Danny Gawlowski, video editor at The Seattle Times, gives a Final Cut Pro tutorial at the 2009 Kalish workshop in Muncie, Ind. PHOTO BY KEVIN MARTIN

The Kalish attracts a faculty of Emmy and Pulitzer Prize winning visual editors including Brian Storm, Geri Migielicz, Sue Morrow, Kenny Irby, Mark Edelson and other industry experts. The combination of faculty expertise and hands-on exercises has earned The Kalish a reputation for being unique, intense, stimulating and fun. This year $500 will give you four loooooong days of elbow-to-elbow instruction from some of the best in the business from June 4-7, 2010.

Minneapolis Star Tribune photo editor Jennifer Simonson, right, a talks with Concord Monitor photo editor Alexander Cohn, a photo at The Kalish workshop June 13, 2009 in Muncie, Ind. PHOTO BY KEVIN MARTIN

“I came to Kalish because I thought it was important to invest in myself at a time when the industry wasn’t investing so much in me,” said Michael P. King, a photojournalist at the Green Bay Press-Gazette and NPPA board member. “I always knew leadership was within me. Kalish helped bring that out. I think the curriculum here is unique. So many workshops focus on the tools, the cameras, the editing – this is more about how to use your brain and how to use your communications skills to effect change. It was about forging relationships and really working on the communication skills and conversation. I’ve never been to a seminar or workshop or any type of educational opportunity where I felt that I’ve had this much one-on-one time with the faculty. It’s not all work and no play. You need to celebrate your successes and I think the faculty has really emphasized that. To put in 120, 130, 140 percent in the classroom, at work, and then go out and enjoy life. It has a reputation for changing people … Shaping their character and their leadership skills.”

A Kalish student discusses an edit during a group activity at the 2009 workshop. PHOTO BY KEVIN MARTIN

The 2010 Kalish is accepting applications for the 21st edition of this venerable visual editing workshop. Find more information and apply at the workshop’s Web site, www.KalishWorkshop.org.

Paul Ruhter of the Billings Gazette in Billings, Mont., garnered the most points in the Monthly News Clip Contest to be the Still Photographer of the Year for Region 9. Ruhter received 604 points for the year, finishing more than 200 points ahead of the nearest competitors.

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Ruhter, who has been a working photojournalist for eight years, has been a staff photographer at the Billings Gazette for three years. Prior to moving to Montana he spent two years as a photographer at the Gillette (Wyo.) News-Record, just a few hours south of Billings.

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“My time in Billings has been memorable,” Ruhter wrote in an email. “The sports scene has kept me very busy.”

Tessa Sian celebrates with Nikki Bolton after Huntley Project High School defeated Red Lodge in the semi-final game of the Class B state tournament in Bozeman on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. Huntley Project went on to win the state championship. The team didn't play a home game all season after a fire destroyed their school in 2008. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette

Tyler Hawkins of Billings Central walks off the court while Skyview players celebrate their 48-45 victory Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, in Billings, Mont. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette

Though Ruhter said sports coverage dominates his work at the Gazette, many of his winning clips are from spot-news events and in-depth feature stories.
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“I think 2009 was a good year because I consistently supplied my editors and our readers with good images,” he wrote. “I’ve always been humble about winning awards, but I understand like many photographers do that awards don’t make photographers great. We all have favorite images that have never won awards. I remind myself that my work is judged by our readers every day.”

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Ruhter said he continues to draw inspiration from the Charlie Rosendale, who was the photo editor at the Uniontown Herald-Standard in Pennsylvania, where Ruhter landed his first job the day after he graduated from the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver.

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“[Charlie] passed away a year ago,” Ruhter said. “He was a true teacher. I am still learning from him and the examples he set.”

Huntley Project head volleyball coach Iona Stookey looks over her team's stats during a bus ride home to Worden on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. The team played a home game at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings and has also traveled to Billings Skyview, Billings Senior, Billings Central, and Shepherd for home games this season after a fire destroyed their school in 2008. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette

Billings Police apprehend Willy Anton Redd, 22, and check his medical status after a foot-chase lead to a 90-minute standoff outside a home on South 29th Street on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette

When asked about his most memorable assignment of 2009, Ruhter described a story about a teen mother who decided to give her baby up for adoption.
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“The story proved to be very time consuming but very rewarding in the relationships that were made,” he wrote. “We followed [the teen mother] and her family through several emotional months. Natasha and her family opened their lives to us and we experienced the heartbreak of saying good-by to a newborn baby. I photographed a few tense moments where I was alone in a hospital room with Natasha and her baby, moments before she said goodbye. It was the first time I’ve ever cried behind my camera. At the end, every one of us, including the hospital nurse who took the baby away, was sobbing. Laura and I also put together an audio slideshow that won a NPPA multimedia award. Overall, the story was inspiring and rewarding in so many ways.”

A day after delivery, Natasha gives her baby a last kiss and lays him down before leaving the hospital. She doesn't want to see him again for at least four years. "I have no fears. I have no regrets," Natasha said. The baby was taken to his new adoptive parents waiting down the hallway. Photo by Paul Ruhter / Billings Gazette

Tied for second in the NPPA Region 9 contest with 474 points were Michael Smith of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle and Nathan Payne of the Gillette News-Record. Alton Strupp of the Gillette News-Record placed third with 458 points. The final clip contest point standings for Region 9 can be found at the bottom of this page.