GRASS LAKE, MI - For nearly seven decades, the lens on Dale Fisher’s camera has been pointed toward Michigan Stadium. He hangs out a helicopter door or stands on the field or sits in the stands, all to get the right shot. Fisher’s steel blue eyes peer through the camera’s viewfinder and capture the vibrant greens of the turf, red bricks of the structure and of course, the maize and blue of the team and fans. Fisher celebrates his 90th birthday on his Grass Lake farm on April 14, honoring a self-made life as a freelance photographer. While his aerial photography spans landscapes across Michigan, he is perhaps best known for his shots of “The Big House.” “It’s amazing how fast time goes by when you’re doing the thing you love most,” Fisher said. To celebrate his birthday, Fisher invites the public to tour the galleries at his Eyry of the Eagle Farm, 1916 Norvell Road in Grass Lake. There will be a special “Birthday Sale” of his work on April 14 and 15, said his marketing director Joanne Ackerman. To learn more about his galleries, visit Fisher’s website . Born just blocks away from Michigan Stadium, Fisher first learned about photography as an eighth grader at Slauson Middle School in Ann Arbor. He pursued that passion through high school before enlisting in the U.S. Navy as an aerial reconnaissance photographer. During his Navy days, he sat in the belly of planes shooting surveillance photos during the Korean War. “What I was doing was more mechanical than art,” he said of his military career. “Very precise and getting information back to whoever needed to have it.” That experience and training gave Fisher the ability to nowadays take many of his landscape shots from his low-level helicopter. Fisher returned to Michigan to work as an Ann Arbor News photographer in 1954. That led him to Michigan Stadium assignments when Bennie Oosterbaan was the coach. The athletic department had a hell of time filling the stadium at the time, Fisher said, so his assignments included events such as “Band Day” where tens of thousands of high school band members played on the field. “That’s when I got commercial,” said Fisher, noting he would finish his assignment, then make money on the side selling the pictures to the high school families. Through the proceeds made from his independent studio, Fisher bought his helicopter and trailer to transport it. This purchase allowed him to do “oblique, low-level shots” unavailable from planes, he said. “That became my trademark,” he said. “There were very few helicopters in those days. No drones, of course.” His aerial photos capture the history of Michigan Stadium, from the Bo Schembechler days of the 1970s and ‘80s to the first night games of the early 2010s. Fisher has stories for days about his connection to Michigan Stadium. He once ran the photography section of Michigan Stadium to ensure the press had photos for publication, where he interacted with legendary athletic director Fritz Crisler. “One of my responsibilities was taking that game film immediately to Lansing, get it processed and then get it back,” Fisher said. “Crisler talked to me one day and said, ‘Isn’t there a faster way to get this done?’” The answer: not at the time, Fisher said. “Fritz was a big huff and blow guy,” Fisher said. “A wheeler and a dealer.” The close relationship to the athletic department reaped rewards for Fisher when he started providing photos of Michigan Stadium to David Hirth and Doug Horning of The M Den when it was founded in 1976. “We sell most of these stadium pictures through The M Den stores,” Fisher said, adding that they are also available for sale on his website. One of his best-sellers came more recently when Michigan upset Ohio State 42-27 in 2021. He did not have permission that day to fly, so he found a corner of the top floor of the press box and photographed the fans storming the field after the game. “Dale’s stadium sales are directly related to how the team does,” Ackerman said, saying the 2021 team’s run to the College Football Playoff spiked sales on that Ohio State photo. Fisher loves shooting “The Big House” for a few reasons. For one, it provides the full range of the fall color palette. For another, it is a reminder of his connection to Ann Arbor and Michigan football over his nearly 90-year-life, he said. Ultimately, it reminds him of why he chose photography as a passion, he said. “God wanted me to be a photographer,” he said. credits:mlive.com