fourpointedstar

I do like these photos, but … (see previous post)

I don’t click the shutter button nearly as often as I used to; it’s not that I don’t take my camera out as much, it’s that I take fewer photos overall but have a higher percentage of photos that I like. Most often, I know before I click if the photo will be worthwhile, and I’m much more willing to wait for the right shot, scene, or composition. In short, I’m much less “spray and pray” with the shutter button that I used to be.

But barns? I found it very difficult to find inspiration and compositions with the barns and other abandoned structures on our trip. It’s not that the buildings weren’t interesting; it’s that I haven’t developed the mind’s eye for it. Once I brought the images into Lightroom, I couldn’t “see” why I took the photo to begin with – or worse – I could see and now I thought it was weak or absent.

Perhaps I need more practice (I do), but as I mentioned before; there’s only so much time to take pictures, and maybe I’d rather spend it with the subjects and scenes that I already love.

At some point in life, most of us realize that we don’t have time for everything that we’re interested in – we’re forced to drop a hobby because we don’t have time.

Photography reached that point for me a few years back; I used to photograph anything, but I discovered that I wouldn’t edit certain photoshoots or would be annoyed at editing certain shoots. I enjoy certain subject matter and certain photo topics and would like to spend more time with those.

Old, abandoned buildings is one of those topics; it’s not that I don’t like the photos that I come up with, it’s that I’d rather be photographing something else. This was true on our trip to Southern Illinois with Keith French; on two days, we visited abandoned churches and barns, and I found myself wanting to wander through the woods instead.

I do like these photos, but …

Back in November 2023, Side Street Studio Arts hosted a photo walk; each participant was supposed to pick a “challenge” for the day, so I took every photo at 200mm. I’ve already posted several of my photos, so make sure to check those photos out too.

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>other images<
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There are certain architectural elements that lend themselves to odd, abstract photographs, but in some instances, you must create the abstract image. As I walked around ECC some images just made sense – the concrete ceiling under the elevated walkway and the outdoor metal staircase. But the staircase’s metal railing and marbled look, I knew there was a photo; but as long as it was right side up, it just looked like stairs…

Leaving at the end of a trip is always sad and happy; I’m typically glad to head back to my home and my routine, but sad to leave the destination and certain that I would love to spend a day or two more there!  The photo walk in Chinatown was hot and humid, but I was sad the day was over and that we were headed home.

I love the beauty and fluidity of Chinese characters; in English, signs are typically written in block letters, but the majority of the text through Chinatown is written in a script that I would describe as “cursive”.

I’m not even sure where the puddles came from that day – it was over 90°F / 32.2°C out – but the puddles made for fun reflections.  A couple of other photographers on the walk really used them to their advantage, I just used them as an abstract framing device.

Pardon me if I’ve photographed this structure before, but I’m obligated to capture an image each time that I visit Chinatown! I do need to remember to bring a wider lens next time that I visit though; I would love to capture the staircase as the border of the photo.

When we started our photo walk, I wanted to capture images that I may not normally see or look for. The stop light shadow immediately grabbed my attention, but I will admit that my second photo, the reflection, is the type of photo that I have taken many times over.

I loved the way the evening light played with the reddish bricks on the steeple, but when I saw the shadows on the RR Donnelly building? The way the straight shadow played across the rectangular windows and contrasted with the darkness of the second building’s window reflection? That was simply too good to pass up!

I love looking for interesting reflections in windows; the window offers a perfect frame and typically distorts the view. Recently though, I’ve been drawn to photos of reflections in puddles; a very similar concept, but a different and less predictable frame and outcome.

My friend and I took a nice slow walk around one of Elgin’s historic neighborhoods. Our meandering path matched our meandering conversation as we talked about life and pressed our shutter buttons. I remarked to him “I’m just not really feeling it”, but I continued to capture interesting images. As I tried to pick 7 images to post for this week, they all seemed to be missing something; but as pairs of photos?

The strong red-ish light of the sun played strongly across each scene, but was most evident on the brick buildings leading to the wonderful hues in these photos.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

A few years back, I attended a camera club meeting about street photography. One of the attendees asked about the privacy of those that you photograph, and the speaker responded “as long as they are in public, there should be no expectation of privacy.” A drone blurs this line even further; while a photo taken 300 feet away will to show fantastic resolution, you can easily see my neighbors back yards in this photo. Anyway, as much as I enjoyed trying to create an interesting composition with my own neighborhood, I won’t fly the drone over residential property any longer.

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Would these buildings be considered twins, just wearing different clothes?
Siblings?
Cousins?
Either way, these two buildings on Grove Street are wonderful examples of Elgin’s historic downtown.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

Elgin has so many wonderful buildings. This one on Douglas Avenue is very interesting, the fancier façade partially extends to the side which implies that this wasn’t going to be as visible, but there are windows which implies that there wasn’t going to be a building immediately next to it… (Ok, so maybe not “very interesting” only “interesting”.)

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

It struck me as somewhat comical that the counterweights for the various curtains and stage elements looked more like boxing punching bags. Each counter weight is specially balanced so that a member of the tech crew can properly move equipment quickly and fluidly.

…view older images with the thumbnails below…

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