A Great Day To Be A Boilermaker

Every day is a great day to be a Boilermaker. Saturday just felt special from the start though. I had a great feeling about the game all day long. This just felt like it was going to be a special day. It had already been a special week on campus. On Sunday volleyball took down the #3 team in the country. Shortly after that soccer brought home a Big Ten tournament win. We also got our first chance to see the Boilermaker basketball team at a sold out exhibition game. The icing on that cake was seeing Purdue take down their second top five team of the season. This time though it was at home.

The Arrival

This is one place where I have always struggled to make a photo that I like. When the players arrive there is a lot going on, but I never walked away feeling like I made a good photo. On Saturday someone else was covering it so I went for broke and took my 12-24 and put it on a monopod to get over the top of the fans. It was risky, but had the chance to work out. I made a couple of photos that I liked, and this might just be the way to go from here on out.

Pregame Fun

Normally I try and make a ton of photos during pregame. On Saturday I decided to try and limit the photos, but make the photos that I did make count. This was one of my favorites from pregame. That blue sky was just too beautiful not to use. After all of the rain the past couple of weeks it was a welcome sight.

Drop On In

Not long before the anthem I found out that we had a group of people that would parachute into the stadium. I was quickly trying to think of a place to be to make a photo. At the last second I changed my mind and ran to the other end of the field. I got to the flag just as the guy was coming into the stadium. It is always cool to see how these people get to where they need to be. It takes a lot of skill, and it is fun to watch.

Using The Light

Just before the 2nd half kickoff I saw this stream of light coming into the stadium. I tried to use it with Jackson Anthrop to make an interesting photo. The Boilers were headed the other way so I quickly made my photo and got to the other end of the stadium in case we scored.

David Bell

David Bell just made another catch somewhere while you are reading this. He has been amazing to watch this year. His talent on the field might only be matched by his humble approach off of the field.

Fall Colors

George Karlaftis has been on fire lately, and so have the trees on campus. Here they worked well together to make a photo that I really liked. I was still moving to my spot after the coin toss, and now that I think about it I should have ran up into the stands to make a photo during the opening kickoff. The light was right, and with the fall color in the background it would have looked great.

The Play

In the second quarter I was really hoping for some action at my side of the field. The first touchdown of the quarter went in the other direction. I knew that there was only a few more minutes of light in that corner so something had to happen quick. That was when the madness started. A double flea flicker and then a pass to Jackson Anthrop saw the play headed down the other end of the field. I had my 135mm ready so I switched to it to get a wider photo of the action. Jackson changed direction though and came my way. He gave me some great photos on his way to scoring the touchdown. He was a big part of this win, and it was great to see the local boy do well. The run also reminded me of the run that his brother made in 2011 that was the first post on this blog. It was a fun play to document, and also came at the perfect time with the light.

Using The 600 Again

If the market had been better I would not have my 600mm lens anymore. For what I do I just cannot really justify having it. My focus is going to have to shift for photography to keep this business going, and that 600mm lens can help finance where I have to go. It was fun using it one last time though. Who knows with a late start maybe it can come back out for the bucket game.

A Beautiful Night For Football

In the fourth quarter I ditched my 600 and ran up into the stands to make some photos of the sunset. With no clouds in the sky it was not the greatest show, but it was pretty cool to watch. If I had any guts I would have stayed up there when we were near the goal line a few plays later. The wide photo would have been pretty cool.

Rosie!

When I cover the coin toss I never know who the guest will be until I see them. This week I was happy to see Rosevelt Colvin lined up with our Boilers. He was so much fun to watch during his time at Purdue, and was also a big part of that huge comeback against Michigan State when I was here in 1997. I already thought that we were going to win the game, but when I saw Rosie on the field I knew that we would win. He is a Boilermaker great, and his daughter Raven is also an amazing volleyball player. We will be hearing the name Colvin a lot for the next few years.

Going Wider

Late in the game I went with my 135mm and my 12-24mm lenses just to have a wider look at the action. I already had some tight photos, but I wanted to show how great the crowd looked. It was a special night, and I wanted more fans in my photos. I have photographed at Purdue when the crowds were not so good so I wanted to take advantage of the crowd that was there last night.

A Different Feel

In 2018 when we stormed the field I was in the middle of it getting banged around. I made some photos that I loved, and I was ready to do it all again. When I was told that my post game assignment was to cover David Bell I knew that I would have it easy. My first response was that he would be heading to the stands to see his mother. I was right, and this was one of my favorite photos of the night.

Rushing The Field

I love a good field rush. After the last couple of years it was amazing celebrating a common cause with so many people. Out there on the field I don’t remember a political debate breaking out. We were just all out there enjoying each other and what these young men just did. I have never been a field rushing snob. I love celebrating a big win with the players. If you couldn’t tell on Saturday night they enjoy celebrating it with you too. I can’t wait to do it all again. Maybe after the IU game when we clinch a spot in the Big Ten Title game? Have I gone too far?

BMOC

We are spoiled as fans here at Purdue. We had Rondale Moore, and now we have David Bell. Besides having an amazing first name David is also so much fun to watch on the football field. He made some plays this week that were the reason that we won. The fans after the game gave him that big man on campus treatment as well. It was fun to be a part of it.

More Photos From The Game

This is already a long post with a lot of photos in it. I already mentioned above what a great week it was on campus. A lot of Boilermaker success all happening at the same time. Here is a link to my favorite photos from last week. Man I love what I do. I have been treating this athletic year like it will be my last. I want every game to count. Games like this just make me feel like I am blessed. To think that we are still in the fall sports season makes me very excited for how this year will go.