In last week's paper, we ran a story on two farmers with one common bond: Jack King, of Muskego, and Ray Saltzmann, of New Berlin, are the final two remaining dairy farmers left in their communities.

Nearly every day, I drive past Saltzmann's farm on the corner of Moorland Road and College Avenue. Oftentimes, as I'm stuck in the line of traffic approaching the corner's four-way stop, I look over to my left and see New Berlin's remaining "touch of country." I always wondered what type of family lived on the farm — the huge space of land amidst all the construction and city sprawl seemed to catch my eye every time.

I wondered how "that guy" felt about Muskego's upcoming Wal-Mart or traffic whizzing by on College Avenue. Soon enough, I'd find out.

Reporter John Schultz and I spent a little time with both Saltzmann and King. King's farm seemed to have an entirely different feel — possibly a bit more quiet, or unaffected, by the city life. (For now, at least.) And although Saltzmann intends to stay put for the time being, he has long-term plans of moving his dairy herd to Rock County.

The photos below are the types of pictures that tend to stay in the back of my mind for quite some time. The day I photographed Jack King cutting hay was a perfect, sunny, warm Wisconsin mid-summer day. Through these photos, I hoped to convey the peacefulness and independence a life of farming can bring. I wanted the photos to be simple and clean. I wanted these photos to record what the land was like for Muskego's last remaining dairy farmer. A few weeks later, when Ray called me and said one of his cows was about to give birth, I was there in a heartbeat: Saltzmann, whose farm has been in his family since 1867, says one of the things he enjoys most is witnessing the cycle of life. 

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 200 ISO, f2.8, 1/4000, Manual
Jack King, who has been a farmer in Muskego for nearly 70 years, cuts some hay Wednesday, July 9, 2008, on one of his rented parcels, located just off of Parker Drive, Muskego.

Nikon D2H, 19 mm, 200 ISO, f2.8, 1/4000, Manual
Jack King, who has been a farmer in Muskego for nearly 70 years, climbs back onto his tractor to cut some hay Wednesday, July 9, 2008, on one of his rented parcels, located just off of Parker Drive, Muskego.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 500 ISO, f2.8, 1/6400, Manual
Jack King, who has been a farmer in Muskego for nearly 70 years, walks from his barn to his house Wednesday, July 30, 2008. King, who has help running the farm from both his children and grandchildren, is the last remaining dairy farmer in Muskego.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 200 ISO, f2.8, 1/2500, Manual
Jack King, who has been a farmer in Muskego for nearly 70 years, cuts some hay Wednesday, July 9, 2008, on one of his rented parcels, located just off of Parker Drive, Muskego.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/250, Manual, WITH FLASH
Ryan Brueggeman, an employee of Ray Saltzmann, helps deliver a calf Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008, on Saltzmann's New Berlin dairy farm, located on the corner of Moorland Road and College Avenue. The farm is the only working dairy farm left in New Berlin. The birth of the calf above went about as easy as it possibly could have, Saltzmann said.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/250, Manual, WITH FLASH
A mother cleans off her newborn calf just minutes after birth Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008, on Ray Saltzmann's New Berlin dairy farm, located on the corner of Moorland Road and College Avenue. The farm is the only working dairy farm left in New Berlin. The birth of the calf above went about as easy as it possibly could have, Saltzmann said.

If you're willing to throw pizza dough in the air, I'll be there.

Last week, I had a little fun at StoneFire Pizza in New Berlin. Mike Tostado, a professional pizza chef, was teaching anyone who would listen how to throw pizza dough. Although Mike was using a fake pizza dough called Throw Dough (a rubber substance that is the official practice dough for the U.S. Pizza Team), nonetheless, it was still cool to watch.

As a photographer, something I'll always be addicted to is patches of light. Although the room was rather dark and I would have used a flash to take a normal photo, there was a recessed light shining down on Mike's face as he tossed the dough in the air. I set my camera's exposure to the patch of light and made a photo I was happy to walk away with.

However, working for a newspaper, you can't always shoot for yourself. The first photo is the one that made me smile, but I also turned in the second photo below, in case my editors decided the first one wouldn't reproduce well on newsprint. The second photo was taken with flash while the first photo wasn't. 

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 320 ISO, f2.8, 1/200, Manual

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 320 ISO, f2.8, 1/200, Manual, WITH FLASH
Mike Tostado, a pizza chef, teaches kids how to throw pizza dough Wednesday, July 16, 2008, at StoneFire Pizza, New Berlin. Ready-Set-DOUGH!, an interactive pizza-tossing demonstration, was held right around dinner time three nights in a row. The kids took a turn at throwing using Throw Dough, a rubber substance that is the official practice dough for the U.S. Pizza Team.  

There's been graduations. There's been floods. There's been more graduations. And there's been more floods.

Let's start with the graduations. I had five of them to shoot this month. When you photograph the same event five times within three weeks, you really start to work. This year, I struggled a bit. Hundreds of graduation photos taken by other news photographers kept flashing through my mind. "Look for something different. Avoid the typical getting-ready-in-the-bathroom-mirror shot." As close-knit as photographers are, we NEVER want to get the same photo. It's like, The Battle of the Photographer Ego, Times 100.

Week after week, I looked for different moments. Different details. Different expressions. A different type of centerpiece photo for each community. Sometimes, the events most catered to be perfect photo opportunities are the hardest assignments for photojournalists to put behind them.

Here is a sampling of what I found.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/100, Manual
Graduating seniors at Franklin High School receive their flowers and diplomas Tuesday, June 10, 2008, at the FHS Commencement Ceremony, held at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. This year's ceremony — originally scheduled for Sunday, June 8, 2008 — was delayed two days, due to flooding in the Sports Complex. The FHS valedictorian for the Class of 2008 is Ryan Spott.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 400 ISO, f2.8, 1/1000, Manual
Josh Hintz, a graduating senior at Franklin High School, stands in a ray of sunlight Tuesday, June 10, 2008, shortly before the FHS Commencement Ceremony, held at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. This year's ceremony — originally scheduled for Sunday, June 8, 2008 — was delayed two days, due to flooding in the Sports Complex. The FHS valedictorian for the Class of 2008 is Ryan Spott.

Nikon D2H, 185 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/100, Manual
Graduating seniors at Franklin High School face their friends and family members Tuesday, June 10, 2008, during the processional the FHS Commencement Ceremony, held at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. This year's ceremony — originally scheduled for Sunday, June 8, 2008 — was delayed two days, due to flooding in the Sports Complex. The FHS valedictorian for the Class of 2008 is Ryan Spott.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/125, Manual
A graduating senior at Whitnall High School gets a drink of water Sunday, June 1, 2008, shortly before the start of the Whitnall High School Commencement Ceremony, held in the school's gymnasium. The WHS Class of 2008 valedictorian is Amy Strasburg.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/400, Manual
Julie Voelkel, a graduating senior at Whitnall High School, enters the gymnasium Sunday, June 1, 2008, during the processional shortly before the Whitnall High School Commencement Ceremony, held in the school's gymnasium. The WHS Class of 2008 valedictorian is Amy Strasburg.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/125, Manual
Some personalities could be seen through the shoes hidden underneath the gowns of graduating seniors at New Berlin West High School Saturday, June 14, 2008, during the school's Commencement Ceremony, held in the school's field house. The valedictorian for the New Berlin West Class of 2008 is Hilary Monaco.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/200, Manual
Tyler Valkoun, the salutatorian for the New Berlin West Class of 2008, addresses his peers Saturday, June 14, 2008, in the school's field house. The valedictorian for the New Berlin West Class of 2008 is Hilary Monaco.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 800 ISO, f2.8, 1/400, Manual
Graduating seniors at New Berlin West High School line up to accept their diplomas Saturday, June 14, 2008, in the school's field house. The valedictorian for the New Berlin West Class of 2008 is Hilary Monaco.

If I weren't a photojournalist, I can't honestly say I would have attended a Memorial Day ceremony Monday. It's far too easy to sleep in on what would normally be an additional day off, or head off to the family barbecue an hour early. But that's exactly why I love my job: It forces me to experience and appreciate things I might otherwise pass on by. For those who have served our country or lost a loved one in war, no other day is more important.

As I approached a veteran in the crowd at Muskego's ceremony and asked him for his name, he actually thanked me for taking his picture. It caught me off guard for two reasons: First, it's rare for people to thank me for taking their photos. Some actually run away. Second, he shouldn't have been the one doing the thanking — it was HIS day to be recognized.

Nikon D2H, 170 mm, 400 ISO, f2.8, 1/5000, Manual
Joseph Streff (center), a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 488, salutes Monday, May 26, 2008, at a Memorial Day ceremony, held at Highland Memorial Park, New Berlin. Mayor Jack Chiovatero and Senator Mary Lazich addressed the crowd.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 320 ISO, f2.8, 1/8000, Manual
Dennis Duran, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8171, watches the red, white and blue balloons float into the air Saturday, May 24, 2008, during Muskego's Memorial Day Ceremony, held at ProHealth Care Regency, Muskego. The ceremony included several readings, songs, a Memorial Wreath, a salute by the Rifle Squad, and remarks by Tracy Snead, Muskego's Common Council president.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 320 ISO, f2.8, 1/4000, Manual
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8171 bow their heads in prayer Saturday, May 24, 2008, during Muskego's Memorial Day Ceremony, held at ProHealth Care Regency, Muskego. The ceremony included several readings, songs, a Memorial Wreath, a salute by the Rifle Squad, and remarks by Tracy Snead, Muskego's Common Council president.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 400 ISO, f2.8, 1/1250, Manual
Patryk Schlomann, 12, a member of Boy Scouts Troop 93, out of New Berlin, grabs a balloon Monday, May 26, 2008, at a Memorial Day ceremony, held at Highland Memorial Park, New Berlin. Names of deceased veterans were attached to the balloons and released at the conclusion of the ceremony. Mayor Jack Chiovatero and Senator Mary Lazich addressed the crowd.

This afternoon, for the very first time, I felt as though more people were eyeing up my hair instead of my camera.

Students, staff and parents at Ronald Reagan Elementary School, New Berlin, parted ways with their long locks during Reagan Gives Back Day. The ladies (and even one brave man) donated inches upon inches of hair to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss.

It was great to see the girls grinning from ear to ear, in full realization they were doing something positive for those in need. I photographed three or four girls before I finally captured the priceless reaction below.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 500 ISO, f2.8, 1/125, Manual
Kaitlyn Fischer, a fourth-grader at Ronald Reagan Elementary School, New Berlin, reacts to having several inches of her hair cut off Friday, May 16, 2008, during a Locks of Love donation. The school held an assembly to celebrate Reagan Gives Back Day, where several students, as well as the school's principal, donated their hair. Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss.

Michelle Moore was no more than a few weeks pregnant when she came down with a case of rubella, otherwise known as German measles. In fact, at the time, she didn't even know she was expecting.

The rash lasted just over a day, but for Michelle's unborn child, the effects would last a lifetime.

That was 43 years ago. Today, Michelle's son, Michael, is completely dependent on his parents' care. Michael was born with rubella syndrome, a birth defect that can cause mental retardation.

Although she loves her son deeply, Michelle doesn't want other women to have to experience what she has gone through, she says.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 500 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
Michael Moore, of New Berlin, waits to begin his music therapy class Thursday, May 1, 2008, at the Goodwill Community Service Center, Waukesha. When Moore's mother, Michelle, was pregnant with Michael, she contracted rubella, otherwise known as the German measles, which caused Michael to contract rubella syndrome at birth.

A photographer really can't go wrong when a bright blue sky is your background.

I spent some time today at Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, where students and staff participated in High Interest Day. Activities included football, knitting, theater, bubble-blowing, fencing, French cooking, science experiments, and, of course, a rock wall.

Adventure Rock, located in Pewaukee, provided the climbing wall. These kids zipped up the wall faster than I could lift my camera. I tried rock climbing a couple times when I was living down in Australia, several years back. I think what made me check the sport off my list as a potential passion was when the instructor told us a horror story about forgetting to tie the rope to the stump at the top of the cliff and ... well ... gravity isn't very forgiving to forgetfulness.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 200 ISO, f6.3, 1/8000, Manual
Jake Schreiner, a seventh-grader at Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, rappels down a rock wall Friday, May 9, 2008, during the school's High Interest Day. The climbing wall was staffed by Adventure Rock, Pewaukee. Approximately 50 presenters helped the children experience various activities including football, knitting, theater, basketball, rock climbing, cooking and science fun.

Nikon D2H, 35 mm, 200 ISO, f2.8, 1/2500, Manual
A student at Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, rappels down a rock wall Friday, May 9, 2008, during the school's High Interest Day. The climbing wall was staffed by Adventure Rock, Pewaukee. Approximately 50 presenters helped the children experience various activities including football, knitting, theater, basketball, rock climbing, cooking and science fun.

As some of you may recall, we ran a story several months ago on the homecoming of Cpt. Tim Patterson. Patterson, a New Berlin resident and Franklin police officer, had just returned home after serving a year with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

As a follow-up to the initial story, I spent a little more time with Tim and his family as he readjusted to life back at home.

Please click on the photo below, which will direct you to an audio slideshow I produced. Be sure to check today's paper for John Schultz's complete story. Working with the Pattersons for the past couple of months has been a photographer's dream. Thank you, Tim, Margie and Abby, for sharing your story.

CLICK ...

One thing I’ve come to realize about photographing politicians is this: They never come in the front door.

Yesterday, Gov. Jim Doyle stopped by the New Berlin City Hall to discuss responsible use of the Great Lakes waters. Whenever I arrive at a press conference, I try and think of one photo I can grab that is as far away from the podium and microphone as possible. Every newspaper and television station will get that shot. Sometimes, it’s nice to work for something different.

I decided the best opportunity yesterday would be a photo of the governor greeting local politicians as soon as he entered City Hall. It’s something I was almost sure would happen.

As other media set up their cameras around the podium inside, I waited in the lobby. A friendly City Hall employee caught my attention and gave me the “inside scoop” as she pointed to the back door. Minutes later, Gov. Doyle walked in and I made the first photo posted below. The other two shots are from the actual press conference.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/100, Manual
Gov. Jim Doyle shakes a few hands Wednesday, April 9, 2008, shortly after arriving at the New Berlin City Hall. Doyle made the announcement that the Great Lakes Compact is ready to be signed into law under an agreement reached with legislators. The Great Lakes Compact will ensure the Great Lakes waters are used responsibly. Doyle was joined at the New Berlin City Hall by lawmakers, environmental group representatives and business leaders.

Nikon D2H, 155 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/125, Manual
Gov. Jim Doyle addresses lawmakers, environmental group representatives and business leaders Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at the New Berlin City Hall. Doyle made the announcement that the Great Lakes Compact is ready to be signed into law under an agreement reached with legislators. The Great Lakes Compact will ensure the Great Lakes waters are used responsibly.

Nikon D2H, 20 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/125, Manual
Gov. Jim Doyle addresses lawmakers, environmental group representatives and business leaders Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at the New Berlin City Hall. Doyle made the announcement that the Great Lakes Compact is ready to be signed into law under an agreement reached with legislators. The Great Lakes Compact will ensure the Great Lakes waters are used responsibly. 

I'm back! 

This past weekend was unexpectedly quite busy. If you haven't heard by now, you must be in a coma. A huge congratulations goes out to the New Berlin Eisenhower boys basketball team on winning their first-ever state championship title. The Lions entered the WIAA playoffs with a fourth seed — they were even left off a list of teams to watch in the sectional. But with hard work, determination and an incredibly strong New Berlin fan base, the boys took home the gold Saturday, with a win over Adams-Friendship, 54-41.

It was great to be a fly on the floor and witness these kids' dreams come true. Here are a few picks from the two games I covered at Madison's Kohl Center.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower's Alex Krzykowski, a senior guard, gives a Number 1 to the crowd Friday, March 7, 2008, shortly after the team's Division 2 semifinal win over Monroe, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. The final score was 53-49.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower's Kevin Marr (center), a junior forward, goes up for a basket Saturday, March 8, 2008, during the WIAA Division 2 Boys State Championship game, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. Eisenhower won the state championship title, with a win over Adams-Friendship, 54-41.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower students cheer on their team shortly after the end of the third quarter Friday, March 7, 2008, during the Division 2 semifinal game against Monroe, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. Eisenhower won the game, 53-49.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/250, Manual
David Scheidegger, head coach for New Berlin Eisenhower, talks with his players shortly after the end of the first quarter Friday, March 7, 2008, during the Division 2 semifinal game against Monroe, held at the Kohl Center, Madison.

Nikon D2H, 112 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower's Tristan Tobin, a senior guard, questions a call Friday, March 7, 2008, during the second half of the Division 2 semifinal game against Monroe, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. Eisenhower won the game, 59-43.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/400, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower's Tristan Tobin (right), a senior guard, hugs his teammate, Mitch Sperka, a sophomore forward, Friday, March 7, 2008, shortly after the team's Division 2 semifinal win over Monroe, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. The final score was 53-49.

Nikon D2H, 92 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/400, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower's Tristan Tobin, a senior guard, goes up for a basket Saturday, March 8, 2008, during the WIAA Division 2 Boys State Championship game, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. Eisenhower won the state championship title, with a win over Adams-Friendship, 54-41.

Nikon D2H, 200 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
David Scheidegger, head coach for New Berlin Eisenhower, yells to his players Saturday, March 8, 2008, during the WIAA Division 2 Boys State Championship game, held at the Kohl Center, Madison. Eisenhower won the state championship title, with a win over Adams-Friendship, 54-41.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
With the help of his teammates, New Berlin Eisenhower's Jim Root (left), a senior forward, hoists up the WIAA Division 2 Boys State Championship trophy Saturday, March 8, 2008, following their win over Adams-Friendship. The tournament was held at the Kohl Center, Madison.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 640 ISO, f2.8, 1/320, Manual
New Berlin Eisenhower's Tristan Tobin, a senior guard, hugs his mother, Lori Tobin, Saturday, March 8, 2008, following Eisenhower's WIAA Division 2 Boys State Championship win over Adams-Friendship. The tournament was held at the Kohl Center, Madison.

Although I'm no veteran of the business, one thing I've come to realize through experience is this: People in a creative profession need at least one day per week where they don't have to be creative.

Last week, I worked all seven days, but at the end of the week, I barely had a photo I was proud to call mine. So when Sunday hit, I put down my camera. I left it sit, safe and sound, on my living room floor. It was time to relax. Bye bye camera ...

Call it Murphy's Law ... call it Just Plain Unlucky ... but here's what happens when you put down your camera: You see the impossible. You see the photo that editors say will never happen. You have an "Oh S***" moment. 

"We'd like to do a story on wild coyotes in Brookfield." Riiight, say the photographers. How would you ever illustrate that? Maybe we could stake out and wait for a coyote to stroll down Bluemound?

Sunday afternoon, my boyfriend and I were driving through Brookfield. And we saw a coyote, less than 10 yards from the side of the road. "Now THOSE are the types of photos I like," he said, looking in his backseat to see if I had my camera along. "Now THOSE are the types of photos my EDITOR would like!" I replied. Cars were stopping on the road to check out the animal. I stared at the coyote and he stared back at me. It's almost as if he knew I was a photojournalist. I think he even laughed at me.

Soooo, I'm sorry to say, the photo of the suburban coyote is well-embedded into my mind, but that's about the extent of it. It happens. Instead, here's a photo from last week that made me smile. I felt about the same as Daniel (below) when I saw the coyote. I'll appease myself by saying ... maybe it was just an ugly dog?

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 500 ISO, f2.8, 1/80, Manual
Daniel Bonin (center), 7, practices a self-defense move Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008, during "Self Defense for Children," a class put on by the New Berlin Recreation Department. During this weekly class, kids learn methods of escape from various holds, along with verbal and physical skills to avoid attack.

Confession — I finally used my flash.

Waaaiitt ... NOT SO FAST! I may have used my flash, but I never turned it on.

I simply used it to prop up the lens on my camera body and avoid as much blur as possible during the five-second exposure of the photo below.

Flash gives me a stomach ache. It's distracting to the people I'm photographing. I'm convinced flash makes people nervous. I like to blend in as much as possible, and if there's a light popping off in people's faces, nothing else seems to be on their minds except, "I hope I look good."

Then again, my resistence to flash photography gives me just one more thing to improve upon. There are hundreds of great photographers in this world who make beatiful images on a daily basis using everything BUT available light. Someday, I just might get there ... but in the meantime, my strobe is a darn good tripod. The picture below is any but extraordinary, but it proves photos always can be made, even in the darkest of conditions.

Hannah Montana fans and their families look through their 3D glasses at The Marcus Ridge Cinema, New Berlin, while watching, "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in the state-of-the-art theater. The film captures the sold-out 54-city concert tour and will be shown in New Berlin through today.

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 400 ISO, f3.2, 5 seconds, Manual

Before I go shovel my car out of the parking lot, I thought I'd post a quick photo I made this afternoon. While driving down Moorland Road in New Berlin yesterday, I noticed the MidAmerica Bank sign was experiencing some problems. I thought to myself this morning, Why not go back today and make a picture? I crossed my fingers the sign hadn't yet been fixed. Afterall, you must be crazy to work on a day like today ... 

It only took me twice as long to drive to the sign, but the irony of the entire situation is quite photo-worthy. This just may be the worst snow storm I've ever experienced.

P.S. If it's you, Mr. Big-White-Truck-Man, who stopped to help push my car out when I got stuck, thank you very much. I owe you, big time. Strangers like you are why I moved back to Wisconsin. 

Nikon D2H, 17 mm, 320 ISO, f2.8, 1/1600, Manual

“I’m so depressed,” said Bob Bakic, owner of New Berlin’s Moorland Auto Repair, Inc. Tuesday afternoon, speaking of the Packers’ NFC Championship loss to the New York Giants this past weekend.

No worries Bob, you’re not alone. I’m pretty certain the entire state of Wisconsin had an awful case of the Mondays following Sunday’s game.

I was driving down Moorland Road this afternoon, contemplating what I was going to have for lunch, when the sign posted below caught my eye. If it made me smile, it will make viewers smile, I thought. I knew the business had to have put up the words last week, but I still wanted to stop in and chat with the owner.

Oh fine, I’ll be the first one to admit: I’m a Packer fan. By stopping in, I was 80 percent doing my job, and 20 percent in search of some Packer Therapy of my own.

“That guy was playing like a brick chicken house,” Bakic said, speaking of New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, whose 11-catch, 154-yard game against Green Bay catapulted the Giants into the Super Bowl.

Like everyone else — Favre included — Bakic never expected the game to end as it did.

“Brett Favre’s still my guy,” Bakic said, shaking his head. “He doesn’t walk on water.”

So what’s next for Bakic’s sign? He’s still thinking, he said, but one thing's for certain: It will make drivers turn their cheeseheads and smile.

As a way of enforcing my curfew during the high school and college years, my dad once said to me, “Nothing good ever happens past midnight.”

I wish he could have been by my side Wednesday night.

It was shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday when Cpt. Tim Patterson, a Franklin police officer from New Berlin, arrived at General Mitchell International Airport. Patterson had just finished a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan. While 90 percent of those reading this were sleeping, a military husband and father reunited with his wife and 8-year-old daughter. I would give up a week’s sleep to witness this moment again.

All technical aspects of photography set aside, there’s nothing better than capturing a true decisive moment. Backgrounds can’t always be perfect. The lighting can’t always be ideal. But if a photo encourages the reader to react, we’ve done our job.

You’ll be seeing more of Tim and his family in the months to come, as this is just the beginning of his journey back home.

To my loyal photo blog readers my mother:

I apologize, I've been slacking on photo updates this week. I'm glad you're still lurking around my blog; it's so nice to see you and welcome back!

January is what we call a painfully slow month in the journalism world. Ad sales are down after the holidays have passed and people like to stay indoors when the mercury in the thermometer drops below zero degrees. Who can blame them? I've been so cold the past couple weeks that I find myself sitting underneath the heat lamp in my apartment, just to get a little light in my life.

As the winter weeks creep on by, we tend to spend our days photographing a blood drive or two, hanging out at the nearest sledding hill, and patiently praying for the first batch of brave ice skaters to test out the local pond.

That, and basketball.

There's always basketball. Within the past 24 hours, I've shot three different basketball assignments. Here's a pic from big-boys basketball and a shot from little-boys basketball. It was a packed house last night when cross-town rivals New Berlin West and New Berlin Eisenhower went head-to-head during a Woodland Conference showdown at Eisenhower High School. Eisenhower ended up winning the game during overtime with a 66-64 victory.

Yesterday afternoon, I learned a little more about cystic fibrosis ... from a 6-year-old. Below, Abby Brinker (center), 6, of New Berlin, gets a hug from her best friend, Natalie Lichtenhahn, 8, while listening to Abby's new iPod. Abby, who has cystic fibrosis, was granted a birthday wish from the Make-a-Wish Foundation — she and her family spent a few days at the Kalahari Indoor Water Park, Wisconsin Dells. Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disease that causes mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, particularly in the lungs and pancreas.

People oftentimes ask me whether I have the capability to shoot black and white with my digital camera. All of my files are shot in color, but with the click of a button in our photo-editing program, Photoshop, I can change any photo to grayscale. I chose to change these photos to black and white because sometimes, I think black and white gives photos a certain consistency that color cannot provide. Bright and distracting colors can take away from the moment we're trying to convey within the photo.

I'm not quite sure who was having more fun today at New Berlin's Lionel Railroad Club open house: the fathers or their sons.

Model trains of all different types filled the building and ran across the tracks on a scheduled timer from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, alternating every 20 minutes between day and night scenes. When the lights were down for the night scenes, not even shooting at 1/8 of a second produced any usable photos. I stayed for approximately "three days" (one hour) and got a couple pictures I was happy with.

The first photo of Gavin was shot at 1/50 of a second, f2.8, ISO 500, at 17 mm. I had my camera set on automatic white balance and, as always, I was shooting on manual. It definitely wasn't the kind of light photographers dream of, but challenges are what make me tick. The second photo below will probably never see the light of newspaper print, mostly because it would look like a muddy mess. I like it, though, because I think it puts a simple emphasis on an older gentleman enjoying his toys.

Stop on by the club tomorrow and see the show! They'll be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Lionel Railroad Club is located at 2721 S. Calhoun Road, New Berlin.

Hello and welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

First, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Katie Derksen and I am one of six staff photographers at Community Newspapers. After two years of shooting for a newspaper down in Florida, I moved back to my home state of Wisconsin this past summer and jumped on board with CNI. It’s great to be home!

I’m extremely excited about starting this new photo blog. For those of you who are wondering, “What exactly is a photo blog?” … it’s a good question to ask. I hope to make this blog a little bit of what I want, but a lot of what you want. I plan on posting a few photos per week — these photos may be some of my favorites, and even some of my not-so-favorites. It’s mostly up to you!

When you’re scanning through my photos, ask yourself: What would you like to know about what we as photojournalists do from day to day? Do you ever wonder why we chose to stand in the strangest place possible? Maybe you’re curious as to what we mean when we say, “That’s great light.” Even if you’re just interested in what lens I used, please ask away!

Feel free to leave any and all types of comments, both positive and negative. This is meant to be a place where photography can be discussed and appreciated openly. Additionally, if you have an event you’d like me to cover, let me know. My coverage areas are New Berlin, Muskego, Hales Corners and Franklin. Through this blog, I hope to help our readers and viewers understand and value the role photography plays within journalism.

We have an extremely talented group of photographers here at CNI, all of whom I learn from every day. If I can’t answer a question, I promise I will find someone who can. I feel incredibly fortunate to earn a living from what many people consider one of their most enjoyable hobbies.

Irish Dancers — Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 

The first photos I’d like to post are a few shots from an Irish Dance Recital last week, held at the New Berlin Public Library. Sometimes, as photojournalists, we have three assignments in three different cities to cover, all within two hours. It was that kind of night for me. It helps us to get to an assignment early, and it helps to stay late. However, that’s not always possible.
I chose this particular photo of little Izabella mostly because it shows a moment. The best moments are not always the most obvious. In this case, the best moment was not of the actual dancing, but a second or two after the routine had finished. This photo shows a young dancer looking up to an older dancer for some guidance. It shows the vulnerability of a young girl during her first recital.

The second photo is more of a technical photo. It was shot at a slow shutter speed (1/50 of a second) to show the motion of the dancers’ feet.