From the Archives: Dow Chemical Spill

Mount Pleasant city firefighters wash off a Isabella County HAZMAT member after coming out of the Dow Science Complex, following a chemical exposure on the third floor that caused the building to be evacuated and closed for most of the day on Friday, Aug. 28.

And here is my "artsy" edit of another photo.



And the Black and White edit of the same photo.


Mount Pleasant city firefighter Sgt. Michael Dunham waits and listens as Steve Smith, the director of public relations at CMU, addresses local media regarding the chemical spill in the Dow Chemical Complex on Friday, Aug. 28.

As shot for CM-Life.

Football Slideshow

So I finally got around to editing all the football photos from the Central Michigan University vs Northern Illinois University football game on Nov. 27th. It was the last home game of the semester, and the last home game for Seniors such as Dan LeFevour. The photo directly below this post is included in the slideshow and was published on page 2B of the sports section.
Also, check out Jake May's blog for his slideshow. All photos shot for CM-Life.

CMU vs NIU: Total Fury

Excuse the silly miserable sequel blog title.

I got to shoot football with Jake May, the last home game actually, on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was quite a bit of fun. A little chilly, and I forgot to wear socks or proper shoes--I know, I'm super intelligent. Running up and down the sidelines for a couple hours with Jake and Jeff LaMonde (former CMU photojournalism student) was quite a bit of fun. Especially as we all cursed the referees under our breathe for getting in the way. Here is the first of many other shots to come. I'll probably jut end up with a slideshow. Check out Jake's page for his slideshow and his story about getting mauled by Antonio Brown!



As shot for and published in CM-Life.

Deer Stomachs

This assignment is probably the funniest and weirdest assignment I've had so far while working for CM-Life. I'm really glad that the stomach one got into the newspaper. Ashley's (Photo Editor) reaction was really funny when she first saw it, and so was Dave's (Managing Editor) reaction when he said, "I want that in color!"



Plymouth junior Codi Surowiec prepares to take the contents out of the four chambers of a deer stomach to compare the microbial content on Friday in one of the Brooks Hall research labs.



Plymouth junior Codi Surowiec, left, and Midland graduate student Michelle Weaver disect a deer stomach on Friday in one of the Brooks Hall research labs. The deer stomachs are donated by hunters. The contents of the deer stomachs are used to study and compare the microbial content of the stomachs.

As shot for and published in CM-Life.

CMU Vs. Notre Dame

I got a call on Saturday evening from my photo editor, Ashley, asking if I wanted to go to Indiana to shoot playoff soccer...I of course said yes. A very cool opportunity, even though I did miss the MPPA Chili Party. So I called up Libby to cover the assignment I had, Diwali Night. It actually worked out well for her, too. Check out her Soundslide on the event.

It was actually my first time shooting sports, which was a little nerve-wracking, but I learned a lot from it. Tim Fitzgerald, one of the associate photo professors at CMU taught me quite a bit while shooting too. So next time around I shoot sports, I'll be able to (hopefully) do better. I actually got to shoot with Fitz' camera for a couple minutes. Canon EOS-1D with a 400mm f/2.8 L-Series lens and a 2x teleconverter. With the 1.3x crop factor, I was shooting at 1040mm at f/5.6. It was ridiculous, a seriously intimidating camera.

Also, thanks to Paige for letting me use her 80-200 f/2.8. I really need to get one.

Anyway, overall it was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience. Although Central lost 6-1, they had a great season. Now all I need now is to get a team roster and write proper captions.

The kitty wants some milk...

A random single from working on my photo story/soundslide (doubling up on projects). As Tim Swarey was finishing up milking, his two cats kept trying to sneak bits of milk. I had to do my best to quietly approach them and get a shot off, because as soon as they heard me, they bolted out of the room.

Self Defense Class

Grand Rapids sophomore Laura Rynbrand shows Troy senior Lauren Leger where the pressure point on the human neck is during the Barracuda Women’s Self-Defense class on Sunday afternoon in the Student Activity Center. The class, sponsored by Sigma Sigma Sigma, and put on by certified PKSA instructors, taught how to protect yourself from an attacker in a variety of situations.

As shot for CM-Life.