I shot this covering a committee meeting at the S.D. State Legislature. The woman used this visual aid to compel the House Education Committee to pass a bill that would require schools to have abstinence education be a major part of their sex education curriculum. We weren't sure if it was appropriate for the wire - so I didn't send it out. But I can always blog it!

In South Dakota, hunting is not only a privilege, but a way of life for many. It disgusts me when I see the way hunters are portrayed in the sitcoms or other mass media. Usually the depiction is of a group of dimwitted, drunken fools that are careless with guns. Reality, however, paints a much different picture.

The photo above was taken at the Huron Ringneck Festival Competition Hunt near Huron, S.D. This hunt pits hunters against Rooster Pheasants with only four shells per hunter to get a limit of three birds. The goal is to showcase the quality of the hunt more so than the quantity of shooting.

Through my work, I have the opportunity to meet hundreds of hunters each year. Most every hunter I meet has the same goals when it comes to hunting:

• Enjoying the outdoors and the camaraderie that comes with the hunt.
• Following the law so that the hunter can help game officials manage wildlife and everyone has a safe hunt.
• Preserving wildlife and our hunting heritage for future generations.

So what do I say to those who would stereotype the hunter. Please don't judge us for the blaze orange or the camouflage we wear. That would be hunterism, no different than racism, sexism or any other kind of bigotry. I am proud to be a hunter and I am proud to wear that label, but bigot - is that a label you would be willing to wear?

I had a visit from some superheros this week. Funny how a store bought costume can transform my not so mild mannered boys into a couple of larger than life heros ready to save the world. In my 3 year old's mind - he really was Mr. Incredible. We'll probably still be wearing these at Christmastime, although the pumpkins have to go today.

I have been doing a lot of blabbing in this blog lately - time to get off the soapbox and post some photos. Part of the reason I started this blog was to publish photos that would probably not get published anywhere else. Here's an example. I shot this while on assignment for the Rapid City Journal this summer in Sturgis during bike week. Each day the paper featured a page 2 girl - like the Brits do, so we shot 'em when we saw 'em. This one was shot after the rally editions had been published, so it ever made it to print. Here's the cutline: Kimbra Carlyle, left, and Melissa Elliott, both of Rapid City, pose on the hood of the topless bus, where they tend bar, at the Full Throttle Saloon Thursday in Sturgis, S.D. (Doug Dreyer/Special to the Rapid City Journal). Enjoy - this is about as racy as my photos get.

O.K., so here's the deal. S.D. is having a special legislative session on a neutrino research center, formerly known as Homestake Gold Mine. I have covered most of the lead up to this but I still don't really know what the hell a neutrino is. I guess that's why everyone wants to study the goofy things.
Anyway, same day, former Governor, former U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow goes before the S.D. Supreme Court. Janklow is expected to be there. (Janklow killed a motorcyclist in an accicident at a rural intersection near Janklow's home town of Flandreau a couple of years ago.) Janklow wants to get his law license back.
I am covering both photo wise.
Anyway, more importantly, my three year old son decided what he wanted to be for Halloween. Jesus. Yes, he wants to be the son of God.
Since we already bought a costume for him - we told him Jesus probably wanted him to be Mr. Incredible.
I think my youngest and Jesus agreed - Mr. Incredible is probably more appopriate.
We tried on the costume, and my youngest likes Mr. Incredible. I'm sure Jesus is relieved.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to guest lecture at my alma mater, SDSU (that's South Dakota State University, not San Diego State). This is something I do a couple of times a year - instead of giving money to the department, I give of my time and experience.
During a question and answer period, I was posed with a question I had never encountered before. The question: "Are there things you think the media overcovers and are there things that you don't care to shoot."
I had to think for a short while. There are things like natural disasters and forest fires that I would rather not have to cover - simply because I would rather not see the destruction or people suffering. As a photojournalist though, these are things I have to cover. These are stories that need to be told, and hopefully the way I tell these stories will ease the suffering and raise public awareness of these situations.
As for things the media overcovers, celebrities. Period. Anytime a paparazzi can get $60,000 for a picture of J-Lo and her boy toy of the week, something is out of whack.
I have a great distain for anything paparazzi shoot. If a paparazzi wants to endanger his or her life to get a picture, fine. But when you endanger the lives of your subjects and the general public, you are a menace to society.
The First Amendment protects these morons the same way it protects legitmate media and I don't believe there is anything that can, or should, be done by lawmakers. That would just chip away at our constitution.
The solution; quit buying tabloids and other media who pay the big dollars for these photos. Want to kill the beast - quit feeding the beast - the beast will waste away.
So is this blog going to stop the paparazzi? In all reality, no. But, I figure if I plant enough seeds in enough different places, something is bound to grow eventually.

Here I am on top of the world. Well at least the top of Mount Rushmore during the summer of 2005. This is one of many great experiences I have had as a photojournalist covering South Dakota. This blog is an outlet for those experiences - somewhere I can tell the story behind the story that made headlines - or a place to share ideas and discovery about the art of photography.
Keep checking the blog for more photos and discussion from my freelance travels.