Man arrested after trying to pawn stolen photography equipment | News


MADISON (WKOW) — Madison police are encouraging people who own expensive electronics to take stock of them after a burglar tried to sell some of his haul.

Madison Police Department spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said a man told police in late July someone broke into his hotel room and stole his high-end photography equipment and an iPad.

The man gave officers his equipment’s serial numbers. The man also called local camera shops and gave them the serial numbers.

A few days after the theft, the suspect, identified as Daryl Patterson, 44, tried to sell the equipment to the Camera Company in Madison.

Staff recognized the serial numbers and called the police, but Patterson left before they arrived. The interaction was caught on video.

A few days after that, Patterson sold the equipment to a Milwaukee pawn shop. Again, the interaction was caught on video.

Fryer said Madison detectives tracked Patterson down to a home in Madison, where they found more property belonging to the victim. The victim was reunited with his belongings.

Patterson was arrested for burglary, resisting and possessing methamphetamine.

Fryer said people who own expensive electronics should write down their equipment’s serial numbers, as it’s the best way to make sure they’re returned.

Comedy Pet Photography contest winners announced: See the funny photos


Pets and animal lovers rejoice: the annual Comedy Pet Photography winners have been announced for 2023, and the photo and video winners don’t disappoint.

The global awards, now in their fourth year, were created by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, “to highlight the positive and vital role that pets have in our lives and to encourage engagement around animal welfare.”

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The contest calls on all pet and animal lovers to submit hilarious images and videos of their funny furry friends for a chance of winning the prestigious title of Comedy Pet Photographer of the Year.  The top prize winner gets $634 in cash (500 pounds), a camera bag and a trophy.

“This is still a very young competition in the whole scheme of things, but within a few short years we are already receiving some of the most uplifting, life affirming hilarious images of pets in the world!” Tom Sullam, Co-founder of the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, said. “We couldn’t be more excited to share these with you all. Pets have played a fundamental role during the covid years, and to be able to laugh out loud with these loveable creatures is the reason this competition exists!”

2023 Comedy Pet Photography Winners

The overall winner came from Michel Zoghzoghi with a photo of his two rescue kittens, Max and Alex, called “A life Changing Experience.” The video winner, “Cool Catch” by Emma Hay, can be seen in the video player at the top of this page.

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2023 Michel Zoghzoghi Beirut Lebanon Title: A life changing event Animal: cats Location of shot: Lebanon

Zoghzoghi, whose photo also won the Best Cat Category, is a professional wildlife photographer from Beirut, Lebanon and has traveled the world taking photos of much bigger cats.

READ MORE: Watch: Man dresses up in realistic dog costume, gets taken for a walk

“Max and Alex form a lethally cute duo.  I had more fun and surprises taking photos of these two characters, than during my most adventurous wildlife photography trips,” he said. “I am extremely happy and proud to have won it as all the finalists were really outstanding and some of them made me laugh to tears. Pets are a very, very important part of our families and should be celebrated.”

Boudicca the ferret, whose owner is from Kyiv, Ukraine, took home top prize in the All Other Creatures category.

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2023 Darya Zelentsova Amherst United States Title: The first outdoor walk Description: Tiny happy ferret Boudicca (only 2,5 month old!) enjoys her first outdoor walk. Animal: Boudicca The Ferret Location of shot: Amh

“Ferrets almost never win anything in major international photo contests, and I’m glad to promote them as amazing pets and models,” Boudicca’s owner Darya Zelentsova said. They are intelligent, cheerful, social little creatures with great personalities and overloading cuteness – when you have a ferret, you literally never stop smiling!”

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The people’s choice award went to Chris Porsz from the UK with his snap of a dog jumping in front of surprised onlookers in a park in New York.  “Barking” also took the top prize in the Dog Category.

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2023, Chris Porsz,PETERBOROUGHUnited Kingdom Title: Barking!Animal: Border CollieLocation of shot: Union Sq, New York

“As an amateur street photographer, I have walked many, many miles and this is still my best and favourite photograph.  And it was one I nearly didn’t take.  But by some fluke, just as the owner of the dog threw the ball, I instinctively raised my camera and fired away,” Porsz said. “The dog was looking at the owner and then launched itself and flipped in mid-air to catch the ball. Out of the five images taken this was the magic shot which fortunately was in focus!”

Other winners include:

  • Pets Who Look Most Like Their Owner’s Category: Klaus-Peter Selzer with The Three Greys

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2023Klaus-Peter Selzer66763 DillingenGermany Title: The three GreysDescription: Karin and her two dogs. Don’t they all look almost the same? …Animal: Afghan WindhoundsLocation of shot: Landstuhl, Germany

  • Junior Category: Monyque Macedo Dos Santos ‘Is it a seal or is it a dog?’

The Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2023Thaís FerreiraBrasíliaBrazil Title: Is it a seal or a dog?Animal: The dogLocation of shot: BRASÍLIA, BRASIL.

The 2024 competition will be open for entries next year on the Comedy Pet Photo website at www.comedypetphoto.com.

International photography gallery on display at Greenville’s Grand Bohemian Lodge | Greenville


GREENVILLE — Fotografiska, a non-traditional series of photographic art museums, is partnering with Autograph Collection Hotels to display its new collection, Impressions, throughout the world — and is now on display at downtown Greenville’s Grand Bohemian Lodge.

The exhibit will run through Sept. 8. 

Four artists-in-residence at Autograph Hotels in Berlin, Tokyo, Oklahoma City and the city of San Pedro in Belize gathered collections centered around the themes of inspiration, vibrancy, emotions and seeing the unseen, according to a news release announcing the series.

Jonas Bendiksen walked the streets of Berlin while he stayed at Hotel Luc, looking for spontaneity in his collection, small moments that can tell whole stories about the scene they are set in. 

In Belize, Cristina de Middel pursued how the light, nature and color of San Pedro affected the characters of the city. Her work makes fictional scenario come to life with real characters and place, showing that the way we see things may not be as they truly are. 

While living at The National in Oklahoma City,  Gregory Halpern took his time learning the location, placing himself in unexpected parts of the city: a boxing gym, barber shop and rodeo. His photography captures the young, big-city feel, and how nose rings and nightclubs clash and blend with the tradition of wide open spaces, highways and cowboys.

During her stay at Mesm Tokyo, Alessandra Sanguinetti took the plunge beyond the surface of Tokyo in search of people and secrets, revealing what the veneer of the city doesn’t show. Sanguinetti uses contrast to reveal the rich reality of the interior world.

“Impressions is a special project in showing the individuality of both inspiration and of the approaches that artists take to manifest their creative visions into being,” Fotografiska’s Global VP of Business Partnerships & Development Karolina Dmowska said.

The collection started its journey in New York in July and  then came to Greenville.



N.H. Association of Conservation Commissions Accepting Entries in Nature Photo Contest


The New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions is granting prizes ranging from $50 to $250 for original nature photographs.

The “Water, Wetlands and Wildlife in the Natural World” contest is open through Sept. 8 for photographs taken anytime this year by age groups of 12 and under, teens 13-18 and adults 19 and up. Winners in each age group receive $250 and honorable mentions receive $50 each.

The Association says it is primarily looking for photographs that inspire the preservation of our natural environment.

Entries may be submitted online at nhacc.org.

Photography exhibit shows dark side of nature – Butler Eagle


The Butler Area Public Library is hosting an art exhibit throughout July and August that showcases a local photographer’s take on brooding nature.

“Lindsey Gifford Photography: Dark Naturalism” will be available free for public viewing during regular library hours in the second floor showcases and gallery at the library on North McKean Street.

Gifford is a Butler County photographer whose interest in the art form was piqued in 2020 while taking pictures of her daughter, Palmer.

The mother and daughter have explored many themes in shooting scenes across the region, including fairy, witch and pop culture topics.

“We have the best time coming up with ideas,” Gifford said, “and Palmer has always been my favorite model to shoot.”

Nature photography became her passion as she hiked during a vacation in Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.

Gifford uses editing to create dark naturalism and moody imagery in her work, which “captures the elemental magic and stark beauty of the natural world,” according to a news release from the library.

Gifford’s photography has been featured in art shows and recognized at local events and competitions.

Her work is available for purchase at lindseygiffordphotography.com and through Double Image Styling Salon in Butler.













West Rand Astronomy Club holds annual stargazing evening at Kloofendal Nature Reserve


West Rand Astronomy Club (WRAC) opened their viewfinders and lens caps to give the public a chance to view the heavens up close.

Utilising the beautiful expanses of the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, the stargazing event on June 24 doubled as a fundraising event for NG Kerk Culembeeck and a reminder of the amazing work done by Friends of Kloofendal (FRoK) in maintaining the reserve.

Dave Nevill of the West Rand Astronomy Club. Photo: Jarryd Westerdale.

Before the stars began to reveal themselves in the night sky, attendees went on a short tour of the solar system via FRoK’s educational display. The Planet Walk is a series of informative stations with rocks painted as the planets, sequentially dotted around the edge of the grass auditorium to demonstrate the scale of the solar system and the distance between the planets. For visual enthusiasts, University of Johannesburg lecturer Sheldon Rahmeez Herbst gave several presentations on the projects undertaken by WRAC.

A variety of telescopes were set up in the middle of the auditorium and the stargazing tourists took turns examining the detail of the moon and getting a closer look at Venus and Mars. Due to the time of year, gas giants Jupiter and Saturn were not visible but some telescopes gave an intimate look at the Moon’s Terminator, a term given to the area where sunlight meets the darkness.

A photo of the Moon taken with a cellphone through the viewfinder of a telescope. Photo: Supplied.

Dagmar Hubbard, Secretary of the WRAC, touched on the romance associated with the stars.
“We get so consumed with our small worlds that we forget to look up and see what is out there. It is very humbling and centering,” said Dagmar.

WRAC is primarily a social club for astro-enthusiasts and has several WhatsApp groups that specialise in a variety of topics from astrophotography, telescope parts and sales, physics, and general info for lovers of everything beyond our atmosphere.



Body camera footage shows ‘chaotic nature’ of Ogden police shooting


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OGDEN — Body camera footage, 911 calls and photos released Friday show what police called the “chaotic nature” of an officer-involved shooting in Ogden that resulted in one man’s death and one officer’s injury.

A community report briefing issued by the Weber County attorney on Friday afternoon gives a timeline from when a woman first called the police to when Brian Dee Simonton, 37, of Ogden, was killed in a shootout with officers.

Officers received a call at 3:26 p.m. on June 6 from a woman at Washington Park apartment complex, 170 N. Washington Boulevard, who said Simonton was violating a protective order. She told police he was known to have guns, was homeless and was trying to get her to take his dog.

Brian Simonton points a gun at officers in footage captured from an officer’s body camera on June 6. (Photo: Weber County attorney)

She said Simonton had also left her several voice messages saying he was suicidal and “wants to be killed.”

“He just kind of showed up unannounced, and I know he’s, like, hit rock bottom. I felt bad for him, but I cannot have him here,” the woman told the 911 operator. “I’m scared at how this is going to turn out.”

Body camera footage from six officers shows the shooting incident from multiple angles as police surrounded Simonton on all sides. Eight officers fired weapons, but one was not wearing a body camera and another did not activate theirs.

A map shows the locations of officers and Brian Simonton during a shootout that resulted in Simonton’s death on June 6. (Photo: Weber County attorney)

The body camera of the first officer on the scene shows Simonton pointing a gun at him from across the apartment complex parking lot. The officer repeatedly asks Simonton to drop his gun and then finally warns that he will shoot him. He then follows as Simonton runs across the parking lot and behind an apartment building. After a series of shots fired from both Simonton and the officer, the police officer yells that he’s been shot, and runs back into the parking lot.

Other footage shows officers firing shots, yelling for Simonton to put down his weapon and show his hands, and telling other officers to “be careful of crossfire.” A succession of shots is heard before officers yell that Simonton has been shot down.

Simonton was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body camera footage from the sixth officer also shows one officer asking the other to get a tourniquet to stop the bleeding of the first officer’s arm. The officer who was shot was taken to the hospital and required surgery on his right arm. He has since been released and is in recovery.

Investigators found a .45-caliber long Colt revolver next to the body of Brian Simonton following a shootout with police on June 6. (Photo: Weber County attorney)

Photos in the report show a .45-caliber long Colt revolver found near Simonton’s body, along with five empty shell casings. Investigators believe he was trying to reload, as there was live ammunition also found near his body.

Simonton had been convicted of multiple domestic violence incidents, police said. He had two active protective orders against him at the time of the shootout.

Investigation is ongoing regarding the shooting, and a final report is being prepared to be submitted to the Weber County attorney’s office for final review.

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Gabrielle Shiozawa is a reporter for KSL.com.

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John Fielder’s lifetime of Colorado photography can now be viewed online | Lifestyle


Anyone at home can now view the vast and varied beauty of Colorado through the eyes of the state’s most celebrated landscape photographer.

History Colorado on Tuesday announced it had finished digitizing, cataloging and organizing a repository of more than 6,500 images of John Fielder’s illustrious career spanning close to 50 years. History Colorado had previously announced Fielder donating his life’s work in hopes of inspiring an appreciation of nature and climate action.


The photos found on the John Fielder’s Colorado Collection webpage can be pulled for private and commercial use. The site includes curated lists for viewers to explore the mountains and plains of every county in the state just as Fielder did.

For decades, the photos have been seen in coffee table books and across walls of homes and offices everywhere. That includes the office of Gov. Jared Polis.

“This photograph is a constant reminder of the natural wonders found in our state, which generations of conservationists, lawmakers and everyday people have fought to protect for the enjoyment of future generations,” Polis said in a news release. “This collection, and the exhibitions that will come from it, are a chance for us to celebrate John and all he has accomplished, but more importantly, to honor the legacy he has created and the gift he is giving to the people of Colorado.”


Later this summer, History Colorado expects to open an exhibit at its downtown Denver center affording a more intimate journey through Fielder’s career. Much of that career has been dedicated to conservation; Fielder has always sought lands and waters to photograph and show to lawmakers in charge of protection.

The collection “is a profound opportunity for Coloradans to see the breathtaking vistas that define the Centennial State,” History Colorado Executive Director Dawn DiPrince said in the news release, “and evaluate if the relationship we have with the land will allow for our grandchildren to experience the same wonders.”

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Upon the announcement of his donation, Fielder in an interview explained how he had seen landscapes change since he started photographing in the 1970s. In a life that saw him lose his wife to illness and son to suicide, Fielder described the loss of nature as heartbreaking as well.

“It’s like losing a wife and son, you think about them every day,” he said. “So too do I think about the impact humans have on Earth and what it’s going to be like here.”

In preparation for the donation, sifting through tens of thousands of files from his pre- and post-digital camera days gave him that reflection. It has been a deep time of reflection for Fielder, 72.

After months of quietly battling pancreatic cancer, he recently went public with the diagnosis.

One “incredible asset to (organizing the collection) is I revisited all these places that have defined my life, the most sublime places in Colorado,” Fielder said in a previous Gazette interview. “That was an incredible treat.”


He thought back to his father from his North Carolina childhood. He remembered the man for volunteering and raising money for charitable causes.

“He was a man who believed you have to give back to your community,” Fielder said. “I’ve been able to give back to my community, and I feel like no matter what happens to me, I’ve achieved all of my goals.”

Reflections in Nature: Many animals and birds in wild have albinism in nature | News, Sports, Jobs



PHOTO PROVIDED
Shown is a fawn with albinism.

Recently, a friend sent me a picture she had taken of a partially albino fawn deer that was found on her lawn. My friend knew not to disturb the fawn since the doe would be nearby.

Spring is here and young wildlife will frequently be seen. When encountering young wildlife, with no mother in sight, it is often believed the animal has been abandoned. This is when some people decide to intervene. However, in most cases, these young animals have not been abandoned.

The mother is nearby but out of human sight and watching over her young from a distance. Young fawns are camouflaged, with spots, to blend in with their surroundings. This provides protection from predators. An albino or partially albino will not blend in as well and not be as well protected. A partially albino animal is known as piebald.

The word piebald originates from a combination of pie, from magpie, and bald, meaning white patch or spot. The reference is to the distinctive black-and-white plumage of the magpie. Piebald refers to the absence of mature melanin-forming cells in certain areas of the skin and hair.

It is a rare autosomal dominant disorder of melanocyte.

We humans seem to seek the unusual, such as looking for a four-leaf clover, hoping that it will bring us good luck. However, walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror or a black cat crossing our path are all considered signs of bad luck. The belief that a broken mirror brings bad luck arises from the ancient Greeks, who believed spirits lived in reflective pools of water.

The fate that awaited the Greek mythological figure Narcissus could have grown out of this belief. When Narcissus saw his reflection in the water, he fell in love. Although in the beginning, Narcissus did not realize that it was just his own reflection and fell into despair when he understood that his love could not materialize and committed suicide.

Many stories have been told of hunters shooting white deer and never being lucky enough to kill another deer during his or her remaining years of life. This superstition of shooting a white deer comes from our Native American tribes, who considered the white deer sacred and bad luck for a hunter to kill.

These white deer were often called ghost deer and were a symbol of a spirit and an omen of good luck.

Albinos are individuals that show a lack of pigmentation and thus appear white or whitish. Technically, this abnormality results from a failure of the body to produce or distribute coloring pigments to the skin, hair, or feathers. Usually, this is an inherited trait, but it can occasionally result from an accident, improper diet or even psychological shock.

Albinism is known to affect mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Of course, albinism occurs in humans as well. People with albinism are generally healthy, with growth and development occurring as normal.

However, humans will suffer from impaired vision, with varying degrees. While albinism is a condition that cannot be cured or treated, small things can be done to improve the quality of life for those affected.

Many animals, with albinism, lose their protective camouflage and are unable to conceal themselves from predators. Usually, the survival rate of animals with albinism in the wild is quite low.

Albinism had been documented in 304 different species of birds, with the American robin being the most prone. Total albinism occurs when a bird or animal is entirely lacking color, being pure white with pink eyes. A partial albino animal is known as piebald or calico, showing a complete or partial lack of coloring in certain body areas. An animal is not a true albino if it lacks pink eyes.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.



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