The 360 Degree view

(Grafton, IL) Passengers enjoy the view from the top deck of the Spirit of Peoria paddle-wheeler as it cruised  north of Grafton on the Illinois River at dusk.  This vessel is one of the very few remaining true stern-wheeler's traveling the US inland waterways that has no other form of propulsion.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Used a panoramic camera to capture a few images aboard the Spirit of Peoria riverboat as it was cruising upriver at dusk.  If you look closely you can see the same people at each end of the image.

A great tool to have when you want an image that is different!

Image quality was reduced and re-sized to 20% of original so that it loads quickly.

Spirit of Peoria Website Link

Things You Find In Boxes

(St. Louis, MO) The Presidential Limousine carrying US President Ronald Reagan streaks toward  downtown St. Louis via Lindell Blvd. near the intersection of Grand.  Photo was taken with Polaroid SX-70.  © Michael Weaver

While in the basement last night I saw an old pink shoebox with some 5x7 sheet film holders and other assorted odd items including my Boy Scout "Totin' Chip" that allowed me unsupervised use of an axe while camping and the instruction book for my first SLR, a Ricoh TLS 401 that now sits in a cabinet as a reminder of what I used in high school to make money with.

This Polaroid image was in the box and I remembered that I had not been able to leave St. Louis Photo because the streets were blocked off for the Presidential motorcade that was going to be coming through.  I asked someone if I could use the display SX-70 and panned the camera as the limousine sped by at a really high rate of speed.

Not that you can see it in the photo, but President Reagan did wave as he passed by.

Life before Instagram and Twitpic!  No connection required, just point and shoot with a picture being spit out the front.  Still pretty cool when you think about it.

About Feeling Grateful

(Fieldon, IL) Mark Angel holds the only thing he found that was usable the morning after his home burned on November 13, 2012 in rural Jersey county Illinois.  The CD with kindergarten images of his son who is now in fifth grade was found in a case and covered with water and debris.  The gloves and jacket he is wearing are borrowed as everything the family owned was destroyed in the fire that kept restarting and kept the local volunteer fire department busy most of the night.

I live in a very rural part of southern Illinois.  It's a great place to live in many ways except that some of the things many take for granted by living in a metropolitan area are lacking in the rural parts of this country.  Fire protection is an issue.  Not only is fire protection an issue, but access to water so that a fire can be extinguished is an issue as well.

While out shopping for new basketball shoes for his son, Mark Angel received a call that his house was fully engulfed in flames.  Someone driving by the house saw the fire and called it in to the authorities, but the result was a total loss of everything the family owned.  If you have never seen what a house fire is capable of, no words, photos or videos can fully describe the aftermath.

It's really no different that what hurricane Sandy did to many along the eastern US coast several weeks ago except that everything is either melted or burned beyond recognition, not washed away.

(Fieldon, IL)  Homeowner Mark Angel talks to an Illinois State Fire Marshal investigator as two of the volunteer firefighters that responded the the fire that destroyed his home the evening before look on. 

With Thanksgiving upon us, we all need to be grateful.  Mark was grateful to at least have one CD of photos of his son. Considering he lives less than one mile from me, I know I have many reasons to feel grateful.

Game Face of the Week (4)

It was a hot day and evening.  Someone wanted to be in charge.  I have images of calls gone bad, but these sum it up!  I won't name names or locations.  If they stumble on this, they know who they are.

The baseball game was put on hold for lightning way off in the distance.  A phone call was made to see about possibly resuming the game at a later day and time.  The answer was that the game needed to be continued after the threat of lightning had passed and this was communicated to the person above.  When told this, he immediately said to get that person on the phone because he wanted to talk to them.  He wasn't even the home plate umpire!

Needless to say the game continued late into the night and more than a few people thought many of the calls made by officials were just plain wrong.  The umpire above even had a fan removed for expressing displeasure at his officiating.

Trying to Beat the Heat!

(Alton, IL) A young boy stands under a cool mist of water as other children run and play around him.  The afternoon temperature was in excess of 100 degrees F and everyone was waiting for a concert and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July. 

The weather has been brutally hot for the last several weeks here in the Midwestern US.  The image of this boy was taken on a day when afternoon temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees F.  An Alton firefighter placed a firehose with a nozzle set to spray in an open area next the Riverfront Amphitheater.  As the sun started to set there was a concert and fireworks in celebration of the 4th of July.

Once Every 100 Years or so...

(Elsah, IL) A view of Venus as it starts to transit across the space between the Earth and the Sun.  Venus is the larger dark circle at approximately 8:00 on the image of the Sun.  You can also see sunspots on the face of the sun.  They are the smaller dark spots visible across the face of the Sun.

Venus just crossed the face of the Sun.. that is if your vantage point is someplace on Earth.  Won't happen here in the Midwestern US again until 2117.  Thought I really should try to see it this time rather than next.

(Elsah, IL) Dr. Thomas Fuller, the man in charge of the telescope at the Principia College observatory, adjusts the focus of the telescope that was used to provide the image above.

(Elsah, IL) The Principia College observatory sits atop a high concrete and steel platform so that it has an unobstructed view of the sky.

Images were shot with Leica digital rangefinder with Leica and Voigtlander lenses.  The Leica lens was used to place up against the telescope eyepiece to capture the Sun and Venus image.  The Summicron lens dates from 1958.  The other two images were shot with a Voigtlander 12mm Ultra-Wide Heliar.  Great lens for tight spaces.

More pics at: http://www.michaelrweaver.com/p663271124

Opening Day at the Stadium!

The much anticipated opening of the Stadium Theater in Jerseyville Illinois has finally taken place.  The Theater was closed by AMC in 2011 and now has been renovated and reopened.  New screens, new sound and digital projection create a much better viewing experience than the previous film based system.

Link to Stadium Theatre website

(Jerseyville, IL) Patrons line up for opening night at the newly renovated Stadium Theater.

(Jerseyville, IL) Two young boys reach up to the counter with money in hand to pay for their tickets.  The new cash register had failed and transactions were kept track of by a tally sheet.

(Jerseyville, IL) Patrons jam the lobby of the newly renovated Stadium Theater on opening night waiting for the early showing of "The Hunger Games" to conclude.

(Jerseyville, IL) Three friends ready for a movie on opening night.

(Jerseyville, IL) The newly renovated Stadium Theater has new technology installed to created a better viewing experience for the audience.  The orange case to the left s delivered by a courier service as the features change at the theater.  The case holds a hard drive containing the digital movie files that are then installed into the server that is directly below the projector.  The server housing has a slide out keyboard unit that is used to program the digital projector.  This particular system uses Dolby software to manage the files and the LCD display attached to the server giver the operator a visual representation of what has the system has been programmed to do.  Attached to the front of the projector is a special polarizing screen that makes 3-D movies possible.  The 3-D system slides back and forth on a rail so it can be moved into place when showing 3-D movies.

(Jerseyville, IL) A view out of one of the windows in the projection booth of the Stadium Theater.  In the center of the image is a view of what is on the theater screen.  To the left is a rack holding the multichannel sound system components.  To the right you can see part of the digital projector.

(Jerseyville, IL) Theater patrons with 3-D glasses watch "The Lorax" on opening night at the newly renovated Stadium Theater.

Last Picture Show - The Sequel

What once wasn't.. now is again!

The Stadium Theater in Jerseyville IL is reopening after being closed by AMC.  After a huge public outcry, AMC negotiated a reasonable sale price to the new owner and after many renovations is open for business again.

(Jerseyville, IL) The once shuttered Stadium Theater is now reopen after extensive renovations.  The theater was closed by AMC last year and after a huge public outcry and show of commnuity support it was purchased and renovated by a local independent theater chain operator.

(Jerseyville, IL) Stadium Theater owner Steve Dougherty stands in the doorway of his newly renovated facility during an open house held to show off the renovations the night be fore the theater officially opens.  The theater has been upgraded to digital projection, surround sound and 3-D capability.

Opening night photos coming soon.

http://www.thestadiumtheatre.com/

Carrollton High School Basketball Championship

The Carrollton High School boys basketball team went all the way to the final game of the IHSA Class A playoffs.  These are selected images from the last day of the event that cover their final day in the competition.  The complete catalog of images from the semi-final and championship games (includes game play action photos) is available online by clicking on the link below:

http://www.michaelrweaver.com/f641314038

(Peoria, IL) It's about 9:30 AM on the day of the Carrollton High School Hawks championship basketball game for IHSA Class A schools.  The team is loading onto the bus for their ride to a morning practice before the game at 2 PM.

(Peoria, IL) The Carrollton High School players bus takes to the streets of Peoria to deliver the team to a local high school gym for a practice before their 2 PM state championship game.

(Peoria, IL) The Carrollton Hawks arrive at Peoria Christian School to use the school's gym for practice after a win the previous day that places them in a championship game at 2 PM.

(Peoria, IL) Carrollton High School basketball coach Jeff Krumwiede tapes an ankle for one of his players before practice at Peoria Christian School the morning before their IHSA Class A championship game later that afternoon.

(Peoria, IL) Carrollton High School basketball coach Jeff Krumwiede begins talking to his team immediately before practice.  He is apologetic and in the process of explaining that he does not have video of the opposing team for them although he understand that their opposition has requested material from anyone that may have it.  The coach used the opposition's statistics to date to brief the team on how to handle their upcoming opponent.

(Peoria, IL) Members of the Carrollton Hawks basketball team walk down the long entry corridor at the Peoria Civic Center before their Illinois Class A championship game.

(Peoria, IL)  Carrollton basketball team members check in with tournament officials before being allowed into the arena.

(Peoria, IL) The Carrollton Hawks make their last walk to the locker room at the Peoria Civic Center before the Illinois Class A basketball championship game.

(Peoria, IL) The Carrollton Hawks head to their locker room after watching the game to decide who takes third and fourth places at the Illinois Class A basktball state tournament.

(Peoria, IL)  Carrollton High School basketball player Jordan Harr leads the team from the locker room onto the floor of the Peoria Civic Center immediately before the start of their Illinois Class A high school championship game.

(Peoria, IL) The fans and cheerleaders get excited as the Carrollton High School basketball team is introduced before beginning their championship game at the Peoria Civic Center.

(Peoria, IL) The cheerleaders of the Carrollton Hawks performing for the fans during the Illinois Class A basketball championship game at the Peoria Civic Center.

(Peoria, IL) A television cameraman at work during the Illinois Class A high school championship game.

(Peoria, IL) Carrollton High School coach Jeff Krumwiede looks up at the scoreboard as his team plays in the Illinois Class A championship game.

(Peoria, IL) With his Carrollton High School basketball team surrounding him with 2.1 seconds left in the game and with them one point behind, coach Jeff Krumwiede tells his players that if they ever had dreams of making a half court shot... now was the time to do it.

(Peoria, IL) The faces of the Carrollton High School basketball team show their disappointment as they hold their second place trophy.

Game Face of the Week 3

Best game face this week is the Carrollton High School basketball head coach.

This image was taken during the championship game of the Illinois Class A Sectional played in Nokomis, Illinois.  Home team Nokomis lost the game to Carrollton.  Carrollton now goes on to play in the Super-Sectional game to be held in Jacksonville.

(Nokomis, IL) As a fan from the opposing team taunts him from behind, Carrollton High School basketball coach Jeff Krumwiede shows his disapproval of a referee call during the Illinois High School Association Class A sectional game at Nokomis High School.

 See all the photos from the game by clicking on the title.

The Easy Shot I Didn't Take

(Greene County, IL USA) A view of the intersection of US Highway 67 and Kane Road looking north with signs for the Kane American Legion, a church, politicians and realtors.

As I got ready to turn onto Kane Road, I looked around and thought what a pretty day this is for early in February.  We have had a lot of days like that this winter, but where I was headed it wasn't so nice.  It's not so nice for any number of reasons, but I suppose number one on the list of many is that just a few days before a mother and her child had died in a house fire.   The night it happened I had just returned from Cedar Rapids in enough time to shoot a basketball game at a local high school and then went home with hundreds of images to edit.  I didn't know about the fire until the next morning.  It was on the local morning news.  I knew sooner or later I'd probably need to try and get something related to the fire.

The oil and chip road leading east from US Highway 67 to the rural village of Kane, Illinois.  Kane Cemetery is to the left at the center of the image with the village in the treeline.

When I arrived in Kane, I traveled the streets of the town and finally at the corner of Hinton Street and Hinton Alley, I found the burned out remains of the home.  When I first arrived, it was deserted with no one in sight.  After a few minutes a pickup truck arrived and the occupants got out and started talking to a person who lived close to the burned out house.

There was a younger man there with what I assume was his son.  He saw me with a camera and started toward me, glaring at my media credentials hanging around my neck. He walked away and took his son to the cross with the pile of stuffed animals.  I watch from behind them as he kneels down with his young son, holding him ever so close.  It was from a photographer's view a great moment.  An easy shot that I didn't make.  It was such a personal moment for them that I couldn't do it.  I had them framed in the viewfinder but got up and walked to my car.

(Kane, IL) The burned out remains of the home where Breanne Ferguson and daughter, Tristan Stark lost their lives in a house fire on January 25, 2012.  Friends and family created a makeshift memorial at the foot of the "Dead End" street sign.

Rather than intrude into the lives of two grieving people, I stopped by the Kane Cemetery and found the fresh graves.  The digging equipment tracks are still visible as I walked to the spot.  Side by side, mother and child.  Not so far away, across an open field from the town with the burned out house.

(Kane, IL) The graves of 28-year- old Breanne Ferguson and her daughter, 10-year-old Tristan Stark.  Both died in a house fire in the small rural village of Kane.  The village is visible across the field behind the graves.

All the President's Men & the Teleprompter

I know there has been much controversy about President Obama and his use of a teleprompter.  I've seen the equipment several times when covering the President's visits.  Once in Kansas and then again in Iowa.  For what it's worth, I don't think there is anything wrong to with using a teleprompter.  Considering that I used to travel so much that it was hard to remember exactly where you were staying for the night and once tried to use a hotel key to enter the room I'd stayed in the week previous, I can certainly understand the need to use a teleprompter when you are scheduled to be in two or three locations a day. 

When you cover an event where the President is going to attend, the process for getting in place to do your job generally means you have an hour or so of time with little or nothing to do before he arrives. You can walk around in your designated press area and maybe photograph or interview members of the public that are streaming in to find their places.  With so much structure and being corralled like an animal, it's hard to do anything much but wait.

Well, while standing around in Cedar Rapids I see the teleprompter equipment with no one at the controls. There is always a Secret Service agent close or sitting at the controls, but this time the chairs were empty. So I, and another photographer, took the opportunity the grab a few shots of the equipment. Within seconds, a White House staff person descended on us and said that we could not photograph the equipment. Well... He was too late! Directly below is the super secret teleprompter that can't be photographed.

(Cedar Rapids, IA USA) Teleprompter equipment used by President Obama scrolls Lincoln's Gettysburg Address immediately before the President is due to speak before an audience at Conveyor Engineering.  The image was taken immediately before someone with the President's advance party informed the photographer that the equipment was not to be photographed.

So, what we see here is teleprompter equipment in travel case, three (3) laptop computers, a folding table, one (1) empty folding chair, one (1) empty Gatorade bottle and headphones.  Other than the sensitivity factor about using a teleprompter, I'm not sure there is any reason not to photograph this table.

Upon the President's arrival, but before he walked to the podium, a three ring binder was removed from the lectern and brought to the table where the teleprompter equipment was located.  The Secret Service agent provided the person with the binder some updated pages that were inserted and then the folder was placed back on the lectern.

(Cedar Rapids, IA USA) A US Secret Service agent sits typing on a laptop computer while another person inserts updated pages into a binder that will be placed on the lectern where President Barack Obama will be speaking.  The agent is sitting at the table where the President's teleprompter equipment is managed.

It would appear we have a President that embraces technology and uses it.  So now you have seen what allows the President to speak in multiple cities a day and still maintain some idea of where he is and who he is talking to.  Yes, I'm sure that the White House would rather you not see the equipment, but it's how business is being done today.

The Eagle has Landed!

(Grafton, IL USA) People inside the Pere Marquette State Park Visitor Center watch the video screen as a remote camera located high in a tree shows the first American Bald Eagle returning to the nest for the 2012 season.  The nest is located approximately 100 feet above the bank of  the Illinois River in Jersey County Illinois.

It's that time of year again when you need to be really careful.  Careful of the person in the car driving in front of you as they slam on the brakes because they see an American Bald Eagle in a tree.  Every year the eagles come south because of ice that generally covers the rivers where they normally catch fish.  The area close to the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers is prime eagle watching territory.  Thousands of people travel to the area every season to see the eagles.

The eagles are opportunists and the photo below is of an eagle that was feasting on a road kill Whitetail Deer near a cornfield.

(Calhoun County, IL USA) An American Bald Eagle takes to flight after feasting on a Whitetail Deer carcass.  While eagles are thought by most people to be fish eaters, eagles are opportunistic and will feed on most any type of meat or fish that it may find.  Eagles have also been known to take small dogs, cats and squirrels.

Rolling in the New Year

The local hospital didn't know if they would have any new babies anytime soon (According to them it might well be Tuesday for a new baby.), so I headed off to the local bowling alley.  When I arrived, I soon realized that the place was packed as families and friends bowled in the new year.

(Jerseyville, IL USA)  Young bowlers take their turns on the lanes at the Tri County Bowl.  The lights are turned down and disco type colored lighting illuminates the lanes for the New Year Eve "cosmic" bowl.