Purdue Spells Out Defeat For The Hoosiers

Saturday was a fun day. It was football weather, and the only thing missing was the snow. We had some rain and sleet pregame, but the snow never showed up. What did show up was this Boiler team. They have truly been fun to watch and to be a small part of this year. If there was ever a year that I wish that we had that extra home game it was this year. One more chance to see the Boilers in action would have been great. After the score was tied at seven the Boilermakers never looked back winning 44-7.

Great Light At The Half

The best light of the night occurred during the half last night. That is always how it seems to be. I was able to have some fun as the players were running off the field though. It would have been nice to have that time with players on the field, but I will take any good light after the way that the game started.

It Was All A Blur

Saturday was senior day. The last time that we will see a lot of the guys on the team at home. We even had a couple of juniors walk for senior day signaling that they are moving on after this year too. It is hard enough saying goodbye after four years, but when the players only stay for three it is even harder. The upside to that is that we have some guys that can flat out play, and the NFL is calling. I always love watching Boilers playing in the NFL, and we are about to get a few more next year.

Many Years With The Anthrops

This blog started with a photo of Danny Anthrop playing high school football a little over ten years ago. I had no idea that all this time later I would still be photographing Anthrops on the field. If you go back to my old sports blog I have been photographing an Anthrop for many years. Next year it will be weird not seeing a number #33 with the name Anthrop on the back of it on the field.

Use What You Are Given

At some point in following the bucket I lost my front row spot. It happens when you are doing this. When I looked down at David Bell with the bucket I saw a ton of photographers blocking a clear photo. I found a box on the sidelines that would force people over a bit and parked myself at the end of it. It is always nice to have a blocker ahead of you, and here I had one that allowed me to make this photo of David Bell. It will be the last one I make of him in a Boiler uniform so I wanted it to be cool.

Big George

This was probably the last game that I will see George Karlaftis play for Purdue. He has been amazing to watch during his time here, and of course selfishly I want to watch him for one more year. I have been lucky though because I was able to watch him play football here just down the road in high school. Until a couple of weeks ago I had no idea of his story and how he got to this point. After seeing that story my George K sweatshirt started getting a lot more use. He has a lifetime fan. He made photography easier when he was on the field.

How About Them Boilermakers!

This was my first time in the locker room with a good view of the action. I had parked myself next to the bucket, but when Coach Brohm came into the room I quickly made sure that I had a clear view of him. He has really done an amazing job at Purdue, and this season just shows you what can lie ahead. I can’t wait to see the next act in whatever bowl this team is headed for.

Shoot The Lights Out

Usually that phrase means that you are making some good images. After a score at Purdue though it means that you are making photos in the dark. The lights pulse on and off while the team is celebrating. Here I was lucky enough to be able to adjust to make this photo in the corner of the end zone during the third quarter. Making images in RAW really help in times like these.

What Is Next?

This is the part of the post where I talk about what is coming up in the next few days. The crazy thing is that I have nothing on my sports schedule coming up. Photography is a weird beast. When you feel like you are making the best photos of your career the work just dries up. I only had three jobs in the month of November. You don’t have to be an accountant to see where that is leading. There was a number set at the beginning of the year to keep the doors open on this business, and we are going to miss that by a lot. I don’t know that I will ever stop making sports photos, but I think that the nature of what I do is about to change big time. I have already pulled back from making sports photos for fun. It just doesn’t make sense right now to spend time at something that is not making money. This month I am going to focus on how to make this thing work. I love sports photography. If you have read this blog for any length of time then you know that. Right now though it is not loving me back. The good news is that I already have a few posts in the cue that do not involve sports. If this is the end of the sports side of the business it has been a hell of a ride. My last three paid events have been a top 5 football upset, an NCAA soccer tournament game, and the bucket game on Saturday. That is a pretty good way to send it off. My last game on the floor at Mackey was against the same team that my first game on the floor at Mackey was a against. I always love a good bookend, and somehow it worked out that way. This has been an amazing and unexpected ride. I was able to do some things that I never thought that I would be able to do. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. It has been the ride of my life. Now we just take a few moments to pull over and figure out where we are.

One More For The Road

We can’t end this post on a downer. This game was too much fun for that. Here is my favorite photo from the night. This trophy means a lot to the team, and you can see it here. This is what it is all about, and these moments are why I do what I do. I am not ready to let the post end yet so below are a few more photos that I liked from gameday.