South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade
March 21, 2011

 Parade participants interact with the crowd at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
A marching band performs in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People walk past a public service sign in South Boston, Massachusetts, that states “The City of Boston reminds you: The legal drinking age is 21,” on the day of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Parade participants wait by floats before the start of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade from building rooftops in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
People watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade from windows in houses along the route in South Boston, Massachusetts.
Girls dressed in St. Patrick’s-themed clothing stand on a sidewalk waiting for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
Firefighters ride an engine down Dorchester Street as part of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Massachusetts.
Yesterday I photographed the hoopla surrounding South Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade. It's an event I've always heard about the event and was excited to see it firsthand, though I've still got some home-state pride for Butte, Montana's St. Patty's parade. 600,000 people gathered in South Boston to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade, a celebration of the area's Irish heritage. The annual parade is organized by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. The parade featured community groups, politicians, firefighters, military groups, and marching bands. More photos are available for licensing or print purchase in my archive.

Scenes from Showdown Montana Ski Resort
February 18, 2011

 A view of the outhouse at the top of the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers and snowboarders on the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
A young crashed skier lays in powder on a ski run at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers and snowboarders on the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Trees stand above the snow at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers and snowboarders on the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Trees stand above the snow at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers and snowboarders on the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Trees stand above the snow at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Ski tracks cut through fresh powder snow at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Empty chairs on a chairlift hang above trees at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Ski tracks cut through fresh powder snow at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers ride a chairlift at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skis, ski poles, and snowboards rest against a wall of the lodge at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
A view of ski runs and trees at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
A snowboard rides down the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers and snowboarders ride a chairlift at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Trees stand above the snow at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
A lift operator watches the top of a chairlift at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
A boy sits at a table in the lodge at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Skiers and snowboarders on the hill at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
A sign indicates the ski area boundary at Showdown Ski Area on King’s Hill in the Little Belt Mountains near Neihart, Montana, USA.
Growing up, Showdown Montana was my home mountain. A little hill in the Little Belt Mountains with two chairlifts and the best snow you can find in the US. Frequent powder days and a local crowd make the hill my favorite place to snowboard. There's a third lift now, but it still feels like a small hill in all the right ways. I took my camera to the hill a couple weeks ago. It's always strange seeing a familiar place through the viewfinder, but you see it in a new light. More pictures are available in my archive.

2011 Whitefish Skijoring World Championship
February 11, 2011

 People dance on a makeshift stripper pole at Casey’s Bar in downtown Whitefish, Montana, USA. The bar’s owners put a piece of wood over a pool table and connect a pole to the ceiling on busy nights at the bar.
A competitor waits in the starting gate to begin a race at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors ready their ski and horse equipment in preparation for racing at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors race during the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
A man dressed as a yeti stands in the snow at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. The yetis are a part of the White Winter Carnival. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors race during the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Riders ready the Montana state, Canadian, and American flags before the opening ceremony of the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors ready their ski and horse equipment in preparation for racing at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
People look at Whitefish Skijoring World Championship competition results while betting on the next day’s competition at the Great Northern Brewing Company bar in downtown Whitefish, Montana, USA. The event used Calcutta betting in which people bid on teams and then get paid if that team places during competition. This style of betting is similar to horserace betting. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Whitefish Winter Carnival royalty wait for the start of the opening ceremony of the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
A shirt for sale as a fundraiser for the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship hangs in the Great Northern Brewery bar in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors ready their ski and horse equipment in preparation for racing at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors’ ski equipment and ropes stand by the arena at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
People dance on a makeshift stripper pole at Casey’s Bar in downtown Whitefish, Montana, USA. The bar’s owners put a piece of wood over a pool table and connect a pole to the ceiling on busy nights at the bar.
Spectators watch the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors’ watch a race at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors race during the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
People assist a skier after injuring himself during the long jump competition at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Spectators watch the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Horses and riders prepare to race at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors’ ski equipment and ropes stand by the arena at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Horses and riders prepare to race at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Competitors’ horses wait near horse trailers at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
A deer skull and antlers rack hangs on the back of a pickup parked at the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
Spectators watch the Whitefish Skijoring World Championship event in Whitefish, Montana, USA. Skijoring is a competitive sport in which a person on skis navigates an obstacle course while being pulled behind a galloping horse.
I recently traveled to Whitefish, Montana, to photograph the 2011 Whitefish Skijoring World Championship. I didn't exactly know what skijoring was before I was in Whitefish, so you aren't alone. It's a sport originating in Scandinavia that involves a skier, a horse, and a race course. The skier navigates a course full of jumps while being pulled on a 30-foot rope behind a horse at full gallop. Best time wins the event. Some 80 teams competed in the event this year, and despite the cold, cold weather, everyone had a good time. And the fun wasn't limited to the racing grounds; Whitefish's downtown bars and restaurants were packed with the skijoring crowd. More photos, including these, are available to license at my archive: 2011 Whitefish Skijoring World Championship.

2010 Year in Pictures
January 20, 2011

 Hui minority Muslim men wait for a meal to be served at a wedding in Pingliang, Gansu Province, China.
A man rides his bike along a road between tree-covered hills, a farm village, and factories near Qixia, Jiangsu, China.
A selection of images from the project We Chinese – 100 portraits accompanied by short interviews about China and the future.
Uighurs walk through the Uighur section of Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. The city is divided between Han and Uighur ethnicities, and violent clashes erupted between the groups in 2009.
Li Bin Feng text messages friends on the day before his wedding to Ma Re (seen in picture above the bed) in Pingliang, Gansu, China.
Workers herd sheep through the streets of the Old Town section of Kasghar, Xinjiang, China.
Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims gather to watch monks pray during the Monlam Festival at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, Gansu, China.
Leafless trees stand in an orchard outside an abandoned homestead on the Coffee Ranch in Rosebud County near Melstone and Sumatra, Montana, USA.
Construction workers enter a work site in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
Riot police patrol the streets of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. After fighting between Uighurs and Hans in 2009, the government has maintained a heavy police presence in the city.
A defaced poster showing the local police hangs on a wall in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. The city is divided between Han and Uighur ethnic groups and in 2009 saw violent clashes between the groups.
A Uighur woman stands near a partially-demolished building in the Old City section of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.
Taking a break from hunting on the Coffee Ranch in Rosebud County near Melstone and Sumatra, Montana, USA.
Uighur men bake flat bread (nan) in a barrel oven in the Old City section of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.
A monk tends butter candles in a temple at the Labrang Monastery during the Monlam Festival in Xiahe, Gansu, China.
Uighurs arrive at the Kashgar Sunday Animal Market with lambs and sheep for sale outside Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.
A torn advertisement stands next to an empty parking lot at a closed shopping mall in Pingliang, Gansu, China. Images of Western consumerism dominate advertising throughout China.
A man skins deer at the House of Meats wild game processing facility in Great Falls, Montana, USA.
After-wedding party at a bar in Pingliang, Gansu, China.
Competitors ride a mechanical bull at the Mechanical Bull-A-Rama at the Whoa Arena in Valier, Montana, USA. The event, organized by Janelle Nelson, was a benefit for local youth rodeo participants and the local food bank.
Hunting campsite outside Sumatra, Montana, USA.
New father. Pingliang, Gansu, China.
Hot air balloon pilots prepare their balloons for inflation before the Great Prosser Balloon Rally in Prosser, Washington, USA.
A People’s Armed Police security guard stands watch over a subway entrance in Shanghai, China. Military security guards were placed at all subway entrances throughout the city a few months before the opening of the Shanghai World Expo.
Old style concrete houses look onto new luxury highrise apartment buildings across the Yangtze River in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Monks gather for prayer during the Monlam Festival at the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, Gansu, China.
Young men use their hats to get the attention of a friend while a crowd forms to watch the wet t-shirt contest at the Testicle Festival in Clinton, MT. The Rock Creek Lodge in Clinton, MT, has hosted the annual Testicle Festival since the early 1980s. The four day festival and party revolves around the consumption of so-called Rocky Mountain Oysters, which are deep-fried bull testicles.
Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims fight sand and wind as they walk along the Kora prayer path outside the Labrang Monastery during the Monlam Festival in Xiahe, Gansu, China.
Monks control crowds of pilgrims during a prayer ceremony at night outside the Labrang Monastery during the Monlam Festival in Xiahe, Gansu, China.
A sandstorm blows into Cherchen, Xinjiang, China, on the southern border of the Taklamakan Desert. Frequent sandstorms are a common problem in the area as desertification of China’s west increases.
Here are a few of my favorites from 2010. The year ended in utter disaster: car wrecks, camera wrecks, personal wrecks. Photographically, I’ve never had a better year. There were publications, exhibitions, and awards throughout the year, and they’re continuing through the beginning of 2011. The last year has also been a time of transition as I move to a new phase of life, moving back to the US from China. The photos here may not be the best I took this year, but they represent a combination of my favorite from projects and personal work and many memories. Here’s hoping everyone else’s 2011 is full of good light and many tearsheets.

Hire Me! – China’s entrepreneurial day laborers
December 20, 2010

 Day laborers and workers cell phone numbers are painted on a wall in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Day laborers cell phone numbers are painted on a wall in Anchang, Shaoxing County, Zhejiang Province, China.
Stencils with cell phone numbers and advertisements fill a wall in an apartment building in Nanjng, China.
Advertisements and leaflets cover a bulletin board in Haerbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Cell phone numbers for day laborers are painted on the walls of a stairway in Xiahe, Gansu, China. Xiahe, home of the Labrang Monastery, is an important site for Tibetan Buddhists. The population of the town is divided between ethnic Tibetans, Muslims, and Han Chinese.
It seems like everywhere you go in China, the walls are covered with stencils or hand-drawn numbers. They're done hastily, with whatever paint is on hand, the numbers often dripping down the wall. These are cell phone numbers of day laborers: plumbers, tile workers, cabinet makers, window hangers, electricians. The crude advertisements usually appear in the stairway leading up to your apartment after you (or someone else in your building) hire someone to fix any of the many problems in your apartment. From Hohhot to Sanya, Harbin to Lanzhou, Beijing to Nanjing, these numbers scrawled on walls are the one constant in all Chinese cities, large and small. They're also a ubiquitous reminder that in China, everyone can be a capitalist. By the way, if you want to call one of these numbers, be sure to dial +86 first.

Outtakes: “In School’s Efforts to End Bullying, Some See Agenda” in Helena, Mont., for the New York Times
November 10, 2010

 Michael Gengler is a member of the Helena High School Gay-Straight Alliance. The group has taken a position in support of revisions to the Helena public schools sex education and anti-bullying curriculum. Michael Gengler came out as gay at the beginning of the 2010 school year. Photographed at Bagel Co in Helena, Montana, USA, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Kristi Allen-Gailushas, a candidate for Montana House District 82 formerly running as part of the Tea Party and a parent of 3 children in Helena area public schools, is an opponent of proposed changes the sex education and anti-bullying curriculum in the Helena school district. Photographed at Bagel Co in downtown Helena, Montana, USA, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Pastor Mark Seitz, of the Church of the Nazarene in Helena, Montana, USA, is an outspoken opponent of proposed changes to the sexual education and anti-bullying curriculum in the Helena School District. Photographed Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 at the Church of the Nazarene in Helena, Montana, USA. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Mary Decker is a member of the Helena High School Gay-Straight Alliance. The group has taken a position in support of revisions to the Helena public schools sex education and anti-bullying curriculum. Photographed at Bagel Co in Helena, Montana, USA, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Pastor Mark Seitz, of the Church of the Nazarene in Helena, Montana, USA, is an outspoken opponent of proposed changes to the sexual education and anti-bullying curriculum in the Helena School District. Photographed Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 at the Church of the Nazarene in Helena, Montana, USA. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Tess Dufrechou is a member of the Helena High School Gay-Straight Alliance. The group has taken a position in support of revisions to the Helena public schools sex education and anti-bullying curriculum. Photographed at Bagel Co in Helena, Montana, USA, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Pastor Rick DeMato of Liberty Baptist Church in Helena, Montana, USA, is an opponent of proposed changes to the sex education and anti-bullying curriculum in Helena public schools. Photographed at the Liberty Baptist Church in Helena, Montana, USA, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Kristi Allen-Gailushas, a candidate for Montana House District 82 formerly running as part of the Tea Party and a parent of 3 children in Helena area public schools, is an opponent of proposed changes the sex education and anti-bullying curriculum in the Helena school district. Photographed at Bagel Co in downtown Helena, Montana, USA, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. Photo for the New York Times by M. Scott Brauer.
Here are a few outtakes from a day of portraits for the New York Times meeting opponents and supporters of the proposed changes to the Helena, Montana, school district curriculum guidelines regarding changes to the school district's curriculum guidelines regarding sexual education, anti-bully measures, and issues relating to homosexuality. You can see the tearsheet here or read the article at the New York Times website.

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