This happened recently as we covered the Monastery Complex wildland fire. Access to the area was uncertain; the state highway going to the fire was closed off and on throughout the first day of the fire and the only other route to the fire would take hours longer.

Not knowing if we would get any ground-level access we decided to charter an airplane for aerial photography of the fire.

(I want to give credit to my bosses for ponying up the $250 for the flight. Despite tight-as-a-drum budgets they came up with money)

The Monastery Complex Fire, photographed from 8,500 feet Sept. 8, 2011. Nine homes and 10 outbuildings have been destroyed in a forest and brush fire that continues to grow in the Satus Pass area. About 300 people in 150 homes have been evacuated in the fire that some estimates place as large as 2,100 acres. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Aerial photography poses a unique set of challenges. A few basics I’ve learned over the years of aerial photography:

1. Helicopters are best but planes are cheaper. WAY cheaper.

2. Make sure your airplane is a high-wing aircraft.

3. Make sure the passenger window opens up enough to provide an unobstructed shot from the aircraft.

4. Remove all the lens shades from your lenses. Lens shades will catch the airstream  if you poke the lens/camera out into the airstream.

5. Small planes vibrate a lot. Use as high a shutter speed as possible to minimize any vibration effects on your photos.

6. Do not rest your arms on the window edge as you shoot because you will transmit vibration from the plane to your camera and photos.

7. Dramamine motion-sickness pills can be a big help if flying makes you queasy. Take two an hour before you fly.

8. Fly on an empty stomach if flying makes you queasy. Less to throw up, if it comes to that.

9.  Communicate your needs to the pilot before you take off to ensure he can accomplish what those needs.

10. Check for any flight area restrictions. No sense wasting money on a flight if flight restrictions are going to keep you too far from the news event. The pilot should also do this so he knows where he can fly. If he doesn’t I’d recommend another pilot.

11. If you are photographing a forest/wildland fire think about possible smoke and haze issues. There may be too much smoke in the area of the fire to get good photos. Often it’s a crap shoot – it was quite hazy and smoky as we flew from Yakima down to the Monastery Complex fire but the haze and smoke had parted by the time we got to the fire.

11. An experienced pilot is key (besides just keeping the plane in the air). A good pilot understands your needs and can get you to the right spot for photographs in a minimum amount of time. Remember, time in an airplane is indeed, money.

Pilot Joshua Grubb brings the aircraft into the Yakima airport. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

As it turned out that day, staff photographer Andy Sawyer got some great photos and video from the ground. The following day Sara Gettys did an equally-fine job capturing the scene in Goldendale, the town closest to the fire.

–Gordon King

Juanitz Gonzalez pays little attention to the media and Washington state gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee as Inslee declares his candidacy June 27, 2011 in Parker, Wash. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Rep. Jay Inslee stopped in Yakima to announce his candidacy for Washington governor. The event was predictable – Inslee arrives dressed in jeans, blazer and no tie (appropriately casual as befits central Washington), chats up supporters, stands with his wife Trudy as he’s introduced by old friends, makes a speech, mingles with supporters a little while longer and finally meets with the media afterwards.

The photos were equally predictable. Candidate arriving (dressed in jeans), mingling with supporters (hugging a few), standing with his wife, making a speech, more mingling and finally, talking to the media. Not bad photos, just predictable photos.

I had photographed Juanitz Gonzalez earlier, when Inslee introduced himself to the elderly woman.

Having taken a couple of meaningless photos of Inslee talking to the media I noticed Ms. Gonzalez sitting quietly, paying no attention to the hubbub just behind her.

I was struck by her seeming indifference to the media gathering just behind her and by the contrast of her silence to the sounds of the media and the candidate.

This photo did not run in the newspaper or on our website because it’s not relevant to the story of Inslee’s candidacy. Still, I think it was the best photo I shot that day.

–Gordon King

At first blush, a  high school hallway doesn’t seem particularly difficult.

Until you factor in high school students.

The assignment was to do a portrait of a graduating senior.

My idea was to photograph the young man at his now-empty locker. Straightforward, relatively quick so I could get back to the paper in time for the afternoon news budget meeting.

Then came the kids.

Grandview High School graduating senior Daniel Licea has already cleaned out his locker as he prepares to leave the school and move on to college. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

First was the student who ran through the photo waving at the camera.

A couple of minutes later as I fine-tuned the lighting, another group of students.

Grandview High School graduating senior Daniel Licea has already cleaned out his locker as he gets ready to leave the school and move on to college (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

I was doing the photo after school so I figured students wouldn’t interfere with the shoot. The two groups of students walking through the photo weren’t a big deal.

Then came one more student who wanted to be in the photo. At first I told him “no” but he persisted and I gave in.

Grandview High School graduating senior Daniel Licea has already cleaned out his locker as he gets ready to leave the school and move on to college (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

He came back a couple more times and jumped into photos but eventually tired of the game and I was able to make the final photo which ran in the newspaper and on our website.

Daniel Licea has cleaned out his locker at Grandview High School as he prepares to graduate tomorrow night. Math is his favorite subject and he hopes to study chemical engineering in college. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Now, the side of a mountain or floodwaters don’t seem so challenging after all.

–Gordon King

And, curiously enough, the amount of time the lens takes to clear on its own is related to the need for the camera. That is, the sooner you need the camera the longer it will take for the fog to clear.

There are several tricks to dealing with lens fog. One easy solution that works for me here in Yakima is found in the men’s locker room of the two indoor pools.

A forced-air dryer clears a fogged-up lens. In this case, it's the wall-mounted dryer in the men's locker room at the Yakima Family YMCA. (reenactment by GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

If there is a hair/hand dryer in a locker room simply warm up the lens and camera with the dryer. The fog will be gone in no time.

–Gordon King

But the most danger I’ve faced lately is balancing atop a ladder attached to a feed mixer at a dairy.

Corn silage, part of the feed mixture for cows at the Sunny Dene Dairy, is dumped into a mixer Feb. 3, 2011 at the Mabton-area dairy. Feed prices, primarily for corn, are rising. However, milk futures are also on the rise, making dairies optimistic about getting higher prices for their milk. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

The challenges we encounter here in central Washington pale in comparison to the dangers now facing photojournalists as they send images from the unrest in Egypt.

Go here to read about photojournalists covering the situation in Egypt.

Everyone should be grateful to the photojournalists who are willing to put their lives in danger so the rest of the world can witness the conflict that now engulfs Egypt and the other trouble spots around the world. The written word can, of course,  describe the scene but there’s no substitute for powerful photography and video.

–Gordon King

Last Monday I photographed a soldier’s burial and saw the sadness and sorrow of the soldier’s family and friends.

Yesterday I photographed the sentencing of a man who killed two young men in a gang-related shooting. And while the circumstances of the victims’ death is different, the result is the same as if they were killed on a battlefield. Family and friends are left to grieve over the death of a young person.

Nathaniel Silva. 13, wipes away tears Jan. 24, 2011 as he listens to the sentencing of Anthony Sanchez. Sanchez murdered Estevan Silva, Jr., Nathaniel's older brother, in Toppenish in 2009. Sanchez was sentenced to 608 months in jail for the murders of Silva and Israel Diaz. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

In a way, the two murder victims were killed in a battlefield though this battlefield is local as gang members inflict violence on other gang members and innocent people. Last year Yakima County had a record-high 28 murders with many of them gang-related.

Anthony Sanchez sits in court Jan. 24, 2011 as he is sentenced to 608 months in prison for the 2009 murder of Estevan Silva, Jr., and Israel Diaz. His gang nickname, "Monster," is tatooed on his left forearm. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Though family members cried and wiped away tears during the sentencing it was, in a way, a happy occasion for them as the murderer was given 608 months in prison, assuring he will be an old man by the time he gets out. That long sentence helped comfort the family .

Like the funeral photos, the photos yesterday were difficult to take (and made even more difficult by the constraints of shooting in court) but necessary. Readers and viewers need to know that violence and killing affects many people, not just the victims themselves.

–Gordon King

Yesterday was no exception. I photographed the burial of Army Pfc. Robert Near in Sunnyside, Wash.

Vera Near is comforted by Terry Near as they bend over the casket of Army Pfc. Robert Near at his burial Jan. 17, 2011 in Sunnyside, Wash. Vera Near, Robert's grandmother, raised Robert in nearby Granger. Terry is Robert's uncle. Pfc. Near died while serving in Afghanistan. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

To see more photos and read the story of Near’s funeral and burial go here.

Funeral photos and photos of grief are difficult to take but I think it’s important to recognize the service of the dead soldier and to acknowledge that war causes casualties at home as well as on the battlefield.

–Gordon King

The other day I photographed a farmer in rural Klickitat County for an upcoming story. I also photographed the farmer’s dogs.

Dogs Sheila, left, and Becky ride in their owner's pickup truck. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

In this case, I’d say “they” were definitely right. Sheila and Becky are much like their owner – thoroughly country, friendly and a lot of fun to spend time with.

–Gordon King

Sometimes, however. there’s no substitute for adding light to a scene.

Ron Hatfield scoops ice from his fishing hole on Elton Pond in East Selah Jan. 3, 2011. Recent cold, clear weather has allowed the pond to freeze over for ice fishing. The ice is now about four inches thick. Daytime high temperatures are forecast to rise to 40 degrees by Friday before dropping to freezing over the weekend. Hatfield has been ice fishing at Elton Pond for four or five years and says "it's just the challenge of trying to hook (a trout). It beats sitting in front of the TV." On Monday he was using a combination of red fish eggs, night crawlers and corn as bait. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Needing a standalone photo for A1, I found this ice fisherman trying his luck on a local lake. The weather was sunny and cold and I wanted to somehow include the sun in the to help convey that idea of sun. Using the flash to illuminate the fisherman I was able to  better balance the light between the sun and the fisherman. Plus, I was able to get the interesting starburst effect by using a small f-stop.

As a side note, the flash was set on manual mode at full power. I almost always use my Canon automatic/TTL flash in the manual mode because of the inconsistent results I get while using it in the automatic mode. I vary the power output of the flash to match the situation.

–Gordon King

–Gordon King

1. The retirement of long-time Yakima city manager Dick Zais:

Yakima City Manager Dick Zais, right, listens during a council study session Nov. 1, 2010 on the issue of switching from a city manager form of government to a strong mayor form of government. The discussion to switch forms of government was prompted by Zais' decision to retire next year. At left is city council member Bill Lover. At center is city attorney Jeff Cutter. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

2. The aquittal of high school teacher Michele Taylor, accused  of sexual misconduct with two students:

Michele Taylor hugs her husband Kevin Taylor June 15, 2010 after she was found not guilty of having sex with one East Valley High School student and sending inappropriate text messages to him and another student. Taylor, 31, is a physical education teacher at the high school. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

3. Yakima County suffers one of the highest homicide rates ever:

Yakima police investigate the murder of Luis Gonzales at a home on 26th Avenue just north of Nob Hill Boulevard on Jan. 15, 2010. There were 26 murders in Yakima County in 2010. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

4. Incumbent Republican state Rep. Norm Johnson holds off challenger and political newcomer Michele Strobel:

Washington State Representative Norm Johnson, right, shares a laugh with Yakima County Commissioner Rand Elliott, as the initial ballot counts place him ahead of Michele Strobel in the race for the Legislative District 14 Position 1 seat on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010. Johnson ultimately won the race. (SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic)

5. Two Washington State Patrol troopers and a WSP dispatch supervisor die in an August house fire:

Pall bearers carry the caskets out after the memorial service for Trooper Gary Miller, Communications Officer 4 Anne Miller-Hewitt and Trooper Kristopher Sperry Friday, Aug. 27, 2010 at the SunDome in Yakima, Wash. (ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic)

6. Yakima police Chief Sam Granato retires:

Yakima Police Department Chief Sam Granato announced his retirement from the Yakima Police Department at the end of 2010. Granato's sometimes-stormy tenure began in 2003 when he arrived from Texas. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

8. Work starts on long-awaited Lincoln Avenue railroad underpass, described as one of the largest public works projects in Yakima city history:

Work continues on the Lincoln Avenue underpass Oct. 7, 2010. Construction of the underpass under the railroad track began in May and is part of a $36 million project to construct two underpasses. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

9. A drunken party in October involving Central Washington University students results in state and federal laws banning the sale of high alcohol drinks made with caffeine:

Central Washington University Professor Ken Briggs holds up a can of the alcoholic energy drink "four Loko" at a press conference at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. Oct. 25, 2010. The energy drink has been linked to an Oct. 9, 2010 party in Roslyn, Wash. Nine CWU students were hospitalized as a result of the drinking that took place there. Behind Briggs are (l-r) Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, Scott Ferguson, chief of the Cle Elum-Roslyn-South Cle Elum Police Department and Steve Rittereiser, CWU police chief. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

10. (tie)  The Paradise Basin opens at White Pass Ski Area after 30 years of planning:

A skier heads down Paradise Basin at the White Pass Ski Area Dec. 3, 2010, Paradise Basin is the long sought-after expansion of the White Pass ski area which adds 767 acres to the south of the existing ski area. Paradise Basin opened to the public Dec. 4, 2010. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)

10. (tie) A couple was killed in June when they were struck by stolen pickup being chased by Yakima police:

A stolen truck stands smashed at the corner of South Third Street and Pacific Avenue in Yakima after an accident Sunday afternoon on June 20, 2010. After wrecking the truck into another vehicle, the driver broke into A. C. Auto Sales and stole another vehicle before leading police on a chase that ended in another wreck in which two people were killed. (SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic)