Tag Archives: high school
Indiana Sports Photographer: CMA Varsity Football vs. Northwood
The other night, Ginny and I shot the first regular season home game of the CMA Eagles against the Northwood Panthers. It was played on Culver Academy’s campus overlooking Lake Maxinkuckee. I was looking forward to this game, as this was the first sporting event at which I could use my new camera, the Nikon D3S. I purchased it over the summer and shot some weddings with it, but I hadn’t been able to use it for action shots.
For the camera buffs out there, the Nikon D3S is truly an amazing piece of equipment capable of shooting up to 9 shots a second. The camera’s real claim to fame is its capability to shoot in almost no light, making it ideal for Friday night football games, weddings, and other events where using a flash might be distractive or prohibitive. At Friday’s game, I decided to push the limits far past anything that I’ve attempted before and I shot the entire 4th quarter of the game with an ISO setting of 10,000. To my surprise, I am happy with the photos and proud to display them along with the rest of the quarters.
The CMA Eagles held their own against a tough team and in fact, they had the lead for much of the first and second quarters when number 17 caught a long pass from the number 7 quarterback on CMA’s first offensive play. The crowd was loud after that play, and the game remained tight throughout the second quarter. The Northwood Panthers had a tough running game, and they scored going up the middle a few times in the second half. The Eagles made attempts to come back, but they never scored again. I thought they looked like a strong team for a group of guys who lost several seniors in key positions from last year. Ginny and I think it’s going to be a fun season. We hope to travel to some of the away games and keep up with the team.
Following are a handful of photos of the game; additional photos are located at: http://www.culverphotos.com/8_27_10_football
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: Commencement
The 2009-2010 Culver Academy school year comes to a close with the Final Formation and Graduation Commencement that was held last Sunday on the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee. As part of the ceremony, the cadets proceed through the CMA Gate and the coeds walk through the CGA Arch. Once through, they are welcomed by a Legion Board member as they join the ranks of other Culver Alumn. As always, emotion runs high, as this celebration is both joyous and sad being the end of the seniors’ Culver (and high school) lives.
All totaled, I shot over 1500 photos before, during, and after the graduation ceremony. I tried to get a couple of photos of each student as they received their diploma and progressed through the Gate or Arch. I’ve only posted a few photos here. Others can be found at:
Before/After Ceremony- http://www.culverphotos.com/6-6_10_commencement_bf
Arch Ceremony- http://www.culverphotos.com/6_6_10_commencement_arch
Gate Ceremony- http://www.culverphotos.com/6_6_10_commencement_gate
Please note that both the Gate Ceremony photos and the Arch Ceremony photos are in the order that the students progressed through the Gate and Arch. If you are looking for a student who graduated later in the ceremony, look much later into the gallery.
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: Officer’s Figure
Last Saturday, Culver Aacdemies held the annual Final Ball and Officer’s Figure. When asked about Officer’s Figure, I tell everyone that need to see it at least once because it’s not like anything you’ll see at a typical prom. It’s not just cool. It’s a tradition at Culver. I’m sure that the cadets don’t get as excited about it as someone like me, but, as you can tell from the photos, their dates and mothers enjoy being a part of it.
Following are some photos from the event. There are more photos posted on the www.culverphotos.com website. I seperated the galleries into the photos of cadets with their dates (http://www.culverphotos.com/6_5_10_officersfigure_dates) and the photos of cadets with their mothers (http://www.culverphotos.com/6_5_10_officers_figure).
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: Final Ball- Outside
Before and after the CGA Senior Waltz and Officer’s Figure, I shot several kids and families outside of the gym. For the Culver students, mingling and carrying on with their friends outside has before a tradition and integral part of Final Ball. It is a lot of fun to be around, as there are hundreds of students and mothers in beautiful gowns along with their male counterparts in Dress As and suits. Everyone always looks very sharp.
I’ve posted a few photos here. Other are at:
http://www.culverphotos.com/6_5_10_final_ball.
Please note that photos from the Officer’s Figure and Senior Waltz are not in this gallery. There are three galleries that contain these photos: “CGA Senior Waltz,” “Officer’s Figure- Mothers,” and “Officer’s Figure- Dates,” all of which can be found in the Graduation gallery at http://www.culverphotos.com/2010grad.
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: CGA Senior Waltz
As part of the Culver Academy Graduation Ceremonies and the Final Ball held last Saturday, is the CGA Senior Waltz. This is a dance where the senior girls dance with their dads or, in some cases, their grand dads. It is really fun to watch as everyone seems to have a great time.
I’ve posted some photos here. There are many more located at http://www.culverphotos.com/2010seniorwaltz.
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: Final Garrison Parade
Last Saturday, the Culver Corp of Cadets performed the Final Garrison Parade for 2010 as part of their Graduation Weekend. Everyone looked great and did well. The Troop had a few issues with a couple of horses acting up. As a former trooper myself, I suspect that either the kids were egging the horses on a little or the Horsemanship Department was trying to incorporate a few new horses into their parade mounts.
I’ve posted some photos here. Other are located at
http://www.culverphotos.com/6_5_10_parade.
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: Officer’s Figure Practice
Last Friday, after the Honor Organizations performed, I headed over to the gym to watch the Officers Figure practice. I decided to go ahead and shoot this as it is quite a contrast from what everyone sees on Saturday night. As you can see, most of the kids wore sweats and dressed comfortably.
I’ve posted a few photos here. Others can be found at
http://www.culverphotos.com/6_4_10_officersfigure_practice.
Culver Academy Graduation Photos: Honor Organization Performances
One of the first events of Culver Academy’s graduation weekend involved the performances of the Honor Organizations, which included the Color Guard, the CGA Silent Drill Team, the Equestriennes, the Four Gun Drill, and the Lancers. Originally scheduled for outdoors, I was looking forward to getting photos in natural light. The last time that I was able to shoot these groups outside was during the 2008-2009 school year. Unfortunately, Culver Academies had to make the decision to hold the performances indoors. The weather was nice so it was a bit of a surprise. I suspect that there was some fear of damaging the parade field before the final garrison parade. It rained a lot this past week, so I think the organizers made a good decision.
As always, the groups looked great and they changed their routines slightly from the performances over Parent’s Weekend and Alumni Weekend. In addition to different routines, the various teams honored their graduating seniors. It was classy and brought back some memories for me from when I was a senior in that same position 23 years ago.
I’ve posted a few photos here. Others are posted at
http://www.culverphotos.com/2010grad.
Culver Indiana Photography: CCHS Graduation
On Friday night, I attended Culver Community High School’s Graduation Ceremony at the gymnasium at the High School. I’ve always enjoyed watching this ceremony, as doing so drives home for me what life in a small town is all about… the community. During the event, I often look around and notice a few other people I know. Like myself, these people do not have kids or grandkids graduating. Instead, they attend to show support for the students and their community. I wanted to shoot the event to ensure someone was capturing this event.
Unlike many graduations that I’ve photographed over the years, the mood of this ceremony is joyous, and the students are truly happy knowing they will see other over the summer months to come and before going off to college or careers. As you can see in the photos, the ceremony ends with a big bang and a lot of silly string! This appears to be a tradition at the school, as I’ve now witnessed it three times. Congrats to all of the Culver seniors. We wish you many successes in your future. Following are some photos from the evening’s celebration. You can find more at http://www.culverphotos.com/2010cchsgrad.
Culver Indiana Photographer: Stephen Keisler Senior Shoot
On Sunday morning, I shot Culver Academy senior Stephen Keisler. It was a beautiful day for shooting, though the sun was almost too bright for the locations that we wanted. Stephen was a good sport and patient as I played with my camera settings in an attempt to overcome the effects the sun had. Stephen was energetic and excited to try different poses and locations. Stephen’s girlfriend Kirsten (I photographed her over Spring Break) accompanied him, so I went ahead and included her in a few of the photos.
