Small Town Photojournalism

Angst for the Memories Evergreen

Matthew Jonas — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:39:07 +0000

“Can you be here Monday?”

In August of 2007, I got a phone call from a former college instructor that would start my career in photojournalism. In the span of a couple days, I packed up everything I owned and drove 1700 miles back to Colorado in just under 24 hours.

I was excited to have landed my first staff job. I hit the ground running. I dove into every opportunity that I had. And as much as I complained (what else are photographers good at?), I enjoyed every second of it.

So here I am 4 1/2 years later about to take the next step in my career. You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with a goose?

The picture above requires a little explanation. I made it on one of my last assignments for the Canyon Courier. I did my best to capture the longing ‘Nita had for her recently deceased mate, Pedro. Yes, you read that correctly. The story I was working on is about a grieving goose and her quest for a new mate.

In a way I can kind of understand the feeling. After years of working the same area, with the same reporters and building relationships within the community, I too will feel like part of my life is missing.

As I start my new position at the Longmont Times-Call, I will work to build new relationships and fill that part of my life again. I understand that it’s going to be tough at first. However, I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.

I will use every experience, every relationship, every failure and every victory from my time at Evergreen Newspapers and build up from there. Thanks to everyone who made my work at the paper possible.

So long Evergreen. It was fun. Angst for the memories.

Death Race Competitor Portrait

Matthew Jonas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:45:39 +0000

Yes. You read that correctly. There is an actual event called “The Death Race.” It’s a 24-48 hour endurance race that features some unique challenges. These can range from carrying a 20 lbs stump for several miles, crawling through mud under barbed wire or memorizing and reciting bible verses after climbing up a mountain. Yeah. I’m dead serious about that last one. (Get it? You’re so smart!) If you are looking for more info on the race, check out www.youmaydie.com.

Community Recycling in Conifer

Matthew Jonas — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:19:07 +0000

I suppose that I am a little strange but I always get excited when I get to cover a community recycling day. Sometime the most mundane sounding assignments can present opportunities to make really fun pictures.

Girls Basketball Floor Remote

Matthew Jonas — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:53:43 +0000

2011 Year in Pictures: News, Features and Portraits

Matthew Jonas — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:12:11 +0000

2011 flew by. It was a busy year. This is a selection my favorite (not necessarily my best) news, features and portraits from 2011. Enjoy.

Chatfield Senior High School Swimmer

Matthew Jonas — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:46:23 +0000

I meant to post this last week but I never got around to it. I cover a fair amount of swimming during the winter sports season. Its always a challenge to come up with strong swimming pictures when you are limited to what you can see above the water. I think this one is fairly successful for 2 reasons. The first is the drama of the water splashing around the swimmer. The second is the red digital display of the time clock reflected in the swimmers goggles. I almost chose another picture over this one until I saw that small detail.

Weather Art

Matthew Jonas — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:22:22 +0000

Like any good photojournalist, after a good snow storm, you make weather feature pictures where ever you can. Covering the same area for the last 4 years has its advantages – you have a mental address book of all the good sledding areas. I started off going to the areas I knew would produce good pictures but I also kept an eye out for a few new unique locations along the way. It worked out pretty well. Special thanks to my Subaru for driving me through areas that my last car would have easily given up in. Click through for more pictures. Enjoy.

High School Basketball

Matthew Jonas — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:42:29 +0000

Just one from basketball this past weekend. In case you are curious as to how I made this picture, check out this post. Look for an update to that post in the near future featuring some new gear.

UPDATED 12/28: 2011 Year in Photos Galleries

Matthew Jonas — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:28:10 +0000

It’s that time of year again. The 2011 Year in Photos galleries are beginning to be posted. Instead of endlessly searching the web, why not come here to check them out in one convenient place? Check back daily for updates.

The Atlantic, 2011: The Year in Photos, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Time, Lightbox, Top 10 Photos of 2011
Reuters, Pictures of the: 2011, News, Technology, Entertainment
Life, 2011 Pictures of the Year
National Geographic, Best News Pictures of 2011: Your Picks From Nat Geo News
Associated Press, apimages.com, Best of 2011: News
Denver Post Media Center, 2011 Best News Photos of the Year From Around the World
The Denver Post, Photos: 2011 Year In Photos By The Denver Post Photographers
upi.com, 2011 News Photos of the Year
Plog: Photo Blogs from the Denver Post, Captured: 2011 Best Photos of the Year, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
thestar.com, Toronto Star Photo Blog, Staff Photographer Tara Walton’s best of 2011
boston.com, The Big Picture, The Year in Pictures, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
boston.com, The Big Picture, 50 Best Photos From the Natural World
MSNBC, msnbc.com, The Year in Pictures 2011
The New York Times, newyorktimes.com, 2011: The Year in Pictures (multiple galleries)
Los Angeles Times, Framework Photo Blog, The Year in Pictures 2011

Columbine Wins 5A State Football Title

Matthew Jonas — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:32:28 +0000

What a crazy weekend. Lots to do with little time to get it done. The highlight of the weekend was covering Columbine High School winning the 5A football state title. Special thanks to Gabe Christus for letting me borrow his 300. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the game. Enjoy.