Photo Potpourri

Downtown Indy, from high up

2012-01-26T23:54:00.006-05:00

It isn't often that one gets to shoot pictures of a scenic area from an extreme elevated perspective. So when the chance to photograph downtown Indianapolis from the top floor of the 37-floor One America Building presented itself this past Saturday, I snapped away.

I bracketed all of my shots for later high-dynamic range (HDR) treatment so I could cull maximum detail from the shots even though it was an overcast day. HDR usually is reserved for high-contrast situations, where light in one section of the pictures is very bright, and light in another area is very dark. But I've enjoyed using HDR for days like this one, simply because it gives the image a rich texture.

These pictures include several Indiana landmarks -- Lucas Oil Stadium (above), home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts -- and the site of this year's Super Bowl XLVI; the bright blue (and new) JW Marriott Hotel; the Indiana State Capitol; the Eli Lilly and Co. campus; Monument Circle, considered the heart of Indianapolis; and the Indianapolis Artsgarden, an atrium-like facility built as part of a pedestrian walkway in the heart of downtown over Washington Street (U.S. 40), the main east-west thoroughfare in Indianapolis.

Above and next two below: The blue JW Marriott Hotel, which opened within the past year, in various perspectives and caught in the process of afixing a large image of the Lombardi Trophy on its east facade. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl.

Above and below: The Indiana Statehouse, from a couple perspectives.

Above: Regions Bank, with the southern origin of Massachusetts Avenue, one of Indy's six cultural district, extending diagonally to the left.

Above: Looking down toward Virginia Avenue, another diagonal thoroughfare that begins downtown. Mass Ave extends northeast; Virginia Avenue, southeast.

Above: In the distance, the expansive campus of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co.

Above: Monument Circle, a brick-covered roundabout encircling Miss Victory, a sculpture commemorating the Civil War.

Above: The Hyatt-Regency Hotel, which for the longest time until about 10 years ago or so was Indy's largest hotel. The circular section on the right is the Eagle's Nest, a revolving restaurant that offers diners a spectacular view of the downtown skyline.

Above: The Indianapolis Artsgarden extending over Washington Street (and connected to Circle Centre mall), although the street you see in the picture is actually Illinois Street, which intersects Washington at the Artsgarden.

Above: Looking northeast down diagonal Mass Ave.

Above: A good grouping of downtown Indy's largest skyscrapers, including -- in the foreground -- Indiana's largest building, the Chase Bank tower. At left is the Regions Bank Building; at right, the City-County municipal government building.

Above and next two below: Shots taken from University Park, several blocks east of the One America Building. Above, a leading lines composition; the Indiana War Memorial and Museum is the limestone structure in the background. First below, the fountain in University Park; second below, a statue in the park -- it's of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president of the United States and the only native Hoosier to ascend to the presidency.

A flicker of strobe light in the dark to capture moving objects in water

2012-01-20T22:46:00.004-05:00

Lots of recent shoots to catch up with, and today, I'm going to go with the most recent one first. These are some fun shots I grabbed Wednesday when members of the Indiana Photographic Society got together for its weekly meeting at the Garfield Park Art Center in Indianapolis.

Wednesday was supposed to be tabletop day: Club members were to bring their cameras and any props they wanted to place on tables for them and anyone else to photograph in any creative manner imaginable. I totally spaced it; if I'd remembered this was what we going to do, I'd have brought my Canon 7D DSLR, but I forgot about the night's activity. However, I did bring along my Canon G12, so that's what I used. Club member Gary Nelson brought along an aquarium to drop objects into -- with lights off -- and pop flashes of artificial strobe light for us to capture the sinking objects in freeze-frame, much like he did recently then showed the club results in still images at a meeting two weeks ago. The objective was to use a very slow shutter speed -- 4 seconds or more. We'd all focus and lock it on the aquarium center before the room lights went off. When the room lights did go off, the objects would drop and Gary would quickly pop the flash, and we'd capture our freeze-frame in that nano-second of light. It would matter how long the shutter remained open after that; it was still dark, the camera had already taken the picture, so it would be a matter of waiting until we heard the shutter close when we knew we'd have our picture.

There were seven or eight of us surrounding the aquarium, as Gary operated the flash, and instructed when the lights would be flipped off. Sylvia or he would drop the subjects/objects -- a baseball and some hollow plastic jewels -- into the water. Sylvia was a real trooper; she got her hands, arms and sleeves drenching wet fishing the objects out of the sundry repeat shots, so a big thanks to Sylvia for her key role in all this. And to Gary for making this interesting experiment possible.

The lead photo here was one of my favorites; Gary had used some force to make the ball's projection into the tank go faster than usual, and as you can see, it worked pretty well. The baseball is just about to hit bottom, and you can see the nice wake of its entry path. With the left-side angle that I had in the semicircle, I also was able to exploit a reflection on the left from the side glass panel.

Above: Gary used blue and red gels in separate drops to colorize the shots. My blue shot turned out pretty good. But I hadn't set up my camera quickly enough to grab a quality shot of the flash blast with the red gel.

Above and below: The plastic jewels close up, taken on the tabletop with a solid-color background, which is what we wanted to do primarily that night. The aquarium opportunity made for an enjoyable diversion.

Community gets to meet photographers from The Indianapolis Star

2012-01-08T00:47:00.003-05:00

The Indianapolis Star, Indiana's largest newspaper and now a multi-platform media company, held its first-ever "Meet the Photographers Night" at its downtown Indy plant on Friday night, inviting anyone in the community to meet and talk to the people who capture pictures and video that appear in The Star print and digital products. More 120 people took advantage of the opportunity.

The Star began the evening's program by letting visitors meet, for the first hour or so, one on one with individual photographers. All of the staff shooters were on hand except Charlie Nye. At the same time that was going on, attendees were invited to have a free portrait of themselves taken by Star staff photographers. Portrait subjects had the option of posing with provided props -- old-fashioned press hats and/or a choice of three or four antique cameras. The photos will be available to download at flickr sometime next week. A representative of Roberts Imaging, the premier photo retailer in Indianapolis and all of the Midwest, was on hand to talk to any comers about pictures, gear and accessories.

After the one-on-ones and portraits, the company showed an audio-visual presentation featuring some of the staff's best and most dramatic images. Interviews with several shooters were included in the presentation, including one of Matt Kryger, the photographer who happened to draw the assignment to shoot the country-western music act Sugarland on Aug. 13, 2011, at the Indiana State Fair. Right before Sugarland was to take the stage for its performance at the outdoor grandstand that evening, an abrupt, but powerful wind and rainstorm swept through the fairgrounds and knocked over the concert stage infrastructure, which fell onto spectators in the first several ground-level rows from the stage. Seven people died either that night or shortly afterward; 61 were injured. Many of Kryger's photographs taken that night, from the capture of the actual stage collapse to the rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath, were part of the AV presentation Friday.

After the AV show, all of The Star photographers went to the front of the seated area to field questions from those of us who were attending. This consumed the lion's share of the evening, and it seemed like many of us would have liked for it to continue longer when they called it a night. Several people who I talked to afterward remarked about how impressed they were with the staff as a whole, and how their interactions with each other during the Q&A seemed as if the shooters enjoyed an intrastaff camaraderie. Mike Fender, director of photography at The Star, told the crowd early in the evening that the company would like to make this an annual event. From all indications of those in attendance and those I talked to afterward, I bet it would be well-received and -attended if they had even two or three of these a year.

The pictures in today's post are from Friday's event, almost all from the Q&A session. The lead images is a perspective shot of the left side of the stage area where the photographers sat during the Q&A. From left are Danese Kenon, Rob Goebel, Marc Lebryk, Joe Vitti, Kelly Wilkinson and Matt Detrich.

Above: It's always great when you get Joe Vitti to smile, because his smiles are big ... and genuine. Here he shares a laugh with (from left) Rob Goebel, Marc Lebryk and Kelly Wilkinson.

Above: Although all Star photographers are generalists when it comes to the assignments they are given, Frank Espich and Michelle Pemberton do draw the lion's share of assignments for The Star's features products, including Indy Living (publishes Sundays), Weekend (Thursdays), Taste (Fridays) and Home & Garden (Saturdays).

Above: Greg Griffo (with microphone) is The Star photogragraphy staff's point person for auto racing. He has coordinated its photo coverage of the Indy 500 for many years and will travel to the bigger Indy Car and NASCAR races. Next to Griffo are (from left) Matt Kryger and Joe Young.

Above: On several occasions Friday, Espich heaped glowing praise on his photo staff colleagues.

Above: Matt Kryger (far right) was The Star photographer at the State Fairgrounds the night of the concert stage collapse on Aug. 13, 2011.

Above: Robert Scheer (left) gets a lot of Star Media's Colts, Pacers and big-college sports photo assignments. He told the crowd that he's among the one-third on the photo staff who use Canon gear, the rest, Nikon.

Above: Matt Detrich, like Scheer, also is on the newspaper's Colts photo coverage team.

Above: Kelly Wilkinson during one of the light moments of the Q&A session.

Above: Marc Lebryk (with microphone) actually isn't on The Star newsroom photo staff; he shoots almost exclusively for Star Media's marketing and advertising departments. He is flanked by Rob Goebel (left) and Joe Vitti.

Above: Yet another capture of a lighter moment, this time with Goebel as foil. He is looking at Danese Kenon. Behind Rob is Marc Lebryk.

Above: Danese Kenon was one of the event's chief organizers. For the longest time, she held true to a project to take and upload one photo per day to her website, although a recent check would seem to indicate that the streak was snapped in November. She has some amazing shots in that collection, certainly worth a check if you have the time.

Joe Young (right), a longtime shooter for the old Indianapolis News and now a part-timer at The Star, shot the tragic aftermath of the State Fair Coliseum explosion on Oct. 31, 1963, which occurred during a performance of Holiday on Ice. Seventy-four people were killed, 400 injured. He was recalling that experience this picture was taken.

Band Wagon rocks in the new year

2012-01-03T19:18:00.015-05:00

Band Wagon, the Indianapolis cover band featured here in a recent post after it played a private party in Crawfordsville, invited me to be with them to take photographs of its New Year's Eve experience at Champps Americana at Keystone at the Crossing on the Far Northside of Indianapolis. I eagerly accepted, and it turned out to be an energizing way to usher in the new year.

It's nice to kick back, relax and have fun like I observed of the revelers at Champps, and I wouldn't have minded being in that position, surrounded by friends and savoring that special moment when the year changes. But it's equally rewarding and satisfying to capture those moments in pictures, and I found myself enjoying the quest throughout the night.

Band Wagon lucked out with a fun-filled and happy crowd (but not over-the-top) that warmed to the music -- and the moment, saluting the old year when the countdown came, cheering in the new year when the horns blew and -- to paraphrase a lyric from a Van Halen song -- dancing the night away. The band also was fortunate to have a restaurant staff that, at least in my experience in seeking out various angles for shots on this night, proved to be courteous, helpful, accommodating and understanding.

This post is a glimpse of the night, leading off (top) with a moment when Band Wagon's Lisa Kopczynski romped through a number and looked straight out into the crowd dancing around me. I made a point to grab my shots quickly and move away to let the frolicking proceed without further intrusion, but I'm happy I got that shot.

To view a full gallery of images from this shoot, visit this link.

Above: Literally seconds after the clock struck midnight.

Above: A sip of New Year's champagne.

Above: People paused to give new year hugs and salutations to everyone in the vicinity.

Above: Those who weren't horn-blowing or hugging quickly jumped on their mobile devices to either send or receive New Year's wishes. The next day, I heard that cellular towers nationwide (perhaps even globally) were so jammed with texts wishes at midnight that some people didn't receive texts until two to three hours after someone had sent them.

Above: Even band member Tim Dunn got into the mobile-device-checking action during the post-midnight break.

Above: Lisa in a shot I liked for the lighting color and highlights and camera angle.

Above: Derek Carmichael cracking down the beat.

Above: Kent Andrews laying down the bass lines opposite Derek and the drums.

Above: This woman was invited to join the band on stage to play cowbell for Band Wagon's cover of the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman." She did a fine job.

Above: David Hetrick giving that expression indicating that he is one with the riff. I don't know about others, but I appreciate seeing a musician emote in the throes of a piece they're playing.

Above: A woman named Renee was celebrating a birthday, so she was asked to come onto the stage and take a bow.

Above: Tim hitting just that right note ...

Above: Lisa getting down near the end of the night.

There was lots of horn-blowing going on in the first 10 minutes after midnight, including the above and below examples of dueling toots.

After the horn-blowing, there was more action on the dance floor to be had. There was outright boogeying (above) ...

... slow dancing ...

... and even line dancing.

Above: Having a good time was what it was all about Saturday night.

Above: A fervent dancer caught in the indigo mood lighting.

Above: Lots of moment self-capturing going on ...

Above: Tim from the stage drop-off level.

Above: As close as I could come to getting a full band shot. Only Derek is sliced out, but ... his drums are in there.

Above: A New Year's best wishes greeting by a woman in the group with the band.

An anniversary almost missed ...and a return to Zionsville, Ind.

2011-12-30T21:20:00.018-05:00

I neglected to acknowledge a milestone of sorts earlier this month -- Photo Potpourri's third anniversary. Three years ago Dec. 11 this blog launched, and is still chugging along.

In recognition of that, today's post reflects a return to the Village of Zionsville, a northwest suburb of Indianapolis that fights hard to maintain its small-town profile and charm despite pressure from developers seeking to extend the very real suburban growth boom that has been occurring close by to the east in Hamilton County communities Carmel, Westfield, Fishers and Noblesville.

I visited Zionsville a year ago, also just before Christmas, when there was snow on the ground. This time, no snow; the weather was overcast for the remaining hour and half of daylight, and then damp from a light rain when darkness set in.

For all daylight photos, I used my Canon 7D; for all but the church shots, I turned to my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens. For the church shots, I went to a Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 wide-angle lens. I also used a tripod and bracketed exposures so I could later process them through high-dynamic range (HDR) software. For the nighttime shots, I used my Canon PowerShot G12 (nicely equipped with image stabilization, allowing for sharp, hand-held use with shutter speeds as slow as 1/8). With the G12, I captured images in RAW format to allow optimum color and exposure adjustments as needed in post-processing before converting to JPG.

It would be hard to single out any one shot as my favorite from the shoot, but because the Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street is an annual tradition in the village, and because brick-covered Main Street is such a strong identifier of Zionsville, I decided to use the photo above to lead off the post. Other vantage points of the tree will be among the photos provided below.

To see all of my shots from two years' (so far) worth of shots of Christmas in Zionsville, visit this link.

Above and below: Two more views of the Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street, Zionsville, taken from catty-corners of the same intersection. The one above, with the violet-awning Jewel Box Jewelers storefront in the background, was taken from in front of Carter's Toy Museum & Ice Cream Parlor (pictured below). And the one of the parlor was taken from in front of the jewelry store.

Above: A detail shot of Carter's facade.

Above and next two below: We take a momentary side trip to the west side of the village for these shots attempting to capture the architecture of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, where I decided to stop as I drove into town.

Above: Greek's Pizzeria, one of several dining options along Main Street.

Above: A daytime view of the block known as the Gallery, with Butler's Pantry in the foreground.

Above and below: Views of scenes very close to each other. The one above, highlighting the rustic woods and the indoor lighting through one window. Turning slightly to the left, you see the scene below, with the above building on the far right ... and also get a look up the sidewalk along the east side of Main Street, where the landscape is rich in woods and greens.

Above: A nod to a photography brethern (who I really don't know) in the village.

Above: Two views of Main Street from different points. Above is from the north end, looking south, capturing the jog in the street's route (to the left) right at the intersection where the Christmas tree is located, across from the violet-awning jewelry store. The look below is from the south end, looking north, taken from just south of the Friendly Tavern.

Above: A front view of the aforementioned Friendly Tavern.

Above: Of my daytime shots, the above of Lilly's Boutique and Gallery seems to have the most concentration of holiday decoration in it.

Above: A clock along Main Street, with the cupola of a nearby building in the background.

Above: Street lighting and the benefit of a late-afternoon sprinkle add punch to this nighttime shot of brick-covered Main Street.

Above: One of my favorite shots of the nighttime shoot -- a storefront display nicely framed by both the woodwork and holiday lighting.

Above: Carter's Toy Museum & Ice Cream Parlor at night, with a fellow photography club member next to the tree, trying to grab a shot in 3D, using a handmade three-dimension camera.

Above: Not a whole lot to add to the obvious; this is from a storefront display.

Above: A composition about signage and lamp posts.

Above: A nighttime detail shot of the cupola of a building along Main Street.

Above and below: Two more shots aiming to capture the bright colors in storefront window displays.

Above: This tree is separate from the one in the middle of Main; I got down low to include it in a storefront shot.

Above and the remainder below: The rustic, wood-dominant decor inside Plum's Upper Room, a cozy, upper-level restaurant and lounge. The very last shot of the stock of wine bottles is a mistake -- something I decided include simply because of how every once in a while, a mistake can turn out to be an interesting picture, blur notwithstanding. I liked the way the inadvertent movement before the shutter completely exposed the image added the dragging light streaks.

Presenting ... Band Wagon

2011-12-28T19:11:00.008-05:00

I had a chance to photograph Band Wagon, an Indy cover band, on Dec. 17 when it played for a private party at the Eagles lodge in Crawfordsville, Ind. As it turned out, the band was needing an updated formal shot of the group to use to promote itself for an upcoming show at the Indiana Live! casino between Indianapolis and Shelbyville along I-74. They also wanted some fresh live performance images, and I delivered both to them.

What you see in this post are results of that shoot, leading off (top) with a shot of four of the band's five members who did the Crawfordsville show (a sixth member, vocalist JT Miner, performs with the group part time and was not present for this show). From left are lead vocalist Lisa Kopczynski, bass player Kent Andrews, drummer Derek Carmichael and guitarist Dave Hetrick. Off to the left and not pictured here is vocalist, guitarist, sax player and keyboardist Tim Dunn.

For the formal shot, the band wanted to pose in front of the pretty large recreational vehicle -- or fan bus, as they like to call it -- that they use to transport the band to show in far-away places and fans to shows booked at clubs in the outskirts of Indianapolis. It's a comfortable way for fans to see the group and not have to worry about fatigue or alcohol intake before tackling a long drive home -- a pretty novel and smart-thinking idea for any local band to do for its faithful following, if you ask me.

For those interested in checking out the band, Band Wagon is playing Champps on the Northside of Indianapolis, 8711 N. River Crossing, on New Year's Eve. Show starts at 10 p.m.

To see a full gallery of images from the performance, follow this link.

Above: Lisa hitting a high note at a powerful point in the lyric.

Above and below: Tim and Lisa, punching life into this section of a tune.

Above: Kent, caught between one of the cymbals in Derek's drum set and the head and pegs of one of Dave's guitars.

Above: Derek coming down on the down beat.

Above: Lisa on vocals while, in the background, a member of the party crowd volunteered to join the band on the stage to play cowbell during "Honky Tonk Woman."

Above: Tim putting emotion into one of his vocal solos.

Above and below: Dave on guitar and joining in on vocals.

Above: Tim on keyboards.

Above: Catching the indigo light cast on the guitar head and tuning pegs of Dave's guitar.

Above: Lisa, still going strong in the second set.

Above: Derek, caught from a down low angle.

Above: Tim and Dave, relaxing in the fan bus during a break.

Above: Exploiting more indigo light, this time in shadows of Lisa on vocals (left) and Dave on guitar off one of the walls in the lodge during the show. Thanks to the band's new light man for the tip on this one.

Above and next two below: Three poses of the group shot in front of the fan bus before the show.

Help Portrait: a 'good feeling' day

2011-12-12T20:51:00.003-05:00

Photographers and photo enthusiasts of all skill levels joined Saturday in a global project called Help Portrait, which provides free formal portraits to people who otherwise would not have the means or opportunity to get such pictures. Help Portrait is an annual event, and its timing in the holiday season makes it special for both the people using the service and the photographers and photo enthusiasts who volunteer their time and services to make it happen.

For the portrait subjects, it's having quality pictures to share with friends and family at a special time of year. And for the photographers, it's the smiles and satisfaction on the faces of the people having their portraits done -- and seeing the results. In some instances, there also is some enjoyable interaction between photographer and portrait subject.

Several members of the Indy Meetup Photo Club that I belong to participated in Help Portrait this year (some also were involved last year). In Indianapolis, the shoots were conducted in the lobby area of the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation's Manchester Apartments at 10th and Pennsylvania streets on the north fringe of downtown and just south of the Old Northside neighborhood.

For various reasons, the main Help Portrait organization prohibits participating photographers to use any of the pictures they take on personal websites or galleries, so I can't include any samples of the shots we took Saturday. However, on occasion between sittings and at the conclusion of the shoot at the HVAF, I did take some candid shots of IMUPC members in action and of the volunteers who helped make this happen. They welcomed portrait subjects; provided hair, makeup and grooming services to them; played courier for the memory cards, running them from the portraiture room to the print room; and made prints for the portrait subjects. Some of those candids are among pictures you see in this post, leading off at the top with a shot of all the photographers and volunteers who were still around the HVAF at quitting time.

Above: Two of the hair and makeup artists flank Chelsea, who coordinated the Help-Portrait event in Indianapolis.

Above: Some of the hair and makeup artists have some fun for post-event shots.

Above and below: IMUPC's Bill provided our club's lighting equipment and backdrop -- and he proved to be our primary shooter and valuable consultant for the duration. Above, he posed for a test shot; below, he posed again, this time for a girl who'd taken an interest in the photography and picked up some tips on the craft from Bill.

Above: A videographer circulated the lobby to grab footage of the sessions throughout the day. Below, IMUPC's Jeff liked what the videographer was shooting, so he took some stills of the same.

Above and next two below: Some shots of the Help-Portait volunteers and HVAF staff at the end of the day.

Above: IMUPC members Susan, Connie, Sherri and Carol along with a shooter (second from left) who was working at another station.

Above: Two more IMUPC members, Jeff and Dave, taking a break a bit away from the beehive of activity.

Christmas Market, Old World Style

2011-12-04T16:00:00.005-05:00

This weekend, the Indy Meetup Photo Club had a vendor's booth at the Old World Christmas Village & Market at the Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Christian Church, 1516 N. Delaware St., in Indianapolis. On the main vendors' floor, we had a stand to display and sell images taken by club members. Some of the photographs -- including many of mine -- were taken in the very neighborhood (the Old Northside) where the church and market are located. We'd taken these for a project earlier in the year that culminated in a show in August at the Propylaeum, just a block south of the church on North Delaware Street.

IMUPC also had a photo booth at the Old World Christmas Market, where we offered on-the-spot sittings and portraits for anyone who was interested. The church and market group made Dickens-era clothing available for those who wanted their portraits taken wearing garb to reflect the market's Old World period -- "a picture 150 years ago in a small village in the woods with caroling and music," according to the church's description of the market.

"There are European baked treats, gift shops filled with local and international artisans, the smell of fresh pine in the air and home-made dinners. There is always a visit from a maiden in light with a ring of candles on her head (Santa Lucia) giving out special pastries to the tune of an ancient melody. Strolling musicians will perform throughout the village. There are special places for the children, where they can do their Christmas shopping and make crafts for their families."

You can see many of the things described above in the pictures below, including a section of the IMUPC's photo displays (very last photo in the post) and a candid shot of a couple taking advantage of our photo portrait station (penultimate photo). These photos were taken from the Friday night installment of the two-day market (which also was open on Saturday).

Marian University: The campus, oriental garden teahouse and landscape

2011-12-02T22:58:00.006-05:00

A favorite sidebar activity of my autumn visits to Indiana small-college campuses on football Game Days has been to photograph the campus landscape and atmosphere. In most instances, that has included a lot of tailgate activity before the game. At Marian University in Indianapolis, where my unofficial "tour" took me last Saturday (Nov. 26), there was tailgating before the game, but probably the least amount of the four colleges I visited (Hanover, Wabash and DePauw being the three others).

This is my third post from Saturday's shoot at Marian -- the first two focused on game action (the Knights defeated the University of St. Francis of Joliet, Ill., 48-7 in an NAIA tournament quarterfinal game) and the Marian Marching Knights, Drumline and Color Guard, which performed at the game's halftime.

Today's post focuses on the atmosphere and landscape -- the former consisting of the tailgating, the latter some of the scenic sights in my short skim of the campus core (I didn't get to explore nearly what I would have liked before it was game time).

I lead off (top) with a shot from the Oriental Garden Teahouse and include a few others from the Teahouse grounds below. The garden and teahouse are right next to the Steffen Music Center.

To view a full gallery of images from the Marian University community on Game Day, visit this link.

Marian University: The Entertainers

2011-12-01T18:18:00.007-05:00

For several days after I visited Marian University in Indianapolis on Saturday, I kept thinking to myself how much I enjoyed the experience and how much I'd like to return this weekend -- purely as a spectator -- to see the Knights' semifinal tournament game (NAIA) against St. Xavier University (game pictures were included in yesterday's post). Then I remembered that Marian was charging $15 for admission and another $10 for parking -- $25 total, and I couldn't help but try to resolve how Marian could do that when other small colleges in Indiana were charging nothing for parking and only $5 admission.

I got over that thought process when I reminded myself, finally, that Marian put on a wonderful, well-rounded show -- the athletic competition on the gridiron, and the pregame and halftime (especially) entertainment, the Marian Marching Knights, Drumline and Color Guard. It costs money to support those ensembles, not to mention the football team. Plus, no other small-school I visited this fall came close to touching Marian in doing all that for its spectators. And ... it sure still beats the heck out of what it would cost to pay for parking and admission at a Colts game. (OK, right here, the naysayers would chime in, "And this year, who would want to?")

Today's post is dedicated to the Marching Knights, Drumline and Color Guard. Thank you for an opportunity to photograph your entertaining performance Saturday. To see a gallery of more pictures from these ensembles, visit this link.

My next post will be devoted to the Marian University campus and its landscape, from shots taken before and after Saturday's game.

Marian Knights reach NAIA semifinals

2011-11-30T23:39:00.004-05:00

My "unofficial" tour of Indiana small-college campuses on football Game Day this fall took me last weekend to Marian University right here in Indianapolis. The undefeated and No. 1-ranked (in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Marian Knights hosted an NAIA postseason tournament quarterfinal game against the University of St. Francis, Joliet, Ill.

The game was no contest; the Knights ran away with a 49-7 victory, as Tevin Lake rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns, receiver Julian Williams caught two touchdown of quarterback Adam Wiese's three touchdown passes, and Eric Sheppard made nine tackles and two interceptions. A Fighting Saints touchdown in the closing minutes prevented the vaunted Knights' defense from registering its sixth shutout of the season.

In the lead photo at the top of this post, Lake (10) is shown scoring on his first touchdowns, a 9-yard run in the second quarter that gave Marian a 14-0 lead.

Fireworks filled the sky in the celebration afterward, the first time I'd seen anything like that happen at a college football game. But the Knights probably had cause for celebration, with this being their fifth year of fielding a football team -- and their third on the relatively new St. Vincent Health Field -- at the small school near the White River on the Westside of Indianapolis.

Marian (12-0) will host St. Xavier University of Chicago in a semifinal game Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be a rematch of a Nov. 5 contest, also at Marian, in which the then-second-ranked Knights knocked off the top-ranked Cougars 27-9. The win also clinched the Knights' first Mid-States Football Association Mideast League championship.

I also was impressed by the Marching Knights, Drumline and Color Guard, which performed before the game and a halftime. A review of pictures from the halftime show will come in a separate post.

The visit to Marian was my fourth to an Indiana small-college campus on football Game Day this fall. My first stop was at Hanover College on Oct. 22. I so enjoyed the experience there that I visited Wabash College on Nov. 5, followed by DePauw University on Nov. 12 for the 118th meeting of DePauw and Wabash in the Monon Bell Classic. The schools were nicely hospitable in welcoming me to their campuses.

Today I present game pictures from Saturday's NAIA quarterfinal. To view a full gallery of images, visit this link. The next post will be devoted to the Marching Knights, Drumline and Color Guard.

Above: It was the opening kickoff, so no one had an advantage yet. A St. Francis deep man on the reception team felt bold enough to exchange pleasantries with Marian players along the side line, here using his hand to mimmick how the Knights were all talk.

Above: St. Francis running back Connor Krisch is chased by Marian defensive lineman Nate McIntosh early in the contest.

Above: The Knights' Eric Sheppard is in the middle of the return of his first of two interceptions for the day.

Above: Defensive lineman Seth Vondersaar (22) dogged St. Francis quarterback E.J. White all afternoon, but here on special teams, he was called for running into Fighting Saints punter Michael Rogers in first-half action.

Above: Tevin Lake found the opening in the line to begin a 24-yard scamper for the Knights' third touchdown of the game.

Above: Seth Vondersaar (22) came oh, so close to blocking this pass from St. Francis quarterback E.J. White.

Above: Several Fighting Saints players were injured Saturday. A leg injury to junior Luis Santana (46) brought the game to a halt to allow trainers to stabilize the leg and get him into a cart to seek more thorough medical attention. With him is teammate Wayne Johnson (8).

Above: To score the Knights' last touchdown from two yards out, running back Clifford Brown (25) elected to hurdle the Fighting Saints' defensive line. He paid the price; a St. Francis defender caught Brown's ankles ankles, forcing Brown to complete the play with a crash landing.

Above: St. Francis receiver Dustin Greenwell (81) couldn't catch this E.J. White pass. Defending for Marian is Robert Palmer (24).

Above: Marian's Nick Bradford picked up some yardage before bracing for a collision with a Fighting Saints defender on this fourth-quarter run.

Above: Marian starting quarterback Adam Wiese enjoyed much of the fourth quarter from the sidelines as reserves took the field. Wiese completed 10 of 13 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

Above and below: St. Francis special teams player Thomas White (31) tried valiantly to maintain his balance to down a punt before his momentum could carry him into the end zone, but he couldn't manage it. Officials (below) ruled White crossed the goal line before releasing the ball, forcing a touchback and giving the Knights the ball at the 20-yard line.

Above: Marian's Eric Sheppard got a lot of yardage on his return of a second-half interception along the sidelines.

Above: A St. Francis rusher also was sent airborne during an attempt to hurdle fallen players on the turf.

Above: Marian players huddle at the center of the field for a moment of reflection at the conclusion of the game.

Above: The celebratory fireworks.

James House visits Indy Acoustic Cafe Series

2011-11-20T23:41:00.004-05:00

Singer-songwriter James House, who co-wrote Grammy- and Song of the Year-nominated hits for country stars Martina McBride ("A Broken Wing") and Dwight Yokim ("Ain't That Lonely Yet"), visited the Wheeler Arts Center in Indianapolis' Fountain Square district on Saturday night to perform as part of the long-running Indy Acoustic Cafe series.

House scored a hit of his own -- "This Is Me Missing You" -- in 1995 (reaching No. 5 on the charts), but he's better known for his compositions recorded successfully by other artists, including McBride and Yokim (both reached No. 1) and Diamond Rio's "In a Week or Two," which reached No. 2 in 1993.

He delighted a nice-sized turnout -- including when he jokingly introduced a "medley of his hit" ("This Is Me Missing You") -- for the final show in the series for 2011. Next up in the series is Vance Gilbert on Jan. 14, 2012. These images were captured at his show.

To view a full gallery of photos from the James House performance, visit this link.

The DePauw University campus: A much too quick look

2011-11-20T17:02:00.002-05:00

I learned two Saturdays ago that allowing for time -- and budgeting it -- is of the essence if you expect to accomplish your goals on a shoot.

I was happy with my game and tailgate/campus atmosphere shots when I visited DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., on Nov. 12, 2011, for the 118th meeting of DePauw and Wabash College in the Monon Bell Classic. But the tailgating photo opportunities were so rich that I spent more time on that than I had expected; I didn't have enough time left to do justice to my third goal of the shoot -- to capture the campus landscape as best as I could.

I had only a half-hour or so to grab what I could before kickoff, not nearly enough. Plus, I spent a lot of that time exploring just the Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts, a modern structure (2007) that had me pining for more time.

Ten minutes or so before before I reached the beautiful structure (one view of the facility leads off this post; it exploits an early-afternoon backlight and was treated in high-dynamic range (HDR) software, melding three different exposures into one), I'd been chatting with a man I had met on a knoll overlooking the tailgating expanse in the parking lots outside Blackstock Stadium. He was a very nice gentleman, and I wanted to converse with longer than the 5 or so minutes we had been chatting, but I knew my time to hit the main campus was running short. I politely told the man I needed to get some campus shots and asked him if he could recommend some points to check out, given that my time was short (which it was). And the Green Center was the first thing he mentioned. He pointed me in the direction, and I'm happy to say he did not mislead me. Thank you, mister, whoever you are!

The Green Center is home to the DePauw School of Music, DePauw Theatre and DePauw Performing Arts Series. All of my interior campus shots in this post are from that building, so maybe you can see why I was in awe. And I didn't even get into Kresge Auditorium or Thompson Recital Hall. I definitely need to make another trip.

For a look at a full gallery of my DePauw University community shots (which includes the tailgating pictures from yesterday's post), visit this link.

Above: Another view of the Green Center for the Performing Arts, this time with the sun to my right ... and including a bright scarlet-leafed tree in the composition.

Above and next six shots below: Interior shots of the Green Center. And I only scratched the surface ...

Above: A lengthy hallway in the Green Center. The gentleman walking toward me also will appear in an outside shot.

Above and below: A gathering area outside the Green Center, with a detail shot (below) of a bench situated against the brick wall you see on the far right in the above photo, although the bench is just out of view in the above photo.

Above: The glass facade of Lily Education and Recreation Center, reflecting the facade of its cross-sidewalk neighbor structure, the Percy L. Julian Science and Mathematics Center.

Above and next two below: Several more views of the Julian Mathematics and Science Center, the one above being the exact side reflected in the picture immediately above.

Above: Pedestrian traffic on the walk separating the Lily and Julian centers, looking west from the entrance of the Green Center. The gentleman in the white sweatshirt is the man you saw above in one of the Green Center hallway shots.

Above and next seven shots: These were taken in the mall area north of the Green Center. Some were taken within the mall; others were taken from just outside the elevated Green Center entrance.

Above: The east facade of the L-shaped James A. Hollensteiner Indoor Track, immediately west of Blackstock Stadium.

Above and below: These are shots of the access to the DePauw University Nature Park, which is on the far west end of campus, not far from Blackstock Stadium. The above is a tight shot, the one below of long range.

Tailgating: Making it an art form?

2011-11-19T10:47:00.004-05:00

It was about 11:30 a.m., and as I drove toward Blackstock Stadium on the campus of DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., only three blocks or so from my parking spot at the north end of the stadium, I could sense that today would be unlike the two small-college football Game Day trips I'd made previously this fall.

This, Nov. 12, 2011, would be the 118th meeting of DePauw and Wabash College in the storied annual Monon Bell Classic, and I could hear the rhythm and beat of urban music coming from somewhere south of where I was parking. My parking spot was in a low area behind a recreational complex adjoining the stadium, so I couldn't see anything south. Not being up on my contemporary R&B, I wondered whether the music was live or being piped through an audio system. I was eager to find out; it had my anticipatory juices pumping. I knew that there would be something picture-worthy in that southerly direction; all I had to do was follow the music.

The tailgating at Hanover (Ind.) College, which I visited Oct. 22 for a decisive 58-7 win by the home school over Manchester (North Manchester, Ind.) College, had been modest and largely in one place -- a meadow immediately adjoining L.S. Ayres Field, where the Hanover Panthers play their home games. The activity was a bit more intense on Nov. 5, when I made my first-ever visit to Wabash in Crawfordsville, Ind., where the Little Giants clinched the North Coast Athletic Conference championship by defeating Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio, 28-17.

Tailgating at DePauw was an expanse -- an art form, even -- compared to what I'd seen at Hanover and Wabash. It sprawled over several parking lots, and there was even a healthy section roped off for Wabash supporters. But this was the day of the Monon Bell Classic, so it was to be expected. Picture opportunities throughout the lots were so voluminous, that I had very little time to save for exploring the DePauw campus. I did grab some shots when I forced myself to pull away, but I'll definitely need to made a second visit to do it justice.

Today's post is devoted largely to the aforementioned tailgating. It you've never done any pregame tailgating, hopefully it gives you a good feel about what you might expect -- and enjoy. The concluding photographs take you into Blackstock Stadium to show the DePauw pep band, the school's Tiger mascot, the two Wabash students who began the afternoon's long, non-stop ringing of the Monon Bell along the Little Giants' sideline and the on-field television camera setup behind the south end zone. Oh, to tidy up a tiny mystery I dangled at the beginning of this post -- the music, as it turned out, was not a live performance. It was piped over a very impressive sound system within the tailgate expanse.

The next post will be devoted to some of my campus shots at DePauw from last weekend's visit.

Above: This is one picture I thought I ought to pause and offer an explanation. It's a high-dynamic range (HDR) rendering, the melding of multiple pictures of the same scene using different exposures with each of my three shots. I was curious to see if using HDR would pick up the football being tossed by these boys at multiple points in flight. As you can see, it did. I began the three-shot sequence with the boy farthest from camera in throwing motion, but still not releasing the ball. That's why you see only two balls in flight, and not three. What this image also tells you is the the Photomatix software I use to meld my HDR images does a pretty good job of reducing blur or motion when directed to do so, otherwise, you should have seen some blur in and around the arm of the smaller boy, the one who threw the ball.

2011 Monon Bell Classic: Wabash defeats DePauw, 45-7

2011-11-18T23:06:00.009-05:00

The annual Monon Bell Classic football game features one of the most storied athletic rivalries in the country, but because it involves two private, small colleges in Indiana, it probably is one of the least known athletic rivalry outside of Indiana -- except, of course, among alumni of the two schools.

Wabash College, in Crawfordsville, and DePauw University, in Greencastle, are only 28 miles apart and in adjoining counties about 50 miles west of Indianapolis. Coming into the 118th game of the classic -- on Nov. 12, 2011, at Greencastle -- Wabash had won two consecutive Bell Classics and had a 9-0 record in 2011. The previous week, it had clinched the outright championship of the North Coast Athletic Conference by decisively defeating previously unbeaten Wittenberg College (Springfield, Ohio) at Crawfordsville, and on Nov. 19, it would begin play in the NCAA Division III postseason playoffs. Wabash fans came to the game demonstrating their support of their team and its unblemished record by wearing white sweatshirts emblazoned with the rally cry "Occupy DePauw."

DePauw, on the other hand, knew this would be its last game of a mediocre 4-4 season, so on paper, the Tigers had good motivation to rise to the occasion -- win and it finishes with a winning record, beats arch-rival Wabash AND reclaims the coveted Monon Bell. The key phrase there is "on paper." After the opening kickoff, the Little Giants quickly made it known they weren't going to rest on previous laurels, and they turned to their defense and special teams to lead the charge.

Wabash scored 24 unanswered points in the first quarter alone -- an Ian MacDougall field goal and three touchdowns -- one on a 22-yard interception return by Jonathon Koop, another on a 44-yard punt return by Wes Chamblee and the third, a 33-yard scamper by running back Vann Hunt on a possession immediately after the Little Giants had recovered a DePauw fumble. The Tigers really didn't have a chance after that. Wabash would score on two more turnovers -- defensive lineman Pat Clegg's recovery in the end zone of a DePauw fumble in the second quarter and Denzil Wilkins' 28-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.

When the clock ticked down to zero in the fourth quarter, the bell had remained safely in the hands of the Little Giants, and Wabash fans swarmed the field to share in the celebration. After the players helped hoist the bell high for all to see, they put it down on the turf and players and fans alike took turns pulling the bell lever, extending the same unending ring intonation that had been heard within a two-block radius of Blackstock Stadium from as early as noon -- nearly five and a half hours earlier.

The rivalry between Wabash College, in Crawfordsville, one of only three all-male colleges in the United States, and DePauw University, in Greencastle, began in 1890 and is the oldest college football rivalry west of the Alleghenies in which more than 100 games have been played. The idea of incorporating the Monon Bell into the mix as the trophy awarded to the winner was introduced in 1932. Today's 300-pound Monon Bell is from an actual train that rode the former Monon railroad whose expanse had been almost entirely in Indiana; it had termini in Chicago and Louisville. The Monon railroad was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1971, and the now abandoned right of way is controlled by CSX Corp. The railroad figures into this particular football rivalry because, in its functional days, the line served both schools and four other Indiana institutions of higher learning -- St. Joseph's College in Renssalaer, Ind.; Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., Butler University in Indianapolis; and Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

On the Monday after the Bell Classic, Wabash learned it would host Illinois College (9-1) on Nov. 19 in a first-round game of the NCAA Division III playoffs. With a win in that contest, the Little Giants could very well get another home playoff game.

To view a full gallery of images from the game, visit this link. The next post will be devoted to the Monon Bell Classic atmosphere and the campus of DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.

Above: Wabash running back Vann Hunt (17) nears the end of a 33-yard run for the game's first score. If you weren't able to tell from the field vantage point that Hunt was nearing the goal, surely you could tell from the Wabash sideline reaction that the run to the house was almost over. The Little Giants' possession on this set of downs came on a fumble recovery.

Above: DePauw running back Jon Ellis, aided by a nice block by lineman Mitch Turnbow, found a moment of daylight on this rush in the first quarter.

Above: Wabash defenders Houston Hodges (1), CJ Gum (33) and Jonathon Koop stop DePauw receiver Bobby Coburn after a pass reception.

Above: Koop (8) nears the completion of a 22-yard touchdown return of a DePauw pass interception.

Above: Still in the first quarter, Wes Chamblee nears paydirt with a 44-yard punt return, the third TD in front of the Little Giants' sideline. The score put Wabash ahead 24-0.

Above: Tigers punter Eric Malm (17) was challenged by this high, long snap from center. Malm managed to steady himself and get off the punt.

Above: Ellis is again gang tackled by Little Giants Cody Buresh (39), Luke Zinsmaster (54) and Pat Clegg (66).

Above and next three below: DePauw's already dire situation got worse in the second period. With the Tigers pinned deep in their own territory, quarterback Will King was caught near the goal line and sacked by AJ Akrinabade, who then pulled King down to the turf (first frame below). The combination of King's knee hitting turf and awkward landing and Akrinabade's right hand pushing forward helped jar the ball loose from King (second frame below), and Little Giant defensive lineman Clegg (66, far right in second frame) fell on the ball in the end zone. The officials ruled it a fumble, and a Wabash recovery and touchdown.

Above: At halftime, with Wabash comfortably ahead, the DePauw University Poms dance team executed a spirited routine that entertained the crowd.

Above: Returning to the field for the second half, Tiger players locked arms in solidarity, perhaps to help inspire a reverse of fortune on the gridiron.

Above: DePauw's Nikko Sansone (4) lunges for extra yardage at the end of his only pass reception of the game, for 9 yards. Making the tackle is Wabash's Austin Hodges (2).

Above: King fires a pass to the Tigers' D.J. Steward (8), who made the reception for a 9-yard gain.

Above: A blitzing Wabash defensive back bears down on DePauw quarterback Will King in hopes for a sack. King managed to get the pass off just before the rusher crashed into him.

Above: Wabash quarterback Andy Walsh (11) hurdles several DePauw defenders en route to a 4-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run that concluded scoring in the game.

Above: Members of the Wabash College Sphinx Club kept watch over the Monon Bell along the sideline before and during the game, allowing fans such as this woman -- with a red "W" smeared on her abdomen -- to take a turn ringing the bell that did not silence until the field cleared well after the game ended.

Above and remaining images below: Scenes from the postgame celebration, beginning with the joyous expressions on the faces of Sphinx Club members, followed by the fan spillover onto the field; the players' hoisting the bell above the crowd and everyone reaching to touch it; and a return of the bell to the turf, where more people -- players and fans alike -- could get a turn to sound the prized trophy.

Wabash College football: Game Day, Part II

2011-11-10T05:48:00.008-05:00

The campus of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., about 45 minutes northwest of Indianapolis in Montgomery County, is compact yet thoughtfully designed, studded with traditional brick structures distinguished by architecturally striking white-column entryway supports. Many of these overlook the mall (pictured at top) north of Byron P. Hollett Stadium, which sits near railroad tracks on the south end of campus.

These tracks serve as sort of a magnet for pregame activity on football Saturdays: Tailgaters gather on both sides of the ties. Some of the school's newer athletic facilities were developed south of the tracks in an area that, according to one longtime alumnus I talked to at halftime of Saturday's football game, had been hampered by neglect in the period before the new construction.

I saw no evidence of that onetime blight this past Saturday, when I visited Wabash to photograph the Little Giants' 28-17 North Coast Athletic Conference victory over previously unbeaten Wittenberg. What I did see in much of the area immediately adjacent to the railroad tracks was parked cars and tailgating in the hour or so before kickoff. Howard Hewitt, director of New Media/Web Content for Wabash College, told me that tailgating starts much earlier than when I arrived ... and is a lot more extensive than you'll find at other small colleges. Many alumni return to Wabash for football Saturdays, so it's a big deal.

The fact is, tailgating -- a fun way to reconnect with friends and to sustain tradition -- has become part of the experience wherever the game is played -- in the NFL and at college and high school stadiums alike. Only the names, team/school colors and weather -- OK, and possibly a menu offering or two -- might change from one place to another. And while most tailgating at Wabash was going on in the vicinity of the railroad tracks, there was one group tailgating outside a building at the southwest quadrant of the college mall, which you'll see pictured within the campus images below.

For a look at a more complete gallery of images of Wabash College and game day tailgating, visit this link.

Above: Pioneer Chapel famously situated behind the visiting school stands -- but in full view of the home crowd.

Above: The railroad tracks serving as a sort of tailgating gravitational force, aided largely by the roomy area to park vehicles. This view looks down from the top of the home team bleachers.

Above: Morris Hall (upperclass housing) on the left, and the back side of Frank Hugh Sparks campus center on the right.

Above: A long-range view of the back side of Frank Hugh Sparks campus center, the student union.

Above: The campus bookstore. You descend a staircase to get to the main entrance to the building from this view along the main, brick-covered pedestrian path.

Above: A look at the brick-paved walkway through campus, not far from the bookstore.

Above: At the south end of the college mall, with a little bit of the front of Pioneer Chapel on the left and a lone group of tailgaters straight ahead in the distance.

Above: Back side of the Frank Hugh Sparks campus center, which houses student recreational, cafeteria and lounge facilities.

Above: Front side of the Frank Hugh Sparks campus center. This side faces the campus mall.

Above: One front view of Pioneer Chapel.

A closeup of the pregame tailgaters at the southwest quadrant of the college mall along.

Above and below: Captures from the arboretum on the northeast fringe of campus.

Above: Looking north onto Wabash Avenue at the north end of campus.

Above and below: More captures from the arboretum on the northeast fringe of campus.

Above and below: Postgame activity back at the campus mall.

Above: Another front view of Pioneer Chapel.

Above: Heading home, lugging portable game-day seating through the arboretum.

Above: The Fine Arts Center, east of Grant Street.

Wabash College football: Game Day, Part I

2011-11-09T19:51:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, I had another opportunity to visit the campus of one of Indiana's fine small institutions of higher education -- Wabash College. I photographed not only the nicely landscape grounds and buildings but a showdown of the last unbeaten teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference -- Wabash and Wittenberg. The winner would be declared conference champions for 2011.

The Little Giants prevailed, 28-17, scoring the first 21 points of the game ... and holding off a late challenge by the Tigers, an end zone block punt and touchdown sealing the decision. Wabash improved its record to 9-0 for the season and 6-0 in the league. It finishes the regular season Saturday in more dramatic fashion -- the storied annual meeting with DePauw University for the coveted Monon Bell. This year's tilt is at DePauw in Greencastle, Ind.

Today's post features some of the game shots, leading off with the Little Giants' first score of the game, a one-yard keeper by quarterback Chase Belton who, moments after nudging the ball over the plane of the goal line (shown in the lead photograph), had the ball knocked out of his grasp. For a look at a more complete gallery of shots, follow this link.

The next post will reflect my trip through the campus. Enjoy.

Above and below: A center snap sailed over the head of Wittenberg quarterback Ben Zoeller, forcing him to run backward to get the ball as Wabash defenders quickly approach to make sure Zoeller isn't able to advance the ball. He didn't; Zoeller wisely fell on it.

Above: Not long after a would-be touchdown pass was called back on a holding penalty, Wabash quarterback Chase Belton scooted left and slipped past this Wittenberg's Jon Daniels to score this touchdown.

Above: The Little Giants' Ian MacDougal is in fine form on this kickoff after the second Belton touchdown.

Above: Wittenberg kick returner Conner Wayne (22) was hit with such a jarring tackle by a Wabash special teams player that he coughed up the football.

Above: The Tigers first ray of hope came with this 5-yard touchdown run by Corey Weber in the third quarter.

Above and next two below: This Jonathan Horn reception of a touchdown pass from Belton in the second quarter was called back on a holding penalty. But soon afterward, quarterback Chase Belton scampered 4 yards and scored to give Wabash a 14-0 lead.

Above: Wabash's Kyle Najar (16) blocked a punt by Wittenberg's Trey LaValley (92) in the end zone in the fourth quarter, and Najar's teammate Sean Hildebrant fell on the ball for the touchdown that put Wabash ahead by the final score, 28-17.

Above: As Hildebrand (23) and teammates prepare to celebrate the blocked-punt touchdown, a photographer along the Little Giants' sideline is lending the game official an assist by declaring it a score.

Above: Although the weather was beautiful for football Saturday, sitting all day in the shade cast by the press box necessitated a little extra garb for the Wabash pep band.

Above: An honors-studded helmet worn by Wabash offensive tackle Weston Kitley.

Above: Welcoming Little Giants football players onto the field before the game was this youngster attired in Wabash colors.

Above: Backlighting provides an element of drama in this picture of the bleachers in Byron P. Hollett Little Giant Stadium.

Above: The Wabash cheerleaders, doing what they do.

Above and below: The Little Giants players join together for a chorus of the school song after the victory clinching the conference championship. Some players are a bit more moved to give their all to the vocals than others.

Above: A moving moment in the pregame introduction of football team seniors on Senior Day came when the parents of Josh Linthicum were introduced to the crowd. Josh would have been a senior this season; he died in January 2010, just after his second year of football, from complications during hip surgery.

Autumn at night

2011-10-29T13:20:00.001-04:00

En route to and from Wednesday's meeting of the Indiana Photographic Society at the Garfield Park Arts Center, I grabbed some more autumn shots in Garfield Park in Indianapolis, using my Canon PowerShot G12.

The pre-meeting shots were taken just before the sun went down for good -- about 10 minutes before 7 p.m.; the post meeting shots not only were taken after dark, but also during a light rain. In both instances, I composed all the shots to exploit the available lampost lighting along the pathways or roadway.

Hanover College football: Game Day, Part III

2011-10-28T17:44:00.002-04:00

Unlike the two prior installments in this series, today's post -- the final in the series -- has nothing to do with football ... and all to do with the Hanover (Ind.) College campus. The only connection today's photos have to do with football is that I was on campus that day, Oct. 22, 2011, primarily to shoot the football game between Hanover and Manchester College (North Manchester, Ind.).

After the game, I strolled through the campus to take advantage of the dramatic late-afternoon sunlight to capture images such as the leading photo (top), a shot that uses backlight to -- among other things -- add definition to water in the fountain in the front of Duggan Library. To see a full gallery of images taken on the campus -- both on Oct. 22 and in February, during a prior visit, follow this link.

One of the nicest features available at the Hanover College website is its campus map; I turned to it several times to reinforce my memory of the various spots and locations I captured in photographs. I'd like to thank whoever was reponsible for assembling what turned out to be very helpful tool for me.

Above and next two below: Views of the Lynn Center for the Fine Arts, whose stately elegance is reinforced by these lofty trees flanking the brick-covered walk leading to the facility.

Above: Adjacent to the Lynn Center for the Fine Arts is the Duggan Library (also featured in the lead photo at the top). It, too, has brick-paved walkways -- three of them, one straight ahead, and two diagonals extending in opposite directions across the mall in front of it. The path you see here is one of the diagonals.

Above and next two below: Views of the Science Center / Goodrich Hall complex. Another striking facility because of its column-supported covered entryway.

Above: J. Graham Brown Campus Center, the hub of student life and activity on campus because it houses the main dining hall, the student activity center, student mailroom and bookstore. It was named for the philanthropist who donated $2 million toward its construction in 1967 ... and is another structure on campus distinguished by a Roman-column-supported entryway cover.

Above: The landscaping alongside the curved drive in front of the J. Graham Brown Campus Center.

Above: Chrysanthemums in bloom in the landscaped beds within the pedestrian roundabout in the mall in front of Horner Health and Recreation Center.

Above: A look at the main entrance to Horner Health and Recreation Center -- and the landscaped pedestrian roundabout -- from a point just in front of Morse Lane.

Above: When those familiar with the campus see this distinguished clock, they know immediately they're at the intersection of Morse Lane and Ball Drive. This view looks east, toward the Science Center / Goodrich Hall.

Above and next three down: These images were taken from "The Point," the southeastern most location on campus. The view looks southwest and comes at the edge of a bluff overlooking the Ohio River, where students often visit to relax or for inspiration or meditation. According to an informational plaque on a boulder called "Coed Rock" at The Point, the boulder "is recognized as a traditional site for the first kiss of Hanover couples." The third picture below depicts the homes right up against the river bank below the bluff.

Above: Limestone steps leading back to campus from the Coed Rock at The Point.

Above: Also taken from The Point, a short distance from Coed Rock, but looking southeast.

Above: Parker Auditorium, home to the school's theater department. This building and Hendricks Hall are the closest structures to The Point.

Above: The spire and weather vane atop Parker Auditorium, built in 1947. The vane features a pioneer preacher on horseback, indicating the building’s origins as the campus chapel and classroom for future ministers.

Above: An isolated structure I came across not far from L.S. Ayres Field, the football stadium, near the junction of File and Clemmons streets. I don't find it identified on the campus map, so perhaps it's not actually part of the campus. The nicely manicured lawn and landscaped property compelled me to capture it.

Hanover College football: Game Day, Part II

2011-10-27T22:29:00.006-04:00

One of the fun aspects of visiting the campus of a small college on football game day is the community atmosphere. Students, alumni and townsfolk converge on the grounds early to tailgate, the school colors radiant everywhere. And in the case of Hanover (Ind.) College, whose colors are two of the three primaries -- cardinal red and royal blue -- those colors also are brilliant.

Such was the atmosphere Saturday, when I visited Hanover for a shoot of both the football game and the campus. My previous post featured photographic highlights of the game, which the host Panthers won 58-7 over Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Manchester. Today's second post in a three-post series is devoted to the game-day atmosphere -- tailgating, cheerleading, pregame and postgame fanfare and the halftime salute to the four newest inductees into the Hanover College Athletic Fall of Fame.

The next post, the third and final installment in this Hanover College series, will reflect on images of the campus captured during a post-game stroll.

Above: L.S. Ayres Field, home of the Hanover Panthers, as the home team warms up before the game.

Above and next several: Glimpses of pregame tailgate activity in the meadow immediately adjacent to the football stadium.

Above: Twenty minutes before game time, the home team's stands are still thinly packed, as tailgaters wait till the last moment to file in.

Above: The tree offering shade to the stands on the visiting team's side of the field.

Above, fans gather before the game at a condiment station; below, Hanover team merchandise is offered for sale.

Above: A small gathering at the south end of the end zone.

Above: A ticket-taker stationed where Clemmons Street meets the south end of the stadium.

Above: A pep band provides musical entertainment, interludes ... and enthusiasm.

Above: Minutes away from kickoff, fans now fill the home side of the seats.

Above: Hanover and Manchester team captains meet at midfield to review key rules and toss the coin to determine possession and field position.

Above: The Panthers take the field after their pregame meeting with coaches and staff.

Above and below: Current Hanover Athletic Hall of Fame inductees joined new inductees -- athletes Jennifer Skaggs, Kevin O'Donohue and Mike Miller, along with longtime recruiter Nick Rutsis -- on the field for recognition at halftime.

Above: Throughout the game, I looked to compose at least one good game shot using the campus water tower as a backdrop.

Above and next two below: Senior offensive lineman Matt Money (74), at left, turned for a cue to lead the team in a post-game song, ending with a salute of helmets.

Above and below: Fans file out of the stands at the conclusion of the game.

Above: Many of the fans lingered behind the stadium to greet players. One player who seemed particularly pleased with the opportunity to mingle was junior wide receiver Dwayne Eubanks, who scored on two long touchdown pass plays in the Panthers 58-7 win over Manchester, including one for 96 yards, a school record.

Above: Fans exit via Clemmons Street at the south end of the stadium.

Above: Just a few yards from the Clemmons Street junction were these bottles and cans, empty except for the first bottle on the right. They were lined up on the top of a metal transformer box.

Hanover College football: Game Day, Part I

2011-10-27T06:58:00.008-04:00

I so much enjoyed my visit in February to Hanover (Ind.) College, where I took pictures of a men's basketball game and of the campus landscape, that before even heading home I resolved to return in the fall to shoot a football game ... and try to hopefully catch some of the campus autumn colors.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, I did just that. Hanover defeated Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Manchester College 58-7 on L.S. Ayres Field on what turned out to be a beautiful day. I'm going to log my photos in three installments -- one, today, is a review of some game shots. The second installment will focus on game festivities, including halftime and the tradition tailgate activity by the Hanover community. The third post will focus on my shots of the campus landscape after the game, exploiting the dramatic, late-afternoon sunlight.

Panthers' sophomore quarterback Dexter Britt (16) is featured in the lead photograph of today's post, passing to junior wide receiver Colton Zeck (11), who made the catch for a modest gain in first-half action. Britt completed 21-of-36 passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Panthers amass 594 total yards of offense. Hanover improved its overall record to 4-3 (4-1 in the HCAC) and hosts league foe Bluffton (Ohio) this Saturday. Manchester fell to 2-5 (1-5).

Zeck scored one of the Panthers' eight touchdowns, scampering 58 yards to paydirt on a third-quarter punt return. Senior running back Derron Bailey scored three first-half touchdowns, two rushing and one on a 15-yard pass from Britt. Junior receiver Dwayne Eubanks caught 8 passes for 165 yards, both personal bests; two of those went for long touchdowns in the third quarter -- one a school record 96 yards, the other 37 yards.

The Spartans' touchdown came with 33 seconds left in the third quarter. After Eubanks' 37-yard TD reception, Manchester's Corey Nelson fumbled and dropped the ensuing kickoff, recovered it quickly and scampered 83 yards for the TD.

A special nod of appreciation to Hanover sports information director Carter Cloyd, who facilitated both of my visits to Hanover this year. Cloyd also was responsible for assembling all of the game stats you see in this post.

To see a full gallery of images from the game, visit this link.

Above: In addition to his 349 yards passing, quarterback Dexter Britt (16) was the Panthers' second-leading rusher against Manchester, gaining 43 yards on 13 carries. In this photo, taken in the second quarter, he leaves the pocket on a pass play in search of a receiver on the left side.

Above: Sophomore defensive back Derrick Worden returned a Manchester fumble 29 yards in the first half. Not realizing he had stepped out of bounds several yards earlier, he tried to pass the ball over the goal line in a desperate lunge to score after being tripped up inside the 5-yard line.

Above: Running back Darren Bailey (left) and receiver Dwayne Eubanks enjoy a celebratory leap in the end zone after one of Bailey's three first-half touchdowns.

Above: The Spartans' leading rusher, Corey Nelson (6), was held to only 28 yards rushing by a stingy Panther defense, exemplified here by defensive back Jason Chisholm, who made a lunging tackle to knock Nelson off his feet, preventing a long gain.

Above: A tackle becomes more finite when more than one defender gets involved. Here, three Panthers -- (from left) Justin Magaw, Andy Dalton and Dylan Bostwick -- seal an end to a rushing attempt by Manchester's Corey Nelson.

Above: Hanover defensive lineman Ajani Jones hit the turf hard on this play -- enough so that pellets splayed from the foundation of the artificial turf.

Above and below: The Hanover defense gave Manchester quarterbacks Nick Williams (13) and Justin Minnich fits all afternoon. If a Spartan pass wasn't being blocked before it could cross the line of scrimmage -- as blitzing Panther defensive back Cord Dorsey (15) does above to Williams' throw -- then it might likely be intercepted, as defensive back Sam Louis did twice. In the case of the interception below, Louis (6) made a modest return.

Above: There wasn't a defender within 10 yards of Hanover's Dwayne Eubanks when he hauled in this third-quarter pass for a 37-yard score.

Above: Darren Bailey rushed for 93 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns Saturday. He also scored on a 15-yard pass from Dexter Britt.

Above and below: Manchester's one moment on the highlight reel came late in the third quarter. Corey Nelson fumbled the kickoff after Eubanks' 37-yard touchdown reception. Nelson remained poised, scooped up the drop (above) then scampered 83 yards down field (below), leaving several Panthers in his wake.

Above: Receiver, punter and kick returner Colton Zeck (11) had a busy day. In addition to catching three passes for 21 yards, he returned three punts for 64 yards, including a 58-yarder for a touchdown in Hanover's 24-point third quarter. He also kicked two punts for 97 yards, the longer of which traveled 61 yards. In this photo, he's shown during a first-quarter punt return.

Above: Hanover's Ajani Jones (95) seems to be within reach of bringing down Manchester quarterback Justin Minnich. While Minnich eluded the tackle, moments later he was at the sideline and forced out of bounds by other Panther defenders.

Above: Manchester running back Corey Nelson (6) prepares to skirt around lineman Tommy Webster's block of Cord Dorsey (15) for a short gain.

Above: Hanover's Jacob Noger (85) hauled in this pass from C.J. Croft in front of Manchester defender Donald Ivey near the goal line in the fourth quarter. Noger thought he had crossed the goal line before his knee touched the ground. The officials, however, ruled Noger's knee hit the turf short of the goal line. Croft would rush for the Panthers' final TD moments later.

Above: Backup quarterback Tanner Parker (14) gained 16 yards on this run in the fourth quarter, his only carry of the game.

Above: Parker was caught off guard in the fourth quarter when a long snap from center sailed over his head, hit the turf behind him then took a quirky bounce forward and out of his reach ... into the hands of a Manchester defender. The Spartan offense later lost the ball on downs.

Autumn in Garfield Park

2011-10-26T04:32:00.003-04:00

A dry summer and recent rain made for a small window of opportunity to appreciate this year's autumn colors. Much like last year, where dry summer weather also bollixed autumn appreciation, leaves fell early this year and colors lacked the brilliance usually enjoyed with a normal amount of summer rainfall.

After three consecutive days of rain last week, we had a sunny Friday, so I squeezed in an hour's worth of early-evening shooting in Garfield Park in Indianapolis to capture some fall vista and sunset photographs. This post features those photos, my first attempt to play catch-up in posting images from a couple of recent shoots.

I followed the Friday shoot with a trip to Hanover in southern Indiana on Saturday to photograph the Hanover-Manchester college football game in L.S. Ayres Stadium ... and take some more images on the very scenic campus.

First, however, the Friday shoot in Garfield Park, leading (top) with a kind of revisit to a scene I first photographed in autumn about six years ago. This year's capture differs in three respects -- it's missing one of its trees, razed because of disease in the interim years; the scorching summer did not allow the grass to hold its rich green this late into the year; and I treated the image with high-dynamic range (HDR) software. The shot in 2005 was a normal, single-frame image.

With the light fading fast, I found myself chasing optimum or unusual light conditions, rather than the most brilliant color situations.

Above: A portrait (vertical) orientation of the scene at the top.

Above: Another scene I recall capturing previously, although I believe I took the earlier photo in 2006, the year after I grabbed the one above. Like the previous capture, the leaves at the top were gone by the time I arrived.

Above: This critter -- feeling relatively safe -- allowed me to get pretty close, relatively speaking, anyway. Still, I use the maximum length on the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens I had on my Canon 7D. It was hammering away at this acorn so fiercely that the noise of its teeth scraping or digging into the shell was audible from where I was standing.

Above: The west side of the Garfield Park Arts Center, with the setting sun reflected in the window on the far left, and a splash of the park's autumn colors providing a bookend on the far right.

Above: It might seem odd to photograph a recycling bin, but the reason will become apparent in the bottom two photographs. Even without those photos below, the artwork on this bin was impressive enough, I felt, to warrant a photo. The rusty color you see on the far right bottom corner of the bin is from a thin splay of setting sunlight, coming from the left.

Above and below: I decided to compose this shot when I saw how the setting sun was lighting up the recycling bin below the tree on the right. I'm posting both compositions because I couldn't decide between the one above, where the sun and the bin reflection are more subdued, and the one below, where both are more intense as a result of a slight movement of my position in relation to the subjects.

A Hoosiers fan gets his wish

2011-10-09T11:30:00.009-04:00

I'm not one to bogart someone else's big moment, but on Thursday I did have a wonderful time sharing a great experience of friends who were visiting Indianapolis from Omaha, Neb.

Tom and Mary Adams, both college acquaintances from our years living in Wisconsin, are flat-out fun people, and even without the piece de resistance that lie ahead when we made our reacquaintance Thursday, I knew it would be a good time.

Some quick background: Tom (left) has been a rabid basketball fan for years. He's loved to play the game (and has had his share of injuries as mementos) and loves to watch and follow it. Until the motion picture Hoosiers was released in 1986, Tom had not heard of the 1954 David-beats-Goliath story of the "Milan Miracle" -- the small-school Milan High School (enrollment 161) basketball team that captured the imagination of all of Indiana when it defeated big-school Muncie Central (enrollment 1,600), 32-30, in the finals of Indiana's then-single-class basketball tournament. The close score wasn't the only dramatic element to the game; Milan's Bobby Plump sank a jump shot with only seconds left on the clock to give his team the margin of difference to claim the championship.

Ever since the release of Hoosiers, a fictionalized account that loosely based its storyline on the Milan Miracle, Tom has been obsessed with all things Hoosiers, Milan and Bobby Plump. Indeed, until Thursday, Tom had just two things on his "Bucket List." One was descending one side of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and climbing up the other side, something he's planning to do in May 2012. The other was meeting Bobby Plump. I vaguely recalled Tom mentioning his "fascination" with Hoosiers, the Milan story and Plump in June 2008, when Tom, Mary and another two dozen people from our circle of college friends held a reunion near Columbus, Wis. I even remember him mentioning at that time that he aspired to meet Plump some day.

Tom recently built up the nerve to call long-distance to ask Bobby if he would agree to meet Tom and Mary at Plump's Indianapolis restaurant, "Plump's Last Shot," if Tom and Mary came to town. Plump warmly agreed, so the Adamses set up a time and date -- 6 p.m. Oct. 6 -- to do just that. Mary dropped me a note on Monday, Oct. 3, letting me know they'd be in town on the 6th and asked me to meet them at the restaurant at 6 p.m. that evening. I've lived in Indianapolis for some time, so I was chagrined to admit that I'd never been to Plump's restaurant until that day. But the prospect of having a face-to-face meeting with Bobby Plump -- and one arranged by someone else -- was beyond belief, but it was very exciting.

Tom was in hoops heaven the whole night. The excitement was readily apparent even as we waited for Bobby to arrive. The several quaffs of Stella Artois didn't hurt, of course. Bobby sipped on diet cola as he fielded each and every one of our questions -- stuff he undoubtedly had been asked so many times before -- as if it were being asked the first time. He answered with animation and detail, as if all of us were longtime cronies. He indulged us, in fact, for longer than we ever expected. He signed a copy of his book, "Bobby Plump: Last of the Small Town Heroes" (photo at the top), for Tom and even agreed to go to the basketball hoop that was set up behind the eatery to allow Mary and I to snap pitcures of Tom going "one on one" with Bobby. The 75-year-old Plump sank the first shot he took. We were astounded. Then he mentioned casually that he hadn't played any ball in a couple of years. Again, amazed.

Given Tom's fascination with Hoosiers, I was surprised that he wasn't aware that the film's screenwriter, Angelo Pizzo, and director, David Anspaugh, and Maris Valainis, the movie's Plump-like character, Jimmy Chitwood, would be appearing this weekend in Nineveh for a reunion and celebration marking the film's 25th year anniversary. Alas, Tom and Mary had made other plans and would not be able to take a side trip to see any of the festivities. Nineveh's old school building was the structure that served as Hickory High School (the Milan-equivalent school) in the movie. It was razed shortly after vandals set fire to the building in 1994, but the Nineveh Heritage Committee is trying to buy up property around the site to create a small park and erect a marker commemorating its formidable role in Hoosier Hysteria lore.

Above: Tom and Mary, near the end of dream night at Plump's Last Stand.

Above: Tom getting his picture taken with Bobby Plump.

Above: Bobby agreed to pose with me, and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity. It was a thrill for me.

Above: The first of several shots outside and behind the eatery, when Tom and Bobby briefly shot at a basket attached to the building's roof. While I really don't know what Tom and Bobby were discussing, I joked to them afterward that this shot struck me as Bobby doing a Babe-Ruth-like "calling his shot" thing.

Above: Bobby following through on his first shot, which got nuthin' but net.

Above: I'd asked Tom and Bobby to pose for this, and Tom -- without any direction -- put a hand in Bobby's face, much to the Hoosier legend's amusement.

Above: Taken moments after the shot immediately above this. Tom's faux hand-in-the-face notwithstanding, Bobby got off a shot.

Above and below: Just two wall mementos in Plump's Last Shot. Bobby said the wood flooring framed above was from the actual basketball court at Milan High School where Plump and the Indians played their home games in 1954. Plump didn't take the piece until after the gym closed and a new school was built. Below, a newspaper spread marking the Milan Miracle, which occurred on March 13, 1954.

Summer 2011 in the Sunken Garden

2011-09-18T04:49:00.006-04:00

Since 2004, I've tried to make a point of documenting, in photographs, the annual summer floral arrangements in the Sunken Garden at Garfield Park in Indianapolis. The Garden is adjacent to the conservatory on the park grounds, and the conservatory staff normally tries to present spring bulbs outdoors (in addition to the indoor annual bulb show) and on occasion, weather permitting, swap out the summer arrangement in fall with chrysanthemums.

My mission in recent years has been made difficult by enthusiastic park rangers/security staff who improperly enforce the policy that regulates use of the Sunken Garden as a backdrop for professional portraiture work. For those instances, the park wants photographers to purchase a permit, which costs somewhere in the range of $250, figuring that ... if the photographer is going to make money, why not the park? Park staff have told me repeatedly the policy is not aimed at people wanting to take pictures of the flowers. Unfortunately, the security staff has been coached to look for people with "expensive" or sophisticated equipment, and that a tripod is a good tip-off. Unfortunately, a tripod should not be a telltale sign; I've been in the Sunken Garden at night, using a tripod to steady the camera for night scenes -- no portraiture. So, when the security staff sees what they believe is nice camera gear or tripods, they instantly deduce that person is doing professional portraiture work, even if there is no portrait subject with the photographer! I'm not alone in experiencing these frustrations; I've talked to other shooters who've gone through the same thing. So I've not been nearly as enthusiastic to continue my streak of recording the arrangements.

I tread carefully Saturday when I made my venture to photograph the Garden. There were no security staff when I got there, so I started shooting, fast and furious, hoping to get it done and then get out before it became an issue. Rushing is no way to do a memorable shoot, and I suppose my pictures probably reflect that. As I neared completion of my rush job, I noticed ... barely more than 10 feet away on the overlook ... a gentleman in a security uniform. I held my breath preparing for "the confrontation."

Thankfully, it didn't happen. Could it be -- they know better now? Someone has sat them all down and gone over exactly what entails professional portrait photography? I don't know, and I decided not to ask. Thankful I didn't have to run through the annual "I'm not doing portraiture photography; I'm taking pictures of flowers" defense mantra, I made a quick exit.

Today's post carries some images from the shoot; the final four were taken outside the Garden, during my departure in the park and, in the instance of the sedum and the juliet tomato, in my yard. The two vertical orientations of the trees are high-dynamic range (HDR) treatments, captured hand-held using my Tamron 18-270mm Di II VC PZD lens.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

2011-09-11T18:30:00.010-04:00

The Garfield Shakespeare Company in Indianapolis -- after taking a one-play detour from Shakespeare to present George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" in spring -- on Friday and Saturday had its opening weekend of its fall production, "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" (if you're wondering why it isn't being called simply "Hamlet," director Joe Cook explains that he prefers the long titles).

The production is distinguished by three novelties: 1) Only three actors -- Susan M. Gaertner, Denise Rohn and Sha Collier -- had ever appeared in a GSC production previously; 2) There was a whole lot of gender-mixing going on, mostly by women playing male roles (and there was one instance of a male playing a female), and 3) The cast included a lot of teenagers.

In explaining Nos. 2 & 3, Cook said simply that he decided to roll with what he was dealt after the audition calls in July, and after looking in on both shows this weekend (Friday to shoot, Saturday to be member of the audience), I liked what Cook did and accomplished. One of his lead characters -- King Claudius -- was played by a woman, Nan Macy, who turned in a stellar performance. GSC first-timers Pete Lindblom (as Hamlet) and Brad Elliot (as Laertes) also shined, and GSC veteran Susan M. Gaertner, another woman playing a male role, had the audience enjoying her turn as Polonius, Lord Chamberlain and father of Laertes and Ophelia.

Of the teen roles, the meatiest went to Tempiellen Knuteson, who played Ophelia, letting loose with a convincing turn in the fourth act scene where Ophelia turns mentally erratic in the aftermath of her father's stabbing death at the hand of her love interest Hamlet, who had thrust his weapon blindly, through a wall drape, thinking the person he was assailing was an eavesdropping Claudius.

The GSC has one more weekend of performances of "Hamlet." Shows are scheduled for 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 16 & 17) at the MacAllister Center for the Performing Arts in Garfield Park in Indianapolis. There is no admission charges; the GSC is an all-volunteer organization. You can find the organization on Facebook as well.

This post features images from my Friday shoot of opening night; the photo in the lead position at the top features Tony Van Pelt as a gravedigger, preparing the final resting place for Ophelia, handing the skull of a jester, Yorick, to Hamlet, played by Pete Lindblom. For a full gallery of images, visit this link.

Above: JD Bonitz (left) as Hamlet's friend Horatio in an early scene exchange with Greg Frisby, playing castle guard Marcellus.

Above: Tempiellen Knuteson, as Ophelia, discussing her relationship with Hamlet with her father Polonius, played by Susan M. Gaertner.

Above: In an early scene, Hamlet, played by Pete Lindblom, listens as a spirit who identifies himself as Hamlet's father tells Hamlet that he was slain by Claudius by pouring poison in his ear.

Claudius (left), king of Denmark, played by Nan Macy, and his wife, Gertrude, queen of Denmark, played by Denise Rohn, are amused as Polonius (below), played by Susan M. Gaertner, recites a litany of tedious maxims.

Above: Lindblom in the early stages of Hamlet's famous "To be, or not to me" soliloquy, with Ophelia within earshot on the other side of the stage. Moments later, Hamlet would thrice admonish Ophelia to "get thee to a nunnery."

Above and below: Maureen O'Leary, another of the cast's teenagers, in two scenes. Above, she participates in one of the lighter scenes with female-role-playing Greg Frisby, who seems to be perplexed by his exaggerated wardrobe dysfunction. Below, she plays the victim of an ear-poisoning in a scene re-enacting Hamlet's father's death as alleged by the ghost. Hamlet deliberately included the scene in a play, "The Murder of Gonzago," performed by a visiting troupe for the king and his court so Hamlet could observe Claudius' reaction. Claudius stormed out of the performance after the scene below, confirming to Hamlet that the ghost was correct.

Above: Nan Macy, as Claudius, during the third-act "Oh, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven" soliloquy.

Above: Hamlet hears a cry of help come from someone hiding behind a drape in his mother's chamber. Thinking the eavesdropper is Claudius, his mother's husband and the man he believes killed his father, Hamlet stabs into the drape blindly. Moments later, he would learn that the eavesdropper he killed was not Claudius, but Polonius, the father of his love interest, Ophelia.

Above and below: Tempiellen Knuteson, as Ophelia, in two frames from her erratic reaction to learning of her father's death, a stream about flowers (above) and a brief dance with a large white piece of fabric (below). Not long after, the queen would announce that Ophelia had been found, mysteriously drowned in a brook.

Above: The final scene duel between Laertes (left), played by Brad Elliott, and Hamlet, with Horatio (background, left) Claudius, Gertrude and other court staff observing.

Above: Denise Rohn as Gertrude, slumping to the floor as the poison kicks in from the drink she had consumed to toast her son Hamlet's first "hit" in the duel. She did not know her husband had tampered with the drink or had intended it to be consumed by Hamlet.

Above: Emboldened by the confession of Laertes (below), Hamlet -- who already had pierced Claudius with the poisoned-tip sword -- returns to double-ensure the king's demise by forcing the king to swallow a drink of the poisoned drink the king had intended for Hamlet ... and which Claudius' wife, Gertrude, had drunk from moments earlier.

Above: Mortally wounded Hamlet listens as Laertes, also dying from being pierced by the same poisoned-tip sword as Hamlet, make amends with Hamlet and reveals to Hamlet that Claudius had put him up to conspiring to kill Hamlet in the duel.

Above: After wresting the poisoned drink from his good friend Horatio, the mortally wounded Hamlet consoles his friend, who moments later, when Hamlet expired, would close the lids of his friend's eyes.

A day at the zoo

2011-09-05T09:01:00.004-04:00

The week before my oldest granddaughter, Lizzy, started kindergarten, she, her little sister, Addy, and their mom and I went to the Indianapolis Zoo, where -- among all the other animals and exhibits -- we got our first chance to see the newborn elephant that had made local headlines recently.

I brought along only my PowerShot G12, wanting this not to be so much about a photography outing as it was a family outing. The G12 did nicely, but there were times I wish I'd have had more reach with a longer focal length lens than the G12's built-in 5x (140mm).

Still, it was a beautiful day, and we had a great time, even if 2-year-old Addy did manage to lose her prescription glasses at some point while her mom and I weren't looking, and neither of us adults realizing they were gone until we were ready to leave.

Today's post is another in a recent line of "catch-up" entries; our trip to the zoo was Aug. 12, so it's almost been a month. Well, at least it isn't ancient news just yet. Pictures in this post are from that day's trip.

Above: Lizzy (left) and Addy, parked against the wall surrounding the walrus tank.

Above: My one chance to capture the walrus with its head above the waterline.

Above: A visitor was pointing to the oncoming sting ray, pressing against the glass, while discussing the fish with one of her children.

Above: The fish tank was colorful; the key was getting a shutter fast enough to stop action.

Above: Another human juxtaposition, this time at the baby shark pool.

Above: They say penguins sleep standing up ... and at least in the case of two of these guys, turned away from onlookers.

Above: If I were able to make adjustments to the setup, I'd have removed the foliage on the left near the mouth, but ... I'm not sure the tiger would have sat still for that. So ... we left things status quo.

Above: Just hanging out, I guess.

Above: The grizzly stayed a good distance from visitors in the time we were there. This is a radical crop of a frame to better detail the bear.

Above: Not an ideal day for grabbing zebra shots. This was as good as any in my batch.

Above: Mother and fawn antelopes.

Above: Not sure of the species; just know it was photoworthy.

Above: Even the rhinos knew to find shade wherever possible.

Above: My favorite of the batch I shot of the giraffes in the Plains section.

Above: Lizzy absorbing an answer to one of her many questions of a zoo staffer at the rhino overlook. The staffer assured us several times she didn't mind Lizzy's inquisition.

Above: One of the cheetahs checking out the visitors. I'd think it would be used to it by now ...

The baby elephant in step with its mother (above) and an extensive crop from another frame to get some detail (below).

Above: Overhead of the lizard and turtle in the Desert Dome.

Above: Another instance in which I knew the species of these birds in the Desert Dome a day or so after the visit, but ... almost a month later, I've forgotten.

Above: The G12 was able to grab few shots inside the dome where they hold the dolphin shows. I pushed the ISO to 1600 (it can go to 3200, but the noise at that level is unbearable for my taste).

Above: A dolphin show trainer -- with a little help from spectators -- directs this dolphin to lean to its left.

5th annual Miracle Mile Parade

2011-09-04T11:48:00.007-04:00

Without a doubt, Saturday's running of the annual Miracle Mile Parade down Madison Avenue on the Southside of Indianapolis was the hottest of the five held since the tradition was launched in 2007. According to local weather forecasters, the day's high temperature reached 100 degrees -- a record for the day -- at 2:30 p.m., which is about when the parade was winding down (it had started at 1 p.m.).

I saw a lot of parade participants passing around or dipping into bottles of water or Gatorade, as well they should. Some of the parade participants were dressed in very warm clothing -- the Indiana Pacers and Fever mascots and the Haunted House representatives come to mind immediately. Members of the Southport and Perry Meridian marching bands went smart with T-shirts and shorts, while members of the Roncalli and Manual high school bands walked the route in T-shirts and long pants. Those are members of the Perry Meridian unit in the photo leading off this post; I went with a slower than usual shutter speed to try to capture the twirled rifles in "motion," but I might have gone a little slower than I should have with the shutter, because I wasn't quite able to catch the girls as sharply as I would have liked.

For the second year in a row, I chose a position near the end of the milelong route, a spot between Murray and Werges streets, about a block and a half south of my position last year, which was almost in front of Cardwell's Do-It Best Home Center. Near the end of the parade, right about 2:45 p.m., as the Red Hats and Purple Chaps entry passed by me, a Hats/Chaps woman riding a scooter keeled over and hit the pavement, apparently a victim of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Several people -- spectators, Hats/Chaps members and myself -- came to her aid with water and a portable hand fan. Within a few minutes, a Beech Grove Fire Department crew arrived and transported her to seek medical attention.

Here are some more pictures from my parade shoot Saturday.

Above: I lucked out in getting focus and snagging the "between the power lines" illusion for this capture of a helicopter trolling the parade route moments before it started.

Above: The U.S. and Indiana state flags.

Above: A few nice things about my vantage point at the south end of the parade route: the slightly downhill view ... and being able to exploit the sight compression attribute of the long end of the focal range (270mm) on the Tamron telephoto lens I was using. You can see the stoplights at the Madison/East split (foreground), at the Madison/Troy Avenue intersection (red lights farther back) and ... if you squint and look closely, way in the background, you can see the tiny yellow traffic lights at the parade start point at Southern Avenue.

Above: The major not-so-nice thing about my vantage point is that by the time parade participants get here, the crowd has thinned dramatically, so participants who entertain -- such as marching bands and, above, the 500 Gordon Pipers here -- aren't doing much performing.

Above and below: Members of the Southport High School marching band, who except for the drum section, also weren't doing much performing when they reached me. But, I don't begrudge them for watering up. To do so was very important on this very hot day.

Above: The Perry Meridian band was playing when it walked past where I was stationed. Thanks for that!

Above: Cars are a big deal in the parade every year. Right after the parade ends, the Cruisers Open Car Show -- featuring classic models such as the Corvette above -- begins at Southern Plaza, another mile or so down the road -- and a bit west on East Street from the end of the parade route.

Above: A girl walking the parade route as a member of the Garfield Park Arts Center entry. The GPAC parade participants tried to reflect a variety of the arts and crafts classes and exhibits the center nurtures and supports.

Above and below: Members of the Emmerich Manual High School Marching Band. Manual is located at Madison Avenue and Pleasant Run Parkway, which is about a quarter-mile north of where the parade starts each year (Madison and Southern avenues), so in that sense, Manual is the parade's "home" marching band.

Above: Boomer, the mascot of the National Basketball Association Indiana Pacers, gets a hug from a spectator. Boomer had to be one of those parade participants who were broiling in costume on this particular day.

Above: Members of the Murat Shrine Motorcycle Drill Team.

Above and below: The Roncalli High School Marching Band, including (below) some members gratefully accepting some liquid refreshment.

Above: From either Fright Manor Haunted Attractions and/or The Asylum Haunted House. Both were in the parade, and separated by only one other entry, and at this point of the parade, the Red Hats/Purple Chaps woman in front of them had already fallen from her scooter, and people (myself included) were paying most of their attention to her.

Above: Indiana Pacers' Lance Stephenson.

Above: A Red Hats parade participant, passing by moments before the events below unfolded.

Above and below: I'd already run out to help (I pulled the scooter off her body; the scooter was heavier than I had imagined), and when these many other folks also came out to help, I returned to the curb, thinking this woman would need some room to breathe. A fellow Red Hats member provided a portable hand fan to help cool the woman, and after a while, she seemed well enough to sit up and drink. The three members of the Johnson County Mini-Mystics paused to look in on the woman as they neared the point where she had fallen. Within a few minutes, a Beech Grove Fire Department ambulance crew arrived and transported her elsewhere for formal medical attention.

A day at the Indiana State Fair

2011-08-31T13:30:00.002-04:00

I'm still playing catch-up with my recent shoots, and today's post is directed at a visit of mine on Aug. 10 to the Indiana State Fair. It was a big deal for me, as I hadn't been to the State Fair "in years," and since "in years" usually means a long, long time, and since I can't remember exactly when I was there last, it applies here.

It was the first real opportunity I had to use my "one camera, one-do-it-all lens" plan for shoots when I know I'm going to be out and about for a long while, doing a lot of walking and not wanting to lug around a gear bag or even a backpack with heavy lenses and other stuff. That's why I bought the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens in May -- to turn to for shoots like this. Plus, it's already proven that its vibration compensation feature (VC) enables me to hand-hold the camera when bracketing shots for high-dynamic range (HDR) renderings, which means ... no lugging of a tripod!

I did also bring along my wide-angle lens, but it's portable enough to carry in a small bag so wasn't too weighty. I had a sense I might want to use it for some creative shots, and I was right. All of the vintage tractor shots you see here were taken using the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 lens; I was able to get as close as a foot away from the vehicles in most instance, still fit the whole thing into the frame and also get that nifty, exaggerated look I was going for. I also used it for shots I took of the track grandstands from the south promenade, one of which is the final photo in today's post.

I enjoyed my day at the fair; I saw stuff ranging from livestock to a Lego building of Lucas Oil Stadium. My plan was to walk as much of the main loop thoroughfare and however many sidetracks I could come across, and in about five hours time, I did just that.

Here are a few of my pictures from my day at the Indiana State Fair.