If Only It Was True...

Grayslake, IL

"Where Troubles Melt Away Like Lemon Drops"

Think we can fit the White House, Congress and Supreme Court into this house?

Nikon 35Ti | 35mm | Fujifilm 400 | ISO 400

Nikkor 35mm F2.8

Photographed 12/23/25

Layers Upon Layers

52 Frames - Week 52 - Redo

I love shooting storefront reflections.  They often contain multiple stories and create a puzzle of layers for the viewer.

To diverge from my original 52F-Week 35 Reflections photo taken with an iPhone, I set out to capture a storefront reflection on film, not knowing if it was successful until I processed and scanned the roll.

Photographed in downtown Grayslake, IL, this scene is through the windows of a men's barbershop with reflections of the adjacent street.

Nikon 35Ti | 35mm | Fujifilm 400 | ISO 400

Nikkor 35mm F2.8

Photographed 12/23/25

Finished The Roll

I was itching to get out and finish a roll of film I had loaded in this camera, so on a cold day went to the historic town of Long Grove, IL for a photowalk.

Leica CL | 40mm | Ilford HP5+ | ISO 400

Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Mill Pond

8'-6"

All In A Row

 

Sleigh Ride

Testing The Ice

Long Grove, IL

Cold weather brought on the freezing of creeks and ponds. Fortunately, this one held, but this young person didn't venture out too far.

Leica CL @ 40mm | Ilford HP5+ | ISO 400

Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Photographed 12/21/25

Mountains Below

52 Frames - Week 51 - Fill The Frame

Cruising over some mountains of snow, I grabbed this shot as a streak-saver and the one which completes my 6X Weekly Warrior status.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 | 1/12000 | 6.76mm (24mm equiv) | ISO 64

Photographed 12/17/25

The Story Of Paw

Shriner Pass, CO

From the archive.

A handicap accessible viewpoint in the middle of the forest and a folk tale to enhance it.  It was a rough drive up there, but worth it for the view and the story.

Shot with Apple iPhone 15 Pro and DJI Mavic Mini drone.

Photographed 10/9/25

Paw

Julia's Deck

Blast From The Past

52Frames - Week 50 - Nature

Something must have pissed off Mother Nature because she's come at the Chicago area with a start to winter we've not seen for decades.

Icicles formed on my balcony rail.

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 1/200 | 50mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro

Photographed 12/9/25

The Hunt Is On

52 Frames - Week 49 - Shoot From The Hip

Brookfield, WI

Encountered this hilarious scene at the Lexus dealer today.  This woman saw a mouse run across her dashboard.  These guys were searching for it and she wasn't leaving until it was found!

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f6.3 | 1/125 sec | 40mm equiv | ISO 1600

Photographed 12/6/25

Winter Beaches

Photographs made at Tower Road Beach (Winnetka, IL) and Fort Sheridan Beach (Highland Park, IL) on 12/2/25. The first shot is for my website collection, 52 Assignments-Exposure.

Sony A7Cii | 50mm | ISO 100 and Leitz Wetzlar 50mm F2 Summicron (adapted)

Spewing Steam 1

Spewing Steam 2

No Takers

 

Histogram

Architect(ure)

SOOS Architects

Lincolnshire, IL

An interesting building occupied (and presumably designed) by a local architectural firm.

Also an alternate for this week's 52Frames challenge, Architecture.

Sony A7IV @ f16 | 1/125 | 14mm | ISO 250

Rokinon 14mm F2.8 Series II

Photographed 11/29/25 (during a snowstorm)

AnyTown, USA

52Frames - Week 48 - Architecture

EC: 16mm or wider

This photo is a good example of some really bad architecture (IMHO) that is popping up all over the place.  These apartment blocks are reproducing like rabbits and very few have good aesthetic quality.  This one replaced an even worse strip shopping center...so I guess that's progress.

Sony A7IV @ f11 | 1/125 | 14mm | ISO 160

Rokinon 14mm F2.8 Series II

Photographed 11/29/25 (during a snowstorm)

Childhood Hero

Beers & Cameras-Chicago

Graceland Cemetery meet-up

Chicago, IL

An excellent meet-up, especially for those who've never been to Graceland before.  Of all the renown folks buried here, this is the one site I did not want to miss.

I remember meeting Ernie Banks in person at Wrigley Field as a kid.

Leica CL @ 40mm | Ilford HP5+ | ISO 400

Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Photographed 11/22/25

Contrasting Views

Photographs made in the urban desert on 11/5/25 and contained in two of my website collections (52 Assignments-Exposure and Visual Notes).

Sony A7Cii | 40mm | ISO 100 and Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Streak Of Light

Abstract Sugaro

On The Verge Of Defeat

52 Frames - Week 47 - Sports Photography

I was explaining to a photography friend my dilemma about finding a photo opp for this week's challenge.  He immediately challenged me to an arm wrestling match and compelled me to photograph it.  Thanks, Mike, for the awesome idea and for not tearing my arm off!!

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.9 | 1/40 | 2.69mm (23mm equiv) | ISO 250

Photographed 11/22/25

Not Quite But A Happy Accident

Century Park

Vernon Hills, IL

Last minute effort to shoot the Northern Lights with photo buddy Steve P.  Not quite successful but also not a wasted effort.  The previous night would have been spectacular.  On the second photo. Steve was fooling around with his flashlight while we were trying to capture the Northern Lights.  The bright colors against the night sky caught my attention.

Photographed with a Sony A7IV camera and 14mm F2.8 Series II lens.

All Photographed 11/12/25

  

Not Quite

Happy Accident

Old Abe

52Frames - Week 46 - Black and White Minimalism

52 Assignments Exposure 37 - It's A Small World

It was reported this past week that Old Abe is being retired...no more minting of the US penny. But not to worry; the US Treasury estimates that ~114 billion are in active circulation.

A 2Fer where I'm able to use the same photograph for two challenges.

Sony A7IV @ f3.5 | 1/100 | 50mm | ISO 5000

Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro

Photographed 11/14/25

Desert Shores

Desert Shores, CA

Population:  ~1,100

Once a thriving resort town along the western coast of the Salton Sea, its heyday being in the 1950-1960s, Desert Shores has deteriorated over the decades largely due to the residual effects of Salton Sea contamination.

Currently, there are several restoration projects underway and planned by local and state agencies, including water restoration to the marina.



I spent an afternoon capturing photographs of the town and had some good encounters with locals as well.



B/W photos were captured on Kodak Tri-X 400 film with a Voigtlander Bessa R4M camera and a Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic
lens.  Color photos were captured digitally on a Sony A7Cii camera and a Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm F4 MC lens. 

All Photographed 11/9/25

Desert Shores

Once A Marina

Hope For The Future

Call For Help?

Palm & LaJolla

Sea & Sun

Art Revival

Lucia

Mi Amigos

Mountain Mike

Mountain Mike Custom Leather

Idyllwild, CA

If you're ever in need of a customized leather item, this is the place.  I wandered into this shop to inquire about a custom leather camera strap for my film cameras.  Mike presented a couple of options but unfortunately, did not have anything ready-made.  Next year, with some advance planning, I may have some new straps.

Check him out at: mountainmikecustomleather.com

Voigtlander Bessa R4M | 40mm | ISO 100 | Kentmere 100

Voigtlander 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Photographed 11/1/25

Fog?

Palm Desert, CA

In the two weeks I was in Palm Desert, this is the only moisture I encountered in the air.



Sony A7Cii @ f?? | 1/125 | 40mm | ISO 125

Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm F1.4 (adapted)

Photographed 11/5/25

Limited Supply

52 Frames - Week 45 - Show Us Your Toys

EC: Flat Lay

On vacation this week so my only option for this challenge is the photography gear I brought on this two week trip. One film camera, one digital camera, three M-mount manual lenses (21, 40, 90mm), two rolls of film and some miscellaneous accessories make up the kit.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 | 1/60 | 6.76mm (24mm equiv) | ISO 400

Photographed 11/7/25

Unlimited Flavor Band

Idyllwild, CA

I encountered this Blues/R&B/Jazz band in the small mountain town of Idyllwild, CA.  Set-up in the corner of an Italian restaurant patio, they put out some wonderful tunes.  These photos are from digital capture; the film photos will be processed once I return home.

Sony A7Cii @ f?? | 1/125 | 40mm | ISO 100-500

Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm F1.4 (adapted)

All Photographed 11/1/25

The Band

Sugar Bear (Band Leader)

David

David

Ronnie B' Good

Expired Film Test

On 10/25/25, I took a drive up to Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, IL in order to shoot some landscape photos using a fairly new to me Leica CL film camera and Leica 50mm F2 Summicron lens.  I was fairly confident using these two pieces of gear.  What I was not confident about was how the 25-30 year old expired color film would perform.  I did convert some to black & white as it was more conducive to the subject matter.

In the end, I was reasonably pleased; but you be the judge.

 

Forty-Seven

52 Frames - Week 44 - Your Worst Nightmare

Figuring out my worst nightmare wasn't a problem. Figur ing out how to represent it in a photo was a conundrum...until this morning when I received this email.  A photo of the email solved the problem and is especially relevant because I'm one of the subjects.

Sony A7Cii @ f1.4 | 1/125 | 40mm | ISO 250

Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm F1.4 (adapted)

Photographed 10/29/25

No Kings - Chicago

On 10/18/25, over 200,000 people attended the downtown Chicago "No Kings" rally and march.  It was a surprisingly peaceful protest, and at the same time, a palpable anger could be felt.  Many thanks are due the organizers for the superb job in orchestrating this massive event.

With digital and film cameras in hand, here are a few photos from the day.  Thanks to my friend Steve P. who offered an objective selection of the 180+ photos taken.