Archived Content

Backstage on opening night of Cheyenne’s melodrama

July 18, 2011

Last week I went backstage on opening night of Cheyenne’s melodrama. Being that I’m a foreigner from Indiana, I’ve never seen a melodrama before. It was a neat experience, especially photographing backstage where all the actors and stage hands were so busy that they were more or less oblivious to my presence. That made my job a lot easier as I was able to capture a few in-between moments before the start of the show.

Rose Threewitt, center, 7, helps her sister, Maggie Threewitt, 7, get her costume on as Mandy Hill, who plays the part of the heroine Lacie Camisole, puts on her makeup before the opening night of the 55th Old Fashioned Melodrama on Thursday, July 14, 2011, at the Atlas Theatre in Cheyenne. The melodrama continues through Aug. 7.

Emcee Rory Mack writes down some notes before taking the stage during the opening night of the 55th Old Fashioned Melodrama on Thursday, July 14, 2011, at the Atlas Theatre in Cheyenne. The melodrama continues through Aug. 7.

Cheyenne Frontier Days Cattle Drive

July 18, 2011

Ken Willis, of Cheyenne, listens to a conversation during a chuckwagon breakfast before the start of the Cheyenne Frontier Days cattle drive on Sunday, July 17, 2011, north of Cheyenne. Willis was serving coffee during the breakfast.

One hail of a night

July 13, 2011

Tuesday started off as a very slow day until it wasn’t. I was on my way back from Wheatland Tuesday afternoon when a severe thunderstorm rolled through town. Luckily, I was miles north on Interstate 25 when a hail storm pounded much of the central part of the city, leaving cars across the city dimpled with hail dents. When I drove past the Wyoming State Capitol, it became apparent this wasn’t a typical hail storm. There was a ton of hail. I swung by the office then headed back out to look for storm aftermath shots. I parked near Pando Park and shot a few kids playing in the park that was submerged in about 40 inches of water. A parent mentioned Pershing Avenue got pounded by the hail. I jumped in my truck and drove over to Pershing. A few blocks down the street, I noticed some extreme fog in a cemetery and doubled back to shoot a ghostly shot of the fog rising amongst the tombstones. At this point, I had to put my truck into four wheel drive to make it down the streets. A police car caught my eye as I headed south. One of the intersections – 23rd Street and Bradley Avenue – was completely submerged and covered in hail. I noticed a lot of people gathered at the intersection as some residents tried to clear drains. I ended up shooting most of my take at that intersection. I’ve been in Cheyenne for seven months now, and this is by far the craziest story I’ve covered. I have never seen hail like this before, especially with such a large accumulation. It reminds me of a scene from “The Day After Tomorrow.”

Dave Hefenieder, a Cheyenne employee, uses a pitch fork to unclog a storm drain at the intersection of 23rd Street and Bradley Avenue on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, in Cheyenne. Cheyenne received 1.46 inches of rain between 5:15 and 5:50 p.m., according to the National Weather Service along with hail up to golf ball size.

Cheyenne police officer Joel Hickerson, left, and Christine Escobar shove debris out of a storm drain on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at the intersection of 23rd Street and Bradley Avenue in Cheyenne. Escobar, who lives one house from the intersection on 23rd Street, said she was able to save a few things in her basement before a "waterfall" flooded her home. Several residents, police officers and city employees armed with shovels, pitch forks, brooms and military entrenching tools quickly cleared debris from the intersection's drains to allow flood waters to subside until a city snow plow and two front loaders arrived to clear the intersection.

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Hell on Wheels and a Holga

July 12, 2011

A few weeks back, I photographed Hell on Wheels, a shooting competition where participants from around the world dress in Old West costumes and fire weapons from the Old West. Given the period costumes, I couldn’t resist firing off a couple rolls on my Holga.

Stormtroopers, old cars, Wyoming and a Holga

July 11, 2011

I’ve gotten to the point where I carry two Holgas with me everyday to work: one loaded with 100 ASA film and one loaded with 400 ASA film. The results are negatives full of random, in-between moments from my daily newspaper assignments. Here is the latest edition on what is slowly becoming a regular feature on my blog.