A Cool Start To The Day

The flyover was a very cool start to the day. Earlier in the week I was working in the basement when I heard the planes fly over. With it being military day at the stadium it made sense that they would fly over during the anthem. I changed up my kit with this in mind and brought the 12-24mm lens with me to make a wide shot. The last time that I used this lens was in Ross Ade as well during the opener. That turned out to be a very lucrative gamble buying a cheap ticket to get in. With the skies yesterday I was not thinking about money for this photo, but rather a cool opener for a gallery.

Going Back In Time

When I see these grey uniforms I think of the Hazell era at Purdue. When they were warming up I had the thought that they had better play better than those teams. As the game went on I kept thinking about how much it reminded me of those old days. With no scoring plays to photograph you had to find other things to fill the gallery.

Meeting Old Friends

One highlight of the day yesterday was seeing my friend Dennis again. A long time ago we both had sports blogs where we talked about the games from our views in the stands. We would post photos from our seats with those stories. I have always loved how we both somehow got onto the field at about the same time. Dennis now shoots for the Iowa Rivals site, and it was great getting to talk to him yesterday. The best part of doing this for a living was the people that I met along the way. Dennis was one of those people that made it worth while. I love seeing what he does for Iowa, and now that the West is a little more interesting his galleries will get a lot more eyes on them.

Don’t Take It For Granted

Last year at about this time I was on the field talking with a member of the Purdue communications staff about how quickly things can change. They told me that I would always have a place on the field, and that would always be on the field at Purdue. Of course that all changed in a year for reasons I still don’t know. I don’t bring this up as a negative. I bring it up to sort of justify my photography style. I try and photograph every game as if it will be my last. That little chip on the shoulder mentality helps keep me going. Take in those things that make being on the field on game day so much fun. I have one more opportunity to be out there this year, and you can bet that I will be taking it all in.

Shout!

I loved seeing Dorien Bryant back at Purdue. I have talked on here a lot about how my love for Purdue really started while I was in Iowa. I went there, but it was always just the school that I went to. When I moved away for some reason I really started to follow them closer. Dorien was the star of those teams. When I moved back I was able to see him in person when I started buying season tickets. It was great to see him again, and he looks like he could still get a couple hundred yards in a game.

Looking Ahead

This was a tough game for Purdue. It started with the mascot stalling out on the field. Then the actual game that was rough to say the least. It ended with trash everywhere on the field. It was a rough day optics wise for Purdue. There is not much more to say than that. After the game spirits were not high anywhere on campus. With the Illinois loss though Purdue still can win this division this year. They go to Illinois next week with a big game with that in mind. They have their destiny in their hands. It will be interesting to see what Purdue team shows up next week. Things can only go up from here. Always the optimist I think that this team has what it takes to still win the west. This is a big week for the team.