FOTOBLOG
Ice Covered Landscape
Upon reflection, this was a significant day. It was the last time I loaded a roll of film in to my pro SLR film camera for a photoshoot. The film I specifically chose to use was Ilford Pan F Plus. With an ISO 50, it was a slow-speed panchromatic black & white negative film. A film that was especially known for its ultra fine grain structure. This allowed for high edge contrast which yielded outstanding clarity and sharpness, excellent resolution and detail, and able to render a wide tonal range. This made the film ideal for extremely sharp photographs and for large-scale printing; subsequently, it was well suited for fine-art, technical, copy and scientific photography. Using Ilford Pan F Plus required a lot of light and slow shutter speeds to compensate for the low ISO, therefore using a tripod was practically required equipment whether in studio or on location.
During the days prior to when I took this photograph, it was bitterly cold; then it rained, a winter ice storm. The falling water droplets immediately froze on contact causing a layer of ice to cover everything. It was beautiful to see the ice coated landscape. The reflected & refracted light from ice crystals made the ice covered trees and shrubs glisten & sparkle. In the gentle breeze, it was symphonic to hear the crackling of fracturing ice.
I was determined to go out and photograph an ice covered landscape scene. That evening, a short while before sunset, which was at 16:37, I ventured outdoors. After driving to a predetermined location, I managed only five shots of the setting sun through the outlying trees of a ploughed field before the bitter bone-chilling cold got the better of me. I recall breathing in and feeling the cold air reach deep in to my lungs and when I breathed out, I could see the moisture in my breath crystallise and fall.
The following morning, the sun shone through the few wispy clouds that populated the blue sky. From inside, the outdoor weather conditions could easily be misinterpreted as it was still deceptively cold. Being as prepared as I could be, I ventured out at midday and travelled to several predetermined locations. The warmth of the sun made the cold slightly tolerable, though for short periods only. With warming breaks in-between, over the course of several hours, I shot the remainder of the Ilford Pan F Plus, 135 - 36 exp. roll of film. I took my last picture a short while before sunset at 16:38 local time.
About This Photograph
With just a few frames left on the roll of film and the sun low on the horizon, I found a reasonable place to park on the soft shoulder of a country lane. I wondered in to the middle of the adjacent field to find the optimum perspective to capture as much of the glistening light created by the ice ladened hedgerow and trees. Although this image does capture, to some extent, the reflected & refracted sunlight off the ice crystals, no single angle or photograph could fully capture the wondrous glistening effect.
The above photograph is the very last picture I took using film and is the last frame on that roll of photographic film.
Starved Rock State Park
This was the first time I had visited Starved Rock State Park in quite a few years. The state park covers 1,064 ha (2,630 ac) and is known for its rock formations, outcrops and 18 canyons. The underlying sandstone, primarily St. Peter sandstone, was created by a shallow inland sea more than 425 million years ago. Approximately 14,000-17,000 years ago, glacial meltwater, a catastrophic flood and over time stream erosion created the parks features. The area first became inhabited by Clovis Paleo-Indians about 11,000 BCE. The first non-natives to explore the area were two French explorers who mapped the region in 1673. The state of Illinois purchased the land in 1911 and opened Starved Rock State Park in 1912.
Although, I had been through the area and stopped by the main lodge several times while out on motorbike rides, it had been some time since I hiked the park trails. Because the park covers a sizeable area, I planned to refamiliarise myself with the area near the main lodge and visitor centre. During this visit, I went to the Starved Rock Overlook, Lover’s Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook and French Canyon. In subsequent outings, I planned to venture further afield.
I had recently bought a new ultra-wide angle zoom lens and this was the first chance I had to use it in an environment such as this. Even though its focal length is in the realm of fisheye lenses, it is not a fisheye lens. The design of this lens makes it unique among its counterparts by eliminating the fisheye spherical view of the world, meaning that vertical and horizontal lines remain straight. The lens has edge-to-edge sharpness with no noticeable aberrations and no noticeable edge falloff. These features make this lens a perfect choice for capturing an honest and realistic view of a wide swath of the landscape as well as capturing a wide scope of the natural formations within the parks canyons.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken from near the top of the Starved Rock overlook. From this perspective, I wanted to capture as much of the picturesque view, both in the foreground and background, as my new lens would allow. This photograph ideally captures, in the foreground, a portion of Starved Rock itself, the stairs to climb the outcrop, and in the background a portion of the canopy of autumn foliage colours across the park.
Starved Rock State Park
After I returned from my recent visit to Starved Rock State Park, I immediately planned another outing. For my second visit, I wanted to make the most of the daylight hours and refamiliarise myself with areas within the central portion of the state park. I essentially wanted to pick up the trail from where I previously left off and revisit Lover’s Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook and then venture further afield to Wildcat Canyon, Lonetree Canyon, Owl Canyon and Hidden Canyon.
I am not normally a morning person, but managed to get a relatively earlier start to the day and arrived at the main parking lot at 08:00 local time, about 45 minutes after sunrise. I hiked through the park straight to Lover’s Leap Overlook as I hoped to catch the morning light on Starved Rock itself. With the sun already behind me, I realised that I really need to be onsite at sunrise. From there, I leisurely hiked along the Riverwalk Trail to each of the locations I planned to visit.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken of the Starved Rock outcrop from Lover’s Leap Overlook. Even though it was still early morning, the sun was behind me and the sun’s light was hitting Starved Rock almost head on. Although there are a variety of colours in the autumn foliage on Starved Rock, the colours seem muted and lack vibrancy; and further in the background, the colours of the autumn foliage seem bland & tinted, lacking contrast, clarity & saturation. Because the foreground foliage is essentially in shadow, this helps to frame and add a level of contrast to the remaining image.
Starved Rock State Park
After I deemed my two recent visits to Starved Rock State Park worthwhile and productive, I made plans for another, which would be the third in eight days. My plan was to stay within the central area of the state park, revisit some of the canyons there and explore the state park’s main attraction, LaSalle Canyon. I had not been to that particular canyon in many years. I also made an extra effort to keep an eye open for other natural features of visual interest which might go unnoticed by a passerby. On a side note, the last time I was at LaSalle Canyon, it was shortly after a flood & heavy rainfall, so the Riverwalk Trail and the trail getting to the canyon were tricky to hike along and almost impassible due to incredibly muddy conditions.
I arrived at Starved Rock State Park approximately two hours after sunrise and hiked straight to Lonetree Canyon. I then went to a nearby unnamed canyon or exposed rock face along the Riverwalk Trail. Nearby and slightly off the beaten path, I discovered some fairly recent uprooted trees. From there, I went to LaSalle Canyon and Tonty Canyon, and lastly I revisited Owl Canyon and Hidden Canyon. At each of the canyons, I took an extended period of time to examine its features and look for unique aspects, unusual angles and visually appealing perspectives to photograph.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken of an unnamed canyon or exposed rock face along the Riverwalk Trail. I used my new ultra-wide angle zoom lens to capture this view. Even though this particular image has a fish-eye appearance, the lens was designed to capture a very wide field of view without the typically associated fish-eye distortion of a wide angle lens. And that makes this lens well suited for capturing landscape scenes such as this.
Starved Rock State Park
This summer had been particularly rainy and I planned a visit to Starved Rock State Park to explore and photograph some of the waterfalls at the different canyons. Due to extensive flooding along the Illinois River, I had heard that the Visitor Centre, main parking lot, picnic areas and other low lying areas were closed. At its height, the water level reached about five meters above baseflow, leaving the main parking lot and picnic area about two meters underwater.
I arrived at the state park about two hours after sunrise, around 07:30 and found parking near the park lodge, high above the river and lower lying areas of the park. After first visiting French Canyon, I made my way to the main parking lot area to view the riverfront for myself. While the flood waters had somewhat receded, there was still considerable flooding. The main parking lot and picnic area where unrecognisable from the remaining flood water and all the leftover silt & mud. Mosquitoes were abundant and annoying, and I found one gorging itself on my arm. Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus had been in the news lately, so that was a concern in my mind. The Visitor Centre was open, and I was informed that access along the Riverwalk Trails was limited.
Hiking along the Riverwalk Trail, I found it to be quite muddy, but cautiously passable. I went to LaSalle Canyon and then Tonty Canyon where there were moderate size waterfalls at each. My plan was to then visit an area of the park which I had not been to in many years. Rather than hiking the distance, I opted to find parking closer to the southern area of the park and then I hiked over to Council Overhang and Ottawa Canyon. Although these areas were not flooded, the trails were considerably muddy.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken from near a path outside the park Visitor Centre and shows a view of a flooded picnic area & picnic hut which are normally situated well above the Illinois River. On the left side of this image, handicap parking signs are clearly visible and on the right side of this image, a portion of the river barrier can be seen partially submerged. I took this photograph, moreover, to document the floodwater while showing something familiar which could help illustrate the flood conditions.
Starved Rock State Park
I preplanned a location photography outing and on this day, I intended to make the most of the daylight hours, from sunrise at 07:08 to sunset at 18:01. The weather forecast was perfect all day, ranging from 15°C (59°F) at sunrise to a high of 25°C (77°F), with low cloud cover in the morning to sunny for the remainder of the day.
I began my outing by arriving at Starved Rock State Park shortly before sunrise where I photographed the early morning sunlight across the state park from the overlook atop Starved Rock. One planned project was to take a series of overlapping panoramic photographs covering 180 degrees along the horizon from northeast, to southwest; then in post production I blended and merged the images together to form one large single panoramic photograph of the state park shortly after sunrise.
By late morning, I ventured to an area of the state park which I had never visited. From a small parking lot at the far western edge of the state park, I hiked the Bluff Trail to a fork in the trail where I took the interior trail to St. Louis Canyon; I then backtracked to the fork in the trail and continued to follow the Bluff Trail which connected Kickapoo Canyon, Sac Canyon, Aurora Canyon to the state park lodge.
After my leisurely outing at Starved Rock State Park, I went to Matthiessen State Park around mid-afternoon. I had visited the state park once before, but it was many years ago while out on a group motorcycle ride. Being unfamiliar with the state park, my intention was to explore the main trails to get a general layout of some of the parks features, and take few scenic photographs.
While on the way home, I had one more planned stop. I traversed the countryside exploring a nearby wind farm containing numerous GE Energy 1.5sle Wind Turbines. I found a suitable place to stop and photograph some of the wind turbines against the colourful evening sky with the setting sun.
After a long day out, exhausted and a wee bit mucky, I arrived home just after sunset. The challenge now was to organise and edit all the images I had taken.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken at St. Louis Canyon. The canyon walls are deceptively high, as are many of the other canyons throughout the state park, which average approximately 25 meters (82 ft) in height. This view of the canyon is from near the top of a sandhill opposite where a small waterfall might be during a heavy rain storm. The interior trail to reach this canyon extends to the right which then leads up to a Bluff Trail. I took this photograph using my ultra-wide angle zoom lens to capture as much of the canyon features as I could in a single picture. The central canyon features, however, are compressed which is a design feature of this lens. What makes this lens ideal for a scene such as this is not particularly obvious in the picture, the lens does not distort the original landscape scene with the typical fisheye perspective of ultra-wide angle lenses, rather, the lens maintains an honest horizontal and vertical perspective of the original scene.
Starved Rock State Park
And the moral for this day, dress appropriately! Knowing that rain had been forecast, I had at least prepared for that, but was otherwise underdressed. With a temperature of -3°C (27°F) at sunrise, it was far cry from just a week ago when the temperature at sunrise was 15°C (59°F). I arrived at Starved Rock State Park just before sunrise, which was at 07:17.
I had planned on spending at least half the day at the park where I intended to photograph the sunrise, the early morning light across the park and the morning light seeping in to the canyons. As twilight became day, it became evident that the overcast sky would not produce the desired light for a picturesque view I was hoping to photograph. Even if storm clouds had been on the horizon, they might have presented a more dramatic sunrise, or even a red sky, but alas, it was all rather bland. From atop the Starved Rock outcrop, I managed to tolerate an hour of the nippy temperature before I decided to call it quits for the day. Soon after it began to drizzle and then it poured rain for most of the rest of the day.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken from atop the Starved Rock outcrop and shows the varying autumn colours of the foliage across the park. This was one of the last photographs I took this day as it soon began to drizzle. Even though I enhanced the saturation of the autumn colours only slightly, the dreary overhead sky reveals the bleak weather conditions.
Dump Trump Protest Rally
Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump delivered a campaign speech to more than 3,000 people in a hanger at the Synergy Flight Centre at Central Illinois Regional Airport. The Sunday morning event in Bloomington, Illinois, took place after a planned rally at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) campus on Friday, 11 March, but the event was canceled after many thousands of protesters gathered in and around the UIC pavilion, and public safety became a concern. In Bloomington, Trump supporters were met by 400-600 demonstrators who were organised by several local groups under the banner slogan, Dump Trump. It was a cold spring morning with drizzle and intermittent showers which likely kept the number of demonstrators lower. Many of the demonstrators were local or from surrounding areas, however, among the Trump supporters in attendance, many if not most were not local and some had travelled from surrounding states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri.
The Dump Trump demonstrators started gathering onsite at least 2 hours prior to the 10:00 am scheduled event time. Local and State police were already onsite at that time. Approximately 30 minutes prior to the event several vehicles that were unmarked, black with dark-tinted windows, arrived and pulled in to the airport facility. After Trump’s aircraft arrived at 09:55, his supporters waited about 10 minutes before he disembarked to go in to the hanger were he spoke for about 45 minutes. About 10-15 protesters had obtained tickets to attend the hanger event and interrupted his speech several times which prompted Trump to pause each time and shout out, demanding that they be removed. After the protesters were escorted out, they were hailed with cheers by the demonstrators who were kept short distance away from the hanger where the event was held.
During the time that Trump spoke to his supporters, the number of demonstrators seemed to literally double. After Trump gave his speech he greeted a few of his supporters and then left the airport for his next destination. Demonstrators lined the maintenance road from the hanger as Trump supporters departed. Overall, both supporters and protesters were behaved and gave the other respectable space. Aside from the typical vocalisms associated with such an event, there were a just a few Trump supporters whose ugly slurs bordered on unruliness.
A short while later, word quickly spread amongst the demonstrators that some of the Trump supporters, who had parked at a nearby cemetery, had desecrated the site by driving over graves, damaging turf and headstones. Later in the day, as word of the desecration spread throughout the community, many expressed utter disgust at those Trump supporters and several local community groups gathered in solidarity to repair the damage.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken near the hanger entrance where Trump supporters gathered to hear Donald Trump deliver his campaign speech. I took this photograph shortly after Trump had spoken and his supporters were preparing to depart the hanger. This pile of discarded items is shown exactly how I found them on the side of the maintenance road which ran adjacent to a wire fence. I took this photograph of discarded items as this pile seemed to perfectly symbolise the premise of the Dump Trump movement and the demonstrators who had gathered. In addition, this photograph goes beyond the immediate associated symbolism and captures the wider ideological stance about our environment which Donald Trump and Republicans pursue in their policies.
Bicycle Sculpture
Depending on the route I go through town, I pass by this bicycle sculpture. I have no idea how long its been there and the identifying label on the front upright bar is barely readable, so I don’t even know who installed it. Even though it is situated on the pavement, in clear public view, I wonder how many passersby notice it. Admittedly, I passed it by many times without much thought, but I did notice it and always thought to myself that someday I would photograph the scene. It is perhaps easy to see why I was attracted to photographing this scene, the stark contrast between the shape and lines of the bicycle sculpture and the vertical slats of the building wall as well as the contrasting colours between the neutral pavement, the deep red bicycle and the blue wall. Someone has obviously given some consideration and taken the time to the presentation of this scene. And within an urban landscape, it is a pleasant scene.
Such public works of art are few and far in-between and more municipal public funds ought to be considered for displaying a variety of works of art. Thinking about this particular bicycle sculpture, regardless of when it was installed, it somehow seems ever more relevant in todays world by making, perhaps unintentionally, a subtle yet pertinent statement, a reminder about our society, our environment and how we locomote.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken around midday on an overcast day. After observing this sculpture numerous times and under varying light conditions, I opted to photograph it on a bright overcast day. Under any other existing daylight conditions I would have to contend with the sun’s position and the shadows not only caused from the sculpture itself, but shadows throughout the visible scene as well as shadows from other objects beyond the image frame. I did not want any shadows to cause a distraction from the main emphasis of the scene. When I shot this sculpture, I took several images from different angles and positions, and found this perspective to be the most ideal.
C. Bechstein Piano
This Bechstein piano had been in our family for decades though not being an overly musically inclined, it had received little use in recent years. After some discussion, it was decided to pass it on to new owners. Upon locating the original purchase receipt, I became curious and decided to do a wee bit of research and learned that this particular piano, a Bechstein Model 9 Upright with 85 keys and inlaid Mahogany Case was originally manufactured in Germany, circa 1903. While I was not able to directly follow the past ownership trail, it is easy to imagine and quite astonishing to think that this particular piano survived both World War I and World War II, made it’s way to Aberdeen, Scotland where it was fully reconditioned and then purchased by our family from C. Bruce Miller & Co. LTD. The piano then made the journey across the pond after we emigrated to the United States. I learned from various sources, including a local piano dealer and manufacturer C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG that after 70 years, most all piano’s loose their entire value and only rarely will they ever retain or even gain value. It’s a little disheartening to realise that this Bechstein piano which is a rare commodity in North America, let alone an antique, is likely to have little value. However, I was pleased to learn that this piano does indeed have some value as it is now on consignment with a reputable, professional piano dealer, whose family business has a good many years of experience.
I had considered photographing the piano previously, but once it was appraised and parting ways with it was on the horizon, I felt a sense of urgency. I had never really examined the intricate inner workings of the piano before and knowing that it was built over one hundred years ago, I became enamoured by it and had a greater appreciation of its functional design, which could be likened to the inner workings of a fine mechanical watch. Over the course of the next several weeks, I did four separate photoshoots of the piano. With each session, I tended to focus on certain aspects of the piano, such as the case, keys, strings, treble & bass bridge, action, hammer and tuning pins, et cetera. After my experience of photographing the piano, I feel inspired to explore other musical instruments and produce a themed series.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken during my first photoshoot with this piano. For this shot, I simply wanted to capture the inlaid brass letters of the manufacturer name with the piano keys. I also wanted to play with the depth of field. This particular shot was taken with an aperture opening set at f/5.6 which was the optimum f-stop to retain a pleasing view of the inlaid brass letters of the manufacturer name while clearly capturing the fading focus in both the foreground and background.
While photographing this piano throughout each photo session, I envisaged converting many of the original colour images to black & white, however, this particular photograph did not pleasantly convert well. The entire area containing the inlaid brass letters of the manufacturer name and the surrounding wood surface of the keyboard cover becomes flat, lacks contrast, and the inlaid letters blended so well in to the wood surface that the inlaid letters become barely noticeable. The only viable option would involve some major image editing which in-turn alters the authenticity of capturing the real world scene. Perhaps, I will experiment with various setting at a later date.
Starved Rock State Park
My objective for visiting Starved Rock State Park during this outing was two fold, to photograph the canopy of varying colours of the autumn foliage from the Starved Rock overlook and I wanted to take a more leisurely hike through the park while keeping my eye open for anything that might normally go unnoticed by a passerby.
I’m not usually a morning person, but when I’m on a photography outing such as this, I try to get an early start and be onsite by sunrise, which was at 07:17 local time. However, on this day, it was almost 08:30 local time when I arrived. It was still unseasonably warm and compared with recent years, the foliage had barely begun to change to the typical vibrant autumn colours. After taking in the view from atop the Starved Rock outcrop, I planned to follow the Riverwalk Trail, a route I had not taken in awhile. I first stopped by French Canyon, then bypassing Lover’s Leap & Eagle Cliff, I ventured on to Beehive Overlook where I took brief rest period. Continuing to follow the Riverwalk Trail, I went on to Wildcat Canyon, Basswood Canyon, Lonetree Canyon and finally LaSalle Canyon.
What made this day more interesting than usual was not so much the photographs I took, but the people I met throughout the day. The first group I met was a large extended family from Hong Kong who were visiting relatives now living in Chicago. It was the first time some of the younger family members had met their relatives and a young couple had recently become engaged. As a courtesy, I took some family snapshots against a scenic backdrop.
Later in the day, I happened upon three companions who had recently attended an Amnesty International conference and where now travelling throughout the Midwest, loosely following Route 66 before they returned home. The two men were from the Netherlands and the woman originally hailed form Nigeria, but had emigrated to Amsterdam. After our introductions were made, we walked along the Riverwalk Trail chatting about a variety of topics, including local places of interest, the upcoming US Presidential election, their camping tour to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and then to Detroit, and of course, we talked a little about photography. Whether it was her grasp of the English language, being cultured and knowledgeable, and quite attractive, or otherwise, I seemed to spend more time chatting with the young woman. Had time permitted, it would have been nice to have a more in-depth conversation with her. Upon reaching our mutual destination, I took some quick snapshots of the three companions against the backdrop of LaSalle Canyon, a signature feature of the state park. Alas, I didn’t even take the opportunity to take a memento snapshot for myself. No matter, I certainly enjoyed their company and it made my day more pleasurable.
After parting ways from the three companions, I set about photographing LaSalle Canyon. Because it had recently rained, there was a small waterfall. After a short while, existing daylight within the canyon diminished as the sun slowly set towards the west. With my work day all but over, I made my way back to the main parking lot while there was still enough light to see unaided.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken slightly off the beaten path along the Riverwalk Trail near Lonetree Canyon. The root system of this uprooted tree is about 2.5 meters in diameter. Even though I had been in the vicinity relatively recently, I had not noticed this downed tree before, thus, I would venture to say that the tree had been uprooted sometime during the past year.
When I pondered how to photograph the root system of this uprooted tree, in my mind’s imagination, I wanted the final image to be dark yet retain some aspect of the soil which encased the entangled roots. I wanted the protruding roots to appear as though they were emerging from darkness. I envisaged an abstract concept of a birth from emptiness. This loosely describes a recurring theme which periodically appears throughout my work.
Starved Rock State Park
With little sleep, I woke before my alarm and over a cup of tea, I reviewed my plan for my day at Starved Rock State Park. I had planned to get an early start anyway and it was still the dark of night when I left. With no moonlight or stars visible in the night sky, it was very dark and driving on county roads was rather precarious. While on the motorway, the only light I had to go by was from my car’s headlights and the occasional oncoming vehicle. The further I travelled towards my destination, I began to realise I was becoming enveloped in a low lying fog. Without being able to view external light sources or landmarks, it was hard to judge just how foggy conditions were becoming, but as the pre-dawn twilight became brighter, I soon realised just how soupy thick the fog was becoming.
My normal journey time of fifty to sixty minutes was considerably extended due to reduced speed for safety and because, to my utter surprise, I found myself driving on the bridge over the Illinois River which meant that I completely drove passed the exit ramp without even knowing it. That’s how dense the fog had become. Once I was able to finally turn around and found the exit ramp, I arrived safe and sound at Starved Rock State Park at 07:40, 10 minutes after sunrise; much later than I wanted.
Although it was becoming evermore lighter, the fog was still soupy thick and it was hard to distinguish where the sun was above the horizon. I first made my way to the river bank and could barely see the centre islands, but the far bank was completely hidden from view by the misty fog. Visibility distance varied and was at best only a few meters to a few tens of meters, even from atop the Starved Rock outcrop. With practically nothing to see, let alone photograph, I made my way to the park lodge where I took some photos of Fox Canyon and the sun trying to peer through the dense fog. From there I hiked over to LaSalle Canyon and Tonty Canyon. By 11:00, the fog had completely dissipated. I spent the next couple of hours at this location before going to Owl Canyon and then over to Council Overhang, Kaskaskia Canyon and Ottawa Canyon. In the late afternoon, I made my way back to Starved Rock Overlook to photograph the canopy of autumn foliage colours across the park.
Even though the early morning drive to Starved Rock State Park was hazardous, once there, it was absolutely amazing to be in an environment enveloped by such a dense fog, and to photograph the scenery. It would also be amazing to photograph a model in such an environment. I long for another opportunity—ode to the prediction of foggy conditions. Overall, to be in such an environment with conditions as they were, it was a very ethereal experience.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken, shortly after I arrived at the state park, by a picnic area near the Visitor Centre and shows the view across the Illinois River. The cameras image sensor peered through the fog and captured an image that is far more distinct than what I visually observed. As I recall, at the moment I took this photograph, the low lying fog was so thick, I could just barely make out the dark fuzzy shapes of trees on the islands in the centre of the river and certainly nothing beyond. In the raw photo, it is easy to see the trees on the islands and to faintly see the tree line on the far river bank. The general height of the overlying fog can be determined as a hint of the cyan-blue morning sky is viewable above. Additionally, the camera sensor captured more contrast than what I recall from that moment in time. In post-processing, I wrestled as to how much editing I ought to do between what the camera sensor actually captured and what I recall experiencing visually. While I did not want to over edit this image, I opted more on the side of what the camera sensor captured even though the image is not representative of what I visually experienced.
Full Snow Moon
I have always been mesmerised by astronomical photographs - Astrophotography, though beyond a perfunctory curiosity, it is a field I have never actively pursued. Like most who take photographs of the moon, it always looks so much bigger in real life and is disappointingly small in pictures. The surface of the moon primarily comprises of greyish volcanic rocks and dust particles, and even though a full moon only reflects approximately 11% of the sun’s light, the illumination of a full moon often appears bright against the vast blackness of space. Because cameras meter for middle grey, in pictures, the moon becomes overexposed against the surrounding blackness of space. In order to capture a detailed picture of the lunar surface during a full moon, knowing the camera’s reflective light meter reading can offer a starting point for making manual setting adjustments.
Having recently bought a new super telephoto lens, one of the first opportunities I had to do a test shoot with the lens was to photograph the full moon. The Full Snow Moon is a traditional Native American term that is given to the full moon in February. Some tribes also coined the term Hunger Moon or Bone Moon because the typical harsh weather during February made for difficult hunting which led to a shortage of food. The Full Snow Moon moonrise occurred on 10 February at 17:12 local time and on 11 February moonset was at 07:10 local time. At approximately 23:48 local time, the moon reached it’s maximum distance from the earth, averaging about 376,500 km (234,000 mi).
I was absolutely amazed when I first saw the moon enlarged by the super telephoto lens. It is the first time I had ever seen the lunar surface enlarged and in such detail with my own eyes. During this photoshoot, I imagined how Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) must have felt when, in November 1609 CE, he looked through his redesigned telescope, which had a 20x (power) magnification and saw the true glory of the lunar body. Until then, religious convention and common belief held that the heavens were perfection; Galileo definitively showed that the lunar body was “not smooth, uniform, and precisely spherical” and hardly perfect. From his observations, Galileo wrote the book ‘Sidereus Nuncius’ (1610 CE) and he described the lunar body as “rough and uneven, and, just like the face of the Earth itself, is everywhere full of vast protuberances, deep chasms, and sinuosities.”
If I can manage to stay awake at night long enough, perhaps I’ll turn my camera towards the night sky and try photographing other astronomical objects. (Note: there is a total solar eclipse occurring later this year which I plan to try and photograph.) And maybe, at some point in the future I will consider a proper astronomical telescope which I can use for astrophotography.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken at 21:35 local time. After trying different camera settings, this particular photograph is the fifteenth in the series I took. The only post-processing edits I did to the original photograph was to subtly enhance the contrast by slightly darkening the dark grey areas on the lunar surface and to slightly increase the sharpness within the features of the lunar surface. This photograph has been slightly cropped from the original to eliminate some of the surrounding blackness of space, thus placing more emphasis on the moon itself.
Planned Parenthood Rally
Barely a month after the 2017 Women’s March, demonstrators again gathered for rallies and marches throughout the United States to protect federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a health care organisation which provides health, sex, reproductive and family planning education, and health care services for both women and men.
In Central Illinois, Heartland of the United States, over one thousand people came together in the twin cities. It was a rare, if not unprecedented gathering of so many people for a cause. There were no more than five or six counter-protesters who gathered nearby. Demonstrators started gathering around 09:30 at the McLean County Museum of History which was cordoned off by local authorities as the crowd continued to grow ever larger. Eventually, the organisers of the event led the demonstrators through the town centre to the Bloomington Centre for the Performing Arts where everyone gathered and listened to rally organisers, numerous speakers, and rally participants. The rally lasted about 90 minutes and by 11:30 demonstrators began to disperse, though a few lingered longer.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken on N. Main St. by the McLean County Museum of History which is the site of a former courthouse that was often used by President Abraham Lincoln in his early years when he was a travelling lawyer. It is the place where he took on some of his most important cases, which were pivotal in his legal and political development. The timing of this photograph, perfectly captures the symbolism and representation of the event and location.
Anisoptera - Chicago Botanic Garden
Chicago, like any metropolitan city throughout the world, has so much to offer both its residents and visitors. I planned a weekend excursion to Chicago and while I was primarily there to visit friends, a good friend and I planned a visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden. When I lived in Chicago proper, I visited the Chicago Botanic Garden many times, but it had been quite a few years since I was last there. The Botanic Garden encompasses 156 ha (385 ac) with 27 gardens, four natural areas and nine islands, and there are still some areas I have never visited. It’s motto is ‘City in a Garden’, which seems appropriate, though my impression is that the encompassed area could be likened to an nature reserve oasis within a metropolitan jungle.
Some years ago, I attended an amazing concert performance by a guest carillonneur who manually played the Carillon Bells on Evening Island. And during another visit, I attended a Cooking & Organic Vegetable Garden Marketplace event where I sampled a variety of foods from the Fruit & Vegetable Garden and, to date, they had the best hummus I have ever had. Perhaps my favourite areas are the English Walled Garden, English Oak Meadow, the Conifer Garden, and the Japanese Garden islands.
During this excursion to the Botanic Garden, I was not there for a specific photography session, however, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to use my new super telephoto zoom lens to photograph florae or faunas and other aspects of the gardens we visited.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken in the Heritage Garden and shows an Anisoptera (Dragonfly) resting on a reed. I grew up near a wee loch where dragonflies were abundant, and ever since I have always been fascinated with them. Prior to taking this photograph, I tried and tried to capture a dragonfly in flight, but to no avail; just as a dragonfly held it’s position in flight, by the time I found it in the view finder and tried to focus on it, the dragonfly would move on. Had I been shooting film & not digital, I would have wasted many rolls of 36 exp. film.
Chicago Skyline
Now that I no longer live within Chicago proper, when I visit friends, I most certainly view the city, metaphorically, through a new lens. As close as I presently live to Chicago, it is just far enough that I do not get the chance to visit as often as I would like. And when I do visit, I feel a desire to be more proactive and take the opportunity to photograph various aspects of the city, however it’s just not quite the same now as to when I actually lived within the city.
I planned a weekend excursion to Chicago and while I was primarily there to visit friends, I planned to use the opportunity to photograph the skyline using my new super telephoto zoom lens and to test a new tripod I recently purchased. Waking up early and feeling energetic, I had all morning to try and go to three different locations with ideal views of the city skyline. The first location I went to was Montrose Beach, the second was by Adler Planetarium, and the third was on Navy Pier. I feel fortunate that traffic, parking and other circumstances were in my favour as I was actually able to get to all three locations. And with time to spare, my friend and I met & we spent the afternoon doing the touristy thing on Navy Pier. Alas, I do miss living in the city; but then again, there are many aspects I certainly do not miss.
Prominent in the top photograph is North Ave. Beach & Oak Street Beach, at centre is a view of Michigan Ave., at centre right with the pyramidal peak is Two Prudential Plaza building and to the left of centre are the landmark buildings, John Hancock building, the former Playboy building and The Drake hotel.
About This Photograph
The above two photographs show a panoramic view (bottom) of the Chicago skyline and an original image size (top) view of North Avenue Beach, Oak Street Beach and Michigan Ave. as viewed from Montrose Beach with a lens focal length of 500mm.
To produce the panoramic skyline photograph, I took twenty-two photographs with each image overlapping the adjacent image by approximately a quarter to a third; then I manually overlaid and merged each image to the adjacent image. When fully assembled, this created one single ultra large panoramic photograph. The process of manually aligning and merging each image together, and doing colour correction and other edits took many hours over several weeks. The final panoramic photograph above is 1.8% of actual image size, which is 5061ppi (42.85cm) x 43071ppi (364.67cm) with a final TIFF document file size of 654mb. The red outline in the panoramic skyline photograph shows the position of the image above, which is 100% actual image size.
Solar Eclipse Test Shoot
The much anticipated and publicised 2017 Total Solar Eclipse occurred on 21 August. This particular Solar Eclipse event is unique because it is the first Total Solar Eclipse in 99 years to be visible across the entire United States, from Oregon on the Pacific coast to South Carolina on the Atlantic coast.
I vividly remember the Annular Solar Eclipse that took place on 10 May 1994 when I was living in Chicago and in-part because of this, I was motivated to try and photograph this Solar Eclipse. I had never before photographed the sun in such a manner, so I did some research, conducted a few test shoots, and hoped I might be able to capture some images of the Solar Eclipse event. Now living in central Illinois, I was not able to travel to a more ideal locale due to other obligations, as such, I would experience a maximum Partial Solar Eclipse of 93% obscuration. The predicted Solar Eclipse event was set to begin at 11:51:50 local time and ended at 14:43:06 local time with the maximum 93% obscuration occurring at 13:18:41 local time.
Even knowing that the Solar Eclipse event was occurring, I admittedly was not as fully prepared as I should have been. When I finally sought to order an ISO 12312-2 filter, a couple of months in advance of the event, sellers were already sold-out or prices had become exorbitant. I was fortunate to be able to order an ISO 12312-2, 30 cm square sheet filter from Thousand Oaks Optical. But now I had to carefully cut the filter sheet to obtain a size (⌀95 mm) that would be adequate for the lens I intended to use. Then I had to make a filter holder and a way of attaching it to the lens. To make these items, I used 0.5 mm Styrene sheet.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken during my final test shoot prior to the day of the actual Solar Eclipse event. The weather on this day was comfortably warm, a bit windy and was periodically cloudy throughout the day. Over the course of several hours, I often had to wait until there was an unobstructed view of the sun. I particularly like this image because the sun is partially obscured by clouds and several sun spots can clearly be seen.
Having performed several test shoots and knowing that I could confidently capture an image of the Solar Eclipse event, I was now forced to contend with the likelihood that the weather would not be favourable for experiencing the Solar Eclipse event nor photographing the actual eclipse event. The forecasted weather showed mostly cloudy all morning, overcast by 10:00 local time, 49% chance of storms from 12:00 to 14:00 local time and mostly cloudy with diminishing chance of rain for the remainder of the day. All I could do was keep my fingers crossed and hope for a break in the weather.
2017 Solar Eclipse
The much anticipated and publicised 2017 Total Solar Eclipse occurred on 21 August. What made this particular Solar Eclipse event unique is that this was the first Total Solar Eclipse in 99 years to be visible across the entire United States, from Oregon on the Pacific coast to South Carolina on the Atlantic coast. Solar Eclipse totality started at 10:16 local time at Lincoln Beach, Oregon and occurred through to McClellanville, South Carolina where totality started at 14:46 local time.
I was located in central Illinois for the duration of the Solar Eclipse event and experienced a maximum Partial Solar Eclipse of 93% obscuration. The Solar Eclipse event began at 11:51:50 local time and ended at 14:43:06 local time with the maximum 93% obscuration occurring at 13:18:41 local time. The forecasted weather showed mostly cloudy all morning with a 49% chance of storms from 12:00 to 14:00 local time. Throughout the morning, the sky was overcast by moderate to thick hazy clouds. As the maximum Partial Solar Eclipse event neared, I questioned whether I even wanted to set up my photography gear as the weather did not appear as though it would permit worthwhile viewing. However, I vividly remember the Annular Solar Eclipse that took place on 10 May 1994 when I was living in Chicago and in-part because of this, I was motivated to try and photograph this Solar Eclipse and remained hopeful that I might be able to capture an image of some phase of the event.
With 30 minutes till Partial Solar Eclipse maximum, I looked west and saw that the sky appeared lighter than it was overhead. While I remained doubtful, I decided to set up my photography gear in any case. And then I waited. At approximately 20 to 15 minutes prior to maximum Partial Solar Eclipse, there was a light sprinkle of rain. As the clouds continued to move from west to east, the overhead sky lightened further and I began to see blue sky emerging in the distance. The minutes dragged on. During the time frame of 15 to 10 minutes prior to maximum Partial Solar Eclipse, the thick and hazy cloud coverage overhead began to dissipate to a near transparent sky with light wispy, hazy cirrocumulus and cirrostratus clouds.
With my certified ISO 12312-2 filter in place, looking through the viewfinder, the sun was at first intermittently visible, though when it was, sharpness was obscured by haze. I made what adjustments I could and took my first few photographs. During the following 10 minutes, the overhead sky continued to clear and as the eclipse phase progressed, the sharpness of the sun and moon become more clearly defined. I utilised the bracketing feature and began taking a series of photographs leading up to, during and after the maximum Partial Solar Eclipse event.
During the couple of minutes surrounding the actual maximum eclipse phase, there was a noticeable lowering of the light level which was similar to twilight, but not quite dusk. I remained on location for almost 30 minutes after. About 40 minutes after the event, the overhead sky returned to being overcast with moderate to thick cloud coverage which lasted the remainder of the day.
Although I was not able to experience a Total Solar Eclipse, I feel fortunate that the weather finally cooperated and the sky cleared so that I could photograph the event. The next Total Solar Eclipse event occurs on 8 April 2024 and I fully intend to travel to a location in order to experience and photograph the entire Total Solar Eclipse event.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken exactly 13 seconds after maximum Partial Solar Eclipse occurred. With a 35mm full frame sensor, the lens focal length was 480mm. At five stops underexposed, the exposure for this photograph was ISO 640 at 1/250 sec, f/8.
Starved Rock State Park
This was my first venture to Starved Rock State Park during a winter season. I had been holding off going until there had been a significant snowfall. Over the past several years, there has not been a significant snowfall and any accumulation quickly melted. The last major accumulation of snow was in February 2014. I had contemplated trekking out to photograph a snowscape then, but never quite mustered myself enough to venture out. However, with growing determination in the interim, I waited; then, when the almanac predicted a decent snowfall this season, I gathered my old ski clothes, prepared my photo gear and planned.
I recently ordered a new F-Stop Loka UL rucksack with a large ICU, so this outing would be a perfect opportunity to test the rucksack. I can say that it worked phenomenally and was a far cry better than dealing with achy shoulders and neck which I regularly sustained from my single strap shoulder bag.
Due to the frigid temperatures, I didn’t plan on leaving until after the sun was above the horizon. It was late morning by the time I arrived. After stopping by Visitor Centre, I hiked up Starved Rock itself. The local temperature reading was -15℃ (5℉), but the windchill atop Starved Rock made the temperature feel more like -25℃ (-13℉). I walked around the rock outcrop and the set about to photograph some scenic views. After almost an hour, I then ventured to the park Lodge where I walked around the lodge and cabins taking photographs of various scenic views.
I had considered going to the nearby canyons, but wanted to explore those that were a bit more off the beaten path, so I went to a small parking lot just off Route 71 near Owl Canyon. From the parking lot, there are approximately 37 stairs to reach the Bluff Trail and then an additional 142 stairs to get down to the Riverwalk Trail. One thought I had, especially considering the cold temperatures, where ever I chose to go, I had to get back and that meant climbing all those stairs. I explored and photographed scenes at both Owl Canyon and Hidden Canyon, and from the Riverwalk Trail I took the opportunity to photograph some panoramic views of Hidden Canyon and the frozen Illinois River.
It was just after 15:00 when the sun was beginning to set behind the Owl Canyon and the temperature was noticeably dropping. With just over an hour till sunset, which was at 16:30 and when the State Parks close, I headed over to Matthiessen State Park. While I wasn’t planning on photographing any scenic views of the park, since I was in the vicinity, I wanted to at least explore the trail around the Lower Dells.
Considering the temperature, I think I faired pretty well. I was appropriately well bundled up in multiple layers, a heavy-weight balaclava and ski gloves, but as daylight slowly faded, I was certainly beginning to feel the chill.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken by the park lodge overlooking Starved Rock Visitor Centre, the Illinois River and Starved Rock itself. This particular photograph combines two pictures merged in to one panoramic view.
March For Our Lives
March For Our Lives was a phenomenal grassroots organised demonstration held on Saturday, 24 March 2018 in Washington D.C. and in over 800 sibling locations across the United States and around the world. The March For Our Lives movement was primarily organised by students turned activists. Their mission, to demand comprehensive and effective reforms which addresses rampant gun violence and gun related issues.
The March For Our Lives movement was a direct response by students from Stoneman Douglas High School located in Parkland, Florida where on Valentines Day, 14 February 2018, seventeen people were massacred and seventeen more were wounded when a 19 year old former student entered the school, activated a fire alarm and began indiscriminately shooting at students and teachers.
In central Illinois, local organisers including Voices of Reason and Indivisible McLean County staged a March For Our Lives event in Bloomington, Illinois at the McLean County Museum of History. Organisers and volunteers arrived at 10:00 to prepare for the 11:00 start of the rally. Most of the speakers were students who attend four area high schools, are homeschooled or attend nearby universities and participate in speech teams & Not In Our Schools programmes. After nearly 90 minutes, the event concluded when demonstrators marched to the Bloomington Centre for the Performing Arts.
Based on Facebook Events, the number of demonstrators who planned on going or were interested was at least 1,200 people. However, adverse weather conditions certainly prevented many from attending as an early spring snowstorm with high moisture and gusty winds swept across the state. During the event, the temperature averaged 1°C (34°F) with wind speeds reaching 43 kph (27 mph), and mixed in with snowfall were ice pellets. Regardless of the weather conditions, it has been estimated that between 500-600 people attended the March For Our Lives event.
To stage a grassroots rally & march in this community and have such numbers of people be supportive and attend, especially in such adverse weather conditions, is quite astounding and saying something momentous about the gravity of the issue.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken about half an hour after the March For Our Lives rally began. This view shows demonstrators closest to the museum entrance where spokespersons gathered to address the crowd.
Photographing this event was one of the trickier sessions I have undertaken, partially from of the weather conditions, but moreover because of the ever changing light meter readings of each scene and constant readjustments of exposure settings. The sky provided a constant bright light source and the snow covered ground reflected much of that bright light which lessoned high contrast areas between the snow and shadows. However, in order to set an accurate exposure for the crowd, highly reflective bright areas such as the snow or protest signs became blown out. Throughout the course of the event, I would estimate that I made average shutter-speed and aperture adjustments between 3-5 stops and for some scenes as much as 7-8 stops. Overall, I tried to keep a small aperture in order to retain as much sharpness throughout the depth-of-field while having a faster shutter speed to minimise motion blur from an ever changing situation.
Scanning Negatives
These past months I have spent an onerous amount of time reviewing, sorting, organising, archiving & preserving, scanning, cataloguing, editing, saving and backing-up digital image files of my old analogue negatives, transparencies (slides) and prints. It has been quite enjoyable to reminisce over memories surrounding past photo sessions, but there are times when my memory has been taxed trying to remember details.
For anyone, sorting and organising photographs is a daunting task which requires time. While there is no right way to categorise or organise, some methods are apt to make more sense than others. During my first photography courses I really did not have a standardised method of cataloguing and organising my negatives, and the more rolls of film I shot, I very quickly realised that I would be facing a heterogeneous collection.
While cataloguing and organising methods were not specifically taught as part of photography course curricula, fortunately I kept all my rolls of film negatives in the order of when I took them and noted the date (YMD). I later added a unique number identification system, which I have since simplified. However, during those very early days I really should have made more of an effort to jot down general notes and technical details about each photoshoot.
When scanning for clients, I use the automated settings which is both time- and cost-effective, and the final JPEG image scans are high consumer quality with resolutions suitable for consumer printing. When scanning my own work, I use the ‘Professional Mode’ settings. Each scan takes longer to gather image data, which is uncompressed, and thus produces extremely large file sizes. I then use Adobe Photoshop to do additional image editing. While knowledge and experience of the traditional darkroom process is certainly worthwhile and the talent needed to achieve mastery can not be underestimated, overall I am happier and more adept with the digital darkroom process.
About This Photograph
The above photograph is a quick snapshot I took while in the midst of scanning some B&W negatives of a friend who posed for me for an extra-curricula photo assignment at university. She possessed a natural beauty and even though she was rather shy, I am very appreciative she willingly agreed to pose for me. Not long after, I was disheartened to learn that this one photoshoot with her was to be the only opportunity I would have to photograph her.
COVID-19 Concomitant
The Coronavirus consists of a large family of viruses that are responsible for upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. The Coronavirus was first identified 1964 by Dr. June Almeida at St Thomas's Hospital in London. When viewed under a microscope, the virus derived its name from the halo or crown-like (corona) spikes that protrudes from the body of the virus. The SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) is the virus that causes COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019). This strain first appeared in humans in late 2019 causing an epidemic, but quickly spread worldwide to become a pandemic.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, very little was known about the health implications of this strain; misinformation by non-reputable sources was deliberate and spread like much like an epidemic. Due to the very high unknowns about COVID-19, many cities, states and countries began to issue varying types of quarantine or more aptly stay-at-home, shelter-in-place & lockdown orders to restrict the movements of its populace, except for essential tasks and limited circumstances, in order to manage the outbreak.
Following permissible guidelines while using common sense practices including social distancing, wearing a mask when applicable, et cetera, I was able to venture out and roam to document various scenes which were related to the consequences from the lockdown orders.
About This Photograph
The above image comprises of two photographs, the first taken was on 18 March 2020 at 12:12 and the second on 18 June 2020 at 12:12. The intent of this ‘COVID-19 Concomitant’ project is to show a scene directly impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown order and a follow-up scene exactly three months later, once the initial lockdown order had lifted. I also did an additional follow up of select scenes exactly six months after the first photograph was taken.
Comet NEOWISE C/2020 F3
Comet NEOWISE C/2020 F3 was discovered on 27 March 2020 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission. As with most comets, it likely originated from the (inner) Oort Cloud, a theoretical spherical cloud of predominantly icy solid objects that surround the Solar System. This comet has highly elongated elliptical orbit of 6,765 years and is not expected to return to the inner solar system until June 8786.
Based on its infrared signature, the nucleus is about 5 km (3 mi) across and covered with sooty, dark particles. According to NASA, most comets are made of about half water and half dust. On 13 July, the Planetary Science Institute confirmed that the comets tail was composed of sodium and the British Astronomical Association affirmed that a green coma was clearly visible.
The orbital path of NEOWISE C/2020 F3 took it around the sun during the first week in July when its closest approach was on 3 July 2020, passing about 43 million km (26.7 million mi), which is slightly closer than the average distance Mercury is to the sun. At its fastest, the comet was travelling about 65 kilometres per second (40 miles per second), which is about twice as fast as the earth moves around the sun.
Between 10-15 July, the comet became visible to observers on the earth in the early morning, about 80 minutes before sunrise and was located about 10 degrees above the northeast horizon. With each passing morning, the comet appeared a degree or two closer to the horizon until its altitude became too low to see in the pre-sunrise sky. From 12 July onwards, the comet was visible to observers in both the early morning and evening sky. Each following evening after sunset, the comet increased its height above the horizon by approximately 2 degrees. On 14 July, the comet was located approximately 5 degrees above the horizon and about 345 degrees from north in the north-northwest. It was located near the constellation Ursa Major and was directly below the asterism that forms the Plough or Big Dipper.
The comet was at its closest to the Earth on 22-23 July 2020 when it was approximately 103 million km (64 million mi) away. It was visible to observers approximately 20-25 degrees above the horizon and about 315-320 degrees from north in the northwest.
After 23 July, the comet was moving away from the sun and the earth. It quickly faded from view and during the first week in August, it was so dim and distant, it had essentially disappeared from observers view. On 8 August, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured some amazing images of the comet.
About This Photograph
The above photograph was taken on 23 July which was the third and final opportunity I had to photograph Comet NEOWISE C/2020 F3. Having chosen a different location each night I photographed the comet, I set up my camera and gear shortly after sunset as I wanted to take the opportunity to photograph the wind turbines during early twilight. Even though I could not actually see the comet, my camera did capture it in some of the photographs. After twilight, when darkness took over and I could finally see the comet, to the naked eye, it appeared as a barely visible faint smudge compared to the pinpoint stars. The comet was located approximately 310° (northwest) and 25° above the horizon. I took a series of photographs with my 200-500 mm lens before switching to my 24-70 mm lens. After 2.5 hours, by 23:00, the comet had become increasingly difficult to see, so I took my last few photographs and called it a night.
Bonfire
Due to extenuating circumstances a couple of weeks prior to the Coronavirus pandemic and in due course, the lack of work prospects, I suddenly found myself with an abundance of available time. Not one to be idle, I started working on a variety of projects, some long intended to be tackled.
Throughout the spring, summer and autumn, I spent a fair amount of time doing landscape clearing. Initially, I had not planned on clearing out as much of an area as I did, however, I am amazed at the accomplishment of what I did. Perhaps needless to say, I amassed a fair amount of woodland debris collected in to multiple piles.
While undertaking this project, I contemplated doing a series of photoshoots with a model interacting with a bonfire. I was partially inspired by Samhuinn, Beltaine, various folklores & mythologies as well as subculture genres and related fire dance themed artworks. While formulating the concept for this theme, I explored, not so much the use of fire throughout history, but moreover how integral bonfires have been and continue to be to civilisation.
Bonfires have been used as central gathering places for people from all societies and cultures all over the world for many tens of thousands of years. They bring together kin and community, forming bonds between all who bask in its light and warmth. Throughout the eons, many religions have come and gone; and long before modern religions or politics repurposed & influenced gatherings, bonfires have been and continue to be a symbolic centre piece for celebrations and festivals.
About This Photograph
The above photograph is part of a limited series. It was a tricky photoshoot to conduct which involved constant maintenance and monitoring of the fire while ensuring safety. I initially planned several photoshoot sessions, but had to cancel a couple photoshoots due to safety concerns from it being too windy.
By the very nature of the ever changing characteristics of fire, I had to use a high ISO and in manual mode, I was constantly having to make adjustments to both shutter speed and aperture, though I deliberately kept to a wide aperture ensuring a short distance depth of field. While I was hardly concerned with grain effect caused by high ISO, which actually added character to each image, it also gave rise to unwanted digital image artefacts. During post-processing, eliminating artefacts took both time and patience.
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