October 31, 2008

Cough, cough. Hack, hack. I'm sick. Boo. And, we are going to leave for a long weekend tomorrow, so it might be a few days before I post again. I was slinking around trying to take photos of unsuspecting people when I stumbled upon this tree. At first, I didn't even see the heart carving as I was looking beyond and it blended a bit with the markings on the birch. Then, as I quit being so focused on capturing a specific image and started to look around, then I saw it. And, I wondered who carved it. And when they carved it, who were they thinking about?

October 29, 2008

This is another photo from my day at the lily pond. I do so love that place. I was there in the late afternoon so I had a gorgeous waning fall sun to photograph with. I've pretty much gotten into a black and white groove with this blog, but the color shot of this photo is also pretty cool. Still fairly monotone, but with the warmth of the golden setting sun.

Another seed pod and a huge contrast to the lacy, dried pod I posted earlier this month. For those interested in the actual mechanics of capturing this image, this is a double exposure done in camera. The first exposure being sharp focus on the dark portion of the seed pod. There was a pretty good wind, so despite the amount of incoming light with the sun behind the subject, I used a shallow depth of field to bump up the shutter speed all in hopes of eliminating wind movement. The second exposure is taken with the same aperture/shutter speed combo but with the lens defocused to give a halo effect. My D200 has the ability to process this in camera and give me a single image output, which is what you see here.

October 28, 2008

These are a pair of scooters (or whatever!) that I see parked on my way to and from our athletic club. They intrigue me, for some reason. Matching bikes chained to a street sign. Always there. Always in tandem. Or, at least they are when I travel that route.

I'm not done with these boys. I will revisit because they intrigue me, chained to their street sign.

October 26, 2008

This is the courtyard of a church on the north end of the Magnificent Mile. Fourth Presbyterian Church, to be exact. It is quite the contrast to the skyscrapers that have sprouted up around it. It is old and quaint and absolutely gorgeous inside. Arches, ivy, leaded windows. Outside its walls, glass, concrete, steel beams. It's one of those little gems that I see all the time, yet forget it is there.

October 25, 2008

I never get tired of capturing this waterfall. So much you can do with a waterfall. This type of photo has been done over and over again. Nothing new, nothing original, but it is something that I really love. For some reason, to me, waterfalls always look so mystical when captured like this. This, in real time, is very much more of a slow trickle than the misty ribbons shown here. It is located in the Alfred Caldwall Lily Pool in Lincoln Park.

October 24, 2008

As I was leaving the angry lake yesterday, I was struck by the waves in the sand made by the rather strong wind. They were so much calmer and more peaceful than the water waves bashing the shore. Yet, I know that it is the same strong waves that form something so much more subtle on land.

I spotted a lone stone and his subtle heart shaped echoes in the sand tracks. I found the harshness of his shadow contrasting the somewhat dainty arcs in the sand to be quite intriguing.

October 23, 2008

This was captured at Oak Street Beach. The lake looked particularly angry today. I'm sure, signs of time to come. There was a wind blowing in from the east making the area around the lake extremely frigid despite the 50 degree weather. My fingers were numb and I was a little chilled, but I still find the waves hypnotic. Even when they are angry and seething.

And, to see a mom/grandma/nanny playing and probably lunching (based on the seagull hovering) with the backdrop of the crashing waves was a real juxtaposition of emotions.

October 22, 2008

It's official. It is fall here. With that, I returned to what I feel is my best talent in the photog world and that is distilling very small scenes from the larger. I wandered around one of my favorite places in Chicago today, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool. Located at the very north end of Lincoln Park Zoo, adjacent to the Lincoln Park Conservatory, it actually returns me to a bit of my rural roots. Yes, I can still hear, clearly, the huge traffic volume on Lake Shore Drive. If I strain, I can hear the El. However, if I apply the same effort, I can tune that out and hear the birds, insects, frogs, and nature.

I love Autumn. So many wonderful and glorious things have happened to me in the Autumn months. Even before that, it was my favorite season. Some see it as death. The end of summer. The beginning of a long and gloomy tenure into winter. I see it as a rebirth. From death, there comes life. And, I think this image is the perfect example. The lacy seed pod encasing the rebirth of the plant.

October 18, 2008

This is another picture from the Montrose Harbor area. There is a natural planting section on the point, along with a bird/nature sanctuary. I wonder what this looked like many, many years ago with the native plants didn't have to be planted and fenced off from society.

October 17, 2008

Same harbor, different view. Actually, this picture was from Valentine's Day, 2007 when we were slammed with snow and then followed with outrageous subzero temps. My camera fogged up. My fingers numb with the cold just moments out of the comfort of the car, so cold it was tough to operate the controls.

The thing is, I know this is coming again for me.

October 16, 2008

Well, I'm back to give it another try. This daily photo thing.

This was taken at Montrose Harbor. I go to the lake to find some peace and serenity and I was stunned at how it so engulfed me today that the sounds of the waves breaking and the gulls swirling around totally blocked out the city noise. I needed that today. Desperately.