More railroad shots.
I didn't actually see them until I zoomed in to do some cleaning.
Check out my blog post on macro photography for more info on how I shot this and the recent macro shots.
I'm not sure why this shot keeps sticking out to me. Technically it's not too great, there's not much if anything in focus. I wish I had framed it a bit to the left, but I was just firing away. Yet I keep looking at it. Maybe because the girl is static among the other people moving around her along with her posture and the expression on her face. I guess you decide.
I have some new shots, but I haven't even pulled them from the camera yet. So, with little time tonight to work on anything I pulled this one from the archives. Taken in Chicago last September. The subway is an interesting place. I'm glad I don't have to do this every morning and evening, like some of you might have to. I am quite lucky. I live about 3 or 4 blocks from my work. So I hop in the truck and pull up to work a minute or two later.
Update: I just realized after some of your comments that this was not on a subway, but a bus. Silly me.
I'm disappointed with this shot. I had it pictured in my mind pretty much as it is, but the grain is to high and it's just not totally what I wanted. It was pretty dark, early and cold. That's pretty much how shooting this whole day went. I had the whole day off and hoped to get alot of good shots. I got home frustrated and disappointed. I guess that's how it goes.
Silly me
Another view of this shot.
I had a hard time deciding between the sepia and the color version. To me the color version seems too busy, but I do like the colors at the same time. These squirrels where pretty crazy. I guess they've been feed too much from humans and weren't scared at all at getting close to us. You'll see a couple more in the next week or so.
I wish I had got the boat he was driving in this shot with him, but this shot really show the wonder and amazement that was on his face. It was quite a treat, for both of us, just for different reasons.
I'm kinda hungry.
A different angle of these columns.
This is actually a radiator cap with a temperature meter built into it. Instead of having a temperature gauge on the dash board it was on the radiator cap that stuck up above the front of the car. Boyce MotoMeter maintained a virtual monopoly on the radiator thermometer for quite awhile until the electric sensors were developed and ended up replacing the hood mounted meters.
Sometimes it's just good to be alone.
Same angel as yesturday's shot. Interesting how this different angle changes how the face appears as opposed to yesturday's.
Kinda sad looking angel.
I had a different picture up earlier today, but the more I looked at it the more I didn't like it. So I pulled this one out. From Chicago back in September near the Navy Pier.
Time for something a little different than nature stuff...
Felt like breaking out of the nature shots. This is an old abandoned building downtown. I'd like to venture in for some shooting, but it's all locked up and the police probably won't take kindly to my entering uninvited. I stood there thinking about what sounds and sights might have been around this place in the past. What kind of business ran in and out of this? What sort of people were employed there?
Continuing shots of people this week. I'm pretty sure this guy was sleeping. He's on a bench just outside the Navy Pier in Chicago. I titled it Napoleon sleeps because he reminded me of the guy from Napoleon Dynamite, which is a very funny movie. The other great thing about it is it's not your typical Hollywood big budget junk. Plus it's a clean movie. I think the worst word in the movie is maybe "Idiot." And to hear Napoleon say it is quite funny.
Brandon walking along the edge of Lake Michigan near the Alder Planetarium. There was a couple of other people in the shot but I found them distracting so I removed them. I love Photoshop.
Opinion time...with or without grain.
I'm not really so vain as to think you want to look this close at me. I have been wanting to experiment with up close shots and for a lack of willing subjects I used myself. Just messin around. And, I'm not normally quite this serious! :)
It's a little more centered than I intended, but oh well. Oh, and I lied when I said one more black and white yesturday. Here's another. :)
Ok, one more black and white. Nothing special, just messing around just after sunset. Process: Slight crop, gradient map adjustment layer with black and white gradient. Clone tool to clean up the leaves on the top and bottom edge. Two passes through Neat Image to remove noise. I'll get back to color stuff some time...or maybe not. :) Here is the original if you are curious.
This time the grain is natural. I was playing with ISO as the sun was setting at a playground.
More black and white
I am quite fond of black and white lately.
Without grain or With grain?
I'm not quite sure why, but this one keeps appealing to me. I've decided to quit trying to reason to myself about what I post and just post what jumps at me. So here it is.
I've read alot of books in my life. Some on photography (I certainly need to read more of these.) Some on computers. Some fiction. Some non-fiction. But this is the book I've read the most and continue to turn to. It'll change your life if you let it.
There was a discussion the other day on Chromasia about photography as either being or not being an art. A comment was made that art is only art if it "challenges ideas and preconceptions." Like David from Chromasia said "I think this is an overly restrictive and highbrow definition..." But, isn't that something to attempt to do from time to time? To challenge a person...to elicite some response? Sometimes it's just a "hmmm" or maybe a "wow."
I guess my point is, what does this photograph elicite in you? Maybe it's joy and comfort. Maybe it's anger or pitty. The book itself is nothing but ink and paper. But, the message that the ink conveys demands a response.
Something a little different than Chicago scenery. This is Brandon doing his paparazzi impersonation before realizing he had the lens cap on still. :)
Not much to say here. Saw this little girl playing by one of the beaches we visited along lake Michigan in Chicago. I couldn't decide whether I liked the color version or monochrome version better. I keep leaning towards color, what do you think?
Update: Monochrome seems to be winning out, so I swapped them. :) Thanks for the comments!
As we walked the downtown area of Chicago I saw at least 4 newlywed couples. This one struck me because of the smile on the bride's face. I'm not much of a romantic, but these two seemed extremely happy. Hopefully that lasts in their marriage. Too many people take marriage and the family so haphazzardly.
