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.

 

Approach

52 Frames - Week 43 - Centered Composition

Out shooting motion blur for another photo challenge, I thought a head-on shot might work for this week's 52Frames.  With a small tripod, self-timer and an ND filter, I was able to capture this self-portrait scene.  I used a different shot for the other challenge, but this outing was a "2-Fer".

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f13 | .8 sec | 40mm equiv | ISO 100 | ND Filter

Photographed 10/22/25

Ghost Walk

52 Assignments Exposure 35 - Blurred Vision

Trying to capture motion blur in the leaves wasn't working, so I changed gears and combined a small tripod, self-timer and ND filter to get a long exposure, thereby facilitating this self-portrait.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f13 | .8 sec | 40mm equiv | ISO 100 | ND Filter

Photographed 10/22/25

18th Hole

52 Frames - Week 42 - Shadows

I had hoped to get some good shadow shots at the "No Kings" march on 10/18 in Chicago.  With a poor weather prediction for that day however, I seized this opportunity on 10/16 as a backup.  With bright sun and long shadows on a late afternoon finish, it works for the challenge to keep the streak alive.

For those wondering, I took a double bogey on this par 5 hole and ended up with a 99.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 | 1/1000 | 6.76mm (24mm equiv) | ISO 80

Photographed 10/16/25

Paint Job

Main Street

Minturn, CO

Getting some pretty inconsistent results from my old Minolta film camera. Trying to figure out if it's the photographer, the camera and/or the lens 🤷‍♂️🤣.

Minolta X-700 | 28mm | Lomochrome Color '92 | ISO 400

MD Minolta Celtic 28mm F2.8

Photographed 10/10/25

New Time Increment

52 Frames - Week 41 - Time

Originally, I had another idea for this challenge.  However, when I saw the empty toilet paper rolls in a U.S. Forest Service facility, I figured out a new increment for measuring time.  6 empty rolls <= 9 days of government shutdown.  Clearly a stretch for the challenge but another IRL photo happenstance.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.2 1/100 2.2mm (21mm equiv) ISO 100

Photographed 10/9/25

Prelude To the Crash

Bakers Tank Trail

White River National Forest

Breckenridge, CO

Photographed at 201 feet above ground level (10,180 feet above sea level).  The descent went perfect until about 10 feet above ground level when a tree branch got in the way.  Fortunately, the drone survived the tumble.

DJI Mavic Mini @ F2.8 | 1/320 | 4.49mm (24mm equiv) | ISO 100

Photographed 10/9/25

Long Time; No Fly

I had not flown my drone for quite awhile.  Decided to bring it along on a Colorado trip to get reacquainted.  Lots of areas where flying is not permitted, but fortunately, many areas where it is, including non-wilderness areas in the National Forests.   Thus far, location hasn't been an issue; rather wind gust velocity has.

These photographs from the drone were captured over two days within windows of permissible conditions.

 

Pilots

84' above ground level

Autumn Changes

150' above ground level

Flight Path

27' above ground level

Needles

52 Frames - Week 40 - Texture

EC: Sidelight

Saw the light hitting the pine needles out my window, so grabbed the camera & went outside to capture the texture and sidelight.  Another IRL happenstance.

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/125 | 185mm | ISO 100

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

Photographed 10/1/25

Bronzeville

On 9/27/25, Beers & Cameras_Chicago and local photographer Malik Zambezi (@malikshotyou) organized a fabulous photowalk through the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.  It was well attended by both B&C_Chi members and local community photographers, models and content creators.

The photograph of the model, Zy, below is my favorite of the day.  Taking a poll of my viewers - color or B/W?  Please let me know your preference.

 

The Walk

Message Of The Day

Golden

Zy

Zy

Sitting On The Dock

52 Frames - Week 39 - Soundtrack

Waukegan Harbor

Waukegan, IL

One intention with this week's challenge was to shoot it with film and process at home in time to meet the deadline.

Out shooting with a recently acquired film camera and a new (to me) lens, this scene immediately brought to mind the infamous Otis Redding song.

Leica CL @ 50mm | Kodak Tri-X 400 | ISO 400

Leitz Wetzlar 50mm F2 Summicron

Photographed 9/24/25

Bike Cafe

Bike Cafe

Berlin, Germany

Not 100% of our trip involved "heavy" sights. We found this very cool restaurant/bike shop one morning and indulged in a great breakfast.  I also feasted on some eye candy of beautiful & colorful bikes and gear.

A personal bonus was shooting these with a film camera and home developing/scanning the film.



Nikon 35Ti | 35mm | Kodak Ultramax 400 | ISO 400

Photographed 9/17/25

 

Rent Me

Spokes & Wheels

Holocaust Tower

52 Frames - Week 38 - One Light Source

Jewish Museum Berlin

Berlin, Germany

A room within the JMB, devoid of any artificial lighting or ventilation, only lit by a small window at the top, it felt as a stark reminder of discomfort & hopelessness.  Brilliantly executed by architect, Daniel Libeskind (https://www.jmberlin.de/en/libeskind-building).

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.2 | 1/8 | 2.2mm (14mm equiv) | ISO 1250

Photographed 9/15/25

Fighting In The Streets

Berlin - 1945

Unrepaired damage from the 1945 Soviet invasion.  A perpetual reminder.

Sony A7IV @ f4 | 1/250 | 30mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 9/13/25

Alone Amongst Many

52 Frames - Week 37 - Out of Place!

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Near Krakow, Poland

In a room filled with over 80,000 shoes from those executed here, one stood out. I don't know what that means, but it is symbolic for me as to how out of place these incomprehensible atrocities were (and are) in a civilized society. Needless to say, visiting Krakow, Poland this week has been an emotionally draining experience.

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/100 | 70mm | ISO 12800

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 9/10/25

Sky-Riders

Throwback Music Fest

Chicago, IL

Two generations of Marcowitz men honing their aerial skills. No one tossed their cookies!

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f2.8 | 1/800 | 9mm (109mm equiv) | ISO 25

Photographed 9/6/25

Hanging Around The House

52 Frames - Week 36 - Shoot From Above

This week is a streak-saver for sure. My first plan, a photo from an airplane, fell apart with a last-minute change of plans for our trip to Europe. The second idea fell apart when I discovered my drone controller cable was not compatible with my current phone. This last (and lame) idea...shooting above an ant hill...at least keeps the streak alive.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f5.6 | 1/500 | 40mm equiv | ISO 800

Photographed 9/5/25

Packing Tape Hat Guy

Wolff's Flea Market

Rosemont, IL

One thing about shooting on film...you never know if you're going to get open or closed eyes 😬.

Leica CL @ f8 | 40mm | Portra 160 (expired) | ISO 160

Voigtlander VM 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Photographed 8/31/25

Conversations

Capturing scenes of people having conversations with inanimate objects at Wolff's Flea Market in Rosemont, IL on 8/31/25.  Photographed using a 1973 vintage Leica CL film camera w/ a Voigtlander VM 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic lens on expired Kodak Portra 160 film.  Home developed and scanned.

 

Conversation 1

Conversation 2

Old Russian Guy

Wolff's Flea Market

Rosemont, IL

He struck up a conversation after seeing our cameras. Didn't understand 90% of what he said, but in the end he agreed to a portrait.

Leica CL @ f8 | 40mm | Portra 160 (expired) | ISO 160

Voigtlander VM 40mm F1.4 Nokton Classic

Photographed 8/31/25

Up...The Hard Way

52Frames - Week 35 - Reflections!

Wasn't quite sure what I was going to do for the challenge this week and as the time progressed, became a bit stressed. Then, playing at the park with my granddaughter, the opportunity struck me when she started to climb the slide. I pulled out the iPhone (only camera I had on me) and captured a few shots as she went down and up several times in this fashion.

I love it when IRL situations yield challenge opportunities.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 | 1/950 | 6.76mm (24mm equiv) | ISO 80

Photographed 8/29/25

Bellying Up

52Frames - Week 34 - Low Key

Evening shoot with a new fast lens to capture low key scenes.

Sony A7Cii @ f2 | 1/125 | 40mm |  ISO 640

Voigtlander Nokton Classic 40mm F1.4 (adapted)

Photographed 8/20/25

Experiments

Two experiments going on with these photos.

First, using a circa 1979, 50mm F1.7 manual focus lens from my post-college era camera adapted to a present day digital camera.  Second, using the same scene, looking at near and far focus points with the lens wide open to see the differences in depth of field and bokeh.  This is what happens when you're a photography nerd!

 

Focus Point - Near

Focus Point - Far

Shadow Play

Taking advantage of the evening light to test out a new (to me) film camera as these two shadows approach from behind.

Leica CL @ f? | 40mm | Ilford XP2 | ISO 400

Voigtlander VM 40mm F2.8 Heliar

Photographed 8/2/25

Animal House

52Frames - Week 33 - Abandoned

Didn't want to get close enough to determine what kind of animals might be inhabiting this abandoned miniature house.

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/640 | 40mm | ISO 100

Voigtlander 40mm F2.8 Heliar (adapted)

Photographed 8/14/25

Genre Detour 2

This was an inadvertent omission in yesterday's post of images photographed at Arbor Theatre Park in Vernon Hills, IL on August 9, 2025.  Same camera but a manual Voigtlander 40mm F2.8 Heliar lens (adapted) instead.

Out Of Context

Genre Detour

Landscape is not my normal genre of photography, but it's good to get out and mix it up every once in awhile.

These were all photographed at Arbor Theatre Park in Vernon Hills, IL on August 9, 2025 using a Sony A7Cii digital camera and a manual 1948 vintage Leica 50mm F2 Summitar lens adapted to the digital camera.

ZZZs

Stand

Secluded

Take Refuge...

Rain or shine, you're covered.  And the woman in the last photo was not taking any chances.

These were photographed at Old Orchard on August 5, 2025 using a 1973-1974 vintage Leica CL camera loaded with Kodak Ultramax 400 film and a 1948 vintage Leica 50mm F2 Summitar lens.

Calm Down...

Good street advice in Evanston, IL

Leica CL @ f8 | 40mm | Kodak Ultramax 400 | ISO 400

Voigtlander VM 40mm F2.8 Heliar

Photographed 8/5/25

Fifty Fifty

52Frames - Week 32 - Macro

My macro lens is a 50mm F2.8 Sony and I used it to shoot this 50mm F2 Leica Summitar, a lens manufactured in 1948 that I'm thinking about adding to my collection of M-mount lenses.

Sony A7IV @ f10 | 1/100 | 50mm | ISO 12800

Sony FE 50mm F2.8 Macro

Photographed 8/9/25