Street Views

Over the years of traveling, my style of photography hasn't included a lot of street photography. But I have taken some shots in that genre. I don't think I have any winning photography in this area and I don't think street leads to a lot of wall hanging pictures as compared to a landscape or fine art shots which can have a lot of broad interest. However, there are some classic and famous street shots that do fit that category. You have to look for some slice of life that tells a story. Quite hard to get actually. I haven't tried all that much to shoot street but I will in the future. Anyway, I thought I would group some street shots that I have taken over the years and present them together to help fit a story. To me, street shots fit better in a book format rather than one picture at a time. Hard to do a "shot a day" when you are shooting street as one shot could be part of a theme. These two shots, obviously, do have something in common and I knew it when I took the second of these two shots. I was looking at the colors when I took the shots and the shot on top from Navy Pier in Chicago, which was taken later, reminded me of the first one below, from a street scene in Philadelphia. As a stand alone shot, I like the bottom one better, but the two together are interesting---well at least to me. 

Streets of Beijing

I have not been a big street shooter in my travels but I have done some street shooting along the way. As I go through the catalog looking for shots I haven't posted in awhile, I thought I would showcase some street photography. The problem with street shots is that they aren't really works of art as much as something that tries to tell a story. Usually a story can be better told with multiple shots. So, I will post some multiple shots here to help tell the story. Enjoy.

China Throwback

Back in 2009, I brought Stephie along with me on to a trip to China to see a solar eclipse on the outskirts of Beijing. I burned a lot of United miles on that trip but it was worth it. The trick for these solar eclipse trips is to go to somewhere exotic so that if the eclipse gets clouded out (which almost happened on our trip) you still got your money's worth discovering a new place to visit. I initially tried to get Cheryl to go but she didn't care for the itinerary as the trip involved a lot of things that are not high on Cheryl's list of things to do: like travel to exotic lands, eat strange foods, suffer through a solar eclipse, travel on a bus full of tourists for a week and endure a long plane ride (twice). Stephie was in the kitchen when we discussed the trip and volunteered to go in Cheryl's place. So, she got to go and I didn't get in trouble for going by myself. It was cultural training for Stephie!!! Photographic opportunities were everywhere, which is how it feels when you are in a different culture. As I have been going through my catalog cleaning out old shots during this time of social isolation, I keep coming across wonderful memories of these fantastic sights.

Here is how I would edit the shot today:

Just straightened it out and opened the shadows a slight touch.

Nature at Home

Weather turned a little warmer yesterday so I decided I would do some nature photography. Now normally I would go anywhere from the local forest preserve to as far as a national park to get my nature fix. This day however, I decided I would do it from within 10 feet of my house. Check. Got some water droplets on a tulip bulb in the morning, got the tulip open later when the sun came out, got our resident chipmunk, "Chip", who lives right by our front door to pose for a shot and got a friendly neighborhood rabbit who likes to eat from our front yard to stop by for a visit. Who says you need to go far to see nature? Take that Coronavirus and stuff it.

Rain drops on stalk

Stuck at home and not traveling so you have to get creative to find shots. I pulled out my macro lens and did some rain drop photography. At that level of magnification, I see that the green stalk for a tulip bulb has hair!!! I never knew that. Not an award winning shot but was fun.

Badlands in the Fall

From the Badlands in South Dakota. Wonderful colors from a fall visit to Badlands National Park back in 2018. I did a cross country trip to pick up Michael Jr. Made some stops on the way back. Great trip. Can't wait to do it again some time.

Hotel Hotel: a second visit

One of my Facebook friends and fellow photographers, Anne, a wonderful shooter, suggested taking a shot I posted from a few days ago into a wider crop. I didn't think I had the original, but, voila, I found it and was able to work this building, stubborn as it was, into a larger crop. I think I like my original best but the crop above is not bad. I can get into it. The building still shows its character. That must have been some hotel or Hotel Hotel in the distant past.

The full shot of the building is also interesting but I think I have to get back too far to take in the whole building in the frame. I wonder if the two pigeons in the middle upstairs widows know anything about this old building? Oh well, it has been awhile, since I took the shot back in 2008 with my old Nikon D700.

The crop that I posted earlier in the week and the one that I used in a competition still is my favorite. I changed some of the colors in this shot to match a yellow/green theme that was part of the competition. So, it is cheating somewhat but that is photography. Don't believe anything you see.

I like this crop best still, although the square crop above is also nice. The building is a pain to edit as I think the lines in the building are not straight. I can't tell if it is the way I shot it or if the damn building was itself all crooked. Anyway, a couple of cropping choices. Which do you like best?

Cattle Crossing

Well this isn't a sign you see very often, or ever, in the big city. When I saw it I knew I needed to pull over and take this shot. The rump of the horse in the background was just a bonus. Do the cattle know they are supposed to cross here?

From a road trip in central Illinois back in 2008.

Hotel Hotel

We have all been asked to find ways to cut back on expenses and save our companies money. Therefore, I will be staying in hotel chains like this one in the near future. The travel guide will say that the property has "character", which it does have in spades. This is a shot from way back in 2008 and is one of my all-time favorites. Love the texture and detail. I don't remember exactly where I shot this now although I know it was on road trip through central Illinois. I think I was coming back from a visit to my son at the University of Illinois. I am sure this building has lots of stories to tell.

Pelican Take Off

Still looking for calm. Nothing more calming than watching pelicans take off over water. You can't figure how they do it as they look so ungainly. But they do get up and they are quite good at diving for their food. Anyway, they are fun to watch. From a trip to Naples Florida back in 2012.

Roadside Turnout near Bend, Oregon

A roadside turnout heading into Bend, Oregon got this view of Mt Washington in the Cascade Mountains, where you get to see some of the most beautiful mountain peaks in the Pacific Northwest. The scenic drive I took from a trip in 2018 takes you to the summit of the McKenzie Pass at an elevation of 5325 feet. At the summit you are able to see at least 7 peaks, depending on the very changeable weather, including the Three Sisters and Mount Jefferson, among others. Along the ground is the remains of one of the last lava flows in the continental United States from an eruption that occurred only 2 or 3 thousand years ago. I highly recommend Bend for its craft beers and wonderful outdoor culture. Great place to visit when we can start visiting places again. 

Chicago Shade

During a walk along Michigan Avenue on a hot summer's day back in 2014, I found a shady spot, with no visitors for the moment. I got to enjoy some peace and quiet before heading back to work. Believe me, people were all around, just not in front of my lens for a few seconds. Now I use this shot to remember a quiet moment in a busy world.

Chicago Lakefront Sunrise

Probably too busy a shot to be considered a "landscape" or even a "seascape" but it is one of my all time favorites so I will include it anyway. Always love seeing this shot which necessitated a 4 am wake up to get downtown before sunrise way back in June 2008, just as I was getting back into photography. It was worth the effort and something I will have to do again one day.

Marblehead Dreaming

Playing with filters I found a wonderful photo and filter combination that, I hope, fits in with the "landscape with a sense of calm" theme. It does it for me. Really like how this one turned out. Good start to the end of the week. The shot is from Marblehead, Mass. I was informed by my co-worker who lives in the area that the tree in this shot has come down from a storm last year. So sad. However, this is now a shot that is worth a lot more. If you are interested in buying this shot from me (or any of my shots by the way), just reach out via Facebook. I may have to get this one professionally printed for myself. Quite liking it actually. On a second note, my son Michael Jr, said this is not a landscape as it has too much going on. Might be right. I still like it.

Two Row Boats at Sunset

Still trying to find that sense of calm. This one has a lot of filter work to try to get there. Probably needed a different exposure and crop but it is what it is. So not a perfect shot and my filter work didn't make it any better. Sometimes you try and get there. Sometimes not. In any case, not going back near Marblehead for some time. Wonderful area. Lots of history there. Enjoy your Taster's Choice moment if you can find one.

Little Houses on the Prairie

Yes, I still am looking for a sense of calm. One of my co-workers had a great line: "Nothing will be normal until things go back to normal". So true. Therefore, I selected another shot for the landscape series with the attempt to impart a sense of calm. Not much going on in this landscape shot so you have to put your self into this picture and breathe. Good luck.

A little black and white

Hmmm....I've gone from calm and smoothing landscapes to dark and moody. It is sunny out in Chicago today, but cold. Maybe I will find some smoothing landscapes after it warms up again. For today--watch out. It is dark and stormy inside the house today.

Landscape Challenge with Sandhill Cranes and Grazing Deers

This photo has to rank as the most expensive shot I have ever taken!!! That is because back in 2011, I rented a Nikon 600mm f4.0 lens, which retails for around $10,000, a lens that is just about as large as a decent sized telescope, and equally expensive. What a fun weekend. It only cost $125 to rent so it was money well spent. I was able to get several shots added to my best shot collection. To get this shot, my buddy Bill and I went to a field in northern Indiana where Sandhill Cranes are known to rest on the way to Florida. These birds, while large in size, are quite far away, are maybe around a half mile but still are quite large in the frame due to the size of the lens I am using to capture them. With the small aperture, I was able to get the birds sharp and background blurred, so much so that you can barely make out some deer grazing in the background. Anyway, really like this shot as it is always hard to get birds in flight sharp and large enough to fill the frame.

Pelican Painting

I think if I don't get released from social isolation soon, I will be cutting my ear, growing my hair very long and otherwise start to go start raving mad. However, in the meantime, I am putting some of my downtime to use, in this instance, learning a bit about painting with brushes in Photoshop. I took one of my shots with a strong central figure, a Pelican, of course, in the midst of feeding off the beach in Naples, Florida and using a variety of brushes and colors, got this creation. I quite like it. Fun stuff.

Landscape Challenge--Naperville Edition

Another shot for the landscape theme. Not far from home is a nice crushed rock running path that I sometimes frequent. This little pond is near that path and occasionally you get these wonderful sunsets. This one happened in December 2012 and I caught it on the way home from work. I am kicking myself right now as we had a beautiful pink sunset this past week and being stuck at home, I didn't see it coming until it was too late to try to go out and get a shot. Have to be more vigilant for the next one. Location matters in a landscape shot. This one has a clear view of the western horizon but without much going in the foreground, you need a good sky to make it a decent shot. Always look up. That is good advice for these trying times

Landscape Challenge

You hear it all the time. If you want to get amazing shots, you have to go too far off, distant places and use an expensive camera. Not true. This is shot on the lakefront in Chicago with my original digital camera. A Nikon D200. Way, way back in 2008. At that time I hadn't attended all kinds of photo training classes, which I started to do after taking this shot. Cameras are so good, you can do this with your cell phone. All you have to do was get up early to be downtown before sunrise. Your city probably has some clean view of the eastern horizon. Right now we are stuck at home but hopefully we will be released from captivity soon. Good luck to all.

Moonscape Challenge

A slight pause in the landscape challenge pictures to put up last night's "super moon", which is just a new moon when the moon is closer to the Earth than normal. This is a composite of two shots as you can't get the bright moon sharp and still have dark foreground elements like the trees in the picture. So, the moon is a bit more "super" in this shot than normal. Oh well. That's photography. Can't trust what you see. My moon is a little bigger than it actually was in real life as I swapped a too bright moon from one shot to a sharp moon picture in the other. Doing that decreases the size of the moon as the blurry moon is bigger. So, to compensate, I had to increase the size of the sharp moon to fill the hole. Does that make sense? Could you tell in advance? Anyway, I was lucky to get the moon at all as a storm was blowing through. No rain but a nice spring light show.

Mount Washington landscape scene

My landscape shots so far in this challenge have all been of wide open spaces. This doesn't fall in that category so I was wondering myself if this shot is a "landscape" shot after all? According to the be all and end all definitions ie, from Wikipedia,so we know it is right, a landscape "commonly involves daylight photography of natural features of land, sky and waters, at a distance—though some landscapes may involve subjects in a scenic setting nearby, even close-up, and sometimes at night". So, there you go. This still qualifies and although a bit busy, I think if you can pause a moment to hear the babbling brook, you can still get a sense of calm, which is what I am trying to go for within this challenge. So, hopefully, we will all be released from captivity and be able to enjoy scenes like this in nature soon. 

Landscape Challenge--Martha's Vineyard

I'm not totally sure that this shot gives off a feeling of calmness as there is a lot going on in this shot-- but I like it anyway. Obviously, I used a filter here as the shot looked a bit like a painting from the start. The original is posted below. Which do you like better? I rated the original higher than this edited version but I like them both. This was from a great trip that Cheryl and I took for our 30th anniversary to Martha's Vineyard. Right now, I would like to take a trip just down the block without worry. But this too, shall pass.

The original here below is a bit of a mess of a shot. I was pointing into the sun and the lens was a bit fogged up from coming out of air conditioning to the beach area, which was quite warm already, even as the sun was rising. Anyway, that is why I originally turned to a filter to fix the shot. Today, I look at the original and I kinda like it as well. Anyway, you decide. Filter or no?

Landscape Challenge--Mount Washington Hike

Another landscape shot for the landscape challenge. I have embraced this challenge with a twist. You are supposed to post a landscape shot without you in the picture, which of course is easy if you have been shooting landscapes for years, as I have been doing. My twist is to try to find something calming in nature as a lot of landscapes don't really give a sense of calm. So, that is my little twist. Can't be too dramatic. I need calm with the markets so volatile. So, this shot is from a little hike up Mount Washington--a little hike that almost killed me as I was not prepared to walk up a mountain for 4 hours straight. I would love to do this again now that I am in better shape--but also 9 years older as I took this shot in August 2011. Mount Washington is in New Hampshire and it is just beautiful up there, as you can see. Challenging hike. Definitely want to train for it next time. Love the play of light across the landscape in this shot. Enjoy the day.

Landscape Challenge from Martha's Vineyard

Back in 2011 Cheryl and I visited Martha's Vineyard for a wonderful anniversary vacation and I got up early one morning to get this great sunrise shot. I will add it to the landscape challenge theme. I'm going through the catalog looking for long lost shots that both show a landscape and provide a sense of calm, at least for me. Hope you feel some calm as well.

Landscape Challenge--Blue Mist Mountains

My second post in the landscape challenge is another all time favorite of mine taken while flying from Seattle to Chicago somewhere over the Cascade Range at around 7:15am local time way back in August 2015, according to my camera's metadata. Just love the misty view of the morning sky over the mountains. So peaceful and hopefully this shot gives you a moment of peace in these trying times.  This is probably part of the Wenatchee Mountains, just east of Seattle as the plane climbs out of the city on its way over the Rockies and home.