I have been a big fan of Chicago Tribune photographer Scott Strazzante’s Shooting From the Hip street photography photo blog for some time. Scott spends lots of time walking the streets of Chicago photographing the people he encounters and since I am in New York for Iowa’s games in the NIT I thought I would give street photography a try. Check out some of my images in the slideshow below.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Devyn Marble (4) dunks the ball on a breakaway during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard/forward Eric May (25) goes up to dunk the ball in front of Northwestern Wildcats forward Mike Turner (10) on a break away during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Devyn Marble (4) pulls down rebound over Northwestern Wildcats guard Tre Demps (14) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes center Adam Woodbury (34) gets tied up with Wisconsin Badgers forward/center Jared Berggren (40) and forward Mike Bruesewitz (31) during the second overtime of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Linn-Mar Junior Duggan Trenary competes in the 100-Yard Butterfly at the State Boys' Swimming Meet at Marshalltown YMCA on February 9, 2013. (Kaitlyn Bernauer/The Gazette-KCRG9)

Iowa City West Freshman Mark McGlaughlin competes in the 100-Yard Backstroke at the State Boys' Swimming Meet at Marshalltown YMCA on February 9, 2013. (Kaitlyn Bernauer/The Gazette-KCRG9)

Jamal Rogers of the Cedar Rapids Titans is brought down by Green Bay Blizzard's Mike Turner after catching a pass for a first down during an exhibition game at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, February 7, 2013. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Stephanie Botkin and Madison Kramer of Cedar Rapids Washington struggle for control of a loose ball during the first half of a game at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, February 5, 2013. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Anthony Carter struggles for control the of the ball with Austin Bergstrom (left) and Peter Holmes (right) of Cedar Rapids Washington during the first half of a game at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, February 5, 2013. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Linn-Mar's Jimmy Roth and and Benjamin Struss of Cedar Rapids Kennedy dive for a loose ball during the first half of a game at Linn-Mar High School in Marion on Friday, February 8, 2013. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

An Iowa City firefighter battles a two alarm fire at Dental Lab Inc. at 1515 Jackson Ave. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013 in Iowa City. The business and two apartments connected to it were total a total loss. The cause of the fire , which is believed to have started in the kitchen of one of the apartments, is under investigation. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Firefighters in Iowa City responded to a fire at an Iowa City business around 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday. When crews arrived on the scene at 1515 Jackson Avenue, flames were coming out of a first-floor window.

Heavy smoke and flames continue to pour from the building, Dental Lab Inc., for several hours. A second alarm went out, bringing help from Solon, Hills, West Branch and Coralville. The city said in a news release that 34 firefighters were on the scene. There are two apartments attached to the back of the building.

Fire Chief Andy Rocca and Fire Marshal John Grier were both on the scene.

“We serve between 40 and 60 dentists,” owner Mike Hartley said of his business, which supplies equipment to dentists. “This is tough.”

A city bus was also brought in for firefighters to get water and get out of the cold. Fire officials said chilly temperatures made fighting the flames more difficult.

A resident of one of the apartments said everyone was able to get out safely before the fire spread. The structure was declared a total loss. Investigators say the fire started in the kitchen of one of the apartments, but are still looking into what caused the fire.

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery kicks the video board on the scorers table as he shows his displeasure with a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Director of Basketball operations Jerry Strom puts Chris Street's #40 jersey over an empty chair at the end of the bench as the lights went out for Iowa's introductions before an NCAA college basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The Iowa team is commemorating the death of Street who was killed in a car wreck 20 years ago this month. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Wisconsin Badgers guard Traevon Jackson (12) looks for a jump ball as he is called for a foul on Iowa Hawkeyes guard Devyn Marble (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa's Jared Uthoff shakes hands with Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan following Iowa's 70-66 victory in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Uthoff is sitting out this season after transferring to Iowa from Wisconsin. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Coe's Scott King (front) tries to flip Wartburg's Sam Upah onto his back during their 184 lbs. match during their Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference dual meet at Coe College on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Upah won. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa City's West's Tristen Bowers (right) flips Cedar Rapids Prairie's Seth Wennermark during their 132 lbs. match of their dual meet at a double dual meet at Cedar Falls High School on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)

Kirkwood's Whitney Rohrbach (left) battles Iowa Central's Theresa Doyle for a loose ball during the first half of their game at Kirkwood Community College on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)

Jimmy Roth of Linn-Mar and Matt Nelson of Cedar Rapids Xavier struggle for a rebound at Linn-Mar High School in Marion on Friday, January 18, 2013. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Iowa's Mike Evans celebrates after defeating Ohio State's Nick Heflin during their 174 pound match in their dual meet Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Head Coach Tom Brands jumps in the air as Iowa's Matt McDonough scores on Ohio State's Nikko Triggas during their 125 pound match in their dual meet Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. McDonough won the match 10-5. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Jaime Printy (24), center Morgan Johnson (12), and Iowa Hawkeyes center Bethany Doolittle (51) celebrate as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Tayler Hill (4) walks off the court following their 77-71 overtime victory in an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes center Adam Woodbury (34) pulls down a rebound against Indiana Hoosiers forward Cody Zeller (40) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Northern Iowa's Chip Rank (right) and Anthony James (center) collide with Indiana State's Manny Arop after stealing the ball during the first half of their NCAA game at the McLeod Center on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa City West's Dondre Alexander (center) goes for the basket between Dubuque Senior's Luke McDonnell (left) and Seth Bonifas (right) during the first quarter of their Mississippi Division, Mississippi Valley Conference boy's basketball game at Iowa City West High School on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Xavier's Abby Watson (left) and Cedar Rapids Washington's Dani Franklin fight for a rebound during the first quarter of their game at Xavier High School on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa State's Deon Broomfield (26), A.J. Klein (47), Matt Morton (39), Jacques Washington (10) and Ben Durbin (15) bring down Tulsa Golden Hurricane running back Trey Watts (22) during the first half of the Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, TN on Monday, December 31, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Jeremy Reeves (5) intercepts a pass intended for Tulsa Golden Hurricane wide receiver Keyarris Garrett (1) during the first half of the Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, TN on Monday, December 31, 2012. Reeves ran the interception for a touchdown. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads walks past the team during a time out in the fourth quarter as the Cylcones struggle against Tulsa of the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN on Monday, December 31, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Tulsa Golden Hurricane defensive end Brentom Todd (97) celebrates recovering a fumble by Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz (2) on the last play of the fourth quarter at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN on Monday, December 31, 2012. Tulsa won the game 31 to 17. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Iowa's Mike Evans celebrates after defeating Ohio State's Nick Heflin during their 174 pound match in their dual meet Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

There was lots of great action from Iowa’s wrestling meet against Ohio State so I thought I would make a couple .gif images. I hope you enjoy them!

Firefighters work the scene of an apartment fire at 944 Boston Way Friday, Dec. 14, 2012 in Coralville. No details about the fire were available early Friday. Check back for updates. (Brian Ray/The Gazette)

Iowa Hawkeyes center Adam Woodbury (34) celebrates with the fans after Iowa defeated the Iowa State Cyclones by a score of 80 to 71 in an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Eric May (25) pulls down a rebound over Iowa State Cyclones forward Georges Niang (31) during the first half an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Devyn Marble (4) steals the ball from Iowa State Cyclones guard Will Clyburn (21) during the second half an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Prairie's Austin Gould (right) yells out as Linn-Mar's Andrew Holladay pulls on his right arm in their 182-pound bout at Linn-Mar on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, in Marion. Gould won 12-8 and Prairie won 35-22. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Prairie's Madison Dellamuth (32, center) shoots over Iowa City High's Mickey Hansche (23, back) and Courtney Joens (31) in the first half of their game at Prairie on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Prairie's Taylor Moenk (2, left) and Iowa City High's Haley Lorenzen (45) tumble after the ball in the first half of their game at Prairie on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in Cedar Rapids. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes center Morgan Johnson (12) celebrates after a basket during the second half an NCAA college basketball game against the Iowa State Cyclones Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa State Cyclones forward Hallie Christofferson (5) battles for a rebound with Iowa Hawkeyes center Morgan Johnson (12) during the first half an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa's Tony Ramos wrestles with Lehigh's Cody Kievman during their 133 pound match in their dual meet Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa's Nathan Burak attempts to trip Lehigh's John Bolich during their 197 pound match in their dual meet Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes center Adam Woodbury (34) goes up to block a shot by Central Michigan Chippewas guard Derrick Richardson Jr. (3) during the first half of their college basketball game Monday, Nov. 12, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Mike Gesell (10) has the ball knocked away by Howard Bison guard Calvin Thompson (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback Micah Hyde (18) and defensive back Nico Law (21) knock away a pass intended for Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roy Roundtree (21) during the first half of their Big Ten conference college football game Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Michigan Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson (16) stiff arms Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback Micah Hyde (18) before reversing field for a long gain during the second half of their Big Ten conference college football game Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Nico Law (21) causes a fumble by Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (12) during the second half of their Big Ten conference college football game Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Xavier's Corbin Woods (14, top) is upended by Ankeny's Tanner Clayberg (21) in the second half of Xavier's 17-23 loss in the 4A football state championship game at the UNI-Dome on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in Cedar Falls. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Decorah's Josey Jewell (42, left) pulls in a pass on the 2-yard line in front of Bishop Heelan's Jack Garreans (42) in the first half of their 3A championship game at the UNI-Dome on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, in Cedar Falls. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Decorah head coach Bill Post holds the 3A football state championship trophy overhead as the Vikings celebrate their 49-21 win over Bishop Heelan at the UNI-Dome on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, in Cedar Falls. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Xavier's Brendan Miller (25) runs for a 5-yard touchdown against Ankeny in the first half of their 4A football state championship game at the UNI-Dome on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in Cedar Falls. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Cedar Rapids Xavier's Sean Ickes (40, left) and Craig Murtha (45) wrap up Ankeny's Joel Lanning (2) in the first half of their 4A football state championship game at the UNI-Dome on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in Cedar Falls. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa City Regina's Riley Dixon (11, top) jumps over Council Bluffs St. Albert's Jacob Bendgen (24) for a Regals touchdown in the second half of Regina's 35-14 1A football state championship win at the UNI-Dome on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in Cedar Falls. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

Michigan Wolverines tight end Devin Funchess (19, right) leaps into the air as he celebrates his touchdown with Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (12, left) during the second half of their NCAA college football game against Iowa at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan won, 42-17. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)

Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback Micah Hyde (18, left) and Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Greg Castillo (2, right) tackle Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Jeremy Gallon (10, center) during the second half of their NCAA college football game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan won, 42-17. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)

Michigan Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson (16) runs during the second half of their NCAA college football game against Iowa at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan won, 42-17. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)

Scottie Williams of Elmhurst is tackled by Mitch Montgomery (92), Jordan Atwater (11), Zach West (46) and Alex Herink (38) during a NCAA Division III first round football playoff game at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids on November 17, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Jamall Lane of Elmhurst watches as Coe's Jared Kuehner bobbles and then pulls in a pass for a touchdown during a NCAA Division III first round football playoff game at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids on November 17, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Coe's Jared Kuehner is tackled by Alec Giles of Elmhurst as he dives into the end zone during a NCAA Division III first round football playoff game at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids on November 17, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Iowa's Mike Gesell tries to stop Javis Davis of Gardner-Webb as he drives toward the basket during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on November 17, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Iowa's Adam Woodbury (34) turns around to congratulate teammates on the bench as the Hawkeyes score a basket during the second half against Gardner-Webb at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on November 17, 2012. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette-KCRG TV9)

Jerome Power holds up a sign proclaiming his innocence and implicating another man, who's name has been blurred out for legal reasons, for the camera before the start of his first degree murder trail Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012 at the Linn County District Courthouse in Cedar Rapids. Power is accused in the strangulation death of his neighbor, 68-year-old neighbor Doris Bevins, in September of 2010. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Today in Linn County District Court was a day unlike any I have ever experience in my 16 years of covering court cases. When Jerome Power first saw me taking his photo when he arrived in the courtroom  he was pretty mad. At first he was trying to hide his face and get his attorney to make me go away. Much to his chagrin his lawyer told him we would be there all week. I took a few more photos of Power and then I sat back to wait for the proceedings to start. I kept noticing Power glancing my way but thought nothing of it until about five minutes later I noticed him trying to get my attention. As soon as I looked up he held up a sign pronouncing his innocence and accusing another man of the crime. I got off two frames before Power put the sign down after the courtroom deputy noticed what he was doing. Originally the photo was posted with out blurring out the other man’s name but on the advice of the company attorney the original version was taken down and the altered version you see above was posted. Normally we would not alter an image but this one was so unique that it warranted a special circumstance. The rest of the photos from today’s proceeding are in the gallery below. —-Brian Ray

A group of line workers from MidAmerican Energy prepare to leave the company's shop in Iowa City Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 to go help restore power in Poughkeepsie, New Jersey. The workers are expecting to be in New Jersey for two weeks. (Brian Ray/The Gazette)

Iowa's Damon Bullock (32) crosses into the end zone in front of Northern Illinois' Dechane Durante (21) during the fourth quarter of their college football game Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Iowa won the game 18-17. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

So I was spending a little time going through my take from Saturday’s game and decided it would be fun to create a Gif of Damon Bullock’s touchdown run which pretty much ended up right on top of me. Enjoy!

Click To Play Panorama

Thought you might want to take a look around the new Iowa Football indoor sports facility which is in it’s the final stages of construction. Click on the image above and then use your mouse or the on screen buttons to take a look around the 102,000 square foot facility.

Lightning strikes in the distance as volunteers (on right) help rescue more than a thousand turkeys from a destroyed barn on the property of a farmer who did not wish to be identified east of Wayland, Iowa Thursday, May 3, 2012 after a suspected tornado went through the area. Wayland Police Chief Ron Roth said he saw a tornado around nine o’clock Thursday night heading for the small town. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

A volunteer helps rescue more than a thousand turkeys from a destroyed barn on the property of a farmer who did not wish to be identified east of Wayland, Iowa Thursday, May 3, 2012 after a suspected tornado went through the area. Wayland Police Chief Ron Roth said he saw a tornado around nine o’clock Thursday night heading for the small town. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

So tonight I got sent to the southern part of our coverage area to do a little night storm chasing which can be incredibly dangerous but very visually rewarding.

My first stop was the town of Crawfordsville where I had heard there was a house that was damage. As I pulled into town I immediately hit some fairly deep street flooding which I was unable to see because it was dark. Thankfully I drive a rather tall SUV and made it through OK.

After stopping at the local fire station and being told the house I was looking for was inaccessible due to downed power lines I decided to drive to Wayland to meet up with Matt Nelson and Mark Carlson from KCRG who were on the scene of a turkey farm that had also been hit by the suspected tornado.

At the turkey farm a true Iowa scene was unfolding. Neighbors and volunteers seemed to show up out of nowhere to help the farmer round up and thousands of turkeys that had been in a barn that was completely destroyed. They worked efficiently well into the night to put all the turkeys onto trucks bound for who knows where.

It really was something to see and the photos are posted below along with the story.

B Ray

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Wayland-Police-Chief-I-Saw-a-Tornado-150120305.html

Kelsey Campbell with Sunkist Kids celebrates her victory over New York AC's Helen Maroulis in the 55 kg women's freestyle final during the US. Olympic Wrestling Trials at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Saturday April 21, 2012. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Wrestlers compete during the first session of the 2012 USA Wrestling Olympic Trials Saturday, April 21, 2012 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Former Hawkeye Wrestling Coach and wrestling legend Dan Gable strikes the same stalling call pose as depicted in a seven foot tall bronze statue of himself Wednesday, April 18, 2012 outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Gable won fifteen NCAA Championships and 21 Big Ten titles in 21 years as the Head Coach at Iowa. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

IOWA CITY — Former Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable stands in a class by himself as a wrestler, coach and ambassador for wrestling.

Now he will stand forever outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The University of Iowa unveiled a bronze statue of Gable outside the main entrance Wednesday, two days before the start of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the arena.

“Coach Gable stands in a class of his own in terms of the contributions he’s made to the University of Iowa and the sport of wrestling,” University of Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta said in a news release. “Fifteen NCAA Championships and 21 Big Ten titles in 21 years (as a coach) is a remarkable feat, but his progressive contributions go well beyond the numbers.

“He produced the sport’s greatest wrestling environment inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena and we believe this statue is a fitting and well-deserved tribute that honors his legacy.”

The 7-foot statue was sculpted by Larry Nowlan, the same artist commissioned to create the Nile Kinnick statue located at Kinnick Stadium’s south concourse.

Gable compiled a career coaching record of 355-21-5 from 1976 through 1997, coaching 152 All-Americans, 106 Big Ten Champions, 45 national champions, and 10 Olympians — including four gold, one silver and three bronze medalists.

Iowa's Damon Bullock (32) loses his helmet as he is hit by teammate Nico Law (21) during the scrimmage portion of the team's open practice Saturday, April 14, 2012 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

During today’s Iowa Football Spring Scrimmage at Kinnick Stadium Defensive Back Nico Law (21) delivered a hard hit on running back Damon Bullock knocking his helmet off. I thought it would be fun to turn the series of 34 photos I shot of the play into an animated giff using Photoshop. Check it out at this link http://thegazette.com/?attachment_id=390084

-Brian

Iowa's Matt McDonough celebrates after defeating Penn State's Nicholas Megaludis in their 125 pound championship match at the 2012 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships Saturday, March 17, 2012 at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis. McDonough won the match to claim the title. (Brian Ray/ The Gazette-KCRG)

Over the last few days I have been in Saint Louis for the 2012 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships. Over the course of the six sessions and a practice the day before the tournament I filed 271 photos for use in the paper and on the web. Here is a gallery of some of my favorites from the week.

And here are all the photo galleries from the tournament

And here are the links to the stories written by K.J. Pilcher

http://thegazette.com/2012/03/17/mcdonough-wins-second-ncaa-title-hawkeyes-finish-3rd/

http://thegazette.com/2012/03/17/ramos-claims-third-at-ncaas/

http://thegazette.com/2012/03/17/ncaa-wrestling-championships-consolation-and-placing-rounds/

http://thegazette.com/2012/03/16/mcdonoughs-time-of-year/

http://thegazette.com/2012/03/16/iowa-state-struggles-at-ncaa-wrestling-championships/

“I’m an Idiot!” There I said it!

That seemed like the only way to start off a blog post about editing photos on my iPhone that I am writing on my iPhone because I mistakenly left my laptop on my desk at home before traveling all the way to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament.

I could make a bunch of excuses about how I forgot the second most important piece of equipment I need to do my job but I think they are all covered by my opening statement.

So last night in my hotel room I had to come up with a plan to get photos back to the office because not sending anything wasn’t really an option. The plan I came up with was to do everything on my phone.

First I had to figure out how to get photos out of my camera and onto my iPhone. Enter one of my favorite little toys the Eye-Fi Pro x2 Wi-Fi enabled SD card.

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Using the Eye-Fi in direct connect mode I was able to tag photos in the camera and send them to the Eye-Fi app on my phone.

Next I pulled the photos into another very cool app called FilterStorm. FilterStorm is almost like Photoshop for your iPhone. It allows you to open photos, crop them, do some basic toning, and then send them along via FTP or email. It also has lots of other features I’m not going to get in to.

So after all that I was able send the photos you see on the web and in tomorrow’s paper. Oh and thanks to my lovely wife and the magic of Fed-EX my laptop should be here first thing tomorrow.

The University of Iowa’s Operator Performance Laboratory’s L-29 jets fly a mission over Iowa City Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

Tom "Mach" Schnell was a huge help to this project. He went as far as creating a permanent wing mount on one of the L-29s so we could safely mount a GoPro HD2 outside the plane on the wing. I never dreamed when I suggested to him we do this during a meeting a couple days before the shoot he would be so helpful. (Mark Carlson/The Gazette-KCRG)

Last Saturday KCRG’s Matt Nelson, Mark Carlson, and myself had the opportunity to work on an awesome story about some high tech research being conducted by the University Of Iowa’s Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) in conjunction with Rockwell Collins. Due to insurance reasons we were told by both the OPL and by our insurer that we would not be allowed to actually fly in the jets. So in order to capture the story we decided to rely on small GoPro HD cameras.

Tom “Mach” Schnell with the OPL was totally supportive of this idea and wanted to meet with us about what we were thinking and our goals for the story. So early last Wednesday morning we met with Schnell in the OPL’s hangar at the Iowa City Airport. In our discussion with Schnell I proposed the idea of putting a camera out on the wing of one of the jets. I was not sure how this would go over because it would require actually drilling a hole in the tip of one of the wings in order to safely bolt the mounting point for the camera to the plane. Not only was Schnell supportive of the idea he was so excited about it that later that afternoon we received a series of photos from him taken on a test flight after he and his team had custom built the mount.

Saturday, when we arrived we rigged up the two jets with seven GoPro HD cameras. Each jet had a camera facing the pilot and one out the front of the canopy. The jet with the simulator pilot also had a camera on him and one on the wing tip. The other contained the camera for the side shot. To see the results of all this effort and find out what the OPL is up to tune in to KCRG’s newscast at 10 p.m. Thursday night and read Sunday’s Gazette. But for a taste and what we captured see the web video below. Enjoy!

Brian Ray and Matt Nelson discuss mounting points for the GoPros in one of the UI OPL's two L-29 Jets (Mark Carlson/The Gazette-KCRG)

Brian Ray and Matt Nelson line up the GoPro HD2 facing out the side of the canopy of one of the OPL's L-29 jets to get shots of the other plane flying in formation (Mark Carlson/The Gazette-KCRG)

The front and rear facing camera in one of the OPL's L-29 jets. (Mark Carlson/The Gazette-KCRG)

Last year the parkade along First Avenue NE in Cedar Rapids was destroyed to make way for the new Cedar Rapids convention center. In order to document this event we set up several cameras including a GoPro inside the blast zone and a Canon DSLR with a 400mm F 2.8 lens. We had a second GoPro mounted on a fence underneath the parkade’s sign but it’s video was corrupted when the building knocked over the fence it was clamped on. When the fence fell and the camera hit the ground the card popped out and I lost everything. Some times you win and sometimes you lose but it’s always fun to try new things.

Fans hold up cards to form an image prior to kickoff between Iowa and Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, October 15, 2011. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)

Gazette photographer Brian Ray captured this stunning time-lapse view of Kinnick Stadium Saturday night, from fans flowing into the stadium before the game, through the various card-flip activities that turned the stands into massive murals, to the crowds leaving the stadium after the Hawkeyes’ victory.

Check it out below — it’s well worth your time.

Iowa fans turn Kinnick Stadium into the stars and strips during a card stunt before Iowa's game against Northwestern Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

Iowa fans turn Kinnick Stadium into the stars and strips during a card stunt before Iowa's game against Northwestern Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

Iowa fans spell out Go Hawks and America Needs Farmers in Kinnick Stadium before Iowa's game against Northwestern Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

Time lapse of Kinnick stadium during Iowa’s Black and Gold Spirit game against Northwestern Saturday, October 15, 2011 in Iowa City, Iowa. The game also featured a card stunt during and after the National Anthem. (Brian Ray/SourceMedia Group News)