#117 April 28 2011 -- Happy Baby

Here is a photo of our friend's granddaughter on her second birthday. She was so happy as we sang "happy birthday" to her. You can see she was clapping. I took about 50 photos at the birthday party and as I was taking this one I thought to myself, "this one is the keeper".


If only every child on this earth could be so happy. If only every child on this earth could have the care, the love and the protection that Claire has. May it be so.

f5.6 | 1/60s | ISO 400 | FL 165mm |Nikon D200 | Nikkor 24 - 120mm 3.5-5.6 Lens

#116 April 27 2011 -- Great Face

People watching is a great sport on public transportation and while walking around the city. On the Blue Line in Chicago I think I see some of the most interesting people.  Let me tell you, it was raining heavily when this guy got on the train. He looked like he felt as if he had escaped a Tsunami. But then he settled down and his face grew into itself, as we see here. Interestingly the guy behind him started calling me a M-F, I guess because he thought I was taking his photo. Meanwhile the featured "face" never seemed to know anything about my picture taking. This observation leads to another whole ethical discussion, which I will leave for further discussion at another time.

f4.7 | 1/40s | ISO 800 | FL 242mm | Panasonic Lumix

115 Photo of the Day 26 April 2011 -- Close Your Eyes

San Francisco has its "Pink Ladies". Park Ridge has Edwardian Lovelies. I always think that if I blink or close my eyes for a second and then look again, I can imagine being in this town in 1910. 


These homes are kept up magnificently. They are a true wealth of this community.

f10 | 1/20s | ISO 100 | FL 36mm | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 24-120 3.5-5.6mm Lens

114 Photo of the Day 25 April 2011 -- Playground totem pole

The question is not what kids think of this. Rather the question is, "What are these totems meant to represent?"


Captured in a children's playground. It was an increasingly heavy rain as I took these shots. This one was the best, with a little contrast adjustment to bring out the colors which had been diminished by the rain.

f4.3 | 1/80s | ISO 200 | FL 90mm | Panasonic Lumix 

113 Photo of the Day 24 April 2011 -- Pickwick Theater

Back to my interest in building facades.  Yesterday was slightly overcast when I took these photos, perfect for this wonderful art deco building that is in my community. 

According to Wikipedia, the building and theater was "Designed by Roscoe Harold Zook, William F. McCaughey, and Alfonso Iannelli, the Pickwick opened in 1928 as a vaudeville stage and movie theatre. It is widely recognized for its marquee and 100-foot tower, which appeared in the opening credits of Siskel & Ebert at the Movies. The main auditorium, built to resemble an Aztec or Mayan temple, seats up to 1,400 people. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and continues to host films as well as live stage shows."

The horizontal image is a composite of five images while the vertical is composed of four. I used Panorama Maker 5. No other changes were made. 

f20 | 1/30 - 1/45s | ISO 100 | FL 36mm | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 24-120mm 1:3.5-5.6 Lens

f20 | 1/45 - 1/50s | ISO 100 | FL 75mm | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 24-120mm 1:3.5-5.6 Lens

112 Photo of the Day 23 April 2011 -- There was a house here yesterday

In my area many homes are being demolished to make way for larger, elaborate, and hugely expensive houses. Apparently builders feel that the land is worth more than the house situated on it.

I often have difficulty recalling what the previous house looked like. When I saw that there was another house about to be demolished down the street from my home I decided to record it and then capture its demise.  I was too late, hence the title of today's blog.  This photo is a combination of two photos stitched together horizontally. You will see that the processor was unable to cleanly merge the treads on the shovel. I tried to fix that manually, but the image was too complex for my skills. The grey lines on the right side of the image are portions of the chain-link fence bordering the site.

I used Panorama Maker 5 and I cropped the photo in Photoshop CS5.

f8 | 1/200s | ISO 100 | 36mm | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 24-120 1:3.5-5.6 Lens

111 Photo of the Day 22 April 2011 - THX 1138

Do you remember the movie THX 1138?  This hallway reminds me of the scene mood from that movie.  I like shots like this because they are both stark and eerie, yet places that we move through every day.  As it happens, this setting is located in the Community Center where I workout. 

f3.3 | 1/30s | ISO 250 | FL 25mm

110 Photo of the Day 21 April 2011 -- Juke Box

A time before. A time when I was going to bars and places to dance. A time when every diner had a connection to the juke box. 


We were at a restaurant the other night where they had this juke box. The place is actually a juke-joint from 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM. I wouldn't know, but I believe the waitress. But they don't use the juke box. They have a DJ.   So go the times, but the food was good. 

f3.3 | 1/20s | ISO 800 | FL 25mm | Pansonic Lumix

109 Photo of the Day 20 April 2011 -- Blue Line Wait

Spring is here and I had taken some shots of tulip trees beginning to blossom and robins gobbling worms. But in fact the weather has been cold and dreary and this shot, taken at the Cumberland Stop of the Blue Line, seemed more to reflect the current mood in Chicago

. 

f3.3 | 1/50s | ISO 80 |  Pansonic Lumix

People like this guy wait upstairs because it is less cold than standing on the platform in the wind and elements. However, it is cold, unheated in fact, and dreary at this entrance area, too. 

The photo was modified using Alien Skin Exposure 2. It mimics a Kodak film pushed to 3200 ISO with heavy grain. I was trying to create a feeling of blue. Of ennui.

108 Photo of the Day 19 April 2011 -- Rainy Day Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park from 14th Floor

I had the opportunity to photograph the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park from a 14th floor office suite. It was raining heavily. The mood was wonderful. This is a stitched photo composed of six images. Images were taken with the same f stop and shutter speed.

f3.3 | 1/30s | ISO100 | FL 25mm   Panasonic Lumix

107 Photo of the Day April 18 2011 -- Backyard at Dark

When I was a kid and using a Brownie Hawkeye camera, there was no extended shutter time for long exposures. I saw, I pushed the shutter release and I took the film to the drug store where film was then taken if you were not a pro or proam photographer. Sort of like Costco or Walmart today.

So I have never really had a feel for long exposures. This photo was taken at 8:54PM Chicago time. It was completely dark. 

The camera was on a tripod in a very dark room in order to avoid reflections off the window (through which I was shooting).

The image is actually two shots stitched together. It's too small to call a panorama, but that is what it is called. I used PanoramaMaker for the stitching process. 

In this shot you can see the glow of Chicago in the upper right corner. It's interesting how the glow from the house windows does not affect the shot. The only adjustments I made were cropping out a curtain and increasing the exposure factor. Both were done in Photoshop CS5 Camera Raw.

f9 | 15s |  ISO 400 |  FL 30 mm |  Nikon D200  Tamron Lens 19-35  1:3.5

106 Photo of the Day 17 April 2011 -- Flat Expanses of Western Illinois

I took this and several more like it as I was driving to Iowa. I placed the lens against the driver-side window and shot as I continued to drive. (Thankfully no State Trooper was around to stop and ticket me.)   I think I took about 20 shots over-all, but many were less than satisfactory.  

Struck by the flatness and the emptiness of the scene, I was encouraged by the clouds that one of these could be a good photo. I think in the end, this one was decent.

f4.5 | 1/200s | ISO 320 | FL=51mm | Nikon D200  Tamron 19 -35mm  1:3.5 Lens

Mark 

Just this, just this, this room where we are. Pay attention to that.  -- W.S. Merwin 

105 Photo of the day 16 April 2011 -- Bowl and Vase Floating on Table

With 365 photos to take, I have elected to establish a few "themes".  We have seen the beginning of several themes already. Today I introduce another: familiar items around my house.  There are several reasons for establishing this theme:

1. It is interesting to make something interesting out of the familiar
2. Several of the items I have in mind are inherently interesting to me
3. When I am stuck, having reached a point in the day when I know it is too late to travel to take a series of shots, these items are at hand.

So, today's item consists of this vase and bowl. Made in western Mexico, these colors, the design and the shape of the vase are typical of things found in Zihuatanejo and environs.  We have these sitting on our dining room table. I see them multiple times daily and rarely seem to ignore them. They seem to pull me into them.  So, I tried to take this photo in a way that it was a bit blurred as if I was being pulled into them by some force. After I took the photos, I noticed that the shadow and reflections caused the bowl to appear as if it was floating. 

I did very little adjustment other than some cropping and balancing of light and color.  The photo was taken in available incandescent light. 

f29  10sec  ISO 400  FL=52mm  Nikon D200
 Lens Tamron 19-35  f3.5-4.5

104 Photo of the day 15 April 2011 -- Lights and Angles

I was surprised by the hight of the ceiling and the interesting play of lights, mirrors and angles at the Catch 35 restaurant. We went their with some friends to have a bite and to hear the jazz trio ensconced there. I was anticipating taking some photos of the trio, which I did, but I was more taken by the drama of the lounge area where the trio played. 


The ceiling seems to be two stories high and it works with the deep dark woods, the mirrors, low lights, grey cement and chrome.

f3.3  1/15sec  ISO 800  FL=25mm Flash Panasonic Lumix

103 Photo of the day 14 April 2011 -- Photo Enigma

I had fun with this photo. It's a game, not really a riddle, because it is not in words, but an enigma -- a photographic puzzle. Tell me about it. I will give the EFIX information, but not the camera.

f2.8   1/15sec  ISO 1000  FL=3.9mm

102 Photo of the Day 13 April 2011 -- Rural America at 75 MPH

Driving back from the east coast is interesting. The topography changes regularly and so does the type of rural Americana.

Here is a very typical scene from interstate 80 in eastern Indiana.  One day I am going to really explore and photograph that country.

For those concerned, I took this shot while Pat was driving. The blog title is hyperbole. Pat never will drive at 75 MPH! She doesn't have a sufficiently heavy foot.  

f6.2  1/250sec  ISO 160  FL=25mm  Panasonic Lumix 

101 Photo of the Day 12 April 2011 -- A "Y" chromosome delight.

Eating dinner at a seafood restaurant in Baltimore on this day, I noticed this fun display of toy replica tandem trucks, each with a Baltimore Oriole and Baltimore Ravens logo. 

This is a cropped shot and probably reduced the size of the display by 40%.  In addition to cropping, I also increased the exposure and touched up the photo minimally in Photoshop CS5.

f2.8  1/15sec  ISO 1000   FL=3.9mm   iPhone 

  

100 Photo of the Day 11 April 2011 -- Special kids

All children are special.  My brother and his wife have 5 daughters and a total of 17 grandchildren.  They are really blessed and sometimes I think they are also blessedly exhausted. 

These three children are among his grandchildren. They are from left to right Shimmy (13), Tuvia (8) and Tamar (11).  The boys are proud of their carrot-colored hair. Tamar however was complaining about her hair: "it gets all tangled". In my reality, it is gorgeous hair. They are like all kids, each interested in their own worlds and also curious a bit about the adult world. 

Pat and I really like these three, active, loving, bright kids. This photo really shows them as they are. I like it as a group portrait.

f3.9  1/125 sec  ISO 400  FL=55mm  Panasonic Lumix

99 Photo of the Day 10 April 2011 -- Clutching Hand

Here is Gulliver buried in the sand.  This sculpture, clearly designed for children of all ages to play at and with, is accompanied by a head, a leg and a foot, each emerging, but mostly hidden. Interesting. Fun. Creative. 

The setting is National Harbor, Maryland, very close to Washington, DC. 

f6.2 1/250 sec  ISO 400  FL 169mm  Panasonic Lumix

98 Photo of the Day April 9 2011 -- Autocephalic Church

Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn:  this has to be one of the most interesting church names I have ever encountered. During a 90 minute walk I took a host of photos, but this one stands out. What does this mean?  

f11  1/350 sec   ISO 400  FL=27mm  Nikon D200  Tamron 18-270mm Lens

97 Photo of the Day 8 April 1011 -- Masked Man No Problem for these Women

Walking along Smith Street in Brooklyn we encountered a set of storefronts with incredibly funny and creative art. Here are three of the women in my life in front of the "Masked Man".  

f5.6  1/160 sec  ISO 1600  FL: 37mm  Nikon D200 Tamron 18-270mm Lens

96 Photo of the Day April 7 2011 -- Denny's Beer Barrel Pub

Driving to Brooklyn, on our trip to the wedding shower, we stopped for the night in the metropolis of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. The desk clerk informed us that we would be amiss not to eat at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, a spot famous for their huge array of hamburgers. On the menu was a 125 pound beauty that was 'good for parties and catering".  Given that such notables as Rachel Ray and members of the travel and food channels had been there and had lauded the place, I chose a 1/2 pound version (not shown because my hands were too messy to handle the camera).  A high ISO was required because the place was extremely dark. 


Also, here is a photo of the place from outside. Real Americana.

f4  1/40 sec  ISO 2500  FL 27mm  Nikon D20-0

f 4.5  1/60 sec  ISO 400  FL75mm  Nikon D200

95 Photo of the Day April 6 2011 -- Tail Light

Following a car today in heavy traffic I continually looked at the tail lights in front of me. Finally I realized the abstract quality inherent in this tail light. 

This image has been cropped but nothing else done to it. I shot it through my windshield. 

f 6.3   1/125   ISO 100  FL 586mm equivalent (electronic).  Panasonic Lumix.

94 Photo of the Day April 5 2011 -- Sign of Spring

I visited the place where I took the winter scene of the geese on an island of green in the midst of heavy snow. Now it is greening up and fishermen abound.  


This guy was ready for business.

f4.9  1/400  ISO 160  FL=300mm  Panasonic Lumix

93 Photo of the Day April 4 2011 -- Yard without a Fence

There is no meaning to this photo other than I wanted to document my fence being rebuilt. Here is my back yard after it was torn down.  This is a panorama photo stitched from two images.

Exif:  f3.3  1/100  ISO  100  FL varied.  Panasonic Lumix

92 Photo of the Day April 3, 2011 -- Color in unlikely place

I am fond of taking pictures that involve machinery, old things, and chipped paint. Today on a walk with Pat I came across this chipped beauty.  Fire hydrants are not commonly thought of as lovely, but I thought this was sublime in its own way. The colors are deep with good natural color saturation.


One reason these colors pop is because the day was a perfect photo day, overcast and generally bright.


Maybe I can find some chipped paint on a barn. Now that will be fun.

f6  1/40 sec  ISO 100  FL=55mm  Panasonic Lumix

f6.3  1/80 sec  ISO 400  FL=137 mm  Panasonic Lumix

91 Photo of the Day April 2, 2011 -- Wine Glasses in Low Light

Here is another of my efforts to take shots in low light. Here there is no doubt that I should have used a tripod. Unfortunately I had none with me and there was literally no place to brace either myself or the camera while taking the photo.

As I am focusing on this low light project (sorry you will have to endure more of these), I only used the available light. In the case the light was the wine store florescent lighting and some incandescent lights cast within the nook where these glasses are on display.  I like the reflections that I got and the colors of the hand painted work look good too. I doubt if the colors would have been as true with my in camera flash. But maybe with the external Nikon SB800 that I often use.  ISO here was set at 500. There is much less noise than in the photos taken at 3200 on April 1.

f3.5  1/8 sec   ISO 500  FL=36mm  Nikon D200

90 Photo of the Day April 1 2011 -- 2 year old in low light

I've been experimenting with photos in low light, without flash. This means using whatever natural or artificial light is present. Frequently I have to employ a very high ISO. 


This little girl was playing with her older sister at a restaurbar at which we were visiting. There was some light (but it was a dull gray day) coming in the window behind the girls. This child came up to me immediately when she saw the camera. I had already taken some shots in the depths of this place so I knew that I was going to need a hefty ISO: 3200. 


The result is somewhat noisy as you might expect with such a high ISO, but not bad I think. Friends who have cameras with larger sensors will get much less noise than my Nikon D200.

f3.8  1/30 sec   ISO 3200  FL 43mm  Nikon D200

89 Photo of the Day 31 March 2011 -- Bonsai Model

I've been looking at this tree for a few years. Each year it's somewhat windswept appearance becomes slightly more accentuated. March 31 was a lovely day here.  Temperatures were finally in the mid 40's and it was sunny with little wind. A perfect day for a long walk.

So, following the rule of "never leave home without a camera" and knowing I had not photo for the day as yet, I was glad to come across several friends, this tree being one of them.

It is not the best shot I've taken of a tree, yet I think you will see the windswept look that I have so many times admired in bonsai plants.

The photo was slightly cropped and then adjusted to provide a bit more depth to the blue sky. During editing I also used Tiffen Dfx to provide a #4 polarizing filter  and then followed that with adjustments to bring out more green using a curves level in Photoshop CS5.

f4  1/320sec   ISO 80   FL=37mm Panasonic Lumix