August 23, 2011 -- Person at the UIC Blue Line Stop

A theme throughout this series has been the Chicago subway and elevated system. As I ride the Blue Line frequently, it has captured the greatest part of my imagination and attention. 


I like the enigmatic quality of this image. Is he really waiting or has he left? Why is the guy inside the car looking at him? Is the train slowing or gaining speed? 

f3.3 | 1/30s | ISO 320 | Panasonic Lumix

August 22, 2011 -- Lovely Hydrangeas This Year

This bush started out as a small potted plant sent by our children on Mother's day about 5 years ago. Now it is glorious. We have other hydrangea bushes but this one is most lovely. I have adjusted this to give it a "glamour glow" look using Nik Color Efex Pro 3.

f3.3 | 1/15s | ISO 400 | Lumix

August 21, 2011 -- Peeking at me

He is about 2 years old. Here he is shy and hardly speaking. But that is a ruse. He is quite talkative and very interactive. 

f4.2 | 1/50s | ISO 400 | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 28-105mm lens

August 19, 2011 -- Found photos! Atlantic City Lighthouse

If you are following my blog, then you read my complete explanation for not having any photos on August 19. Frankly, I was upset with myself. As it turns out, I am in desperate need of a better organizational or cataloging system because I did take photos on the 19th ... about 40 shots. 

Oh, I do feel more complete. I am sufficiently obsessive that I was so upset with myself. Now I feel like I am again on track with my promise to myself to take at least one photo each day for this year.


For this day I chose an American icon, the lighthouse. Fired up in 1857, this lighthouse was at the edge of the ocean. Still in its original location it is now about 1/2 mile from the beach, which represents island growth.


Atlantic City is a seedy mess, to my mind, but this feature is a real historic beauty. I understand that the lens in the building is the original. 

f22 | 1/100 (ev -.33) | ISO 125 | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 28 -105mm lens

August 20, 2011 -- Mother and Wife

Who says mothers and daughter-in-laws cannot get along? Look at this photo of my 92 year-old mother and my xx year-old wife. Don't they look like they enjoy each other's company?

f4.2 | 1/30s | ISO 800 | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 28-105mm lens

August 19, 2011 -- No excuse

Well it happened. I never got a shot on August 19.  I feel really bad about this and have no excuse. I do have an explanation. 


My brother is an observant Jew. I knew we would be going to his home for Friday evening dinner, a Sabbath welcoming. This is something I really enjoy, and often there are a number of family at his home, including some of his adorable grandchildren. I had hoped to capture some photos of them before sunset (the start of Sabbath). Unfortunately I got to his house too late to shoot any photos, at least too late if I were to remain respectful of him and his traditions. 


That is my explanation. Of course I should have anticipated and taken a couple of shots from the road as we drove to Baltimore from Atlantic City. But I didn't.


Here is a photo that I like from another day of our trip. I hope I can capture a photo for each of the remaining days of the year.

Aperture priority f13 | Shots varied from 1/160s to 1/350s | ISO 100

August 18, 2011 -- Atlantic City at Night

This is an unusual shot to take a night. I thought, "I have nothing to lose." 
In fact, I like how it turned out. This is actually a composite of four images. I took six, but the final two had bizarr lighting, which disturbed the mood of the image I captured.


I took the photo using my Panasonic Lumix on aperture priority set at f3.3. The shutter speed varied between 1/15s and 1/30s and the ISO shifted between 1000 and 1600! Amazing for a little handheld camera.

August 17, 2011 -- Gulls and Shadows

You can't go far in Atlantic City without experiencing the gulls. There are several species present, some large, others noisy, and others always flying.  Such was the case in this photo, where it was at first difficult to determine which were the birds and which the shadows. 


We decided that someone had put food out on a window ledge at the Resorts Casino Hotel, causing this fracas. 

f6.3 | 1/1000s | ISO 80 | Panasonic Lumix

August 15, 2011 -- Looking at Itself

Who says that birds have no sentient quality?  Walking along the boardwalk in Atlantic City, we passed the newest hotel, still under construction. This place, "Revel" has as its facade a mirror-like glass. So clear is this glass that it reflects clearly. Obviously this gull seemed to have found itself. Or perhaps it's mate? Its new lover? It's mother? It's child.  With apologies to Lamont Cranston, "Who knows what lurks in the mind of gulls?"


I modified this photo to look as if I had taken it using Fuji Velvia slide film. I like the saturated brown look of the boardwalk against the greenish gray of the mirror.

f4.5 | 1/160s | ISO 80 | Panasonic Lumix

August 15, 2011 -- Alexandria Doors

We walked across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from National Harbor, MD to Alexandria, VA.  A nice 6 mile walk (round trip). The bridge is amazing, extending over the wide Potomac River. From the bridge you can see how Alexandria was an important early harbor and port. 


Today the town is vibrant with a healthy attention to its heritage. Here are three doorways that show the care people are taking with their renovated old home buildings.

 f4 | 1/125s | ISO 80 | Panasonic Lumix

  f3.3 | 1/160s | ISO 160 | Panasonic Lumix

  f4 | 1/100s | ISO 80 | Panasonic Lumix

August 14, 2011 -- Shoes

I asked the person to whom these legs and feet belong if I could take a photo of her shoes. Her boyfriend (with the uninteresting shoes on the right) said "No".  But I was looking at her, and she said, "Yes, I have a shoe fetish."  So what we have here is the behavioral evidence of a shoe fetish. 


By the way, I don't have a shoe fetish, but I do have a liking for women's legs, especially those like these -- with or without shoes. 

f3.3 | 1/30s | ISO 160 | Panasonic Lumix

August 13, 2011 -- Charles River and Sisters

Vacationing in Richmond, VA, we were astounded by the Charles River. It is lovely: wide and looming. The river provides a wealth of water to the area. Fish abound as do birds. Even though the water was low, we saw herons, ducks, geese and loads of smaller water birds as well as what might have been an eagle.  This photo is a panorama composed of four images.

all photos f4 | ISO 125 | Panasonic Lumix

Later at a street fair I spotted a mom with her two daughters. These two were real camera hogs and who was I not to capture such wonderful smiles and innocence. The weather was gray, and changing. I had set my camera at ISO 400, more than I needed for this picture, but I didn't want to waste a moment and loose the expressions on these two children. 

f5.6 (-.33 ev) | 1/1250s | ISO 400 | Nikon D200 | Lens Nikkor 50mm f1.4 

August 12, 2011 -- Robert E. Lee Home

Our road trip took a detour as we visited historic Lexington, Virginia home of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. After his defeat and surrender Lee, who was from Richmond, Virginia became the President of Washington College in Lexington.  Later the College was renamed in his honor as Washington & Lee and is now a small, high quality university. Here is his home, which remains the President in locus home at the university. Lee's body along with his wife, other family members and his famous horse are all entered under the chapel (or in the case of his horse) outside the chapel.

 HDR photo f3.5 | ISO 100 | Nikon D200

August 11, 2011 -- New Lebanon, West Virginia

Road trip from Chicago to Richmond.  We entered a bucolic, rural area on a two-lane road linking as yet unfinished super-highway. We found ourselves in a part of America that is both familiar and is "home" to most of our citizens.  Folks, all of this nation is not New York, Chicago, LA, Atlanta, Houston.  If you can escape the city, this is what you see. And the smells: clear, clean air; grass, floral essences.  And, yes, almost forgot -- quiet. exceedingly quiet.

f5 | 1/500s | ISO 80 | Lumix

Sadly, however, there is also rampant poverty in these areas. Young people leaving farms and communities to make it in the big cities. Here is one example of lost enterprise.

f5 | 1/500s | ISO 80 | Lumix

August 10, 2011 -- Suffer Now and Live....

This is a tee-shirt shot. The wearer left the train when it was quite full and I never did get to see how we should live our lives after suffering now. 


There is a resonance in this for me as I do believe that there is an end to suffering and that the paths away from it and toward unequivocal strength and happiness has been duly described for us in the Buddha's Dharma. 


Still, it would have been interesting to find out what the philosophy of this wearer, or at least the description of the plan might have been. 

f3.5 | 1/50s | ISO 125 | Lumix

August 9, 2011 -- James

James has cancer. I met James as we waited for our respective trains. He had just come from his latest chemotherapy treatment at Cook County Stroger Hospital. He was feeling "OK", but worried that he would not be able to obtain his pain medications until the next day. When I asked if he could manage his pain until then, he looked up at me and said, "It will be difficult, but I don't have any choice, do I?"  


This is another story of poverty in the US. Abhorrent. As the wealthiest nation in the world, people like James, should not have to suffer. In fact, no being in any part of the world should have to suffer.

f3.3 | 1/250s | ISO 100 | Lumix

August 8, 2011 -- Framed Vine

This vine is growing up the side of my house. I should and could cut it down, but there is something seductively strange and powerful about it. So I have left it. Shades of the Grimm Brothers.


Photo was taken at 7:40pm with limited light inside, explaining the ISO 800 level.

f4 | 1/13s | ISO 800 

August 7, 2011 -- Seeta in the Bag

Loving this pun, Seeta has never had an alcoholic drink in her life. But here she is truly "in the bag".

She was so proud of herself, having found and grabbed this spot before her sister found it.


I took this at ISO 1600 because she was reacting to flash. I am amazed at the relative lack of noise in this photo.

f4.2 | | 1/15s | ISO 1600

August 6, 2011 -- Eggplant face

Found this great "face" at the local farmer's market. 

f4 | 1/5s | ISO 800

August 5, 2011 -- French Door Window

Walking around State Street in Chicago, we came upon an interesting store with these interesting windows.

f3.3 | 1/100s |  ISO 80

August 4, 2011 -- Walking

This is one of those shots, where I wish I always had this luck. The photo was taken as I was walking with a group of people along Elston Avenue in Chicago.  I'll let the photo speak for itself. 


This photo was taken on August 4, 2011. I think with a different person in the photo, we could almost imagine that this photo had been taken during a period several decades older.   I thought about converting the image to sepia or an old look, but decided against that thought.. 

f3.5 | 1/800 | ISO 160 | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 28 - 105mm lens

August 3, 2011 - Hybiscus

These gorgeous red flowers blossom continuously over the summer from around late May through late October. Last year my wife seemingly indiscriminately cut this plant back (it was inside). I wondered if the plant would make it. Previously we had had it outside and then we brought it in during the cold winter months.

My desire is to see this lovely flower bloom every day of the year!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgelula/6013055890/

HDR f4.8 | 1/40s | ISO 400 | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 50mm 1.4G

August 2, 2011 -- My neighbor's house at late dusk

Taken at 8:10 PM. It was getting dark, but was still late dusk. 
This is an HDR photo. I wanted to have the shadows and the lights carrying a lot of the burden for this building.

f3.3 | variable shutter speed | ISO 400 | Nikon D200 | Nikkor 50mm 1.4G lens

August 1, 2011 -- Disseminate this Picture

He gladly posed for this shot and then told me to "disseminate this picture broadly." I never found out what his schtick is. 

f3.3 | 1/30s | ISO 320 | Panasonic Lumix

July 31, 2011 -- Claire's Brownie Face

Two-year old Claire sings Happy Birthday every night, to whomever or whatever might fall into her thoughts. And as it is someone's birthday somewhere, there has to be a birthday treat which she gets to eat. It is often a brownie or cupcake or some other delicious thing that her parents will one day wish she had not eaten because she will have hundreds of carries which they will have to pay for, but who is counting or worrying when she is obviously having so much fun and they are too...whew!


But she is a cute little girl. And look at those eyes. Amazing.

f2.8 | ISO 250

July 30, 2011 -- Techny Tower Church of the Divine Word

Techny is a former technical school and is a Catholic Church and retreat center. My wife and I were there for a two-day retreat. During breaks, I took advantage of my contemplative mood and tried to shoot some shots reflective of that feeling state. 


This picture was taken on a spiral staircase (which led to a closed door). In the morning the window was bathed in light meaning that the tower would be washed out. I waited until closer to sunset. This shot was taken with my iPhone at 6:48PM. I shot with and without flash. This one is without flash.  I continue to be impressed with what I can do with the iPhone. My only regret is that it is completely automagic. I cannot modify f settings, shutter speed or ISO.

f2.8 | 1/200s | ISO 80

July 29, 2011 -- 80 Degrees & Clouds

There are so many sunset photos in Flickr. It is amazing that we keep taking them, thinking of course that our's will be "the one". Of course it is nothing more than as lovely and special as most of the others. I do love my sunset photos and am as guilty of this excess as any other photographer. So, here is an attempt to make a sunset photo a bit more interesting. This shot was taken at the corner of Division and Damon Streets in Chicago at about 8:30pm.  


I slightly enhanced this photo by increasing the light play within the clouds and by changing the contrasts in various parts of the rest of the photo. The photo was taken with my Panasonic Lumix.

f3.3 | 1/80s | ISO 250