Brenden Neville

A few random pictures from a few random weeks

Brenden Neville — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:32:01 +0000

I’ve been busy lately. Busy with the paper and busy with the job hunt. With one more month left here at The Advocate, I can’t help but wonder where I’ll end up for the new year. Back in Michigan? Working for a paper somewhere? The future is very foggy.

I had my first experience with Black Friday this year making pictures at Target’s midnight opening in Baton Rouge. There’s no denying that my mind was full of negative stereotypes before I got there. I found the building lined with thousands of shoppers waiting to be let in. The first people in line had been there since 11 am. At one point, as I waited inside for the doors to open, there were rumors that the crowd was planning on rushing the metal gates set up to keep everyone in line. In the end, things were kept relatively calm. People filed in a few at a time, got their goods, and left. Most of the customers were all smiles. There were no fights here, but I’ve read that this wasn’t the case elsewhere. I made some pictures, and went home to get a few hours of sleep before the afternoon LSU game. Not as crazy as I thought it would be.

Plattenville resident Terry Lemon stands with her two televisions near the registers at the Siegen Lane Target just after midnight on Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Baton Rouge, LA. Lemon took her place in line at 4 p.m. the day before to make sure she got what she wanted.

I also made some pictures of a small ballet group in Denham Springs preparing for their performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Bailey Pierce, (left), 14, watches as Richard Pringle, playing the Rat King, and Austin Neveere, playing the Nutcracker, battle during a scene from the TriParish Ballet's performance of "The Nutcracker" during rehearsal on Sunday, Nov. 2011, 2011, at Odyssey Dance Studio in Denham Springs.

The police were trying to catch a killer yesterday. This woman was stuck down the street from here home. The policed thought the killer was holed up next door in a derelict property.

Laura Harold, a nearby neighbor of a house where one man was killed this morning, looks on as police leave the scene in the 3000 block of Dalton St. on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, in Baton Rouge. 3960 Dalton st. was the scene of a shooting earlier today that left one man dead. The suspect was originally believed to be holed up inside the derelict property across the street from 3960, but police later determined the property to be empty.

LSU goes 12-0

Brenden Neville — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:37:58 +0000

I had the pleasure of tagging along with the regular shooters to LSU’s victory against Arkansas yesterday. Being in Death Valley for a big game like this one is a pretty cool experience. I was running on a few less hours of sleep than usual after shooting black Friday madness the night before, but even so, it was hard not to be hyped up once the game got going and the crowd started roaring. Deafening. Anyways, pictures.

LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson (9) dodges a tackle by Arkansas University defensive end Tenarius Wright (43) while going for a pass during the first half of the LSU Arkansas game on Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Baton Rouge, LA.

LSU marching band members enter the stadium before the start of the game.

Dash Against Diabetes

Brenden Neville — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:10:12 +0000

A couple shots from the Diabetes Dash I shot on Saturday morning downtown. Always worth waking up for nice light.

Tyrus Thomas is a Baton Rouge native who now plays in the NBA. He established the Tyrus Thomas foundation to facilitate youth oriented events like the Dash Against Diabetes in Baton Rouge and other cities around the country.

Pamela Hughes(left), LeShanda Freeman(middle), and Jordyn Adery, 10, prepare themselves before the start of the First Annual Dash Against Diabetes 5K Fun Run/Walk on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in downtown Baton Rouge. Among those running the race was LSU basketball coach Trent Johnson, assistant coach Javi Sanchez, and NBA player Tyrus Thomas.

NBA player Tyrus Thomas talks with friends after running in the First Annual Dash Against Diabetes 5K Fun Run/Walk on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in downtown Baton Rouge. Thomas is a native of Baton Rouge and currently a member of the Charlotte Bobcats.

In flight

Brenden Neville — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:29:12 +0000

One I’ve been meaning to post from a few weeks ago.

Click for big.

Dancer Andrea Torres, 15, of the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, performs during The Century of Women exhibit opening during the World Peace Day event on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge.

Found art. Picture of a picture.

Brenden Neville — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:05:04 +0000

A lost picture. Do you know us?

The Angola Prison Rodeo

Brenden Neville — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:48:44 +0000

Everyone I talk to has a different opinion about the Angola Prinson Rodeo. Some say it exploits the offenders(official name for inmates). Others say it is an opportunity for the offenders, the majority of whom will spend the rest of their lives living and working there, to do something adventurous and maybe even earn a little cash. Conflicting opinions aside, I wasn’t about to leave Louisiana without seeing it for myself. After begging my photo editors to send me out there for at least one weekend this month, I was finally rewarded with a photo assignment email titled “AngolaRodeo” last Friday. Enough talk. This is some of what I saw at America’s last prison rodeo. Good or bad, a truly fascinating slice of Louisiana.

The sister event to the actual rodeo is the craft fair, where offenders sell handcrafted goods to visitors. This is an interesting situation, as those offenders in good standing are allowed to interact freely with their customers.

Those inmates seen as less trustworthy do their haggling with customers through a chain link fence.

The big show begins with a performance by the Angola Rough Riders, a precision riding team made up of inmates.

The inmates participating in the rodeo are not trained like professionals in the rodeo world. This event is called "Pinball." A group of inmates spread out across the stadium ground and stand in hula hoops laid on the ground. A bull is released and the last man standing in his hoop is the winner. Guts and luck get you the cash prize. A staffer at the paper described it simply as "bloodsport" for the crowd's entertainment. I think that's a good fit.

"Convict Poker" The last man sitting at the table, or what's left of it, wins.

Inmate participants wait for their events to start. Kawan Stack(left) was waiting for the Wild Horse Race and Hymel Varnado(right) was there to take the place of any inmate who might decide at the last minute that the bull "looked a little too mean."

Playing around with B&W

Brenden Neville — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:06:05 +0000

Why? Who knows. I remember saying to a friend the other day that I never tone my pictures in black and white. Maybe the thought has been stuck in my brain for a while. Anyways, these are a couple that won’t be running with a story I shot this week about freshwater diversion projects near Venice, LA.

Footprints on an island beach. An island that didn't exist one year ago.

Riding a Plaquemines Parish Port Authority boat back to Venice.

Grilled Gator in Grosse Tete

Brenden Neville — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Yesterday I spent the morning making pictures at a swamp life expo in Grosse Tete, LA. It was basically a showcase of cajun food and cultural tidbits. Just before leaving I was treated to a taste of grilled alligator, courtesy of Grosse Tete native Rick Lacombe. The alligator was caught nearby in the Atchafalaya Spillway days before.

Honestly I wasn’t that impressed by the taste, but it wasn’t bad by any means. Click for big.

I’m not sure why the leave the head on. Makes for a good picture though!

Festival Latino

Brenden Neville — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:08:22 +0000

I spent a couple hours shooting the annual Festival Latino gathering in south Baton Rouge yesterday evening. The Hispanic community in Baton Rouge is strong and vibrant, but not always visible to a newcomer to the city like myself. These are some of the quieter moments that didn’t make it into the paper.

Ballet dancers take a break behind the main stage between rounds of dancing.

I want a hat just like this one.

Strange place to leave a camera

Brenden Neville — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:27:53 +0000

I was out shooting tours of an historical cemetery in Denham Springs yesterday. Someone left their camera hidden in this stone grave marker.