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One overcast day, the combination of light and my position in passing made this scene come alive for me!
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Nikon D300; f8 @ 1/180 sec, ISO 720 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 70mm (105mm EFL); focus distance 21.13m
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Imprints on a schoolyard door in our neighborhood. I had to go back the next day just to make sure it was not a painted design, but actually the result of children at play.
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune noted:
“When recess returns to all CPS elementary and middle schools next fall, many educators will be at a loss. Most CPS schools haven’t had recess in 30 years… There was one other interesting aspect that emerged in the reporting of this story, too. After so long without recess, do kids even know how to play all those old recess games—like four square, tag and dodgeball—at all?”
How sad!
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Nikon D300; f8 @ 1/180 sec, ISO 560 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 82mm (123mm EFL); focus distance 3.16m
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This may be me in a couple of months, after winter sets in!
No texture layers or painterly effects applied in post-processing.
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Nikon D300; f5.6 @ 1/180 sec, ISO 360 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 70mm (105mm EFL); focus distance 2.24m
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Photographed in June on my way to the 2011 Miksang Institute Summer Program, I didn’t realize at the time how representative this image would be of that journey!
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Panasonic DMC-FZ40; f4 @ 1/80 sec, ISO 80 (handheld);
Focal length: 31.9mm (177mm EFL)
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Looking up as I passed the entrance to a neighborhood alley… “Whoa! Never noticed that before.” 🙂
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Panasonic DMC-FZ40; f8 @ 1/500 sec, ISO 80 (handheld);
Focal length: 108mm (600mm EFL)
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Walking the streets before sunrise on my way to the lakefront, the colors in this image are as seen! It was only after returning home that I realized I’ve passed this window many times, and the blind is white.
I wonder what was shining through from behind…
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Nikon D300; f4.5 @ 1/90 sec, ISO 3200 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 40mm (60mm EFL); focus distance 1.12m
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This was discovered on one of my morning walks through the alleys in our neighborhood—which are a great place to look for textures. The spot of sunlight was a bonus!
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Nikon D300; f9.5 @ 1/180 sec, ISO 280 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 56mm (84mm EFL); focus distance 2.24m
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One of my favorite images from the Miksang Summer Institute Program in Boulder, Colorado—where I recently spent two wonderful weeks immersed in contemplative photography.
Photographed at high noon on the Pearl Street Mall, our assignment was to capture moments involving people. This was one “fish” that didn’t get away. 🙂
In the discussion on contemplative photography, Marti wrote:
…to capture “life” or just a moment that catches our attention, I think we need to worry less about the “rules” when shooting.
Other than having the camera set for fast exposures, there was definitely no time to think about “rules” when this fleeting moment caught my eye!
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Nikon D300; f8 @ 1/750 sec, ISO 200 (handheld);
18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 200mm (300mm EFL); focus distance 7.94m
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A red car, green leaves, and blue overcast light: RGB!
Peering through foliage to find a clear shot, the in-camera square format helped convey an impression of tapestry as I saw it.
But, the highly saturated complimentary colors created some nasty fringing around the edges of the leaves—challenge a lens/confuse the sensor. 😉 After trying several correction methods found online, I made up a solution for this particular image. In Photoshop:
This result isn’t quite print-ready, but with some refinement I think it could be. Getting it to print within gamut, however, is likely another thing altogether.
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Panasonic DMC-FZ40; f4 @ 1/50 sec, ISO 400 (handheld);
Focal length: 45.6mm (299mm EFL)
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Walls and viaducts supporting elevated trains are ubiquitous in Chicago. In my walks, I’m fascinated by their colors, textures and the tenacity of plant life which attaches itself on or in close proximity.
There’s an oddly organic quality to these hard, concrete structures…
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Panasonic DMC-FZ40; f5.6 @ 1/40 sec, ISO 100 (handheld);
Focal length: 5.1mm (28mm EFL)
