Hurricanes are strenuous and scary to cover both before they hit and the devastation they leave behind. Besides being mentually grueling, they also take a physical and emotional toll especially if your home is in the path.

I’m trying to master layering — a pursuit I’m not particularly good at; a pursuit that is particularly difficult to master.  The attempt here is to capture several elements in one background that communicates *bike race* in a small town. I found this cyclist from Germany just as he was sitting down in front of a small knick-knack store near the main thoroughfare of town for the fifth leg of the 2008 Tour of Missouri.

In the slideshow, you can see how I engaged the subject and waited for more elements to converge in the scene. The cyclist looked at me for a few frames while his colleague and the store owner appeared. Then a female colleague stepped in as a photographer walks through (for a second time). Which one of these frames is layered correctly — if any? I need to rely on some better talent (ahem, you) to give me some better direction on how I could have shot this better. Should I have been closer? Tighten it up or let it loose? Does any of this even work at all? This feels like a Dear Abby letter.

Awakenings, a small part of a larger project that I’m working on, published Tuesday in the Post-Dispatch after about a month of working on various “awakenings” related to spring. The idea behind the project is simple: In life, there are awakenings of many kinds, ranging from physical awakenings (human, animal, plants, births (of these forms) to spiritual awakenings (baptisms, confirmations, etc), technologically-driven awakenings, social awakenings, and on and on. This project, slated to become a photo column in the paper, was kicked off in a spring-related piece that coincides with my larger Four Seasons project through the year.

This is a small body of work that I hold dear — not just because personal work is often cleansing to the photographic soul — but equally important, the people involved in my project, both at the Post-Dispatch, and the subjects I photographed, seemed to be genuinely interested in my project and offered themselves selflessly to be involved. Our features editor, Christy Bertselson, is a fantastic editor with a sophisticated eye and a hunger for good visual projects that drive good stories and, in often cases, drive themselves through the photographs. Somehow I could see Christy judging the PDN 30 and working for the New York Times “T” fashion magazine. Under her, I’m constantly amazed of the features department progression. There are excited designers (Tippi Thole designed this awakenings page), good reporters, and one hell of a features photo editor, Lynden Steele. Not only can I wait for my features rotation again in a few months, but I actively try to stay more on the features desk than the news side.

So, please enjoy. And keep an eye out for the awakenings photo column, which is already in the works. I can’t publish the pieces, but they’re coming.

Spring Baptism, Manchester United Methodist Church, Manchester, Missouri.

Refreshing the spirit at a young girl and boy’s baptism…

Drops of water remain on the altar after the spring baptism of Taylor Hoskins, 15, and her brother, Cole Hoskins, 11, both of Ballwin, at the hands of the Rev. Chris Williams at Manchester United Methodist Church in Manchester.

I was lucky to come across the Hoskins – not only are they terrific people — but the fact that their children were being baptized later in life really added some value to the story — they talk about a “renewal in life…a purpose to grow.”

New life into seeds, Ferguson, Missouri.

Fueling life in seeds that blossom into plants…

Organic farmer John Wilkerson of St. Charles prepares to plant a germinated sugar snap pea seed at the Mueller Organic Farm in Ferguson. “I gave it the right environment to grow,” said Ferguson.

John knew what I was up against — trying to visually tell a story about life cycles, growth, the awakening for organic foods and a conscious awareness of the food we put in our bodies. As an organic farmer, John rides the wave of demand for organic food in the St. Louis region. With that demand comes the need for local farmers to supply organic food to a growing population. As with seeds, there has to be a good environment to grow. He talks about the health benefits of eating healthy food, and the way he lovingly nurtures the soil and grounds around him

Zaouli awakens, COCA, St. Louis, Missouri

bringing warmth from the sun that rises…

Performer Chyrese Griffin from Afriky Lolo helps bring to life a West African folktale in a stage adaptation by Diadie Bathily (pronounced Ja-jee) of “The Goddess Zaouli at the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis.

This is a wonderful example of an image that no only visually speaks of sun, sunrise, warmth, and the need to take flight after the dark shades of winter, but it also neatly summarizes a cultural and artistic awakening. Being exposed to this form of dance and art really awakens the senses, and the drum beats and singing captivates a crowd, mesmerizing them and taking them back through generations and time to another place of distant culture.

Love between Almir and Tessa, St. Louis, Missouri.

like young love, budding into something more…

Tessa Higby, 17, and Almir Muharemovic, 16, share a tender moment at Ronnies 20 Cinema in St. Louis on a Saturday evening.

Tessa and Almir are quite the couple — they perfectly epitomize a growing relationship. They snuggle, sit quietly, laugh and enjoy eachother’s company. This image, in the short time that I’ve known them, really seems to show the best of them together — caring, compassionate, intimacy — these are just a few of several essential building blocks for a successful relationship.

Page design by Tippi Thole at the Post-Dispatch, part of the Four Seasons project.

If you’ve arrived via my Sportsshooter page, here you’ll find an audio narration of the spring LUXE project and how we brought it from concept to publication. There are a few more supporting images that couldn’t make it on the 10-image gallery. If you don’t feel like listening, which I’m okay with, please help yourself to the image gallery by clicking on the image thumbnail link on the right. If you’re new to uncommons, well then I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for visiting.

Enjoy a quick hit from a Saturday assignment featuring the music of 127 separate tuba, euphonium, and baritone musicians performing Christmas carols at one of the local malls. The audio isn’t that hot because of the ambient noise, but the interviews come through crisp for the small Edirol recorder in my bag.

Personally, this is the favorite picture from the event along with a nice quote from musician Valery York-Schneider.

Tuba Christmas, Richmond Heights, Missouri.

Once we start playing it is amazing how the attention just snaps to what’s happening here…It’s thrilling…like it’s an out of body experience.