Pets

52Frames - Week 27 - A New Technique

EC: Shoot In Manual Mode

Subject for a new technique is our pets…a rooster, a pig and a roadrunner. Great pets because they don’t eat or poop. They’re metal sculptures that live on our balcony.

The new technique was inspired by a young guy in one of my photography groups who shoots exclusively with a GRIII and a flash. His approach is a bit Bruce Gilden-ish, which is out of my comfort zone so decided I would try it out on an inanimate object before moving to live subjects.  This photo was taken mid-day during a rainstorm with full manual on the GRIIIx and manual flash.  A favorable byproduct of full manual was being able to simulate a shot taken after dark.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f16 | 1/125 sec | 40mm equiv | ISO 100

Photographed 7/3/26

São Bento Train Station

 52 Assignments Exposure 47 - Inside Out

Porto, Portugal

Exploring the azulejos (hand painted tile) scenes adorning the train station.  Remarkable work that tells the story of Porto.

Leica M EV1 @ F8 | 28mm | 1/125 - 1/160 sec | ISO 1600-2000

Voigtlander VM 28mm F2 Ultron

All Photographed 5/12/26

Out Of Place

El Paseo

Palm Desert, CA



El Paseo is a mile long stretch of high-end shops, galleries and restaurants.  At night, storefronts are stunning.  Galleries highlight their spectacular art.  Dining areas and live music spill out onto the sidewalks.

As I walked from my parking space to the restaurant, I could not help but notice the contrast between this scene and the entire street environment.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f3.2 | 1/160 sec | 40mm equiv | ISO 200

Photographed 3/22/26

Out Of Place

El Paseo - Shop

El Paseo - Gallery

El Paseo - Dining

El Paseo - Music

Eye Of The Lion

52 Frames - Week 11 - Roll of 24

Venturing into Old Town Scottsdale, I committed that the first 24 shots would be my 52Frames "roll".  I made it a bit more challenging by using a manual 90mm lens that doesn't get out often enough.

This lion's eye/self-portrait represents my 16th shot. There is no crop here; all full frame resolution utilizing the close-focus capability of my Leica M to Sony E lens adapter coupled with the 90mm focal length.

Sony A7Cii @ f4 | 1/400 | 90mm | ISO 100

Leitz Wetzlar 90mm F4 Elmar-C (adapted)

Photographed 3/9/26

Preserved Peculiarities

McHenry, IL

On a photowalk, we wandered into this shop and was struck by the variety of weird stuff.  The sign doesn't lie!  The 2nd shot was the weirdest scene of them all.  Encased in a glass box, it was for sale.  If you're in the area, check it out.

#1: Sony A7IV @ f5 | 1/125 | 126mm | ISO 100

#2: #1: Sony A7IV @ f22 | 1/40 | 86mm | ISO 12800

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

All Photographed 2/4/26

The Owner

Surgery

Chicago Blues Festival

A few shots from a photowalk in downtown Chicago on 6/7/25 during the Chicago Blues Festival.  We covered parts of the loop, Grant Park and Millennium Park.

Capture The Light

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/160 | 44mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Agora

Magdalena Abakanowicz

Sony A7Cii @ f5.6 | 1/500 | 28mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Urban Oasis

Sony A7Cii @ f7.1 | 1/500 | 60mm | ISO 250

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Beer Hug

Sony A7Cii @ f8 | 1/160 | 42mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Purple Mike

Check him out at:
https://wslr.org/

Sony A7Cii @ f7.1 | 1/160 | 28mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Clearing The Path

Sony A7Cii @ f9 | 1/160 | 28mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Truth

Palm Desert, CA

On this trip, we learned of an art exhibition called DesertX 2025 (https://desertx.org/) consisting of several installations around Coachella Valley.  Unfortunately, I only made it to one of the exhibits this year...and plan to attend many more in future years.

Photos below are of an awesome sculpture in the desert entitled "Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams" by Sarah Meyohas.  For more information, check out https://desertx.org/dx/dx-25-coachella-valley/sarah-meyohas and https://sarahmeyohas.com/.  It was fun to photograph as the sun was setting behind the mountains.

All photographed on 3/20/25

Truth 1

Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/500 | 15mm | ISO 100

Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Truth 2

Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/2500 | 15mm | ISO 100

Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Truth 3

Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/500 | 15mm | ISO 100

Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Truth 4

Sony A7Cii @ f11 | 1/500 | 15mm | ISO 100

Voigtlander VM 15mm F4.5 (adapted)

Perplexed

52Frames - Week 11 - Egg

EC: Humor

Palm Desert, CA

Driving by this desert sculpture with curving white walls, I knew it would be a great backdrop for an egg photo.

After heading back with an egg & marker, I was able to dodge the rain, draw a facial expression and get off a few shots.

Sony A7Cii @ f4 | 1/4000 | 28mm | ISO 160

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

Photographed 3/13/25

Buttons

52Frames - Week 21 - Details

EC: Use A Macro Lens

As seen in the storefront window of Indian Motorcycles in downtown Racine, WI.  Entire coloring of this dog sculpture was done with buttons.

Claiming the EC because while the lens itself isn't macro, it's attachment to my Sony is via a close-focus adapter.

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/160 | 40mm | ISO 2500

Voigtlander Heliar 40mm F2.8 (close-focus adapted)

Photographed 5/22/24

Reach

52Frames - Week 17 - Leading Lines

Worm's eye view of a local wind sculpture.

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/400 | 28mm | ISO 100

Voigtlander VM 28mm F2 Ultron (adapted)

Photographed 4/25/24

Giddyup

2024_CLondon52_February: Space Exploration - Explore The Space

I criss-crossed every street in the approximately one square mile of Bombay Beach, CA.  There were creative art installations scattered amongst the general dilapidation.  This sculpture adorns a street corner and is representative of the really cool parts of the town that can be found on almost every block.

Sony A7IV @ f11 | 1/500 | 60mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Photographed 3/6/24

Bombay Beach TVs

2024_CLondon52_February: Space Exploration - Fill The Frame

Bombay Beach, CA is a former resort community along the coast of the now polluted Salton Sea. While much of the town is abandoned and in disrepair, there are about 250-300 permanent residents. This photo is a zoomed in example of one art installation found throughout the town.

Sony A7IV @ f11 | 1/500 | 60mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6

Photographed 3/6/24

Do You See What I See?

Metro Station

Montreal, Canada

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 70mm ISO 200

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 7/1/23

Hand Art

Highwood, IL

A random family at Highwood's Evening Gourmet Market asked if I would take some photos of them. I obliged. This is my favorite.

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 96mm ISO 250

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

Photographed 6/21/23

Manneken-Pis

52 Assignments BW - #43 - Building Detail

Perhaps the most famous statue in Brussels, Belgium

Sony A7 IV @ f5 1/320 70mm ISO 100 Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 5/2/23

Heartened

52Frames - Week 21 - Low Key

On occasion, pieces of our artwork are the subject in a photo challenge. In this instance, sunlight streaking across the wall highlights a portion of an abstract painting.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f2.8 1/5 40mm equiv ISO 500

Photographed 5/23/23

Cinema Nova

Brussels, Belgium

Featuring the Tin Tin guys.

Sony A7 IV @ f4 1/125 22mm ISO 125

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Sony A7 IV @ f4 1/125 20mm  ISO 200

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

All Photographed 5/3/23

The Village Kauai

Princeville Art & Flea Market

Princeville, Kauai, HI

Foster (the guy inside) operates this cool food truck with his wife. Gotta love it!

Sony A7 IV @ f8 1/200 20mm ISO 100

Tamron E 20mm F2.8 F050

Photographed 3/5/23

2023_CLondon52_February: The Everyday

From the C.London website: "Now that goals have been sorted out, it’s time to work. All the prompts for the month of February can be done from the comfort of your own home. This will allow you to find your rhythm and explore the space in an environment you’re relaxed in."

"1.  One object.  For this prompt, we’ll be exploring a single object in various ways. Try out different angles, various lighting, maybe even placement in a larger scene. Your end goal is discover how you can approach the same subject from many different perspectives. Feel free to submit one photo, or a curated diptych or triptych." 

In 2014, we were so moved by the story of Nicky Imber, who escaped Dachau by impersonating a German officer, we bought one of his numbered sculptures at a gallery in Tzfat, Israel.

Hope

Sony A7 IV @ f8 1/15 61mm  ISO 12800

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

Photographed 2/6/23

"2.  What’s in your wallet bag?  Here we're going to look at the things we carry with us on a daily basis. Use this as an opportunity to try out staging your items. Some ideas may be placing the items in a traditional still life setting, a top-down shot, cascading from your bag, etc."

See below for this month's prompt #4...you'll understand this shot!

Not Much Left

Sony A7 IV @ f3.2 1/125 40mm  ISO 2500

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

Photographed 2/12/23

"3.  Your Home.  'Home' has different meanings to each of us. Is it the space in which you live? Is it with those with whom you feel most comfortable? Is it being engaged in something you love and are passionate about? Think about what 'home' means to you, and tell us through your photography." 

The center of our home with a focus on family.  Image projected on TV is from my mother-in-law's 95th birthday party with 4 generations of family.

Nucleus

Sony A7 IV @ f?? 1/6 10.5mm ISO 12800

Nikkor Fisheye 10.5mm F2.8 G ED (adapted)

Photographed 2/12/23

"4.  A Day in the Life.  This one needs a little explanation, and is one of my all-time favorite exercises. It’s a bit involved, so stay with me. Choose one day this month where you will document the entire day - from the moment you wake up, to the moment you go to sleep. Aim to take at least one photo every hour. At the end, cull it down to no more than 10 photos which tell the story of your day. Then, choose just one hero photo which sums it up in its entirety."

While on vacation last month, I fractured a tooth.  This was the day I took care of it.  While the extraction and implant were not painless, this photo represents the most painful part of the day.  See this link for all photos of the day.

#8: Pain

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4  1/100  40mm equiv  ISO 12800

Photographed 2/9/23

Hope

52Frames - Week 6 - Shallow Depth of Field

In 2014, we were so moved by the story of Nicky Imber, who escaped Dachau by impersonating a German officer, we bought one of his numbered sculptures at a gallery in Tzfat, Israel.

Sony A7 IV @ f8 1/15 61mm ISO 12800

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

Photographed 2/6/23