Welcome to the Webbpage Blog. Home of Tim Webb Photography. Here is where you can see what really goes on in my life. Enjoy!
Mr. Webb Goes to Washington
Here are a few shots from this year's Washington Youth Tour. We leave Winchester on Monday afternoon and come back on Saturday afternoon. This year we were able to visit the White House for the first time, and I created 17 magazine covers for Kentucky Living, that will come out in August and September.
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A selfie at the Vietnam War Memorial.
Watching the Sunset Parade at the Marine Memorial.
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
The Kentucky students placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Frank Bennett is a pretty special guy who formally worked at the Pentagon and was inside the building on 9-11. He regularly volunteers his time with anyone who will listen, as he talks about the details and intricacies of the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial. I was able to call him and he made a special trip out just for the Kentucky kids.
A couple of selfies at the White House.
Dorothy's ruby red slippers at the Smithsonian Museum for American History.
Senator Rand Paul talks to the students during our visit to the capitol.
Through out the week, I get to go from mild-mannered photographer to history teacher.
I finally got to visit the new World War One Memorial and was very impressed.
A couple of cover shots from last year.
The Great Picture Hunt
As I have said before, I love to collect photography books, especially photojournalism books. A staple in any photojournalism book collection is The Great Picture Hunt, by Dave LaBelle. LaBelle is a former photojournalism professor at Western Kentucky University. I used to study that book from cover to cover, hoping to find a little inspiration.
There is a definite art form to looking for and creating feature photos. It's a lot like deer hunting. You have to look for signs that are favorable and put yourself in a position to capture it when it happens. Instead of looking for rubs, scrapes, and trails, like I do while deer hunting, I look for good light, good angles, and emotion, for a good feature photo.
One of my clients is Transylvania University and I work their Spring Commencement each year. I love this particular job because they have other in-house photographers who have specific assignments which allows me to do nothing else but go on the feature hunt all morning. I get to concentrate on nothing but features. And just like a deer hunter, I become a fly on the wall, and blend in, watching and waiting.
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God Speed Luster
Whenever I left Eastern Kentucky University on January 23, 2004, to venture out with my own freelance business, I really didn't know if I could make it, especially with three small children at home. My Plan A was to wing it as long as I could, and work third shift at Walmart if I had to. About three weeks later on Valentines Day, a man named Stewart Bowman, whom I had only met in passing once before, ultimately changed my life forever. While the Louisville Courier-Journal had 15-20 staffers and freelancers in Louisville, they only had one staffer in Lexington who covered all of Central and Eastern Kentucky, and that was Stewart Bowman. Everything from Frankfort to Pikeville, and Covington to Williamsburg.
Back in those days, when newspapers were still relevant, the CJ had bureaus in Frankfort, Hazard, and Lexington. Stewart was photographing a story in Breathitt County on that fateful Valentines Day in 2004, and was involved a major car wreck that left him with two broken hips. The CJ quickly needed a fill-in and got my name from the Lexington Herald-Leader, and a great relationship between the two of us was born. I did a lot of work for the CJ, covering this part of the state for several years. The only time that I ever went to Louisville was for the Kentucky Derby, the rest of my time was spent crisscrossing Central and Eastern Kentucky.
My first Derby was in 2005, and when I got to the towering Courier-Journal office building on West Broadway early that Saturday morning, I was greeted by a man who was short in stature, but was a giant in the world of photography. He was wearing a ball cap that said two words, but those two words carried a lot of weight and a lot of history. It simply said, "40th Derby." My first Derby was Bill Luster's 40th. Let that perspective sink in for a minute.
Luster, as everyone called him, gave me my marching orders that morning, which were to cover the infield and then the first turn. Little did I know, that would be one of many assignments that I would receive from him, as he eventually became both a staff photographer as well as the assignment editor. In those early days of freelance, my three young, hungry kids depended on me getting a phone call from Luster several times a week. I never did go work at Walmart, and Luster was the reason why. Working for the CJ those early years enabled me to build my business, and eventually transition over to corporate and editorial work.
Most people wouldn't understand the importance of what I'm getting ready to say, but as with anything, sometimes it's the nuances that matter most. On December 3, 2011, the North Carolina Tar Heels came into Rupp Arena to take on UK, who would eventually become national champions. The Wildcats were number one in the country, and the Tar Heels were ranked number five. I had the pleasure of being Luster's second shooter that day. He certainly didn't need me, because he could've covered it just fine on his own, but he invited me to shoot it with him.
Normally, the lead photographer will always have UK on offense, which would put them right next to the UK bench in the second half. And the pecking order at Rupp Arena goes Associated Press, Lexington Herald-Leader, and then the Louisville Courier-Journal, from the end, moving in toward the basket, which usually sat the CJ photog on the K in Kentucky. Much to his credit, as someone who loved to help up and coming photographers grow, mature, and simply develop confidence, Luster gave me the seat on top of the K for the entire game. He didn't make a big deal out of it, he just simply said, "Tim, you've got the bench end." The gravity of that was never lost on me. He had been there done that many, many, times. He knew it would mean more to me than it did him. It was a beautiful gesture.
Unfortunately, Bill left this world on May 29th. He was not only a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning giant in the world of photography, he was also one heck of a giant as a person and a human being. Thank you Luster!!! I'm so glad that I got to work with you and know you.
God Speed.
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Covering UK football September 2011.
Underneath the bleachers at Rupp.
The Kentucky Derby 2014.
The Press Room at Churchill Downs 2006.
UK Photographer David Coyle shows some his work to Luster at a UK Football game in 2007.
Hardly.
Marquis Teague celebrates as he brings the ball up court after UK defeated North Carolina 73-72, at Rupp Arena, December 3, 2011, and would go on to win the national championship. Luster is seen with his camera up, behind Teague's left foot.
Three Down, Zero To Go
It's amazing that my youngest is now a college graduate. I know it's a cliche, but it just seems like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms for the first time. I'm so proud of Laura Kathryn as she is set to become a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Madison Central High School. Finally, after she turned in her last paper and finished her student teaching last week, I was able to snag her long enough to do a photo shoot with her on Eastern's campus, at all of the places that had meaning to her as she worked on getting her degree. We are now a family of five with degrees from Eastern Kentucky University.
I love you Kat!
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Scenic Commonwealth
I recently sold several of my Scenic Commonwealth stock photos to Saint Joseph Hospital to hang in their lobbies and hallways. I've worked on this collection for several years. It's stuff that I see and photograph as I travel all over Kentucky. It's always cool to see your work hanging up somewhere, and while Saint Joseph isn't an art gallery, I love the fact that so many people who are suffering might see one of my Kentucky photos and it put a smile on their face, or help them feel a little closer to home.
The funny thing is, I went in a few days before Christmas to create my signature to be scanned and put on the photos. I was struggling that day, partly with the sharpie, and my John Hancock looks a little wonky. But it serves the purpose, HA!
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