Irwin, Irwin & Irwin

52 Frames - Week 6 - Complementary Colors

I met my buddy Irwin for coffee this morning to celebrate his 84th birthday.  He drives a bright orange Dodge Challenger.  When he showed up with a dark blue hat, I thought there might be an opportunity for this week's challenge.  Irwin is always my most willing subject so we worked this scene in the parking lot.

While I'm typically not a fan of selective color, it was the only way I could keep some semblance of my B/W personal challenge this year.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f16 | 1/125 sec | 50mm equiv | ISO 2500

Photographed 2/2/26

Self-Reflection

52Frames - Week 20 - Reflection

EC: Use a Mirror

A moment of self-reflection when hanging out with my buddy Irwin. Counting this as EC since his glasses are mirrored.

Shot with a new (to me) 50 year old manual lens adapted to my modern digital camera.

Sony A7IV @ f5.6 | 1/640 | 90mm | ISO 100

Leitz Elmar-C 90mm F4 (adapted)

Photographed 5/15/24

Emphasis

52 Assignments BW01 - Moment In The Sun

My buddy Irwin is always a willing subject and for that, I'm grateful.  I don't recall what we were discussing, but he certainly felt strongly about it.

Sony A7IV @ f2 | 1/1000 | 85mm | ISO 100

Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4

Photographed 2/13/24

Saved By The Sweatshirt

52Frames - Week 39 - Red

Traveling in Colorado this week where the autumn color change is magnificent.  The area we are in displays predominantly yellows and oranges with very few reds.  Starting out on a chilly morning hike, my buddy Irwin pulled out his sweatshirt and I knew at that moment my streak was saved.

Sony A7 IV @ f8 1/320 28mm ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Photographed 9/29/23

2023_CLondon52_June: Portraiture

From the C.London website: "It’s everyone’s favorite (ahem) month: Portrait Time! I know this month can be intimidating for many reasons, but it’s also a good opportunity to get out of any comfort zones, and find ways to include your genre of choice. If you’re a landscape photographer, find a way to incorporate a portrait into your scenes, etc."

As an additional challenge this month, I decided to shoot all 4 portraits using my Ricoh GRIIIx.

1.  Self-Portrait

I'm not fond of being on this side of the camera, however, thought the Psycho Bunny hat looked cool and was appropriate for this challenge.  This photo is inspired by the style of Black & White Minimalism I'm using for the current week's 52Frames challenge.

Yours Truly

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4.5 1/160  40mm equiv ISO 250

Photographed 6/13/23

2.  Portrait of a Friend

My good buddy Irwin is no stranger to being on the other side of my camera.  This photo is inspired by coffeehouse portraits made by my friend @aarondigruccio and in the style I used for week 24 of the 52Frames challenge.

Irwin

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4.5 1/320  40mm equiv ISO 200

Photographed 6/13/23

3.  Portrait of a Stranger

I met Wayne as I was watching the setting-up of the Libertyville Days street festival.  An interesting guy who's been in the "carnival" business for well over 30 years.  A senior manager in a 7 company conglomerate, Wayne oversees operations at carnivals, fairs and festivals all over the US midwestern states.

I also learned there's a lot of money to be made in lemonade.  140 lemons in a $40 case; 1 lemon per $7 glass; 20% other overhead.  Do the math!

Wayne

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

Photographed 6/15/23

4.  Candid Portrait

Storefront reflections.

MANicure

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

Photographed 6/19/23

Irwin

52Frames - Week 24 - Inspired By A Framer

Perusing the 52Frames albums for ideas and inspiration, I was drawn to the B&W minimalistic self-portrait by Brianne Friberg.

While not having the set-up nor skills to recreate Brianne's photo, it did inspire me to emulate a straight on portrait of my good friend in a like style.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4.5 1/160 40mm equiv ISO 400

Photographed 6/13/23

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

Irwin

My good friend Irwin is always a willing subject for which I'm grateful.  This image is from a shoot in July 2021 [see previous post for story] that allowed me to try out some new editing techniques learned at this past week's AdobeMax virtual conference.

Sony A7C @ f2.8 1/250 75mm ISO 800

Tamron E 28-75mm F2.8

Photographed 7/18/21

Irwin

CLondon52w29: Portrait of a Friend

From the C.London website: “Let’s do portraits! Find a willing model (yes, your dog will do just fine) and work to capture their personality in the image. Pay attention to lighting, posing, and environment.”

My good friend Irwin has been the subject in many of my photos over the years so it was natural that I ask him to do so once again.  I have always captured him in a recreational setting but never in the business he built over a long career.  In 2015, his daughter and partner’s son purchased the business and it continues to excel under their leadership.  Irwin still consults part-time in the business so I wanted to convey that part of his story.

So on this Sunday afternoon, Chicago Glue & Machine was the destination.  Irwin was proud of what he built and I was like a kid in a candy store.

Sony A7C @ f2.8 1/250 28mm ISO 1250

Tamron E 28-75mm F2.8

Photographed 7/18/21

Photo Bombed

Clondon52w14: PHOTOGRAPHER HIGHLIGHT: Maria Svarbova

From the C.London website: "Maria Svarbova’s images are uniquely her own with her clever usage of color and setting.  She often uses the Soviet-era architecture which can be found in and around her home country of Slovakia.  Her thoughtful use of color is what really makes her images stand out from other somewhat surrealist portraiture.  For this week, I’d like you to user Maria’s work as an inspiration point for your own image. Whether you feel inspired by her use of color, subject, or setting is up to you." 

Thinking ahead, I had this image totally planned out in my mind. Weather and subject availability pushed me to the 11th hour when I changed gears and re-enlisted my buddy Irwin to again step in and be my subject. In the midst of shooting, we got photo bombed...which I was compelled to incorporate into the final image! 

Sony A6600 @ f8 1/125 23mm (34.5mm equiv) ISO 160

Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

Photographed 4/9/21

Pace Line

52Frames - Week 14 - Fast Shutter

I've wanted to try photo stacking so this week's challenge was a perfect opportunity to do so.  Climbing this road is reminiscent of the pace line cycling I used to do with my buddy Irwin, so his agreeing to lead the line is appreciated.

Sony A6600 @ f8 1/4000 55mm (82.5mm equiv) ISO 3200

Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

Photographed 4/3/21

7.5 Decades Young

Celebration for a great friend.
Cancun, MX

Taken 1/24/17

I'll Have...

Beer Market
Vernon Hills, IL

First shot taken with new Olympus TG-4 - waterproof point & shoot for upcoming beach vacations.

Where's Waldo?

Via Flickr:
3/4/13
Half Day Preserve
Vernon Hills, IL

Great day snowshoeing amongst the trees and terrain. Taken 3/3/13.