Eastern Michigan Vs. Kent State - Pre-Game

Well, I was back to my gig doing the photographs for Eagle Totem today.  I do enjoy going down on the field although taking pictures of a game is actual work and can be very frustrating at times.  Oh well.

 Today was homecoming which means they had the parade of international students.  I guess it never dawned on me how many international students go to EMU.

 The Kent State players leaving the field after the pre-game warmups.

 The students showing a great deal of enthusiasm.  It's a shame that EMU doesn't put a better team on the field so that the students have something to be enthusiastic about.

 EMU leaving the field after the warmups.

 The band taking the field.  Well this was something to get excited about.

 The color guard.

 Swoop during the Pledge of Allegiance.

 The Leslie Science Center brought their eagle again.  I'll have to admit this is pretty cool.

 EMU taking the field before the game.

 Another shot of the eagle.

 A more proper shot of the color guard.

 A person from Skydive Tecumseh delivering the game ball.

And Swoop carrying it on.

The Atlantic Erie

One of these years I would like to be able to say that I've seen every ship that regularly travels on the Great Lakes.  Sometimes I feel like I'm getting close to that goal but then I see a ship that I haven't seen before.  So tonight we have a ship that is making her debut on this blog.

 The Atlantic Erie was born at the Collingwood Shipyard in Collingwood, Ontario in 1984.  She is capable of travelling on both the Lakes and the Ocean which is probably why I don't see her that often.

 Here she is passing under the Ambassador Bridge.  I actually thought I would get a chance to see her from Del Ray Park but that is now closed until the spring.

 One of the things I love to get is the headshot.  If I have the right position, I can get it but it is still difficult at times.

 She was originally known as the Right Honourable Paul Martin.  Because she was built just after the canals were lengthened, she is the longest vessel to have been built at the Collingwood Shipyard.

 She is powered by a 11,100 horsepower diesel engine.  This gives her a rated speed of 16.1 mph. 

 She's capable of carrying up to 36,000 tons of cargo and is 736 feet long.  She is equipped with a bow thruster.

 In 1985, she was sailing on the oceans.

 In 1988, she was given her current name as she returned to the Lakes briefly.

 She's had a few incidents in her career.  She still splits her time between the Lakes and ocean although she spends much of her time on the Lakes.

 I'm getting more happy with the stern decked ships.

 But I still prefer my classic lakers.

 A shot of her forecastle.

 And pilothouse.

 She generates quite a bit of wake.

 A closer shot of her pilothouse.

 I wonder if they will paint "Like Us on Facebook" at some point?

 A shot of her pilothouse and crane.

 And she heads off to her destination.

 She angles off.

And one last shot before she leaves.

Random Wanderings in the Fall

Today as I was going to grab my coffee, I noticed that the trees behind the office were looking quite fallish and then I noticed the flowers I've been meaning to take pictures of for some time.  So I decided to kill two birds with one stone.

 These are the flowers that are planted behind our cafeteria.  I have no idea what they are but I do enjoy the looks of them.

 I was trying different angles with my camera.  I think I like how this one turned out.

 Not quite as sure about this one.

 I also like how this one turned out.

 Then I wandered the trails behind the office for a bit.  Saw these flowers.  I think I've identified them before but I don't remember what they are called.

 Same with this one. 

 These remind me of little daisies but I know that is not what they are.

 We have some pretty nice trails behind the office but for these next two shots, I decided to mess with the white balance.  This picture is set with the Auto White Balance. 

 I think I like this one that was set to sunshine white balance better.  It seems more colorful.  What do you the reader thing?

 A group of those flowers.  I really need to find myself a decent macro lens.  My friend has one that lets you get really close.

 More of the mini daisies.

 So after work, I decided to wander over to Lillie Park which is at the corner of Ellsworth and Platt.  I was going to take the road that would lead me where the trains usually hang out, but that was closed, so I had to go down Morgan.  I kind of liked the way the trees looked with the railroad tracks, so I took a picture.

 As I was heading back to the car, I liked the off center shot a little more.  Which do you prefer?

 One more train related picture.

 And then I met my friend at the park.  It was kind of a walk and photography session.  There are lots of cool things there to take pictures of.  Like this plant.

 I really liked the look of this flower, especially against the green background.

 I thought the leave was pretty cool, especially with the brown around the edges.

 More purple flowers.

 Not sure what these are but I like the color.  Sadly, they are starting to match all the other plant life.

 A clover flower.  I think.

 I kind of liked the way the trees were in the reflection.  I think I would have liked it more had the wind been a little calmer.

 I'm not sure what kind of plane this but everytime I see a plane, I have to look up.

 More of a shot of the reflections in the water.,  Almost makes an abstract piece but I think I'd like it more if the water were smoother.

 I liked the pinecone.

 I was trying to get a picture of this while illuminated by the sun.  Not sure how well I got it.

 More flowers.

 I saw my friend taking a picture of this dandelion.  I figured I would give it a shot.  I definately need more of a macro lens for this type of thing.

 I liked the way it looked from above.

And I leave with a shot of Queen Anne's Lace.

Hope you enjoyed this series.