Tropicality

striped trunk and shadowed leaves, 2010

The humid and tropical weather in Chicago right now made me think about this photo shoot on a trip to the Florida Keys. These three new photos were taken at a small botanical gardens in the Keys. All have a slightly warm tone to them; I like the silvery glint that black and whites get with a warm filter. 

I'm still slowly going through the photos from this trip. I find that it is a process to reflect on what I have seen, the images I have captured, and try to come to some sort of understanding of them. I'm slowly coming to terms with the "tropicality" of the Keys and my experience there with nature. Life there is so different from the Midwest; these photos are just some glimpses into that difference.

fauna forest, 2010

twin fauna, 2010

Some Great Lakes Revisited

floating docks, Lake Huron, Michigan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been revisiting some of my Great Lakes photos as I have been working on my portfolio on 500px (you can view my portfolios as I add to them at jwight.500px.com). The one above, floating docks, was taken at Lake Huron in Michigan. I took this photo at the end of a very long day of traveling up the Lake Huron coast. It's a little busier than I usually like my compositions but I love the contrasts - light and dark, as well as the contrast between the geometric docks and the masses of clouds. The sun was perfect that day, so I was able to get some nice reflection of the docks off of the water.

The photo below, quiet superior, was shot as I was getting shot at! I had drive up Lake Superior Road just outside of Superior Wisconsin, and walked around the coast of Allouez Bay. There was a small boat on the water that I had assumed was carrying two men who were fishing. Much to my surprise though they started firing warning shots at me. It turns out that they were bird hunters and I was disrupting their hunting!

Luckily, I was able to get this shot off before I was too rattled to continue. It's a quiet shot of a sometimes stormy Lake Superior. The irony of the shot is that it is the quietest photograph I have taken of Superior in one of the unquietest of circumstances!

quiet superior, Lake Superior, Wisconsin

New post, new fun, and a new lighthouse photo

A new post! And, I bet you thought I would never come back!! Well, I AM back and busy as ever. You might notice that there are some new features on my blog. I have paired up with Fotomoto so that folks can now order prints of my work! Underneath the photos in each of my blog posts there are links to purchase prints, share, or to send a free e-card of the photo to a friend. I am still working out some of the kinks but am excited to be rolling this out!

lighthouse majesty

My photography is also now on 500px.com, a new-ish photography sharing site. You can view my portfolios at jwight.500px.com - I am just getting started there, so many more photos will be added soon. AND,  if you would like to purchase the photos in any of my portfolios just visit my profile page at 500px.com/jwight and join 500px yourself. You will have access to my work and to the work of many other talented photographers.

Speaking of 500px.com, I was pleased to get such a nice response to my work from fellow photographers. One of my photos from the great lakes collection was chosen as a favorite in the first hour I uploaded it! You can see the photo, lighthouse majesty, to the right. Looking forward to sharing many more photos soon and rolling out more fun features!

Supermoon... plan B

So.. I was one of many folks who went out yesterday night to try to catch a glimpse and a photo of "supermoon." I checked the moonrise time and with excitement headed out to the Chicago lakefront with my camera and tripod. Unfortunately, what was a clear day turned into a cloudy night with the moon just a diffuse glow behind thick clouds. I waited for a while, decaf latte in hand, but it was cold and there was no sign of the cloud cover clearing. Disappointment set in.

But there can always be a plan B if you have the right equipment on hand. I've wanted to work on some nighttime landscape photography for a while, but am usually more of an early bird. Since I was already  out in the cold with a tripod and my camera in the dark though, I decided to take a few shots. I was especially pleased with this one, "Night Tree" - I love the contrast and felt like it was sufficiently moody and eerie. I'm glad I didn't freeze by the lakeshore for nothing!

"Night Tree" Chicago 2011

Golden Gate

(see full image)

Another Instagram post... I'm really liking some of the filters offered in Instagram. This image was taken with an iPhone 3G on a trip to San Francisco. I took photos of the bridge  with my DSLR that day too, but I've always loved this camera image the best! 

Backyard Chicken

(see full image)

Life has been a bit busy, but back to blogging! This is my first experiment with posting through Instagram. Photo of Penny the chicken taken in Chicago with an iPhone 3G. More fun Instagram posts to come.

Pawn Reflection

"Pawn Reflection" San Francisco 2010

This was taken on Mission Street in San Francisco. I love the character of the Mission District - it feels old and vintage - like you are walking the streets of a different era. I felt that this shot captured that feeling a bit and, at the same time, is a bit of a sign of the times. The storefront with its tiled shadowy entryway and the diagonal line created by the angle of the sidewalk make a nice backdrop to the woman gazing at pawned jewelry in the window. I really love the tone of the image as well. It feels like there is a longing there that also feels a little sad and a little lonely to me.