Jordan-Hare Stadium Summer Rain Photo

Leading up to football season, I am going through some of the photos in my book on Jordan-Hare Stadium, Stadium Views, in a little more detail than I could in the book, and offering some extra images from the shoot. The last one was "The Flagpole and the Moon at Jordan-Hare," and in this post, I'm talking a little about one of my favorite shots of Jordan-Hare Stadium in the offseason, "Jordan-Hare Stadium in the Summer Rain."

The Photo Set that Day

The set of images from that day were taken in June, mid-summer heat, when the students and sports have all exited the Auburn-Opelika area, and the town shrinks just a little in population. My intention on this particular day was to do a photo walk from Toomer's Corner over to Jordan-Hare Stadium, and shoot exclusively in black and white. I don't do this very often, and I still don't, but on this day, I ended up getting one of my favorite sets of black and white images that I'm sharing here now. The one I ended up including in the book was the only one I processed that day in color.

There is something really special about the auburn-colored bricks that cover the entire area, and it just screamed out for color (see also A Photo Walk Down Gay Street in Auburn for more bricks). A pretty significant thunderstorm had passed over the area as I got to Toomer's Corner, and the sky opened up into a massive rain. I can remember thinking that day that maybe I should just call it a day and come back later, but I'm really glad I didn't because the rain brought color, depth, and a beautiful sheen to everything around it.

In the shot, you can see someone walking with an Auburn umbrella away from the bus station, with the remnants of the thunderheads above. The front of the stadium on this day was so quiet, so peaceful, just sitting as it does, waiting for September to get here. The shot was taken from one of my favorite vantage points, a nearby parking garage, but on the lower level. The curves of the walkways arch around the stadium, extending outward from the road to the grass and intertwining with square blocks, like city blocks. All of this made it one of my favorite images in the book, and one of the few "off-season" photos of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

This is image #59 in the book, and the opposing image, its diptych, is from the opposite side of the stadium, in winter offseason, as the sun is setting. I will save that image for another day. The black and white shoot that I did that day is below.

Auburn in Black and White

There are only a few weeks left before JHS will be packed and full of action. I still have a few copies of Stadium Views remaining, can you pick them up right here on my website, they usually get shipped out within 24-48 hours and they make a great gift for any Auburn fan. War Eagle!

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