Starting on 6th December 2008 I will be uploading an image regularly. Each picture will, hopefully, reflect what I am doing that day or what excites or interests me. I really hope you enjoy this gallery as much as I will putting it together. Most recent images will be first.
16th May 2009: Modern Wing Opening
We had a 9am appointment this morning at the Chicago Art Institute for the opening of the new Modern Wing. This is a fabulous new addition to the Chicago skyline. This was a pretty prestigious do and a very important one for the Chicago image of a forward thinking and dynamic city.
The President’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel was in attendance as was the architect of the new wing Renzo Piano, Mayor Daley and may other dignitaries. The weather was perfect and I have to say I probably got a bit of a tan too. A few musical interludes and speeches later and the ribbon was cut and we were beckoned into the new wing.
We had a 9am appointment this morning at the Chicago Art Institute for the opening of the new Modern Wing. This is a fabulous new addition to the Chicago skyline. This was a pretty prestigious do and a very important one for the Chicago image of a forward thinking and dynamic city.
The President’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel was in attendance as was the architect of the new wing Renzo Piano, Mayor Daley and may other dignitaries. The weather was perfect and I have to say I probably got a bit of a tan too. A few musical interludes and speeches later and the ribbon was cut and we were beckoned into the new wing.
14th May 2009: At the Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo is very difficult to criticize, primarily because it is free. I mean, hey it’s free, you get what you pay for don’t you. My main sore point is the poor catering facilities on site. I really think they should outsource the whole lot to either MacDonalds, Panera Bread Cafes or anyone rather than keep it as it is. It’s a burgers, fries and cookies place and feels like a 1960’s worn down diner that has seen better days. It is not good value but then as the zoo is free you can deal with that.
If they had better facilities it would be a great spot to stop for lunch and perhaps a glass of wine as I do at the Art Institute of Chicago from time to time. I will spend the money but give me something other than heart burn inducing burgers and fries. Surely it wouldn’t cost the zoo anything to just hand over the whole operation to a franchise then they could take a cut?
Lincoln Park Zoo is very difficult to criticize, primarily because it is free. I mean, hey it’s free, you get what you pay for don’t you. My main sore point is the poor catering facilities on site. I really think they should outsource the whole lot to either MacDonalds, Panera Bread Cafes or anyone rather than keep it as it is. It’s a burgers, fries and cookies place and feels like a 1960’s worn down diner that has seen better days. It is not good value but then as the zoo is free you can deal with that.
If they had better facilities it would be a great spot to stop for lunch and perhaps a glass of wine as I do at the Art Institute of Chicago from time to time. I will spend the money but give me something other than heart burn inducing burgers and fries. Surely it wouldn’t cost the zoo anything to just hand over the whole operation to a franchise then they could take a cut?
11th May 2009: Chicago Lake Front
The lake can seem a special place and it often calls when I walk down by the lake front. We are lucky to have been invited in July out on the lake on a friends boat and this will be the first time we get to go way out on the lake and appreciate the city from that perspective. The ships that do the dinner cruises are a waste of time as they don’t go out far enough , choosing to skim inside the protected area of the lake not really taking you much further than the end of Navy Pier.
I think this is going to be a great summer to be in Chicago. I had another game of tennis with James at 6:30am this morning. Once you are actually out of the house it's fantastic to actually be doing physical activity that early. Also you have the added benefit of being home by 7:30am and feeling very worthy and healthy.
The lake can seem a special place and it often calls when I walk down by the lake front. We are lucky to have been invited in July out on the lake on a friends boat and this will be the first time we get to go way out on the lake and appreciate the city from that perspective. The ships that do the dinner cruises are a waste of time as they don’t go out far enough , choosing to skim inside the protected area of the lake not really taking you much further than the end of Navy Pier.
I think this is going to be a great summer to be in Chicago. I had another game of tennis with James at 6:30am this morning. Once you are actually out of the house it's fantastic to actually be doing physical activity that early. Also you have the added benefit of being home by 7:30am and feeling very worthy and healthy.
9th May 2009: Harris Theater Opera
As promised I am including here some photos I took at the Harris Theater Opera rehearsals. They were rehearsing Owen Wingrave which is due to start on May 16th according to the Harris Theater web site. You can check out some background on the opera at Visit Wikipedia and Visit Harris Theater.
The experience photographing the opera rehearsal was quite an interesting challenge. As I mentioned previously I had never done this kind of photography before so it took me 45mins or so to acclimatize to my camera and the light and to even get a half decent picture. I had my ISO settings jacked up to 6400 and I was using a 24-105mm L series lens on a Canon EOS 5D2 and I was still getting blurry pictures even with Image Stabilisation.
Clearly I wasn't using my camera properly or understanding the environment. I had packed up after 30 minutes and was almost ready to leave.
Matthew Worth - Baritone
Camera setting for this shot
ISO - 4000
Aperture - f5.6
Exposure: 1/125
Lens: Canon 70-300mm IS
Focal Length: 300mm
Metering: Pattern
Camera: Canon EOS 5D2 full frame sensor
Distance from cast: 40-60ft
As promised I am including here some photos I took at the Harris Theater Opera rehearsals. They were rehearsing Owen Wingrave which is due to start on May 16th according to the Harris Theater web site. You can check out some background on the opera at Visit Wikipedia and Visit Harris Theater.
The experience photographing the opera rehearsal was quite an interesting challenge. As I mentioned previously I had never done this kind of photography before so it took me 45mins or so to acclimatize to my camera and the light and to even get a half decent picture. I had my ISO settings jacked up to 6400 and I was using a 24-105mm L series lens on a Canon EOS 5D2 and I was still getting blurry pictures even with Image Stabilisation.
Clearly I wasn't using my camera properly or understanding the environment. I had packed up after 30 minutes and was almost ready to leave.
Matthew Worth - Baritone
Camera setting for this shot
ISO - 4000
Aperture - f5.6
Exposure: 1/125
Lens: Canon 70-300mm IS
Focal Length: 300mm
Metering: Pattern
Camera: Canon EOS 5D2 full frame sensor
Distance from cast: 40-60ft
9th May 2009: Harris Theater Opera
In the end my ISO setting was set to 4000 and for the vast majority of these shots I was actually using a non pro 70-300mm IS zoom lens mostly at around 200-300mm so quite close with a maximum aperture of 5.6. I was using all manual settings and my shutter speed ranged from 1/40th to 1/125th of a second. I think without the image stabilisation and a full frame sensor my results would have been very different. I am very happy with the shots but it would be nice to go back with a faster lens and much lower ISO settings. I will probably head back tomorrow with my 50mm 1.4 lens. Clearly I will need to crop as I will have no zoom on this lens but just for the experience and to redo some shots I think it could be fun.
Camera setting for this shot
ISO - 4000
Aperture - f5.6
Exposure: 1/125
Lens: Canon 70-300mm IS
Focal Length: 70mm
Metering: Pattern
Camera: Canon EOS 5D2 full frame sensor
Distance from cast: 40-60ft
In the end my ISO setting was set to 4000 and for the vast majority of these shots I was actually using a non pro 70-300mm IS zoom lens mostly at around 200-300mm so quite close with a maximum aperture of 5.6. I was using all manual settings and my shutter speed ranged from 1/40th to 1/125th of a second. I think without the image stabilisation and a full frame sensor my results would have been very different. I am very happy with the shots but it would be nice to go back with a faster lens and much lower ISO settings. I will probably head back tomorrow with my 50mm 1.4 lens. Clearly I will need to crop as I will have no zoom on this lens but just for the experience and to redo some shots I think it could be fun.
Camera setting for this shot
ISO - 4000
Aperture - f5.6
Exposure: 1/125
Lens: Canon 70-300mm IS
Focal Length: 70mm
Metering: Pattern
Camera: Canon EOS 5D2 full frame sensor
Distance from cast: 40-60ft
9th May 2009: Harris Theater Opera
So patience is definately a virtue with this kind of photography as well as understanding your camera and how to use the manual settings really come in handy. I have had this camera for 5 months now, before that I had the old 5D and I am really happy with this piece of equipment. I have been very fortunate to be able to buy this camera as it will be with me for many years and is a great tool in my long road to become a professional photographer and to just enjoying my photography.
So patience is definately a virtue with this kind of photography as well as understanding your camera and how to use the manual settings really come in handy. I have had this camera for 5 months now, before that I had the old 5D and I am really happy with this piece of equipment. I have been very fortunate to be able to buy this camera as it will be with me for many years and is a great tool in my long road to become a professional photographer and to just enjoying my photography.
1st May 2009: Marina Towers puddle
It was very humid and wet today, rained for most of the morning and some of the afternoon. I was desperate to get out into it to take some pictures but as soon as I got outside the heat was stifling. Especially with my 3 layers, silly man.
Anyway I took this great shot of Marina Towers in a puddle. As regular readers will know I love these two buildings and they came out pretty well in this shot too.
Enjoy!
It was very humid and wet today, rained for most of the morning and some of the afternoon. I was desperate to get out into it to take some pictures but as soon as I got outside the heat was stifling. Especially with my 3 layers, silly man.
Anyway I took this great shot of Marina Towers in a puddle. As regular readers will know I love these two buildings and they came out pretty well in this shot too.
Enjoy!
29th April 2009: Chicago Pier
Taking a walk on a particularly warm early summer day we decided to head to the beach.
I hadn't walked to the end of this pier yet so decided to see what the view was like. I think just taking some time out of your day to go for a stroll or to even heaven forbid have lunch is definitely good for the soul.
I remember when I used to work in the CIty of London, I would generally not leave my desk for lunch except perhaps to buy it. God 7-10 hours stuck in a chair day in day out was not fun I can tell you.
Taking a walk on a particularly warm early summer day we decided to head to the beach.
I hadn't walked to the end of this pier yet so decided to see what the view was like. I think just taking some time out of your day to go for a stroll or to even heaven forbid have lunch is definitely good for the soul.
I remember when I used to work in the CIty of London, I would generally not leave my desk for lunch except perhaps to buy it. God 7-10 hours stuck in a chair day in day out was not fun I can tell you.
22nd April 2009: SkyScraper Collection
The color is slightly off on this one but I cropped it and love this shot.
I took this walking along the lake front towards the city after coming back from Lincoln Park Zoo. I walked there and back from WaterTower Place. Most Chicagoans/Americans would think I was bonkers for walking that far (about 4.5miles).
I miss living in Luxembourg for that reason. Lots of fantastic walks through hilly countryside with lots of green and peace and quiet. Chicago is a fab city but it is not Luxembourg of course, I miss the parks and woods and hills. It's so flat here, which is of course broken up by this amazing skyline.
The color is slightly off on this one but I cropped it and love this shot.
I took this walking along the lake front towards the city after coming back from Lincoln Park Zoo. I walked there and back from WaterTower Place. Most Chicagoans/Americans would think I was bonkers for walking that far (about 4.5miles).
I miss living in Luxembourg for that reason. Lots of fantastic walks through hilly countryside with lots of green and peace and quiet. Chicago is a fab city but it is not Luxembourg of course, I miss the parks and woods and hills. It's so flat here, which is of course broken up by this amazing skyline.
21st April 2009: Beach Preparation
Lovely sunny day where I burnt my forehead a tiny bit but hey after our winter you can't complain.
You can see here some of the Volleyball courts posted in preparation for the summer season. The beach is amazing in the summer with 40 or so volleyball courts on the beach all full and active.
You can see one of the pumping station in the distance which pumps fresh water from the lake to the city.
Lovely sunny day where I burnt my forehead a tiny bit but hey after our winter you can't complain.
You can see here some of the Volleyball courts posted in preparation for the summer season. The beach is amazing in the summer with 40 or so volleyball courts on the beach all full and active.
You can see one of the pumping station in the distance which pumps fresh water from the lake to the city.
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