Keeping in theme with Iowa, I took these about four years ago. They’re at Kinnick Stadium, home to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. This is at the entrance to the north end of the stadium. It is named for alum Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner, who died in World War 2. According to Wikipedia, it is the only college stadium named for a Heisman Trophy winner.
The statue is very striking. Very dignified. The location is kind of tight, and you don’t really have many good choices for vantage points and good composition. You’re somewhat stuck with what’s there. Move back too far and you get several extraneous things in the shot that seriously detract from the shot. While this can be disappointing, there are still several good opportunities, you just have to look up for most of them. Looking up at a subject isn’t always a bad thing. It adds something of a larger-than-life perspective, which works well in scenes like this.
I like the three layers in this shot. The plants in the foreground add a pleasant aspect that helps break up the hard lines of the stadium structure, in a pleasant way. The statue itself being the main focal point. The ‘sign’ on the stadium wall providing self-explanatory context. I have three shots total from this location currently processed and available, and two of them can be found on my nostalgia page, at least for now.
I’d like to go back and get some more shots from around the stadium, not to mention the historical aspects of Iowa City, itself. I don’t get down to the Iowa City area nearly enough. A nice local flare is always interesting, and helps break up what can be the monotony of farms and barns and windmills.
As always, I love your photo blogs! I agree that we need to spend more time in Iowa city area. I am on board whenever you want to go.