A young boy relaxes under the mist tree in Discovery Green Park in Houston, Texas.

One of my regular editorial clients is my hometown newspaper, The Houston Chronicle. Since the majority of my workload lately consists of work that differs from my work as a newspaper photojournalist, getting an assignment from the Chron often seems like a much needed break. The variety of things a newspaper photojournalist photographs is vast, from sports to portraits, and you never know what you’re going to get. From drag racing to triathlons, I have photographed a ton of different events in the first 6 months of this year, 2010. I have also had the pleasure of meeting and making portraits of several interesting characters from MLS soccer stars to skilled surgeons.

The gallery below highlights some of my favorite images shot on assignment for The Houston Chronicle during the first 6 months (January – June) of 2010. The group of images may not necessarily represent the “best” photos in a journalistic sense (depends on who you ask) merely my favorite photos for whatever reason. Although I tried my best to showcase images and assignments that were not previously featured on the blog, some of the images may be familiar. Some of the images made it into either the print edition or the web edition of the publication and some images were simply outtakes that I deemed interesting for whatever reason. Please note that some images may appear differently than those originally sent to the publication for print, as I went back into the archives and did a few different edits, but for the most part the images were plucked from my “sent” folder.

Please let me know what you think, and of course, please use the “TWEET” button at the end of this post to share with friends!

PS: Click here to check out the new blog from the photo staff over at The Houston Chronicle entitled “Depth of Field”.

BEST OF THE CHRON 2010 (JAN-JUNE) – Images by Todd Spoth

Earlier this month I spent a few hours with the University of Houston – Downtown‘s powerlifting team in their small gym space on their commuter campus downtown. The rather large team was cramped into a small public space in the school’s recreation center which made my assignment a little tough. What the team lacked in facilities they made up for in talent. The team, led by Dr. John Hudson PhD, a record-holding powerlifter in his own right. The team is a small, tight-knit family with several members competing for current world records and collegiate championships.

Even though I had limited time with the team, their workout was a blast to shoot and everyone was very enthusiastic about the team and about powerlifting in general. The camaraderie amongst the teammates was contagious. Check out the Houston Chronicle story on the University of Houston – Downtown powerlifting team on the Chronicle’s website and check out the rest of the images and layout below.