YakimaHeraldPhotos.com

A waiting game

One might assume that photographing a stand-of between police SWAT teams and those fleeing arrest would be one of the most exciting things a photojournalist could shoot. Uh, well, not so much. While these can be adrenaline-fueled situations my experience thus far has been the opposite.

In a Jan. 21 stand-off between the Yakima police SWAT team and two suspects related to a Jan. 20 fatal shooting of a Toppenish man, police surrounded several homes on South Seventh Street in Yakima and waited, and waited… and waited some more. For more than four hours SWAT teams called for the suspects to give themselves up while setting off flash-bang grenades to disorient and coerce the men to surrender. While this was going on, photographers and reporters were “patiently” waiting blocks away at the request of the police department. While our safety was their concern, our designated plot of pavement so far away from the action was not helping me get the photos I needed.

Members of the Yakima SWAT team surround a home on the 1100 block of South 7th Avenue Wednesday, January 21, 2009. Police were searching for suspects connected to Tuesday night's Lower Valley homocide.

After seeing two SWAT team members run into a nearby alleyway, I decided to follow them by running parallel to the officers on a South Six Street sidewalk. Shooting through the backyard of an abandoned home with a 400mm lens I captured the arrest of one suspect and a few minutes later was back to “patiently” waiting in my designated spot. Yawn, stretch. “Got any coffee,” one of the broadcast journalists asked the group. We laughed collectively and went back to “patiently” waiting.

While there are a few exciting moments in stand-off situations, they are few and far between. As I fought off shivers in subfreezing temperatures I tried to stay alert, all the while “patiently” waiting.

Members of the Yakima SWAT team run into the alley between South 6th Street and South 7th Street during a roughly four-hour search for men associated with the killing of a Lower Valley man Wednesday, January 21, 2009.

Members of the Yakima Police Department SWAT team run into the alley between South 6th Street and South 7th Street during a roughly four-hour search for men associated with the killing of a Lower Valley man Wednesday, January 21, 2009.

–Kris Holland

The story behind the photo

When YH-R news editor Jeff Garretson and I were combing through hundreds of inauguration photos yesterday for our 1A photo I had one criteria: I wanted to avoid the tightly framed, head-and-shoulders standard taking the oath of office photo.Â We were looking for something more dramatic, more story telling, something different than we’d seen from previous inaugurations. As we went through the photos, one photo stood out. It was this one, the one we selected and ran on our front page today.

Barack Obama, left, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts, not seen, as his wife Michelle, holds the Lincoln Bible and daughters Sasha, right and Malia, watch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Kennedy, Pool)

Many other newspapers around the country made the same selection for their front pages (including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

There’s an amazing story behind the making of this photo. To read more, go to: nppa.org

–Gordon King

Witnessing history

As a photojournalist I’ve been privileged to see and record history through my camera lens. A snowfall of historic proportions in the Yakima Valley. The reintroduction of bighorn sheep to the Yakama reservation. The formation of a collegiate women’s wrestling team.

History was made today with the swearing-in of President Barack Obama and I was able to witness the event. Not in person but rather through the eyes of people watching the event on television. The emotion of the occasion was clearly reflected in the hopeful face of a woman as she wiped tears from her face. In another viewer’sÂ jubilant gesture of upraised arms. Hugging andÂ clapping. In the feelings expressed to me as I gathered subjects’ names. So even though I wasn’t able to see the actual swearing-in ceremony, I didn’t need to because I was able to see it through other people and their emotions. And, in a way, that made it even better and more memorable because of what the inauguration meant toÂ those people.

To quote Frank Cole, one of those watching the ceremony, “Oh boy – what a day!”

Julie Crest wipes a tear as she watches the presidential inauguration at the Southeast Community Center on Jan. 20, 2009. "It's like, finally. It's been so long since we can be proud, to trust and have hope," said Crest following the ceremony.

Susan Cutrona, left, celebrates with Ginny Brown after Barack Obama was sworn in ast the president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2009. Obama "embodies hope for all the world," said Cutrona.

Susan Cutrona, left, celebrates with Ginny Brown after Barack Obama was sworn in as the president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2009. Obama "embodies hope for all the world," said Cutrona.

(L-R) Frank Cole, Julie Crest and Adrianne Garner applaud following the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009. They were watching the ceremony on televisions at the Southeast Community Center in Yakima, Wash. "Oh boy, what a day!" said Cole.

We’re back, starting with our best photos of 2008

Following an extended leave of absence, YakimaHeraldPhotos.com is back in town and back at work. While the site looks new, its job is the same as before – to show off the photography of the Yakima Herald-Republic photo staff, promote good photojournalism and share the thoughts of the staff.

This blog is a joint effort between all the members of the staff – Sara Gettys, Kris Holland, Andy Sawyer and Gordon King. That means you’ll get a variety of perspectives and thoughts on photography and photojournalism. We may detour occasionally from photography but we hope you find those digressions interesting. Of course, we welcome your comments and feedback

To re-launch the Web site and re-introduce the YH-R photo staff we’d like to look back at 2008 and their favorite photos of the year.

Some of these photos will appear in the Dec. 28 issue of the Herald-Republic. The introduction to the print product is this:

“Moments are those brief snatches of time which can transform a photograph. Turn a routine image into a great photograph. Give life to an otherwise dull image. Make a forgettable photograph memorable.

A moment may be the tearful expressions on the faces of high school football players as they react to a last-minute loss. It may come when the sun peeks over the horizon to illuminate a subject. A moment happens when a political candidate steps into the light at a debate or it may happen when two soccer players collide.

Each year Yakima Herald-Republic photographers take thousands upon thousands of photographs. Here are the four photographers’ favorite moments of 2008.

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A waiting game

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We’re back, starting with our best photos of 2008

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