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.