Utah Gay Marriage

It has been a busy few days in Utah. After a federal judge ruled Utah's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional last Friday, couples from around the area spent the weekend unsuccessfully chasing rumors about open city clerk's offices. By Monday morning, the county office in Ogden was scheduled to open at 8AM and the state attorney generals office was presenting they case for a stay on gay marriages at 9AM. I shot a fair amount of photos and video throughout the day, but here are a few of the highlights.

Gage Church, left, and Tim Sharp kiss at the Hampton Inn in Ogden after becoming the first gay couple to be legal married in Weber County on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013. Over 60 couples were married in hallways and side rooms of the hotel as they tried to beat a possible stay on the ruling to allow gay same-sex marriage in Utah. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Cody Carter, right, and his husband, Darren Hayes, center, get married in the hallway of the Hampton Inn in Ogden while another couple is married at the top of the stairs on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013. Over 60 couples were married in hallways and side rooms of the hotel in a two hour window as they tried to beat a possible stay on the ruling to allow same-sex marriage in Utah. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Hundreds of people line up outside of the county clerk's office in the Weber Center on Monday morning, Dec. 23, 2013, the first day that Weber County began accepting applications for same-sex marriage licenses. Couples began lining up outside the building at 10pm on Sunday night due to concern that the state might only issue licenses for one hour before a possible stay could be placed on the ruling that allowed same-sex marriage. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Homeless Outreach Video

I just finished a video on the coordinator of a new homeless outreach program in Weber County as he looked for winter camps and met with local homeless residents. Take a look.

You can read more about the program and see photos from the day here.

Bison Auction

Over the weekend I went to a bison auction for ranchers from around the Western U.S. and Canada put on by the Western Bison Association. I've posted a few photos below and you can see more here. Enjoy.

Vaughn Scott hopes on a gate to get out of the way of a 926 pound bison at the Wild West Buffalo Stampede Show and Sale at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Scott is the president of the Western Bison Association, who puts on the annual auction for ranchers from around the Western United States and Canada. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Ranchers and spectators watch as an 1,800 pound bison is auctioned off at the Wild West Buffalo Stampede Show and Sale at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Fifty-five bison from around the Western United States were sold at the annual event.(BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Rex Snyder, left, and Nolan Miller chat during the auction at the Wild West Buffalo Stampede Show and Sale at the Golden Spike Event Center in Ogden on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Snyder was down from Wyoming to sell some of his animals while Miller was visiting from Manitoba to act as a show judge. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Dishman Hills Natural Area

I took a brief hike in the Dishman Hills Natural Area during a recent trip to Spokane. We reached the location of the 2008 forest fire just as it was getting dark and the weather was taking a turn for the worse. Enjoy the photo.

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Nurture the Creative Mind Party

Last week was the fundraiser and anniversary party for Nurture the Creative Mind, a local non-profit arts group that I've been working with recently. The event was essentially a carnival of arts with some of the most amazing folks in Ogden (though maybe I'm a bit biased.) Some photos from the evening are below, including a few experiments with open shutters when there were people dancing in low-light. Enjoy.

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Logan Moonrise

I went snowshoeing in the Wellsville Mountains over the weekend and was disappointed when the weather forced me to turn around before reaching my planned photo spot. As if to make up for it, a full moon started to rise across the Cache Valley over Logan and I was able to get this photo.

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Veterans Day

While shooting a video at the local Veterans Day Parade over the weekend, I took a brief break to capture this photo of the local Junior ROTC and wanted to share it today.

The Ogden High School Junior ROTC waits along 25th Street in downtown Ogden at the end of the Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013. Hundreds of veterans, active service members and supporters marched down Washington Ave. to downtown. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Release the Pheasants

Last week, I went out with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as they released pheasants at Salt Creek WMA just before the start of the hunting season. This year, Utah is drastically increasing the number of birds being released. I also shot a video which you can find here, along with an article and more photos. Enjoy some of the selects below.

Mason Asay, center, releases a pheasant at Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area under the watch of Randy Berger, right, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Berger, the wetland manager, released over 300 pheasants the day before the start of hunting season. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Wetland Manager Randy Berger examines the beak of a captive-bred pheasant before its release at Salt Creek WMA on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. The bird was raised with blinders in order to keep it from attacking other pheasants. The blinders are an alternative to the old method of trimming beaks.  (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Dustin Mitchell releases pheasant sat Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. The release was the largest ever in the area. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Ogden Zombie Crawl

Ogden sure loves their zombies. This weekend I made it to the Ogden Zombie Crawl and got these images. You can see more online here. Happy Halloween.

©Standard-Examiner/Benjamin Zack

©Standard-Examiner/Benjamin Zack

©Standard-Examiner/Benjamin Zack

Bison Roundup

I went out and shot photos of the annual Antelope Island Bison Roundup over the weekend in the Great Salt Lake. The day managed to be pretty tricky in between shooting photos and video simultaneously, doing the whole thing on horseback, and dealing with several hundred running bison. You can see that video here as well as more photos. Enjoy.

©Standard-Examiner/Benjamin Zack

©Standard-Examiner/Benjamin Zack

©Standard-Examiner/Benjamin Zack

A Wide Look at Fall

I just wanted to post a few photos from the last couple weeks that I've just recently had time to edit. Enjoy the photos and the weekend.

Uinta Mountains
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Coldwater Canyon, Ogden, Utah
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Uinta Mountains
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

High School Mountain Biking

Over the weekend I photographed the new Utah High School Cycling League. Over 600 riders from around the state converged on Snowbasin for the third mountain bike race of the season. Enjoy the photos and video. More images can be found here.

©BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner

©BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner

©BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner

©BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner

©BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner

Mt. Watson Reflection

With winter setting in, the weather up here has been very calm and crisp in the mornings. This weekend I went up to the Uinta Mountains and played around with reflections in a few back country lakes before a late morning breeze broke up the water. The image below is obviously flipped.

Mt. Watson reflected in Wall Lake in the Uinta Mountains in Northern Utah.
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

October Snow

I've been surprised by the amazing colors during my first fall in Utah. I went up to Wheeler Creek near Huntsville yesterday to photograph a dusting of fresh snow on Mount Ogden. Enjoy.

Fall Colors on Wheeler Creek

I just wanted to put up a few photos from a hike up Wheeler Creek this weekend. The fall colors are really starting to come through in Northern Utah.

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Cross Country Video

I was shooting photos for a high school cross country meet this week and had a little extra time and created this video. To be honest, I ran cross country in high school and our soundtrack was all early Metallica with "Eye of the Tiger"thrown in occasionally. Hopefully the music here isn't too much of a stretch.

After Charlie

Last week I went out to Black Island Farms in Syracuse for work. In addition to photographing a surprise pig race, I also spoke with the owners about the late Charlie Black and followed some kids on their tour of the farm for the video below. Enjoy.

You can read more about Charlie and the farm here.

Baby Pig Races

I guess the title kind of says it all.

Fourth grade students from Backman Elementary School watch a baby pig race during a field trip to Black Island Farms in Syracuse on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. Students from around Northern Utah, Southern Idaho and Western Wyoming visit the farm throughout September and October. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Logan Canyon Cattle Drive

This video is a couple weeks old, but I wanted to get it up here. I put this together as a side piece to go with a large article and photo package on cattle in Northern Utah. I hope you enjoy.


Standard.net Video Player

edit: Due to the hosting from the newspaper's website, the video may not be visible on some phones and tablets.

In the Hot Air Balloon

Over the weekend, I had a chance to go on my first hot-air balloon ride. On the trip, I shot a small photo story and made a video about Teri Lee and Dan Montgomery, the couple who took me up on the ride. Below are a few of my favorite photos from the day.  Enjoy.

Teri Lee, left, and Dan Montgomery fly over Kaysville in a hot air balloon during the Antelope Island Stampede Festival on Saturday, August, 31, 2013. Throughout the weekend, three balloons are flying over Kaysville in the morning and over the island in the evening. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Dan Montgomery, left, takes Ryan Stringer on a hot air ballon ride at Oakridge County Club in Farmington on Saturday, August, 31, 2013. Montgomery was flying as part of the Antelope Island Stampede Festival and gave brief rides to golf course employees after landing on the eighth hole. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Dan Montgomery, left, takes Ryan Stringer on a hot air ballon ride at Oakridge County Club in Farmington on Saturday, August, 31, 2013. Montgomery was flying as part of the Antelope Island Stampede Festival and gave brief rides to golf course employees after landing on the eighth hole. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band

I don't know of many folks who can put on a show like The Big Damn Band. They passed through Utah yesterday and didn't disappoint.

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Brush Creek Caves

Last weekend I had a chance to explore Little Brush Creek and Big Brush Creek Caves in Eastern Utah. Little Brush is the longest cave in the state at around 5 miles in length, though we were only exploring part of it. Big Brush is a bit shorter, but an absolute maze (and in my opinion, it was my favorite cave of the weekend.) After the last few posts, these will be my last cave photos for a while. Enjoy.

Big Brush Creek Cave
 ©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Little Brush Creek Cave
 ©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Big Brush Creek Cave
 ©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Big Brush Creek Cave
 ©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Big Brush Creek Cave
 ©Benjamin Zack, 2013

Big Brush Creek Cave
 ©Benjamin Zack, 2013