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Friday, January 23, 2015

Photo of the Week, er, Last Year Edition

I've been looking through some photos this week from last winter, and for some reason I never published this batch. These were taken in February of 2014 near Hollywood and Foster Ave beaches. I admit it's possible that by posting these I'm jinxing Chicago and the relatively mild winter we've been having, but I'm willing to take that chance. Truth be told, I like a good snow storm!

"The Far Side of the Moon" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w 16-85mm lens, 1/1250sec at f8, ISO200

A note about the second photo: for that one I had to clamber around to the far side of the pier. You can see the shadow of its beacon in the lower right. This was probably the stupidest thing I did the entire winter-- had I slipped and fallen, there's no guaranteeing the ice around me was stable. Of course, I didn't, but just a warning to be careful out there if you photograph the lakefront in the winter.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Frosty Chicago via the Art Institute

On a recent visit to the Chicago Art Institute I found these awesome frosted doors as I exited the Modern Wing. There was some sort of condensation problem happening in the entryway. The Art Institute had a fan set up to try and push air out of the room, but it clearly wasn't working. No complaints from me.

"Frosty Chicago (3 of 3)" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Sony RX100, 1/30sec at f2.8, ISO640

My photo taking captured the attention of several others, who stopped to take their own shots. One guy said this to me:

Guy standing near me as I take a picture: "That's a great Instagram photo." Me: "It's just a great photo." We agree.
— Andy Marfia (@AndyMarfia) January 9, 2015

Of course, I did eventually put them on Instagram, so I guess we were both right!

Update: the third photo in this set was featured in the Gapers Block's Rearview on 1/16/14.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Photo of the Week: Skyline Bridge

"Skyline Bridge" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w 16-85mm lens, 1/640sec at f8, ISO200

This week's photo shows Chicago's Webster Ave Bridge crossing the north branch of the Chicago River. This bridge was build in 1916 and is the "oldest style of pony bascule bridge in Chicago", according to Historic Bridges dot org.

A couple of things to note about the photo: 1) Though it was quite cold on this day, what looks like ice in the water is actually foam floating on the river. I assume this is caused by nearby industry. 2) I processed this one to be much warmer than it was in real life. I like how this accentuated the reddish brown of the bridge, and I just liked the overall feel of the coloring.

In addition to flickr, this photo also appeared on Instagram.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Photo of the Week: Oh Bokeh Tree

"Oh Bokeh Tree" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w 55-200mm lens, 1/100sec at f4.5, ISO3200

Happy Holidays from Chicago! I took this week's photo at the Daley Plaza Christkindlmarket. The Christkindlmarket is a great place to visit for last minute Christmas presents, gluhwein (a very tasty German mulled wine) and, of course, out of focus Christmas tree photos. I'm pretty sure I've never met an out of focus Christmas tree that I didn't like.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Photo(s) of the week: The Fall Stretch

"Stretch" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Sony RX100, 1/800sec at f2.5, ISO125.

I've been quite the slacker about updating this blog the last couple of months. A lack of time has unfortunately equaled a lack of consistent motivation for photography. It's a vicious cycle. Anyway, I took this week's photos at my favorite all-season lakefront spot in Chicago, Hollywood Beach. In the top photo I was reaching above my head for a slightly better composition. In the bottom two, I found a light streak hitting the beach between two buildings.

As much as I love the summer, nothing quite beats the light in October and November. So... CRISP. It's also a great time for capturing shadows.