It's always scary standing in the middle of the street to get a shot. Even though there were very few cars at this hour of the day, the thought of a car coming down while my focus is entirely on framing the picture adds a little bit of urgency making this shot tougher than usual.
I got a tip about a week ago that I might be able to get a good shot of the construction on the LaSalle and Wells Street bridges over the Chicago River. I headed over there the day after the St. Patrick's day river dyeing, hoping to get shots of both the river itself and the construction, and I wasn't disappointed.
Today's photo is from directly underneath where Yesterday's photo was taken. This is the Wabash street bridge over the Chicago River.
For those of you not from Chicago, every year the City of Chicago sponsors an event where several gallons of food dye are emptied into the Chicago River to turn it green in celebration of St. Patrick's day. The dye has a lasting effect on the river, and it will remain a bright green for four or five days after the ceremony.
I set the alarm to get up at 6am on Sunday morning, not an easy task considering I too celebrated the holiday with several ounces of green beer!
On one hand, the colors and charisma of this house represent the true spirit of the city of New Orleans. On the other, the cleanliness, attention to detail, and overall organization of the house might be giving the city just a little bit too much credit. Overall though I had a blast in the city and would definitely return soon. We found this house just a block or so off of bourbon street.
A house in the French Quarter just a block or so off of Bourbon Street.
While in New Orleans last weekend we went on an airboat tour of the swamp for my birthday. We were lucky enough to see many gators including this twelve footer on the tour. With my 300mm lens, I was able to get up pretty close for this shot.
Our guide was sure to mention that this area of the swamp was known as "Bayou Self" because if you make one wrong turn, your "Bayou Self".
I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to New Orleans, the site of this Sunday's Super Bowl, this past weekend. While we weren't lucky enough to stay for the game, the city was preparing for the events to come the following week, and Jackson Square, pictured here, was ready to go fo the game. We saw a few different celebrities walking the streets. I only wish we could have stayed for the game. Go Ravens!
Every morning I go to post a new picture I have to put something in the title bar, and it has lately been the toughest part about putting up a new photo.
This shot was taken a couple weeks back on an early morning bike ride. This is the famous anchor at the far east side of Navy Pier. I would like to get back on the bike some time this week, but with the recent sub-zero temperatures, that isn't looking very likely.
During last week's sunrise-bike ride to Navy Pier I noticed that Lake Michigan was calmer than usual, making for a rare opportunity to photograph the skyline reflected in the water. Capturing it, however, was easier said than done as I had to go down to the area located specifically for docking ships to set up my tripod. Still, not far enough away to remove the pier from the site of my camera, I leaned the tripod towards the water risking that a even the slightest breeze would inevitably push not just me but also my precious camera into the cold sea.
In the end, it was all worth it for this shot.
I woke up bright and early this morning and took the bike down to Navy Pier. I was pleasantly surprised by an awesome sunrise that reminded me of the sunrise during a photowalk from a couple of years ago when I took this shot.
