No Manches!

Reflections from inside this new Mexican restaurant in Vernon Hills, IL.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4 1/50 40mm equiv ISO 12800

Photographed 12/3/22

Grip

52Frames - Week 48 - Animals

Wildlife Discovery Center

Lake Forest, IL

Bald eagle keeping that tenuous grip on democracy.

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 200mm ISO 250

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/29/22

Coax

2022_CLondon52w48: Your Voice

From the C.London website: "You may feel that you don’t have a distinct voice just yet, and that’s entirely okay! It takes years to truly nail down your voice, and most artists find that their voice is constantly changing. What do you think is integral to your voice at this moment? Is it how you use color, or the subjects you choose? Whatever it is, show it with this week’s image."

An excerpt from my website bio in part describes my voice: "...I uncover interesting narratives in places, faces, and interactions that are often overlooked, while also capturing truthful glimpses of life's most temporary and beautiful moments."

Didn't matter how much coaxing the dad was doing, his son was not climbing that hill.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f3.5 1/1000 40mm equiv ISO 100

Photographed 11/26/22

Whirlwind

Mall of America

Minneapolis, MN

Less than a 2 hour run-thru of this enormous place.  Photo Ops everywhere...was like a kid in a candy store.

Inspiration:  IG: @ralphwalin

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f1.6 1/120 4.2mm (31mm equiv) ISO 50

Photographed 11/12/22

Remembrance

52Frames - Week 47 - Wabi Sabi

When my wife was setting the Thanksgiving table, I pulled out some old cut crystal wine goblets my 90 year old aunt gave us before she passed away last year.  We appreciated her, and these goblets are a reminder.

I made a series of macros and chose this photo because of the turkey decorations captured as part of the refractions.

Sony A7 IV @ f13 1/50 50mm ISO 12800

Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro

Photographed 11/23/22

Suspended

Chicago, IL

Wash before the winter.

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 114mm ISO 200

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/10/22

Do You See What I See?

Chicago River

Chicago, IL

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 60mm ISO 320

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/10/22

Engrossed - Plate XIV

Chicago, IL

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 89mm ISO 160

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/10/22

Wingman

52Frames - Week 46 - Food Photography

2022_CLondon52w47: Out of Your Element

From the C.London website: "We’ve been at this for almost an entire year. I’m sure you’ve been put in situations which are out of your element already. For this week, I want that to be very intentional. Photograph a genre you aren’t comfortable with or in a style entirely different than what you’re used to. Just push yourself to get out of your comfort zone this week."

"Looks Better Than It Tastes" Chicken.  A streaksaver photo without a doubt.  TBH, I have a tough time getting into this genre.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f3.5  1/30  40mm equiv  ISO 640

Photographed 11/19/22

Urban Reflections

Chicago, IL

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 89mm ISO 160

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/10/22

The Trader

Chicago, IL

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 200mm ISO 640

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/10/22

Lincolnshire

2022_CLondon52w46: Community

From the C.London website: Open For Interpretation

When I think of community, it conjures up images of people. Having had a Covid exposure last weekend, it was not wise for me to engage with many people this week.  Instead, I focused on symbols in response to this challenge.

This is a composite of 4 photos from around my community. 

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/250 35mm ISO 100

Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS

Photographed 11/17/22

Kinked

DPR Trail

Lincolnshire, IL

I've walked or cycled by this tree at least 100 times, but today, with camera in hand, noticed the weird kink in the growth of this tree trunk. Wonder what caused this?

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4 1/800 40mm equiv ISO 640

Photographed 11/14/22

Candice

While visiting the Mall of America in Minneapolis for the first time, I spotted her as she walked in my direction. I slowly approached and complimented her on the awesome hairdo. She smiled and thanked me. In response to my inquiry about how long it took her to do this, she told me 3-4 hours at the salon. I asked to make a photo and she readily agreed.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4 1/1000 40mm equiv ISO 640

Photographed 11/12/22

Deacon Robert

52Frames-Week 45-Street Photography and $2 Portraits

Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL

When I first walked by, he was hawking for change. I was running late for an appointment and didn't stop. Returning an hour later, he was still at it so I approached and asked if he'd heard of $2 Portraits. He hadn't and after I explained, he said that $5 for a story and photo would be better.

"I'm Deacon Robert, a man of G-d..." and then proceeded to recite New Testament scripture. I told him I'm an Old Testament guy to which he replied, "That's okay, G-d will tell you the right thing to do...". At that point, I agreed to $5 and we continued our chat.

Robert is 74 years old, was born in Chicago and grew up in Hyde Park. He now lives in Maywood and has been a Pastor there for nine years. When I commented he didn't look like 74, he said G-d made him look younger...he didn't look this good when he was 65. We talked for a few more minutes and said our farewells.

I have my doubts about Deacon Robert's story, but I don't feel bad about the $5 portrait, given inflation since the group began over 12 years ago.

Photographed 11/10/22

Submitted for 52Frames

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 55mm ISO 200

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Submitted for $2 Portraits

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 75mm ISO 250

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Branching Out

Chicago, IL

Another shadowplay photo of Eli & Pops at the neighborhood park.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4 1/2000 40mm equiv ISO 200

Photographed 11/6/22

Best Boy

2022_CLondon52w45: A Peer of Your Choice

From the C.London website: "Whether it’s someone from one of our 52 Weeks community, a member of your local photography club, or a friend who also happens to be a photographer, choose a peer to draw inspiration from. Choose one of their images and recreate it within your own voice. It doesn’t have to be an exact replica, but an homage."

Sean Tucker (not truly a peer...he's a professional) came to mind when this scene occurred.  His strong use of light & shadow with warm tones was the influence in this image.

 

 
Chicago, IL

Eli & Pops at the neighborhood park, which led to a game of "step on Pops' head".

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4.5 1/1000 40mm equiv ISO 200

Photographed 11/6/22

Explosion

52Frames - Week 44 - Chaos

Screensaver + long exposure + zoom rotation = Chaos

Sony A7 IV @ f16  2"  31-200mm ISO 640

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 11/2/22

Five Days Old

2022_CLondon52w44: Feedback to a Peer

From the C.London website: "Giving feedback helps the recipient, of course, but it also helps you to dissect photographs in a constructive way, which strengthens your critical eye. With consent from a peer, give them constructive feedback on an image of their choice. Take note of what you’ve noticed about their image and use those notes to create an image of your own. For example, if it’s a portrait with some distracting elements, you can make your own portrait being sure that there’s no distracting elements."

Constructive feedback provided to a friend, @photofinish_sid, included the use of a vignette to help isolate the main subject and direct the viewer's attention. I utilized that same technique on the hands of my new baby granddaughter.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f3.2 1/250 40mm equiv ISO 5000

Photographed 10/30/22

Withered

Des Plaines River Trail

Lincolnshire, IL

Sony A7 IV @ f6.3 1/160 35mm ISO 100

Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS

Photographed 10/29/22

Favorite Snack

52Frames - Week 43 - Details

Kemps Caribou Coffee Java Chunk ice cream topped with frozen Nestle semi-sweet chocolate morsels.

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/100 50mm ISO 12800

Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro

Photographed 10/28/22

Pops of Pink

2022_CLondon52w43: Feedback from a Peer

From the C.London website: "One of the most daunting parts of anyone's photography journey is getting quality feedback from peers. It’s daunting, yes, but also integral to our growth as photographers. Reach out to a peer (can I recommend the discord for this?) and ask for specific and constructive feedback on any of your images. Take that feedback and reimagine that image with their feedback in mind."

While sitting at a traffic light in a taxi, the pink & magenta jumped out at me in the adjacent car. I originally considered processing this in b/w with selective color but after conferring with @photofinish_sid, decided to go with the color version and providing focus to the colors that attracted me in the first place. Thank you, Sid.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2 1/100 6mm (91mm equiv) ISO 25

Photographed 10/22/22

Looking Up or Looking Out?

2022_CLondon52w42: Harmony

From the C.London website: Open For Interpretation

Joshua Tree National Park

Split Rock Trail

Joshua Tree, CA

Walking and standing amongst these giant rock formations, one wonders how they came to be. They are clustered and seemingly growing out of the desert floor. Perhaps disharmonious events in a previous age? Today the formations exist in what appears to be a balanced harmony, each part supporting another. 

The massive scale of these formations paints a beautiful abstract canvas and makes us mortal humans feel quite small.

Sony A7 IV @ f10 1/320 28mm ISO 100

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 10/18/22

Traverse

52Frames - Week 42 - Black and White Minimalism

Joshua Tree National Park

Split Rock Trail

Joshua Tree, CA

Sony A7 IV @ f10 1/125 200mm ISO 200

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 10/18/22

Clear & Dry to Ugly & Wet

Rancho Mirage, CA

Photographed on October 15, 2022

The day started with typical bright blue skies.  In the afternoon, clouds formed over the mountains.  The wind picked up.  And finally, the skies dumped.

"Rolling In"

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f1.6  1/9100  4.2mm (35mm equiv)  ISO 32

"Restless Wind"

Sony A7 IV @ f20 .5" 157mm  ISO 100

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

"Splash"

Sony A7 IV @ f13  1/100 200mm  ISO 12800

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Amid the Mist

52Frames - Week 41 - Shoot Through Something (Alternate)

La Quinta, CA

I Iined up the shot to catch the misting hoses through the archway (it was 96 degrees at 5pm with a setting sun) and waited for people to walk through the frame.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f5.6 1/3200 40mm equiv ISO 125

Photographed 10/13/22

On Approach

52Frames - Week 41 - Shoot Through Something

EC: Nature

Palms Springs, CA

She was totally engrossed in her phone, so I was unobtrusively able to capture a photo of the mountains (hence, the EC) surrounding the Palm Springs airport while on approach.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2 1/1250 6mm (52mm equiv) ISO 32

Photographed 10/11/22

Full Moon

Lincolnshire, IL

Didn't realize it was a full moon tonight until I was reading some posts on the 52Frames discord server. I pulled my a$$ out of the chair and went outside with my longest lens to attempt a few shots. Fortunately, some thin, moving cloud cover provided additional interest.

Sony A7 IV @ f11 1/250 150mm ISO 12800

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 10/9/22

String Cheese Incident

2022_CLondon52w41:  ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:  Musician of Your Choice

From the C.London website:  "Music is so divisive, and trying to elicit inspiration from music that doesn’t jell with you would not necessarily be constructive. So, for this artist spotlight, I’m letting you choose any musician that you want to focus on. Be sure to share with us who it is!"

My older son introduced me to String Cheese Incident and we went to see them at Red Rocks Amphitheater on July 23, 2010.  These images are reminiscent of songs in the set list from both the 7/23/10 & 7/24/10 shows.  SCI has been a favorite band ever since.

"Restless Wind"

Spectre + Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2.0  3"  6mm (52mm equiv)  ISO 25

Photographed 10/8/22

"Blackberry Blossom" (Alternate)

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f6.3 1/200 40mm equiv ISO 125 Macro

Photographed 10/7/22

Emergence of Autumn

Photos from a walk at Wright Woods Forest Preserve in Lincolnshire, IL.  Pockets of color are beginning to emerge in the crisp autumn air.  Get outside and enjoy!

"Across the Pond"

"Burst"

"Flame"

"Quack Quack"

"Impression Reflection"

All photographed with Sony A7 IV

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

All Photographed 10/7/22

Three Rocks One Dude

52Frames - Week 40 - Rule of Odds

I planned to do a street photography shot this week for EC but was out on a forest preserve walk with my good buddy Irwin when I spotted these 3 rocks overlooking a beautiful landscape.  The contrasty composition struck me as strong so thought I'd photograph it as a backup image for the challenge.

Then Irwin jumped into the scene with some different antics on the rock.  He's been such a willing subject over the years, I knew my original plan had to be shelved!

Sony A7 IV @ f9 1/500 51mm ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Photographed 10/6/22

In Flight

2022_CLondon52w40: Music While Photographing

From the C.London website: "Ever have your headphones on, walking down the street when an uptempo beat comes on? Notice how that changes your stride as you go from a mundane walk to strutting your stuff up like a model on the catwalk? Music has a major affect on how we interact. If you don’t normally photograph with music in the background, this is the week to try it out. Take note of what songs play and which images they line up with - you might be surprised as the tone shifts."

I'm not generally a fan of country music, however, was introduced to Chris Stapleton when listening to a Pandora mix last week. I really liked the raspy quality of his voice and the guitar riffs he put out. So a slow mellow walk in the neighborhood with Chris in my ears made for an enjoyable photographing experience. And, I got to try out a new camera body coupled with an old kit lens.

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/320 53mm ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Photographed 10/4/22

Visual Notes - Engineering & Architecture

Additions to the Visual Notes collection observed from engineering & architecture during a September 2022 trip to Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

"Tension"

Visual Notes 28A

Peljesac Bridge

Peljesac, Croatia

This new bridge, opened in July 2022, spans a channel connecting the southern portion and northern portion of Croatia, thereby bypassing the sliver of land in Bosnia & Herzegovina that bifurcates the two. Prior to completion of this bridge, all traffic had to endure two border crossings.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelje%C5%A1ac_Bridge

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2  1/3000  6mm (98mm equiv)  ISO 25

Photographed 9/19/22

"Chords"

Visual Notes 28B

Diocletion's Palace

Split, Croatia

Sony A7C @ f5.6 1/125 200mm  ISO 250

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 9/19/22

Visual Notes - Dubrovnik

Additions to the Visual Notes collection observed in Old Town Dubrovnik during a September 2022 trip to Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

"Stone Floor"

Visual Notes 27A

Church in Old Town

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sony A7C @ f6.7 1/750 113mm  ISO 100

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

"Tile Roof"

Visual Notes 27B

Old Town

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sony A7C @ f6.7 1/125 103mm  ISO 250

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

"Sweet Tooth"

Visual Notes 27C

Old Town Candy Store

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sony A7C @ f6.7 1/125 28mm  ISO 200

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

All Photographed 9/11/22

Visual Notes - Nature

Additions to the Visual Notes collection observed from nature during a September 2022 trip to Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

"Ripples"

Visual Notes 26A

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Sony A7C @ f9 1/125 109mm  ISO 640

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A071

Photographed 9/21/22

"Life Within"

Visual Notes 26B

Zagreb, Croatia

Close-up of a sycamore tree trunk in an urban square.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f5.6  1/125  40mm equiv  ISO 125

Photographed 9/25/22

Not A Polyglot

52 Frames - Week 39 - Letters

Ataturk Airport

Istanbul, Turkey

52Frames - Week 39 - Letters

Probably would have gone hungry on the flight from Istanbul to Chicago had the menu only been been in Turkish.  The food & wine on Turkish Airlines business class is outstanding.  And the tri-lingual menu is perfect for this week's challenge.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2.0  1/60  6mm (52mm equiv)  ISO 200

52Frames - Week 39 - Letters (Alternate)

In the Turkish Airlines lounge, multiple screens were displaying news channels from around the world.  Thank goodness for BBC; it was the only channel I could read and understand.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f1.6  1/75  4.2mm (28mm equiv)  ISO 100

All Photographed 9/26/22