From two very different Saturday feature assignments today.
Cheers,
Pat
Friends and family of homicide victim Dustin Englebrecht along with members of the community gathered at Mineral Springs Park in Pekin on Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil in his memory. The Mason City man was found in a shallow grave behind a family barn on Sept. 7. Six months later, his case remains unsolved. In the top photo, Cheryl Potts (left), Dustin’s mother, kisses Amanda Hunt, his sister. “People still care,” said Potts. “We’re not going to give up.”
-Pat
Stan Aron of Chicago strikes a pose on Friday afternoon after participating the tenth annual “Dive for Cover” at Maui Jim Sunglasses on Allen Rd. in Peoria. Aron represented his company, Sharon Healthcare Center, and dove into the 33-degree water in the Maui Jim pond. “We believe in helping the community,” Aron said.
Amazing.
-Pat
A few weeks ago I went along on a bus tour of Ronald Reagan related sites around Illinois to commemorate the 99th anniversary of Reagan’s birth. The tour was led by President Reagan’s eldest son Michael Reagan. We started out at Eureka College, President Reagan’s college home, and then visited his birthplace in Tampico, Ill. and boyhood home in Dixon before ending with a luncheon at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon. Although at times it felt like following around a politician on the campaign trail, it was a really interesting day and I had a good time making pictures. The story ran this last Sunday so I’m just now getting around to this post. These are a few images from what ran in the paper as well as a few outtakes.
Cheers,
Pat
I covered the IHSA State Wrestling championship matches last weekend at Assembly Hall in Champaign. Here are a few of my favorite shots.
Cheers,
Pat
My roomate Andrea moved out today and took with her literally all of the living room furniture. Pictured here is my other roomate Nafia making the best of it. I’ll be hunting for some sweet stuff at Peoria goodwill/salvation army stores soon.
Cheers,
Pat
Todd Snarr, VP of Operations for ELM consulting, walks through the old steam factory at the State Hospital Grounds in Bartonville, Ill on Friday afternoon. The Village of Bartonville just spent $350,000 to remove asbestos from the building, which Snarr oversaw as project manager. The structure is scheduled to be demolished sometime next week. It was really cool to get a tour of this place before it ceases to exist. More photos here. Since my Nikon D300 has been out of commission being repaired, I’ve been using my old Nikon D70 as my primary camera so far since starting at the PJStar (Better image quality than my two provided Nikon D2Hs). It’s been a nice reminder that my vision, not my gear, is what makes great pictures. This was taken at 20mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 2/5 of a second.
-Pat
The Peoria Housing Authority held a kickoff celebration for it’s new ARRO program (Access to Resources and Referrals Opportunities) on Thursday night at the Frank Campbell Community Center, 312 S. Merriman in Peoria. My favorite shots came when Pastor Spencer Gibson Jr. and the Integrity Gospel Singers performed.
Best,
Pat
Found while shooting historic buildings around Peoria today.
I shot Cardinals fans getting autographs and talking with players and staff the other night during an off season fan event. I like the layers in this one.
Cheers,
Pat