Back In Ross Ade Stadium

Yesterday I was back in Ross Ade Stadium again. Last week I tried to watch the game as a fan, and I realized that I am not very good at that anymore. Luckily for me some old friends were coming to town and I found myself back on the field of Ross Ade Stadium. It was great to see the Sycamores again. I made the joke a lot the last couple of weeks that this was the shortest road trip that I have made with the team. Actually every game that I covered for them in the past was a road trip for me. This was the first home game. I have travelled with them a few times, but this one was pretty special. The score wasn’t what we wanted to see, but luckily for me I photographed football games in the Hazell era at Purdue so I became pretty adept at making a gallery with no points on the board.

A Cool Moment

Late in the game Caleb Krockover entered the game to kick an extra point. His father Chad is a fellow photographer and a friend. As soon as I heard his name called I quickly looked to find Chad on the sidelines. I was directly across from him so together we could cover the moment pretty well. I can’t imagine the emotion that both father and son were feeling at the time, but it was really cool to get to witness. I am glad that I was in the stadium for that one.

A Familiar Feeling

In 2014 I found myself in this same spot. Purdue had hired a new photographer that didn’t like my photography. Last year felt eerily similar. Luckily for me I found a few schools that did like what I did back then, and I kept growing as a photographer. Indiana State was one of those schools. They welcomed me with open arms and were way nicer to me than they ever should have been. I was a freelancer, but they treated me like family. It was really great to see some familiar faces yesterday and to catch up. Photography is a weird thing. It is so subjective. In the manufacturing industry you have specs that tell you what is good and what is not good. Here it is all up to the eye of the beholder. It is what makes it fun and can also make it frustrating as well. The good news is that I have been through this before, and it turned out pretty good. I was able to do my dream job for three years. Not many can say that.

More Photos From The Game

Here are a few more favorites from the game yesterday. It was great being back in Ross Ade Stadium again yesterday, and I only screwed up and photographed Purdue a couple of times.