Suite life

I covered fans in the suites and on the streets during this weekend's Iowa/ Iowa State game. It was pretty nice up in the boxes, but, I have to admit, I'd rather be on the field.

Fair favorites

Whoops, the Iowa state fair has come and gone. Here are a few of my favorites from the day before and opening.. (yes, that is a swine traffic jam).

Hunt

For a story on the upcoming deer season, I headed to Mt Trashmore* yesterday in search of deer on public/non-hunted land. Nothing like an early-morning hike to start a day right. The air was surprisingly fresh up there.

*non-Cedar Rapidians: Trashmore is formally known as the Linn Co Solid Waste Agency Site #1, a landfill near Czech Village that was reopened after the flood.

flutterby

Iowa manufacturing

I photographed two different factories last week for a story on the loss of manufacturing jobs in Iowa -- one empty, one active. It seems I've been on the empty buildings beat lately (more on that soon). No complaints here, though -- you know I love this stuff. Just give me 10 minutes inside, leave most the lights off, and set me loose with the sees-in-the-dark 5D MkII..

Stand up

"It's better than sitting on the floor," says Kobe.

Back to the game

Football season officially started last weekend! It's pretty clear that Washington's Alex Carr will be the star of the season. Boy can RUN.


...but was hit with cramps after a couple of his touchdown runs.

One more high school game this weekend and I'll have shaken off the early season rust, just in time for the start of Iowa football. I love fall!

Warehouse on Third

The Warehouse on Third has good karma. How perfect for me, then, that one of the tenants is a yoga studio.

MMA

Last weekend's MMA fight was better than the first one I shot, last year.. better light, and I knew what to expect. I only had time for three fights before deadline, which was unfortunate, since all three fights ended in the first or second round.

One last splash

It seems I've been on the pool beat this summer. Not that I'm complaining. One last day at the pool before kids went back to school and the pool closed for the season, and cuteness abounds.

Doggie paddle

Every year, after the pool is closed to humans, dogs take over Bever Pool. Since I can't have a dog (yet), I get in all the puppy playtime I can on assignments like this! Wilson, a big Golden puppy, was my favorite.

Up with the sun

ragbrai

After spending a day following RAGBRAI from Quasqueton to Manchester, I'm more familiar with the gravel side roads of Delaware county than I ever expected to be. (Cars aren't allowed on the ride route.)

The day started out a little rainy but by the time I got to Manchester it was bright and sunny and I found myself wishing I was along for the ride, too.





I've been carrying my Nikon F100 lately, loaded with expired slide film. You might see those photos in a month or so when I finish the roll. It's a nice change of pace.

Detour

On the way back from working on a story in Grand Rapids, Mich. last week (details to come), the reporter and I stopped at the first exit we thought might have a Michigan Lake beach. Success! Sandy toes made the rest of the seven-hour drive a little uncomfortable, but it was worth it.

Remembering Maryrosa

This post is long overdue -- these photos have sat in my 'photos to blog' folder for months now. Tonight's mass posting is a good chance to share them.

Maryrosa Russell-Green moved to Iowa City from Chicago to join her sister, partly to escape the violence there. She had returned to Chicago to visit her daughter, grandson and boyfriend, Charles King, when she and King were shot and killed on the South Side. The Chicago Tribune had a story that prepared me for the situation.
Tanesha Por of Chicago shares memories of her mother, Maryrosa Russell-Green, while taking a break from packing up her mother's belongings at her aunt's Iowa City home on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010.
Carla Davis looks through a photo album that belonged to her sister, Maryrosa Russell-Green, in Russell-Green's bedroom at Davis' Iowa City home on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010.

I arrived at the house to find the TV reporter interviewing one of Maryrosa's sisters, and, later, daughter. I took a few photos, but hoped for something more.. real. When Carla ducked behind the cameras to go into her sister's room in search of photos to share with us, I followed. We spent a few minutes in Maryrosa's room, looking at photos as Carla shared memories of her sister.

I sometimes wonder if my empathy gets in the way of pursuing certain photos. Could I have pushed to stay and photograph while they packed up Maryrosa's room? I could have -- but would I have wanted a photographer in my face during a time like that? (No.) There's also a certain awkwardness to piggybacking on a TV interview. They set the time aside for us to interview them, not to observe them, so to ask to photograph them packing could invite an awkward, staged situation.

At the races

I loved the pairing of the kids' boxcar races pitstop (change shoes and socks) with the real pit.

Faking it

A few cast members came to the studio for a preview of this year's Follies. Faking a full backdrop is harder than you think, since white isn't really just white. For the dice in another photo, we improvised with sugar cubes and a black marker. For cash, we raided everyone's wallets. They worked out pretty well for last-minute ideas!