Snaps and Frames

Sometimes after a photo assignment, I’ll search for a feature photo by taking the long way back to the newspaper. As I was leaving Mt. Spokane High School Monday, I spotted a whitetail deer sprinting across a field. It had just started snowing. Bad weather can always make for a good snap, so the hunt was on. The deer disappeared on me, so I continued driving the back roads until I came across these two horses in a field. They came up to the fence line to greet me.  I played around with the composition until this one stood out.  Getting back in my car, I felt as cold as the horses looked.

A pair of horses weather a Monday morning snow flurry in a field off of Stoneman Road on the Peone Prairie Feb. 28, 2011. Rain and snow are likely today as a strong cold front drapes across the region and moves from north to south. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

When I teach my Intro to Photojournalism class at a community college, I always tell my students: “There are photos all around you–you just have to see them.”  As I got behind the wheel of my car parked in my driveway, I almost hit the windshield wipers before stopping an staring at the maple leaf nestled in raindrops on the glass. I grabbed my Nikon D700 with a 60 mm macro lens from the trunk and fired away. My neighbor’s porch lamp added a warm light element that adds some mystery to the image. Without a caption, I think most people viewing the photo would stare at it for awhile as they try and decode all the layers of information.

A soggy maple leaf, photographed from inside a car, found a resting place stuck to a windshield Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011. A mix of rain and snow may change to all snow tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

A slow local news day had me cruising for a feature picture today. I took a walk through Spokane’s Riverfront Park and found myself standing in front of this metal sculpture of the Canadian flag. I have, on several other occasions, tried to make this photo, but it always was missing the elements of decent light and waterfowl.  I like the layered composition and simplicity of the photograph. Nikon D700, Nikkor 80-200mm 2.8

A female mallard duck, seen through the Canadian flag sculpture in Riverfront Park, swims against the fast current of the Spokane River Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

I had to do a double take as I passed this mattress on my way to work today. Because I smiled, I figured other people would too. Not great photography, but what the hell, it’s Friday. Have a nice weekend. Nikon D3s,  Nikkor  17-35 mm.

A jilted lover? Art? Maybe just trash that was tagged by someone with pithy thoughts. No matter. The propped up mattress made morning commuters do a double take as they headed north on Lincoln Street at Seventh Avenue in Spokane, Wash. Friday. Smiles ensued. Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review