Life on Pause ||

National Day of Prayer 05/05/11

2011-05-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Thursday May 5, 2011 was National Day of Prayer. For this assignment I wanted to capture the emotion
of the event. I picked these 3 photos from my contact sheet. I was not seeing things clearly and remember pausing for a moment to gather my thoughts. This is something I have been working on recently to take a step back, observe the scene, be patient and wait for moments.

Lou and Linda Mashburn members of San-Lee Chapel Church comfort each other in prayer Thursday afternoon during the National Day of Prayer held at Sanford City Hall. THE SANFORD HERALD | WESLEY BEESON

Rev. Bruce MacInnes with Turner's Chapel, clutches his Bible and prays Thursday afternoon during the National Day of Prayer held at Sanford City Hall. THE SANFORD HERALD | WESLEY BEESON

Lee County vs Panther Creek - Boys Prep baseball 05/03/11

2011-05-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

PREPS: Jackets come alive in last home game
by JONATHAN OWENS Sanford Herald

Photos by Staff Photographer Wesley Beeson

Read more: Sanford Herald - PREPS Jackets come alive in last home game

SANFORD — Lee County’s baseball players really love their mothers.

On the night the Yellow Jackets honored their mothers before the game, Lee County could do no wrong from the plate, scoring six runs in the first and nine in the second on their way to a convincing 15-3 win over Panther Creek Tuesday night.

It had to be the socks, as the Jackets each wore pink socks in promotion of breast cancer awareness. Coupled with a special camouflage-pattern shirt and tri-colored hat, their uniforms were certainly a sight to behold. But it worked, as a Lee offense that has struggled most of the season showed no signs of rust in the last home game of the season.

Julio Paredes started off the scoring in the first, knocking in two on a single. After the Jackets again loaded the bases, Dillon Frye, Tyler Castleberry and Chase Arrington all hit one-run singles and Neal O’Quinn drew a walk that scored a run for the 6-0 lead after one.

But the fireworks ignited in the second, when Bradley Godwin batted in five runs with a triple and double, and Alex Furl launched a three-run homer over the right-field fence. Nick Durazo also batted in a run on a sacrifice to give Lee a 15-0 lead after two innings.

Durazo got the easy win from the mound. Rusty Clark allowed two inconsequential runs in the fourth and Grant Brown gave up one in relief.

Lee County returns to action on the road Thursday against Fuquay-Varina in the final game of the regular season.

Read more: Sanford Herald - PREPS Jackets come alive in last home game

4th Annual Downtown Bike Criterium - 05/01/11

2011-05-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Lee County Living 2011 Cover- 04/28/11

2011-04-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Lee County Living Cover that came out on 04/28/11. I took this photo at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, N.C. and it features students Jaleen Hussey (left) and Andrew Ruiz (right). THE SANFORD HERALD | WESLEY BEESON

Camera: Canon 5D with Canon 70-200 2.8
Strobist: 1 Vivitar 285HV bare strobe to camera left at 1/4 power.

Dancing with the Lee County Stars

2010-08-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Caterpillar to add 325 new jobs in Sanford facility

2010-08-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Governor Bev Perdue along with local company leaders announced expansion of Caterpillar, bringing in 325 new jobs to the Sanford location by years end. This is great news to the already double-digit unemployment rate for Lee County and this economic boost is just what the county needed. Kudos to my editor Billy Liggett for the great layout, and to reporter Billy Ball for a great story. For only having 6 people total in the newsroom, we put out an impressive paper.

National Night Out

2010-08-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

National Night Out (NNO) on Tuesday August 4, 2010 in Sanford, NC is a community police partnership that brings awareness to local communities and sends a message to criminals that neighborhoods are fighting back. It provided an excellent opportunity for local children and parents to meet local police, fire fighters, local city officials and neighbors. There were over 15 neighborhoods in Sanford that participated in the event. I only got around to several of the neighborhoods to enjoy some of the food and fun before I headed back to the office to process the photos for next days paper.

Lee County Schoos 2010-2011 Guide Cover

2010-08-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

A recent cover shot for the Lee County Schools Guide that just came out in papers on August 7th, 2010.
I took this photo at Tramway Elementary School back on the first day of classes and it stood out as the main art and cover page for the guide.

Chatham Living Magazine Cover 2010

2010-07-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Lee County HS Summer Baseball

2010-07-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lee County concluded its CCSSL season with a 10-1 victory over Triton on Monday evening in Sanford. The Yellow Jackets are wrapping up a summer season where they finished 11-4 overall and finished third place in the Central Division with a 9-3 place.

Back To School for Tramway Elementary Front Page

2010-07-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

As the rest of Lee County students go swimming and relax at home, Tramway students are headed back to school. Tramway Elementary School offers year round school and the students are happy to be back. The kindergartners were not shy at all and they told me what kind of lunch boxes they had, to what they did on their short vacations. It was challenging not to get the kids to mug the camera but they quickly forgot about me and I captured some great moments. I really liked the layout of this frontpage and wanted to share it with you.

Sanford's Family Fourth Festival

2010-07-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

I walked down to Depot Park in downtown Sanford for the annual Sanford Family Fourth Festival. This day is really all about the kids, as they enjoy festivities from chalk drawing, pets parade, face paintings, and games sponsored by the Lee County YMCA. I had a great time photographing and the kids were having a blast. It was a perfect day outside and the event ended with a pie eating contest that was sure to please the crowd. I hope you enjoy my soundslide presentation as much as I did photographing it.

Grace Christian Crusaders vs Terry Sanford Bulldogs

2010-07-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ah the golden days of baseball in Bill's summer photojournalism class. I remember turning in my weekly photos and Bill would always find a trash can or or a porta potty in my shot. I have since come a long way from that year ago and always keep in mind to produce good action shots, with a ball and a clean background. Here are a few images from the game this past week I got to photograph for the main sports page.

Weekly Features

2010-06-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

I think one of the reasons I wanted to be a photojournalist is because of all the cool things you get to do from day to day, and of course I love photographing sports. One day you might be in a tree taking a picture, the next you are in a plane, you just never know where you are going to be or what you are doing. You are not stuck inside a stuffy office all day doing the same repetitive thing. Well one day this week I got an exciting opportunity to photograph animals at the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro. I love animals and could not wait to see these beautiful tigers and different cat species. I have always seen big cats on TV, but have never been up close and personal. I was in shock at the size and power of these creatures. There was nothing but a metal chain linked fence and a 600 pound cat in between me. Of course it was safe, but I really felt at ease and was very relaxed. My favorite tiger was Lucky, and he really liked people and did not mind being in my cameras spotlight. Amanda Byrne was my tour guide and she really enjoys working there. She told me that each tiger has their own personality and gave me a breif history about each one.

It rained this week and was a little slower than usual. I had to get out of the office and get some rain features. I went to OT sloan park in Sanford looking for a rain feature when I noticed kids at the pool swimming in the pouring rain. I quickly grabbed my gear and headed to the pool for some shots of the kids. Of course I had every kid there asking to take their picture and they were just too funny.

WESLEY BEESON / Sanford Herald
Fenimore takes a break from the heat on Tuesday afternoon at the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, N.C.

WESLEY BEESON / Sanford Herald
Lucky takes a break from the heat on Tuesday afternoon at the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, N.C.

WESLEY BEESON / Sanford Herald
Amanda Byrne talks to Raj a male tiger at the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, N.C. on Tuesday afternoon.

Rain feature-

Kids Golf Clinic & Hot Weather Feature 06/24/10

2010-06-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have ever felt a hotter week than this in North Carolina. It hit the 100 + mark this week and was at least 95 degrees or hotter everyday this week. I worked Thursday and Friday covering golf and heat features. I could not believe how people could stand working in this incredible heat. From the people I talked to they all said they take breaks, drink plenty of water, and try and stay in the shade when possible. Here are a few photos from that scorcher of a week.

Lewis & Clark

2010-06-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

I remember laughing in class at my photojournalism teacher for carrying around a light stand everywhere he went. I thought it was crazy and said to myself, "I think I am just going to go around and shoot natural light", boy was I wrong. Sure you can get away with shooting natural light, but your images will suffer. I quickly realized how valuable that $30 piece of equipment really was. I take my lighstand everywhere I go, and I always get a inquisitive reaction from the people I am photographing. When they see this and a fancy white umbrella, they know it's going to be a professional photograph. I had the pleasure of meeting John Lipscomb and his family right before Father's day. He was taking his daughter Johanna, who was dressed as Sacagawea, on Lewis and Clarks famous journey. This photograh would not be the same without my trusted lightstand and umbrella.

WESLEY BEESON / Sanford Herald
John Lipscomb (left) poses with his daughter Johanna Lipscomb who is dressed in full costume as Sacagawea. Lipscomb will be leaving today with his wife and daughter to walk a few more miles in the explorers footsteps and experience this with his family for the first time.

Lee County High School Graduation Ceremony

2010-06-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

My first week at the herald I was thrown into graduation ceremonies throughout Lee County. I have never covered a high school graduation, but felt very prepared with my training from school. I remember what my photojournalism teacher told me, "Take beautiful pictures". I took that to heart with me and was really excited to see how well the final pictures turned out. I felt as if I really captured moments and had a fun time covering so many different schools. I have felt very welcomed into the Sanford community and have meet so many wonderful people. I want to thank The Sanford Herald for giving me this great opportunity and hope to provide a visual and artistic feel to the paper and grab readers attention with beautiful pictures.

Southern Lee High School Graduation Ceremony

2010-06-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

News Feature JR Ingram School Technology Showcase

2010-06-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

The kids at JR Ingram Elementary School presented a Technology Shocase featuring programs that the kids developed during the past school year. I was very impressed as I went from station to station and saw first hand at what kids are learning and applying in todays technological world. The children worked on computer programs for over half the year and they actually designed and coded each of their programs. Each student had an HP mini computer that they could use in class and on this project.

Feature 06/07/2010

2010-06-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

You can always find kids at the Depot Park in Sanford as they splash and play in the water fountain near the old train station. The first days of summer were getting near the 100 + mark with the humidity, and what a great way to cool off by running through the fountain in downtown.

Grace Christian Graduation 06/03/2010

2010-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:00