A Weekend Of Sunrises

Posted on August 13, 2017 by timothyk68

This weekend, my friend Mike was in town from Detroit, along with Lou, who I met for the first time. We got together both Saturday and Sunday morning to photograph the sunrises. I love photographing sunrises and sunsets, but for various reasons, I haven’t been able to get out much this year for them. We were very fortunate to have had great sunrises. We chose a couple of different locations for them, and they both were excellent choices. Yesterday, we were at the Museum Campus between the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium, and today, we went to North Avenue Beach. Going back to yesterday, it was quite windy, and it was unseasonably cool. We had waves coming up on the walkway, but, the water added a great element to the photos. The eastern horizon had incredible, dramatic cloud cover. There were some breaks in the clouds right above the horizon, and when the sun rose, there was a deep red color. It was a great morning, followed by another one this morning. It was less windy and a little warmer, and as dawn broke, the sky transitioned from pink to orange to red. There were not as many clouds as yesterday, but, the sunrise was just as dramatic.

Seeing nature in its grandeur, and trying to do some justice to it with my camera, makes any kind of nature photography my favorite. It was a fantastic weekend.

Out Of Chicago, Summer 2017 Conference

Posted on June 28, 2017 by timothyk68

I had the privilege to be involved again in the flagship Out Of Chicago Photography Conference. Instructors and attendees from all over the world spend a weekend totally immersed in everything photography. As one of the photowalk coordinators, I do not have a lot of opportunities to sit on classes or venture out on photowalks during the show, but, this year, I was able to lead a couple of excursions. But more on that later. The conference officially kicks off on Friday evening, and this year, our keynote speaker was none other than the incredible Art Wolfe. His images speak for themselves, but, to hear him talk us through them, it was a perfect start to the activities.

Prior to the official start, there are pre-conference workshops on Thursday and Friday. I had the opportunity to assist Derrick Story, a wonderful photographer and even better person, on Friday during his “Down ‘n Dirty Street Photography with Film” workshop. As you all know from previous postings, I have started shooting film again. I could not pass up this opportunity. I will be getting the film processed, and will be posting a separate article once I have scanned those negatives.

Friday night featured our “Photocrawl”, where we have photographers stationed at signature venues throughout the Loop. This year, a new twist was added, where we had guides lead groups to specific locations. I had the opportunity to be one of these guides, taking folks to Buckingham Fountain, Maggie Daley Park, and finishing at Cloud Gate (a.k.a. The Bean).

Saturday, the conference kicked into high gear, and I spent the day at the center, making sure the photowalks went out successfully. I went out to assist on Mike Boening’s and Derrick Story’s photowalk to Wicker Park. Being a life-long Chicagoan, I know these long distance excursions have inherent logistic difficulties, especially when they involve public transportation. Wicker Park is a street photographer’s paradise, though. Incredibly vibrant, with very approachable people, eclectic culture, street art, and great architecture. It has everything, well worth the time to go when you’re in Chicago. I took some folks on a walk east on North Avenue, and we came across a new public art installation featuring Vivian Maier, the renowned mid-century street photographer. The art is stunning. I was able to continue working on my sunglasses project too.

In the afternoon, I sat in on a mini workshop hosted my friend Lara Joy Brynildssen about Lightroom Collections and Lightroom Mobile (and almost ended up going into detention for causing too much trouble with my friend Monty). I learned a lot in Lara Joy’s class. Saturday night, after dinner, I ventured out into the Loop for an evening photowalk. Originally, I was leading my own group, but, it only ended up being one person. So, we joined up with another group, venturing to the River Walk.

Sunday morning, I led a group on an architecture photowalk in the Loop. We started at Harold Washington Library, right down the street from the Conference center. From there, we went to Calder’s Flamingo and captured some excellent reflections. We continued on to Chase Tower, and along the way, everyone said they wanted to see where a certain photo was taken, a spot where you can look down on an elevated train intersection of several CTA lines. I know the spot, so, we went there instead of a couple of other buildings. The featured photo of this article was taken from this spot.I just love exploring, and it’s not about the destination but the journey. And it turned out to be a great idea. The rest of Sunday was spent back at the Conference Center. By the time of the closing address, I was wiped out.

The conference is one of my favorite times during the year. It’s been a privilege to be involved, and working with some truly amazing people. Networking is always a big component of the conference- reconnecting with friends I met at previous conferences, and meeting new ones. It’s humbling to be involved with such talented photographers. I look forward to next year’s conference already!

The Sunglasses Project

Posted on June 2, 2017 by timothyk68

Last year, I had the idea of creating a series of photos of reflections in sunglasses. I began this when I was in New York City in October. This isn’t about putting a pair of sunglasses somewhere and photographing them. These are sunglasses worn by someone at the time I take the photo.

Several complete strangers have been willing participants so far. One is someone I have known for a while now. I plan on continuing this project this year, and as summer approaches, the opportunities will continue! This is going to be fun!

Influences

Posted on May 25, 2017 by timothyk68

Photographers have influences. They’re unavoidable. We all had someone who either fired that creative spark the first time, or, someone we have tried to emulate from earlier eras. For me, it started with my dad. And for him, his uncle. Photography runs in my family. But, even so, I was fortunate to have gotten formal training. In high school, Brother John took all of us from the Photography Club to a class at the Art Institute. We spent a Saturday cramming our heads with as much knowledge as we could handle, but, I was a teenager. I honestly do not remember much from that day, other than thinking, damn, this is cool, we’re hanging out at the Art Institute! It beats helping my dad work on our cars in the garage!

In my sophomore year in college, I needed a general education elective. I scanned the program for the winter 1988 semester, and nothing jumped off the page at me. Until I found “Principles Of Photography.” The description was brief- learn basic skills behind the camera and in the darkroom. Ok…. But, I needed an elective, in the arts. Fine, sign me up, I’ll get this out of the way.

First day of class, Mr. Donald Bulucos walks in- untrimmed beard, wild dark hair, vest, a very well worn shirt underneath, jeans. He looked just like Dennis Hopper’s character in “Apocalypse Now.” Truly, he could have been Dennis’ twin. Now you have my interest! He started talking about his career, and, he chose education. Five minutes into that first day, I knew I had accidentally made a great decision. He commanded the room, got our attention, and for the first time, I really felt a creative spark. I wanted to learn everything he had to teach, and put it into practice. And that’s what he wanted out of his students. We connected right from the start. He took a few of us under his wing- those of us who spent time with him after class, talking about anything and everything related to photography. We had projects throughout the semester, he would send us out to find subjects, or to try specific techniques. And, we then learned the art of processing, from developing the film, to enlarging, printing, etc. I ate it all up. Then we had to choose a final series. I chose cemeteries. I had always had an interest in old cemeteries, both the history, and the ornate headstones and mausoleums. Chicago has a lot of old cemeteries, dating back to the mid 1800s, so, there was not an absence of subjects. I have not scanned those negatives yet, so, I cannot share the photos from the class yet. But, this photo is of a headstone that I have been drawn to at Graceland Cemetery on the north side of town, which I came across while shooting the final series.

My friend Corey and I also were the only ones in the class to photograph a model, which Mr. Bulucos thought was really cool. He and I were the only ones who got an A in the class, as a result. After the class, we kept in touch, and he gave me access to the darkroom any time I needed it, throughout the rest of my college career.

What I learned that semester sticks to me to this day. Sure, things are a little different- digital offers much more flexibility, you have a memory card that can hold thousands of photos. But, I still try to get it right in the camera. I try to do as little post-processing of my digital photos as I can. And, while all my photos are color when I take them, at least 80% of the time, I convert them to black and white. It’s how I learned how to see the world, from the training I got from Mr. Bulucos. We shot everything on black and white film. Everything. I will never forget, I had ventured downtown during a snowstorm, and I was in the darkroom trying to get some good prints from that day. I had one problematic photo (the featured image of this post), the staircase of one of the elevated platforms downtown, with snow covering the top of it. He and I spent at least 8 hours in the darkroom, working on that photo. No matter what I did under the enlarger, the snow was not quite the right shade of white. He kept leaning over my shoulder, “Snow doesn’t look like that when it falls! Come on!” To this day, I think of him when I’m photographing in winter. The first thing I look at is how the snow looks when I have downloaded the photos. Beyond this, he taught me composition, changing my point of view, and, always, ALWAYS look around you. Look behind you. You may find something more interesting than the subject you are trying to shoot.

I learned the other day that he passed away in September 2015. His obituaries are still online. In reading through all of the entries, it’s clear I am not the only one who he had influenced. He wasn’t Ansel Adams, but he was my Ansel Adams, and apparently, many others’ Ansel Adams as well. Almost 30 years later, that spark he ignited still burns in me. And, in the end, he still has achieved some level of immortality. I know I told him many times how much I appreciated his mentoring. And I will say again, thank you, Mr. Bulucos. For everything.

The Out Of New York Photography Conference- Film Edition

Posted on May 21, 2017 by timothyk68

In October of 2016, I had the opportunity to work at the Out Of New York Photography Conference, as I had previously written about. On the final day of the conference, I went on Steve Simon’s street photography workshop. It was a chance I could not pass up, Steve is an incredible photographer, and I highly recommend that you pick up his book “The Passionate Photographer.” I have learned a lot from it. Knowing that I would be participating in his workshop, I decided to bring two rolls of my favorite film, Kodak Tri-X 400 Professional. I still love shooting film. It brings me back to the years I studied photography in high school and college. In the digital age, you have memory cards that can hold thousands of photos. If you only have one roll of film, you have 36 photos maximum (if shooting 35mm as I do). It forces you to compose much more carefully, make sure your settings are correct, because you have such a limited number of photos to take. That’s what I love about shooting film more than anything else.

That day, we went to several locations in New York. With only two rolls of film, I brought a small pocket digital camera to use once the film ran out. We started the day walking the High Line, from its southern entrance on 8th Ave by the Whitney Museum of American Art. We walked on the High Line up to 23rd St. It was a brisk morning, but the High Line was still bustling. It offered a great mix of people to photograph, some more friendly than others, but a lot of great opportunities. Not to mention the views looking down on the streets, as well as the NYC skyline. There is a mixture of old and new architecture along the way. It’s a great place to get familiar with the city.

When we got up to the walkway, we came upon a gentleman napping (or trying to) on one of the benches. The poor guy ended up with a dozen or so photographers getting his photo, but he did take it in good humor.

Further up, I spent a little time at a coffee stand

A little later, I came across a bongo player who was an absolute joy to talk to, and to listen to his playing.

He loved that I was shooting film, he talked to me about when he was younger, and his dabbling in photography. I could have talked to him for the better part of the morning, but, we had to move to our next location.

We headed over to the 23rd St. subway station to get to 57th and 5th. That corner is where Bill Cunningham had spent years photographing the people of New York for the New York Times. He had passed away during the summer of 2016, so we paid homage to him at his corner. I had less than half a roll of film left by the time we got there, but, I made the most of it. One side project I have started working on is photographing reflections in sunglasses, so I was able to get one from a nice woman who was gracious to let a total stranger “get in her face.”

That was one of the last shots I got that day on film. I loved having my old trusty Nikon FE2, it was like old times. I had just one lens, my old “go to” 50mm f/1.8 lens. I was shooting that day wide open, at f/1.8, as I wanted to get the very narrow depth of field you see in a lot of these photos. This wasn’t the first time recently I had shot film, I dusted off my film camera in 2015. This week, I’m buying some more rolls of film, and will continue to shoot film around Chicago when I have the opportunity. It’s way too much fun!

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Final

Posted on May 6, 2017 by timothyk68

I have combined the final two days of our trip into one post, because the virus I picked up was greatly impacting my ability to be active. Wednesday was still pretty active, but I needed breaks throughout the day. Thursday was the worst of it, and Mother Nature actually helped a little by giving us some bad weather on Thursday.

Wednesday, we planned to start the day back in Cades Cove, at Sparks Lane. On Wednesdays, the loop road is closed to motor vehicles until 10 am, so we planned on walking to Sparks Lane from the main parking lot. When we got there, the gate was open, so we drove to Sparks Lane instead. We spent a couple of hours photographing the area, which was enveloped in a heavy fog. While we were there, another photographer came with a couple from Germany who he was leading on a workshop. We all hung out, talked, took some great photos, and Cathie and I made a great connection with a phenomenal photographer, Joseph Rossbach.

Since we did not eat breakfast before leaving for Cades Cove, we decided to leave and get something to eat. On the way out of the park, we stopped at a pull-off to photograph a rapidly running river, because we hadn’t gotten any photos of them the previous days (joking).

Things were really starting to get tough for me, though. I started running a fever, and even though the temperature was in the upper 70s, I was wearing a thermal shirt due to the chills. After breakfast, we went back into the park and there was a shorter hike that I felt I could handle. When we got there, though, there was a sign stating that the trail was closed about halfway to the spot we wanted to get to. So, we ended up doing some longer exposures of another river that ran past the parking lot. We left that area, drove around for a bit, then decided to get some dinner. We wanted to get back to the Newfound Gap Road and up to the Morton Overlook for sunset. When we got to the Morton Overlook, a pleasant surprise was waiting for us. Tony Sweet, a photographer I have long admired (and who led the workshop in the Badlands that I attended last September) was there with his workshop. Cathie got to meet Tony, we talked, and then we got set up for the sunset. The sunset was great, although due to the clouds near the horizon, the color faded pretty quickly. Still, it was fantastic seeing Tony again, and finally getting a great sunset from a signature spot in the Smokies. The sunset is the banner photo for this article. On the drive back down the mountains, unfortunately, my ears plugged up and did not pop. This just added to the rest of my miseries, as it was really messing with my equilibrium, as well as just being plain annoying.

Thursday morning started with a torrential downpour, and me feeling like absolute crap. I was deep in the throes of this virus, and aside from getting a small breakfast, I didn’t do much of anything except go back to sleep. A few hours later, we went and got lunch at the local A & W- I haven’t been to one in a VERY long time. The rain was still coming down heavy, and I ended up sleeping some more in the afternoon. Finally, around 4 pm, I started feeling slightly better, and the rain stopped, so we drove back to the Park, and went to Roaring Fork. It’s a beautiful area, deep in the woods, with a loop road that winds its way up and back down the hills. Which meant I had more ear issues. But, we still got some great photos of the river, and the mill toward the end of the loop road.

We had dinner, got back to the hotel, and I prepped all of my gear for the return trip. I still had a 9-10 hour drive to get back home Friday, and I had no idea what shape I was going to be in for it. Fortunately, the worst of the virus seemed to have passed, and I was able to get up and be on the road early Friday morning, and made the drive back. And thus ended my first Smokies adventure. Even with the health issues I ended up with, it was an unforgettable trip. The beauty of the area cannot be described, it has to be seen. I can see why it is the most visited National Park year after year. It has something for everyone- great hikes, scenic vistas, valleys with mountains shrouded by clouds and fog, and while we did not see a bear, wildlife abounds. I will be returning, sooner rather than later. There is still so much I have to see there. And hopefully next time, I won’t be dealing with a plague at the same time.

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Part 2

Posted on May 3, 2017 by timothyk68

Tuesday turned out to be the most active day Cathie and I had in the Smokies. Unbeknownst to me, a virus was manifesting itself in my system. What I had thought was just allergies due to the extremely high pollen in the area was something else entirely, although I had not realized it yet.

Back to Tuesday. We decided to to do a longer hike in the morning, up to Laurel Falls. The trail is paved, but it is uphill all the way to the top, 1.3 miles one way. A good way to get the blood flowing! When you arrive at the top, you cross a footbridge and can spend time at the top of the falls. That is not all there is to see, though. If you’re adventurous, you can hike down the rocky trails on either side, and see the lower part of the falls. Cathie and I hung out at the top for a bit, getting lots of long exposures of the top of the falls. I also set up my iPhone on a Platypod, and shot both timelapses and slow motion videos of the falls. Product plug: get a Platypod! They are the BEST! They provide a stable platform either for a phone or camera, where tripods are not either allowed or practical. With some bungie cords, you can tie it to a tree too. I highly recommend them, I have both the Platypod Max and Platypod Pro, and I do NOT travel without them.

Enough product plugging! We took some portraits of the other tourists at the top, in front of the falls, and it occurred to me we should have charged a fee! I made a few connections, hopefully some are reading this post! Cathie and I were able to get our portraits taken by a kind tourist, the first time really we ended up in front of the camera together. I’d really rather be taking photos than having my photo taken.

Being adventurous souls, Cathie and I went down the side of the hill, and got some photos of the lower part of the falls. And, in keeping with the “falls” theme, I slipped on a wet rock at the bottom, and went down on my left hip and arm. I still have quite an impressive bruise on my hip. That, and a bruised ego were the only injuries, luckily.

From there, we hiked back down the trail, and intended to visit the Roaring Fork area next. As it turns out, we went the wrong way, and ended up on the Newfound Gap Road, which takes you up to the ridgeline. It turned out to be a fortuitous happenstance (good band name!). As we got to the top, we decided to go up to the top of Clingman’s Dome, and the observation tower. That half mile hike to the observation tower turned out to be a FAR more strenuous hike than the 1.3 mile hike to Laurel Falls. Still, it was absolutely worth it. We got to look down on the tops of the clouds which covered the valley from which we had just come. Words cannot describe it. The featured photo of this blog is an infrared photo I took from the observation tower.

The drive down, after we finished at Clingman’s Dome, featured a lot of “WHEEE”s from Cathie, and some groaning from me. I have not gotten car sick since I was a kid. I came close on this drive.

The day finished in Greenbriar, along another fast moving river. I shot some more long exposures there, and some video. We then got some burgers at the Burger Barn (and I got a beer). A great finish to a spectacular day. Up next, the plague rears its ugly head…

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Part One

Posted on April 30, 2017 by timothyk68

My friend Cathie and I had been talking about taking a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains since she returned from her trip there this past October. Since I usually travel the last week of April somewhere, we decided this would be a good time for our trip. I drove out Sunday morning, April 23, and arrived late afternoon. We then set about creating a general outline of how we would tackle the park. The first full day was Monday, and the one spot I wanted to see was Sparks Lane in Cades Cove. Since Cades Cove is set in a valley, it frequently is foggy in the morning. As infrared photography is my favorite photographic medium, I knew it would provide some excellent infrared opportunities. But, earlier is better, the fog tends to burn off quickly. So, we couldn’t get there early enough for sunrise, but we would get there not long after sunrise. I say “would” because Mother Nature threw a curve ball at us- due to the heavy rains the area had experienced both Saturday and Sunday, the road into Cades Cove was closed because of a downed tree. The featured image is the road, just past the closed gate. So, we explored the area near the gate. At one point, a park ranger drove past Cathie, and he said we could take an alternate route to get to Cades Cove after all. It was a long detour, but we did get there after all, and the fog was still in the valley. The photo below is one of the infrared photos I took there.

We explored more of the Cades Cove area- the loop itself can take up a few hours, winding through the valley, stopping at several old structures, and giving great views of the valley. We stopped at the John Oliver cabin, one of 80 historic buildings in the park. The cabin is set deep in the woods, and is very well preserved.

We continued on to the old Cable Grist Mill and the surrounding buildings, including the barn and corn cribs. The woods surrounding the mill provided us an unexpected opportunity to photograph some deer up close and personal.

After leaving the Cades Cove area, later in the afternoon, we went to the Tremont area, along the Middle Prong Little River. Due to the rains, the rivers and streams were running fiercely, and there was an abundance of opportunities to photograph the running waters, and waterfalls on the roadside.

This was the start of my first exploration of the Smokies. There is more to come, we had three more days of fun!

Boston- A Gathering

Posted on January 16, 2017 by timothyk68

This past weekend, I went to Boston to gather with friends for a memorial to one of our fallen comrades. Our friend Paul passed away last April from a rare and virulent cancer. He had a very specific request about his memorial, which I will explain. But, before I explain, I need to take a step back and “set the table.”

There is a Science Fiction and Fantasy convention called Arisia. The Arisia organization was founded in 1989. It is a non-profit, entirely volunteer run organization. Many of my friends in the New England and Middle Atlantic regions have been attending the annual convention since the first one. The convention is always held on the weekend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s holiday, and it is the largest in New England.

These kinds of events are really not for me, but, I have attended a few times, mainly to connect with my friends. The running joke is, “Tim is attending Arisia, but will not be attending Arisia.” It was during my second visit, in 1999, that I met Paul. That also was the last time I attended.

Returning to the present, Paul asked that his memorial be at a “rocket fuel” party, hosted by my friend John. I cannot really explain rocket fuel, other than, it lives up to its moniker. As Paul was a Marine, Taps was played, toasts were given, and Paul was overseeing the event in his urn. Beverages, insolence, and merriment ensued, which is exactly what Paul would have wanted.

The convention itself is a pretty amazing mixture of controlled chaos, costumes, art, and mingling. In the end, it is fun. Some of the photos below hopefully do some justice to the costume work. This year I did more Arisia activities than in my previous visits. I have to say that a little of it still goes a long way for me. Again, the overriding purpose for me is always to reconnect with friends, old and new.

I have been coming to Boston on and off for years, since my first visit in 1975 on a family vacation. I love Boston. While Chicago is my home, and always be my favorite city, Boston is right up there. The food, the history, and the ease to get around it (as long as you are not driving) all make it one of the best cities in the USA. I took the opportunity to escape from the convention and explore, as I always do when I come here. In two days, Saturday and Sunday, I covered nearly 14 miles on foot. And along the way, since arriving Friday afternoon, I visited some of my favorite places, for food and drink. The Green Dragon Tavern is a place I always visit when I come here- “The Headquarters Of The Revolution.” Paul Revere and some of the Sons of Liberty would meet there before and during the Revolution. The atmosphere, the chowder and the beer. Enough said. During the weekend, my friend Elizabeth introduced me to some of her favorite spots, and they all were top notch. And, the culinary wanderings ended appropriately last night, at the world famous Mike’s Pastry for cannolis.

I am fortunate that I was able to attend the memorial for Paul. It seemed that, toward the end of 2016, circumstances were conspiring against me. But, it came together, and I will forever be grateful that I made it. All of us who attended needed that time Saturday evening. Since the middle of 2015, it seems that we all have only gotten together to say goodbye to someone. This needs to change. I intend to return in the summer, and, with as many as who can join me, just have fun. We also need this.

2016 Highlights, Final

Posted on December 30, 2016 by timothyk68

This installment will cover the remaining months, September through December. Outside of two excursions, I didn’t have the chance to do much photography. Those two excursions were fantastic, though.

In September, I signed up for a photography workshop in the Badlands, conducted by the incomparable Tony Sweet. I have been wanting to attend one of his workshop for many years, so I did not pass up this chance. I had been to the Badlands a few times, first, when I was a kid on a family vacation, and then, in July 2005. This workshop was the most in depth exploration of the park I had been involved with. I drove out South Dakota on Sunday, September 4. The workshop officially started Monday evening, so I had the chance to explore the park on my own Monday during the day. The workshop kicked off with photographing sunset at the Hay Butte Overlook. The rest of the week, we were up well before dawn, on the road, and heading to a different spot in the park for sunrise. We would shoot until mid-morning, get something to eat, do some editing back at our hotel rooms, reconvene for a critique session in the afternoon, and then head back to the park for sunset.

The weather gods smiled upon us that whole week. Monday, before the workshop, there was a dense fog in the morning, which eventually lifted to a low cloud cover. The landscape is dramatic all on its own, this cloud cover just added to it. We then were treated to magnificent sunrises and sunsets the rest of the week. We explored parts of the park I had never been to. We went to a part active, part abandoned town just outside of the park. It was a week I will never forget. And I honestly have still not edited anywhere near all of the photos I took that week.

The other excursion was to New York City in October, for the first Out of New York Photography Conference. My role with the group is to help coordinate the photowalks, which is one of the defining features of the conferences. It was the first time I spent an extended amount of time in NYC, I had just driven through it previously. I spent the days at the conference center making sure the photowalks went out without a hitch. But, I did have the opportunity to lead one photowalk to Grand Central Terminal, and another to the 9/11 Memorial, both at night. The last day, I assisted the amazing Steve Simon for a street photography workshop. He took us to several different spots- the High Line, the corner of 57th Street and 5th Ave (Bill Cunningham’s Corner), Washington Square Park and finally, Chinatown. I fell in love with NYC, and I will be back for further exploration.

There were a couple of outings I attended locally in November and December. I think I just realized that I still had so many photos to sift through from the rest of the year, so I didn’t shoot as much for the last couple of months.

That concludes my look back to 2016. I will be posting a Top Ten, my Ten favorite photos of the year. That will be posted tomorrow. 2017 looks to have some more adventures, I can’t wait to get out and start shooting again!