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Siberian Tigers, football, basketball, softball, track, baseball, a derpy one-winged owl, the cutest couple ever, pig racing, graduation and more. Thanks for looking!

Billings Central graduate Sophie Malin laughs and hugs fellow graduate Weston Marsh after the Billings Central Catholic High School graduation ceremony Sunday evening. 

Helena Capital's Mary Leslie competes in the AA girls pole vault finals at the state track finals Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls. 

Three sleepy pigs rest in a pile after competing in a race at Bearcreek Saloon & Steakhouse in Bearcreek, Mont. 

Helena Capital's Kyle Nickol rests in the grass and says a prayer after winning the AA boys 400m dash at the state track meet Friday at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls.

Loyola's Pat Kosena of North and Forsyth's Luke Schwagler fail to intercept a pass at the end zone during the Class B Boys All-Star football game Saturday at Herb Klindt Field. 

World War II veteran Mel Blanchard, 90, plants a kiss on his girlfriend Tori Marion, 63, after returning home from final Big Sky Honor Flight on Monday May 12, 2014 at Billings Logan International Airport. 

White doves take off into the sky as part of a 21 dove salute during the Memorial Day ceremony Monday at the newly dedicated Yellowstone National Cemetery in Laurel. 

Billings West head coach Ed Kriskovich hugs pitcher Jalen Creech when seh is overcome with joy and emotion after her team's 3-2 state championship win over Missoula Big Sky on Friday at the Multi-Sport Complex in Great Falls.

Helena Capital's Maggie Settle competes in the AA women's high jump during the state track meet Friday at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls. 

Randon Gordy, 1, right, watches drag cars race with adult-sized headphones protecting his ears Saturday at Yellowstone Drag Strip.

Jeff Howell, left, dances with his daughter Sammie Howell, 9, on Father's Day at Chords for Kiddos at Yellowstone Perk.

A Siberian Tigers basks in the sunshine at ZooMontana.

Willow Creek's Jaci Nesbit competes in the C girls 100 meter hurdles during the state track finals Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls. 

Glacier teammates Mercede Erickson, left, and Alysha Smith, right, hug after finishing their final event at the state track finals Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Great Falls. 

The Mustangs's Aristides Aquino is tagged out while sliding into third during the Billings Mustangs vs. the Great Falls Voyagers game Monday at Dehler Park. 

The Munirah Tribal Dancers of Red Lodge perform belly dancing numbers for attendees of the Festival of Cultures on Sunday at Rocky Mountain College. 

Gable, a one-winged Great Horned Owl, greets festival-goers at the ZooMontana booth of the Festival of Cultures on Sunday at Rocky Mountain College. 

Derp.

Hoops!

The past two weeks have been FILLED with basketball. Between the Big East Conference tournament and state semi-final games, I have been very busy. Basketball games are some of my favorite games to shoot... I love the sounds of sneakers echoing through the gym, the screaming fans, the smell of popcorn wafting out from the concessions stand. I'm so glad that I have reached the point that I am really enjoying sports. I've come a long way in the past year, friends.

Here are a few of my favorites from the past week. 

Fall Athlete Portraits

'Tis the season for fall sports athlete portraits... We had 8 athletes from different sports to work with at the Telegram and I had the pleasure of working with 6 of them. Here are my favorites from those shoots... One athlete isn't pictured here.  Disclaimer: I am not the most adept with lighting, but I do my best and continue to learn every day. Learning by experimentation has served me well so far.

Left in the Dark & November/December Images

It's been a over a month since my last post. The past month or two have been fairly productive. I have been working hard on growing and developing a body of sports work, both action shots and athlete portraits. There were a couple really crazy days or weeks throughout this period, maybe even a few days where I had to remind myself over and over that there is no crying in journalis. There were times when I wanted to call off work, drive back to Ohio and call it quits... but of course I stuck it out and tried to learn as much as I could from a bad situation. Sadly this happens a little more often than I'd like it to. Rocky Mount is a tough place to live. It's not made for newcomers, especially newcomers ages 19-30. It's a place where you grow up and never leave, taking those same friends from childhood onward into the rest of your life. The rest of us are left out in the dark... or at home night after night watching Netflix alone. But hey, the good news is that I am surviving.

This post will feature some of my favorite images from the past month or so. I will create a separate post soon featuring some of the athlete portraits I've done for the twin counties "All Area High School Athletes" series. It's been a lot of fun getting to experiment with lighting, even though I've been really rushed to complete a few of them. Regardless, I think it's nice to see what I can pull off even when I'm working against the clock.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite images from the Rocky Mount Telegram from the past month. As always, feedback and constructive criticism are very much welcome. Thanks guys, see you next time.

Boys & Girls Club members watch and cheer as James Jones, 13, left, takes a winning shot during a game of Club Ball Monday at The Boys & Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe Counties.

Rocky Mount High School senior Immanuel King eyes the basket as South Central defenders double team him during Tuesday night's game at Rocky Mount High School.

Jakivyeon Bell, 5, leans on his uncle Mark Bell's shoulders and watches parade floats drive by during the Christmas Parade on Sunday on Main Street in Rocky Mount, NC.

Clarence Henderson, a bellringer for The Salvation Army, sings "The 12 Days of Christmas" and encourages shoppers to donate to a good cause Friday at Hobby Lobby. Henderson says his dream is to one day be Salvation Army Bellringer at Macy's in Times Square in New York City.

Wallace-Rose Hill quarterback Bobby McKenzie jumps to tackle Tarboro running back Radja Bobbitt just a few yards from the goal line during Friday's game at Tarboro High School.

Jonathan Diaz, 7, left, and Joseph Hernandez, 10, right, play with a Nintendo 3DS while waiting for Diaz's family to finish their Black Friday shopping Thursday night at JCPenney.

Pat Sullivan, left, and his granddaughter Karsen Riggs, right, take a moment to sit and enjoy Christmas lights at Autumn's Lights in Tarboro, NC.

Nash Central's Cal Lewis swims in the 200-yard Freestyle competition at the Big East Conference Swim Meet on Thursday at the Harrison Family YMCA.

Nash Central's Ni'ya Styles tries to wrestle the ball from East Wake's Ciera Williams during Tuesday's game at Nash Central High School.

Sergeant Ricky Parks, middle, of the Rocky Mount Police Department, shows off some pink girl's clothes to Shykia Lee, 10, left, during the Cops With Kids program Saturday at Kmart.

Jason Baird, 28, plants a kiss on the forehead of Ichiban, a 4-month-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever and service dog in-training. Baird suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his 2007 deployment to the coast of Somalia with the United States Navy. Baird says his PTSD had reached a point where he could not sleep for 2-3 days at a time and was self-medicating with alcohol. In mid-2008, Baird started training with one of his other dogs and his life has improved tenfold. Recently, Baird was denied entry to a local gun store because Ichiban was by his side.

Mary Mebane stretches her back and shoulder muscles during a water aerobics class Monday at the Rocky Mount Senior Center in Rocky Mount, NC.