Fishers, Ind., downtown area remains in an ongoing state of development

I began visiting the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers on a regular basis in 2014, and the downtown's area was under heavy construction then (at least as much as I can recall). In the ensuing years, tear downs and new buildings has been ongoing there, and I documented some of the activity in several shoots during my visits.

And so it was when I was there last month. Whereas the majority of construction in years past had been going on east of the railroad tracks along and north of 116th Street, the heaviest concentration of new digging and structures is still along 116th Street, but west of the tracks. There's also construction going on east of I-65 along 116th, and I noticed the Fresh Market store that used to be next to LA Fitness on the north side of 116th has not only closed ... but it's been torn down.

When I was in Fishers last month, I didn't photograph the latter area west of the interstate, but I did take another leisurely stroll in the original downtown area where new building is going on ... and where I wanted to document development completed since I was there last, which was in May 2018.

One of the sites I was most eager to revisit was the municipal mall and mall performance stage near Town Hall. In May 2018, the land was dug up and the skeletal beginnings of the new performance stage were present. But last month, everything was finished.

That's the performance stage in the photo leading off the post and the image immediately below. The second photo below is the mall green -- the view performers have when they're on the stage. That whole green area was dirt and construction implements when I was there last.

As always, click on any image to view a larger, sharper version, which is particularly beneficial when accessing the blog from a mobile device. To view a full gallery of images from the shoot, click on the link in this sentence.


Photo geek stuff: All shots were taken with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens. Each composition was captured in three exposures -- normal exposure and 2/3 stops above and below normal. ISO was set at 160 and f/8, and I used the shutter as my variable for the different exposures. The three shots were melded into one in post-processing using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software.

West of the refurbished municipal mall and performance stage are the structures under construction shown above and below. 

North of the performance stage are buildings under construction shown above and below.

The Meyer Najem Construction Co. plant can be found east of the municipal mall. Above is a view of the full building facade, and below is a closeup of the installation art. 

The Fishers police station (above) has a new home in the municipal circle complex. Nearby is an older structure (below) housing other municipal services. 

Braden Business Systems (above) anchors the northeast corner of Municipal Drive and North Street. Directly east down North Street -- just before the former railroad tracks -- is this view (below) of Four Day Ray Brewery in the distance. 

Another new building facade (above) and an extended parking garage (below) along the former railroad tracks.  

Looking west toward Municipal Drive on North Street (above), and the RQAW headquarters (below) just east of the former railroad tracks on North Street. 

New development on the north side of North Street (above), not far from Four Day Ray (below). This western facade of the brewery from Maple Street features a colorful mural. Sun rays refracting off the the brewery's corner signage (second below) featured a brilliant purple colorization at this time of day. The brewery as seen from the north side of North Street (third below) and a closeup of the mural (fourth below).

The front facade of LoKe Bicycle shop (above) across from Four Day Ray.

Fishers Office Suite (above) on Lantern Road and North Street, festive seasonal street decorations (next two below) and Community Health Network's new facility at Lantern Road and E. 116th Street (third below). 

Above and below: Open areas under development along East 116th Street between Moore Street and the former railroad tracks. 

Just east of the above construction activity are the Crown Liquors store (above), Greek's Pizzeria (below) and Handel's Homemade Ice Cream (second below). On the west side of the site is the former Nickel Plate Bar and Grill (third below), a longtime institution in downtown Fishers. 

An open area (above) under development on the south side of East 116th Street east of Fishers Town Center. A sign on the grounds (below) indicates it will be developed as the future site of the First Internet Bank headquarters. 

Further west along 116th Street, just east of Holland Drive, is the building construction shown in the photos above, below and second below. 

A peek at what you don't see when attending a theatrical production

My shoot for First Folio Productions’ presentation of Romeo and Juliet late last month was a two-day affair. As indicated and illustrated in the previous post here, the first day was devoted to scenes from the dress rehearsal.

The second day was used to grab “behind the scenes” images, a group shot of the cast and crew, and some photos reflecting a refinement of the visual “show” the crew devised as part of the opening musical sequence. You saw a couple shots of the latter in the previous post.

This post is about the behind-the-scenes images, and it leads off with a shot of Susan Yeaw getting guitarist/vocalist Al Hoffman wired up for amplification. Susan worked the show in the control booth of the Ben Davis High School theater, but she is an accomplished actress who I met through her various roles with the Garfield Shakespeare Company.

I’ve come to learn that an angular perspective, or tilt, seems appropriate at times when composing a shot, and this scene in the control booth in the back of the theater seemed to be one of those times.

Above and next three below: Crew members in the control booth work with the stage lighting and visual portion of the show. On stage are Glenn Dobbs, the play’s director (first below) and cast member Jurrell Spencer (in costume), who played Count Paris. Shortly thereafter, Spencer would join fellow cast members Mark Varick and Anderson Parker in the first row of seats to watch further fine-tuning of the visual presentation. Varick played Benvolio, friend of Romeo, which was Parker’s role.

The silhouette above of stage manager Melody Burnett, who also was in charge of set decoration, adjusting the curtain to the balcony is one of my favorite from the night’s shoot. Earlier in the evening, Burnett and cast member John Mortell (below), who played Romeo’s rival Tybalt, were nearby as the fog machine was tested.

Above: In the men’s dressing room, Stephen Scull (Prince Escalus) makes his way toward a locker to put on his outfit.

Outside the dressing rooms, cast member Brian Kennedy (above), who played Lord Montegue, finds his costume from the rack. A while later (below), he was in the dressing room beginning the makeup process. 

Elsewhere in the men’s dressing room, Daniel Clymer (above) finessed the look around his eyes, his costume (first below) hanging several yards away at his locker. Clymer played Friar Laurence. Also working on the eyes was fellow cast member Tristan Ross (second below), who played Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet. Sitting on a chair against one of the walls (third below) were neatly arranged belongings and a dance scene mask.  

Above: In the women’s dressing room, cast members Debbie Coon (left) and Michelle Wafford Mannweiler enjoy a laugh while tidying up. Coon played Balthasar, Wafford Mannweiler was Juliet.

Above: Carrie Reiberg’s work with the aerosol can is captured in three mirrors. She played Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet.

Above: Kat Paton, who played Lady Montegue, concentrates on the eyes.

Makeup artist Delores Dugger adjusts cast member Joyce Feichtner’s bonnet (above) and sprays Paton’s hair (below). Observing Dugger above is Jessica Thompson.

Pre-rehearsal confabs can occur just about anywhere. The one above featuring (from left) Mortell, Dobbs, Varick, Parker (mostly obscured by Varick) and Spencer, ocurred outside the dressing rooms. The one below, featuring (from left) Dobbs, Andy Burnett (who played Abraham), Yeaw, Paton and Mortell, occurred behind the stage curtain, near the stairs to where performers reached the area for the balcony scene.

Above: After the behind-the-stage conference, Mortell has a playful exchange with another cast/crew member.

The dress rehearsal’s pre-show routine includes various stretching regimens. Above, Scull walks past Varick, who is using the stage as his mat for hamstring work. Both men will need to be limber for combat scenes. Scull (first below), supervised by Dobbs, does a hop routine. And the full cast (second below), in circle form, runs through a drill of tongue-twisters to hone the skill of recall ... and enunciation.

Above: The stage as seen from the theater's control booth.

A couple of performers have come up to me after seeing my pictures from shows, whether theater or music, and have told me how much they appreciated shots I've gotten from the perspective the performer has during a show. It serves as a fond, vivid reminder of their experiences. Of course, performer perspective shots such as the ones above and below are missing a key component that the performers also see — the audience. But from a perspective standpoint, the above shot is roughly what the actors see when they are on stage (even though lights there are mostly dimmed), and in the case of the second shot below, what a soloist has to deal with by way of a spotlight when they are front and center. The first shot below depicts the elevated perspective of Juliet during the play’s balcony scene.

Above and below: These two shots represent a novelty of sorts. The Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 ultra-wide-angle lens I used for them was designed for use on a small-sensor camera, like my Canon 7D. But I used it on my full-frame sensor Canon 6D. I simply had to zoom down to a point where vignetting disappeared. But the wide angle the lens provides gives you a feel for what the First Folio visual presentation during the musical interludes looked like from difference perspectives. 

Above: Behind stage, a table holding the sundry props that would be used during the course of the performance. 

Above: The cast and crew of First Folio Pructions’ Romeo and Juliet.