Stevens Raiders Basketball

Friday afternoon, I headed to Rapid City for some past-paced basketball action as the RC Stevens Raiders hosted the Huron Tigers at the Carold Heier Gymnasium. The gym is a photographer's dream to shoot in, with plenty of light, lots of room on the sidelines, and fantastic hometown support and crowd participation!





Images from Friday night's JV, sophomore, and varsity games can be viewed and purchased at Thompson Photography ~ High School Basketball - Boys

Winter Birds

With the temperatures near and below zero this week, my bird feeders have been busy, providing plenty of entertainment while I am sitting at my desk working hard to get all my Christmas orders out in time. Once in a while though, I just have to take a break and pick up my camera! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the week.





I hope everyone is having a wonderful time preparing for a Christmas filled with lots of love and laughter!

Thanksgiving in Wyoming

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! My husband, my son, and I made a quick trip to Story, Wyoming, to spend the evening at my cousin's house, and although we weren't in time for dinner, we made it in time for the best part...pie! Friday morning, I got up in time to catch the sunrise at Lake DeSmet, and then we had to turn around and head back home.



However, rather than hurry back on I-90, we took a short detour on Highway 14-16, as we are looking for some acreage to buy in the Buffalo-Gillette area, hopefully something with a few of these deer on it!




This little guy certainly isn't a trophy, but he was definitely the cutest deer we saw on the entire drive!



More of my nature and wildlife images can be seen at Thompson Photography ~ Nature and Wildlife

Black Hills Arena Racing ~ Winter Motocross Series

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, I spent most of the day at the Rapid City Fairgrounds shooting the qualifying heats of the Black Hills Arena Racing winter motocross series. Motocross is definitely one of my favorite sports to photograph, as there is nonstop action and all ages and skill levels are competing.

High-flying action!
This little guy is studying the layout of the track while he waits for his turn at the jumps!


All of these images and many more from Saturday's qualifying heats can be purchased at Thompson Photography

The Fresh Air Fund Partners with OneSight!

Earlier this year, I wrote about the Fresh Air Fund, which is a non-profit agency that was created to allow children living in the disadvantaged inner city communities to get away from the crowded city life and enjoy a summer in the country with a host family or at a camp. Since the Fresh Air Fund was established in 1877, it has allowed over 1.7 million New York City children the opportunity to spend a free summer in the country and away from the danger and influence of some of New York's toughest neighborhoods.

The Fresh Air Fund is very proud of a partnership they have with OneSight. For the fifth summer in a row, OneSight has brought their traveling optical clinic to all five Fresh Air Fund Camps to provide free eye exams and eyewear to needy children. "This summer at Fresh Air camp, OneSight's staff screened 3,295 children and counselors, gave 1,757 eye exams, and made 1,629 pairs of glasses, with 1,458 of them on-site and 171 specially driven in. The team stayed at Camp Hayden-Marks for two camp sessions, to make sure every child who needed the gift of sight was screened."


To learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, how to become a host family, or how to donate to this wonderful cause, follow this link ~ The Fresh Air Fund.

Spearfish Junior League Basketball

Spearfish Junior League boys basketball has started! I spent Saturday morning at West Elementary photographing the 1st & 2nd grade games as they started off the basketball season. For many of these little guys, this is their first taste of organized basketball, and it is quite entertaining as they learn the basics of ball handling and sportsmanship under the watchful guidance of their coaches!


It's all about teamwork!




The entire gallery of images from the Spearfish Junior League basketball season can be seen at Thompson Photography ~ Junior League Basketball

Deadwood Marriage Ceremony

On October 20, I had the pleasure of photographing an intimate marriage ceremony at the Celebrity Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota. Ken and Nancee were traveling through the area and wanted a small ceremony in the Deadwood area. Jerry Dunn of Deadwood Wedding Services took care of all of the details and arranged just the ceremony they were looking for.





Congratulations and best wishes to Ken and Nancee!

R.J.'s Senior Portraits

Scheduling an outdoor senior shoot in the Black Hills in the fall can be quite a challenge, but we were lucky and were able to meet on the one absolutely beautiful Saturday before the snow hit! It was a terrific day to be outside, and R.J. was a lot of fun to work with.






Visit my website at Thompson Photography for more senior portraits!

First Team Shoot!

As many of you know, I shoot a wide variety of local sports; however, I hadn't ventured into the area of photographing sports teams yet. When I was contacted by the Spearfish Junior Basketball League to see if I was interested in doing some team photos for them, it was just the chance I had been waiting for! The conditions weren't exactly optimal, as the only area we had to take the photos was in the narrow hallway at East Elementary, since both gyms were being used for games, but everything seemed to go well in spite of the crowded conditions and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. I definitely look forward to doing some more team shoots!



If you would like information on scheduling a team shoot, please call me at 605-641-2335, or email at jmthompson@spe.midco.net

I can offer a variety of packages sizes, including die-cut wallets, and a variety of gift items are also available, including mugs, water bottles, mouse pads, key chains, etc.

A Beautiful Wedding in Hill City ~ Gina & Bryan

Last Saturday, October 3, I had the privilege of sharing Gina and Bryan's special day with them and their family and friends. With Bryan being an accomplished photographer himself (Bryan Konechne Photography), I was fairly nervous by the time the wedding date rolled around. However, everyone was so wonderful and having so much fun, I quickly forgot that I was photographing a photographer! Here are just a few of my favorite images from the day...












Thank you, Gina and Bryan for letting me share your beautiful day!