the emotional toll of losing your final game makes one of the strongest impacts. It's hard for me to photograph these local kids in one of their darkest hours.

I try to be respectful and get my shots from a distance... but that is not always the case. It's not my job to decide if these type of photos run in the paper... it's only my job to shoot them and tell the story of what I'm seeing.

Gloria Barrios (left) is comforted by Juan Torres (right) after giving a press conference outside of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas on Friday, Oct. 3, 2008. Barrios' daughter, Senior Airman Blanca Luna was found in her base housing room with an apparent stab wound and died on March 7, 2008. Barrios came to Texas from Chicago seeking answers from the ongoing investigation into her daughter's death. Torres' Army soldier son died in Afganistan in 2004. (AP Photo/Jason Palmer/Wichita Falls Times Record News)

This was a tough story to work on... This mother came from Chicago to find any information about what happened to her daughter, only to be met with virtually no answers from the Air Force.

Her "translator" was more of an activist than anything, and was paraphrasing much of what she was saying (she was more comfortable speaking in Spanish)... but the emotion didn't need a translation. It was in plain sight and without a doubt what she was going through.

This next one... it was the toughest assignment from the entire year without fail.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Elvira Gutierrez cries as she hugs Lorenzo Gipson, from Shreveport, after listening to his heart through a stethoscope. Gipson received her son Joel's heart in an organ donation after Joel was murdered just over a year ago on April 22, 2007. Gutierrez said hearing the beating sounds brought back a flood of memories including feeling her son's heartbeat when she was pregnant.

Because of the nature of my job, I remember exactly what the club scene looked like when Elvira's son was murdered. I photographed the aftermath of that scene. While those type of scenes are tragic, then don't really bother me like they used to and I can control the emotions.

This though... this story still makes me tear up. It did at Christmas when I told my parents the story about this photograph. Heck... it made them both cry too. We're all a bunch of crybabys anyways, but if you don't get misty eyed at this story, then you don't have a heart.

This photo was just after a still-grieving mother heard the beating of her murdered son's heart in this man's chest after he got the life-saving heart donation. She said it was like when she was pregnant and feeling the heartbeat of her baby.

I cannot even begin to imagine what that must have felt like. Even as I'm writing this blog, the screen is getting blurry from my eyes welling up.

She must have hugged him from 3-4 minutes solid... and he wasn't about to let her go either. It was a far cry from the first 20 minutes or so of the meeting. That part was awkward in a way that I've never felt before.

It took a while for the ice to break, but once it did, it was a flood of tears.

Here are some of my best positive emotion photos from 2008...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Christian Lerma, 2, squeals with delight as he rides a float during the Fiestas Patrias parade in downtown Wichita Falls Saturday morning.

This hilarious little kid was having sooooooooo muuuuuuuuch fun riding on the float. He was just smiling and screaming and waving his little flag all over the place. Parades are a total crapshoot when it comes to taking pictures.

I call it a target-rich enviroment... you just have to have both eyes open and searching for something that will make a good photo. I could hear this kid squealing from about a block away, he was that loud.

Once I had him in my sights... I just walked along with the float and bided my time until I got him doing exactly what I wanted for the shot.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Windthorst's Carmen Stallcup (4) reacts after killing a shot for a point during their volleyball playoff match against Petrolia Tuesday night at the Wichita Falls High School Gym.

It wasn't that hard to get a shot of the Windthorst volleyball girls celebrating something. It seemed like after every point they scored, it was a state title moment. It's not like it took longer than about four seconds to realize that I needed to get a shot of that kind of emotion.

So, I forsake the traditional spot of shooting volleyball and decided that the best chance to capture that kind of emotion was from behind when the forward players would turn and scream toward their teammates.

Easy as pie....

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
The Wichita Falls Wildcats celebrate a goal in front of the Texas Tornado bench during the first period Saturday night at Kay Yeager Coliseum.

Nothing like scoring a huge goal right in front of the other team's bench. I didn't realize until later the expressions on the bench faces... I wish I would have zoomed out a bit to see the fans in the back also.

Light is was allows us to shoot photos of anything. Sunlight, Flash, Fire, you name it. Without light... we've got just a plain black photo. The better the light, the better the shot. Now, that's not to say the brighter the light the better.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Dozens of people wait in line for the ferris wheel as it spins with a blur of color at the Texas Oklahoma Fair Thursday night at the MPEC.

Light is what you make of it and how you use it. This shot was done completely with the low lights at the carival. A long exposure (several seconds) were used to achieve the blurred ferris wheel spinning and luckily, the people in line were still enough for several seconds to be clearly in focus in the shot.

This sort of photo isn't particularly unique, or difficult for that matter. Simply, being in the right place at the right time and knowing what you are doing to make a good photo like this. It came out perfect.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Lauren Knight and sister Sierra (right to left) sit on top of a truck and watch several fireworks bursts before the big 4th of July fireworks show during Freedom Fest at Sheppard AFB Friday night.

Out of all of the fireworks photographs I shot this year... this is by far my fave. Oddly enough, it's not the big huge bursts of light that make it so high on my list. It's the little bit of light that is illuminating the arms of the girls.

I was set up in a parking lot near Sheppard AFB with the singular goal of finding somebody sitting on the top of their vehicle so that I could get a shot silohuetted against the sky and lights.

I was lucky in that I found my perfect setup and then it was just a matter of time until the big show started. Of course, there were dozens of small displays going on from the hundreds of folks along Sheppard Access Road... and I decided to frame a shot where I knew several were firing.

The blue tinge in the sky was nearly invisible to the human eye, but a long exposure brings out all sorts of surprises... just as I was shooting, a car pulled into the same parking lot and hit the girls with a little bit of light from their headlights. It help set them apart from the background and everything else just fell into place.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A flash illuminates a rider during as he warms up before the mass start of the 2008 Hotter'N Hell 100 in downtown Wichita Falls Saturday morning.

Sometimes it's all luck.... like this one.

I was really just messing around shooting long time exposures of riders in the pre-dawn streets of downtown during HHH. I wasn't really trying to do anything but kill time.

So as I'm tracking one of the riders, I see a bright pop of light go off down the street on the same side as me. It was a camera flash... somebody else took a photo of the same guy.

I quickly checked the screen on the back to see what it looked like.. and amazingly, it worked. Just like any off-camera flash that I've used before, the rider was perfectly lit from the side against a crazy blurred background. It was just different enough for me to want to include it in my best of.

I had never seen something quite like that before.... I guess you can still learn a few tricks.

One of the great tricks of photographing animals is to humanize them. Make a photograph that people can see and smile at because the animals have a human-like quality that they admire. More after the break...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Sadie, a collie, dons a pair of motorcycle goggles at a press conference for Motorcycle Safety Awareness/Ride to Work Day (which is Wed. July 16).

I mean, this collie is freaking hilarious. Look at those bike goggles, and the owner says she'll just sit there are ride along on the motorcycle. How could you pass up taking a photo of that.

Another trick is to take a photo that relays an emotion to the viewer... be it happy, sad, scared whatever. Make the viewer connect on an emotional level. That is exactly what I attempted with this shot...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Several Great Pyrenees peer through the door of a transport trailer at the Wichita County Humane Society after a Montague County woman voluntarily turned over 31 dogs and 18 cats from her home.

The sad part for me is that I know the truth behind the photo. These dogs weren't happy although that's how I wanted them to appear... they were terrified and mentally distraught from their situation... that's why they were rescued. Virtually all of them had to be hand-removed from the trailer at the Humane Society from their lack of socialization being kept in small cages at this woman's home. I mean... 31 dogs and 18 cats... that's not healthy for any involved.

I wanted to show the dogs as if they were happy to be saved... I hope I accomplished it.

Lastly... you want to show the animals in a way that makes the viewer just laugh. Something non-traditional always works well.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A hog sticks it's snout through the bars on it's pen Thursday afternoon at the Wichita County Junior Livestock Show in the J.S. Bridwell Ag Center.

It's not like you have to be told it's a pig... I'm pretty sure that snout gives that away pretty easily. And it makes you laugh. That's the point.

More often than not, he's more like just that buddy neighbor that shows up at your party that everyone likes than the leader of Wichita Falls.... and that's probably just how he likes it. I know he makes me a lot more comfortable in situations, and it's always nice for such a high-ranking public official to shake my hand and know my name and talk to me like a friend.

That being said... he's also given me the chance to make a bunch of great photos of him doing things that are quite a bit better than just sitting at the desk or with the city council.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Wichita Falls Mayor Lanham Lyne reads from "Yertle the Turtle" at the Wichita Falls Public Library durign a celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday Saturday afternoon.

I probably waited a hour longer than I should have for this shot. Somebody told me that the mayor was going to read a Dr. Seuss book to the kids at the library and I just HAD to get a photo of him doing so.

I didn't know that he'd don the famous hat to go along with it, but that just made the photo even better. Actually, you don't even really have to know what's going on to know that is a Cat in the Hat thing on the top of his head. I just thought it was hilarious and he told me the same thing the next time he saw me.

That is the sort of shot that really brings him to the level of the people. It's not a stuffy suit and tie photograph that 80% of the population can't identify with. Every parent reads to their child, and this one really made my day.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Wichita Falls Mayor Lanham Lyne takes a ceremonial dunk after Col. David E. Petersen, commander of the 80th Flying Training Wing, (center) and Lt. Col. Ternell Washington (left) tossed him in the dunk tank.

If there is one thing better than the Dr. Seuss hat for comedy... it's the Mayor taking a bath after his first flight in a trainer at Sheppard AFB. This was a photo that almost didn't happen.

The public affairs office didn't want us taking photos of the mayor after he got out of the plane just in case he didn't take the flight well.... hint hint.

So, we had to look for other chances for great shots... luckily I was tipped off that they were planning on knocking the mayor into the dunk tank (a tradition reserved for the airmen upon their first flight).

So... without trying to give away the secret, I just stayed close with my wide angle lens and made sure I was in a good position to get a shot when they pushed him in.

Once again... good luck and skill come into play as it was lucky to get such a good reaction from the mayor and not have the water covering his face too much. I think I was laughing too hard to shoot when he came back up for air, but I knew I had my prize photo for the paper.

Again, Mayor Lyne is such a good sport about that sort of thing that he told me he couldn't believe I got such a good photo the next time I saw him. I said, "Well, that's why they keep me around, because I'm Johnny on the spot when I need to be."