A Fall Beauty

November 25, 2013

Autumn is a beautiful transitional season full of color, so what better time to showcase a beautiful high school senior beginning her own transition between high school and college! Our shoot was in downtown Chicago on two very cooperative fall weather days.

We started at local candy store, Candyality, on Southport Avenue in the Lakeview neighborhood. Store employees and other shoppers were kind enough to shop for their sweets while we entertained them with poses.

Our second location began in Pioneer Court outside of the Chicago Tribune building on Michigan Avenue and ended at the famous Navy Pier.

Congratulations to Kaley, high school senior class of 2014!

The New Instant Film: Cell Phone Photos Tell Our Story

August 1, 2013

When I bring my camera to an event, I am expecting to capture shots that describe that place and that moment in time. Those photos definitely mean a lot to me and I enjoy thinking about that event when I review them later. But it is those moments I don’t expect (that I sometimes forget) which really tell the story of my experiences.

In the past, only the most dedicated photo story tellers would have their camera with them to capture the special moments that happen in between the events in life. When digital cameras first became available to the everyday consumer, we started to think differently about photography.

“I can shoot as many photos as I can fit on this card…and it won’t cost me more than the price of batteries!”

I remember this feeling well. Don’t get me wrong, I love film photography and still shoot on both standard 35mm and other hard-to-find formats. But I was thrilled that I had a few more frames to look through that would better describe the mood I was looking for.

(This is also a different discussion than eliminating photo departments at newspapers in favor of journalists with cell phones. I do not agree with that.)

And yes, I do “chimp” a little bit. (Chimping is when you look at your LCD to see how the shot turned out and maybe say “oooh oooh oohh!”) It’s a rare occasion for me as I prefer to get back to the “Lightroom” to see how things worked. But it’s part of the process of verifying my camera settings.

I also remember those first camera phones. Basically a slightly worse version of my digital camera back then. So I would still tote around both. That has completely changed now. My iPhone is always with me and it contains countless small moments that I want to remember.

Those small moments tell the real story of my life experiences.

Even with all of my favorite photos taken intentionally, it is those random pictures of squirrels in the park, bike ride views, funny things I see on the sidewalk, things I want to remember in the store and chance celebrity encounters that really tell my story.

I’d love it if you could share in the comments how you go about using those small camera photo moments – do you post them online? Do you share them with family and friends and then forget about them? Do you backup the photos in a cloud service to use “someday?” Do you print them out and create a scrapbook?

I do all of those things and I’m looking for your ideas!

This gallery is a few of my favorite cell phone story photos:

Always fun to see a toilet on the sidewalk

Boeing 787

July 27, 2013

Lot 1 – Arriving at KORD (O’Hare International Airport)

Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliner”
United 33 Heavy – KIAH (Houston) to KORD (Chicago O’Hare)

Kodak Brownie Holiday

July 20, 2013

This beautiful camera was entrusted to my care by a very dear friend and I’m happy to make it part of my camera collection. The next step I want to take is finding some Kodak 127 film and taking eight exposures! I may also decide to dive into my own development processing as well, but that will be a large project.

Kodak Brownie Holiday cameras were manufactured between 1953 and 1962. The date can be further narrowed by knowing the lens. This particular Holiday has a Dakon plastic lens which means it was made between 1955 and 1962. Kodet lenses were used from 1953 to 1955.

The camera uses Kodak 127 film which creates an image size of 1 5/8″ x 2 1/2″ and film would include eight exposures.

A few pages from the Kodak Brownie Instruction Manual

The manual itself would probably help me to actually date it even closer. I would be happy to hear from anyone who could get a smaller year range!

I intend to post images taken from this camera soon.

Spring in Grayscale

April 29, 2013

Street photography in Chicago: A series of black and white photos as spring approaches.

Flooding at Chicago Executive

April 20, 2013

The runways were mostly clear, but the space between them was flooded with spring rains. The ducks and geese were enjoying the pop-up ponds while aircraft continued to land.

Gusty crosswind landing on Runway 30:

Some taxiways were flooded:

Visit Sint Maarten and Tickle the Airplanes

March 19, 2013

There are videos and photos all over the internet…if you know where to look. On the island of Sint Maarten (Saint Martin on the French side), the airplanes are an attraction. And it all happens on the beach at Maho Bay – steps away from the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport.

To get an idea of what it feels like to have a 747 land over your head…well, watch this video of a 747 landing over my head:

It’s an aviation photography paradise. Hope you enjoy this Flickr album of a few of my favorites.
Gallery

GoPro Hero 3 Silver

January 27, 2013

After discovering the fun of taking aviation photos and video on my Nikon DSLR, I knew it was only a matter of time before I considered an additional camera to take care of the video so I can focus on detailed shots.

The camera I decided on is the GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition. In some ways, my delay in purchasing a GoPro benefitted me. The latest Hero 3 models have built-in Wi-Fi for control on phones/tablets and they are smaller and lighter. Another new feature of the Hero 3 editions is that they use Micro SD cards for storage.

The primary concern I have is getting a wide view. The Silver and Black Editions have Ultra-Wide, Medium and Narrow field of view options whereas the least expensive model (White) only offers Medium FOV. That quickly eliminated the White Edition for aviation purposes.

The Black edition’s primary benefit is ultra-high definition recording for resolutions higher than 1080p. White and Silver stop at 1080p (16:9) recording, but Black goes to 1440p, 2.7K Cinema and 4K Cinema. I’m not the kind of videographer that needs that intense resolution (nor do I have the screens that would support it), so I am satisfied by the Silver Edition’s 1080p.

My favorite feature so far is using the GoPro App on my phone to control the camera and change the settings. This is much quicker than using the two buttons and small screen on the camera to slowly click through the settings. The preview on my phone also makes an LCD add-on for the camera less of a priority for me. I’d take one if I happen to win one of GoPro’s daily “Everything We Make” giveaways though.

This is a video of thirty minutes of flight footage compressed into under two minutes. I hope you enjoy the audio – it’s loud (and funny)!

Waterworks : Fun with Food Coloring

January 23, 2013

Sometimes I just like to play. And what better way than to fill a vase with water and photograph food coloring? Even though it was really fun, it was more than just play – I wanted to capture some interesting backgrounds and shapes and investigate the time lapse options on my camera. The result of both taught me some great lessons I’ll use in other photography situations.

Here is a time lapse view of the process:

If you try it yourself, be sure to try and catch the food coloring just above the water surface as in this shot. Like lightning, it’s a thrill to catch!

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!

January 21, 2013

My Dad just told me…today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! And because I’m such a fan of these little scavengers, I thought I would share some of my favorite personal encounters with squirrels.

My favorite story is when I was taking a golf ball around the city of Chicago for photos and the squirrels were adventurous enough to come up to the golf ball and play with me! We pushed the ball back and forth. I wish there had been a videographer with me on that day. Happy Sciuridae!

Right before he leapt onto the bird feeder…

Cautiously approaching my golf ball…determined it wasn’t food and pushed it away!

Session Favorites : Jackie at Salvage One

January 19, 2013

On a winter weekend in Chicago, you have to be a bit creative for a photo session that doesn’t lead to frostbite. Fortunately, winter in Chicago this season has been mild (so far)!

When looking for a combination session (indoor + outdoor), I considered a few locations in Chicago that have a unique style. For my session with Jackie, I started us at Salvage One, 60,000 square feet filled with architectural elements saved from the wrecking ball. It was a beautiful setting for some portraits. Here are a few favorites:

Our next setting was brief because of the cold temperatures, but we made good use of it! The Chicago skyline is a favorite for many and it should be clear why – what a stunning city and model!

Session Favorites : Lightology

January 7, 2013

Lightology is a contemporary lighting company with a beautiful Chicago showroom – a perfect setting for some portraits.

Visit lightology.com to see all of the great lighting pieces.

On the Rooftop deck