Brad Bradley is immortalized in the Cotton Bowl, SMU athletics and College Football halls of fame. He also was at the forefront of Dallas’ 1960 infancy in not one, but two pro football leagues.

Bradley achieved legendary status without a solitary block, tackle or thrown pass, but, rather, through hundreds of thousands of photographs that he captured through keen eyes, sense of moment and because he seemingly was, well, ever-present.

James T. “Brad” Bradley died Friday morning in his University Park home. He was 101.

Bradley worked 75 of the 87 Cotton Bowls, now officially known as the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The only reason his streak of 74 straight was interrupted was due to COVID-19 restrictions for the 2020 game.

“Mr. Bradley is a Cotton Bowl Classic treasure,” Cotton Bowl Athletic Association president and CEO Rick Baker said Friday. “His impact on our game and generations of sports fans is truly immeasurable.

“Brad has been a fixture at our game since Doak Walker played in the Classic in 1948. He lived such an incredible life and we will miss him dearly. We will always remember and celebrate him as a Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Famer.”

Bradley was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2007 and into SMU’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

Though ironman in length, his Cotton Bowl streak was forged by his unwavering professionalism, heart of gold and gentle spirit. Centenarians generally outlive their friends, but several hundred of Bradley’s gathered on SMU’s campus for his July 23, 2022 centennial birthday celebration.

“Every day I wake up knowing it’s going to be a great day,” Bradley said when The News visited his home for a 2016 profile story. “I’m so fortunate because taking photographs, creating memories that last forever, never feels like work.”

Bradley’s quiet disposition contrasted that of his affable father-in-law and longtime business partner, Jim Laughead.

Dallas was their base and SMU was their first major client, but they annually traveled the country in a station wagon, primarily taking football photos on college campuses and for and professional teams. By 1970 they had contracts with 35 colleges and 12 NFL teams.

Laughead and Bradley pioneered the posed stock-action photos of athletes that became a staple of newspapers in the 1950s and ‘60s. Rudimentary camera technology made taking quality game-action photos next to impossible.

While photographing a Mississippi State linebacker, they asked him to perform the Hucklebuck Dance, producing a suitable posed “action,” shot. Thus was born the “Huckin’ & Buckin’ photo technique.

Bradley, born and raised on a farm between Mansfield and Arlington, married Betty Laughead, herself an accomplished photographer, in 1946.

The births of daughter Iris (1954) and son Jim (1963) did not slow the burgeoning family business. For a decade, Brad and Betty traveled to major league baseball spring camps in Florida to take headshots of every player for Topps bubble gum cards.

Bradley’s associations with SMU and the Cotton Bowl naturally fostered a friendship of an early ‘50s Mustangs reserve football player named Lamar Hunt, who in 1959 would go on to co-found the American Football League, including Hunt’s Dallas Texans.

Brad and Betty worked Dallas Texans games for coach Hank Stram from 1960 until the franchise left for Kansas City in 1963. Stram had Brad and Betty produce 40-to-50 Polaroids per game, rushing each to the sideline during the game to help coaches explain blocking scheme adjustments.

After the Texans won the 1962 AFL championship game, a double-overtime victory over Houston, Hunt presented to Betty a football inscribed: “The Longest Game With The Happiest Ending.”

Jim Laughed died in 1978. Betty died in 2010. Brad Bradley, with son Jim as his assistant, forged on, creating countless memories for countless photo subjects and their loved ones.

It’s a lasting legacy of a 101-year life, the unassuming artist who became a beloved Dallas institution. One photograph at a time.

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Landscape photographers often employ filters for a variety of reasons in order to shape and improve their images. With so many options out there, it can be difficult for a beginner to know which filters are truly useful and which you can probably live without. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing some of the most important filters for the genre. 

Coming to you from Alister Benn of Expressive Photography, this great video tutorial discusses the use of filters in landscape filters, particularly ND filters and polarizing filters. The beauty of ND filters is that they allow you to use much longer shutter speeds than would otherwise be possible, allowing you to do things like create silky smooth flows of water and cloud. When it comes to a polarizing filter, the most important thing to remember is that some of its effects cannot be recreated in post-processing, particularly their ability to cut down on reflections and allow you to bring out more color or things like leaves that are underwater. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Benn.

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, “Photographing the World: Japan With Elia Locardi!” 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Bereavement photography can help families grieving the loss of infants, advocates of the service say. 

The World Health Organization estimates that one in four pregnancies around the world are cut short by a miscarriage. Many women report that losing a baby is an isolating experience shrouded in stigma, shame and silence. A 2019 study published in the journal “Global Pediatric Health” found that bereavement photography helps parents navigate the cycle of grief by helping them share their experience, giving them something to hold onto, helping them move forward with their lives and reinforcing that they are still parents – even though their baby is gone. 

Ann Smith, the director of women’s and children’s health at Novant Forsyth Medical Center, said allowing couples to talk about their loss helps many families through the grief process. 

“I’m hoping the more we talk about it, the more we share about the importance of… perinatal grieving and bereavement, that we can get past that. So that… will make it more open for families to talk about it, because some people never get past that and they struggle,” Smith said. 

Smith said couples who are not allowed the space to grieve and cope can have a higher chance of getting a divorce, being affected by stress-related diseases and suffering from poor mental health. Her team works to support families who’ve lost a child, from grief counseling to providing infant bereavement photography services. 

Bereavement educator and professional photographer Deneen Bryan runs a nonprofit called Capturing Hopes, which focuses on taking professional quality photos of babies in the NICU. She also created its sister program – Little Lights at Novant Forsyth Medical Center, which takes pictures of babies who’ve passed on. 

“There’s nothing we can do to take away the pain that they’re going through, but we can at least comfort them some, with them being able to have professional photos. Rather than just, like, a Polaroid photo that could fade or a cellphone photo that’s dark and grainy,” Bryan said. 

Through the years, she’s helped many families realize their dream of a beautiful newborn photoshoot, even as their hearts are breaking. She takes traditional posed photos, but she also uses a newer technique that was piloted at Novant. It’s called neonatal immersion photography. 

Bryan fills a clear tub with saline water, which she says mimics the mother’s womb, places the infant inside, and photographs through the top or the side of the tub. 

“It will clear up their skin and make their color a little better. It also delays decomposition. It just creates a beautiful photo that people love,” Bryan said. 

Bryan lost her daughter, Christina, in 1998 when she was six months old. She knows the path these families walk, and that time can fade even the strongest of memories. She wants to help them remember every detail of their time with their child. 

Cassie Gregory, a registered nurse and Little Lights co-coordinator at Novant Forsyth Medical Center, also takes photos as part of the program. She hopes every family realizes how much their nurses and photographers genuinely care and grieve along with them. 

“This is a volunteer-based service that we offer. So no one is forced to do this. This isn’t just, oh, that’s part of my job role, let me get it done. If we are coming in your room to do these photos for your family and take care of you… we’re grieving with you. We are so sad for the loss of your baby, as well, and we’re honored that we got to help you get this beautiful, tangible thing that you can hold on to forever to remember your sweet baby’s life by,” Gregory said. 

Michelle and Stephen Linkous lost their son, James, in 2013. Bryan took pictures of him in the NICU and after he passed away. They said the pictures helped them navigate one of the darkest periods of their lives. 

“The photos have just given us so much that have allowed us to carry him with us. And I don’t know how we would have done that… without those. So I think the grieving process would have been much harder for us without the photos,” Michelle Linkous said. 

They said friends and family can support someone who has lost a child by communicating their love, giving them space to talk about their child, taking them food, offering to care for their other children, sitting with them and checking in on their baby’s birthday to share that they remember the little one. 

“I think people almost become fearful or shy away from that family in a way. They want to support them, friends, family want to support them, but they don’t know how,” Michelle Linkous said. “I didn’t forget that my baby died. You know, it’s going to go a lot further for me by saying you remember.”  

Stephen and Michelle Linkous both said to not tell a grieving family that they can always have more children later, this too shall pass, at least you have other children at home, heaven needed another angel or this will pass. 

They encourage other families to consider taking these pictures, even if they’re not ready to look at them until years later. 

“We want every family that experiences what we experienced to be able to have those,” Stephen Linkous said. 

More information about Capturing Hopes and Little Lights is available here. 

HASTINGS, Fla. – SnapJAX Stories is back and this week we were blown away by one of our snapper’s pictures. Turns out he’s a nature photographer and he’s been capturing images for almost 50 years.

Joe Myers, better known as “Long Hair Guy” on SnapJAX, truly lives up to his nickname. He has a mane of beautiful blonde hair.

“So it’s natural, all-natural. No plans on cutting it. People ask me about it. I tell them I need what little I got. They go silent every time,” Myers said.

Myers’ pictures might also leave you speechless. The best sunsets, extraordinary cloud formations and dramatic lightning all caught on camera — mostly in Hastings. (Photo gallery above of some of Myers’ shares on SnapJAX)

Myers moved from Ohio some years ago and fell in love with what he calls “the real Florida.” He’s a self-described nature photographer and storm spotter.

“(I like) to show people the cool stuff that’s out here so they can enjoy it and say, ‘Hey, this is a Florida we don’t see.’ You go to Florida, you see Disney, you see all the flying and bling, but you come out here: This to me is the real Florida,” Myers said.

One of his talents is capturing time-lapse video, and he’s not afraid to put himself in the middle of a storm to get amazing footage.

“I actually had a good scare back in April where I had a supercell just explode right on top of me,” Myers said. “Normally when I’m out in a storm, it’s like, ‘Bring it on. Bring it on.’ But this one is like, ‘Am I gonna make it through?’”

But it’s the calm after the storm, the sun setting after a hectic day, birds in flight and spectacular butterflies taking a rest on flowers that have shaped Myers’ life and given him a point of view that only a detailed person with true patience can appreciate.

I asked him what his life motto or mission statement would be.

“I would say, ‘Trust the Creator’ because this is all here for our enjoyment. It’s put here for us not to abuse or destroy it but to enjoy it. Have fun with it because that’s what it’s put here for,” Myers said.

One thing we didn’t see when I met Myers was “the big one.” Myers said there’s a 10-foot gator that lives in a nearby lake and travels over to a smaller body of water every night right around dinner time.

On that note, we left, but not without Myers leaving a lasting impression about his love of nature.

James T. “Brad” Bradley, who photographed 75 Cotton Bowls, dating back to Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker’s first appearance in the game in 1948, died Friday morning at his Dallas home, according to the Cotton Bowl. He was 101.

Bradley photographed every game except for the 2020 contest during the COVID-19 pandemic, the only game he missed in 76 years. He photographed this year’s Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame enshrinement in May.

“My life, I believe, was extended because of the joy that I gathered from traveling around the country, working with athletes,” Bradley told WFAA in Dallas this year.

Bradley attended Ohio State and first became interested in the profession after watching a classmate, four-time gold medalist Jesse Owens, and wanting to photograph him. Bradley later came to Dallas at the urging of his father-in-law, Jim Laughead, who shot sports photos for colleges around the country.

Together, Bradley and Laughead pioneered the famed “Huck & Buck” style of portraits, where players were posing with stiff-arms, leaping or diving toward the camera. The style became popular beginning in the 1950s and became the standard pose for media guides or football cards. By 1970, they were the photographers for 35 colleges and 12 NFL teams, according to the Cotton Bowl.

“Mr. Bradley is a Cotton Bowl Classic treasure,” Cotton Bowl Athletic Association president and CEO Rick Baker said in a statement. “His impact on our game and generations of sports fans is truly immeasurable. Brad has been a fixture at our game since Doak Walker played in the Classic in 1948. He lived such an incredible life and we will miss him dearly. We will always remember and celebrate him as a Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Famer.”

Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum knew Bradley dating to his time as a player at McNeese State.

“I’ve got a picture of me holding a ball out in front of me like I was catching a pass hanging on my wall” from a Laughead session at McNeese, Slocum said. “They’d say, ‘OK, now, huck and buck, huck and buck.’ You had to run at the camera and turn like you are making a big cut.”

Slocum later coached in the Cotton Bowl seven times, and Bradley was always present.

“I bet there’s not one person in the world who didn’t like Brad,” Slocum said. “I’ve got nothing but really good memories of being around him.”

Bradley was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2007 and the College Football Hall of Fame featured the Bradley-Laughead archives with a special exhibit in 2018. Bradley was also honored in the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

As a first-generation Mexican American documentary and lifestyle photographer, David Hanes-González uses his camera as a tool to understand and strengthen his roots.

One of those was No Te Dejes, a project that documents the passion and love that goes into the boxing community of Mexico City for two years, a period of time in which David lived in México for the first time.

Growing up in Chicago to a Mexican mom from la ciudad de San Luis Potosí, in the state of México, David knew some stories about México. At home, he would go to parties with music from Los Ángeles Azules and Luis Miguel while eating Mexican antojitos.

The pride of being Mexican wasn’t always seen in a positive light as a result of the pain and trauma of his maternal family escaping a difficult upbringing. Coming to the United States was a big victory for his mom, her three sisters, brother and his abuelita — an opportunity for a better life. Each day was a fight, a fight for a better future. Like many Chicanos and first generation kids, David struggled with his identity. “I was too Mexican for my American friends and too American for my Mexican friends,” David said. “I never knew where I belonged and struggled classifying my ethnicity on standardized tests in school.”

As an adult, he used his camera to bridge that gap, to understand that part of his identity outside of Chicago as a concert photographer for Tiny Desk’s resident Girl Ultra and Clubz.

No Te Dejes is a combination of his love of boxing, a sport he was first introduced to in Chicago by his father, who would take him to amateur fights as a teenager and later trained as an adult. Inside the boxing gym was where he was told how relevant boxing was in México and the caliber of the Mexican boxers, de los que no se rinden, those who don’t give up in a fight. A famous fighting style defined by having more heart and always moving forward. “Boxing is deeply intertwined with Mexican culture almost as much as maíz,” he said.

David lived in Mexico City in 2021, going from gym to gym across La Merced, Tepito, Transito, Tacubaya, Granjas México, San Juan de Aragón, Chimalhuacán and Ecatepec de Morelos, immersing himself in the culture and traditions in México, in the city where his mom was born. It was his first time experiencing México unfiltered, as a way to discover an identity that was previously filtered through the lenses of the U.S.

During his time in Mexico, he learned that boxing is not just a sport — boxing is a religion, a lifestyle that unifies boxers often training and fighting for a better future. To step foot in the boxing ring, you must have guts, courage and a warrior’s spirit. For Mexican boxers, boxing is also about honor and national pride. You have to be brave. It is being willing to receive two hooks to give a good one.

He drew a lot of parallels in his mom and family’s story. When he looked in the eyes of boxer Lupita Martinez — someone who has paved the way for women in the sport in México — he saw strength; the same strength that his mom and grandma had when coming to the United States.

He has taken 25,000 photos and narrowed them down to 28 that capture the soul of Mexican boxing for his photo exhibition in Mexico City from Sept. 23-Oct. 21.

With his project No Te Dejes, he wants people to feel the love, faith and resilience displayed in the well-respected Mexican boxing style and also in his Mexican identity. “I’m from a family of fighters and, for the past 2 years, I’ve been able to train and document Mexico’s fighting spirit.”

See more of David’s work online at DavidHanesGonzalez.com or on Instagram, at @davidmfoto.