Watching my step

Fallen Broadleaf maple leaf at Oyster Bay, Olympia, Washington.
Fallen Broadleaf maple leaf at Oyster Bay, Olympia, Washington.

One good thing about being slightly less than sure-footed is that I frequently look  down at where I’m walking, and see things that I might otherwise miss.  As much as I love breathtaking, expansive landscapes, sometimes it’s the small and quiet moments that really affect me the most–particularly on a journey of self-discovery and renewal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Scenes from our kitchen

Misty Martinez laughs as Herbie looks on
Misty Martinez laughs as Herbie looks on at the Thanksgiving preparations in our kitchen, Durham, N.C. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 35mm | Exposed 1/50 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 800, flash fired @ +2/3 EV

We’ll actually be going over to Carrie and Andy Olson-Manning’s house for Thanksgiving dinner later today.  However, while her husband, Andy, prepared the turkey in their kitchen, Carrie and her friend Misty came to our house to make some side dishes while we did the same.  Naturally, the dogs came, too!

Carrie Olson-Manning makes Swedish meatballs
Carrie Olson-Manning makes Swedish meatballs in the hours before Thanksgiving dinner, Durham, N.C. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 25mm | Exposed 1/125 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 800, flash fired @ +2/3 EV
Rum-glazed sweet potatoes
Elizabeth drizzles some more rum over the glazed sweet potatoes as they await their finish in the oven on Thanksgiving Day, Durham, N.C. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 25mm | Exposed 1/20 sec. @ f/4, ISO 800, flash fired @ +2/3 EV

Goodnight, Chicago

Wendella Boats' "Linnea" passes under the DuSable Bridge
Wendella Boats' "Linnea" passes under the DuSable Bridge that connects Michigan Avenue over the Chicago River on October 19, 2010. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 42mm | Exposed 1/160 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Finally, I present the last of my Chicago images.  Not necessarily for the master’s project, but for me: Elizabeth and I lived in Chicago for a time, but I never really carried a camera with me because I was concerned about keeping my equipment safe at our apartment in Hyde Park.  I figured the less I had, the safer we were (and we never had a break-in).  But this project gave me an excuse to walk around downtown and the Loop with some of my better gear.  Frankly, the 5D Mk. II and a 50mm lens would be a great combination, with a wide-angle lens and a telephoto as two accessory lenses, but I really needed to have the 24-70mm with me that day as I was working on my project, and needed the flexibility that it provides.  The next time I go to Chicago with a camera, it will just be for me, and the equipment choices will certainly reflect that!

Taxi and Carbide and Carbon Building
Taxi and Carbide and Carbon Building (Hard Rock Hotel) | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 16mm | Exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/4, ISO 400
Elevated train on Wabash Ave and Smurfit-Stone Building
Elevated train on Wabash Ave. and Smurfit-Stone Building | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm | Exposed 1/80 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Three more photographs after the jump!

Continue reading “Goodnight, Chicago”

The “Green City”

Chicago and its eponymous river
The city's eponymous river, Chicago Riverfront, Chicago, Ill. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 16mm | Exposed 1/1000 sec. @ f/4, ISO 250

Chicago and the river that bears the city’s name are a large part my project about Asian carp: the river is a conduit through which the fish are likely to find their way into Lake Michigan.  (In all fairness, they have already found alternative routes that take them into Lake Erie.)  Here, then, are a few more photos of this city that is the seat of so much controversy.

Corn Crib, IBM Building, and Trump Tower
"Corn Cribs," IBM Building, and Trump Tower, Chicago, Ill. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm | Exposed 1/200 sec. @ f/8, ISO 250
Aqua skyscraper
Aqua, designed by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, is the largest skyscraper project awarded to an architectural firm headed by a woman. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 240mm | Exposed 1/800 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400
Window cleaning crew on 333 W. Wacker Drive
Window cleaning crew on 333 W. Wacker Drive | Canon 5D Mk. II and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 300mm | Exposed 1/400 sec. @ f/8, ISO 400