Until the Wednesday after Labor Day, the day we set out to return to North Carolina from a long holiday week in Indianapolis, it had been almost three years since I had been to an Indiana university or college campus to do a photo documentation.
And it wasn't until that very day -- when Lee Ann decided we would return to North Carolina by way of Muncie so that her daughter Lea could stop at Ball State University to confer with a faculty member to discuss job prospects and referrals -- that I had an inkling I'd get that chance.
In my nearly 40 years of living in Indianapolis, I'd never been to the Ball State University campus. It took me two years removed from Indiana to get there. In almost all of the previous visits to Indiana school campuses, it was in tandem with a seven-year project --
Game Day -- to visit all of the small colleges and universities in Indiana that fielded football teams. Last week's visit involved no game.
I had only an hour and a half to cover as much turf as I could, and in retrospect, I probably spent more time on the football stadium and basketball arena facilities than I should have if I were to divide the time proportionately. But there was a good reason for me to do it: I had access to the insides of both athletic facilities. At my last campus shoot,
in Buies Creek, N.C., the home of Campbell University, I was shut out of the football stadium.
I was very impressed with what I saw at Ball State. Don't ask me why, but I was expecting to be underwhelmed. It was quite the contrary. BSU is a nicely laid out and maintained campus, and I liked the football and basketball facilities.
A photo of the Shafer carillon tower (above), in the center of campus on a modest median along North McKinley Avenue, BSU's primary north-south thoroughfare, ordinarily would have been a logical choice to lead off the post. Or perhaps a shot of the iconic Beneficence (below), a/k/a "Benny," the institutional sculpture facing West University Avenue that is used on Ball State stationery.
But I as contemplated what to use for my lead-off photo, I repeatedly came back to a photo of the back side of the Teachers College building, bedecked with a large "We Fly" banner (the catchy phrase used in the school's new marketing campaign). That's what I ended up using to top the post.
As always, to view a larger, sharper version of a photo, simply click on the image. This is particularly helpful when accessing the blog from a mobile device. To view
a full gallery of the Ball State University shoot, click on the link in this sentence.
Photo geek stuff: I did the entire shoot with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens equipped with a B+W polarizing filter. I took three slightly different exposures (one as metered, one 2/3 stop over and one 2/3 stop under metered), which I blended into a single frame in post-processing using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software. Most of the shots were taken at 100 ISO or close to 100 ISO and f/8. I used the shutter as my variable for the differing exposures for each composition.
One more view (above) of the bell tower, as seen from the north end of McKinley Avenue heading toward the center of campus. Below, a BSU welcoming sign adorned with the iconic Beneficence figure.
A section of the fountain (above) in the mall near the Alexander M. Bracken Library (below), the main library on campus.
Above and below: Two views of Emens Auditorium, the one above from the left side, the one below from the right, peering through some ornamental grass. The second photo below is an op art installation outside the auditorium.
Above: I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't include at least one photo of the David Letterman Center for Communications and Media.
I include an exterior shot (above) of the Whitinger Business Building because that's where Lee Ann spent a lot of her higher ed schooling getting her M.B.A. The photo below is a portion of the exterior of the University College of Architecture and Architecture Library. I found it ironic that the architecture college's distinguished (I think?) architecture ... is obscured extensively -- on both sides -- by trees.
Above: I don't know much about the transit system either on campus or in Muncie, but I noticed a lot of buses along McKinley Avenue during the time I traversed the thoroughfare on foot.
Above is a full perspective shot of Beneficence, which a page at the university's website said was finished by sculptor Daniel Chester French in 1937. It's where graduates and their families go to pose for photos after outdoor graduation ceremonies.
The Frank A. Bracken Administration Building on West University Avenue (above). Across the street from it is the Ball State Student Center (below).
Above: I include a shot of the Charles W. Brown Planetarium in honor of one of my college roommates, who spent his collegiate and post-collegiate career managing and directing planetariums. He spent the lion's share of the time at the Roger B. Chafee Planetarium in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Two eye-catching views (above and below) of Scheumann Stadium, where the Ball State Cardinals play their home football games. The second photo below is a simple geometric composition of the pillars behind the north end zone. The third and fourth photos below are shots inside the stadium.
Another geometric composition (above) at a stairway to one of the football stadium gates. Below are two large footballs, one red and one black, positioned at opposite ends of the west entrances to the stadium. The red one is on the north end, the black on the south end. A worker I encountered near this area told me that it is tradition for Cardinals fans to rap on the footballs as they enter the stadium.
Exterior shots (above and below) of Worthen Arena, the home of Cardinals men and women's basketball, volleyball and gymnastics teams.
A look at the arena court (above) and Worthen Arena concourse (below).
Just south of Worthen Arena is the Lewellen Aquatic Center (above). I include this partially because classmate of mine in high school (Milwaukee, Wis.) has a child who swam on the Ball State swim team some years ago.
Above: A short jaunt from Scheumann Stadium is the alumni center. This is the side facing West Bethel Avenue.
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