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I was covering a school talent show as part of a project on Roosevelt's last week before closing for good, and the teachers performed a surprise dance at the end of the show. I loved this little girl's enthusiasm, and this photo helped bring a cheerful tone to an academic story. Roosevelt Elementary School kindergartner Meay Mohamed dances as teachers perform a surprise routine during the fifth and sixth grade talent show Tuesday, May 29, 2012, at the school in Iowa City. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)
Iowa was in the middle of a heatwave and drought in July, so the misting fans were a popular spot to cool down during Freedom Festival. The evening light illuminating the mist caught my eye, and I camped out nearby waiting for the right moment. Maureen Pauly-Hubbard of Madison, Wisc., a Green Iowa AmeriCorps member, cools off in front of a misting fan before the Freedom Festival fireworks on Wednesday, July 4, 2012, in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)
The Saturday before the presidential election, I was covering rallies for both Obama and Romney. Some similarities are inevitable at campaign events like these, even when the degree of access is pretty different, and this is one of the pairings I put together after covering the two rallies. Left: Audience members hold up giant letters spelling "VOTE" at a campaign rally for President Barack Obama's reelection at Washington Park on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Dubuque. Right: From left, Logan Drake, Mimi Buckardt, Jan Hemmer and Paul Hemmer, all of Dubuque, applaud Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during a campaign event at Dubuque Regional Airport on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Dubuque. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)
Here are some of my favorite news photographs that I’ve taken in 2012. They are in no particular order. Catch me on another day and I’ll probably have different photos as my favorites.—Jim Slosiarek
Teachers amaze me at the lengths they will go to connect with their students and make learning fun for them. "When I saw Taylor Elementary School third grade teacher Sarah Lucas-Carr (left) put on a crazy jack o' lantern hat as she facilitated a group book discussion, I knew something interesting would happen," said The Gazette-KCRG visual journalist Jim Slosiarek. I like the juxtaposition of Lucas-Carr's expression of anticipation and the concentration on Jodie Hernandez's face as Lucas-Carr encourages Jodie to find the correct passage in a book to answer a question during class at the school Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)
I was assigned to photograph the first day of the Linn County Fair in Central City, Iowa. Normally, I roam the livestock barns in the hopes of getting a shot of a young 4H'er snoozing on his or her prize-winning cow. But, being that it was the first day, there weren't any entrants in the livestock barns yet. I thought I could make a nice picture from some of the other 4H judging. I was looking for an expressive judge. When I saw Mary Esther Pullin of Waterloo, Iowa, react after tasting a pie baked by Ella Whitham, 11, of Central City I knew I had what I was looking for. Pullin has been a 4H judge for over 30 years. (SourceMedia Group News/Jim Slosiarek)
It's about the late afternoon light and the contrast in running styles that draws me to this picture of Aden Abram (left), 10, and Versean Akins, 12, both of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as they race during a summer youth program at Johnson Elementary School of the Arts on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Aden just looks so smooth in his running style and the fact that I captured both of them in mid-stride, off the ground helps. (SourceMedia Group News/Jim Slosiarek)
This is just a tender moment between daughter and mother as Leah Schwenker, 6, puts her hand on her mother Keri’s hand as Keri holds it over her heart during a memorial service for U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Ristau on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in Cascade, Iowa. Ristau, a Cascade native, was killed July 13 in Qalat, Zabul province, Afghanistan when the vehicle he was traveling in was attacked by an improvised explosive device. He served in Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)
A young spectator peers through the barricade to the podium as President Barack Obama speaks at Johnson Hall at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, July 10 2012. Generally after the caucus we get one campaign stop from each party's presidential candidate before the election. This year was a lot different with numerous visits to our coverage area from the candidates. I was embedded with the traveling close pool on this day and I don't think anyone else caught this kid peeking up at the President. It's a challenge to find a unique photo when you cover an event shoulder to shoulder with a pack of other journalists and everyone taking nearly identical photos from nearly identical angles. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)
Conductor Zach Yezek completes a Certification of Brake Test form as an Iowa Northern Railway Company train heads from Waterloo to Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Iowa Northern gave me great access for this story about the importance of railroads for commerce in Iowa. There is a moodiness captured by photographing the train at night that would not have been present if I had shot during the day. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG)
Members of local P-3 Retirees Inc, (from left) Ilene Powell, Marvin Krotz and chairman of the board Jessie Taken, embrace as the final numbers are called in the last bingo game at the non-profit's building in SE Cedar Rapids on Thursday, September 13, 2012. This was a rare occasion when I had the time to cover an event from before it began until after it was over. I think this sums up the connection people had to the event and the bonds that had formed over the years. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)
From the first day of Jerome Power's first degree murder trial I had a feeling this was going to be different then any trial I had covered before. Mr. Power was initially very agitated about having his photo taken and then he held up a sign for the camera blaming another man for the crime. As the trial proceeded I kept a close eye on him waiting for his next outburst. I was rewarded for my patience when he poured a glass of water over the head of his defense counsel Steve Addington as the jury was leaving the courtroom following closing arguments Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 at the Linn County District Courthouse in Cedar Rapids. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)
This was an amazing night and it was awesome to see neighbors come out at nearly midnight during a storm to help rescue turkeys from a barn destroyed by a tornado south of Wayland, Iowa Thursday, May 3, 2012. The photo was taken by shooing a 30 second exposure on a tripod to catch the lightning in the background and the motion of all of the volunteers working. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)
I have photographed several presidents and candidates since joining the staff at The Gazette but this picture of President Barack Obama greeting invited guests at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids before traveling to Iowa City to give speech about the rising costs of higher education Wednesday, April 25, 2012 is one of my favorites. The composition of the frame works perfectly with Air Force One as the backdrop and President Obama separated from everything else in his own space in the middle that makes him stand out. (Brian Ray/Pool Photo)
This photo was taken by a GoPro camera i mounted on the wing of one of the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory's two Czech L-29 DelfÃn jets as they flew over Iowa City Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. While not a traditional photo I could not be happier with the results. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)
