Vacuums, hugs and rain - feature photos from around Ann Arbor

A few of my favorite photos from the past two weeks. I really get to meet and experience some unique people in the Ann Arbor community!

"My dad thought I was the worst mechanic he ever saw. I was artistic, I like drawing and all that kind of stuff," Dick Sampier said. Here, Sampier checks out a vacuum in his workshop amidst cleaning out his repair shop, located at 2165 W Stadium Blvd, on Tuesday, April 29, 2014. Sampier is closing down the shop after 56 years in business but still plans to fix vacuums out of his home. 

Peter Arendall, of Ann Arbor, Mich., comforts his daughter Luella, 4, as they visit the first Wednesday market with Luella's daycare at the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. 

A couple smile as they look at a cell phone while under the tent during a Cinco de Mayo block party, sponsored by Tios, on E. Liberty St. on Monday, May 5, 2014. 

DTE works don yellow rain gear as they work to secure the scene where a stolen Sheriff's vehicle was crashed into a utility pole early Tuesday morning. 

News photos from the past few weeks

I've been shooting a lot more news lately. Fires, accidents, a random car chase that ended in an officer involved crash at the busiest intersection in downtown. It has been a nice change after spending an entire month shooting sports. So this is a ball, athlete and fan free blog post from the last few weeks on the job at the Ann Arbor News. 

Saline Sgt. Brandon Sears hugs his daughter Ellie, 3, as he watches crews work from a distance outside of a house fire on Saline Waterworks Rd. on Thursday, April 24, 2014. Sears stopped by the scene with his daughter after finishing his shift earlier that morning.

Mark Whitaker digs through his living room as he salvages items from his apartment after the complex caught fire overnight on Wednesday, April 8, 2014 in Ypsilanti.  

"It's all I have left of my son," fire victim Mark Whitaker said as he holds a tiny urn containing the ashes of his son, Mark who passed away 7 years ago. Whitaker saved the urn while digging through his apartment to salvage items after his complex caught fire overnight.

Jacob Pace checks to see if his digital camera still works after he located it in a drawer. Pace and his roommates were home when his apartment complex caught fire overnight.

Michigan freshman Janie Brown, of Baltimore, reacts after she received the first student ticket to attend President Obama's scheduled visit after waiting in line overnight at the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan students lay on each other as they rest while in line at the Michigan Union in attempt to receive a ticket to attend President Obama's scheduled visit in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Scarlett Middle School Principal Gerald Vasquez greets sixth-grader Edgar Osorio-Sotero, 12 and his brother Edwin Osorio-Sotero, 8, as they enter the school after a deportation hearing in Detroit, at Scarlett Middle School.

An Ann Arbor police officer checks on the occupants of a vehicle involved in a crash after a car chase involving a Michigan State Police vehicle at the intersection of Liberty and S. Main streets in downtown Ann Arbor.

A suspects is seen detained on the ground as Ann Arbor Police and Michigan State Police work an accident scene involving a Michigan State Police vehicle at the intersection of Liberty and S. Main streets in downtown Ann Arbor. 

Ross School of Business graduate student Keith Caldwell, of Boston works on his laptop outside of the school and near a large tree that will be moved as part of upcoming construction at the school.

Technicians Douglas Mechan, left, and Ryan Gotha dismantle a portion of a study vehicle that was outfitted with technology that sends and receives wireless communications with other equipped cars and roadway infrastructure in garage at U-M's Transportation Research Institute.

Michigan basketball's NCAA Tournament run

Michigan basketball had another exciting season this year. Not only were they considered a young team, but they lost a star player early in the season to an injury. In the end, the Wolverines won the Big Ten conference and made it through to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

I love that moment of silence, when all the air has been sucked from the arena, as the audience watches the fate of a three-point basket. It's why I'm a fan of sports, the emotion, the intensity, the way a crowd can control the ebb and flow of the atmosphere and seemingly, the momentum of a team. As a photographer, I'm afforded a front row seat to the mayhem.

Here are some photos from Michigan's run, beating Wofford, Texas, Tennessee and losing to Kentucky in the Elite Eight.

And for those of you who stuck around to the end of this post, here's a fun time lapse of what it's like for a photographer behind the scenes: 

Time lapse of NCAA Tournament from Melanie Maxwell on Vimeo.