Home Of The Cougars

52Frames - Week 39 - Golden Hour

Although very cloudy, I went out to get a specific photo for golden hour at sunset. This was not the scene I originally had in mind; rather I came across some fortuitous athletic activity behind the fence at an adjacent high school sports complex.

A break in the clouds and in the fence provided the opportunity for some selective color only which qualifies for my personal b/w challenge this year.

Leica D-Lux 8 @ f5.6 | 75mm (equiv) | 1/30 | ISO 100

Leica DC Vario-Summilux F1.7-2.8 24-75mm (equiv) ASPH

This is the originally intended shot.

All Photographed 9/24/26

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

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

A Rare Occurrence

52Frames - Week 41 - Panorama

Earlier this month the Chicago area was graced with an occurrence of the northern lights. It was a clear night so I went out to shoot star trails since the forecast was only a 10% chance of being able to see the aurora.

I got lucky with both! This photo is a 5 shot panorama merged in Lightroom. The star trails + aurora photo was posted earlier on my blog at https://jeffm211-p52.blogspot.com/2024/10/good-fortune.html.

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 5 x 1.6" | 28mm | ISO 1600

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A067

Photographed 10/11/24

Good Fortune

I'm taking a short hiatus from posting an Africa photo due to the extraordinary opportunity that came to pass on Thursday evening.

Last May, I missed the aurora (northern lights) so hoped to capture a semblance of it this week in our area...which is a rare occurrence.  My expectations were low since NOAA Space Center forecast was for a less than 10% chance (with low energy) of seeing it in northern Illinois.

It was a clear night, so I figured worst case would be some star trail photos and giving my buddy a lesson on how to do them. Good fortune came when the aurora appeared during the last 5 minutes of star trail exposures. We hung around awhile after the star trails were completed to capture additional shots of the aurora.

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 30" x 121 | 14mm | ISO 100

Rokinon 14mm F2.8 Series II


Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 30" | 14mm | ISO 100

Rokinon 14mm F2.8 Series II

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 1.6" | 28mm | ISO 1600

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A067

Sony A7IV @ f2.8 | 1.6" | 28mm | ISO 1600

Tamron E 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 A067

Photographed 10/10/24

Cold Night Sky

Vernon Hills, IL

No moon and clear skies tonight so I went to a nearby open area and aimed the camera north to capture full circle star trails. Unfortunately, cannot escape the light pollution in this suburban area. What struck me in this photo (in addition to the star trails) is the precision of flight paths with multiple aircraft flying the same route over the course of an hour.

This image is a blend of 120 shots at 30 seconds each with a 1 second interval in between. Total exposure of 1 hour. Recommend viewing at full screen.

Sony A7 IV @ f2.8 120x30" 14mm ISO 100

Rokinon 14mm F2.8 Series II

Photographed 11/13/23

Anatomy of a Carwash

A series of photos shot from my dashboard while going through the Waterway carwash.  #6 became my submission for 52Frames - Week 31 - Water.

Waterway 1 of 7

Waterway 2 of 7

Waterway 3 of 7

Waterway 4 of 7

Waterway 5 of 7

Waterway 6 of 7
52Frames - Week 31 - Water

Waterway 7 of 7

All photographed with Ricoh GRIIIx @ f6.3  40mm equiv on 7/31/23

Lazy Dog

Vernon Hills, IL

Dining at crowded indoor restaurants is not part of our current program.  We are trying to dine outdoors while the weather cooperates.  Had to capture this sunset before it disappeared.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2.0 1/150 6mm (73mm equiv)  ISO 25

Photographed 9/11/21