blog | photography by David Kennedy » pictorial

How does anything dry in this weather?

David — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:54:43 +0000

Jeans hang to dry on a clothes line in Durham, NC. | Canon 7D and 70-200mm f/4L IS lens @ 135mm | Exposed 1/400 sec. @ f/4, ISO 400.

Home from an April Wedding

David — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:20:16 +0000

August Kryger and Amanda Shea's wedding ceremony at Alpine Park on 23 April 2011.

Last week I flew back to Columbia, Missouri to attend my friend August Kryger‘s wedding to Amanda Shea. I flew into Saint Louis on Thursday and the following day, a few hours after consulting with my committee members to figure out the right direction for my master’s project on Asian carp, a tornado touched down at the airport. By the time I flew out on Tuesday, STL was up and running once again, and plywood replaced the glass that had been shattered during the storm.

Driving up to STL in the airport shuttle on Tuesday 26 April 2011 in Saint Louis, Mo.

A few glass windows remain at the main entrance to STL on Tuesday 26 April 2011 in Saint Louis, Mo.

Gardening at night

David — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:26:42 +0000

Sugar snap peas overwhelm their trellis in our garden, Durham, N.C. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm | Exposed 1/50 sec. @ f/3.5, ISO 100 | 580EX II and 550EX Speedlites triggered with ST-E2.

The other day I received my Lumiquest Softbox III that I ordered at the Joe McNally and David Hobby “Flash Bus Tour” in Durham, North Carolina on 4 April. A new light modifier? Well, I simply had to play with it. Trick is finding cooperative subject matter. As I mentioned a few weeks back, Elizabeth and I have been working on a new garden/cooking/home improvement blog, and it was high time for an update on the crop of peas growing along the “whimsical trellises” that she made in the back yard.

Lighting the garden

So I set up the Softbox III on my 580EX II Speedlite, gelled 1/4 CTO on a stand at camera right as my key, and placed my 550EX in the back, zoomed out to 105mm and gelled 1/2 CTO to work as a kicker. While outdoors I tend to use my low-end radio triggers for wireless flash, in cloudy conditions and after sunset I find that I can get away with wireless ETTL with either my ST-E2 or a flash as the commander. This makes setting the light ratio and also the amount of light a lot faster when I don’t have much time (like when the sun is setting and the sky is getting really dark and really fast). In this case, I think the warmer light created by the gels contrasted nicely with the cool sky at dusk.

Content © 2011 David Kennedy | View Original Post | Comment | Filed under Updates | Tags: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, Canon 550 EX, Canon 580 EX II, Canon ST-E2, EOS 5D Mark II, gardening, pictorial, Strobist

Like Snowing Cherry Blossoms

David — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:50:09 +0000

: Cherry blossom petals, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, N.C. | Canon 5D Mk. II and Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZE lens | Exposed 1/160 @ f/4, ISO 100.

While I was not able to use the Zeiss 85mm lens I rented nearly as much as I had anticipated during the week that I had it, I will say that it is disappointingly soft wide-open, but sharpens up dramatically by f/2, and is wickedly sharp at f/4. The detail in the fallen cherry blossom petals is amazing!

Also, some big changes are coming as I am in the process of becoming an LLC in the state of North Carolina. More to come…

Goodnight, Chicago

David — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 20:00:45 +0000

Wendella Boats' "Linnea" passes under the DuSable Bridge that connects Michigan Avenue over the Chicago River on October 19, 2010. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 42mm | Exposed 1/160 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Finally, I present the last of my Chicago images. Not necessarily for the master’s project, but for me: Elizabeth and I lived in Chicago for a time, but I never really carried a camera with me because I was concerned about keeping my equipment safe at our apartment in Hyde Park. I figured the less I had, the safer we were (and we never had a break-in). But this project gave me an excuse to walk around downtown and the Loop with some of my better gear. Frankly, the 5D Mk. II and a 50mm lens would be a great combination, with a wide-angle lens and a telephoto as two accessory lenses, but I really needed to have the 24-70mm with me that day as I was working on my project, and needed the flexibility that it provides. The next time I go to Chicago with a camera, it will just be for me, and the equipment choices will certainly reflect that!

Taxi and Carbide and Carbon Building (Hard Rock Hotel) | Canon 5D Mk. II and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 16mm | Exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/4, ISO 400

Elevated train on Wabash Ave. and Smurfit-Stone Building | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm | Exposed 1/80 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Three more photographs after the jump!

A woman walks on the crosswalk at the intersection of Wabash and Lake as an elevated train goes by. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm | Exposed 1/125 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 400

A discussion near the Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 57mm | Exposed 1/50 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 3200

Cloud Gate sculpture, Millennium Park, and the Chicago skyline at twilight | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 32mm | Exposed 1/50 sec. @ f/4.5, ISO 3200

Content © 2010 David Kennedy | View Original Post | 2 comments | Filed under Travel | Tags: architecture, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, Chicago, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, pictorial, street photography

Vignettes from the Waterfront

David — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:00:37 +0000

Tourists on Wendella Boats' "Linnea" take in the view from Chicago's outer harbor on Oct. 19, 2010. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 24mm | Exposed 1/1600 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 100

I’ve been spending the better part of the week processing my photos for my master’s project. The trips to Chicago were surprisingly productive. And the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens that I’ve been borrowing from my dad–I briefly reviewed it here early this year–proved to be invaluable in the city. Sure, the images aren’t as sharp as they would be with a 70-200 lens, but it’s a smaller, less “obvious” lens for street shooting: the black barrel doesn’t draw attention to itself.

As always, comments and criticism welcome! And more photos after the jump!

Deck chair shadows on Wendella Boats' "Linnea." | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 34mm | Exposed 1/800 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 100

Another photographer contemplates having the lens turned upon him. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 230mm | Exposed 1/250 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 250

A Shoreline Sightseeing tour boat cruises along the outer barrier of the Chicago harbor. The Carter-Harrison "water crib," an intake that feeds to the water pumps for the city, is visible in the background. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 300mm | Exposed 1/2000 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 100

Content © 2010 David Kennedy | View Original Post | Comment | Filed under Master's Project | Tags: Asian Carp, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, Canon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS, Chicago, EOS 5D Mark II, Master's Project, photojournalism, pictorial

Berkeley, Illinois Metra Station

David — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:30:28 +0000

Metra stop, Berkeley, Illinois. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 30mm | Exposed 1/2000 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 100.

A few images from Berkeley, Illinois, where I took the Metra West line to get into Chicago a couple of weeks ago to play tourist at Wendella Boats. I think it’s fitting to show some of the rail infrastructure surrounding the city as rail would be one of the alternatives for carrying the cargo that barges currently push in and out of the region.

Also, I’ve been experimenting, perhaps too much, with leaving my large-aperture lenses wide open even mid-day for the selective focus and natural vignetting that you can get…and then enhancing the latter a touch in Lightroom. Don’t worry–I’m sure it’s a phase that I’ll get over sooner rather than later. At least the vignetting part!

Two more photos after the jump!

Water tower and a train full of cargo, Berkeley, Ill. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 60mm | Exposed 1/2500 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 100.

Train yard and Chicago skyline, Berkeley, Ill. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens @ 300mm | Exposed 1/500 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 100.

Like living on a working river

David — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 01:52:36 +0000

Capt. Dan Egan minds the rear of the boat as Steve Gray stands on point at the bow of the empty barge while they push it up the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal on Illinois Marine Towing's "Albert C." on October 20, 2010 near Lemont, Ill. | Canon 5D Mk. II and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 38mm | Exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/10, ISO 100 (flash @ -1/3 EV)

A few more frames from my day on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal with Illinois Marine Towing. I wanted a little “more” both from the portrait of Dan Egan and the image below, with Steve Gray growing in proportion from one frame to the next. As for the third image, I can’t help but be drawn to photos of flowing water, although usually I try to make it silky, I enjoyed the way that the faster shutter speed froze the large droplets.

(Two more photos after the jump!)

While trying to position the barge parallel to the others, Steve Gray, a deck hand for Illinois Marine Towing, takes point at the front and radios-in the location to Captain Dan Egan in the pilot house. | Canon 1D Mk. III and 70-200mm f/4L IS lens with 1.4x II TC @ 280mm | Exposed 1/250 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 100.

A pump clears the water out of the lower tank of a barge at the shipyards near Lemont, Ill. A barge may be flooded intentionally to help even its load. | Canon 1D Mk. III and 70-200mm f/4L IS lens @ 165mm | Exposed 1/1000 sec. @ f/4, ISO 200.

Content © 2010 David Kennedy | View Original Post | Comment | Filed under Master's Project | Tags: Asian Carp, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L, Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, EOS 1D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II, photojournalism, pictorial, portraits