I’ve taken previous shots from this location and always enjoy going back. I really like the large cloud. I think it adds to the picture.
ISO 160 f3.4 21mm super elmar
Chicago River – in mono
Lone Goal
Re-post June 2011
Since starting this site in May I have not mentioned a whole lot about my self with the exception of having a newborn. I have many enjoyments in life, including spending time with my beautiful wife and daughter, playing basketball, lifting weights, working on computers, photography, and work which consists of fixing peoples ankles and feet. I guess I have to say that I’m very diverse in what I do.
My wife grew up in the country and her father put up a basketball goal in their yard. She never had interest in playing basketball but always watched me throughout high school (yes, we are high school sweethearts). Often times we would go out and shoot baskets for fun. I never thought much about the placement of the basketball goal but it sits out in the middle of a field with a small tree along side it. The solidarity of this structure interested me and thought it would be a great picture opportunity.
Share:
Downtown Chicago
Re-post May 2011
It was a nice clear night and I was looking for a good shot of downtown Chicago. We walked below the Michigan Ave. bridge crossing the Chicago River. This is a 5 exposure HDR. Initially shot in color, I prefer it in black and white. I hope to return to Chicago soon, it’s my favorite city to travel to.
Share:
Des Moines @ Night
Re-post June 2011
I drove into Des Moines tonight for a meeting and thought I would capture some pictures. Des Moines is one of my favorite cities. Since graduating in 2005 from Des Moines University there has been a significant amount of renovation to the downtown area. I love the architecture and it’s always a great place to take pictures.
Iowa’s State Capitol sits on the east side of downtown (immediately behind me in this picture). There is a lot of sidewalks and landscape to its west. It also sits up high in comparison to the remaining downtown which allows for some great cityscapes. Also, I love how Locust street ends in front of the capitol thus allowing for a unique perspective.
This shot was taken at dusk using my Leica M9 and 90mm summarit-m. As Leica owners know, summarit is considered their “affordable” lens (most would disagree). Anyway, I’ve been very happy with its sharpness and have taken many great pictures with it.
Share:
Our Savior
Happy Easter!!!
Re-post September 2011
If you have not noticed, I don’t stick with one photography genre very well. My last 10 posts have been a combination of portraits, HDR’s, sunrises, sunsets, black & white, wildlife, etc. I’ve always been someone who likes to explore, try new things, and have many interests that have no relation. Probably my only constant enjoyment is my wife (I’ve been with since junior high). For example, I am a foot and ankle surgeon by day, an avid photographer by night, I enjoy playing basketball 2-3 times a week, I weight lift, enjoy politics (but don’t talk about it openly), and have a very strong interest in anything technology related (I’ve always been the go to guy with computer repair or technology related questions). I’ve yet to find anyone with similar interests (it’s usually one or the other).
Having all these interests have made me well rounded. I feel as if I can find some association with all people I talk to, and credit my broad interests in allowing me to do so.
In keeping with my theme or I guess “no theme” todays post is taken at the cemetery that I wrote about a few days ago. What really caught my attention was this large Jesus crucifixion on the east side of the cemetery. It set on a large slab of concrete about 4 feet off the ground and all that could be seen behind it was the sky. I felt it would be a great place to take an HDR or time lapse shot but after attempting this many times I really didn’t like the angle (I wish I was at eye level with Jesus). I decided to put up my 28mm summicron and take a few shots with my 50mm summilux wide open. After taking this shot I realized I was wasting time with my 28mm summicron. The 50mm summilux with it’s beautiful bokeh was definitely the way to go!
Share:
The Iron Skeleton
Repost from July 2011
My wife and I spent 4 years in Des Moines, IA while I was receiving my degree. The first couple years I was vey busy with my work and never showed much interest in photography. Midway through my second year, my father lost his year long battle with cancer. When he passed I inherited his film dSLR and lenses. Not until later in the year did I finally gain an interest in photography. Initially, I was just taking pictures in the operating room for the physicians I was rotating with. I remember getting many compliments doing this and thought it came somewhat natural. Canon came out with the EOS 20d (you can find the most recent version, Canon EOS 60D here). I remember how excited I was to get this and try out my dads lenses. Since then, I’ve traded, bought, and upgraded from the Canon 20d and his lenses.
Many years have passed since purchasing my first dSLR and I’ve now moved on to Leica M9 rangefinder camera but I still have many good pics that I took. One of those was from a trip back to Des Moines a few years ago. I was driving around Booneville, IA and came across this old railroad bridge. At that time I was starting to show some interest in HDR photography. Below is one of those pics (I also posted it in black and white).
Share:
Barn by the Road
February of this year my wife and I went to Wisconsin to visit my sister and family. We’ve never traveled to Wisconsin and never realized how hilly the landscape is. I didn’t have time to take too many pictures but we were driving around and found this barn only feet from the road. The sun was setting and thought it would be a great picture opportunity. I love the sun rays coming through the branches. Enjoy.
Repost June 2011
Share:
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Last July 4th the family and I vacationed in the Outer Banks. We were always told it had nice beaches and was very family friendly. I have to agree with that assessment. We stayed further down near Avon, NC which is away from the tourist stuff. It was a much more rural area with local shops and restaurants. Typically when we vacation we are on the go trying to see as much as possible but this time our intention was to relax and bathe in the sun. There are definitely picture opportunities and probably one of the more famous areas to take pictures is at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I was hoping the clouds and sun would cooperate. Fortunately, the sun came out for only a few minutes and I was able to get this shot.
Repost June 2011
Share:
The Cross
Recently I decided to sell my Leica 21mm elmarit and move to a 28mm summicron. This decision didn’t come easily. I’ve enjoyed shooting with wide angle lenses (I had Canon 16-35mm on my full frame 5d Mark II) but have noticed recently my interest is beginning to change. As I have become more educated in photography, I’ve realized that wide angle lenses are not always the best for landscape. Wide angle lenses can flatten your image and typically have a lot of distortion. They are best, when you have something relatively close to you in the foreground and are attempting to add some depth of field. Telephoto or at least 90mm lenses are often times better for true landscape with no subjects in the foreground.
Leica 28mm summicron is still considered to be a wide angle lens but it doesn’t have any noticeable distortion. On the Leica M9 it also will allow you to use the internal viewfinder versus an external (needed for anything wider than 28mm). This lens is very popular with journalist because of its wide angle, no distortion, low light performance, and sharpness. So far i have to agree with their assessment. Hopefully soon I’ll post a few more pics using the lens.
A few days ago I drove to a small rural Catholic church. Behind the church lies a small cemetery. I captured this image using my 28mm summicron at sunset. I really like the sharpness and bokeh produced.
Share:
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)!!!
