Dec 102017
 

It is officially winter in Chicago.

[Click on any image to view large as a slideshow.]

 Posted by at 7:22 am
Nov 112017
 

Last night in bed I heard what I thought was rain. In the morning, I saw instead it had been the sound of leaves falling as temperatures plunged below freezing. Our back yard and flower beds were covered in a carpet of gold. Not long after sunrise under overcast skies, it was too dark to take pictures. Then it began to snow.

After breakfast, I bundled up and went for a walk around the neighborhood with my camera. Still snowing, there was no wind—only quiet. Underfoot were leaves of green, yellow, and red, lightly blanketed with white. Pristine. Not yet trampled by pedestrians; just a few footprints.

Though I’d been a little disappointed at not being able to photograph my first impressions of gold, during that walk I discovered a different kind of beauty—and hope you enjoy these images.

[Click on any image to view large as a slideshow.]

May 152014
 

Sometimes I get all tied up in knots about my images. Is it interesting enough to shoot, good enough to share? Is that really the color I saw when I was there?

And sometimes it’s fun to just relax and play.

Here I came across someone else’s playtime, but I got to enjoy it too.

Click on either image above to view large.

—●—

Nikon D300; f11, ISO 200 (handheld);
AF-S Nikkor 18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 G ED

Apr 032014
 

Window Blind №11 (Unruly) ©2014 April Siegfried

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I seem drawn to photograph window blinds, perhaps because they suggest qualities of the life lived behind them.

A fellow photographer from Thailand commented on this image, “Naughty!” That made me smile, and led to the subtitle “Unruly.”

Nikon D300; 1/45 sec @ f16, ISO 320 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 70mm (105mm EFL); focus distance .89m

 Posted by at 8:46 am  Tagged with:
Apr 032014
 

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Stepping outside to run errands, I discovered this present on our front steps. Except for a very light touch of contrast and sharpening in post-processing, this image is as seen.

Panasonic DMC-FZ40; 1/15 sec @ f4.4, ISO 100 (handheld);
Focal length: 82mm (460mm EFL)

Mar 162014
 

Centrella ©2014 April Siegfried

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Well…the snow was melting; then we got more. Needing groceries, I saw this while walking to the store—and had to laugh.

Nikon D300; 1/60 sec @ f11, ISO 200 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 44mm (66mm EFL); focus distance 4.73m

Mar 162014
 

20140311_paper_DSC1045_DxO9_BLOG

Untitled—Paper
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Nikon D300; 1/90 sec @ f11, ISO 200 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 150mm (225mm EFL); focus distance .89m

Untitled—Plastic ©2014 April Siegfried

Untitled—Plastic
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Nikon D300; 1/45 sec @ f16, ISO 280 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 200mm (300mm EFL); focus distance .79m

As 6½ feet of snow begins to melt in Chicago, some surprisingly beautiful treasures are revealed in the “trash” left behind.

Mar 042014
 

Rhymes with Orange ©2014 April Siegfried

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A cheerful splash of color on a cold winter day.

Nikon D300; 1/45 sec @ f11, ISO 200 (handheld);
18-200 mm f/3.5–5.6 @ 65mm (97mm EFL); focus distance 1.12m

Feb 032014
 

Slush №1

Slush №1
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Panasonic DMC-FZ40; f3 @ 1/60 sec, ISO 100 (handheld);
Focal length: 6.1mm (35mm EFL)

Slush №2

Slush №2
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Panasonic DMC-FZ40; f4.5 @ 1/125sec, ISO 80 (handheld);
Focal length: 12.6mm (70mm EFL)

Walking in Chicago winters, I spend a lot of time looking down.

Jan 022014
 

Happy New Year! ©2013 April Siegfried

Photographed (looking up) at O’Hare International Airport on December 24 while travelling to visit my mother for Christmas, this scene struck me as light and joyful—exactly the way I was feeling.

Wishing you many delightful moments in the coming year!

Panasonic DMC-FZ40; 1/60 sec @ f3.4, ISO 160 (handheld);
Focal length: 17.20mm (95mm EFL)