Insert evocative title here: winter

Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts

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.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Photo of the Week: City by the Frozen Lake

"City by the Frozen Lake" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mmmm lens, 1/100sec at f8, ISO200.

I took this week's photos on a trip to the John Hancock Observatory in mid March. It was in the upper 40s on this day, and I could sense Lake Michigan's iced over surface was nearing the end. Seemed like a good time to head up there and capture some images.

This next shot zooms in on the building to the left. Pool party in 3 months! Who's in?

Friday, March 14, 2014

Photo of the Week: Seatcicle

"Seatcicle" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mmmm lens, 1/250sec at f6.3, ISO200.

This week's photo was taken while waiting for a Purple Line train in Evanston. This is the Foster Avenue platform-- in my opinion, one of the worst maintained in the entire CTA system. Despite having a relatively new concrete floor, the ceiling has been leaking for at least 10 years, producing small waterfalls during heavy rain, and sometimes leading to ice sculptures in the winter like the one pictured here.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Photo of the Week: Thru Traffic Prohibited

"Thru Traffic Prohibited" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Sony RX100, 1/30sec at f1.8, ISO500.

I'm a big proponent of always having a camera with you. Whether that's a DSLR, a compact, or just a decent cell phone camera, you never know when you might come across something interesting. I was on my way to see a show at the Old Town School of Folk last weekend when I took this photo with a Sony RX100. I've never noticed this house before, which sits in the middle of an alley near Lincoln Ave and has no street entrance. I liked the way it looked with the newly fallen snow on the ground.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Photo of the Week: Splatter Painting

"Splatter Painting" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/200sec at f5.6, ISO400.

This week's photo is an example of what can happen when CTA employees are given snow blowers. That's the best guess I can make for what caused this snow pattern on a north bound red line train.

Art is everywhere if you choose to see it.

This was also featured in the Gapers Block Rearview.

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Chicago Lakefront is Not a Cold Dead Place

I've taken a lot of photos along the lakefront this winter. There's a serenity to Lake Michigan in January and February that I think is unique from any other time of year. In cold weather the lake becomes a different creature, equal parts frightening and beautiful, and this winter has seen plenty of both.

The one thing I've wanted to capture, but haven't until now, is the lakefront during either a sunrise or a sunset. Sunrises don't work well with my schedule, but I did find a nice sunset this week:

"The earth is not a cold dead place" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/125sec at f8, ISO400.

Both of these photos were taken from the same location, on Chicago's Hollywood Beach. The first was shot at 24mm and the second 128mm. I boosted the orange saturation in post processing, but otherwise I tried not to over-process these. I don't think they need it.

This scene also provided me with an excuse to name a photo after my favorite Explosions in the Sky album: The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place. Here's some optional musical accompaniment:

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Argyle St. Lunar New Year Parade

Last weekend I attended the Argyle St. Lunar New Year parade, on February 1st, 2014. The year of the horse! Argyle Street, or to be more official, The West Argyle Street Historic District, is the north side's version of China Town though with a slightly more diverse ethnic makeup.

This year's parade lacked the big firecracker explosion that I photographed last year, which usually kicks things off and is the main draw. I overheard someone say that they forgot to apply for the pyrotechnics license. Oooops! There were a lot of photographers there who seemed pretty bummed by this, but I say boo hoo, photographers. This was still a great event and I enjoyed it, and of course, we found an excellent Thai restaurant to have lunch at afterward.

"Game Face" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/800sec at f4.8, ISO200.

The parade marches west on Argyle St. in the photo above, with the Red Line L platform in the background. Below you see what it looks like when a dragon tries to eat your camera:

"Nom Nom Nom" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/640sec at f5.6, ISO200.

A marching lion and dragon:

"Marching Dragons" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/400sec at f5.3, ISO200.

This woman just seemed super excited to be in a parade:

"I'm in a parade!" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/1000sec at f3.5, ISO200.

A Chinese lion is a two person operation:

"
Behind the Scenes" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/320sec at f5.3, ISO200.

Finally, not everyone was into the festivities. This woman is giving the entire parade the side eye:

"Parade Skeptic" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/320sec at f5.6, ISO200.

Visit my Lunar New Year set on flickr to see photos from both this year and last year.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Great Beyond: Lake Michigan from Evanston

This has been a beautiful yet unforgiving January in the midwest. The photos in this post were taken over two separate days along Lake Michigan, on Northwestern University's Evanston campus. It was under 10 degrees on both days. Strangely, the lake looks much worse in the first two photos-- almost alien and unrecognizable-- and then improves slightly in the last three shots which were taken two days later. I don't have an explanation for that, but perhaps the snow and ice simply floated off to another part of the lakefront.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Chicago River Ice Flow

The iced over Chicago River has been an obsession of mine for several years. The river only ices over during periods of extreme cold, and since I don't work in the loop, I always seem to miss it. These photos were taken on a Sunday afternoon, and a rather balmy one at that-- I believe it was in the upper 30s and possibly even 40. It had been warm for several days, so I was very pleasantly surprised to still find some ice. These photo were all taken in the vicinity of Michigan Ave.

Friday, January 10, 2014

The Birds

I keep thinking that I'm done processing photos of Chicago's wintry lakefront, and I keep finding more that are worth looking at. In these shots, a flock of seagulls took flight around me and I did my best to photograph it.

"The Birds (3 of 3)" © Andy Marfia 2014 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/100sec at f8, ISO200.

Optional musical accompaniment: I had Elbow's "The Birds" in my head while editing these.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Storm Candids

The snow continues in Chicago! Some candid photos taken on January 2nd, along Clark Street in Andersonville:

"Carry On" © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/125sec at f5.6, ISO200.

These were all taken with a Nikon D7100 and 16-85mm lens. My advice for shooting in the winter: put the best lens you have on your camera and stick with it. If you absolutely must change lenses-- step inside so you're away from the wind and precipitation. While the D7100 is fairly weather resistant, that doesn't apply if you open up the lens mount, and any water that gets inside could be the end of your camera.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Happy New Year from Hollywood Beach

Welcome to 2014! Our New Years gift in Chicago is snow, lots and lots of snow. Below are some photos of the Chicago lakefront on New Years Day. These were all taken on or near Kathy Osterman Beach, colloquially known as Hollywood Beach due to it's proximity to Hollywood Ave.

"Hollywood Beach, New Years Day" © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved. Nikon D7100 w/ 55-200mm lens, 1/1250sec at f8, ISO200.

I have an internal debate that happens every winter regarding how to process winter photos. With the photos in this set, if I had processed them strictly for realism, they would probably all be a little darker, as that's what it looks like on an overcast, stormy day. But my brain wants snow to be white even if it's not actually white. Also, I like photos that have full tones! So in the end what you see is a compromise-- the snow and the sky are both a tad lighter than reality, but still a nice grayish tone that I think captures the mood.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Photo of the Week: the Crossing

Sony RX100, 1/160sec at f4, ISO125. © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved.

This week's photo was taken while crossing Sheridan Road in Evanston, IL. I walk this way at least 4 days a week, and I like how this snow storm takes this familiar scene and makes it seem new again. Also, this is another photo of someone using an umbrella in the winter. Why?

Friday, March 1, 2013

Photo(s) of the Week: Winter Canopies

Sony RX100, 1/125sec at f4.9, ISO125. © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved.

I've never understood why people use umbrellas in the winter? An umbrella, to me, is a rain device, and doesn't work very well in a blizzard. At best it keeps your hair dry, but you're probably wearing a hat anyway, and at worst, it gets blown open or weighed down with snow. Using an umbrella in the winter is a sure fire way to say to the world "I'm from Houston", and why would you want to do that?

I'll admit they do add some color to a scene, so Chicagoans: if you're going to use umbrellas, please opt for bright pink ones! Your local photographer will thank you. (Actually, we'll stealthily take your photo and post it on the internet, but you get the point).

These shots were both taken on Northwestern University's Evanston campus, just north of Chicago.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Photo(s) of the Week: Running Up That Hill

Nikon D7000 w/ 70-300mm lens, 1/1000sec at f8, ISO200. © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved.

This week's photos are of Cricket Hill on a particularly bright and sunny winter afternoon. If you live in Chicago, you're probably familiar with this hill, which sits just east of Lake Shore Drive off of Montrose Ave, though you may not have known it has a name.

The genesis of these shots date back to last summer on a previous visit. At the time, I noticed how the John Hancock Center pokes above one side of the hill, but to capture that requires a fairly long focal length which I didn't have with me. Also, there was no one on the hill to provide context. Both of those problems are solved here. I shot these at 300mm (450mm equivalent), which visually compresses the space and makes the Hancock Center appear much closer than it is, and the sledders give a sense of scale.

After taking these photos, I walked to the top of the hill, where I captured this photo from the summit looking off towards the city.

UPDATE: the first photo was featured on Gapers Block on 02/13/13.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Photo of the Week: Hoop Dreams

Nikon D7000 w/ 16-85mm lens, 1/1600sec at f4.5, ISO200. © Andy Marfia 2013 All Rights Reserved.

I really enjoy photographing Chicago in the winter. The city just has a different feel when everything is covered in snow. A scene that you've seen a million times looks suddenly new and fresh, and color, whenever you can find color, it really stands out.

This week's photo was taken near Loyola Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood. I took a similar photo a few years ago of a different basketball court. I like the shallow depth of field in that one, but I think this week's shot works better as a winter scene.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Photo of the Week: It Begins... sort of

Sony RX100, 1/30sec at f1.8, ISO200. © Andy Marfia 2012 All Rights Reserved.

Weather forecasting, I suspect, is sort of like an arms race. The more dire the predictions, the better the ratings, and as you get closer to a weather event everyone tries to out predict each other. That's what happened this week in Chicago, where I saw predictions of freezing rain turning into snow (it was really just rain) and anywhere from 3-6 inches of accumulation (we got none) depending on who you trusted (which at this point is no one!).

On the upside, we at least had enough snow for me to take this photo during my commute home on Thursday. It didn't last, but was sure pretty to look at for a few minutes. This is the intersection of Ridge, Broadway and Bryn Mawr.