2011 was a year of honor…as World War II veteran Bill Hulsey observed a Flag Day retirement ceremony at American Legion Post 1 on June 14…

and of celebration…as the Sol Azteca Hispanic folk group performed in downtown Tulsa on July 15…


and of overcoming all odds…as Marines Josh Wege and Spanky Gibson played in a Wounded Warrior softball game…


In politics, it was a year of civil dissent…that spread from Wall Street all the way to Oklahoma ranchers in October…


which led to pepper spray…when John Harlien and nine other Occupy Tulsa protestors were arrested downtown on Nov. 2.


For my capstone project, it was a semester-long search for the human and environmental impacts of the elk in southeastern Kentucky…

I was in the Bluegrass State again for the  Kentucky Derby and all the hats that went with it…


followed by the second leg of the Triple Crown in Baltimore, full of Preakness infield characters.


It was a year of blood…as Missouri’s Marcus Denmon got whacked with an elbow at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 12…


of sweat…as Alejandro Vaccquez worked on a utility project in the heat of a record breaking Oklahoma summer…

of tears of victory…as Baylor knocked Missouri out of the Women’s College World Series on May 13…

and tears of defeat…as Broken Arrow receivers Quad Ware and Jaylon Calhoun reacted after losing to Union in the state championship in Stillwater on Dec. 1.

It was a year of fire…as Tom Salyer sat on a trashcan with a firefighter while his grandmother Loma McGee’s house burned after a wildfire outbreak  in Turley, Okla., on Aug. 2…


and also of ice…as John Fussner fished and caught four trout on a frozen lake in Columbia, Mo., on Feb. 1.

There was no shortage of the crazy…like Buster Garrett and hundreds of other competitors who blindly stuck their arms into murky lake water and down the throats of giant catfish for the Okie Noodling Tournament on July 9…

or the even crazier…like William Boyd Sturdivant III, who climbed a Tulsa radio tower and engaged police on a six-day standoff in August.

Elderly couples fell in love…like Jeanette Austin, 80, and Roy Hughes, 85, who decided to get married after meeting in their retirement community…

while imaginative kids enjoyed childhood…even if they secretly wished they were wizards playing Quidditch with magical broomsticks.

There were old-fashioned county fairs…with good old-fashioned cowboys in Pryor, Oklahoma…


and a lost Indian election…as former Cherokee Chief Chad Smith was ousted after a disputed race in Tahlequah…

meanwhile , an all-Indian wild horse race took place at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Fair in Rosebud, South Dakota.


It was a year of kids getting their feet wet…at a backyard Fourth of July party in Glenpool, Okla…

and of me getting my own feet wet (and published in the paper)…after I followed campers on a 14-mile canoe trip through a thunderstorm.

There were serious portraits taken under extreme circumstances…like Joplin athletic director Jeff Starkweather, standing on the site of his destroyed school and athletic facilities…


and less-than-serious portraits when subjects just don’t cooperate…



Thanks for looking.

Photos © Jeff Lautenberger, Tulsa World, Columbia Missourian.

An alien figurine wearing a Santa hat sits on a UFO in a yard near Stroud, Okla., on Dec. 17, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

I needed a feature last Saturday afternoon so I took a drive on old Route 66 through central Oklahoma. Never lets you down. Found this UFO with a little green man wearing a Santa hat. Of course we ran it in the paper.

Tom "Catfish" Whittem sits for a portrait on Oct. 17, 2011. Whittem, a classical blues harmonica player and semi-professional pool player, has overcome a myriad of health problems, including seven heart attacks, bypass surgeries, a major stroke and leg amputation. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

I met to photograph Catfish (a name earned because of his fantastically groomed mustache) a few times and wanted to show some more of the work that went unseen. He’s a great inspiration and has an amazing story and fighting spirit. The man just refuses to give up, and is hellbent on proving every doctor wrong. From everything I’ve seen him do and the progress he’s made in a month, I’m inclined to believe him.

And yes, the last caption does say “plays harmonica with the photographer.” Catfish busted out a solo on his Lee Oskar, and during the natural breaks in his blues rhythm, I interjected bursts of rhythmic shutter clicks, mimicking what he had just played on the harmonica. I asked if he’d ever jammed with a camera before…and this photo was his reaction. Too good not to include.

Read music reporter Jennifer Chancellor’s story for more photos.

Tom "Catfish" Whittem readies his prosthetic leg in his bedroom on Nov. 17, 2011. Whittem is able to move freely around his apartment with a wheelchair and can move himself onto beds and chairs with little difficulty. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Physical therapist Paul Rierson helps Tom "Catfish Whittem stand and walk during a therapy session on Nov. 17, 2011. Whittem, recovering from a leg amputation, is making progress on learning how to walk and regain the strength of his other leg affected by a stroke. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Tom "Catfish" Whittem pets his cat Sheba on a sofa in his apartment on Nov. 15, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Two of the trophies Tom "Catifsh" Whittem has gathered from his career as a semi-professional pool player. Whittem is currently sidelined from the table because of his leg amputation but is hoping to get back on his feet and begin playing soon. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Tom "Catfish" Whittem places one of his Lee Oskar harmonicas back into a carrying case after playing in his apartment on Nov. 17, 2011. Whittem owns several harmonicas set in different keys that all have slightly different sounds. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Tom "Catfish" Whittem breaks into laughter while playing harmonica with the photographer at his apartment on Nov. 17, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

The Nina navigates through a channel toward Three Forks Harbor in front of the Muskogee Power Plant on Nov. 22, 2011. The rigging and sails on the ships are functional, but the ships were powered with diesel motors on their two-day journey from Fort Smith, Ark., to Muskogee. The ships will be available for tours through Dec. 7. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

This was quite a sight…scale model replicas of Columbus’ ships, made using historical tools and methods, motoring down the Arkansas River through the middle of Oklahoma. The ships were much smaller than I thought they’d be, and unfortunately didn’t have their sails down because of weather. After walking on the deck of both ships, and realizing that I could probably spit a sunflower seed from one side to the other, I could never imagine crossing an ocean on such a tiny, rinky-dink vessel.

Traveling the Arkansas River, the Nina fires a cannon as it approaches Three Forks Harbor in Muskogee on Nov. 22, 2011. Along with the Pinta, the ships are model replicas of the caravels Christopher Columbus used for exploratory voyages. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Kyle Friauf, captain of the Nina, pulls on ropes to tighten the ship closer to the dock at Three Forks Harbor in Muskogee on Nov. 22, 2011. The ships arrived from Fort Smith, Ark., the next stop will be Punta Gorda, Fla. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Flags wave aboard the Nina after docking in Three Forks Harbor in Muskogee on Nov. 22, 2011. The Columbus Foundation funded construction of the vessel, to historical specifications, in 1988. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Rigging onboard the Nina, docked at Three Forks Harbor in Muskogee on Nov. 22, 2011. The Nina was built to scale using traditional methods, while the model Pinta was built slightly larger than scale with modern tools. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Williams Route 66 Marathon participant William Skorupski stretches before starting in the first wave of the race on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

This is what I get for working on weekends, another race. Following the Quarter Marathon and Tulsa Run I photographed in recent weeks, this full marathon will hopefully culminate the running season for me. It was cold, drizzly and generally miserable but no one on the course really seemed to care. I tried again to see things differently. As usual, light on the running, more of the periphery. Unlike the other two races, I had more freedom to roam the course. Much appreciated.

Runners burst through streaming confetti at the start of the Williams Route 66 Marathon on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

A group of runners makes their way around Swan Lake during the Williams Route 66 Marathon on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Emily Wilkins holds her bundled up daughter Olivia, 2, as runners race by on Riverside Drive under the 23rd Street bridge during the Williams Route 66 Marathon on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Darcy Lybarger, 7, rings a miniature cowbell in support of passing runners as her mom Debbie stands nearby. The Lybargers were waiting near the finish line for Debbie's parents, Hearl and and Linda Bowen during the Williams Route 66 Marathon on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Michelle Bewley, second from right, hugs friends after completing the Williams Route 66 Half Marathon on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Women wrapped in mylar blankets rest to warm up after finishing the Williams Route 66 Half Marathon on Nov. 20, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Flowers, candles and Virgin Mary statue sit at the base of the Kneeling Cowboy statue in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Nov. 18, 2011. The statue memorializes the 10 people associated with the OSU men's basketball team who died in a 2011 plane crash. A Nov. 17, 2011 crash killed two OSU women's basketball coaches and two others.

I barely understood the phone call, which woke me out of bed Friday at about 9 a.m.

Editor: “Did you hear about the OSU plane crash, I need you to go to Stillwater now.”
Me: “Huh? That was 10 years ago.”
Editor: “No. There was another. You’re doing video.”

I got up pretty quick and turned on my computer to see the news that indeed there was another crash, a plane carrying OSU women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke, assistant Miranda Serna and two others had crashed in Arkansas the night before. Not being from the area, I didn’t know much about the accident 10 years ago in Colorado. But even to me, a total outsider, it was hard to believe the coincidence that something so similar could happen again.

I got to Stillwater and met with two other reporters and a photographer who were already there. I spent the next few hours walking around OSU, a campus I had never been to except for brief trips to Boone Pickens Stadium and Gallagher-Iba Arena. I desperately tried to get student reactions and comments for my video piece, but it was very difficult to do that. I talked to dozens of people, was turned my most. The vast majority had nothing to say, no reaction to give. I could tell there was quiet uneasiness all over campus. Even if students did feel something, I can understand that feeling would have been hard to portray or describe. All in all, a tragic day that should never have happened once…certainly not twice.

Kelly Butcher, a longtime friend of Candy Castle owner Rachel Simmons, paints windows for Simmons' Pop Up Shop display at the Philcade building on Nov. 17, 2011. For the first town, empty downtown storefronts will be used as temporary stores for the holiday season. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Some downtown Tulsa feature hunting…For the first time, the mostly vacant lower level of the Philcade building is being decorated and used as temporary retail space for the holidays. The finishing touches were being put on before Thanksgiving weekend. Most of downtown is a retail dead zone, but 10 local stores are experimenting with mini outlets. We’ll see how it works.

Rachel Simmons, owner of Candy Castle at the Tulsa Promenade, works on a window display in the Philcade building ahead of this year's holiday season Pop Up Shopping in the Deco District. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Quad City goalie David McKee stops Tulsa forward Michel Beausoleil on a breakaway in the first period at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

I’ve been a hockey fan for a long time and my family has even had season tickets for the Washington Capitals for about a decade. Somehow, my photography never caught up with my fandom, so this Tulsa Oilers game was actually the first hockey game I’d ever shot.

I knew it would be a challenge because the sport is so fast paced and technical conditions are often miserable in arenas. Luckily, half the battle was won as the BOK Center is an excellently lit venue. I was getting exposures of 1/1000s at f/4 at ISO 1600. As far as arena lighting goes, that can hardly be beat. However, that’s about the end of the positives. The BOK Center has no holes drilled in the plexiglass side boards which means if you want to shoot from ice level you have to shoot through the glass. Two panels of glass. Two panels of half-inch thick glass that distort and blur just about everything that’s taken except when the lens is placed perfect perpendicular to the glass surface.

Here is an example of an otherwise in focus, properly exposed shot, rendered unusable simply because it was taken at a slightly off-center angle through the glass.

Tulsa forward Gary Steffes skates with the puck through the neutral zone in the first period against Quad City at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

With all of those frustrations, I ultimately decided to shoot from the concourse level for the second and third periods. I much preferred this position as it gives a view of the entire rink and is much easier to follow the puck. Before the game, I decided to be ambitious and set up an overhead remote in the catwalk focused on the goal Tulsa would attack twice. Obviously I’ve never done a hockey remote before but it was essentially the same as an overhead for basketball. Two magic arms (one on the lens, one on the camera), safety cables and zip ties. For the remote I had a Canon MkIIn with a 70-200 which at 160mm and f/4 was a nice focal length and decent depth of field. Like most arenas, there was no direct overhead position in the catwalk, which is why the framing is slightly offset. The second remote shot is from the same play as the first image in this post.

Quad City goalie David McKee makes a save on a shot by Tulsa forward Dylan Clarke in the first period at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

Quad City goalie David McKee stops Tulsa forward Michel Beausoleil on a breakaway in the first period at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

Tulsa forward Dylan Clark works the puck behind the crease against Quad City winger Obi Aduba in the first period at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

Tulsa forward Gary Steffes scores a goal in the second period, his second of the game, against Quad City at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011. The Oilers won 6-2.

Tulsa defenseman Luke Lucyk is leveled by Quad City winger Brandon Marino in the second period at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

Tulsa forward Gary Steffes, right, celebrates with Michel Beausoleil and David Solway after Steffes' third goal of the game in the third period against Quad City at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011.

Tulsa forward Dylan Clark and Quad City winger Jason Kostadine are restrained by linesmen James Sanders and Chuck Schamel during the third period at the BOK Center on Nov. 12, 2011. The Oilers won 6-2.

Isabelle Beisiegel sits for a portrait at Cedar Ridge Country Club on Nov. 9, 2011. Beisiegel was the first woman to qualify for a men's professional tour, playing on the Canadian Tour this past summer. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

I’m always up for assignments that involve getting to drive a golf cart around for fun. It was great working with Izzy; she was an awesome subject for portraits, patient, and excited to try some crazy things. One shot we attempted but couldn’t quite execute involved setting up two wireless strobes in a sand bunker, me lying prone on a green, Izzy taking swings and repeatedly spraying sand all over me as a result. I wish I had something to show for it, but the strobes I had just weren’t powerful enough to freeze motion the way I wanted.

These other two portraits also used two lights, in a more conventional setup. Just enough fill to make things pop.

Isabelle Beisiegel tees off on a hole at Cedar Ridge Country Club on Nov. 9, 2011. She will be in Daytona Beach, Fla., for LPGA qualifying in three weeks. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World

Isabelle Beisiegel sets a ball on a tee at the driving range at Cedar Ridge Country Club on Nov. 9, 2011. Beisiegel, of Broken Arrow, formerly golfed for the University of Oklahoma. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World