Family Reflection

Downtown Chicago

Celebrating Linda's and my 75th birthdays with the family.  As tradition has it, getting my family to stop for a photo is a major feat for which I take lots of crap.  Notwithstanding, I am grateful for their rare indulgence 🤣.

Leica D-Lux 8 @ f2.1 | 30mm (equiv) | 1/1250 | ISO 200

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

Photographed 7/31/26

Perfect Advice

52Frames - Week 25 - Just Breathe

On vacation with the kids and grandkids, we approached Tower Hill, a 260' sand dune at Warren Dunes in Sawyer, Michigan. The sand was soft so every step only yielded about 25% progress of the distance and height of the actual step.  My 7 year old grandson was way out ahead and beat the three of us up the hill.  As I approached the summit (in last place) and stopped to catch my breath, my grandson yells down, "Just Breathe, Pops!"  Hence, this title!

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 | 1/12000 | 6.76mm (42mm equiv) | ISO 80

Photographed 6/15/26

Again!!!

52 Frames - Week 26 - Fluid

Fluid motion in the air and in the water. My 2-3/4 year old granddaughter could not get enough.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro @ f1.8 1/3000 6.76mm (24mm equiv) ISO 80

Photographed 6/24/25

Helping Hand

52Frames - Week 34 - Rule of Odds

EC: On The Street

Morning stop at a local farmers market to look for 3's and/or 5's to complete this week's challenge & EC.

Sony A7Cii @ f8 | 1/500 | 40mm | ISO 250

Voigtlander VM 40mm F2.8 Heliar (adapted)

Photographed 8/24/24

The Builder

Warren Dunes

Sawyer, Michigan

You think this guy is enjoying his vacation?

Olympus TG-4 @ f8 | 1/200 | 4.5mm (25mm equiv) | ISO 100

Photographed 6/19/24

Three Candids

Earlier in April, on a photowalk around downtown Chicago with some photography friends, I spotted a few candid opportunities.

Puff

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/250 | 70mm | ISO 8000

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Dancer

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/250 | 28mm | ISO 250

MD Minolta Celtic 28mm F2.8 (adapted)

Family Stroll

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/320 |  28mm | ISO 100

MD Minolta Celtic 28mm F2.8 (adapted)

All photographed 4/7/24

Hugs

52Frames - Week 14 - Fill the Frame

My granddaughter.

Sony A7 IV @ f1.4 1/125 85mm ISO 640

Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4 FE

Photographed 4/5/23

A Hard Day's Night 2022

2022_CLondon52w3: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Astrid Kirchherr

From the C.London website:  “Maybe a selfish choice for the first artist spotlight, but I’ve always had admiration for Astrid Kirchherr.  She’s best known for photographing The Beatles in their Hamburg days, which I think is fitting for a week about passion and goals.  I moved to Hamburg on a whim in 2009, never having visited the city, but I already felt like I knew it - at least a piece of it - from Astrid’s work.  Her love and passion reads so clearly through her photographs, and always made me as a viewer feel that love.  That’s something I’ve always aspired to do with my work - make my viewers feel what I feel when I took the photo.

For this week, I want you to take some time to look through Astrid’s work, and pull anything from it that inspires you.”

The inspirational concept for me this week was to photograph people I have a close relationship with.  Original intent was to photograph some friends who are like family outside their home, using the 1960 Fairground shots as inspirational images.  Temperatures in the teens with wind chill in single digits nixed the outdoor and natural light portion of the intent.  I therefore resorted to indoors and artificial light, using the 1964 set shot from A Hard Day’s Night as the inspirational image.

Sony A7C @ f1.8 1/125 35mm ISO 3200

Samyang AF 35mm F1.8

Photographed 1/20/22

Once A Year

CLondon52w47: Out of Your Element

From the C.London website: "We’ve been at this for almost an entire year. I’m sure you’ve been put in situations which are out of your element already. For this week, I want that to be very intentional. Photograph a genre you aren’t comfortable with or in a style entirely different than what you’re used to. Just push yourself to get out of your comfort zone this week."

Group portraits are not my forte, nor in my comfort zone, even with family who I know is going to give me shit about how long it takes to make a portrait.  I approached this with intent, getting up early to pre-plan the camera & tripod set-up, camera settings and flash strength, all of which included test shots.  In the end, I'm happy with the result but I did take shit for taking too long!

Sony A7C f5.6 @ 1/60 55mm ISO 1600

Tamron E 28-75mm F2.8

Photographed 11/25/21

Three Generations

52Frames - Week 37 - Man

Father, Son, Grandson - 3 generations of men in my family.  We did a "guys" outing to Shedd Aquarium and stopped for lunch at an old time Jewish deli that I remember eating at as a kid.  Good times!

Apple iPhone 12 Pro @ f2.2 1/60 2.71mm ISO 160

Photographed 9/8/21