• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Brad Tollefson

Professional Photojournalist

  • Blog
    • Sports
    • News
    • Commercial
    • Travel
  • Portfolio
    • Journalism
    • Sports
    • Portraits
    • Video
    • Photos of the Year
    • Photo Stories
  • About
  • Prints
  • Project 365
    • Project 365: 2019
You are here: Home / Blog / Photos of the Year: 2016

Photos of the Year: 2016

January 1, 2017 by Brad Tollefson Leave a Comment

2016 was a year full of fun and exciting times. I got to welcome my precious niece into the world. It marked the first full year of my employment with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. At times it seemed as though I following the Postal Creed to the letter. Neither rain nor snow nor heat kept me from going out to photograph the wild weather of the South Plains. Photographically the year was full of celebration and defeat. Elections and parades. News and features.

Additionally, you can check out some of my previous photos of the year slideshows dating back to 2011.

Snow on the Masked Rider

While Lubbock was still recovering from Winter Storm Goliath, another snow storm blew into the South Plains. I braved the snow and drove up to campus. When I arrived I was rewarded with big, fluffy flakes of snow fluttering in the wind. There I set up a tripod and snapped away while at the Masked Rider statue and the statue of Will Rogers and Soapsuds.

Snow lands on the statue of the Masked Rider on Friday, Jan. 8, 2015, at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)
Snow lands on the statue of the Masked Rider on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Texas Tech Celebration Against Oklahoma

This was my very first assignment freelancing for the Associated Press. At this moment Texas Tech defeated the No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Toddrick Gotcher ran toward the crowd to celebrate as the crowd ran onto the court to celebrate.

Texas Tech's Toddrick Gotcher runs toward the fans to celebrate after an NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 65-63. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)
Toddrick Gotcher runs toward the fans to celebrate after an NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 65-63. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)

Toddrick Gotcher Proposal

In the middle of the game, there was a rumor going around that Toddrick Gotcher would propose to his girlfriend. Following the senior day victory against Kansas State, Gotcher grabbed a microphone and went up to former Texas Tech athlete, Kelly  McQuaid and proposed to her.

Toddrick Gotcher proposes to his girlfriend Kelly McQuaid after an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas State on Saturday, March 5, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders won 80-71. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Lubbock Christian Championship

The undefeated Lady Chaps had the opportunity to host the first few rounds of the NCAA Division II National Championship. Here they lifted the regional champion trophy after winning to move onto the Elite Eight in Indianapolis, Ind.

Lubbock Christian players hold the trophy up after the Lady Chaps’ 88-68 victory against West Texas A&M on Sunday, March 13, 2016, a the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas. The victory sends the Lady Chaps on to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championship. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Baseball Collision

I happened to capture this by pure accident. I was following Floydada’s Abraham Perez as he ran between second and third base when he crashed into New Deal’s Cipriano Barajas.

Floydada’s Abraham Perez (20) collides New Deal’s Cipriano Barajas (2) as he misses the ball during New Deal’s game against Floydada on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, in New Deal, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Cesar E. Chavez March

Lubbock residents marched along University Avenue to celebrate Cesar E. Chavez. To add more information to the picture I walked in front of the banner to show the name and all of the marchers in the background.

Marchers walk down University Avenue during the Cesar Chavez march on Saturday, April 9, 2016, at Lubbock, Texas. The march began at Hodges Park and continued to Cavazos Middle School. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Regional Tennis Collision

Much like the baseball collision, I caught this moment by chance. Cherokee was chasing down the ball when she knocked down half of the barricade net.

Lubbock High’s Cherokee Hernandez runs into a net while returning the ball during her doubles match with Peyton Trebisky on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at Lubbock Country Club in Lubbock, Texas. Hernandez and Trebisky won their match in the UIL 5A Region 1 Championship to compete in the state tournament. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Hail and Rain in Floydada

On this day, Jordan Sigler and I were driving north to chase down a storm system that was producing hail and tornadoes. Once we turned on the highway to intercept the cell between Lockney and Floydada a bright rainbow appeared in the sky. Then the hail began falling from the south. The driver of this truck was likely very confused when he saw me standing in the hail on the side of the road taking his picture.

A rainbow appears in the sky while hail falls on the road during a storm near Floydada, Texas, on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

100 Meter Crash

As Kaisha Roberts crossed the finish line I expected her to celebrate. However, she tripped and fell to the ground shortly after crossing the line.

Plainview’s Kaisha Roberts falls after crossing the finish line in the 100M dash during the UIL Region 1 4A/5A Track Meet on Saturday, April 30, 2016, at PlainsCapital Park – Lowrey Field in Lubbock, Texas. Roberts finished second in the race and qualified for the state competition. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Texas Tech Tennis

There’s nothing particularly notable about this picture. I just enjoyed the strong eye contact, lighting and placement of the racket and ball on either side of her face.

Texas Tech’s Sarah Dvorak hits the ball back to Mississippi State’s Jasmine Lee during an NCAA tennis match Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. The Lady Raiders won the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship second round match 4-2. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Coronado Graduation

The upper levels of the USA are rather dark compared to the court level. So here I framed a parent as he took a picture of a new graduate from Coronado High.

Mike Anderson takes a photo of Caden Norman as he receives his diploma during the Coronado High graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2016, at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Election Elation

After waiting around for election results to come in, Lala Chavez received a phone call to hear that she won.

Lala Chavez celebrates after learning she won the second election for the LISD School Board during a watch party at her house Tuesday, June 7, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Fireworks

While shooting the Buffalo Springs Triathlon a couple weeks earlier, I found an ideal overlook to photograph the annual fireworks display. I brought out the long lens to fill the frame with the fireworks.

Fireworks explode in the sky during the Fireworks Extravaganza, Sunday, July 3, 2016, at Buffalo Springs Lake in Buffalo Springs, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Nosybody

While taking pictures of Berkeley Branham saddling a horse for the rides, another one stuck its nose straight into the camera lens.

Berkeley Branham tries to put a saddle on a horse during the 4th on the 5th Independence Day celebration Tuesday, July 5, 2016, at Bryan Patterson Park in Wolfforth, Texas. Whitley Acres provided dozens of animals for the petting zoo. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Record High

In the middle of a heat wave, I went around a few parks looking for residents trying to beat the heat. I found this father and daughter enjoying the playground equipment.

Kale Ferguson, from Lamesa, pushes his daughter Reese on a zip line ride Thursday, July 7, 2016, at Maxey Park in Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock broke a record high temperature for July 7 with 108, beating the previous record of 103 from 1998. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Retro Reflection

Looking for some unique angles I found this reflective hubcap on a Ford Model A. The difficult portion was keeping myself out of the reflection. If you look closely, you can see my knee right in front of the El Camino’s bumper.

A reflection of a 1958 El Camino SS in a 1931 Ford Model A during the Caprock Classic Car Club’s Nostalgia Car Show on Saturday, July 16, 2016, in Slaton, Texas. The car show featured hundreds of cars from vintage to modern models. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Joyland

It was surprisingly more difficult that expected to hold a camera still while facing backwards on a moving ammusement ride.

Coronado’s Qua Gray, Lubbock High’s Blake Robbins and Monterey’s Corbin Whitfield, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, at Joyland in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Powerman Zofingen

 

Jenna Hay, from North Richland Hills, is competing in the Powerman World Champs duathlon in Zofingen, Switzerland on September 4, 2016. Powerman Zofingen has three segments, 10-kilometer run, 150-kilometer bike ride, and a 30-kilometer run. Pictured at Mae Simons Park Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Texas Tech Graduation

Every year graduation ceremonies commence with little trouble. While Turgut Baturalp was accepting diploma the dean struggled to place the hood over his head, knocking off his cap in the process.

Turgut Baturalp, a master of mechanical engineering, receives his hood during the fall commencement ceremony Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Building Fences

After a slew of goats at the LISD Ag Barn were killed in the previous weeks the district decided to update security around the student’s animals.

Josh Sillivent, an All-State Fence & Supply employee, hits a new fence post with a sledgehammer to level it with the other posts Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, at the Lubbock ISD Ag Barn in Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock ISD is replacing the 4-foot fence around the goat pen with a 6-foot fence and barbed wire. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Will Rogers Rainbow

While on campus filming B-roll for a separate project a faint hint of a rainbow appeared in the sky. I rushed toward the statue of Will Rogers and Soapsuds. The rainbow continued to spread across the sky centered above the statue.

A rainbow fills the sky behind the statue of Will Rogers and Soapsuds, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, at in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Lubbock-Cooper Celebration

Between the players, cheerleaders, students and fans this picture has multiple layers of visible celebration.

Lubbock-Cooper’s players celebrate after the Lady Pirates’ 3-0 victory over Frenship on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, at Lubbock-Cooper High in Woodrow, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Retail Repair

While walking along 34th Street looking for flooded cars I came across employees trying to keep the water out of their store.

Brian Tilden, from Lubbock, sweeps rain water across the floor Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at Rent-A-Center near 34th Street and University Avenue in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Raining Day

On the same day as the flood above, I heard a rumor that the flood water gets deep around Stumpy Hamilton Park. While driving there I had to park a couple blocks away to avoid getting stuck. I came across some Lubbock High students looking in their cars to see how deep the water was inside.

A Lubbock High student looks into his friend’s car to see the water level Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, near 23rd Street and Avenue W in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Lubbock Lightning

In what ended up being an incredibly long night, it turned out to be enjoyable sitting on the roof watching the lightning stretch across the sky.

Lightning fills the sky above downtown during a thunderstorm on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Made Goals

In an effort to show new abilities I began practicing using remote cameras. Here’s a simple goal shot from a remote set behind the soccer net.

Texas Tech’s Rebekah O’Brien (22) scores a goal past Iowa State’s Lindsey Hendon (1) during the Red Raiders’ 3-0 victory against the Cyclones, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, at John Walker Soccer Complex in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Panhandle South Plains Fair

Looking to showcase the numerous foods available at the fair, I came across Jonathan King who was eating two corndogs at the same time.

Jonathan King, from Lubbock, eats a corn dog during the Panhandle South Plains Fair, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Losing Season

Even though it was only the fifth game of the season, this shot of Patrick Mahomes at the end of the loss to Kansas State sums up the feeling of the whole season.

Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes (5) sits on the ground as Kansas State players celebrate the win during the Red Raiders’ football game against Kansas State on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, at Bill Synder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Zach Smith Dunk

A Zach Smith dunk is always predictable. Especially during a dunk contest.

Texas Tech’s Zach Smith dunks the ball during the Homecoming and Hoops pep rally Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. The pep rally gave fans a chance to see the basketball teams in action before the season begins. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Volleyball Tips

At times you have to utilize the layout of a gym for specific pictures. Here I was able to look straight down the top of the net as Meagan Ellis tipped the ball over the net.

Hereford’s Meagan Ellis (4) tips the ball over the net during Coronado’s 3-1 loss to Hereford in a Bi-district playoff match, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, at the Wayland Baptist Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Football Hurdles

Photographing a clean hurdle can be nice, but the excitement goes away when the ball is fumbled immediately after the hurdle.

Texas Tech’s Derrick Willies (11) jumps over Texas’ Jason Hall (31) and around John Bonney (24) before fumbling the ball during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Takedown

It is easy to feel Ward’s pain as he yells out during this tackle.

Texas Tech’s Da’Leon Ward (32) is tackled by Baylor’s Ira Lewis (97) during the Red Raiders’ football game against Baylor, Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Red Raiders 54-35 victory gave the team their first win against the Bears in six seasons. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

2016 Carol of Lights

Years ago, I was able to make my way up into the Carillon Tower to get pictures of the carillonneurs performing during Carol of Lights. This year I was able to do it again.

Luke Richardson, left, and Tom Hughes, right, perform on the carillon bells during Carol of Lights, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, at Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Lone Star Varsity Super Team

While looking portrait ideas around Main Event, one option stood out above the rest. A giant Pac-Man machine.

Levelland’s Nick Gerber is named the Lone Star Varsity Super Team MVP. Photographed on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, at Main Event in Lubbock, Texas. (Brad Tollefson/A-J Media)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Photos of the Year

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Recent Posts

  • Photos of the Year: 2019
  • Texas Tech vs. Louisville Jimmy V Classic Basketball 2019
  • Project 365: December 2019
  • Retrospective of Will Rogers and Soapsuds
  • Project 365: November 2019

Archives

  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (2)
  • November 2019 (2)
  • October 2019 (3)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (2)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (9)
  • May 2019 (3)
  • April 2019 (5)
  • March 2019 (5)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • October 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (6)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (16)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (10)
  • February 2018 (7)
  • January 2018 (7)
  • December 2017 (3)
  • November 2017 (8)
  • October 2017 (8)
  • September 2017 (8)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (4)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (4)
  • March 2017 (4)
  • February 2017 (2)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • August 2014 (1)

Categories

  • Blog (143)
  • Commercial (3)
  • Music (2)
  • News (11)
  • Portraits (7)
  • Sports (110)
  • Travel (1)
  • Video (32)

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Blogroll

  • Lauren Garrison
  • Mark Rogers
  • Sarah Schmidt
  • Sam Grenadier
  • John Moore
  • Isaac Villalobos
  • Jerod Foster
  • Jay Crain
  • Abbie Burnett
  • Justin Rex

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...