The 2 of us
Abandoned
Old Lawrenceville Illinois football field.
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Elizabeth Reed – First Woman Executed by Hanging in Illinois (picture essay)
Growing up there was a story of a lady who was executed in my home town by hanging. She was the first in Illinois. I honestly always questioned the authenticity of the story. Recently, my wife and I were back in Lawrenceville and I was telling her and my little girl about it. My wife searched for the story on the internet and to come to find out, there is definitely truth to it. Here is a blog post by Joy Neighbors about Elizabeth Reed, the first woman executed by hanging in Illinois.
After reading the blog post I decided I needed to see the cemetery and the headstone my self. What really caught my eye was the Heathsville sign that shows the population to be 8. Unsure if I will ever see another town with less people in it LOL.
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Hopewell
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My favorite food
We ran home for a quick visit with friends and family. Any time we go home I always have to get pizza from Bobe’s Pizza. Growing up I probably ate there at least twice a week.
After we finished eating, our daughter decided she would get on the table and try to entertain everyone. Don’t worry she has vitamin bottles in her hands.
ISO 160 1/45 f/3.4 21mm super elmar
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You call this talent?
Repost: 9.27.11
As we were walking to the hotel and stopped, waiting to cross Michigan Avenue, we noticed this guy on a bike smoking a cigarette and balancing himself in one spot for what seem to be an eternity. While multitasking, he had many cars passing him left and right. I definitely think this is a talent but don’t think it’s a talent I want?
The shot was taken with my Leica M9 and 50mm summilux set at continuous shooting, f/1.4, and 1/45 shutter speed. Because of the low aperture and the small size of the camera I was able to successfully get this shot at such a low shutter speed. Last, I keep my camera on continuous shooting so that I have a better opportunity of getting a sharper image and catching the action act the exact, right time.
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Lincoln Memorial
Here’s a shot I took at the Lincoln Memorial. I was fortunate to get this picture amongst the crowd. Also, the sun had set and was shooting handheld without a flash (my preference).
ISO 500 1/45 f/1.4 50mm summilux
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Abandoned Outhouse
My brother-in-law and I drove around yesterday looking for abandoned structures to take pictures of. We came across this old church that was built in 1898. It’s still in use but does not having running water and still had outhouses.
The sun was beginning to go down and I was trying to capture it in the picture. This can be a challenge because it will often causes everything in the foreground to be extremely dark. I decreased the shutter to 1/750 of a second, hoping to increase the detail in my foreground but also catch a glare from the sun. This doesn’t always look good but I think it worked well in this picture.
ISO 160 f1.4 1/750 50mm
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Reflection
As my skills as a photographer have improved, I find my self looking at the world around me differently. For example, this weekend I was in Chicago for a street photography workshop given by Steve Huff. We were all standing at Crown Fountain in Millennium Park taking pictures and this couple were having their pictures taken by a professional photographer. As I stood and watched, I looked down and liked the reflection of the couple, photographer and background. Therefore, instead of taking a picture the couple I decided to focus on the reflection.
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Flying High
I spent some time in St. Louis in late 2004 and early 2005. On a few occasions we would drive to Alton Illinois to see the second largest gathering of Bald Eagles in the United States. I’ve never had much interest in birds but Bald Eagles are the exception. They are remarkable to see and an enjoyment to watch them fly. I can easily understand why they are our national bird.
Probably, my first heavily photoshop image was taken of Bald Eagles in Alton. The below image is made up of two different birds. The five birds flying are actually all the same bird, I shot it using my Canon 20d and Canon f2.8 L series 70-200mm lens (best telephoto lens I’ve ever owned). The bird on the branch was sitting next to the road. Last, it was a very overcast day which allowed me to get such great pictures of these creatures without completely ruining their highlights. The sky used in the picture was taken outside my apartment at the time in Des Moines Iowa.
P.S. You got to stop at Fast Eddies if you are in Alton, they sell 1/2lb hamburgers for $.99 (they haven’t raised there prices in years)!!!
