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/

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.

Best Game Faces of the Week

(Rochester, IL USA) As fans cheer, a member of the Southwestern Middle School 8th grade team shows how she is feeling after receiving her second place team medal. The loss to Normal Kingsley was the first and only for Southwestern of the season.  Kingsley remained undefeated and won the state championship.



Sometimes you get great game faces in your images. These are two of the best this week. While they may not be a favorite of the subject, they are my favorites of this last week and they would both be basketball.

(Piasa, IL USA) A Jersey player shows his game face as the Southwestern player tries to block his shot.

Obama In Osawatamie

(Osawatamie, KS USA) US President Barack Obama has just entered the Osawatamie High School gymnasium and is moving toward the podium to speak.  US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is at the far right of the image looking up into the crowd. 

Was off to Kansas to capture a few images of President Obama. I had a photo request that included things like demonstrations. Hey, this was Kansas and even people that would never vote for the man still wanted to see him and not a person was impolite. Being locked in immediately before the event as a member of the assembled media, I didn't get the opportunity to see the one group that did show up to protest. Considering they are the same ones that protest at service members funerals, they didn't need any more coverage than they already get.

(Osawatamie, KS  USA) A scene of the crowd as they listen to US President Barack Obama.

There are a lot of stories in this crowd shot.  No way to know what they are, but it's certainly a diverse group.

(Osawatamie, KS USA)  US President Barack Obama speaks to a gymnasium full of media and the public. 

Everywhere the President goes, a crowd follows.

Crown Fountain

(Chicago, IL USA) A face smiles at visitors to Crown Fountain in Millennium Park on a fall day in downtown Chicago.  The changing images on the panel are created by LED lights behind a wall of glass blocks.  During warmer weather the panel sprays water from the ever changing images.  This panel is one of two that face each other and form the fountain.

Millennium Park is a favorite spot for visitors to Chicago.  This image of a Crown Fountain tower panel was shot on a fall day after the water had been shut off for the season.  When the water is flowing you might see a face, which is created by an LED panel behind glass blocks, spurting water from pursed lips.  The fountain is comprised of two panels which face each other, spray water and change the image created by the wall of LED's.

...and she thinks it's over



An unidentified, recently graduated high school student moves against a sea of people into the great unknown.


I suppose here in the US most high school graduation ceremonies are completed and it will be off to college or work for those that graduated.  As everyone was leaving this particular ceremony, I caught out of the corner of my eye this message on a cap and turned quickly to grab a shot of her signage.  She immediately disappeared into the crowd after I got a few images of her from behind.

It made me laugh to think she actually might believe what she put on her cap.