The 2024 Purdue Union Christmas Tree

This is my typical view of the Union Christmas tree that I make every year. It has kind of become the standard photo that I make first when I go in the room. It is a great way to celebrate the season each year, and it also provides me with a great way to compare the trees year after year. Lately I have started to like this photo in black and white. There is not a lot of color to add to the scene so the black and white kind of simplifies things. In the last few years they have kind of stripped the tree of the cool things to make it more uniform. Even the pink glove has been taken off of the tree.

Working The Room

Years ago I learned about working a scene from Joel Sartore. He is a great photographer that had a National Geographic special about his life. He talked about working the scene. You make the obvious photo first, and then keep working until you find a better photo. Each year I start with this photo, and then I go hunting.