Camp Name: Milk

Being lactose intolerant, Milk is typically something I don’t respond well to. But this past week was a different story as I was assigned the camp name “Milk” for Camp Kesem.

Camp Kesem is a free summer camp for kids affected by their parent’s cancer. My job as the camp’s photographer was to capture the joy on all the children’s faces and post the photos for the parents at home.

From messy olympics and talents shows to high ropes courses and potato sack races, there were so many moments to capture. Here are some of my favorites from the week:

"Let your soul shine"

Last week, I traveled to Asheville, NC with 11 other Mizzou students to help construct homes on Soulshine Ct. We were challenged to "Let our soul shine" and serve, not help. After five days of hard work and lots of laughs, I can honesty say these students truly understood this mission and gained more than they gave. This is the true power of servant leadership.

Here’s some of the photos:

Poco A Poco

This Spanish phrase means “little by little.” While no one is going to change the whole world in one week, it was an amazing experience teaching English to Nicaraguan children this past week.

Check out this video on my visit to Jinotega, Nicaragua:

Twenty Mizzou students and two administrators worked with Outreach 360 in Jinotega, Nicaragua over their winter break. The MU students taught English to Nicaraguan children during a week-long camp.

Scenes from Saturday

My six-month hiatus from photojournalism came to a halt Saturday. I picked up a 300mm telephoto lens and one of those silly yellow photography vests. It was gameday!

The No. 22 Florida Gators made their first ever trip to Faurot Field to face the undefeated No. 14 Missouri Tigers. Missouri freshman quarterback Maty Mauk and company welcomed them to the Zou by putting up 500 yards of total offense. The Tigers defeated the Gators 36-17 to remain unbeaten.

Here are my favorite photos from Saturday’s game:

End Table Renovation

Beer and rustic furniture – two things all college students love. Well, I found a way to combine these two together.

I had been saving/collecting beer bottle caps for quite a while and I knew I wanted to create some kind of table with them. While antique shopping with some friends, I found two identical end tables that were perfect for my project. I approached the store owner about purchasing one of the tables. He originally denied my offer in an attempt to preserve the collection. After informing him I’d take good care of the one – and upping my offer – he reluctantly gave in.

The first step of the restoration process was to sand down the old piece of furniture. After some sanding, most of the scratches evened out and the table felt smooth. I then purchased a piece of wood trimming that matched the edges of the tabletop. This created a surface to place the bottle caps. Following the installation of the trimming, I applied a black satin stain. I chose black to help hide the remainder of the cracks in the wood.

Then, after (admittedly) running to the liquor store to buy some more bottle caps, I hot glued them to the surface of the tabletop. I arranged them in no particular pattern, but I did separate the similar colors and brands of caps.

When they dried in place, I mixed up some polyurethane for a glossy finish. I gently poured the polyurethane till all the caps were covered. The polyurethane settled out and was completely dry in a few days. The finishing touch was distressing the edges of the table. A quick, sloppy sanding job completed the “distressed look” and the project was finished.

Pleased with the results of the end table, I renovated my dresser in a similar fashion. After a little sanding, a stain job, and replacing the hardware, I had newly restored set of furniture for my new room!

My perch above Columbia

Where is the best place to watch the fireworks?

This question is commonly asked in the days leading up to the 4th of July. While I saw several people ask this over social media, I keep my answer quiet.

As an employee of the MU Department of Residential Life, I have 24/7 door access to most of the residence halls on campus. For several weeks I’ve had my eye on the top floor of Jones Hall (the tallest dorm on campus.) The balcony on that floor has spectacular views of Greek Town and downtown Columbia.

The night of the forth, I setup a tripod on my perch at Jones. I attached a remote shutter to my camera and set it for Bulb mode. I then held down the shutter at the moment that a firework exploded in the sky and released when the sulfur faded.

The framing on these shots definitely could have been better. It would be cool if the fireworks were shot off in a location closer to Jesse Hall. But then again, it’s hard to complain about fireworks on the 4th of July.

Here are a few other photos from earlier in the day.