Heather Leiphart, photojournalist

Alan Bell, Bootmaker

hleiphart — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:34:50 +0000

For over 30 years, Alan Bell has been creating and repairing custom-fit boots for Abilene, Texas and the surrounding areas.

Mr. Bell runs his business inside a nearly 200- year old converted barber shop on Treadway Boulevard.

Though his expertise in boot creation is undeniable, Mr. Bell says he’s been in the “cat business” only about a year. In addition to his “shop cats,” two “mama cats” and their ten kittens adopted Mr. Bell earlier this spring and he says “they are a blessing.”
“I’m like a mother hen, always counting all ten of them when they get their dinner after I close up shop,” he says with a laugh.

The smallest kitten he calls “Sweetie” is Mr. Bell’s pick of the litter. “She’s my itty-bitty-Sweetie,” he says, having rescued and cared for her one hot Texas summer day after her mother forgot about her in the sun.

“I hate the word ‘customer,’” Mr. Bell likes to say about those who come to the shop. “I prefer to call them my friends, because over the years we really have become good friends.”

Clips, Upcoming Projects, Job Search

hleiphart — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:22:48 +0000

As a reminder, please be sure to check the “blogroll” of links along the right side of the page, which contains a link to all of my published articles as well as information about me and a link to my portfolio.

Also check back for updates on my latest project: 9 to 5 in West Texas, as well as a photo essay where I will be following the handmade creation of a cowboy boot over two weeks with Alan Bell, one of the best bootmakers in Texas.

For the remainder of the summer I will be staying here in Abilene, Texas working for the Abilene Christian University website, editing web content, writing spotlight articles and taking spotlight portraits. I also might have a few weddings, portraits and freelance in the works. It should be a great summer… as long as I remember sunscreen.

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I am currently searching all over the United States for a staff photographer or steady freelance position at a community newspaper. My ideal paper will allow me to shoot and edit video, write stories and do some web and page design sometimes as well. So far, I have lived near Philadelphia, Nashville and Dallas, and would embrace the opportunity to work somewhere new. For me, it is much more important to spend my days working at a job that I love in a new city than to settle for a mediocre job just because it is in a familiar place. If you are an editor looking for a photographer eager to put her new photojournalism degree and experiences to use, or know of anyone with an opening, please email me: hal08a@acu.edu. Thanks!

Swing the Lead: The End of an Era

hleiphart — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:07:05 +0000

Swing The Lead, a well-loved punk rock band comprised of four ACU students, played its last concert April 23 before two of the members move away from Abilene.

Portfolio

hleiphart — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:29:24 +0000

Updated 7/28/10

Swing The Lead, a well-loved punk rock band comprised of four ACU students, played its last concert April 23 before two of the members move away from Abilene

On the job with Daniel Johnson-Kim, editor-in-chief of the Optimist, ACU’s student newspaper.

Read my news articles here.

Monk’s Coffee Shop

hleiphart — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:49:16 +0000

Project 3- Creative Portrait

hleiphart — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:03:19 +0000

Assignment- A portrait attempts to express the character of a person and pin down the sitter in the hierarchy of their world, socially and physically, showing status, authority, and significance. A portrait offers into a person beyond the details of appearance, revealing unknown sides of his or her character or showing a fresh perspective on someone we know well.

As art photographer, you’ve been asked to create a series of portrait photographs for a group exhibition. Your photographs will be used in collaboration with others, compiling a larger body of work. So visually explore variations of the subject-matter, consider unexpected results, compositions, etc.

Project 2- Reflections

hleiphart — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:58:51 +0000

Assignment- The goal of this exercise is to explore another way of looking at things, and to produce mirrored images. Choose any subject-matter for this assignment, take as many pictures as you wish, and then post-process them in Photoshop, creating various reflected effects. Strong perspective lines, geometric shapes and textures provide great results. Also, try reflections out of mirrors or any reflective surface, look for ‘natural’ reflections and symmetry, same reflected effect can also be made out of other objects.

Project 1- Seeing Things

hleiphart — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:57:38 +0000

Assignment- Create a variety of images, by experimenting/combining different techniques, and visual languages. Photograph various subject matter, including people and objects. This assignment is an exercise to looking at things from different perspectives, close-up details, abstractions. For this project, you MUST photograph through various lenses, glasses, plastics, with the intent to distort light (no digital (Photoshop) distortions allowed!). Feel free to build contraptions, models, change objects if needed.

For my images, I shot through a glass jar and a large plastic diamond.

ACU plans to publish first student newspaper on Apple’s iPad

hleiphart — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:30:32 +0000

BusinessWire – Abilene Christian University’s student-run media staff announces its commitment to produce the first paper of its kind for Apple’s iPad. Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, says students and faculty already are working to achieve this goal.

“This is yet another opportunity for our students to make use of a cutting-edge delivery system — the third version of mobile media delivery we have pioneered,” Bacon says. She cites her department’s track record: dissemination of The Optimist student newspaper via iPhone in the fall of 2007; adoption of an updated application in the fall of 2008; and now, ACU’s preparation for delivery of The Optimist on the iPad this spring. Read the rest of the article from Forbes.com.

ACU also was mentioned in a NBC Nightly News video clip, around 1:52.

News photos

hleiphart — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:54:45 +0000

Here is a collection of some of my news photos for the Optimist, ACU’s student newspaper, from this semester. Click for larger sizes.

Dr. Phil Schubert with his daughter while his name is announced as a finalist in the ACU presidential search.

Mike Cope, adjunct instructor of Bible, in his new office downtown

Dr. Rick Lytle, ACU presidential candidate

Construction in Gibson; asbestos removal

Flooding on campus; tennis player Eldad Campbell; Wild art poster sale

Feature on twin ACU basketball players Jodi and Jamie Meyers