Valentine's Day Doughnuts at Gerbes | Canon 5D Mk. II and 85mm f/1.8 lens; exposed 1/1000 sec. @ f/1.8, ISO 400.
Nothing says I love you like pink and red frosting with little heart sprinkles. I’m glad I ran to the store to grab a couple of limes and had to carry my camera in with me because it was too cold to leave it in the car.
Winter Wipers, an homage to Calin Ilea | Canon 7D and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 25mm; exposed 1/50 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 200.
Sometimes the images that we make are not altogether our own; truly, how often can we make something that we can claim is solely derived from our own inspiration and is not, in some respect, derivative of others’ work? Another photographer in my Picture Story class, my good friend Calin Ilea, made this image a few days ago of snow-covered car windshield wiper blades. It was beautiful for its simplicity, and I wished it was mine. This is my own interpretation of a similar scene a few days later.
Fallen Leaf on Snow, Columbia, Mo. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 70mm; exposed 1/125 sec. @ f/8, ISO 100
On Wednesday, while talking on the phone outside of Lee Hills Hall at the University of Missouri, I noticed this fallen leaf on the snow-covered grass. The light and the shadows made for an interesting warm/cool mix, and I couldn’t help but make this picture.
Tonight, while walking back from having a discussion with my friends, we stumbled upon a protest against homosexuality, and a counter-protest against bigotry on the other side of the street. The police seemed to be pressuring the activists to cool it, and the signs went away. As one of the anti-homosexuality protestors began to put away her dress made out of the American flag, I captured this image, using an intentionally slow shutter speed (sometimes, I take risks, and sometimes, they pay off). Just a typical night in Columbia, Missouri.
Putting away the flag, Columbia, Mo. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 54mm; exposed 1/10 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 1600
Stairwell shadows, Columbia, Mo. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 58mm; exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/8, ISO 320
I don’t work in black and white very often, and work with sepia tone even less frequently, but when I do, I want it to have a certain effect. The sunlight coming in through the windows yesterday (Tuesday) was brilliantly warm, but the stairwell I was walking up had a cool blue shade to it, and was ruined by an emergency exit sign. I was unaware of its reddish glow until I pulled the photographs up on my monitor last night. A “straight” black and white tone simply did not do it justice, but I wanted the effect to be as subtle as possible.
More after the jump!
Gerbes before the snow | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 30mm; exposed 1/50 sec. @ f/4, ISO 2000
Public parking garage and snow melt, Columbia, Mo. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 42mm; exposed 1/40 sec. @ f/8, ISO 2000
Intersection of Broadway and Sixth Street | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 70mm; exposed 1/25 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 3200
As I was headed over to pick up a pizza (only a 20 minute wait time on a Superbowl Sunday…go figure) I walked past the intersection pictured above. Precipitation in the form of snow flurries had only started, so I was carrying my 5D Mark II instead of the better-sealed 7D; the image quality from the 5D is superior, but I don’t want a $2,500 camera to get fried in the snow!
Normally, I might pass a scene like this by. But the monochromatic color palette appealed to me, especially with the reflection of the red traffic light breaking that color palette in the sign for Broadway. This is also significant because my Picture Story & Photographic Essay course, taught by David Rees, just elected to pursue a group project that will tell various stories from Broadway, one of the principal arteries of Columbia. Here’s hoping it will be a good one!
