iconic

This shot was taken facing into the sun. The bad thing about vacations is you don't always get to reshoot, and it's hard to pick the time of day you happen upon things. The view facing away from the sun just wasn't as cool as this view. The shot ended up being sort of overexposed. As I was fixing it I decided to add a texture. The sunflares just seemed to age the shot, so I thought I might as well age it even more.

it goes on and on and on and on

This shot was taken from the newly renamed Willis Tower. It will always be Sears Tower to me... Regardless of what they call it, I supposed it still does have one heck of a view. I found the view breathtaking and found it even more remarkable to think about how many people inhabit that space. Deep down I'll always be a country girl because I found the idea of that being my day-to-day life. Chicago I love you. I hope to visit you many more times, but you'll never be home.

america's favorite pastime

I love film. Even if digital and film took the exact same image (and they don't), I'd still have a love for film. Every time I get a roll back it's like Christmas. I find myself holding the negatives up to the light to determine just what I got. It's exciting. Sometimes I get a little flustered when people tease me for shooting with film. I just want to scream at them, "Respect your roots!"

I'm sure I could have gotten a shot of Wrigley Field that was digital and edited the crap out of it until it looked like the above. But above is timeless. Since this is film it could have been taken at almost anytime. It means a lot more to me because of this.

city of blues

This was taken from the Willis Tower/Sears Tower in Chicago. Chicago is such an amazing city. I have had a love affair with the place for as long as I can remember. We used to take vacations there a lot when I was younger. I always loved it. Of course, I've done all the tourist things, but I hadn't do any of it since I've been into photography. I decided to go back to the Sears Tower, because it does offer some nice view of the city. I went about 30 minutes before sunset and got to enjoy a stunning sunset with a view.

keep your eye on the ball

Taken: September 13, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Sigma 55-200mm
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 176 mm
ISO Speed: 400

I went to see the Cubs play a couple of games in Chicago. I had a blast.

choppy waters

Taken: September 16, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Canon 10-22mm
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 400

My mom wanted to ride on a sailboat on vacation because it was called the Tall Ship Windy. My name is Windy, so yeah... I picked one of the late sails hoping for some nice sunset colors. I didn't really think about the direction of the skyline, so I was stuck with doing silhouettes. I think it ended up working out though.

if you build it...

Taken: September 14, 2009
Camera: Canon EOS 40D plus Canon 10-22mm
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 400

...they will come
even when you having a rough season
and cheer for every play

I had one goal on the trip to Chicago and that was to get a nice wide angle shot of Wrigley Field. You see, I love baseball. I love the Chicago Cubs. I had never been to Wrigley, and going was on my bucket list. This is an amazing place. There is so much history and hope in this place.