Superhero saga

A few rake takes

The Monohans rake the front lawn of their Chippewa Street home in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Tuesday afternoon. Each has their own technique on how to pick up the leaves. Lily, 8, is the oldest sibling of the three. She rakes with large brushing strokes against the grass, throwing leaves on top of one another to form one pile. Abby, 6, is only two years younger and said she can see the length of the yard with her glasses. She swoops down, hands out, to grab the leaves and throw them into the wheelbarrow. She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Andrew, 3, is the lone boy of the three. He is just excited to run the wheelbarrow around the yard and out to the road. (Photos shot for Central Michigan Life. The last shot published today, Oct. 28)

A morbidly fun shoot

Campus is filled with stories of haunted buildings, one of which is the oldest standing building at Central Michigan University — Warriner Hall. A 19-year-old employee, Theresa Schumacher, was killed at 10:30 a.m. May 29, 1937, when her head was trapped within a small window in the door leading to the elevator shaft. It was determined to be death by strangulation. Legend has it, Schumacher still haunts the building, and many people have verified sightings of her ghost. (Published in Central Michigan Life on Oct. 28)

Thanks so much to all of my subjects in this photo. From left: Traverse City senior Mo McManus, Fenton sophomore Jeff Horning, Romeo sophomore Russ Vanderhoof, Shelby Township sophomore Dana Lange, Troy sophomore Griffin McMath, Niles senior Shannon Housing and Rochester sophomore Kelly Raymond. You were a wonderful and cooperative group of people to work with and I would love to use any of you in future photo illustrations as well.

A special thanks to the support team of photographers who came out to the shoot as well. Libby March, Sean Proctor and Sihang Zhang ... You are all amazing people and I could not have done this with out you. And Libby, your epic moment when you tripped will not be forgotten anytime soon, but it was amazing that you still lit the strobe off. Nice work everyone!

Football Holladay

A Northwest defender tackles Jackson halfback Desmond Edwards after a 6-yard gain for a first down in the second quarter.

I shot Jackson High School football against Northwest High School in Jackson, Mich. with one of my best friends a week and a half ago. Erik Holladay invited me along to shoot the game as a chance to photograph my photo story in the city fell through for the weekend. Needless to say, Erik had better photos than I did, but just you wait Mr. Holladay. ... One of these days, I'll outshoot you. Lol. Great friend and I really enjoyed shooting alongside him. I learned a ton.

Jackson halfback Jordan Union is tackled 10 yards from the end zone after making a reception in the second quarter.

Click here to view a gallery of photos from this game and other games in the Jackson area. Erik and fellow Citizen Patriot photographer Dave Weatherwax have some really great images in here as well. I encourage you to take a look. :)

On with the show: Sue Ann Martin

Sue Ann Martin was the dean of the College of Communications and Fine Arts from 1997 to Dec. 2008, and stepped down in order to teach theater courses at Central Michigan University. (Photo printed in Central Michigan Life on Oct. 26)

Click here to read the full Central Michigan Life story written by Staff Reporter Patricia Emenpour.

Uncle John's Cider Mill

A sunflower wilts at the edge of a cornfield maze Sunday afternoon at Uncle John's Cider Mill.

I have constantly passed by Uncle John's Cider Mill, only to think of how delicious the cider would taste. I have never stopped, but there is a first for everything. As I pulled in, I was amazed as over the hill lies a photography playground. I knew the mill had a corn maze, but there is SO much more. So I stuck around for about an hour to make images. There are more to come, but I have to edit a photo story as well. Here is a quick post that I enjoy, and Libby March said "I had to post immediately!" So I did.



Maxim Rancour, 3, of Williamston, runs through a soft spot of a fallen-through hay along a line of haystacks Sunday afternoon at Uncle John's Cider Mill. "My grandma brought me here. It's my first time. I love her," he exclaimed as he ran away to continue to frolic along a winding path of haystacks.



Two girls slide down an inflatable playground Sunday afternoon at Uncle John's Cider Mill.



Homer Ruiz, an employee who has worked about four years in a wooden trailer that doubles as a kitchenette for hot foods, leans outside the window waiting for customers on Sunday afternoon at Uncle John's Cider Mill. "This time of the season, it's all about family," Ruiz said. "It's true, though, and there is no better day than today. The weather is perfect."

'Hockey is life'

Pineapple Express

Homecoming may have been done for most people after the football game, or even when they woke up with a hangover on Sunday morning. Not for me. I have been staying up late the last few nights to be a part of a great multimedia endeavor put on by Central Michigan Life. It is still in progress, but I will post a link to the full multimedia presentation once it is posted. It's phenomenal!

A special thanks to Matthew Stephens and Brian Manzullo, without either this project would not have left the cutting room floor. Their vision helped lead us into a new era of multimedia storytelling at CM Life (and it's only mid-October!), and I can't wait to see what other great ideas come from these two journalists — both really get what multimedia is supposed to be about. It's days like today I love my job!

View the entire presentation here. (Scroll to the  bottom for a Vuvox presentation.) Everyone did such a good job. This is something. It's a huge accomplishment for the multimedia of cm-life.com. 

Here are the three projects I produced for the multimedia presentation on Mount Pleasant:

1 A.M. O'Kelly's Bartender from CMLifeVideo on Vimeo.

Superman ... with a pipe?

Saugatuck junior Dan Nemets stands next to the Charles V. Park Library protesting the idea of a smokeless campus with a pipe in hand, wearing a cape that displays "Don't tread on me." He is a member of the group Third Party Movement, and as of mid-September, the group received more than 1,000 student signatures asking the university not to make campus smoke-free. "Smoke with me," he urged students as they walked by. "They are trying to take away your freedoms. They are going to take away your right to smoke!" (Shot for Central Michigan Life)

Click here for a story by Senior Reporter Joe Borlik on another initiative taken by Third Party Movement, and make sure to keep an eye out for the photos that accompany the story. They were made by Libby March. Such a good friend. :)

LeFevour's leap

Central Michigan University quarterback Dan LeFevour hurdles over an Eastern Michigan defender on third down to gain a first down at the 22-yard-line. LeFevour totaled 44 rushing yards on 11 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He also threw three touchdowns, completing 16-of-22 passes for 318 yards. (Shot for Central Michigan Life).

Saturday was a big day for me. It was my first Central Michigan University football game, and it was the homecoming game against Eastern Michigan. It was clear by the end of the first quarter, and more definitely by the end of the first half (35-0 at that point) that the game would be a blowout, but it was still such a great game to witness, and such a great opportunity, mor so, to shoot. The sun ducking in and out of the clouds created a few problems, but that was expected. I was glad to see other friendly photog faces on the field alongside me: Nathan Morgan, Ashley Miller, Jeff LaMonde, Chris Bacarella, Neil Blake, Libby March, Tim Fitzgerald, Mike Mulholland and Jillian Pekel to name a few. I can't wait to shoot more sports. I am falling in love with it. :)

Here are a few links to stories about the game by Central Michigan Life's sports crew:

Eagles Grounded by 56-8 CMU football win by Senior Reporter Dave Jones

Antonio Brown's explosive plays lead CMU attack by Sports Editor Andrew Stover

Defense rights past mistakes by Assistant Sports Editor Tim Ottusch

Run, run, run

Michigan Center Defensive Back Cody Marr runs the ball upfield on a 20-yard breakwaway during the first half against Vandercook Lake Sept. 11. Marr scored later in the same drive on a 6-yard touchdown run to make the score 9-0. The Cardinals beat the Jayhawks 28-14, leaving both teams 1-1 in the Cascades Conference.

I shot this photo while job shadowing with Erik Holladay at the Jackson Citizen Patriot. Erik is an amazing photographer and a good friend. I hope I can continue to get down to Jackson so I can learn more from him as soon as possible! :) And, I cannot forget to throw a shout out to Libby March and Dave Weatherwax!
The whole reason I was able to capture this image was because I brought Libby down to job shadow Dave. It was a fun day to say the least. You guys all rock!

Sights from the sideline

Flint resident Trevor Weston, 25, looks up in awe at his teammate jumps for a rebound Sunday morning at the Gus Macker Festival. (Printed in Central Michigan Life on Aug. 31)

Click here to view the story by CM LIFE Staff Reporter Aaron McMann.

"Wild life" for Keith Miller

Armada graduate student Keith Miller, 22, worked last summer as a research technician in Yellowstone National Park tracking grizzly bears. In summer 2008, he spent time working in Alaska, hiking 55 miles from nearest human contact where he found the pair of caribou antlers he is holding. “It’s nice to be in the outdoors, which I love, with a purpose for conserving that love,” Miller said. (Printed in Central Michigan Life on Sept. 28, 2009)

Click here to view the story by CM LIFE Staff Reporter Connor Sheridan.