Photographer’s favorite 2019 photos

Looking back on the events I covered in 2019, it struck me pretty dramatically just how many fewer photographs I took than in years past.

Regardless, a few stuck out in my mind for various reasons.

In March, I spent a cold night on the Black River, below the Clearwater Lake dam, while fisheries biologists from the Department of Conservation conducted their annual netting and electrofishing surveys for walleyes and paddlefish.

I’ve gone along with biologists Paul Cieslewicz and Dave Knuth many times in the past, but the backlit photo I captured of crews lifting a large walleye into their boat this time probably is my favorite from all the years I’ve been on the survey. Why? I like the backlight and the fact I even pulled it off given my shutter speed was incredibly slow. And, of course, as an outdoorsman, the big walleye was uber-cool.

Another favorite photo was captured in late May while at the first Buddy Ball game of the year. I’ve written about Buddy Ball before and how it’s one of my favorite things to cover each year.

The photo of players from opposing teams mingling on the field and having fun during their game epitomizes what the league is about and strikes a chord with me.

I don’t get to cover nearly the amount of games as I once did, so I’ve admittedly gotten a bit rusty, but a photograph from a high school baseball game in May probably is my favorite sports photo of the year.

It shows a Neelyville baserunner trying to evade the tag of the shortstop from Alton. The action is cool, and the photo happened only by understanding the game and paying attention to what was happening at the time.

Another favorite event is the Dexter Greenheads chapter of Ducks Unlimited’s annual youth field day at the Otter Slough Conservation Area.

Children get to learn about fish from MDC biologists, and they have the opportunity to put leg bands om mourning doves and wood ducks before turning them loose.

I like the photograph of the youngster releasing a freshly-banded wood duck back into the wild not only because of its action, but because of what it stands for: children need to get out of the house and learn about the outdoors. Across the country, the number of hunters and anglers is declining, and events like this can help alleviate that trend.

Finally, another favorite photo never even made it into the paper, but that’s because I shot it on my phone just for myself while on an assignment at Wappapello Lake.

I was on the lake with fisheries biologists Dave Knuth and Jason Crites, this time covering the annual crappie trapnetting survey in October, and the fall colors were finally starting to pop in some places. The dramatic clouds, the low, golden sunlight and the reflection in the still waters all lined up for a nice photo.