Photos of the Week: Gathering Place

"Gathering Place" © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved. Sony RX100, 1/30sec at f3.2, ISO400.

I'm far from the first photographer to make this observation, but nonetheless I really enjoy watching people interact with art in art museums.  In fact, I enjoy this almost as much as the art itself.  In this case, a gathering of people in Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" at Chicago's Art Institute becomes a point of gathering in the real world as well, as though the scene has extended outward into the museum itself.

For more Art Institute photos, check out my Art Institute set on flickr.

Photo of the Week: P-I-C-A-S-S-O

"P-I-C-A-S-S-O" Copyright Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w 16-85mm lens, 1/640sec at f8, ISO400.

I had some good choices for my "photo of the week" this week.  Gapers Block featured one of my industrial shots on Wednesday, and this damaged pair of Chicago street signs made the rounds on flickr's Explore.  But my favorite shot is this one of Daley Plaza, which over the last few months has included seven over-sized letters spelling out the name PICASSO-- part art installation in tribute to the statue behind it, and part advertisement for the Art Institute's Picasso show which ends this week.

I like how these letters add a bit of color to what is normally a pretty drab Daley Plaza, and it was fun to watch people interact with them.  It does give off a bit of a playground vibe, but half of Chicago already uses the Picasso statue as a slide, so perhaps that's fitting.

My goal with this shot was to include all the letters from P to O, while emphasizing the P, and also capturing the statue in the background.  I had to sit on my butt to make this composition work, but I think it was worth it.

Photo of the Week: Washington Crossing the Internet

Sony RX100, 1/50sec at f3.2, ISO200. Copyright Andy Marfia 2012 All Rights Reserved.

This week's photo is a reinterpretation for the digital age of Roy Lichtenstein's "George Washington" which itself was a reinterpretation of a portrait done by Gilbert Stuart.  I took this while meandering through the Chicago Art Institute's superb Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, which ended on September 3rd.  The title is a play on the famous painting: "Washington Crossing the Delaware".  I couldn't resist.

A bit of advice about taking photos in museums: leave the clunky DSLR at home.  A camera phone or compact camera is a better option, as it will draw less attention from other patrons and museum security as well.  It's also nice when walking through quiet rooms to have a camera with no shutter sound.

For more Art Institute photos, check out my Art Institute set on flickr.

Art Institute: Windows to Chicago

One of my favorite things about the Art Institute of Chicago-- aside from the wonderful artwork, of course-- is the way the museum interacts with the city around it.  I've taken photos in the past which show this from the exterior; I thought I'd try a few shots from inside the building on a recent visit:


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/50sec at f4.5, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2011 All Rights Reserved.

The shot above is from the southeast section.  It's one of my favorite stairways in the Art Institute, here intermixed with the Santa Fe Building and Michigan Ave.  I processed this so the staircase would be predominantly in silhouette, which I think accentuates the basic elements of the scene.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/640sec at f5.6, ISO800. © Andy Marfia 2011 All Rights Reserved.

This next photo is from the Modern Wing and shows some relatively new high rises in the South Loop.


Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/125sec at f5.6, ISO400. © Andy Marfia 2011 All Rights Reserved.

This third and final shot is from the wing that crosses over the old rail yards, and shows the Aon Center and other buildings to the north.  The white line in this picture is a break in the window shades.