visual world

Wife On Strike

2011-12-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

You never know what you will find while driving through Texas. This woman was pissed off and telling everyone about it.

Texas Wildfires

2011-05-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a selection of images I made of the wildfires near Possum Kingdom Lake.

A massive wall of fire threatens a home in the Sportsman's World neighborhood.

Volunteer firefighters work to save a home from burning

An fire retardant air drop was coordinated

Texas State Troopers open a gate to allow cattle to escape the wildfire.

© 2011 Getty Images

2010 NFL Draft

2010-04-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

I spent Thursday evening with Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant during the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Bryant was surrounded by friends and family while waiting to see how the draft would unfold.

As the draft started, Bryant began to pace around the house waiting for his phone to ring. The anticipation was killing him!

Finally the call came in. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones phoned Bryant and told him that the Cowboys had selected him. Bryant was overcome with emotion!

Opening Day

2010-04-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a selection of photos from Opening Day at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

Baseball Fans

In the middle of the 8th inning a rogue fan decided to run onto the field. He first bolted down the baseline and slid into second base. Security guards then swarmed the field and took him down.

The Rangers were down by one run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Saltalamacchia celebrates a game winning walkoff RBI.

Cruz ended up taking a cream pie in the face during the post game celebrations!

A complete edit of photos from the game can be found HERE

Cheers,

tp

Metal Art

2010-04-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try something new...I usually make large scale metal art, but I decided to try making something a little smaller. A simple belt buckle design would be about the right size.

I start out with a simple mild steel plate and measure out the design. Then cut out the oval and cleaned up the rough edges.

Then I twist up several sizes of filler rod to use on the buckle.

The twisted filler rod is formed and fit around the plate. Once everything is fitted up, the welding begins.

After burning in the filler rod and horseshoe design, I grind out any imperfections. Then the buckle is polished with a buffing wheel. Once the buckle shines, I stamp my initials into the backside of the buckle.

Kenda now has a Lucky Horshoe belt buckle!

John D. Hale Band

2009-03-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our friend John D. Hale and his band made a mad dash from MO to Fort Worth overnight to play a show Sunday afternoon.

These guys are good! Check out their music: John D. Hale Band

Here are a few photos from the River Ranch in Fort Worth, TX.

The Beach

2009-02-24T20:20:00.001-08:00

In late 2008 Hurricane Ike ravaged the TX coast. The storm erased entire communities off of the map...lives disrupted.

Much of the debris from this powerful storm was washed out to sea, only to wash ashore hundreds of miles away.

After the storm, Padre Island National Seashore was littered with every type of debris imaginable.

Golf Ball

Golf Cart

Television

Toilet Seat

Semi-Trailer Axle

christmas days gone by

2008-12-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is the time of year where families gather together and celebrate. Today I had the pleasure of cooking lunch for 12 family members. Everyone enjoyed the good food and laughs.

It was a real treat to be able to spend the day in the kitchen and over the grill while hosting my family. I haven't always been around during the holidays.

Dec. 25, 2001

I was working in southern Afghanistan. I was making some photographs at the Mirwise Hospital in Kandahar when a seriously injured Afghan youth was rushed into the meager ER. The doctors tried to save him, but they had nothing more than a saline IV and bandages to work with.

The young man died not long after arriving at the hospital. It was a very heavy scene.

I ended up leaving the hospital with the family as an invited guest as they prepared to bury their son. We returned to their small village outside Kandahar City where men began digging a grave.

The young man's body was prepared for burial before sundown.

The sun was setting and soon the light was gone. Several trucks were positioned to light the funeral ceremony. It was a surreal scene.

As the dust settled and the family returned to their homes, I left the scene and returned to the Noor Jahan Hotel and edited the images. It was tough to call my family later that evening and wish all of them a Merry Christmas.

I was a world away that year...

It was good to be home this year...

election day

2008-11-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

anna kournikova

2008-10-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

anna

playing

taking a break

crowd pleaser

Anna made a stop in Dallas to play at The Stanford Championships at SMU.

www.tompenningtonphoto.com

mexico storm surf

2008-10-14T06:52:00.001-07:00

Mexico Storm Surf

For months I had been harassing Ralph about taking a surf trip. Finally it all came together and we headed south in search of deserted beaches and great surf...we found all that and a little more. We had solid head high to overhead surf the whole trip.

We logged more than 3,000 miles in my old Toyota 4Runner and lived on coffee, street tacos, and beer. Life was good!

One of the photos that I shot on the trip is getting some attention on Surfline.com

SEE IT HERE

Feel free to vote! Thank you for your support!

trout

2008-10-07T08:05:00.001-07:00

Brazos River Trout

It is almost time...time for a relaxing day on the Brazos River fly fishing for these beautiful fish.

picnic

2008-09-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Lone Star Beer Riddle...it is an omen.

Picnic Beer

Group Photo

K and Kate

Kate

old yellow dog

2008-09-26T08:03:00.001-07:00

old yellow dog

afghanistan and motorcycles

2008-09-24T06:10:00.001-07:00

This is an old photo of Getty photographer John Moore (left) and me (right) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I had been in southern Afghanistan for several months and was looking for a little release.

One day my fixer and I spotted an Afghan man riding an old Kawasaki dirt bike. I had to meet this guy...

We went on to chase the man down and spent the better part of the afternoon sipping green tea and talking about motorcycles in his small sign shop in Kandahar. The owner of the bike was a painter and artist. He ended up renting me the bike whenever I wanted to ride.

On slow days, I would run over to his shop and take off on the bike. It was so surreal racing across the desert and through the mountains on that bike...

Eventually my fixer located a second dirt bike in town and John would join me on occasion.

It was fun while it lasted. I ended up having a close call after clipping a rock and having a front flat at high speed, it was time to return the bike.

I pushed the bike to a roadside tire shop and had the flat repaired.

After that day, I never rode dirt bikes in Afghanistan again.

I will return and ride there again one day...

jazz festival

2008-09-20T20:28:00.001-07:00

Saturday evening Kenda and I met several friends and went down to the Jazz By The Boulevard music festival. Good times.

Milton, Tom, Ralph

Milton

Ralph

new path

2008-09-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." Author Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

I look back at 10-years full-time at the Star-Telegram in amazement! I have been very lucky, not many people can say that they have had their dream job for that long. I consider it an honor to have honed my skills with the best in the business. You guys are amazing.

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." Author Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

I have been fortunate enough to have traveled around the world countless times; I have had the chance to document some of the most historical events of my generation; I have seen my friends killed in combat; and I have met the most amazing people every step of the way. I have no regrets.

"There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth." Author Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

It has been a fun ride, but the time was right for me to look in a different direction. I am still putting together my road map for the future, but I will still be around and I will still be chasing the news.

If you have never read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, find a copy.

www.tompenningtonphoto.com

Cheers,

tp