Adam Lambert brings Glam Nation Tour to Peoria
Adam Lambert performs for a packed house on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010, at the Peoria Civic Center.
Adam Lambert performs for a packed house on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010, at the Peoria Civic Center.
blog //
Illinois-Missouri Arch Rivalry football
My editors sent me down to St. Louis to cover the Illinois-Missouri rivalry game at the Edward Jones Dome. I hadn’t shot an actual football game since November (although I did shoot the Indiana spring game in April). I figured my timing would be off, but I felt good about my reaction time to plays on the field. Neither team had many big plays so I was only able to shoot what they gave me. This was the first time using a 400 mm f/2.8 lens to cover football. I’m very accustomed to using a 300 f/2.8 during my days in college. It’s noticeable because my shots are much tighter than most of my work from last season.
Missouri linebacker Andrew Gachkar (6) knocks a pass away from Illinois wide receiver A.J. Jenkins (8) as Jenkins crosses the middle on a slant route during a game on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Missouri tight end Michael Egnew catches a wide open touchdown during a game on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Illinois Blues Festival
My primary assignment this evening was to photograph the opening night of the Illinois Blues Festival down on the Peoria Riverfront. I couldn’t photograph all the bands because of deadline restraints so I tried to mix things up visually given I only shot three of the evening’s bands.
Levee Town guitarist Brandon Hudspeth talks to the crowd after his band finished their set on Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at the Illinois Blues Festival on the Riverfront.
Easy Riders guitarist Mike Miller performs on Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at the Illinois Blues Festival on the Riverfront.
“It’s bleeping golden”
My first assignment today was feature hunting at a local tropical fish show inside a mall. There was a lot of colorful fish, but this was by far the most interesting (and humorous) shot:
A aquarium, entitled "It's bleeping golden," depicts the Rod Blagojevich scandal with gold fish during the 42nd Annual Tropical Fish Show on Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at Northwoods Mall. The show, presented by the Tri-County Fish Society, runs through Sunday.
Splish splash
Some days you just get lucky. My editors sent me to the village of Manito, Ill. today to photograph a traveling Vietnam Wall for front of the local section of the paper. When I arrived in Manito (it’s about 35 minutes away from Peoria), I ran into a severe thunderstorm that dumped sheets of rain for about 30 minutes. In the midst of the rain, I couldn’t find the wall so I had to wait until the heavy rain ended to get out of the car to ask directions. When I found the wall, it was deserted. There wasn’t a sole in sight. Just my luck right? I backtracked my way towards town and happened to catch a couple kids riding their bikes through a ginormous puddle in a high school parking lot.
Jared Oest, age 6, navigates his bicycle through a large puddle of deep water with his brother, not pictured, on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, in a parking lot at Midwest Central High School in Manito, Ill. Several streets and parking lots in the village were flooded following a severe thunderstorm that pounded the area with high winds and heavy rain on Thursday afternoon.
Texas through a plastic lens
During my summer internship in Austin, I carried a loaded Holga with me in my car to most of my assignments. Whenever I saw something weird or interesting, I shot a few frames with the plastic camera. I also used it whenever I had the urge to take touristy photos while I was in Texas. Today I picked up the last roll from my trip after having it processed here in Peoria. I know the Holga is thought of as a trendy hipster camera, but I like to use it to get back to basics. You can’t chimp on a Holga, and you have to understand exposures to use the thing. It’s the photographic equivalent of recording an album on a 4-track.
Peoria-Clinton minor league baseball
LumberKings shortstop Nick Franklin (3) prepares to throw to first after forcing Chiefs right fielder Jae-Hoon Ha out at second base during a game on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, at O'Brien Field.
Chiefs third baseman George Matheus tightens up his gloves as he walks to the plate for an at-bat against the Clinton LumberKings on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, at O'Brien Field.
Dan Fogelberg Memorial dedication
Jean Fogelberg, the widow of Dan Fogelberg, shares a smile with a fan after a ceremony dedicating a new memorial in honor of the late singer/songwriter on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, at Riverside Park.
Peoria mayor Jim Ardis makes a few remarks during a ceremony dedicating a memorial in honor of the late singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010, at Riverside Park. The memorial includes three large stones engraved with Fogelberg's lyrics.
Bradley opens new stadium with volleyball win
Bradley's Caitlin Staib (12) looks to spike on Western Illinois defenders during a game on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, in the university's new Athletic Performance Center. Bradley won 3-0.
Bradley players celebrate after they scored a point against Western Illinois during a game in the university's new Athletic Performance Center on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. Bradley won 3-0.
Bagpiper at Erin Feis Festival
One of my assignments today was to come up with a feature photo for the local section from Erin Feis, the local Irish festival. Unfortunately for me, my schedule only allowed me to be there early in the afternoon when there wasn’t too much going on. After a few passes through the festival grounds, I zeroed in on a bagpiper near the front entrance playing by himself. I shot a few features of him only to learn later that a fellow staffer had done the same thing at the festival a few years back.
Craig Thacker plays the bagpipes near the main entrance of the Erin Feis Festival on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, on the Peoria Riverfront. Thacker plays with the Illinois Elks, and will be greeting visitors with his tunes near the entrance this weekend.
The shadow of bagpiper Craig Thacker stretches along a sidewalk near the main entrance to the Erin Feis Festival on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, on the Riverfront.