I shot a regional girls basketball tournament game down in Teutopolis, Ill., Wednesday night. The light was great... nice and bright, which is a relative term when talking about a gym. For the photo nerds, I was shooting ISO 2500, 1/500 @ f/2.8 for game action.

Nothing real special about the gym... standard fluorescent light banks. I am slightly confused by the configuration of the lights, though. I can honestly say I have never seen lights set up in such a random pattern.

Weird. I've been wanting to put a new light above our kitchen table... maybe I'll just slap a few up like this.

10,000 Words, one of my favorite journalism blogs, has a nice collection of valentines made specifically for journalists. I think it's safe to say these made my day.

This is my personal favorite, but there are some other good ones at the site.

If you are in the news biz or you love someone who is, go check it out and send some journalism love.

• Happy V-Day: Valentines for Journalists (10,000 Words)

I was in Springfield yesterday to cover the impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. I showed up around 8:15 to get my stuff situated and get my credentials for the Senate gallery. For anyone who doesn't know, the gallery is the second floor balcony... not a bad view, but it gets limiting with the amount of cameras and people up there. I was smashed in between a pair of tripods for network video cameras and the iron railing. Once I sat down I was stuck there until there was a break.

Apparently I could have had a press box credential so I could shoot stuff from the floor, but there is a dress code that requires tie and jacket. That would have been nice to know before I came in my standard work wear -- jeans, dress shoes and a polo shirt. Oh well... now I know.

I took my spot in the gallery and waited.

The day started with closing arguments from the House prosecutor, David Ellis.

Several people sat in the gallery to watch the day's events...

I liked watching some of the reactions on the Senate floor that I could see from my spot...

Gov. Blagojevich followed with his own closing remarks... an hour-long unprepared speech with a few notes scribbled out on plain paper. I realized in the middle of his speech that I haven't photographed him at all during his time in office. Weird.

The Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice, Thomas Fitzgerald, listened from his seat during Blagojevich's closing remarks.

I watched him as he left the room and smiled when he turned around to wave at someone over on the Democratic side of the Senate floor. I'm still curious if he waved at someone in particular or just to the democrats in general. Heck, for all I know he could have been waving at the lamp on the wall... Come on, would it really surprise you if it was true?

After closing remarks the Senate took a break. I hear they like to do that. Media crews swarmed any lawmaker that would talk on the way out...

I tried to transmit some photos during the lunch break but my computer wasn't cooperating at all. Surprise surprise. I only got a few sent before things started back up. I quickly got back in my spot just in time for the senators to request another hour-long recess. Sweet. More editing time.

The big networks all had their stuff set up in various locations in and out of the Capitol Building. I liked the empty feeling in front of the governor's office.

I sat in the Senate gallery for a little while after the recess and listened to some of the senators talk before casting their vote. Each senator was given five minutes, and if there's one thing I learned yesterday -- lawmakers will take every minute of speaking they are allowed. The view from the gallery is mostly the backs of the politician's heads, so most of the photographers wer reading or playing games on their iphones. It looked kind of funny.

Word started to spread that people were setting up in the House gallery for the swearing-in ceremony for Lt. Gov. Quinn if Blagojevich was impeached. I went over to get credentials for that and was told I had to go to the Secretary of State Security office and fill out some paperwork and get a yellow card before I could get the House pass.

I thought it was interesting I could be in the same room as the Governor, Chief Justice and all the state senators without any forms but I couldn't be in the House? Oh well. I learned there is a pretty big system of tunnels that go underneath the Capitol Building and take you to different buildings in the capitol complex. After walking down the longest tunnel known to man I got to the office I needed and realized I left my wallet in my computer bag back in the press room at the Capitol. Ugh. Hiked back and returned to find out my paperwork hadn't come through yet... some problem with the fax machine.

I waited and waited and finally got the clearance I needed. Sweet.

I got back to the Capitol and saw that the senators were still talking and hadn't voted. Picked up my House pass. Still no vote. Got a drink of water. Still no vote.

My time was running short... I still had to drive back to Decatur and shoot a couple basketball games. I was getting ready to call it a day when I heard there was some commotion over around the Lt. Governor's office. I camped out there for a while. Saw the treasurer come in and out a few times...

I was one of two photographers that started the crowd in front of the office. The video crews scrambled over a few minutes later and made the crowd a little crazy. I kneeled down to try to be nice to them... the treasurer came out and I got pushed forward and ended up in a spot where my face was approximately four inches from his groin. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I hope that I never get any closer to him. No offense, Alexi.

One of Lt. Gov. Quinn's nieces seemed to be pretty interested in all of the commotion outside of the office.

And then Jesse White, the Secretary of State, came out and answered some questions. And I'm pretty sure that the TV reporter on the right is not Sarah Palin. I heard her talk and there was no discussion of killing moose or drilling for oil.

We kept waiting and waiting for Patrick Quinn to come out and then were told he already left through a back hallway. Frustrating.

And that ended my day at the capitol. I barely made it for the fourth quarter of one of my games back in Decatur. The paper only used one photo from the whole day because all of the good stuff happened afterwards.

I'm still frustrated by the whole thing, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Oh well... I learned quite a bit about politics, working at the Capitol and that I need to get a suit jacket.

• Blagojevich's fate sealed by senators' unanimous vote (Herald & Review)

I usually don't turn my camera off when I'm done shooting... just in case something would happen in front of me I like being able to just start working and not fumble with the power switch. The startup time, which is admittedly still pretty fast, takes longer than coming back from standby.

The other night I was driving back from a basketball game and went over a couple sets of tracks at a railroad crossing. I must have gone over a little harder or faster than normal, because it bumped my camera just enough to reposition itself and sit right on the shutter button. I now have 154 photos of the side of my camera bag... thought it was kind of funny.

Well, this is new.

I have had my name misspelled a few different ways in newspapers (yes, even my own). The usual Steven instead of Stephen, Hass instead of Haas, Steve and a few other variations. There have been photos of mine that run with somebody else's name underneath.

I'm pretty sure I have never had my name merged with my boss, who captions his photos as Kelly J. Huff.

Hopefully Stephen J. Haas is as popular with the ladies as Stephen Haas.

• Special something: Former state Senate colleagues saw Obama as 'eloguent, bright and articulate' (Herald & Review)

Wednesday was one of those days... nothing seemed to be going right. I was scheduled to shoot an assignment in Arcola in the morning. I hadn't planned on the roads being as gross as they were so I pulled into town just as the event was happening. By the time I got parked and situated I was still able to shoot and get things covered.

The worst part was when I was walking back to the car and slipped on some ice. I've been having knee problems for the past few months, so my first fear was my knee. As I remained sprawled out in the middle of the road assessing any damage to myself I looked up and noticed my lens (no longer attached to my camera) broken into a few pieces a few feet away from me.

Crap.

Fortunately I have protective glass filters on the front of all of my lenses, so the broken glass isn't a huge deal. Hopefully.

Luckily I am OK. My 16-35 is another story, so I sent the camera and lens off to the lovely folks at Canon Professional Services.

For those who want to see more of a lens than anyone other repair technician should ever see, keep reading...

MSNBC just published their annual Year in Pictures package... They have categories for news and sports, but I think they should have added a special category for the election. There were so many stellar images from the primaries and general campaign and -- in my opinion -- the four in this slideshow weren't the best from the year.

Anyway, it is worth a look if you have some free time today.

I got to shoot the IHSA Class 2A state final game at Memorial Stadium last weekend. I used to enjoy shooting state football... I actually used to shoot all eight games over the two-day event for the Associated Press before they stopped paying freelancers to cover high-school events.

In previous years photographers have used the photo tent, a vinyl tent under the horseshoe bleachers. Sometimes it has heat, sometimes it doesn't... but it had power, lights and it was right off the field. This year the IHSA provided a place (a ledge with room for four people) for photographers to use in the press box. While the idea of working from the new press box sounds nice, with heat and snacks and comfortable seats, it doesn't work out well for the photographers. If I was a reporter I'd have no complaints... other than the fact that I was a sports reporter.

Usually at halftime, which lasts 15 minutes, I download my cards from the first half, edit a few of my favorites and send them in to the paper's network. I can usually squeeze 6-10 photos out before the start of the second half. This year it took six minutes to get to the press box and another five to get back down to the field. That leaves four minutes to work, which gives my work computer just about enough time to log in. Sweet.

Oh well... I got to watch a group of kids play their heart out. Unfortunately for them the other team was bigger and faster.

Here are a few of my favorites from the game...

At halftime I got my last chance of the year to get my fix of marching band hats...

During the second half I focused more on sideline and fan stuff... there were a few big plays thrown in too.

The Immaculate Conception team had a girl kicker, Olivia Vatch. She kicked an extra point during the game and became the first female player to score in a state title game. I have a so-so shot of her kicking, but thought the female-male contrast was an easier read without the helmet.

The Casey-Westfield fans stood and cheered for the team after the game was over. It was nice to see a community support their team even after a bad game... these are the moments that get me all warm and fuzzy inside.

I liked the way the television camera lights were falling on the quarterback during an interview in one of the pressbox hallways after the post-game press conference.

• Casey keeps up for a second (Herald & Review)

I got to shoot the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge at the Assembly Hall Tuesday night. What a game... good shooting, good defense and then no final shot. Apparently Illinois lost track of the game clock and didn't get a last chance in to tie or take the win at the buzzer.

Here are a few of my favorites from the night...

I was sitting on the home side of the court so I spent most of the first half shooting the Illinois offense on the far half of the court with a 300mm lens.

The Illinois offense was on my side of the court for second half s oI stuck with the 70-200mm...

• Illini have no shot at win (Herald & Review)

I made the Mal & Steve page almost two years ago as a place to tell people about our wedding and had plans to use it to update people about us, our house, pets, etc... Well, I kind of forgot it was there, so it hadn't been touched since right after the wedding.

This past weekend I redesigned it and will now be posting personal stuff, random nonsense and anything else not photography or work-related over there. Maybe I can talk my wife into writing an update every once in a while... probably not, though.

So, for any friends and family reading this blog, be sure to check the M&S site for the latest on us.

I got to drive down to Cahokia (just outside of St. Louis) for a high school quarterfinal playoff game between MacArthur and Cahokia Saturday. The drive felt like it took forever, but it wasn't as bad as standing in the freezing wind for a few hours.

MacArthur lost 31-6, but making it this far after a 2-7 season last year is pretty impressive.

The players, fans and coaches were all pretty emotional after the game. The coach had all of the seniors line up so that he (along with all of the other coaches, teammates and fans) could give them all hugs.

I'm still a huge fan of shooting high school sports over college or pro... sure, it's nice to do those things, but the access and emotion is completely different. For me, this was just another day at work. For some of these kids it was the last game they will ever play, the biggest day of their life (so far) or maybe something completely different. I'm sad to see any of our local teams lose, but I'm glad that I got to catch a small glimpse of this team's heart on the sidelines of a very cold football field.

• Generals' finish bittersweet (Herald & Review)

I got to shoot the area's first high school basketball game of the year last night. Luckily I made it in time. Apparently one of the teams didn't have enough girls for a JV team so they started the varsity game early. I show up at 7:25 for my 7:30 assignment and there was only four minutes left.

Luckily I wasn't planning on just shooting the second half. Oh well... things happen.

I can't believe it's already basketball season. This year has flown by too quick.

• Doyle, Meridian do just enough (Herald & Review)

This dresser was nailed to the workbench supports in our garage when we bought the house over the summer. I had kind of written it off and thought about getting rid of it last week but then we decided to try to fix it up and use it in the guest room. It's not the nicest piece in the world, but it's free.

It's going to need a new top, a new drawer, new hardware, new side panels... it obviously has to be sanded and re-painted. At first it sounds like I may as well just build a new dresser, but the piece is pretty solid as a whole, but the sides are made of a simple panel that even I should be able to fix.

These are the "before" shots. I will try to document the progress as it comes along for anyone who cares...

So... I had a little accident Saturday afternoon while shooting a high school football playoff game.

I dropped my wedding ring down a porta-potty. I had been standing outside in the cold for a couple of hours and took my glove off to use the restroom and my ring flew right off my finger, bounced on the seat and dropped straight down the hole. The whole thing happened in slow-motion, like in a Disney movie when the kid makes the winning basket or goal or home run or something else sports-related. I felt like I was diving trying to make the catch, when in reality I just moved my arm a few inches in a horrible attempt to stop it.

No worries though, I was able to fish it out. I happened to have a tire gauge in my pocket, which when fully extended was just long enough to reach the ring.

Yes, that involved sticking my arm down the hole of a porta-potty, but at the time that seemed like a good substitute to having to deal with my lovely, lovely wife and buy a new ring.

So, for now, my ring is wrapped up in a napkin inside a sandwich bag. Now I just have to take it to be resized.

And cleaned.

Now that Democrats have a virtual monopoly over our land, with control of the White House, both houses of Congress, a majority of gubernatorial positions, state legislatures, the courts, the news media, the unions and the entertainment and educational fields, it would be relatively easy for you to rule as king, casting liberal edicts in any direction. But now will come your biggest test: Will you be able to lead the other half of the country that doesn't agree with your vision, views and policies?

In other news... Chuck Norris is so busy writing about politics and shooting infomercials that he forgot to roundhouse kick his web designer in the face. Chuck's official site looks like it was made when he started on "Walker, Texas Ranger" in 1993. His filmography doesn't even have his cameo in "Dodgeball" listed.

C'mon Chuck...

Speaking to the Illinois delegation breakfast, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D.-Evanston) recalled a meeting she and other lawmakers had with President Bush in the White House in February.

As they were leaving, Schakowsky said, she pulled on her coat and Bush "literally jumped back and looked stricken" when he saw the "Obama" button.

Shakowsky said she explained that it wasn't Osama but Obama, and that he was running in the U.S. Senate primary in Illinois.

Bush said, "I don't know him," according to Schakowsky.

"I said, `Oh, you will, Mr. President,'" she said.

• O-mens | Change of Subject (Chicago Tribune)
  

The empty stage after John McCain's election night rally at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.

Danny Wilcox Frazier / Redux for TIME

• White House Photo of the Day - TIME

I wanted to post this update a couple days ago, but I've been trying to figure out a way to do it tactfully. I don't like to complain about my own paper -- especially since they are the ones that give me a paycheck. But, I think I just have to say it and get it off my chest...

Waking up early Wednesday morning to grab the newspaper off the front porch I was excited to see what kind of design and what photos and what headline we would have on the front page. This was a big news day in the history of our country... it had to be good.

I was kind of surprised to see that we ran a headshot of Obama... the day after America elected the first African-American to be president... the day after a senator from Illinois wins the election... the day after a presidential election. His face was the size of a dime.

I got onto Newseum, which is a great resource for journalists and news junkies like myself, to see what other papers did. You can see front pages from newspapers all around the world every day... or you can look at 730 archived pages from the newspapers printed on Nov. 5, the day after the election.

Man... there are some amazing designs there. It's no wonder people are buying copies of some of these issues on eBay for hundreds of dollars.

Anyway... I got my hands on PDF files of all of the front pages I could get from the other newspapers in our company. Our paper and the Fremont, Nebraska paper ran headshots... everybody else had big Obama art.

Oh well... check out all of the LEE papers available after the jump.

Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version...

• Obama Grabs Headlines

Killing a few minutes before election-night mayhem starts in the newsroom... McCain's opening on SNL was pretty freaking hilarious. Thought I'd post it since it might be the last time we see him smile on TV for a while.

I don't think I've seen an 80-point font size on Web site in a long time... maybe ever. I'm not counting MySpace pages for that person who thinks they are a web designer because they can make their giant scrolling text blink with lots of flashy animated clip-art graphics.

The NY Times site pulled out the giant font after Obama's win over McCain.

Ok... I know I'm a nerd. But big headlines done right make me all excited.