
Bloomington’s Canopy of Lights

Back in the summer, I was tasked with showing Indiana University’s iconic Student Building clock tower in a new way for an IU Communications project. I lucked out and happened upon this beautiful evening. This photo was actually an outtake. It was a shot I wanted to get just before landing the drone, but it ended up being my favorite from the entire shoot. It’s an example of shooting something for myself just for the sake of personal creativity after I’ve gotten “the shot” the client wants.
This was my first year photographing the IUPUI Regatta. Established in 2009, the event is a half-mile canoe relay competition on the Canal Walk in downtown Indianapolis. My primary assignment was to capture drone stills and video footage, but I had the opportunity to capture a few photos from the ground level before driving back to Bloomington to cover an afternoon assignment later in the day.
My wife and I spent the better part of last week houseboating on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas with our parents, my sister-in-law and her kids. The houseboat was provided by Dreamchaser Houseboat and Water Toy Rentals, which is owned by my wife’s aunt and uncle. This was the second year in a row I have been able to take part in her family’s tradition. It was a great bookend to what has been a summer full of fun – and highly visual – trips for us. The summer started with a road trip West and concluded with a week on the houseboat. I brought my DJI Phantom 3 4K drone along to capture the trip, but I don’t know if any camera can do the lake justice when it comes to capturing the beauty and serenity of the place.
Last week, I did a few short drone flights in the evening for an IU Communications project. While I was out and the evening light was nice, I decided to get a few quick shots of this limestone trident on the side of the Wildermuth Intramural Center (WIC), the former home to the Indiana Men’s Basketball team. One of the coolest parts about drone photography is being able to see and capture things from angles otherwise not possible.