I have been posting to this blog for over 14 years, each year reporting on accomplishments over the prior year and goals for the new year.

In 2025 and beyond, this Blog will be my main photography communication vehicle. Content will be varied and in the spirit of my approach to photography as described on the "About" page of my website at www.jeffmarcowitz.photography 

The Project W pages on the website will be a curated collection of work representing the “Best Of” images posted here on the Blog. With a subscription, you'll continue to receive an email (with content) whenever I post to the Project W Blog.

Thanks to all of you who have followed this photo blog for many years and welcome to any newcomers. My hope is that the images and stories are interesting and thought-provoking as I continue this creative journey. As always, comments, critiques and suggestions (here and the website) are welcome and appreciated as they often lead to new ideas and inspiration.

Thank You.
Jeff

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Truth

Palm Desert, CA

On this trip, we learned of an art exhibition called DesertX 2025 (https://desertx.org/) consisting of several installations around Coachella Valley.  Unfortunately, I only made it to one of the exhibits this year...and plan to attend many more in future years.

Photos below are of an awesome sculpture in the desert entitled "Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams" by Sarah Meyohas.  For more information, check out https://desertx.org/dx/dx-25-coachella-valley/sarah-meyohas and https://sarahmeyohas.com/.  It was fun to photograph as the sun was setting behind the mountains.

All photographed on 3/20/25

Truth 1
Truth 1
Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/500 | 15mm | ISO 100
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Truth 2
Truth 2
Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/2500 | 15mm | ISO 100
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Truth 3
Truth 3
Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/500 | 15mm | ISO 100
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Truth 4
Truth 4
Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/500 | 15mm | ISO 100
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Night...

Highwood, IL
Train-related photos from a night photowalk on 2/26/25.  I'm loving the effects of the Pro-mist diffusion filter.


Night Train
Night Train
Sony A7Cii @ f1.8 | 1/125 | 52mm (equiv) | ISO 640
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

 Night Shift
Night Shift
Sony A7Cii @ f2 | 1/125 | 35mm | ISO 500
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)


Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Star of David

Star of David
52Frames - Week 12 - Shallow Depth Of Field

As seen within a lounge chair at our resort in Palm Desert, CA.  In a little twist of the assignment, I used shallow DoF to frame the subject which lies in the background.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f2.8 | 1/250 | 71mm equiv | ISO 100

Photographed 3/17/25

Monday, March 17, 2025

Mystery Lab

Mystery Lab
Highwood, IL

An eerie sighting into this storefront. Was unable to discern what goes on inside.

Sony A7Cii @ f1.8 | 1/125 | 35mm | ISO 2000
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 2/26/25

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Migration

Palm Desert, CA
Looking up from the pool deck, we were graced with this amazing scene of snow geese migration.



Migration 1
Migration 1
Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 | 1/3800 | 6.76mm (42mm equiv) | ISO 80


Migration 2
Migration 2
Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.8 | 1/540 | 9mm (108mm equiv) | ISO 25

All photographed 3/15/25

Friday, March 14, 2025

Perplexed

Perplexed
52Frames - Week 11 - Egg
EC: Humor

Palm Desert, CA

Driving by this desert sculpture with curving white walls, I knew it would be a great backdrop for an egg photo.

After heading back with an egg & marker, I was able to dodge the rain, draw a facial expression and get off a few shots.

Sony A7Cii @ f4 | 1/4000 | 28mm | ISO 160
Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 3/13/25

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Over The Shoulder

Over The Shoulder
Scottsdale, AZ

I saw this beautiful scene in the rearview mirror.  Unable to turn around and capture it, I used my phone's front facing camera and aimed it out the rear window.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.9 | 1/60 | 2.69mm (30mm equiv) | ISO 320

Photographed 3/2/25

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Neural Network

Neural Network
52Frames - Week 10 - Black And White (Alternate)

Scottsdale, AZ

With a bright mid-afternoon light, the contrast in the branches of this early spring budding tree reminded me of what brain connections might look like.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.8 | 1/600 | 9mm (107mm equiv) | ISO 25

Photographed 3/4/25

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Balconies In Bloom

Balconies in Bloom
52Frames - Week 10 - Black And White

Scottsdale, AZ

Under a beautiful late afternoon light, the plantings on the balconies against the striking patterns in the architecture caught my attention while sitting at a traffic light.  Captured this scene through my car windshield.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.8 | 1/850 | 9mm (155mm equiv) | ISO 25

Photographed 3/5/25

Monday, March 3, 2025

Rhythm Is Life

I heard the melodic sounds and thought there was a multi-piece group playing near the pool deck of our resort.  I was very surprised to find one guy playing a single steel drum that created such beautiful sound.  No multi-piece band, no synthesizer, only a microphone, amplifier and speaker.  The tablet shown held only sheet music.

I learned that these drums were handcrafted from old, abandoned oil drums in Trinidad & Tobago.  Each drum was pounded into shape and tuned to generate specific notes when struck on a specific part of the drum.  It was quite remarkable.

Many thanks to Cole for sharing his music and information.  You can check out Cole’s band at https://www.instagram.com/rhythmislifesteelband/ and https://m.youtube.com/@rhythmislifesteelband/videos.

Rhythm Is Life 1
Rhythm Is Life 1
Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/250 | 200mm | ISO 160
Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Rhythm Is Life 2
Rhythm Is Life 2
Sony A7Cii @ f4.5 | 1/250 | 108mm | ISO 160
Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Rhythm Is Life 3
Rhythm Is Life 3
Sony A7Cii @ f6.3 | 1/160 | 200mm | ISO 160
Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Night Shift

Night Shift
Highwood, IL

This darkened side street provided some good photo ops.

Sony A7Cii @ f1.8 | 1/400 | 35mm | ISO 200
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 2/26/25

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Still Folding

Still Folding
52Frames - Week 9 - Unfinished

Highwood, IL
Unfinished load at the laundromat.

Sony A7Cii @ f1.8 | 1/400 | 35mm | ISO 200
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 2/26/25

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Peek-a-Boo

Peek-a-Boo
Mr. Potatohead peeking out from under his hat.

Finding humor in unexpected places 🤣.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f2.8 | 1/160 | 40mm equiv | ISO 1600

Photographed 2/25/25

Monday, February 24, 2025

Wild Ride

Wild Ride
WTF is going on in our country?  The US vote today in the UN is just more evidence of the rough ride ahead under this treasonous administration.  Hoping there is a recognizable platform when this roller coaster ride is over.

*Photo inspired by 52Framer, Deb Lyman.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f2.8 | 1/1000 | 40mm equiv | ISO 100

Photographed 2/24/25

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Recovery

Recovery
52Frames - Week 8 - Triangular Composition

Bitter temperatures this week so getting outside to photograph was not an option. Since my better half had knee surgery last week, I decided to do a literal interpretation of the prompt and photograph her post-op exercise.  Pretty good range of motion for 6 days in!

Sony A7Cii @ f2.8 | 1/125 | 40mm | ISO 2000
Voigtlander VM 40mm F2.8 Heliar (adapted)

Photographed 2/19/25


Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Color Coordinated

Color Coordinated
Glencoe Art Festival
Glencoe, IL
(from the archive)

Begs the question...which came first, her hair or the jumpsuit?

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/500 | 40mm | ISO 640
Voigtlander VM 40mm F2.8 Heliar (adapted)

Photographed 7/21/24

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Out Of The Cold

Out Of The Cold
52Frames - Week 7 - Motion Blur
EC:  Multiple Stages of Motion

Tried a new technique this week. This is a 3 shot composite of 10 second exposures using a 10-stop ND filter.

Sony A7IV @ f13 | 10" | 44mm | ISO 200
Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G w/ 10-stop ND

Photographed 2/12/25

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Black & White In Cancun

When recently in Cancun, Mexico, I took my Nikon 35Ti camera loaded with some Ilford HP5+ black & white film.  Below is a collection of photos shot in late January & early February 2025.  Developed the film with my friend Steve and scanned the negatives at home.

Beach Day
Beach Day


Windy Day
Windy Day


Sunrise
Sunrise
Reserving pool chairs early in the morning.



Punch Pattern
Punch Pattern


Dusk Along The Lagoon
Dusk Along The Lagoon


Chefs Extraordinaire
Chefs Extraordinaire
Cenacolo, one of our favorite restaurants in Cancun.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

No Filter

No Filter
Cancun, MX

Loved the t-shirt but learned it was the uniform for her clothing store and wasn't for sale.

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 1/250 | 35mm | ISO 1250
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 1/28/25

Friday, January 31, 2025

Psycho Bunny

Psycho Bunny
My favorite hat store...but didn't buy one this trip.

Sony A7IV @ f4.5 | 1/250 | 35mm | ISO 3200
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 1/28/25

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Let The Sunshine In

Let The Sun Shine In
Cancun, MX

Taken late afternoon, about 35 minutes before sunset.

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 1/2000 | 35mm | ISO 100
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 1/28/25

Monday, January 27, 2025

Three Shades of Blue

Three Shades of Blue
52Frames - Week 5 - Blue
EC:  Contrasting Color (the beach)

Hard to miss the strong presence of the blues in the sky, ocean and pool.

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/640 | 60mm | ISO 100
Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 1/27/25

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Toes In The Sand

Toes In The Sand
Cancun, MX

I never ever get tired of this scene.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 1/30 6.8mm (61mm equiv) ISO 640

Photographed 1/25/25

Friday, January 24, 2025

1200-1551 AD

1200-1551 AD
52Frames - Week 4 - Something Old

Scorpion's Temple, a Mexican federally protected ruin from the Late Post-Classic period and located on the grounds of our resort in Cancun, is the oldest subject I was able to access this week.

This is the same subject of my Week 50 submission in 2024 and since I'm back again, took some new photos for this week's challenge.

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/200 | 20mm | ISO 100
Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 1/24/25

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Barely Breaking Through

Barely Breaking Through
Cancun, MX

Not the most desirable weather so it was nice to see the sun actually breaking through.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.8 1/400 9mm (94mm equiv) ISO 25

Photographed 1/22/25

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Empty Spaces

Empty Spaces
52 Frames - Week 3 - Leading Lines

Sony A7IV @ f9 | 1/125 | 20mm | ISO 400
Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 1/16/25

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Rust Protection...

Rust Protection...
Palatine, IL

...It's not working.

Sony A7IV @ f9 | 1/125 | 42mm | ISO 400
Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 1/16/25

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Frozen Out

Frozen Out
52 Assignments Exposure 19 - Cold Snap

With a light dusting of snow and a bit of wind, no one was around when I arrived.  Not surprised, it was damn cold!!

Sony A7Cii @ f8 | 1/4000 | 15mm | ISO 200
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Photographed 1/9/25

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Delayed Departure?

Delayed Departure?
Lincolnshire, IL

Saw this guy hanging out in our dense trees today in a light snow shower and wondered why he/she was still hanging around.  Photographed quickly through a screen and window.

Sony A7IV @ f5.6 | 1/125 | 300mm equiv | ISO 5000
Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 1/11/25

Friday, January 10, 2025

Overload

Overload
One of the neon sign shots I did not use in the 52 Assignments composite a couple of days ago.

Sony A7IV @ f1.8 | 1/1000 | 35mm | ISO 100
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 1/5/25

Thursday, January 9, 2025

26 - 26

26 - 26
52 Frames - Week 2 - What I Eat

Food photography is not my genre of choice, however, in keeping with a theme from Week 1, decided to draw from my morning coffee process.

Have the formula set with these beans...26 grams at a course grind setting of 26.  Five minute brew in the French Press.

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 1/125 | 50mm | ISO 1250
Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro

Photographed 1/7/25

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Variety

Variety
52 Assignments Exposure 18 - Glow Sign

A small sampling of neon along Milwaukee Avenue.

Sony A7IV @ f1.8 | varies | 35mm | ISO 100-200
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 (w/ Pro-mist 1/4 diffusion filter)

Photographed 1/5/25

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Stranded

Stranded52 Assignments Exposure 17 - Movie Maker

A road less traveled.  Bad things can happen here.

Sony A7Cii @ f4.5 | 1/4000 | 15mm | ISO 200
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Photographed 12/28/24

Friday, January 3, 2025

Before The Morning Coffee

Before The Morning Coffee
52 Frames - Week 1 - Self-Portrait

Similar to last year, I wanted to do a self-portrait using a reflection. My original intent was to shoot storefront reflections, which I often do and really enjoy. With a temperature in the teens and wind chill in single digits, I instead opted for this microwave reflection while boiling water for my morning cup of Joe.

Here we go...on to Year 6; a year of intent and also being nimble.

Sony A7IV @ f1.8 | 1/4 | 35mm | ISO 800
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8

Photographed 1/3/25

Monday, December 30, 2024

White Scarves

White Scarves
Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL

Shot this image during the Beers & Cameras-Chicago meet-up.  These white scarves were just screaming to be photographed.  Photographing strangers is one of my favorite genres so it's fitting I end the year with one.

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/320 | 15mm | ISO 1600
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Photographed 12/22/24

Saturday, December 28, 2024

Fire In The Sky

Fire In The Sky
52 Assignments Exposure 16 - Catch Some Rays

Cancun, Mexico

Title says it all.

Sony A7Cii @ f4.5 | 1/400 | 105mm | ISO 200
Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 12/13/24

Friday, December 27, 2024

Bokehlicious

Bokehlicious
52Frames - Week 52 - Redo

I chose to do completely different takes on a combination of Week 24 - Abstract and Week 32 - Night Photography.

After recently watching a Sean Tucker video, I became inspired by the bokeh in his night street photography.  In this image I leaned entirely into creating bokeh utilizing holiday decoration lighting across the street from my residence.  With the lens wide open and camera on manual focus, I experimented with out-of-focus settings to get these transparent and colorful forms.

Sony A7IV @ f1.8 | 1/400 | 35mm | ISO 800
Samyang AF 35mm F1.8

Photographed 12/26/24

Thursday, December 26, 2024

Vintage 1977

Vintage 1977
Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL

This is the last shot for the 2024 Beard Series.  Cannot believe I don't remember his name.  I do recall he's had this beard since 1977 and it's recently been trimmed, hence longer than this is the norm.

Now onto figuring out how to do a Zine.

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/320 | 15mm | ISO 2000
Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Photographed 12/22/24