End of Summer

Talk about taking forever to post.

First, I will give you a rundown about what has been going on in a nutshell. Well, I'm currently photo editor at the College Heights Herald, which means shoot less and more time in front of a computer.

Also, I'm taking another photo class as an elective, but I'm pretty much only going to shoot video for the class. The only video I've done before the class is only video interviews. I gotta' say I have a new respect for video people.

Anyway, this post is a project named "End of Summer" it was suppose to be an "artistic interpretation". In other words, it was mainly a project for the class to get used to shooting video and all the tiny details so we can focus on storytelling when we need to and don't have to worry about figuring everything out.

Well, I hope it at least makes you laugh, that was the main point of the project. Or at least crack a smile?

Uh, Yeah

Um, I've been slacking on the blog. Sorry about that.



Anthony Rogt sets up The Zipper for the Utah County Fair on Tuesday, August 11th. The admission free fair starts Wednesday at 4 p.m. and runs through Saturday.



This is a woman I hung around with for a few minutes at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Her husband was a trucker and he, as well as her, have never stopped at them, even though they have traveled through Utah a few times. In any case, let me know if this photo works for you. To be honest I meant to have her MORE out of focus. I still like it though.



Port a Jons....in the middle of nowhere.



Me in a dust storm. OH YEAH!

Week 8

Mallori Guerrero, a BYU student, 18, of Provo, drinks root beer at the Brick Oven Restaurant on Monday, July 27th. For the 12th year in a row BYU has been the top Stone-Cold University, according to the Princeton Review.

Oh yes, I'm in the most sober college town....SERIOUSLY!



Nothing too different right here, I just like the light.



At a local pool, members of a local ward get together and have a good time. Stephen Freeman, 22, of Provo, goes up for a basketball during the 92nd Ward Pool Party, on Saturday, August 1st. "I just love basketball," Freeman said. "I've grown up playing basketball." A group started to play pool basketball at the party. The game was not taken too seriously and sometimes the score was even forgot. Summer Naylor, 24, of Provo, helped put the event together for young single adults in the Provo area. "(It) gives 'em a chance to socialize," Naylor said. "They get to have fun and share their personalities."



Betsy Jo Brown, 27, of Orem is a single mother who was hit hard by the economy. Brown and her daughter Aurora Dubois, 5, ended up having to move back in with Brown's father after not being able to afford bills.

Swallowing her pride was one of the obstacles she had to overcome, but it had to be done, she said.

"You just stay positive," Brown said, after realizing she had to move home.

Her family gives her a lot of support, including help raising and watching Aurora when she is at work.

"I didn't have money to move somewhere else," Brown said. She was living in a bad situation with a roommate she did not get along with.

Brown works at a club in downtown Provo and business has been nearly cut in half since the economic downturn, and less business means fewer tips.

Even though she moved back in with her father, Brown still tries to give Aurora the best childhood she can. She goes out of her way to save whatever extra money she can so she can take Aurora to places where she has fun, such as Disneyland.

"You become a really unselfish person when you have kids," Brown said. Since Aurora mimics everything that Brown does, she tries to be a good role model for her child. "You also become a better person."

"I don't think it is that hard," Brown said about being a single mother. As long as you work hard and love your kids everything will turn out, she said. She's learned that juggling work, kids and life is just as hard whether you are married or not.

According to statistics gathered by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, a nonprofit organization that promotes the development of children, there are nearly 110,000 single-parent households in Utah, while there are 19 million single-parent households nationwide.

Brown was divorced from her ex-husband about three years ago because he had drug problems and Brown "wouldn't stand for it." Brown also didn't want her daughter to be around her ex-husband's problems.

Brittany Call of Orem is one of Brown's life-long friends. "She is a really good person," Call said. "She has a lot of love. Betsy is a really good mom. She isn't judgmental so Aurora won't be like that either."

Brown also thinks single mothers don't have to be in a rush to find another spouse. "You can do it on your own," Brown said. "Single moms have a different bond with their kids because they have the role of both parents."

She has to be the disciplinarian and the nurturer. Even though Brown enjoys being closer than usual with Aurora she can still tell that Aurora misses her father.

One of the best things about moving in with her father, Kam Brown, is that he can spend time with Aurora when Betsy is busy. He often baby-sits Aurora when Betsy is at work.

Kam has helped his daughter through rough spots, but mainly tries not to get too involved so Betsy can be independent. "She usually finds a way to make something work," Kam said. "She is an independent girl that does what she wants to do."

As a grandparent, Kam wants Aurora to have a role model while he's watching her. So when Aurora starts school in the fall, Kam will make sure to make it to school events, especially when Brown is busy at work, so Aurora will have someone there to encourage her.

As Aurora gets older Brown hopes that they will stay as close as they are now.

"It is not an option for us not have a friendship," Brown said.

Whenever Brown hits a rough part, she looks at a text message she saved on her phone that one of her friends sent her.

"Positivity is within you," it reads, "and when you don't express it and believe it, nothing manifests besides negativity."




I would tell you the long story behind this image, but lets just say it is an outtake of Betsy that didn't run.

Can't believe this internship is already almost over. It has been a ton of fun that is for sure.

Week 7

Charles Murphy, of Louisville, Ky., rafting down Provo River on Monday, July 20th. The river has been flowing twice as fast as normal, because of the high amount of rainfall. according to Ryan Hamblin, of Provo, the guide for Murphy's trip.



Tasha Jackson, 11, of Spanish Fork lays flowers on graves in the newly renovated Pioneer Heritage Cemetery, on Tuesday, July 21st, as part of Fiesta Days. Laying flowers was just one of many ceremonies during the rededication of the cemetery.



Sydnee-Jo Hooley, 10, of Orem, camps at Nunn's Park on Thursday, July 23rd.
With camping rates going up during the summer, forest officials are trying
to get everyone that camps to help keep the grounds clean.

I'm not going to lie, when I say I have no idea why I like this picture. It
is an outtake from a story over people that camp out and the camp ground
officials ask for people to clean up after they leave. So in essence, this
picture has nothing to do with anything, but for some reason I like it.



Keylee Mckinney, center, 10 and her mother Natalie Mckinney, both of Fairfield throw buckets of water and a passing truck, during Cedar Fort's annual town wide water fight on Thursday, July 23rd. "It is war," said Natalie, in between trucks filled with people armed with water balloons, water guns, buckets of water and pressure washers, that sprayed anyone on the street. The annual event attracts people from all around towns all around Cedar Fort for an entire day of water battles. Even if someone was driving by, not part of the event, kids and adults would cover the car with water. "I just like feeling like a kid again," said Natalie.










Foam Day is a new annual event where firefighters create a field full of nontoxic foam for families to play in.

Week 6

Sorry it took me so long with this post.




Curtis and Carly Smith laugh while trying to figure out some of the answers for Harry Potter trivia at the Harry Potter Fest: Twizard Tournament on BYU's campus on Tuesday July, 14th. Curtis was dressed as Lupin and Carly was dressed as Tonks, both characters from the Harry Potter books. The Harry Potter Fest consisted of trivia, a scavenger hung, a costume contest, Quidditch and Bertie Blotts. The festival was held because of the midnight release of the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Many of the participants dressed up as characters from the movie and already bought tickets for the movie. "We're not crazy people," Carly said, about dressing up. "When else can I have pink hair on BYU." The Smith's look at the movie as one of the last new Harry Potter things that will ever come out. "This is the only Harry Potter fix you can get now," Carly said.



Britaney Carlson, left, 18, of Orem and Whitney Overman, 18, of Orem, joke around while they wait in line at the Cinemark University Mall movie theater for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Tuesday Jul, 14th. "We are about as Harry Potter as it comes," Carlson said. The group of friends showed up at 7 pm and played Harry Potter Uno to pass time until the release of the movie.



From left to right: Clark Wiesenberg, 14, of Orem, Carli Jacobs, 15, of Orem and Mark Dawson, 15, of Orem wait in line at the Cinemark University Mall movie theater for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Tuesday Jul, 14th. The group of friends got there at 3 pm and talked to past time.



Jean Segura, of the Orem Owlz, tags out, Jeff Tezak, of the Great Falls Voyagers for the 1st out in the top of the 3rd inning.



Britton Psborne, for BYU, center-midfield, goes up for the ball with, Leonardo Munoz, of the Bakersfield Brigade.



Cassidy Barclay, 13 and her brother Ethan Barclay, 8, both of Spanish Fork, ride an inner tube at Utah Lake State Park on Friday, July 17th, with their grandfather John Livingstone, "I think we just enjoy the fund with the grandkids and water," Livingstone said. As the weather has gotten better and the heat has been going up, Livingstone goes out on the lake with his grandkids around two to three times a week. With temperatures rising to the high 90s people are visiting lakes and pools more often then earlier in the summer.



Tim Meyer, 16, of Orem, helps with the refurbishing of the shot put pit at Timpanogos High School, on Saturday, July 18th. This is Meyer's Eagle Scout project. Working with the principal of the high school, Meyer decided that refurbishing the shot put pit would be one of the better projects for the school. "It is good to do service," Meyer said.

Balloon Guy Story and Tour de Donut

This is a small feature story I wrote and shot this past week.







'I want a Yoda," yells a child, in between eating slices of pizza at Brick Oven Restaurant. "I want a bumblebee," yells another child, full of excitement.

Jeremy Telford of Balloon Guy Entertainment can take a handful of balloons and shape them into anything he puts his mind to.
Telford, 31, of Pleasant Grove, is a world-renowned balloon artist. He started twisting six years ago as a member of Brigham Young University's juggling club, Y Juggle. That's also where he met his wife.

"I think of myself first and foremost as a balloon twister," Telford said, even though he started with juggling.

Telford has juggled since he was 13 years old -- and still occasionally juggles -- but now prefers balloon twisting. "The balloons are what I love doing the most."

When he started college at Brigham Young University, he was a computer science major. But he changed his major a few times, finally settling on recreation management and youth leadership with an emphasis in commercial management. His juggling and balloon twisting was just a way to earn some money. "I did it to get through college and fell in love with it," Telford said.

After he decided to pursue balloon twisting as his career, he married his wife, Kristin. "There is no way I could pursue this as a career without a supportive wife," Telford said.

Kristin not only supported Jeremy, but before having kids also worked side-by-side Jeremy with juggling and balloon acts. They even juggled during their wedding reception.

Now that they have two children -- Nichole, 4, and Joshua, 1 -- working side-by-side with his wife has became a thing of the past because she stays home with kids while he works.

Telford often visits Brick Oven Restaurant in Provo as a way to spread the word about his business and to show off his talent in a family-friendly environment.

"My guests love him," said Lee Reader, general manager of Brick Oven Restaurant. "People call and ask when the balloon guy is here. He is very sought-after. People line up for him and wait for him."

Between performances, Telford occasionally teaches his craft to aspiring balloon twisters or finds people who are willing to work with him. Brendan Rowlands, a friend of six years, helped Telford when he needed another person to help make balloon structures.

"He taught me pretty much everything I know about balloon twisting," said Rowlands, who used balloon twisting to help pay for college.

Rowlands is still astonished by what Telford can make with balloons, even after knowing him for so many years.

"I'm always mind-boggled seeing his new designs," Rowlands said. "I'm used to it and still amazed."

One example is the 45-foot T-Rex Telford made for his senior internship capstone project. With the help of seven other balloon twisters, the T-Rex was made from 2,300 balloons for Thanksgiving Point's Museum of Ancient Life.

During the summer Telford typically books three to five shows a week, with winter being the slower time of the year and only having two to three shows a week. Most of the shows Telford does are children's birthday parties, but has had requests to do Sweet 16 birthdays, corporate events and even weddings.

"I love working with kids," Telford said. "It is different every time."

Telford tries to keep up to date with the latest characters children adore. With the new "Transformers" movie, he gets more requests for some of the robots in the movie.

When trying a new design he usually starts with online research. There are rare cases where he does more planning, but that is usually with bigger structures, such as the T-rex for Thanksgiving Point. The hardest part is making everything is proportional, Telford said. Though, "it usually only takes a few minutes to see if you have it proportioned right."

Most of Telford's big designs take anywhere from 200 balloons or more and can take four to five hours to complete. But most of his designs are small, which take only a few minutes to complete.

But Telford's heart lies in big designs. To get in the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest balloon sculpture is one of Telford's "life goals."

Big designs are also where Telford has made the most money. In March, American Filmworks contacted Telford through his Web site to hire him for a Wrigley's Orbit Mist gum commercial.

Telford was flown to Uruguay where the commercial was filmed. Telford does not appear in the commercial, but many of his designs do, which include a butterfly, a coat a little girl wears and a 9-foot long and 4-foot high motorcycle, which was built around a stool that the actors sit on.

Telford is currently working on an instructional book to teach people how to build bigger balloon designs, as well as the basics of balloon twisting. Telford hopes to make more of a living off instructional books, while occasionally doing performances. "I don't ever want to give up shows," Telford said. "I love performing."


Tour de Donut

The Tour de Donut takes place in American Fork and starts the city celebration Steel Days. Cyclists ride 21 miles and in between every 7 they are allowed to eat donuts to shave off minutes. Each donut ate takes off 3 minutes of there final time. Money raised by the event will be donated to a variety of charities including Kona workers that help with AIDS in Africa. The money raised will buy bikes which will allow workers to travel further, according to the Tour de Donut Events Coordinator, Debby Lauret. Around 320 people signed up to the event, said Lauret. "We have the serious riders and coach potatoes," Lauret said. "The idea is to have fun and raise money for good causes."








I wish they ate while riding.

Week 4

Ah, with week 4 wrapped up I'm starting to dig into a few things. I'm not sure where anything is leading, but I'm hoping for the best. Here are some singles from the week. I didn't have the typical 4th of July parade coverage, instead I shot a Jonas Brothers concert. I was in the office captioning and toning, while I listened to the fireworks show.




Orem Owlz player Jon Karcich leads off first. The Owlz lost to the Idaho Falls Chukars with a final score of 8-3.



James Warren 'Flaming Eagle' Mooney, of Spanish Fork, is a Seminole Medicine Man and Co-founder of the Oklevucha Native American Church. Mooney performed a blessing a Rock Canyon, which has been dubbed the "House of God" to many Native American tribes. The canyon was a place where many Native Americans travelled to in an effort to worship.



William Bochat, of West Jordan and his daughter Chloe Bochat, 11 months, came to the Stadium of Fire "to celebrate the 4th the best way possible."



Joe Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, sings Paranoid, during the Stadium of Fire, on Firday, July 4th.



From left to right: Emma Whipple, 10, of Springville, Josie Blume, 9, of Springville and Tyree Strong, 10, of Springville play around before the performances start. Whipple said they came because, "Nick (of the Jonas Brothers) is cute and the fireworks," on Firday, July 4th.



I was walking around the other day and thought this looked pretty cool so I took a picture of it. After shooting, maybe 5 frames. I went up to this guy who was smiling at me and giving me the peace sign. When I asked him who he was, what he was up to, he was not happy about the questions. I smiled and said, "Come on man you might be in the newspaper." He gruffed and said, "Get away from me." It was weird because he was smiling while I walked up to him and then he seemed really pissed off once I started talking to him.



Ah, here is a picture of Mutton Bustin' from a few weeks ago, which I completely overlooked. Thank you Ashley for pointing this shot out.



Brendan Sullivan or "Jersey" and I went on a hike Sunday. It was a great hike with hot springs at the end. There wasn't too much picture taken, but here is a picture of Jersey looking over a waterfall.



I didn't see any naked people.