Sports | Alex Farris Photo Blog

For my second Star photo assignment this weekend, I shot lacrosse, something I hadn't covered in over four years. Culver Academies played Carmel High School in the Indiana Girls Lacrosse Association state championship on the Northside, and the game was pretty exciting. Culver got two or three goals ahead, then Carmel pulled back, at least twice, but the game ended with a narrow 9-8 win for Culver. Not only was it a good game, but it was played under pretty consistent cloud cover, creating a giant softbox in the sky and evenly lighting everybody almost all game. That, plus the skills I've gained in the last four years, made for much better photos than the last lacrosse pictures I took, made in harsh sunlight with a slow camera and a slow lens. Check out all the photos and the story by Jason Haddix here.

Big announcement time: I've moved back to Bloomington. I moved into my subleased room today, and starting tomorrow, I'm taking an eight-week chemistry class, the one every pre-med student takes first on their trek to medical school. I describe the class (C117 for all you IU readers) that way because medical school may be in my future. I haven't made a final decision, but it's between that and a master's in science journalism. I know, it's a far cry from photojournalism, but I still want to do some of that on the side. I need to supplement my income any way I can in defense against the gloom and doom of student loans, and I can't deny that there is a large part of me, cultivated by wandering eyes and the IDS, Journal & Courier and Star, that really likes making pictures. Another large part of me, though, really likes science, and I want to be more able to show people how flippin' sweet science is.

So, there you go. Don't be surprised if a rant, positive or negative, about chemistry creeps into the blog over the next eight weeks. Also, if I can find a way to make a photo in a chemistry lab like those in Simon Hall, then that for sure is going up here.

Carmel defender Graylynn Oatess defends against Culver midfielder Annie Morsches during Culver's 9-8 victory over Carmel in the Indiana Girls Lacrosse Association state championship at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis, Saturday, June 1, 2013. (Alex Farris / For The Star)

This is my last weekly post of photos as a temporary staff photographer for the Journal & Courier. I had a lot of fun at the paper, I learned new things and I reinforced what I learned at the IDS. I'm still slotted to shoot two freelance assignments for the paper this week, so all isn't over with them, fortunately.

Enjoy the last week of photos. Be warned, though: If you aren't a fan of bugs, or you get easily grossed out, tread gingerly through photos two and four through six. Creepy-crawly things abound. If, however, you are entomologically inclined, then have fun!

Shelby Allen reacts as Gracie Russell puts a cricket in her mouth during the cricket spitting competition at Purdue University's Bug Bowl on Saturday, April 13, 2013, on the Purdue campus.

Now that the photo editor is back from his medical leave (but in a scaled-down, managing-the-desk-and-taking-some-photos role for now), I had less photos to take this week than I'm used to here. I still found time to get some good shots, of course. The first photo was taken last Friday for MJ Slaby's very good story on the Aging Brain Care program. We visited Don Grau, an Alzheimer's patient at IU Health Arnett who lives with his son and daughter-in-law. He gets home visits in the program, which helps make sure he gets a high standard of care and prevents unnecessary trips to the ER. It's a good program, and Don's a good guy, even with the wildly-shifting conversations.

Don Grau, who has Alzheimer's disease, picks up his drink and looks at Scrabble letters arranged on his placemat on Friday, March 29, 2013, at his daughter-in-law's home in West Lafayette. During visits from IU Health Arnett's Charmin Smith in the Aging Brain Care program, Grau spells words, identifies figures on cards, and talks with Smith and his caregiver, daughter-in-law Peggy Grau.