Million Dollar Ranch

From my Southern California trip. The picket fences are offset because the street is on a hill that descends to the beach not far below. I like the simplicity of this house, and the parallel lines of the roof and the small door covering.

Northern Beach

Malibu

Another shot from Southern California with my new Sigma lens. The wide angle allowed me to get a bit of both the water and the hills in the frame, while some slight stretching at the lower corners causes the footprints to point toward the subject, the lifeguard cabin.

Pacific Sunset

My first post of a picture taken with my brand new Sigma 10-20mm Super Wide Angle lens. I had alot of fun playing with my new toy out in Southern California, where I spent last week with Mike and Spence. It really expands what I'm able to capture in a frame and creates some interesting effects. In this pic, the slight distortion at the corners stretches out the clouds and waves, giving it a more dramatic and powerful look. More to come...

Survivor

Took this shot yesterday along Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, MI, just north of Petoskey, Jen's hometown. Despite the wind and low temperature, the coast and dunes were gorgeous. The low winter sun and thick clouds made for really great contrast and deep colors. The white bark of this tree really jumped out at me as Jen and I drove by, prompting us to stop and enjoy the scenery.

Leafburst

Singapore River at Night

On the Beaten Path

Urban Quilt

Back alleys in Chicago are fun to explore because many of the buildings are very old (even if their front facades have been renovated). Additions from different eras often intersect to make an interesting patchwork of construction.

Bolt to the Sun

Flying Off Axis

My attempt at panning. The idea is to follow a moving subject against a stationary background. So in this shot, I moved the camera in sync with the swing. Relative to the moving camera, the swing was stationary and the background was moving (thus the blurred ferris wheel and the frozen swing). This technique is pretty tough and takes practice. I definitely have some room for improvement, as the girls and swing are more blurry than I'd like.

Vang Vieng Panorama

Going to back to my Southeast Asia trip of June 2006, this is a shot from Vang Vieng, Laos. Note the fishermen peering into the stream below the bridge that appears to be made of twigs (right side of the frame). What's crazy about this region of the world, in my opinion, is that it's more beautiful when the skies are overcast. The earthy colors are so intense that they seem to stand out more under gray skies

Buckingham Fountain, Chicago

Under the Table and Dreaming

Wish I had thought of this title. Thanks DMB. This is a daytime version of the previous post, taken at Navy Pier.

Trippin'

I took this photo today, and did not subject it to any editing or enhancement. This is just as the camera caught it. Big prize to the first person to guess what it is. Please submit guesses via "Comments."

UPDATE: Well that was no fun. My mom gets it right on the first guess. This is the spinning swing ride at Navy Pier. The spoked light pattern at the left of the frame is the Ferris Wheel in the background.

Anyone Home?

I didn't realize these things still existed until I passed one in Brooklyn a couple weeks ago. I like that this shot has naturally dark corners and that the phone's position and stance look almost out of place, somewhat awkward... a relic of the past in this high-tech modern world.

Herbie's Uncle

Time Flies

This shot from a New York City subway stop has started to grow on me. I like that the hazy lighting and blurriness on the left side of the photo lead into better contrast and a sharper image at the right. If you're wondering, the subway train was moving right to left and I caught the tail end of it, thus the semi-obstructed view at the left. I think the shutter speed was probably 1/20th of a second or so, fast enough to freeze the two men on the other side of the tracks and slow enough to blur the speeding train.

Once again, I'm not quite sure if I like this better in B&W or Color. I think I'm leaning toward B&W, but Jen made the good point that the movement of the train's tail lights is less obvious in B&W (i.e. it looks as if there may be no train at all, but rather stationary lights on a track). I'll post the B&W below. Opinions welcome...

And FYI, I've started posting my pics as slightly smaller files, so that when you click on the photo to expand, it takes up the whole screen (approximately), rather than taking up the equivalent of 4 screens.

Lonely Noodles

Took this almost straight down from the top of the 45 story Eugenie Terrace condo highrise in Chicago. I like the perpendicular lines of the pool's edge, surface tiles, chairs, railing, etc. It was fun taking 'aerial' shots, getting a new perspective on the city. I'll have to buy a helicopter after I make my millions doing... uhh...

Grand Central Terminal, New York City

Spectator

Taken in uptown Manhattan, this guy sat just outside the hustle of the busy streets. This shot would have been better with my f1.8 lens, but I didn't really have the time to switch from my zoom.

Hazy Lady

Took this shot down at Battery Park, at the south end of Manhattan. Not a lot I could do with the Statue given the haziness, but I like this one. Almost looks like the two girls are posing.

Williamsburg Bridge, NYC

I should start by apologizing to all my adoring fans out there who have been patiently awaiting my next blog post (Laura). The LCD on my POS Toshiba laptop broke, so I didn't have access to my pictures, or a computer for that matter.

But this has worked out well, because now I'm rocking a new MacBook complete with Adobe Photoshop, so my editing/publishing capabilities are much greater (nevermind that I still need to learn to use this stuff).

I've been in NYC since Friday, hanging out with some good college buddies, and I finally got out this evening for some photography and exploration. I'm staying in East Williamsburg, which is connected to Manhattan via the Williamsburg Bridge (pictured). This area has a lot of character (both the buildings and the people) and the photo opps are endless. I'm looking forward to going into Manhattan for a full day of photography tomorrow. Many more posts to follow (and more frequently)...

Northern Lakes

Sunset shot over a lake in Northern Wisconsin. I think this was taken over Memorial Day weekend 2006, when a group of us (Roge, Lasoff, Brad, etc.) drove to Jeff's lakehouse in Dairymens (sp?), Wisconsin for a weekend of fishing, golf and all activities of leisure.

River Trek

Unfortunately, the bridge being built over this river was not yet complete, so Dave and I barefooted through the gooey mud in order to get to the mountains in the background that we wanted to climb. We weren't too concerned with cleanliness while in Laos.

Breakers at Dawn

The Gardens of Ferrari-Carano

One of our many stops in Sonoma County, California, the winery at Ferrari-Carano is known for its landscaping as much as its wines (which were pretty solid too).

Loner

Captivated

On our way to a pretty intense hike/climb, Sturz and I walked by this elevated hut just outside the village of Vang Vien, in Central Laos.

I think these little ones were watching family members in the rice fields.

Railay Beach, Thailand

Messenger

Interlaken, Switerland

Took my moped really high into the mountains where a few isolated houses sat with an incredible view. I got weird looks from the locals, who clearly weren't used to seeing tourists on their tiny, curving one-way roads. I finally turned around when I arrived at a stretch of road covered in snow. But no worries, the downhill was more fun anyways. Who knew a moped could go 80kph?

Click on the image for the larger version... the little white vertical strip in the distance is a monster waterfall.

US Empowered

I'm running the Chicago Marathon this October to support my friend's organization, Urban Students Empowered. I took this pic of a few US Empowered fellows upon their high school graduation. Each of these students will be attending 4-year universities on full-ride scholarships in the Fall. Learn more about the cause by following the link at the top right of this page!

No Shoes, No Problem

Took this one on Railay Beach, which is near Krabi in Southern Thailand. Not a bad place to be...

The Merlion

Down by the main marina in Singapore stands a water-spewing version of the country's ubiquitous icon, the Merlion (as in Mermaid + Lion = a fish with a lion's head). Slightly bizarre, this thing can be found on t-shirts, key chains, etc. (anything a tourist would buy).

Concrete Monster

On our first day in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, Sturz and I walked around the city and did the standard sightseeing, which included a stop at the country's most identifiable landmark (not saying much), the Patuxay. As the tablet below states, this monument was built to resemble Paris' Arc de Triomphe, which was immediately apparent upon seeing the ceiling of the inside of the arc (right).
The tablet, by the way, is worth reading (click on it to enlarge)... hilarious. This thing is on the side of the monument and literally reads "From a closer distance, it appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete." Harsh words. I didn't think it was that ugly.

Thai Silk

One of my favorites from the Thailand trip, I took this shot my first day in Bangkok. Sturza and I spent a few hours exploring the hidden world of the main market of the city, where you can buy anything imaginable. Colorful silk scarves, popular goods for tourists, could be found every few booths.

Needs Title

So I realize I already posted this pic as a B&W a couple months ago (my first post, actually), but I'm putting it up again because I plan to submit it in a National Geographic Traveler amateur photo contest. Why the color version? There are already so many gray areas in this pic that it almost looks like the fusion of a B&W and Color photograph. Which makes the reddish-brown tones of the middle door, the dirt and the boy's skin and clothes stand out even more.

I'm also struggling a bit with the crop job on this one. Part of me thinks I should crop down a bit further so that the boy occupies a greater portion of the frame. Opinions anyone? (for those of you who don't know, you can leave comments on any of my blog posts by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of the post). I also need a title...

Maybe I should at least crop a little off the top (below). Thoughts welcome...

More Windows

No, I'm not obsessed with windows, but for some reason I really liked the simple patterns and symmetries I found in Sturza's village in Thailand.

The Brienzersee

Wish I had my good camera with me when I took this shot during my Europe trip in Summer 2004. Robbie, Jeff and I spent a few incredible days in Interlaken, Switzerland, and I rented a moped on two of those days. I believe I took this on our final day there, after riding down from the hills and mountains I had been exploring. On my way back to the hostel, I rode along the lake (the Brienzersee, I believe) and saw this lonely fisherman trying to catch a few more before dusk set in. With the battery dead on my 35mm, I had to resort to my compact Pentax, which fortunately ended up being enough to capture the serenity of the scene.

Urban Jungle

Gotta love the hills of San Francisco. Jen and I hiked up and down in search of Lombard Street and found this nice little view on our way.

Dome Junior

Not exactly Ansel Adams' "Monolith," this piece of rock is actually Half Dome's neighbor. I took this shot on the way down from the summit, legs aching and sun falling. A couple more miles and Jen, Mike, Christa and I were hiking in darkness through the valley... spoooky.

Hoping that I'll get another Half Dome hike in this summer when I head out to California. Anyone looking to sell a used motorcycle (as if people outside my family and a couple friends are actually looking at this blog, let alone reading it)?

Sing Lights

This pic was taken along the waterfront in downtown Singapore. The architecture and sculptures were fantastic, including these lit vertical bulbs that twisted between palm trees and buildings. On this particular night, my last in Singapore, I had gone out late to capture some skyline shots, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the city was still very much alive well past 2am... on a Tuesday.

Sawadee Ka!

On my way to the Chao Phraya to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the king's reign in Thailand, plenty of street vendors offered refreshments to fight the heat.

Skyline

Went out for a little bike ride last night and brought my camera and tripod. Set these pics up from around the Field Museum.