I grew up in Selah. It’s the place I learned, returned and now raise a family within. This year, I had the honor of covering my hometown parade. It was an emotional day because it was my last weekend representing the Yakima Herald-Republic as a photojournalist and having my work on parade, literally.

It’s a bit hard to describe, but some photojournalists try to be a fly-on-the-wall, observing and documenting moments to help tell a story while not being noticed. With all the cameras, gear and stuff to help do our visual storytelling — being discrete is challenging, especially at parades.

At parades I gave up on being discrete. I walk up and down the sidewalk, ducking between people, crouching and standing on objects to get a better vantage. It’s hardly fly-on-the-wall.

To get the different angle or better perspective I put myself out into the parade with the goal of visually taking a reader to a place they would not expect when they see my photos.

To get off the wall and out in the action, my camera is oftentimes smashed against my face. It’s a comfortable barrier between me and who I am shooting. Being behind the viewfinder also wipes away the stage fright of being so visible while working.

Which brings me to Saturday. My love of covering Selah days was muted by my roll as a photojournalist all morning — until my family came into frame.

While walking the entire parade route and amidst a middle school band, my family photobombed a series of photos. It stopped me dead in my tracks.

I chuckled and smashed my camera harder against my face because I instinctively wanted to hide the tears welling up behind the viewfinder.

Right then, the joy I have of being a journalist was reflected in the faces of my children, wife, parents and grandparents.

- TJ Mullinax

Here’s an outtake from my coverage of the YPD observation of National Peace Officer Memorial Day. I got to the ceremony a few minutes early, and firefighters were working on hanging this giant flag, so I waited until I got a clean silhouette of a firefighter and snapped a few frames.

All other things being equal, sometimes there are very practical reasons to choose a shooting location. Especially when it’s in the nineties.

Here’s a great story about the concept and work behind Boston Magazine’s May cover. Click photo for link.

I took pictures for about five minutes on a variety of settings, then trapped him between two of my hats and let him go outside. He flew away just fine, none the worse for wear as far as I could tell.

I went overboard on the saturation and contrast, just to try it out, and this is what I came up with. If nothing else, the bird broke up the monotony of an otherwise pretty uneventful day.

-Ross Courtney

A customer checks out a dress at a yard sale during Zillah's annual city-wide yard sale Saturday, April 20, 2013. (BIANCA DANIEL/Valley Workshop/Eisenhower High School)

My student, Bianca Daniel, a senior from Eisenhower High School in Yakima, covered a community yard sale in Zillah. Two of her photos from the event made Sunday’s Homefront section and several more are on our web site along with a short video. The staff gave her some advice, but for the most part, she selected the winning shots herself.

However, I think she overlooked this baby. There’s something graceful about the color and the flowing movement of this shot of an unidentified woman checking out a dress that I wanted everyone to see.

Hope you enjoy it.

-Ross Courtney

I downloaded the iPhone app., Reflex the other day, and it’s fun to play with. It reminds me of my old Mamiya C33. I only wish I had to look down through the top of the phone to use it.

These are me messing around at Holy Family before a foot-washing ceremony. The first is reporter Ross Courtney interviewing a person who was taking part in the activity. Then pews.

This photo is too odd to run in the paper…but it was my favorite from the shoot, so I’m sharing it here!

Yesterday was my monthly photo shoot for my Fresh taste page column, which is pizza this month. Aside from moving furniture around the dining room in order to capture some nice natural light, and dragging up props from the basement, the kitchen usually looks like a tornado has gone through it by the time the photo shoot is done. Food has to be photographed hot and fresh and I’ve learned over throughout the process of doing this column that that means clean-up (and subsequent collapse into a chair to write the column) has to wait until after the food is prepped, cooked, styled and shot. Timing of cutting veggies and pulling things off the stove or oven has to take priority over cleaning as I go in order to help the food look the best in the picture.