Old School/New School

Playing again with a process to digitally capture images from an old 4x5 field camera. Interesting so far. The look of the 4x5 wide open is just beautiful, especially photographing people. Where/when will I use it? Who knows....

The New Lust

OK, So this machine deserves it's own post. I spent Saturday afternoon chasing my buddy Rich, who owns Sonic Springs, across the ridges and through the valley's of the Ozarks. I was aboard my first generation SV650, a good friend who got me back into riding and has carried me thousands of miles on mountain roads with [relatively] few problems. But as glided across the pristine asphalt of Newton County, I realized... there is more to life than just function.

Rich's new Ducati 848 (with less than 1k miles on the clock) is as much a piece of performance art as it is a motorcycle. I have seen them in person, I have seen videos, I have seen thousands of photos.... but until you ride near one, you can't really understand just what the Italians are able to do with a little plastic and metal.

There is something about motorcycles that people either get... or they don't. Some folks run away in fear, others rush forward with an unparalleled passion. And different motorbikes yield different results. Rich for instance usually rides a V-Strom 650, a very utilitarian bike. Often referred to as "an appliance," the V-Strom is an amazing ride for the money and is capable of more than most people are. For instance, Rich took his and rode from Midwest City, Okla...... to the ARCTIC CIRCLE...... by himself. Now that's one heck of a motorcycle, and aboard it Rich is the safest, most sane rider I have ever known. Always tempered, always checking sight lines, always keeping the right hand under control. But aboard the Duc, Rich is a different man, a monster of the roads, still well in control, but more so with the right hand wrapped tightly around the throttle. When I finally caught him (at a stop sign in the distance) I asked him if that bike got in his head. His response was a big big grin.

A couple hours chasing rich reconnected me with my own bike, but also taught me where the limits of my front suspension are! It's not terribly common to see these bikes around, it's even less common to see them with an owner that it not an uber-rich poser who has more money that talent.

Anyhow, most of us will likely never ride a bike like this, but if you ever get the chance to follow one through the mountains on a 60 degree day in the bright sunshine... I suggest you do. The above picture is all you may see, but it's certainly worth the view.

One Great Weekend

Twice a year I put together a what used to be a little gathering of friends and has grown into a fairly decent little weekend ride. This year we had about 35 riders gather and ride the roads near Jasper, Arkansas. It's really a blast to be able to go and chase some of the best riders I know though the amazing ribbons of asphalt that weave through the Ozarks. I always ride more than I shoot, but I usually haul out the cameras and make at least a few decent images.

As I edit (and wish I was back aboard my trusty SV650 in the mountains) Here are a few of my favorite images.

Shootin' Hoops

Had a great shoot yesterday. I was in Dallas and got the call to be at the BOK Center that evening. We packed up, rushed back and made it in plenty of time. When I got there I was blessed with stellar light everywhere and a neat guy to photograph.

I met Nolan Richardson last winter when I photographed his grandson in the Lone Star Conference basketball tournament in Bartlesville, Okla. But it was brief and yesterday I got to talk with him whole we worked to shoot photos for an ad for the WNBA investors group in Tulsa. What a neat guy with a great story. His most recent gig was with the Mexican National team. Folks everywhere seem to love him and I sure hope they get the team here in Tulsa so I can keep making his photo.

Beautiful Days of Summer

It has been way to long since I updated something here and for that I apologize. It has been a crazy summer, long and a bit drawn out, but here we are nearing the end. As fall approaches I have wrapped up one of my big projects this summer. A simple website and lots of photo work for client and friend Wade Jones at Greenstreet Landscapes here in Tulsa.

Wade's work has an unbelievable feel to it. Anytime I walk into one of his projects I can instantly feel his touch on it. Soft, lush, organic, natural. Landscaping may not always be thought of as an art, but Wade's work belongs in a gallery!

Check out the site when you get a chance and if you have any projects coming up, give Wade a call! www.greenstreetlandscapes.com

New Digs

Hey guys, check out the new site! It's up and running at www.shanebevel.com. We were dragged kicking and screaming out of the 640x480 format of yesteryear and you can now actually see some detail in the photos! HA! Multimedia is gone from the site for now, but is replaced by a leaner, meaner portfolio with just four categories: Reportage, Portraits, Sports/Outdoors and Architecture/Industrial work. There is also a place for me to show work that might not make the portfolio, but is important to me, you'll find it under Personal Projects.

The format is clean and simple, but allows easy access to the images, which are the most important part. Websites for me are a living breathing being and I try to keep mine fresh (though sometimes I fail completely) I am sure there will be tweaks over the next days/weeks/years so I would appreciate any input here or at shane@shanebevel.com

Enjoy and pass it along!

P.S. The cover image is one of my favorite from our time in El Salvador, an impromptu futbol game on the construction site. Somehow almost all the workers produced a pair of cleats. Those who didn't played barefoot.

GOOOOOOO 'Pokes?

Got a letter in the mail today... one I have been waiting on for a while. It's a letter from Dr. Derina Holtzhausen offering me a position as a visiting lecturer starting this fall at Oklahoma State in Stillwater. A handful of my former colleagues from the Tulsa World are teaching there currently and I feel like the school is on the verge of an upward trend much like UNT during my days there. I look forward to riding that wave again.

Teaching is something I have done before and something I really enjoy. So to get to do it at this level, even as a once a week adjunct, is pretty dang cool. I always had great respect for the professionals who took time from their busy schedule to come and teach us at the University of North Texas. Our careers would not have been the same without them, and they should all find great satisfaction in the level of success their students achieved.

Now I hope to pass that on to my students. To embed in them the passion of visual storytelling that was given to me. The journalism world is a much different place than it was when I was in school, but despite the uncertainty and the massive changes, it should be an exciting place for students with the drive to be storytellers.

Represented......

..... and no, not by my congressman. One of my goals when I went freelance was to find an agency that I thought could help me pursue and sell my personal projects. Stories that otherwise might not see the light of day.

As of today, I have accomplished that goal. I am proudly represented by Zuma Press. Zuma has actually represented my work in the past as a staffer of the Shreveport Times and now represents the body of my work as a freelancer as well as future projects or essays I might undertake on my own.

Now this certainly doesn't mean my clients won't contact me directly for their needs, just that I have an outlet for stock photography and self assignments.

To take a look at Zuma's site visit www.zumapress.com www.doubletruckmagazine.com or www.zreportage.com

NCAA Softball Championships

Just got done shooting the division one Women's Softball World Series for the NCAA and wanted to post a few images up here. I always enjoy shooting sports, but sports at this level are just even more fun. These girls can really play ball. 

Did a story earlier this week for a new client called Education Week. Good assignment, great editor. A win win for all! Here are a few of my images from a story about Western Heights School District in Oklahoma City using data, numbers and analytics to track everything from student mobility to dropout rate to numbers of kids on free and reduced lunches in the cafeteria. The extra chairs in the graduation photos are for kids who dropped out. Power visual to represent a 29% dropout rate.