Well before I got interested in photography, I always found myself drawn to empty spaces, to those quiet places. The ones most enticing are those found against the loudest of backdrops. They pull me in with their temptations of possibilities and of unheard and overlooked stories. It’s in the stillness which listening is best done.
Photography
Find posts focused on sharing photography. Smile for the camera.
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Photography: Finding the Light in the Darkness
I recently acquired a new DSLR, the Nikon D7000. It’s a beautiful piece of camera hardware that has features I only hope to fully grasp in the coming months – and likely years. Since it’s higher up in the ladder of NIkon’s DSLR range, it has better compatibility to do more with less light. Things like a bigger ISO range, less image noise, a better image processor, and so on.
So this winter I took it out to try my hand at some night photography and capture Christmas decorations and the quiet stillness of a winter evening. One thing that cannot be properly captured here is the cold air that bites at my fingers while I setup a shot. Below are just a few examples of what I’ve been able to capture so far with the D7000 and a 35mm/1.8 prime lens, except where noted below.
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Chicago in late January
I took this last Monday off work and spent it roaming around Chicago, visiting the Art Institute and the Chicago History Museum. Shortly before getting back on the train, I was walking past this bridge near the Wrigley Building and caught this moment of city life. -
Stormy Summer night
As the end of a calendar year draws closer, I begin to reminisce about what’s happened in the past almost 12 months and look through pictures, journal entries, and so on. I ran across a couple photos I took from the apartment after a storm had come through and knocked out power to the apartment. The view outside of the parking lot and prairie path was completely dark. Compared to the normally well lit area, it was actually a welcome, albeit slightly eerie, change of pace. This doesn’t totally capture the moment, but it brought me back to that time and the small moment of reflection it brought.
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Beginnings of Spring 2010
As autumn hits its full stride and we watch leaves complete their fall to the ground, I remember the beginnings of spring and seeing life begin to show itself around us.
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Dragonflies
I took these back in June when I went down to New Orleans to celebrate a friend’s birthday. During one of our excursions, my trusty camera and I caught these dragonflies in a moment of stillness. They are beautiful creatures.
