A quick one.
It’s “homecoming season.” High schools, colleges, and universities seem to use late September through mid-late October as the window for homecomings and the activities that come with the event. I photographed for Monmouth College last weekend, I believe Knox College celebrated the week before. Crisp air, fun times.
I went to Carbondale to see a Bob Dylan concert in the fall of 1978. Not only was it homecoming, it was Halloween weekend. 12,000 people, partying in the streets. I was attending Culver-Stockton College at the time. A small school, located in Canton, MO. I decided SIU was the place to be, transferred the next semester, attended, and pretty much bombed out.
This photo… After taking a year off, I wound up at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. Well on my way in wanting to beome a photojournalist, I was honing my photography skills. First, at the student newspaper, The Western Courier, then, The Sequel, the WIU yearbook.
My camera gear at that time was a Nikon FM body, a 24mm lens, a 35mm lens, and a 105mm lens. That’s it. No second body or long lenses. And NO motor-drive on the FM.
This is from 1982. I was covering the homecoming parade, standing on the north side of West Adams street near Lake Ruth. Right across the street from the WIU Alumni House. Floats and people were rolling by. The hill in front of the alumni house made for good viewing. Everything was routine until…
A guy broke from the crowd and jumped onto a cannon, being pulled along by the college ROTC department. He hung there, one arm draped over the barrel, his drink in the other hand, wild eyed. The move definitely livened things up!
The photo was made with the 35mm lens, the lens on the camera at the time. I’ve looked back on this moment and second guessed myself as to whether the 105mm lens would have tightend things up some. Again, I had no second body, and in the time it would have taken to change lenses the moment would have been gone. He wasn’t out there long. “Looser” might be better here. You can enjoy the reactions from those on the hill across the street. There is a lot going on, and to study. Too tight and you wouldn’t see the reactions.
The Tri-X negative of this frame is missing in action. All I have is one print, mounted to a matte board, with the caption taped to the back. Charlie Mueller is his name. Thankfully, the print is of decent quality, and, by golly, I was tack sharp on this one. With no negative, I don’t know how many frames I made. 1-3 at the most, having no motor-drive, I was cocking the shutter lever each time. It was truly “the moment”, as we say in photojournalism.
A frame from the 1982 WIU homecoming parade.
The caption, taped to the back of the matte board.