Today's Color Is Red

Lisbon, Portugal

Spotted her from 1/2 block away and when passing, asked for a portrait.

Leica M EV1 @ F8 | 28mm | 1/160 sec | ISO 320

Voigtlander VM 28mm F2 Ultron

Photographed 5/19/26

Random Photos From Toronto

The first 4 photos were taken July 9 & 10, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, CA with a Sony A7Cii and Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 lens.  The last photo was taken July 10, 2025 with a Ricoh GR IIIx.

I Wonder...

Jenga

Standing Guard

Observe The Observer

Downtown Camera

Lynn

52Frames - Week 25 - Portrait

EC: Portrait of a Stranger

Out photographing with a friend in downtown Grayslake, I saw her sitting at a street corner with a walker and bags of stuff around her. She was not panhandling but asked if she gave me money, would I go across the street and buy her a hamburger and fries. I didn't take her money but returned with her meal.

It has been awhile since I've done a $2 Portrait and Lynn was friendly but not that talkative. I did learn she is 67 years old, is from Wildwood, IL. and used to work for a mortgage company. The rest of her story was unclear, but her biggest concern seemed to be how to handle all the things passersby have given her.

Lynn thanked me for the meal as she dug in. I asked if I could take her picture and she readily obliged.

Sony A7IV @ 11 | 1/125 | 135mm | ISO 100

Canon FL 135mm f3.5 (adapted)

Photographed 6/23/24

B*tch With Brain

52 Assignments BW14 - Total Stranger

On a photowalk with some friends, we encountered three young women from Singapore.  I admired this woman's hat and she allowed me this photo.

Sony A7IV @ f4 | 1/640 | 44mm | ISO 100

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 4/7/24

Alone in the Crowd

Chicago, IL

Riding on a crowded "L" train, I noticed her self-isolation amongst the other passengers.  Deep in thought or truly forlorn?  Hope for the former and not the latter.

For the photographers, zone focus, not cropped.

Sony A7IV @ f8 | 1/160 | 28mm | ISO 4000

MD Minolta Celtic 28mm F2.8 (adapted)

Photographed 4/7/24

Red

"Sailors' Church"

Montreal, Canada

Sony A7 IV @ f5.6 1/125 20mm ISO 12800

Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G

Photographed 6/28/23

Candice

While visiting the Mall of America in Minneapolis for the first time, I spotted her as she walked in my direction. I slowly approached and complimented her on the awesome hairdo. She smiled and thanked me. In response to my inquiry about how long it took her to do this, she told me 3-4 hours at the salon. I asked to make a photo and she readily agreed.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f4 1/1000 40mm equiv ISO 640

Photographed 11/12/22

Reevaluating Goals: Visual Storytelling

2022_CLondon52w26: Reevaluating Goals

From the C.London website: "We’re halfway through! Congrats on making it this far! How are you going on your initial goal from week one? Often times challenges like this one will lead you off your initial track and make you reevaluate what your goal is. On the other hand, you may have become even more dedicated to your original goal. Both are okay! The image this week should be a revisit of that original goal. If you want to do a full-on remake of the original, that’s great! If you’d prefer to start over with a whole new vision, also great!" 

Since my two measurable goals are almost completed, this week's photo(s) address the one subjective goal of becoming a better visual storyteller. I spotted this young woman dodging the bright sunshine with a large umbrella, while strolling through an art fair. I was not quick enough to catch a profile or head-on photo so I moved around the scene where I was able to capture a shot from another direction."

"Shade Me"

Sony A7C @ f2.8  1/750  85mm  ISO 100

Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4 

"Hair Flip"

Sony A7C @ f2.8  1/1000  85mm  ISO 100

Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4 

All Photographed 6/26/22

Untitled by Artist

Artist: Jenny Vyas

jennyvyas.com

Posted with artist permission

This mural struck me as I walked around Old Orchard to capture a C.London color theory photo for this week's challenge.  There is no title to provide a clue to the story or inspiration behind this creation.

What I see in this mural is a woman in despair, moving towards a clean slate or new beginning (the white wall in front of her) while expunging from her mind the disorder & chaos that is the source of her despair.

I'm posting two images of this mural.  The head-on shot is the stronger depiction of the woman's emotional state.  The angled shot is a stronger depiction of her moving towards the clean slate, leaving the disorder & chaos behind.

Sony A7C @ f4.5 1/750 28mm ISO 100

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


Sony A7C @ f4.5 1/1000 39mm ISO 100

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

Photographed 3/28/22

"You Should Do It"

52Frames - Week 51 - In The Middle

Extra Challenge: Street Photography

Wabash Avenue

Chicago, IL

Courtney’s advice to me when I approached & said how cool her hair looked and asked if I could make a photo.

Ricoh GRIIIx @ f2.8 1/250 26mm (40mm equiv) ISO 400

Photographed 12/16/21

If Looks Could Kill...

Powell Street
San Francisco, CA

Roma

Via Flickr:
It was the sound of a guitar and a melodic chant that caught my attention on Powell Street. I approached and she kept chanting. She reminded me of Roma in Italy. Showing her my camera, she nodded and I proceeded to take a few photos. When she stopped, I tried to converse but she could not understand me, nor I her. I deposited $2 in her guitar case and she smiled in thanks.

Taken 2/13/14

Green Eggs & Ham

Via Flickr:
Union Station
Chicago, IL

Look-alikes or not? You make the call.



Submitted for ClicheSaturday - Look Alikes

Debra

Via Flickr:
On my way to the train, she was standing along the busy sidewalk shaking her plastic cup. I told her about the $2 Portrait project and she readily agreed to participate. Debra is a born and raised Chicagoan who lives in Riverdale on the south side with her two children ages 15 and 17. She also has a 38 year old son, which surprised me. Debra is 58 and says she’s out on the street to “help make ends meet”. She smiled broadly when I told her she didn’t look old enough to have a 38 year old…said she really appreciated the compliment.

We talked a short time about the south side, where I lived until age 9 and my wife lived until age 18. Debra was talkative & friendly and I would have liked to spend more time with her learning more of her story. I gave her $2, wished her a happy New Year and we shook hands as I took off for my train.

Taken 12/27/13

Untitled

Via Flickr:
Prague, Czech Republic

Brutal week at work and no time to shoot so going to the trip archive for a posting.

70 Jahre

Via Flickr:
Regensburg, Germany

Prepared

Via Flickr:
Durnstein, Austria

Added to ClicheSaturday - Shoot the Shooter. HCS!

Waiting for What?

Via Flickr:
Vienna, Austria

Against Inhumanity

Via Flickr:
For our day in Vienna, I rented a bicycle and rode all around the city center. In front of Parliament, I met Zäzilia Mayr. She had just participated in a large protest against the Austrian government's inhumanity toward refugees.

I spoke to her for quite a while; her English was okay and my German was non-existent. In 2009, she rode a bicycle from Vienna to Jerusalem (or maybe it was Istanbul) as part of a peace mission. Zäzilia is a writer and poet and blogs at "Sichtweisen". She shared a belief of hers with me: "In every chest there is a heart". Yes, a very interesting person she was. Helped make my day in Vienna a memorable one.

Taken 9/20/13

Mannequin?

Via Flickr:
Vienna, Austria