Shameless Self Promotion
Today I had the opportunity to shoot a photo I’d been thinking about for some time. The university really didn’t possess good photos showing its planetarium so my student worker Alicia and I took care of that.
Alex Mak controls the program in Ritter Planetarium on the campus of the University of Toledo. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
Toledo earned an ugly win over Ball State at Savage Hall Sunday afternoon. Here are a couple shots.
Toledo Forward Mohammed Lo blocks a shot against Ball State. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
A group of young fans enjoy the view from courtside. (©2008 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
I’ve been selectively working on getting shots of wide receivers this season because it’s an area that I feel I’m pretty weak with my sports shooting.
Toledo Rockets wide receiver Stephen Williams reaches out for a pass late in the 2nd quarter during the game against Eastern Michigan. WIlliams caught the pass for a touchdown. (©2007 Daniel Miller/University of Toledo)
I’ve already posted photos about the falcons that have nested in UT’s clock tower, but it turns out I was wrong about their two eggs. In fact there were three.
All of them have since hatched and some naturalists from the ODNR came out to take some blood samples and put numbered bands on each chick’s leg. It sounds simple, right? While geese are ill-tempered when it comes to protecting their young, at least they don’t have incredibly sharp talons to worry about.
As it turns out, there was no drama. No screeching death plunge from the skies. I’m not saying the female falcon wasn’t really pissed off, because she was. We were safe mainly because the construction of the tower kept her from getting a clear shot at us. The most danger to any of us was from a heart attack while climbing up and down the stairs to the top of the 205 foot tower… twice.
I’ve been told that objects like the front of a big lens appear like huge hungry mouths to small animals. Have you ever heard a baby falcon scream? (Photos by Daniel Miller)
The angry female falcon perches on one of the stone gargoyles of UT’s clock tower.
In my position at the university I shoot a lot of what are called, “environmental portraits.” (obviously, photos of people in their environments) For a while I’ve been working on my flash lighting using a highly portable technique I learned about from Strobist, the Web site of David Hobby.
I can’t even express how much I’ve learned from this staff photojournalist from the Baltimore Sun other than to say that he has fundamentally changed the way I think about and shoot portraits on location. I owe this generous man a tremendous amount and these portraits reflect the new skills that I’m developing with his help.
Mike Rosendaul, chef at the Sylvania restaurant, Ciao!, poses for a portrait in the restaurant’s dining room.
Painter Leslie Adams poses in her new downtown Toledo studio.
I was out shooting some static sculptures on UT’s Scott Park Campus when I saw this family of Canada Geese near the pond. Being in need of some feature art for an upcoming edition of the UT News, I thought I could at least get some cute nature pictures. Geese can be nasty by themselves so I was extra careful when approaching because of the newborn goslings. Luckily for me, not all animals are so considerate.
A new family of Canada Geese walks along the bank of a pond at UT’s Scott Park Campus. (Photos by Daniel Miller)
A very protective parent chases after another pair of Canada Geese that strayed too close to its family.
A goose that landed too closely to a new family gets chased off by one of the parents.
The All American Rejects played on campus at UT tonight and although they aren’t as cool or interesting as my friend Raena’s concert photos, I thought I’d post a few anyway. Hope you like them.
